Anna's House, Port Charles 2017

The drops of rain pattered against the windows of her car with impatience, hastening the passing of seconds. Anna gazed out of the glass, seeing only her own reflection as the world outside became enveloped in the darkness of an autumn night. She frowned, listening to the thudding sounds, unsure why she was still sitting here, waiting. She knew exactly what she was waiting for, but she tried to ignore the motive, feeling somehow foolish for even thinking about it. Still, it is the reason why she remains dressed in her usual impeccable blouse and pencil skirt instead of being curled up in bed with the book. She wasn't sad that it was a new day. It is not important anyway, she told herself, it is not like she paid special attention to the date herself it didn't bother her that no one else did either.

Eventually, she took herself inside, shaking off her umbrella in the foyer. She went up to her room directly, changed into a flannel pajama set, and headed back down. She went to the kitchen and poured herself a half glass of wine, thinking she might as well do something to mark the date. Glancing around, she considered preparing dinner but decided against it, not feeling hungry at all. She lingered in the vacant space for longer than necessary, holding the empty glass. The night had fallen in full; the rain continued its assault on her windows. It was time to call it a day.

She walked into the living room and stopped short when she saw a bouquet of red roses the size of a small elephant on her desk. She walked over and touched them carefully. There was no card that she could find.

DING DONG!

She was not in the habit of answering the door in her pajamas; even if the person on the other side was a delivery driver, she will likely never see again. But then the time for deliveries has long passed; Anna strove to see through the rain stained window at the last light of day fading away quickly. She looked at her watch in confusion before turning abruptly; Her steps were wary as she neared the door and her hand hesitant as she opened it. But her caution gave way to an instant startle.

"Finn!" she said in genuine surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here?" He said with an edge to his voice she hadn't heard before. Was he angry?

"Don't you think you should tell your boyfriend when it's your birthday?" He said accusingly, placing his hands on his hips: his obvious frustration she found somewhat amusing and even a little endearing.

"My fake boyfriend, you mean," she said dryly.

"Fake boyfriend or not, it's easier to fake it when I actually know things about you," she said sullenly.

"How did you find out anyway?" she asked.

"Because Robin texted me to make sure her bouquet arrived safely."

"Oh, are these from Robin? How lovely!" she turned to the roses with a smile.

"No. Those are from Robin." He pointed to a bouquet of sunflowers on the mantle. "These are from me." he gestured emphatically at the bouquet of roses.

She started in surprise. "You didn't have to, Finn, besides it's past the date anyway." She offered the standard phrase of politeness, wondering if it has any meaning at all in this gesture. But she picked up the vase of flowers, a timid smile pulling at her lips as he buried her face into them to hide the blush that she could feel on her cheeks. Finn smiled as he took in the sight of her enjoying the offering, one he could have only imagined until now. They both remained silent for a moment, the situation without precedence, and there was no script for them to fall back onto.

"I know I didn't have to...but I kinda wanted to. Even if this is fake, I'm determined to be as good at it as I can. It is your birthday, Anna," he stated firmly as if it really mattered to him.

"It is not an important thing," she responded, turning to look at him, just as the gravity of his words settles on his face.

"It is important to me," he remarked.

"Everyone has a birthday, Finn," she tried to play off her feelings but was warmed by his insistence.

"Everyone is not you!" he spat back quickly, making Anna's fingers tighten around the stem of the vase as she collected her own thoughts. Finn cleared his throat in apology at the forcefulness of his tone and continued in a softer voice.

"If we are trying to make this convincing for your family and the rest of Port Charles, then I should take you out tonight since I didn't when I should have."

Anna looked at him with a bemused expression. "That's not necessary."

"I know, but I think I'd like to. And besides, Felicia extended an invitation to the Floating Rib to celebrate since I missed it."

Anna's gaze widened; she did not expect that. She picked it up and tapped the ball of her glass while she considered her response.

"Oh, don't worry about being polite. I can tell Felicia that we prefer to stay in and celebrate in a more...intimate fashion. I promise she won't even mind or ask questions."

Finn swallowed. The idea of spending an evening doing intimate things with the woman standing across from him suddenly made the room feel too warm. Which then just made him feel the need to remove his tie, but then all he could think of was what else he wanted to take off.

"I thought we were supposed to convince everyone that we were together so that we would be able to convince Cassandra at the same time," he said nonchalantly.

"I doubt Cassandra would set foot in a place like the Floating Rib," she scoffed.

"Come on! Are you going to let me take you out, or are you going to keep coming up with excuses?"

Anna looked at his exasperated face with renewed interest.

"You really want to take me out?" she said skeptically, tilting her head, trying to emphasize the absurd nature of the proposal.

"That's what I have been trying to tell you. It's a Sunday night, it's your birthday, and this is my last offer. You could spend your night alone with a crossword puzzle if that sounds better."

She thought for a moment, then looked at him squarely, yet a glint of curiosity began to kindle in her eyes.

"Alright. I accept your invitation."

"Finally. Was that so hard?" he said with relief. He wasn't sure why this was so important to him, but it was.

"No." she laughed, "But give me a minute to go change out of these work clothes into something more appropriate for ribs and BBQ sauce," she called over her shoulder as she hurried upstairs to her bedroom.

"Don't forget it's cold out there!" He cringed at his own words. It's it cold out there? Really?

Finn's eyes cast downward over his own attire. He pulled off his tie and undid the row of jet buttons on his vest and removed it, then opened his shirt at the throat. He realized that the venue called for something more relaxed.

When Anna came back downstairs, she was dressed in slim black jeans and a slim fitting black button-up shirt artfully unbuttoned and was slipping her arms into a leather jacket. She used her hand to free the hair that had been caught underneath her jacket collar, and as she did so, her shirt pulled tight across her chest, and he could see the outline of her bra through the thin fabric. She then wrapped a scarf around her throat, and Finn felt vaguely disappointed when he could no longer see the pale line of her neck.

"You look…" his mouth when dry, and words escaped him for a moment as he looked at her. "-warm...very warm," he said helplessly and felt like he wanted to sink through the ground when she raised an eyebrow at him.

"You look less formal too. It's a nice look on you."

"Thank you." he smiled. "Now, let's get out of here."


Floating Rib, Port Charles 2017

Perched awkwardly on a barstool with the remnants of their shared meal still on the counter, Finn tried desperately to avoid making eye contact with Anna. She stood elegantly by the far corner over the billiard table's sleek velvet surface, glossy cue stick in her right hand as she used the other to gather the solid and striped balls into a neat triangular pattern. On the other end, a lone white cue ball sat perfectly centered.

"What was I thinking?" Finn muttered to himself

Anna made her way around the pool table, bent forward, and lined up her shot. Finn watched her body tense in concentration, one knee bent. He tried not to concentrate on the fit of her jeans as she leaned over or how her shirt went slack enough to get another view of her decolletage. She pulled her arm back and then lightly propelled the shining white ball forward, letting it shatter the perfect triangle and send color flying every which way. Finn felt alarmingly like that triangle, and Anna the cue ball sending his mind reeling a dozen different directions and upending his world at the same time.

Straightening up, she spared a glance in his direction. Her lips curled up momentarily before her expression went back to one of concentration. Finn's brow wrinkled as he took a deep breath. Being alone with Anna was no different from being alone with anyone else. He reasoned this nervous energy he felt must just be because he, Hamilton Finn, didn't have much practice being around people in general. And he and Anna were nothing more than business partners if they could even be called that. Hearing the clattering of billiard balls, Finn instinctively lifted his head and found himself locking eyes with her, and he could feel his face flush with color.

Looking evenly at him, Anna at length called out. "Pool isn't just for one person. You play, yeah?" She leaned forward again, and her cue stick sent another set of balls ricocheting off the walls of the table.

He stood up from his seat cautiously, thrown by how painfully shy he suddenly felt despite Anna's civil and easy-going demeanor. His footstep seemed loud and heavy in his ears as he approached the rack of spare sticks on the wall. He tugged one from its socket while Anna reset the table.

"Stripes or solids?" Finn asked as he gestured to the table. In response, he received a raised eyebrow. Finn felt like kicking himself; that question wouldn't be answered until he took his first turn. Anna picked up her beer and took a long sip. Her choice of beverage was different than usual. Wine or scotch was usually what she ordered. But there was something immensely sensuous watching her drink from the dark long-necked bottle, he could see the muscles in her neck tighten and relax, and he realized he needed to breathe since, at some point,t involuntarily he had started holding his breath.

Propping her cue stick against the table, Anna took three strides around the table until she stood beside him. Her slim legs flexed until her hip was settled next to his. Finn felt his own eyes drift downwards. Slender tapered fingers splayed out on his shoulder. Anna leaned in her warm breath ghosting over the shell of his ear.

"You know Felicia is watching us. We might need to put on a show every now and then," she whispered, another wave of hot air causing the hair on the back of his neck to stand at attention. Finn took an instinctive step back and almost knocked the remaining pool cues from the rack. He looked at her with surprise, and she rolled her eyes in answer to his questioning look.

"Don't blame me." she said in an exasperated voice "going out was not my idea."

His cue stick was clutched tightly in his hand, and his breath came in short bursts. Anna turned to face him and took another step forward. If not for the stick in his hands, her body would almost have been flush against his.

"Relax, Finn." his name rolled off her tongue, hanging in the air between them. "I'm not asking you to do something you don't want to. Just lean in once in a while and whisper something to me, even if it's from a medical terminology textbook. It's not that hard." Her face was now directly in front of his, their breath intermingling. Heat pooled somewhere in his body. Finn glanced over to the bar where he caught Felicia's keen eye; she had the decency to look away and wipe the counter attentively. He felt suddenly like he was trapped under a microscope when he preferred to be the one in control.

He stood up to his full height over her, and he felt the sudden change of mood between them. He loomed over her and then leaned down, his lips fluttering against her left ear.

"Alright." He brought his cool fingers to caress Anna's cheek, his thumb stroking the skin at the top of her cheekbone. The touch was gentle, affectionate almost. His heart thudded in his chest. He was captivated by the way she gnawed at her lower lip, almost in anticipation.

What were they doing? It shouldn't feel this right for something that's only very much pretend.

Abruptly, his hand dropped, leaving a remnant of dissipating heat on Anna's cheek, but he remained close. Nervous tension wove its way through her body, and her nerve endings tingled. Finn had an inscrutable expression in his eyes, but there was one thing she could read from his body. Through both her training and experience, she could sense desire radiating from him. And if she was honest with herself, the desire was coursing through her as well. This was not how she expected things to turn out when she invited herself and that purloined diamond along to his visit with Raymond Berlin. Here was her dilemma, this state of mutual attraction, which caused their heartbeats to race, knees to weaken, the rush of chemicals and hormones through their veins. She hadn't thought she was capable of feeling this way again, and she had no right to feel it now, not for a man who was nursing a broken heart.

Suddenly his fingers dug into her shoulders, and he spun her around, so her back was against the wall. His hips pressed into hers and his lips connected with her cheek, then moved behind her ear only to trail down the side of her neck. He paused momentarily but couldn't stop, diving back in to nip and suck his way down the gently curving slope of her throat. His hands were on her waist, and she thought for a moment she blacked out.

When Finn drew back, and Anna looked back at him through half-lidded eyes, clouded with lust. He smiled and then whispered in her ear, "Medical terms are created using root words with prefixes and suffixes that are Greek or Latin in origin. For example, pericarditis means inflammation of the outer layer of the heart." His hands moved to her back and pulled her closer.

"The three parts of this term are: peri – card – itis," he growled lowly into her ear, and Anna felt every syllable travel down to the base of her spine. And she knew she was blushing from his hands as well as her own carnal thoughts. His dusky voice could make even scientific names sound erotic. With that, Finn stepped back, leaving a flushed gasping Anna leaning weakly against the wall. Bending down, he picked up Anna's forgotten pool stick and placed it back in her hands.

"I think that should satisfy Felicia's curiosity about our relationship don't you think?" he said in as steady a tone as he could manage. Every muscle in his body was aching to throw her down on the pool table and give over to this feeling that was running through him. Unwise, considering this was a pretend relationship and, of course, unwise because this was a public venue. What he really wanted was to take her back to his room at the Metro Court and do exactly as he pleased.

"Um...Yes, yes, I'm sure it will satisfy her." Anna said, letting out a shaky breath, interrupting his increasingly inappropriate thoughts.

They stared at each other for a long moment, not sure what else to say. Retreat seemed the only viable option.

"I...I...I need to visit the ladies' room. I'll be right back." and with that, she was gone in a flash without a look back. Finn watched her until she was out of sight but couldn't unglue his eyes from her direction.

"Here."

Finn jumped at the sound of someone behind him.

"You look like you could use some ice water," Felicia said with a smile, handing him a frosty glass.

"Oh, uh, thank you." he took the glass and drank it on one gulp, happy when the cold cleared his head for a moment.

"It looks like things are going well for you two." she beamed. "I just texted Robin that I haven't seen Anna happy in I don't know how long. Mac is thrilled for you two too," she said.

"Oh well, she's really something," he said. Something he wanted to drown himself in.

After a good quarter-hour, Anna finally reemerged and joined them. Her eyes were bright, and her cheeks flushed. Finn realized how striking her features were, with her dark eyes complimenting her dark hair. The buzzing of his phone interrupted his intention to enjoy the view of her. He pulled his phone out quickly and deflated a bit when he looked at the screen.

"It's the hospital. They need me to come in," he confessed.

Anna nodded. "Of course. Your patients need you."

"I don't want to leave you alone on your birthday," he said honestly.

"I'm not alone," she said in a cheerful tone that somehow didn't quite match her eyes. "I'm more than happy to catch up with Felicia."

"And I'm happy to take her home after we talk about you- I mean, catch up." Felicia giggled and winked.

"Alright. Well…" he stopped and then looked at Anna and then down at his shoes as he rubbed a hand through his hair.

Felicia hopped a step backward. "You know what? I need to close out a tab. Let me leave you two alone to say goodbye." then she left quickly.

He knew he should just walk out the door, but he couldn't. He had almost a desperate need to feel flesh against flesh again. Moral implications be damned. He wanted this. He needed this. His hand was on her face, and his mouth was on hers, pressed almost chastely against her lips; he felt her hands settle on his chest as he drew in her bottom lip between his teeth. The kiss was slow and sensual and burned him with its heat. Shudders ran through Anna's body, and she momentarily gasped for breath, and he drew back.

"Happy Birthday, Anna," He said softly, and with that, he was gone.

Anna touched her fingers to her lips; she could smell him on her skin, feel his hands on her. This was getting out of hand. Best to put distance between them for the next few days, she thought. After all, this feeling wasn't anything more than an animalistic reaction, and no wonder. It had been years since she had been touched, and it was only natural that her body responded that way.

It was nothing more than that. Nothing more.

Nothing more.