Chapter 59

Robert was up early, well early considering his late-night activities. It was 8:30 according to the clock on the coffeemaker. Robert decided he would make omelettes for breakfast and was cutting up the ingredients. He would wait to make them but had to be doing something. Frisco hadn't really told him anything about how the investigation was going but for Alex to already be out and here it must be moving along quickly. They are going to have warrants, Frisco had said warrants.

Robert sighed, Frisco wasn't telling them anything because he knew either one of them might go after Peter if they knew what all he was being charged with. Robert suspects he and Anna aren't working on this any more, for that exact reason. What all have they uncovered, who all has been affected by this? What has been done to who? Robert put down the knife, then put both hands on the counter.

Just then a hand ran up his back, "Why are you up worrying about things out of your hands?"

"Because it involves you," Robert said as she moved beside him then lifted his hand so she could slide between him and the counter.

"I am right here. I am safe. And I am very happy that you are here with me." She grinned then Robert leaned in and kissed her tenderly.

"I don't want anyone else I care about hurt by that man. I hate that he is still walking around free."

"I know, and for right now we are doing our part by letting him go on believing he has us all snowed. Alex is here so Peter doesn't know where she is and can't get to her. Robin and her family are all home safe. Mac and Felicia are fine. Who else are you worried about this morning? It is much too early to have that much on your mind already." Anna said with a grin, as her arms slipped around him, pulling him closer.

Robert claimed her lips again, as she tilted her head up, pressing her body against him more. He thrust one hand into her hair, the other moved to her ass pulling her against him. "Do you know what I'm thinking about now?" he asked into her neck as he kissed her.

"I do," Anna grinned, then turned her head, finding his lips once more. Pulling up his shirt, her fingers digging into his skin. The desire for him burning deep inside her, it was always right there. Now to finally be able to act on that whenever they wanted to. "Ahhh."

"Oh! Ummm, I am so sorry."

Anna pulled back from the kiss and looked over Robert's shoulder. "Alex, hi." She looked back at Robert, then kissed his cheek. "You should stay right here," she whispered as she wiggled against him.

"I'll go back to prepping breakfast since we are all getting an early start today," he said quietly. Then Anna moved to the side so he didn't have to turn, then he picked up the knife again getting back to work.

She walked over to Alex, "What are you doing up so early?"

"According to my internal clock it is about noon," Alex reminded her.

"Oh right. So, what do you want in your omelette? Robert's making breakfast."

"Robert, you make it however you want, I'm sure I'll enjoy it," she called over to him.

"Three Scorpio Specials coming up," he called back over his shoulder.

Alex leaned a little closer, "You two are very happy I see."

"Yes, we are. Coffee?" Anna offered.

"Yes, I'd love some. Is that all I get? Yes, we are. That man over there, I know what he means to you. How much you love him and now he's the man in your life again."

Anna smiled, "I know." She passed Alex a cup as she picked up her coffee then they went and sat at the counter. "Alex, you get it. I know you do. Having Robert back, oh, it's amazing. I didn't think I was ever going to have this feeling again. I don't even know how to explain it, but when Robert and I are together," she paused trying to come up with a way to explain it. "It's like nothing has ever felt this right, this perfect."

"I do know that feeling you're talking about, I had that with Demitri." Alex looked down at her cup.

"Hey, step one was getting you out of prison. Now we need to make sure Peter is taken care of and can't mess with your life any longer. Then, you get to try and repair the damage that has been done. It isn't easy but for the man you love, it's worth it."

Alex looked over at Robert, "Mine's worth it too," then looked back up at Anna. "I know there is a lot that needs to happen first but when this is all over I need to go see Demitri. I need to talk to him, try to explain all of this."

"I think you do, yeah. For now, we need to focus on keeping you out of sight."

Alex grinned, "We've played this game before, our roles are just reversed this time around."

"Yes, we have. Basically, stay inside, don't answer the door. Don't let people see you."

"Yeah, I know what I have to do. Frisco made it very clear that Peter can not know I'm free or that I'm here."

"If he finds out we don't know what he will do, who might end up in danger." Anna took her hand and looked her in the eyes, "I know he's not his father but I am treating this the same way as if it was. We can't let anything go wrong."

"I know Anna. Trust me, I know."

"Enough about that for now, let's eat," Robert said as he put their plates down in front of them.

They didn't know for sure when Frisco was going to be back he said a few days but who knows. So far having Alex here was going well no one suspected anything. If people came by the house she would just stay out of sight. There was one thing Alex wanted to do though. She looked over at Anna again, "Is it silly that I want to talk to him?"

"No, I don't think so."

"If you're sure you want to do this then we should do it before this gets rolling," Robert offered from the desk where he was sitting. Anna and Alex had come into his office a few minutes before to talk about this.

"I feel like Finn needs to know what I do, but maybe I want to talk to him so I feel better," Alex admitted. She had been going back and forth trying to decide what she should do since she got here. "How would we do this? Where would we meet?"

"Here," Robert stated, he knew that was the only option if this was going to happen before they had apprehended Peter.

"I would like to talk to him alone."

"Then we'll go out once he arrives," Anna told her, touching her arm. "I think you need to do this now because you know you hurt him. I'll call him and see if he will come over."

"Thank you, Anna." Then she left the room, Alex looked back over at Robert. "I had almost forgotten you were here."

"I picked this room to be my office for that very reason. Most people don't even know these rooms are back here. It's quiet but I'm nice and close. We can both work and not be in each other's way."

"No man cave, just an office?"

"Just an office, my brother has the man cave," Robert told her with a grin.

"Oh, so you don't need one." Alex moved closer to the other chair in the room, "May I?"

"Of course, have a seat."

Alex sat down then looked at Robert for a moment before she started to speak. "Robert, I never would have wanted to hurt Anna the way I have. I am so pleased that I am getting a chance to fix our relationship. That I get a chance to know the most important man in my sister's life. That always has been."

Robert sat back in his chair, "We will have time for that while you're here."

"Robert, I love the fact that Anna has you back. I know what you mean to her, what she went through when she remembered you, remembered losing you."

"She told me about that, about how hard it was for her. We've had time for some long heart to hearts over the years since. When we ended up locked in a lab for an extended period together we covered a lot of those kinds of things."

Alex nodded accepting that he and Anna have always been very open with each other. "I hate what Anna was put through but I'm glad this situation seemed to help the two of you find your way back to each other."

He watched her, considering what she has just said. "You seem to understand how Anna and I have always felt about each other."

"Robert, there is no other man that will ever mean what you do to Anna. No other man will ever be able to replace you in her heart."

Robert nodded listening to her, Alex seems to understand what they mean to each other, she never would have thought Finn could influence her to believe Peter was her son. "Why did he pick Finn to be the pawn?" he asked suddenly.

"I don't know." Alex started thinking about his question. Finn may have been who Anna was dating but that didn't mean she would have been swayed by him, especially about something like that. What made Peter believe he could? "I really don't know."

"Don't worry about it, I was just curious." Hearing that actually made him feel a little better. Alex wouldn't have used Finn if she was part of the planning, a part of what Peter had been up to, why would she agree to do something she knew would be of no use? Robert wanted to believe the best of Alex, this helped a little.

"Peter must have had a reason. He wanted me to open up to Finn. I know that much."

"It's really alright, Alex. I guess I'm still trying to understand Peter's motives. Just because I've been told I'm not working this case doesn't mean I'm not still thinking about it."

"I understand that. The need for answers."

Anna walked back in, "Hey, so Finn agreed to come over. I didn't actually tell him why I wanted him to come over."

Alex turned and looked at her sister, "Thank you. When will he be here?"

"Not until he's done at the hospital so you have some time before he gets here."

Alex stood up, "If you'll excuse me, I could use a little time alone before he gets here." Then she turned and left the room.

"She was a pawn in Peter's game as much as any of you, I'm sure of that now," Robert said as Anna walked over to him.

"Yeah, I know." She sat on the edge of his desk, as his hand moved to her thigh, "What are we doing when we have to go out?"

"I think you are taking me out for dinner," she told him with a smile.

It was two and a half later and all three of them were waiting in the sitting room. Robert and Anna were seated together talking quietly while Alex stood looking out the window out at the yard. When there was a knock at the door, Anna went to answer it. "Hello Finn, thank you for coming."

"It sounded important so I knew I needed to come over. What's going on? Is this about Peter?"

"Not completely, I don't think. Let's go into the sitting room," Anna said as she turned.

"Alright," he said and started to follow her. "So what's going on?"

"I asked her to get you here. I think we need to talk."

Finn turned and his jaw dropped as he stared at the other woman in the room, "Alex?" he questioned then looked over at Anna to make sure he was really seeing this. "What's going on here?"

"Alex told me she wanted to talk to you and asked me to get you here. If talking is something you are willing to do then Robert and I are going to go out for dinner and you two will have the evening to talk."

Finn was looking at Alex, his mouth still partly open. What the hell was going on? "Why do you want to talk to me?"

"I used you in a way no one should use another person. Sure, I wasn't fully in control of my actions but there are things people can't be made to do." She glanced over at Anna, then back to Finn, "I would like to talk to you alone. If that's alright?"

Finn looked around at the other three people in the room. Alex's eyes pleading with him. Robert, waiting by the door, looking unconcerned and Anna, just waiting for an answer. "Yeah, I think talking alone would be the best option."

"Alright, we will be back later." Anna walked over to Robert, took his arm then they were gone.

Finn looked back over at Alex not knowing what to say. "Hello. Alex, is it?" he paused, studying her. What is different? What are the obvious tells? He should see them, he has been close with, hell, intimate with both of them. What is that thing she is doing with her hands? Anna doesn't do that. Anna said something about their eyes, or was it one of their cheeks?

She knew he was watching her, dissecting her with his eyes, picking her apart. "Alexandra, yes but please call me Alex."

"This seems rather formal, considering," Finn said with a shrug then looked down.

She moved towards the couch, "Join me, please." He walked over and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry, Finn. I am truly sorry."

"So Peter was controlling you? Is that right?" He didn't see any point in beating around the bush, he wants answers and she wants to talk.

"To an extent, yes. From what explained, I believed I was doing what was needed to protect my son. A son that was never in danger. A son that used me, that used you. I can not even imagine how many other people he has used along the way." A chill ran through her, as that thought entered her mind. Anna words from long ago came back to her, Faison didn't care who he hurt!

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, sorry just thoughts running through my head. He turned out like his father. I tried, I really did. He was never to know who his parents were. He was meant to have good parents that loved him, that wanted him. Then when I found out Faison was raising our son. Raising?" she paused, "Well the guardian in his life, I was heartbroken and so worried about my child. He hates his father, he always talked about that. How terrible it was having that man as a father."

"Peter?"

"Yeah, after he knew who I was he told me a lot about Faison. He knew his father saw him as a nuisance, that it was a waste of Faison's time to do anything with him." Finn just nodded as she continued to speak. "We were all used by him."

"Yes. We were, weren't we," he replied.

Alex looked into his eyes, such a sweet man. "I hate what I did to you." Finn looked up a little more and Alex reached out and touched his cheek, "You are a sweet man and it just feels natural to open up to you, why is that?" she wondered as she let her hand drop back to her lap.

"I wouldn't know." Finn wasn't sure why she had asked him here but it felt nice. In an odd way, he knew this was something they needed to do. She was right, he felt at ease with her, a kind of comfort.

"Henrick Faison is very much like his father. I think his desire to rid himself of his father is what made him more and more like Faison. Hearing my son talk about how horrible a man his father was then to hear my twin sister talk about the pain that the same man had put her through. I hated the man just as much as either of them. That haterade, the need to protect my child, that's what Peter used to make me do what he needed." Alex sighed and looked down at her hands.

"The weekend we spent together, you told me about giving up Peter. Why did you do that? Was it so the suggestion he planted stuck?"

Alex thought for a moment, "I knew what he was going to do. Plant a suggestion that Anna is his mother. I had to pose as Anna to get you there. Talking about Peter was to ensure you wouldn't question it being on your mind if that happened."

"How does sleeping with me do that?"

"I got caught up in the situation. Do you have any idea how wonderful it felt to finally let that all out? Oh, Finn. I am so sorry for what I did to you but to finally talk about giving up my child. To have someone listen and not judge me."

"I knew that was real. I knew there was no way that could be a planted memory. I guess that was all just part of the plan."

"No, that wasn't. I found myself with a very sweet man who had feelings for the woman he thought I was. I opened up to that man because it felt nice to have that again. I was finally able to talk about something so painful and the way you held me. The way you made me feel, I knew I was safe, that what I was telling you was not going to be repeated that I didn't need to worry about being vulnerable and then you kissed me."

He cleared his throat, "I did, yeah."

"In that moment I forgot what was actually happening and all I wanted was for you to keep kissing me. For you to make love to me."

Finn put his hand to his chin, he knew that was the weekend he felt like he knew he loved Anna. Then he looked up at the woman that had bared her soul to him, the woman that once more was being so open with him. He knew she would answer any question he had but he didn't have any now. That weekend had meant something to both of them. It may have been for very different reasons but they had both been affected by their time together. He reached for her hand, she squeezed it and grinned. He liked this grin and knew he'd seen it before. A part of him wanted to kiss her. He knew that was crazy but there is this pull and he knows just how amazing it would be to kiss her.

Then it struck him, his body knows the difference between them. He wanted to protect her, just make her feel safe, even just for a little while and she will let him. Finn moved a little closer and put his arms around her. He never felt that with Anna, he knew she didn't need a man to protect her, even if he would have loved to if she would have let him. "I guess it was a little of both of you," he admitted quietly.

"What was?" she asked as her thumb ran across the back of his hand.

"I think I love parts of both you and Anna, but that person doesn't actually exist."

"No, I guess they don't."

After a moment Finn pulled his hand out of hers, "So how are you here?"

Alex smiled, "I have been exonerated, now I am laying low here until I get to meet with my son."

"Will that be soon? Is that part of the plan to arrest him?"

"I don't know many details about what Frisco has planned but I will be seeing Peter soon and the WSB is involved so I assume that is when they want to arrest him."

"Good, I'll feel a lot better knowing he is locked up where he can't do any more damage."

"I think we all will."

"I think I should be going," Finn said, as he started to stand.

"Thank you for agreeing to talk to me, Finn."

"I'm glad I did. I think it helped me as well." He started to turn to leave then paused. "Good night, Alex."

"Good night, Finn." She watched him leave then decided to head up to her room. This evening had already been a long one and she was ready for some rest.