Episode One

2:00 AM, Port Charles

The ominous whir of the phone jolted her from the bottomless pit of her nightmares. They had started a few nights ago and they were always the same. His lifeless eyes staring back at her as his blood coated her hands. She would never get used to the horrifying emptiness that his death left behind. It is the reason she knew it would be him on the other end of the line. Who else could feel her pain as acutely as she could feel his? She needed him in her life.

"Robert?"

Her voice cracked as she spoke quietly into the phone. For a moment, sheer panic coursed through her. She could hear nothing but silence.

"Please talk to me honey. I know something is not right with you. I can feel it in my bones."

There it was. That connection that he knew would always be there. It was what led him to pocket the guard's cell phone so he could reach her. He knew he would pay for it later but he had to take that chance. Anna was the only one he trusted with his life. He knew she would find him.

"I…I need you Luv."

His voice sounded shaky and brittle, which only made her worry more. He was in some kind of trouble. She just knew it.

"Where are you," she questioned. "What do you need?"

There was no answer at first and Anna worried that the connection had been lost. She would go to the ends of the earth for him if she had to but it would be much quicker if he could at least give her some kind of clue. She did not know how much time he had to wait. Why did he sound so agitated? Was someone watching him? Was he hurt? Oh, please let him be safe.

"Talk to me Scorpio. Why are you so tense? Are you okay?"

Of course, she would hear the tightness in his voice. She always could. Even so far away.

"I'm alive," he finally says. "For now."

She heard a clicking sound and was almost positive the call had dropped. Then he spoke again, his tears evident with every broken syllable.

"I brought her here to help her Luv. I never meant for any of this to happen. You know I didn't do this."

She would have asked him what he meant but the line went dead. He must be talking about Olivia. She knew that he had taken her to see Dante at the WSB facility in Geneva. What could have happened there that could have Robert sounding so defeated? Oh No…no that cannot be it. Had someone hurt Olivia? Did they think he could have done it? How could anyone think he was capable of that? Oh, shit. Shit, they are going to use his past against him. Those bloody bastards. They had forced him into the life of an assassin in order to save her life. Now they were using it to strip him of his rights. Oh hell no. Not as long as there is a breath in her.

"Please Hang on Scorpio," she says. "I'm coming."

"Like hell you are," Finn argued, his hands on his hips. She knew he was angry but he had no right to be. He did not get to choose who she associated with.

Alexis sat at the bar at the floating rib and stared down a glass of Vodka. Mac was not on duty tonight. He never would have served her if he had been.

"I don't think you really want to do that do you?"

"What if I do Ned?"

"Then I guess I showed up at the right time didn't I?"

How did he do that? How did he always seem to show up when she needed him?

"You can't go through this for me Ned? I know you want to but you can't."

"Maybe not but I can listen to you. I am not going to insult you by telling you that I understand because your pain is your own. What I can do is tell you that you do not have to go through it alone."

"Won't your wife be upset about that?"

"My wife is in another state with another man. I don't think she gets a vote."

"Oh Ned. I'd say I'm sorry but I don't think you want to hear that do you?"

"Thank you. "

He reaches out and takes her hand and they smile at each other. Oddly enough, it did feel better to have someone there to share in their pain.

"I thought you and Olivia were doing good. What happened?"

"A lot of little things really…then Scorpio got her in to see Dante and she couldn't get away fast enough."

"You're not jealous are you," Alexis asked with a little grin. It was nice to focus on someone else's problems for a little while.

"No…Yes…I don't know. Maybe a little."

"You shouldn't be. I mean just because Robert Scorpio is an international Spy…well he was anyways."

"You aren't helping."

This time, Alexis reached over and took his hand. "Ned, haven't you noticed that Robert Scorpio only has eyes for one woman?"

"Holly is also dead Alexis."

"Who said anything about Holly? I was talking about Anna. Are you really going to tell me that you have not noticed the way he looks at her? If I did not know any better than I would swear, there were stars in his eyes. That man adores her."

"That may be but she also happens to be engaged to another man."

"And yet for some reason, they have not even set a wedding date. What does that tell you?"

"What are you getting at?"

"Anna doesn't look at Finn the way she looks at Robert either. She might be engaged to him but she is not married. Have you noticed how close they stand together? The way they touch each other's shoulder without even thinking about it. I am not saying anything is going on there but you would have to be blind not to notice that they want it to be. Do you really think someone that in love with a woman would be okay with a meaningless fling with a married woman? When has Robert ever been about that?"

"So I am overreacting, is what you are saying."

"Maybe just a little bit."

"Alright...But since when did you know so much about Robert Scorpio?"

"I notice things Ned. I used to be a lawyer. It was my job."

"I'm sorry Lex. You were a damn good lawyer. You should not have had to lose that just because you fell in love. People have a right to love the people they love. "

"Thank you Ned. Thank you for listening. Its been a long time since anyone has. "

"What is it? You can tell me, honey."

"I just…I really miss him. I was finally starting to let my guard down and let myself be happy and then…how could this happen? How could I not see it? I thought we were making a life together."

"You can't let the way he died, alter the way you think of your relationship. We have both seen too much not to know that sometimes things are not what they appear. Do you really believe that the man you had grown to love would be able to hide a drug addiction from you?"

"I…I don't know Ned. I don't know anything anymore."

"I think you do know. You are just afraid to admit it. I do not blame you Lex but I also think you would never forgive yourself if you did not at least try to clear his name. Isn't that why you were sitting here all alone, about to throw your hard earned sobriety away? You don't think that is really how he died, do you?"

"What does it matter what I think? Even if I believed that he was murdered and I am not saying I do but…How would I even go about proving it. I lost my license remember?"

"But you know someone who does this for a living. We both do."

"Anna Devane."

Excuse me," she retorted, her dark brown eyes simmering with rage as she looked at her fiancé. She did not care how upset he was, he did not get to tell her what to do. Not now. Not ever.

"Not again Anna," he demanded. "How many times are you going to drop everything every time he calls?"

"As many as it takes. He is in trouble Finn. I will not apologize for caring what happens to him."

"It is one thing to care. It is another thing to rearrange your entire schedule every time he calls you in the middle of the night."

"Oh Gee Finn, I am so sorry that this is happening on Halloween. I am sure if Robert had known that we had plans to take Violet trick or treating, he would have been more careful about putting himself in danger. I mean how dare him, getting hurt on a holiday right?"

"I'm so glad you find this amusing."

"You are kidding right? A man's life is in danger. Why would I find that funny at all?"

"Anna…"

"Don't okay. I do not want to fight with you. All I want to do right now is get to Robert before it is too late. He needs me."

"He always needs you Anna. That is the problem. When are you going to stop letting him use you?"

"Robert does not use me! We need each other okay. That is how it has always been and always will be. If you cannot accept that then we are going to have a serious problem here."

"Why are you the only one who can save him?"

"Because he asked me to. Because he is the only person who always shows up when I need to be saved."

"I thought you didn't need to be saved? Isn't that what you always told me?"

"Sometimes I do...But Robert is the only person I will ever allow to do that. He is my partner. He knows how to get things done without me ever having to say it. He shows up Finn. Even when I push him away, somehow he always knows when I need him and he shows up for me. You have no idea what kind of sacrifices that man has made for me. He is family okay. You always show up for Family. "

"I thought I was your family now?"

"So I should what? Turn my back on the rest of them?"

"He is your ex-husband Anna."

"Not by our choice."

Anna had not meant to let her emotions get the best of her but now that it was out, she could not take it back. Finn is looking at her as if she had deeply wounded him and all she could think about was how much she and Robert had lost. She had not set out to hurt Finn but she had lost so much in that tanker explosion. She lost the love of her life.

"We did not actually get divorced because the marriage was not valid."

There was pain in her voice but she tried to disguise it, hoping Finn would not notice how much it still hurt to think about what she had lost. When her wounded eyes met his, he knew she would never admit how much it had cost her. He was beginning to wonder if he ever really had her at all. Had it always been three people in their relationship?

"Is that why you have never been able to let him go? You wish he was the one you were marrying don't you?"

She looked at him with a mixture of shock and barely contained anger. She did not have time to coddle his bruised ego.

"I am not even going to dignify that with an answer. I do not have time for your mood swings Finn. Every moment that I waste arguing with you, is another minute Robert might not have."

"Don't you think you are exaggerating just a little bit?"

"No Finn, I don't. I know what I heard."

"So once again you are putting him above me."

"I will not let you make me feel guilty for doing what any decent person would do when someone they care about is in deadly danger."

"And what is going to happen the next time Anna…or the next? What are you going to do when he calls you on our wedding day? Are you still going to go running to his side?"

"He did it for me. He postponed his wedding to Kate to be there for me after Duke died and because of it, he lost her. We will not be getting married if that man is not standing right next to me on that day…And not just because he is my best person either. I do not know how to live my life without Robert in it. Losing him would be like losing a member of my family. You do not get over that Finn. Trust me, I know. I've lost too much already. I can't lose him too."

She turns away from him then and picks up her bag. She was not going to justify her actions to him for one more second.

"If you walk out that door right now, I won't be here when you get back."

"Are you seriously asking me to choose between you right now? Really? After everything you have done?"

"You can't be serious? You are still upset about the situation with Hayden?"

"The situation? You call cheating on me with your ex fiancée a situation?"

"Anna…"

"Don't do that Finn. You do not get to look at me as if I am the one at fault here. I gave you another chance after you spit on everything we shared."

"You said you forgave me. Is that not true?"

"I did forgive you. It does not mean that you get to treat me like this. Robert is my best friend. He is the father of my only daughter. The grandfather of our grandchildren. So do not sit there and tell me that he is not family because at the moment he is more my family then you are."

"Come on Anna. Why are you allowing him to do this to us?"

"He isn't doing this to us…You are. Everything happening right now is because you do not trust me and honestly…I have given you no reason to doubt me, while you have given me every reason to doubt you. I refuse to be in a relationship with someone who cannot understand that Robert is part of the package. If you want to marry me then you marry him too. You marry my family."

"Why can't you understand that you don't have a normal relationship with your ex? You two are way too close to be exes."

"Well at least I am not fucking him the way you fucked Hayden."

"But you wanted to didn't you? At least admit that. Admit that there was always three people in this relationship. You and me and the guy you have never been able to let go of. You still love him don't you?"

"Would that make you feel better Finn? Do you want me to admit that I am in love with him just so you can feel like your affair was justified? Forget it okay. I am not going to admit to anything. You don't deserve to feel better about what you did. Not when you constantly try to make this my fault."

"Anna.."

"I'm done Finn. We are done."

She took off her engagement ring and tried to put it in his hand, but when he would not take it she just threw it at him. "Nobody gets to tell me who I am allowed to help…Who I am permitted to be friends with. Nobody. Not even you."

She did not even look at him when she stormed out of the room. She was just done.

He focused on his breathing as he did another pushup. He knew the scars on his back were bad but he could not let himself think about that. He certainly could not let himself focus on what would happen if Anna did not get here soon.

She would be here, he told himself. It was something he kept repeating to himself in his mind every time he lifted his upper body from the pushup. He had done a lot of them in the last three hours. He had another five hours to go at least.

He closed his eyes and focused on the one goal he still had left. He was going to bring Peter down. He would make him pay for what he did to Olivia. To Anna. To Maxie.

When he was not pushing himself physically, he was engaging his mind. It was just mundane things but it kept him from his dark thoughts. He did random math problems in his head. He even tried to list off every city he had ever been to. Sometimes he would even make up stories in his head about some of the adventures he had been on for the WSB. It was all he could do not to think about Anna. She was another topic that often sent his emotions sky rocketing and right now he could not afford that. He needed to be alert.

He might not be able to control the situation he was in but he could certainly control his reaction to it. Peter wanted him vulnerable. He wanted him weak. He was not going to get that from him. The WSB had trained him to withstand emotional duress that was far worse than solitary confinement. Challenges did not shut him down…they woke him up. If anything, this just made him more determined to break him down. This would not be over until Peter was as broken as he wanted him to be. Until Anna and Maxie were safe from his evil.

He pictured Peter's smug look as he let his mind conjure up an image of him shooting him. He thought about the bullet piercing his heart. He would never hurt Anna that way but it did not mean that he did not think about a world where Heinrich Faison did not exist.

"You messed with my family Heinrich. You won't get away with that."

As the image faded, he went back to his pushups. Anna would be here soon. Until then, he needed to keep himself busy.

Ned had his arm around Alexis as they walked through the park. It was much too early in the morning to call Anna, so they had settled for a cup of chamomile tea and a moonlit walk through the park. Neither of them were ready to face their lonely bedrooms yet.

"Does it ever get better," she whispered softly. "The ache in your soul. Do you think it ever goes away?"

She put her head on his shoulder and he kissed the top of it. It had been a long time since he had seen her this forlorn.

"Not completely," he answered honestly. "But I think there will come a day when it won't hurt to breathe. You won't feel the ache as acutely as you do now."

"So what do I do until that day comes? What do I do in those moments when all I want to do is pick up that bottle? If you hadn't shown up when you did this morning Ned."

"I know."

He did not have to say another word. She knew it was his way of acknowledging what they both knew was true.

"You can call me anytime Lex. Even if you just need me to talk you down from the edge, I will be there. I know how it feels to want to cut yourself off from the world and not feel a damn thing. The problem with that is that it never works. Eventually you have to feel it."

"It hurts too much to feel sometimes," she admits.

Ned looked up into her eyes and saw something he never wanted to see from her again. She had the same look in her eyes when her sister Kristina was murdered. He took her hand and squeezed it. He knew what this was costing her. He was not going to let her fall.

"I'm here for you. Day or night. That's what friends are for right?"

She forces a smile as she looks at him. This was nice, she thought. The friend part.

"I guess I am learning what it is like to have a friend again. I'd like to return the favor."

"You already are."

Ned's phone rang then, interrupting the moment. Alexis urged him to answer it, even if he did not recognize the number.

"It could be important," she said. "Maybe it is Olivia."

Who else would call at this hour, they both thought.

Alexis stepped back a little to give him some privacy and he picked up the phone for a second time.

"Ned Quartermaine."

"Mr. Quartermaine, I am sorry to call you so early. This is Ethan Lovett. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

"What is it Ethan?"

Where did Ethan get his number? What kind of news could he possibly have for him? It was not as if they ran in the same circles.

"I'm calling about your wife," he whispered."

"How do you know my wife," he asked.

"I was looking for my mother when I ran into Olivia and Robert down in Geneva. There was some kind of incident last night. All I know now is that I have not seen Robert since then and…I am so sorry Mr. Quartermaine but your wife is dead. I figured you should know. "

"No…No, you are lying. Olivia is not dead. She's not."

"I really wish that were true. I only met her once but she seemed like wonderful woman. I'm so sorry for your loss."

The line went dead before Ned could ask any more questions. Alexis was now standing right in front of him with those understanding eyes. He did not know what to feel right now. He had not even seen his wife's body.

"She can't be dead Lex," he cried. "My Liv can't be dead."

He was looking at her as if he needed her to tell him that there was some kind of mistake. That his wife was going to come home to him. She would give anything to be able to do that. Instead, she wrapped her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry Ned. I'm so sorry."

She knew there were no words that could possibly bring him comfort. She knew because she had felt that when Neil died.

"I never got to tell her that I loved her one more time. That she made me so incredibly happy. I did not get to hold her in my arms just one more time. Did she suffer when she died? I pray to god that she did not. She was such a bright spot in my life. She was always there for me, even when I did not deserve it."

"She loved you Ned."

"And she died in another state when I was not there to protect her. She was my anchor. Now…now I will never be able to tell her how sorry I am. The last words she ever said to me were ones spoken in disappointment. I let her down. Now I will always have to live with that. With not knowing if she knew how much I loved her."

Alexis took both his cheeks in her hands and forced him to look at her.

"She knew Ned. You cannot blame yourself for this. Couple's fight. It doesn't mean she wasn't crazy about you."

"I was crazy about her too you know? Now, I just feel dead inside."

"I know. God, do I know."

The emptiness in his heart that now threatened to consume him was something she knew far too well. She wished she knew how to help him through something like this. She was still struggling through the darkness herself. When his knees buckled and the tears fell down his cheeks, she sunk into the grass with him as he fell brokenly into her arms.

She moved like an acrobat; twisting her limbs into the tight spaces that lie beneath the prison walls. She watched as the darkness crept through the floorboards and she made her way towards her destination. Every sound she heard sounded like another gunshot in the night, and she had to steel her nerves to keep going. Robert needed her.

She had spent so much time closing her eyes to the evil in her own family that she had almost cost Robert his life. She would give her last breath before she ever let him hurt him again.

I am so sorry Robert, she thought. I am so damn sorry that I never listened to you. That I made things so fucking difficult for you when you were right all along. God, I can just imagine that look on your face when I tell you that. Why did you have to be right? I hate when you are right. Oh, please be all right. Please let me get there in time.

It felt like hours but in reality, it was only minutes. He looked so beaten down. God, what did that bastard do to him?

"You always did know how to make an entrance Luv," he quipped.

She had broken through the wall and was looking up at him with those haunted eyes. The ones that did not want to believe she had come this close to losing him.

"Hurry Scorpio. It is not safe for you to be here. We have to get you back on your own turf."

"Are you going to tell me what is going on here? Why the prison break?"

"As if you do not already know."

"Are you saying what I think you are?"

A shiver runs down her spine as the memory becomes clearer. It had only been a few hours ago.

What have you gotten yourself into this time Scorpio? The feeling of dread that had been wearing on her since he had called returned stronger than before. Whatever was happening Anna knew it was not good.

"I don't care that he is going to take the fall for her death. He was supposed to be dead."

Anna's blood ran cold when she heard it. She knew that voice. It sounded exactly like his father. Faison had taken Robert away from her too. Too many times.

She hid behind a wall when he came out of the room with who she assumed was the Police Commissioner of Geneva. Shit, Anna thought. He has the police under his is no way she can go in there and demand to see him. She cannot even be sure that the WSB is not involved in this. Her credentials are not going to matter much now. Who can she trust? Robert, she decided. They can only trust each other.

As they walked around the corner, Anna looked at her phone. It might not prove anything yet, but at least it serves as a reminder. She will never again trust that man. He had tried to kill Robert. She would have died if that happened.

"I will see you in hell for what you did to my husband," she whispered. She did not even correct herself at the slip. It was how she still saw him. He would always be her husband in her heart.

"What I am saying is that your life is in danger the longer we stay here. I will tell you whatever you want to know but not here. It is not safe here Robert. I have let you down enough already."

"You did not let me down at all Luv. I trust you with my life. Let's go."

How can he say that, she thinks? Of course, she let him down. If she had not been so desperate to believe in Peter, then Olivia might be alive right now.