Part 3:
The Beginning of An Escape

Port Charles, NY,
June 22nd, 2029

"And then I turned away again as Mac opened the car door, and we just left... I didn't tell Mac. Somehow I knew not to. It was an instinct, and it was a good one." Felicia said softly. "When I didn't trust my instincts, that was when I got myself into trouble..." She added quietly and thoughtfully.

"When was the next time you saw Faison?" Hope asked Felicia, ignoring the last statement, perching on the edge of her chair, committing every word to memory.

"I didn't see him again for a long time, but he contacted me," Felicia said quietly, standing up and walking towards the window. "He contacted all of us, the way he does, without words."

"Is that when he kidnapped Robin?"

"Yes," Felicia said with a nod. "He'd done it New Year's Eve, but we didn't hear about it until the ninth. We were just sitting down to eat dinner, when the phone rang..."

Port Charles, NY,
January 9, 2000

"I'll get it!" Georgie said, grinning, and Felicia didn't stop her in time. "Scorpio-Jones residence, Georgie speaking!" She squeaked happily into the phone. "Yeah. She's here. You want to talk to her?" She asked. She nodded. "Oh, well, you're not a salesman or anything, are you? We hate salesman." She said, as though she were confiding in him. "Really?" She sounded interested. "Mac's a police officer too, but he's not a W---what were the other letters again?" She asked. "Where is that? Everywhere? That's funny." She said, smiling. "Well, where are you then?" She asked. "Paris? I think Robin lives there. Do you know Robin?" There was a pause. "Oh, yeah. She's right here. Bye, Mr. Donnelly." She said, and suddenly Mac and Felicia's eyes widened further.

Felicia took the phone hurriedly. "Georgie, why don't you and Maxie go wash up for dinner." She suggested, and they did. "Sean? Is that you?"

"Felicia?" He asked, sounding very solemn. "Yeah, it's me. I've got some bad news---hell, I've got a lot of it."

"Is it Frisco?" She asked, wondering. "Did something happen? Is someone after him? Could they come after the girls?"

"Yes, and no. No, nobody's after Frisco," Sean said softly. "At least not yet, not to my knowledge. But your girls...I can't promise they're safe. Do you remember Cesar Faison?"

"How could I not?"

"Well, Felicia," Sean said slowly. "We have reason to believe that he's not dead." He said softly. "And..." He stalled on the next words.

"And?" Felicia asked.

"Is Mac there? I really ought to tell him," Sean said softly, and she silently handed the phone to Mac. He sensed the urgency and picked it up.

"Sean? What's up?"

"I was just telling Felicia that we have reason to believe that Cesar Faison is alive, and..." Sean paused. "He's got Robin, Mac."

"What?" All the color drained from Mac's face as he heard the words, but he couldn't quite absorb them, couldn't quite believe them.

"I'm sorry, Mac." His voice was infused with sympathy and sorrow. "I called you as soon as I knew. We're doing everything we can to get her back, I promise you that."

Unknown Location:
The Dining Room

A dining room table is elegantly set for five. The table is hand-carved out of rich, thick cherry wood. The floor is a matching cherry wood, clean and polished to perfection.

A tapping of feet sounds across it as an older, prim-looking maid, dressed in black and white, hurries to arrange the napkins perfectly and set the silverware in place appropriately. The china is patterned in blue and white, the silverware is all real silver, which had been polished that evening, and the napkins are freshly starched, white linen.

The master of the manner, or at least the master of the manner at the moment, enters, looking around critically. "Is everything ready for tonight, Jeanne Marie?" He asked the maid as he glanced around.

"Oui, Monsieur, everything is as you have requested." She answered simply. "Dinner will be served promptly at seven." She added. "And Girard informed me that the guests should be arriving momentarily."

"And they were all seen to?" He asked. "They'll all be dressed properly for this evening?"

"Oui, Monsieur Faison," She said with an affirmative nod, her French accent thick. "Everything was delivered. Girard assures me they are ready, though the young boy is still a little groggy."

"Did the doctor check on him today?"

"Oui, Monsieur. He said that he the boy was going to be just fine," she added softly, "just a little tired for a few days."

"Thank you, Jeanne Marie," He said looking around the room one last time. "You may take the rest of the evening off," Cesar Faison added, and she nodded and left the room, her heels click-clacking along the cherry wood floor. "This is going to be some evening...a night to remember." He said with a light chuckle. It was certainly going to be a culmination.

Anna's
Room

Anna stands before the mirror in a long, lavish, blush pink gown, simply cut, but marvelously designed. Her face is pale, expressionless, but painted with make-up. A woman is making sure the dress is perfect, and another is pinning up Anna's long, beautiful, brown hair.

The woman fussing with her dress finishes, gives a curt nod, and leaves without a word, but the girl pinning up her hair remains after Anna is completely ready.

"You look lovely, Mademoiselle. Did Monsieur Faison have this dress made for you?"

"I'm sure he did, Danielle," she tells the blond girl, who can't be more than nineteen. She is every inch a servant, every bit devout and common, and very, very French. She's a country child, a servant child, but there's something wild in her ocean-blue eyes.

"Well, it looks more elegant than any dress I've ever seen," she added softly. "And the color suits you."

"Thank you, Danielle," she said, but she sounds tired and bored. She doesn't want to make the command performance at dinner tonight, but she doesn't have a choice; she hadn't had many choices in the last six years.

Danielle looked around slowly, and Anna could tell that something was up, but she didn't dare ask. Danielle reached down, as if to fix Anna's hair, and Anna felt her slip something into her hand, invisible to any camera that may lurk.

"Thank you, Danielle" Anna said softly. "I wouldn't want my hair to come undone during dinner."

"Hopefully it won't." Danielle said softly. "I hope that everything turns out all right tonight. It feels as though something's going to happen, doesn't it?"

"It certainly does, Danielle," Anna agreed. "It certainly does." She added, clutching the small piece of paper in her warm hand.

"Au revoir," Danielle said, then added softly, "and good luck."

"Good news, I hope," She murmured, slowly opening her hand. She smiled eagerly. News of Robert was so seldom and so precious. The note is in Danielle's elegant hand, speaking the words she dare not say aloud.

I came across a piece of interesting news, this afternoon, Madam: Your husband is dressing for dinner tonight as well.

Another bit of news: The guard at the South entrance to the gardens won't be on duty between nine thirty-five and ten, and there will be no guard at the stables.

One could take a horse down the trail that runs toward the West side of the island, and just ride on until they reached the bluffs. A mile and a half Northwest of there, in the small bay, there are a few motorboats. It might be a nice night for a ride, don't you think?

--Une Amie

Anna smiled as she read the note. Thank you, Danielle, she said inwardly and silently.

Jax's
Penthouse

"Did you have this much stuff when you came here?" Ned asked, looking at the pile Alexis and Jax had formed.

"It's not really that much stuff." Alexis protested, though both men seemed to disagree with her.

Jax laughed and patted Ned on the back. "Good luck, especially getting it through the doorway, Ashton. And I'd watch out on the elevator."

"Why are you wishing me luck? I'm not moving this stuff. That's what bell boys are for." Ned shot back.

"Whoa---what's all this? And why's the door open, by the way?" A familiar but unexpected voice startled the three of them. V and Simon entered smiling, if a bit bewildered.

"V!"

"What are you doing here?"

"You're back!"

After a flurry of happy exclamations, hugs, the exchanging of pleasantries, and chatter all going on at once, a semi-silence finally fell and V held up a hand to stop the commotion. "Hey, hold on! I can't keep up!" She exclaimed with a laugh.

Alexis was the one who spotted the sparkle, the reflection of light as it danced off of the diamond. "What's that on your hand?" She asked slowly, narrowing her eyes, trying to see if it was indeed what she suspected. It was on the left hand.

"Oh, you mean this?" V glanced down, pretending to be blasé as she looked at the impressively cut, but normal-sized diamond engagement ring. It was only a carat and a half in total, far less than what Simon had insisted on buying her, and a bit more than what V had wanted. In the end, he'd given her matching earrings and a spectacular diamond and ruby necklace to make up for the lack of more carats. "It's just my engagement ring, that's all."

"You're getting married?" Ned asked, sounding somewhat shocked and not completely approving. "To him?" He added, gesturing to Simon, but Alexis nudged him pointedly.

"What he means is congratulations," Alexis said with a smile, hugging V again, spontaneously this time, slightly out of character. "I'm so happy for you." She paused and smiled at Simon. "You too, Simon, congratulations."

"Thank you." He said with a smile, glancing at her and then returning his gaze to his fiancée. "I really am a lucky man."

Jax, who has so far remained speechless, shocked, and amazed at the scene that's playing before him, speaks up finally, "This is crazy." He says, and Alexis shoots him a look as well; but he shoots one back, as if to say, "let me finish" to her and adds, "but I think it might just work. I hope you're happy. Congratulations," he says, shaking hands with Simon and hugging V again.

"Well, far be it for me to be the skeptical," Ned said with a shrug and a tiny smile. "Congratulations." He says, grinning. "I hope it works." He adds sincerely. "So," he starts, "does this mean you'll be staying in Port Charles? Because there's a place waiting for you at L&B." He told V. "I'm in desperate need of help, in fact."

"That's not what I hear," V said with a warm smile, "but I might stick around. We haven't decided where we're going to live, but Port Charles is definitely on the table." She commented. "Enough questions about me, you never answered my question."

"What was that?" Jax asked.

"What's all this stuff?" V said, gesturing to the pile of Alexis' bags. "And what's going on with all of you? Something's up; I've known it since I heard you and Alexis were married. Now it's time to let me in on it; spill."

Ned, Alexis, and Jax exchanged a look as they all lapsed into silence that seemed to go on for hours, until Alexis finally spoke: "It's kind of a long story."

"Yeah. I'll bet." V said, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm still waiting."

"It was all fake." Jax said simply.

"Excuse me?"

"The marriage, it was all fake; Ned's marriage to Chloe too, if you heard about it," He added. "We were saving Chloe's company."

"Oh. I see."

"I guess that wasn't as long a story as I thought," Alexis said, laughing.

Faison's
Dining Room

Anna descended the stairs in her long, elegant, blush pink gown. Her face was calm and expressionless, like a mask, and her footsteps were rhythmic and precise. Something was going to happen tonight, and she knew it. She had been feeling it for months, but especially last night; and Danielle's message had made it even clearer. Tonight wasn't just a dinner. It was going to be a revelation. She was going to see Robert; she just knew it.

"You look lovely, Anna, dear," Faison said simply, watching her every move carefully, as did the guards who were constantly with her. "But you're a bit late. You're the last to arrive."

"Are there others?"

Faison smiled oddly. "Yes, of course there are. You're quite aware that there are others, though, I think, a few of them might surprise you." He chuckled. "Come along. Like I said, you're late already."

They entered the dining room, and she nearly gasped. Faison heard and smiled. "Surprised? I thought you might be. Your table awaits, Anna; I've taken the liberty to seat you beside your daughter and across from your husband."

At the table sat Robert, dressed handsomely and elegantly, in a tuxedo made to fit him perfectly, looking as if he were going to a ball. He was thinner than he had been and his hair was tinged with the slightest bit of gray, but he was alive and well and handsome. Beside him was a young man Anna didn't know; the young man had gold hair and kind eyes, but sad eyes. She knew that look well. She saw it in the mirror every morning. And across from the young man sat her daughter, Robin. Her dark hair was short, pinned back with powder blue barrettes, and her dress, which was tailored somewhat similar to Anna's, was powder blue as well. After making sure they were all seated, Faison set himself at the head of the table.

"I assume you're all wondering what I'm doing?" He asked, smiling as if it were a simple social event or merely an elegant dinner party. "Well, I'll tell you." He said simply. "Later." He added. "First, we eat." He said, ringing the bell for the servants. "And don't think about bolting, any of you, there is no escape, I promise you."

Quartermaine
Mansion

A phone is ringing impatiently, but Reginald is nowhere around, nor is anyone else, except Carly.

"Reginald!" Carly tries a few times, but there's no answer, and finally Carly picks up her ringing phone herself. "Hello?" She nearly barks into it, obviously not in the best mood.

"Can I speak to Mrs. Quartermaine?" A voice she doesn't recognize asks, and she plays with a strand of her blond hair, sighing.

"Which one?"

"Um, Caroline Quartermaine," The female voice said, a waver of uncertainty and nervousness running through it.

"This is she."

"Um, ma'am. I'm calling from Mercy Hospital." It was a stuttering woman, sounding very young, who pushed every word out slowly, as if it were painful. She sighed, waiting for the point, figuring they wanted a donation or something. "Your husband was brought in here a few hours ago..."

"Brought in? To Mercy hospital? My husband?" Carly asked, growing concerned. "What's going on?"

"Yes, AJ Quartermaine was found about three hours ago, but no one was able to correctly identify him until now."

"Identify him?" Carly echoed, stunned. "I don't understand. What's going on? Has something happened?"

"Your husband was shot, Mrs. Quartermaine," the woman said gently. "They rushed him into emergency surgery... They had to. It was his only chance, and there wasn't any I.D. We just identified him now." She said again.

"What? Well..." Carly said, sounding overwhelmed. "Um, well, how is he? Did the surgery go well?"

"He came out of the surgery, and they managed to remove the bullet, but it's still touch-and-go. We have him listed as critical." She answered. She paused. "He may be slipping into a coma." She added very quietly.

"A coma?" Carly echoed, the seriousness of it hitting her like a truck. "Oh, my God..." Carly said, dropping the phone as everything went black and started to spin; she fainted.

Faison's
Dining Room

Anna looked at the clock, clicking her heel nervously against the floor. It was 9:03. Time was ticking. She had to start planning. How was she going to leave? She couldn't let this opportunity slip by her. She had to get out and tell everyone where to find Robert, Robin, and this young boy, Lucky Spencer. Luke's son, she thought, he must be. There was a resemblance.

Robin sighed as she chewed a bite of her potatoes. She glanced around, still speechless that her parents were alive. It had been an interesting reunion, with Faison and Lucky looking on. She was both thrilled and devastated in one night.

Robert ran a hand through his newly trimmed hair. He'd finished eating already. It wasn't every day he got steak, hell it wasn't any day in six years. He stared at his daughter, then turned his eyes to his wife. She was thinking something...something important...but what?

Lucky sighed, took a bite of his food, chewed, swallowed, took a sip of water, and sighed again, setting his fork down in annoyance. "What is the point of all this Faison?" He challenged.

"Yes," Robin agreed. "We're all waiting."

"Well, now that you're all assembled I thought we should all get together. Kind of like a...prison mess hall, only nicer, I think." He said, shrugging. "Besides, I thought I should tell you all what's going on. I'm sure you're wondering." He paused, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "So I'll tell you what I'm doing."

"Expected of us?"

"Yes, Lucky, you don't think I'd bring you all here without a reason, do you? I'm a very shrewd man."

"And why am I here?"

"Two reasons. One, I needed an edge over your father." He said slowly, pausing a little. "And my partner requested it. It furthered his purposes."

"Who's your partner?"

"Ah, ah! All in good time. You've had your question." He said, smiling. "Anyone else?"

"And me, why take me?" Robin asked.

"I thought your mother might be missing you, and, besides, there wasn't any other way to get the Scorpios attention."

Port Charles, NY,
June 22, 2029

Felicia's
Study

"Well," Hope queried impatiently, "what happened next? Did Mac fly out to Paris? Did you? What did Sean say?"

"That was all. Robin had disappeared without a trace. No one knew where she was, and we wouldn't know anything for weeks." Felicia added softly. "Not until Anna escaped, and found us."

"When was that?"

"I saw her two weeks and two days, exactly, after that," Felicia said softly. "She was on my doorstep, looking around like a scared child, making sure nobody spotted her and took her again."

"But how did she escape? This is the part I'm never quite clear on." Hope said softly.

"Well," Felicia said softly, pausing briefly. "She told me the whole story once, after everything was done..." Felicia said, losing herself in her thoughts, in the tales Anna had spun about her escape. It had all sounded so dreadful and so hard.

Unknown Location,
January 25, 2000

Anna sighed as she glanced behind her at the moon. The dark horse she clung tightly to was competent and fast. She'd be at the boat dock before anyone missed her. She knew just which boat to take. It was off, to the side, and no one would be looking at that dock. She just hoped that one was fueled up and drivable. The other docks would be a bit riskier.

It didn't matter what the risk. Tonight she was going to be off this damned island, wherever it was, or she was going to die trying.