Everything Burns

Chapter: 9

Pairing: Robert & Holly

Rating: PG

Robert's head was spinning. "Please tell me that he's lying." he begged. "Please Holly." The confusion on Robert's face turned to pain, like someone had soccer punched in the stomach. "Holly, please, please tell me he's lying. Tell me that you've never had anything to do with this man."

Holly tried to hold back her tears. "I'm sorry." she whispered softly. "I'm so sorry."

"No." Robert said over and over again. "There's no way."

Cesar was pleased with the events that were unfolding before him. He had waited seventeen years for this day to come and he was going to savor every last bit of anguish that was about to be revealed.

"Robert, you don't understand." Holly said.

"When!" Robert asked.

"When what?" she asked.

"When were you involved with this sick son of a bitch!" Robert demanded.

Holly lowered her eyes to the floor as she tried to stop herself from crying. "Years ago." she answered.

Robert's heart was racing as was his mind. Holly involved with Cesar Faison was more than he could handle. "How many?"

She lifted her eyes to meet his. "Seventeen." she answered.

Cesar who had been standing in the background removed a tattered picture from his wallet and moved forward, handing it to Robert. "How's this for comforting thoughts?"

Robert took the picture from Faison and looked down at it. It showed a happy couple, posing together. Cesar moved behind Holly and softly whispered in her ear. "Benjamin is with Barry is Durham. Alexander is somewhere in London. Once I learn Alexander's location I'm going to go get them." Holly remained perfectly still if she dared to say anything it could blow her entire world apart.

Robert felt his temper begin to rise. "You were with him, willingly." he stated rather than questioned. "You knew who he was the entire time I was searching for Anna?"

Cesar reached forward and took the photo out of Robert's hand. "The truth hurts doesn't it?" he asked. "It was I that provided her with what she needed, not you, Scorpio."

"Anna died. Robin lost her Mother because of this man, Holly!" he shouted. "And you knew the entire time?"

"Yes." she answered. "I knew about Anna."

"How could you stand by and let Anna get killed?" he asked. "How could you have not told me about Cesar?"

"I couldn't." Holly answered as tears streamed down her face. "I couldn't, he threatened me."

"I could have protected you." Robert told her. "I would have."

"No, you couldn't have." she protested. "No one can stop Cesar. He does whatever he wants, whenever he wants to anyone he wants. No stops Cesar." she cried. "I know better than anyone."

Robert threw his arms up in the air. "I don't know what to think." he sighed. "I've found out so much about you in the last 24 hours that my head is spinning."

"I wanted you." Holly told him. "You're the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I would have died for you."

"Then why the hell did you end up with Faison?" he asked. "Who does that to someone the supposedly love, Holly? I thought when your re-appeared in 1992 that things were bad, but now I don't even know what to classify this as. Betrayal maybe?"

Cesar continued to smile smugly. "You haven't even heard the half of it, Scorpio."

"There's more!" he asked loudly. "How much more can there be?"

Holly was now sobbing uncontrollably. She was caught in the middle of a rock and a hard place and there was no way out. She lowered her head and covered her face with her hands. Her heart was breaking. Cesar knew where Alexander and Benjamin were and she was sure that he'd have them by nightfall.

Everything she had done to ensure their safety in the past fifteen years had just came crashing down on top of her. Deep down she always knew that the truth would be revealed but she never imagined it in such a cold, unforgiving manner. With Faison leading her confession to Robert he was going to leave without looking back, without ever knowing the entire truth. Robert watched as Holly began to breakdown before his very eyes as Cesar continued to revel in their pain.

"Tell him, Holly!" Cesar demanded. "Tell him everything. Don't you think Robert deserves to know that truth?"

Holly slowly raised her head to look at Robert, tears still streaming down her face. "Robert." she sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"Tell him!" Cesar demanded again. "Tell him about Alexander."

"Who's Alexander?" Robert asked.

"My son." she answered. "Alexander is my son."

"Not just your's." Cesar reminded her.

Holly had difficultly breathing, she had never been so terrified in her entire life. She had always intended to tell Robert about Alexander just not in this cruel way.

"Who is Alexander's Father?" Robert asked as he looked her directly in the eye. "Tell me."

"Cesar." she breathed out. "Cesar is Alexander's Father."

tbc...