Everything Burns

Chapter: 17

Pairing: Robert and Holly

Rating: PG

"Intentions?" Robert repeated. "Um..."

Alexander laughed in response. "Relax, I'm just joking."

Robert smiled. "I see you have your Mum's sense of humor."

Holly pulled Alexander back toward her. "That he does."

"Mum?" Benjamin said softly. "Do you think you and I could talk? Alone?"

"Sure." she replied. "Excuse us." she said as they left the room. Holly hoped that everything had went okay between Father and son since she didn't get a response before. Hopefully Robert could work some sort of relationship out with the boys before it was time for her to go, but with Cesar and his constant element of surprise she knew that she didn't have the option of time. If she could just put them on the right path everything else might fall into place.

Benjamin closed the bedroom door behind him. "I'm sorry." he apologized. "I've been unfair to you." he said as he began to cry. "I was angry and hurt and I thought that you knew my Father was alive."

Holly pulled her son into her arms. "It's alright, darling." she assured him as her own eyes filled with tears. "It's alright."

He rested his head on her shoulder. "I don't want you to hate me."

"I could never hate you." she said softly. "I love you far too much."

Benjamin pulled out of her embrace. "I've been so wrong about so many things."

"We've all been wrong, Benjamin." Holly told him. "I just want you to know that everything I did was out of love."

"I know." he breathed out. "And I'm going to try to make things right."

"I think that we all deserve a second chance to get this right." she said. "I really want you to give your Father a chance and I know it's not going to happen instantaneously but I think the two of you are going to be able to work things out just fine. I don't want you to shut him out of your life like Robin apparently has."

"I'm nothing like Robin."

"I know you're not. You don't have any of that nasty Devane blood." Holly laughed through her tears. "Don't ever mention that in front of Robert though."

Benjamin smiled. "Was Anna really that bad?"

"Yes." she answered bluntly. "I think it would be best if everyone would just forget about Anna. I really want you to concentrate on the future and not dwell on the past because what's done is done and there's no way to take any of it back."

"What about Faison?" he asked.

"When and if the time comes Cesar will be dealt with." she assured him. "I promise you that he will never hurt you or Alexander ever again."

Livingroom

Alexander crossed the livingroom and had a seat on the sofa. "So, Robert..." he trailed off. "What's it like to learn that you have a son after all these years?"

Robert sat down in the chair adjacent to him. "You're certainly straightforward."

"Mum says that when you want to know something you should come right out and ask." he replied.

"Well it's a shock." he answered honestly. "But a very welcoming shock to learn that I have two, hopefully three children now."

"Three?" he questioned. "Robin, Benjamin and...?"

"You." Robert replied.

Alexander half laughed, half sighed. "You don't want me as a son." he told him. "My Father is Cesar Faison, a man you despise. I bet the only thing you see when you look at me is him and what he did to you and Anna and by extension, Robin."

"Is that what you think people perceive you as?" he asked. "A young Faison?"

"I think that the people who know that Cesar is my Father are secretly fearing that I'll turn into him." he confessed. "Evil and sadistic. Mum has always taught me that I'm my own person and that I'm nothing like Cesar but I fear it at times too."

"Why?"

"I'm afraid that something's going to happen, something that's going to set me off and then there's not going to be any turning back." he told him. "It's my greatest fear."

"Have you talked to your Mother about this?" Robert asked.

"No." he answered. "I don't think she'd understand. She only sees me for me and as part of her. Mum never factors in Cesar and because of that I fear that if I mess up the only thing she's going to see is my Father. I think she tricks herself into believing that I'm someone else's son."

"Like who?"

Alexander shrugged. "Frisco's." he answered. "Anyone but Cesar's."

"Why Frisco's?" he asked.

"Because they used to have this...thing."

tbc...