Everything Burns

Chapter: 20

Pairing: Robert & Holly

Rating: PG

Holly moved from the chair over to the sofa. "You don't have to join us if you don't want to." she told him. "I don't want you to feel forced into coming with us."

"I assure you I don't feel forced." he replied. "Besides I can't wait to get you alone."

"Alone?" she questioned.

"Yes." he answered. "You and I need to sit down alone, uninterrupted, and have a serious talk about the future and what's going to happen with Benjamin and Alexander."

"Uninterrupted?" she laughed. "You're shooting for the moon aren't you?"

Robert laughed as he thought of all the times they were interrupted in the past and in the most crucial moments. "I suppose so." he replied. "But I think we owe it to the boys to give it a try."

"We do." she agreed. "I'm not so sure it will be uninterrupted but we'll get through it eventually."

Sutton Manor. Muswell Hill, London, England

The flight from Durham to London was rather quick. After they landed a car took them to straight to Holly's London home. It was a large, brick house that sat off from the road with a massive front garden. As they got out of the car the smell of fresh flowers flooded the air.

"Does this mean that I can finally talk to Sarah?" Alexander asked.

"Yes." Holly sighed and then watched as he took off like a bolt of lightening. "Yes, Benjamin." she replied before he even opened his mouth.

"Awesome." he commented as he started walking toward the house, making a beeline for the gym. "I didn't even have to ask."

"Well." Robert sighed. "I guess that just leaves me and you."

"Yes." she replied. "I guess it does." she said as she stepped closer and closer to him. "I think we should take advantage of the situation. What do you think?"

Robert pulled her closer to him, resting his hands on her hips. "What did you have in mind?" he asked. "Because I'm not about to rush you into anything you're not ready for, especially after what happened with Faison."

"Well, I may not be ready to make love, but I do enjoy kissing you." she said as she moved her mouth closer and closer to his, their lips only a breath apart. Robert cupped her face in his hands and placed a soft, lingering kiss on her lips. "I've missed you so much." she told him as she pulled away. "You make me feel safe."

Robert wrapped his arms around her. "That's all that matters."

Holly relaxed in his arms. "We should start dinner."

"You cook?" he asked. "I thought maybe you had a private chef stored away in this big ole mansion."

"I'll have you know that my cooking skills have improved drastically over the years." she laughed. "And no we don't have a cook. A housekeeper, yes, but not a cook."

She mentally kicked herself. It wasn't fair to lead him on. It wasn't fair to have to walk away from him when he had just come back into her life. And even if she was ready to make love to him it wouldn't be fair to do so and then leave him. In that moment Holly decided that the quicker she left the better it would be for everyone.

Robert and Holly cooked a quick dinner and then for the first time they sat down with Alexander and Benjamin for what would be their first and last family meal together. They didn't know it, but she did. Dinner conversation was upbeat and happy. There was no fighting or arguing or disagreements. Nothing felt forced, just very relaxed as if they had done it a thousand times before.

After all the goodnights had been exchanged and Alexander and Benjamin went up to bed Holly lead Robert out to the patio, out underneath the starlight. "I really enjoyed tonight." Robert told her. "It felt so natural."

Holly sat down on the swing. "The way it should have been all along."

"Perhaps." he replied as he sat down beside her. "But if that were true Alexander wouldn't be here."

"After everything I went through with Cesar, all the hell he put me through, I'd do it all over again, a thousand times, the exact same way if the end result was Alexander." she told him. "I can't imagine my life without him."

"I love seeing you with them." Robert said as he pulled her closer to him.

"You know what this reminds me of?" she said as she rested her head against his shoulder.

Robert wrapped his arms around her. "Please don't say Frisco."

"No." she smiled. "It reminds me of how we used to discuss our future. I hope you're not disappointed that Benjamin's name isn't Mortimer."

Robert laughed. "You remember."

"How could I forget?" she said softly. "You know that fortune-teller was wrong, I didn't have nine daughters. Not even one little Samantha."

"You could have had a Samantha was Frisco." he joked.

"I'm never going to live that down am I?" she laughed. "How much longer are you going to tease me about that?"

"I don't know." he replied. "I just can't for the life of me picture the two of you together. Maybe if you had a little Samantha it would make it easier."

"Robert." she said as she playfully smacked his arm. "It's not funny. Besides Frisco doesn't pay any attention to the two daughters he has. They were raised by your brother."

"Mac is a standup kinda guy." Robert said. "He raised three children that didn't even belong to him. Some men aren't meant to be Fathers, take Luke for instance, he would much rather be gallivanting around the world than be stuck in Port Charles with his children."

"Speaking of Luke, don't you think you should call him and let him know that we're gone?" she asked. "You wouldn't want him to worry would you?"

Robert laughed. "I seriously doubt that Luke misses us." he replied. "As soon as we got back to the hotel he and Skye headed straight to her room and I seriously doubt they've left."

"Probably not." she agreed. "I like Skye and she certainly knows how to handle Luke. I think she's good for him."

"Just like you're good for me?" he asked.

"I suppose." Holly replied. "At least I used to be."

"You still are." he assured her as he lifted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. "I love you." he said softly. "I've never stopped."

Holly leaned in a softly kissed his lips knowing that this would be there last evening together. "I love you, Robert." she said as she pulled away. "I always have and I always will."

"We're going to do things right this time." he told her. "We're going to be a real family."

Holly felt her heart breaking. They weren't going to be able to get things right. They weren't going to get a chance to be a real family. "I'm really tired." she told him. "The past few days have been exhausting."

"I'll walk you upstairs." he said as he got to his feet and then helped her up. Holly placed her hand in his and together they silent walked into the house and upstairs together. She stopped in front of the guest room. "I can walk the rest of the way." she told him. "Goodnight."

Robert leaned forward and kissed her on the cheek. "Goodnight."

Holly smiled and then turned and walked toward her room. That's when the tears started to fall. When she knew that he couldn't see her. She opened her bedroom door and softly closed it behind her. Instead of giving into her tears she began packing her things. She'd had one stop to make after she left the house and then it was straight back to Cesar. Straight back to hell.

tbc...