Everything Burns

Chapter: 22

Pairing: Robert and Holly

Rating: PG

After Robert read the letter he folded it up and placed it back in the envelope. He was baffled by what he had read. Holly had actually went back to Faison. And on her own accord. What was he going to tell Alexander and Benjamin? How could he tell them the truth? Why couldn't Holly have told him what she was going to do?

"Robert?" Barry said, getting his attention. "What did it say?"

Robert's head was spinning. Last night everything was going so well. He thought they were going to have a future. Together. That they were finally going to be a family. Why on earth would she go to Faison? He would kill her, she had to know that.

"Holly's with Faison." Robert breathed out.

"Faison?" Barry questioned. "Did he kidnap her?"

"No." he replied. "Holly went to him. Willingly."

Barry shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. Why would Holly return to Faison?"

"She said that she had to go to him before he came to her." he explained. "This is her way of protecting Benjamin and Alexander. Just like faking their deaths would protect them, right Frisco? You knew about this. You knew that Holly was going to Faison!" he said, raising his voice. "That's what the two of you were arguing about yesterday!"

"Holly does what Holly wants!" Frisco told him. "She never told me what she was going to do, just that she was going to do whatever it took to protect her children."

"Cesar will kill her!" Robert yelled. "Holly has walked into a death trap!"

Frisco nodded. "You're right." he agreed. "Holly has walked into a death trap, but she did it willingly. And she did it for her sons."

"And you have no idea what Holly was planning?" Barry asked. "She didn't tell you anything else?"

"No." Frisco asked. "Holly wasn't even sure of what she was going to do as of yesterday. She made me promise not to mention any of this to Robert."

Robert held the letter tightly in his hand. "In the letter Holly asked me not to come after her. She wanted me to stay with Benjamin and Alexander." he said softly. "But I'll be damned if I'm going to stand back and do nothing!"

"I think you should honor Holly's wishes." Frisco replied. "If she asked you to take care of her sons then you should do as she requested. Benjamin and Alexander are going to need you."

"Don't you tell me what my sons need!" Robert yelled. "And you know nothing about what Holly wants!"

"Holly didn't want you to come after her!" Frisco yelled back. "She didn't want you to know about what she was doing."

"What are you doing to find my wife!" he demanded to know.

Frisco shook his head. "Nothing."

Alexander's Bedroom

He flung open the door to find Benjamin standing on the other side. "What do you want?"

"To talk." he replied.

"I'm not really in the mood." Alexander said. "Maybe later."

"I think now." Benjamin said as he walked into the room and slammed the door behind him. "We're 'dead', our Mum is gone and we're stuck here with a man he barely know." he told him. "Like it or not we have to talk."

"If you're here to blame me, then go right ahead." he offered. "I'm sure Robert blames me as well because if it wasn't for me and my Father then our Mum would have never left and the three of you could be putting together your perfect family."

"What makes you say that?" he asked. "What makes you so sure that she's with Cesar Faison?"

Faison Compound: The Next Morning

Holly woke up to sunlight bursting through the massive, uncovered windows. Her head seemed to be spinning. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or the poison or the combination of both. All she knew it that she needed to take her injection and the sooner the better. After making her way out of bed, she grabbed one of her bags and headed into the adjoining bathroom.

She pulled a covered syringe out of the bag and then a small bottle of liquid. She cringed at the fact of having to inject herself, she was always squeamish when it came to needles, but having to do it herself brought it to a whole new level. There was simply no way around the injection. It had to be given. She filled the syringe up to the designated mark and then lowered it down to her thigh, but she couldn't bring herself to inject it.

"Damn." she swore. "Why couldn't this have come in a pill form." Holly drew the needle back with every intention of injecting herself but stopped short. "Come on, Holly, you can do this." she tried to convince herself.

"What are you doing?" Cesar asked as he appeared in the doorway.

Holly looked up from what she was attempting to do. "What does it look like?" she asked, holding the needle in plain view. "I'm trying to work up the courage to inject myself."

"Inject yourself?" he asked. "You're resorting to drugs?"

"No." she answered.

"Then why the syringe full of..." Cesar trailed off as he picked up the small bottle off the vanity. "Pregnyl?"

"It's a hormone." she replied casually.

"For what?" he asked.

"It regulates ovulation." Holly lied. Like she would ever willingly conceive a child with that man. It was a wonderful cover though, switching the labels on the bottles for it to read Pregnyl instead of Vitamin K, the antidote to the Warfarin she had poured in their wine last night. Not only would it prevent her from dying, at least before him, it would keep him from touching her whilst she accomplished her goal.

tbc...