Chapter 20
As was often the case, the news of what had happened in Portugal made its way back to Port Charles and spread through the town almost as fast as the encephalitis had. Though Luke had gone on ahead, after having his leg tended to, it had taken Robert and Holly a couple of days to get back from Furtado. Right after Faison's death, a haz-mat team had come and taken away his body, and no one else appeared to been infected with what killed him. The other virus that Faison released raged on in Furtado for a few days, until an antidote was developed by Andrew Burns. There remained a fair bit of paperwork and red tape for Robert to sift through, but there was also a fair bit of downtime that he spent with Holly. They spent the time relaxing, trying to reacquaint themselves with each other, and trying to sort out the future.
Port Charles
A couple of days later, Holly walked into the bar at the Metrocourt. She was supposed to meet Robert there, after having spent a good part of the day meeting with a lawyer. Holly took a quick look around and saw few faces she recognized. Carly walked past her, did a double-take and glared suspiciously. Holly was about to apologize for the whack on the head Carly had gotten from the Crylium goon, when she was interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Holly! You're back!" Robin walked up to her and gave her a quick hug.
"Hello Robin, I didn't see you."
"Oh, I was sitting over in the corner." Robin blushed slightly.
Holly glanced over and took notice of Patrick. "He's cute. Is that the doctor your father is dying to complain about?"
Robin frowned. "Dad told you about Patrick?"
"Not really, beyond muttering about some hotshot young doctor."
"That's about all he knows of him," Robin complained bitterly. Holly smiled sympathetically at her. Robin decided to change the subject. "I was so relieved to hear that you had nothing to do with the virus. None of it made sense to me."
"I appreciate that, Robin."
Robin was dying with curiosity. "So, if you don't mind me being nosy, what is happening between you and Dad?" A small 'cat that ate the canary' grin crossed Holly's face. Robin noticed and asked, "So it is true? You're back together? Luke kinda alluded to it, but he said I needed to hear it from 'the horses' mouths'."
Holly paused thoughtfully. "We're feeling our way through it. It's been such a long time since we were married, we kind of need to ease back into that. We've both changed some over the years."
"Some more than others," Robin replied, a little spitefully.
Holly sighed. "Well, here's the plan. I am moving to New York City. Remember when I went back to school?" Robin nodded. "It's about time that I put that degree to use. I'm going to open up an art gallery."
"Wait a second, you - singular - are moving to New York? What's Dad doing? I thought you were getting back together?" asked Robin.
"Your father is going to spend some time in Port Charles. He can do his Medical Rescue Agency work from anywhere, and he has a daughter here he needs to catch up with," declared Holly. "We're going to have a long-distance relationship for a little while, at least. Not that it's really that long of a distance," Holly smiled.
'It really surprises me that you're prepared to get back with him. He did throw you in jail, after all."
"I was holding the antidote for ransom, remember?"
"Yeah, well, he could have looked into things more."
Holly tried not to laugh at the irony in her step-daughter's frustration. "Oh Robin, everything he did over the last 15 years was to protect you. It's just that the experiences were hard on him. We both need to give him a little time to become the man he was. Go easy on him."
Holly flashed quickly to a recent conversation with Robert regarding Robin's stubbornness. "Robert, she's not that far from 30. She's not your little girl anymore."
"But she's as stubborn as a mule. She doesn't listen to a thing I have to say," said Robert desperately.
Holly laughed uproariously at that remark. "Good Lord, what do you expect, given her parents?
A minute later, Robert strode into the bar. Both his and Holly's faces lit up at the sight of one another. Robin remembered those looks from when she was a child visiting them in Australia. She was old enough to not harbor any hopes of her parents ever getting back together. Truth be told, given current circumstances, she figured Holly had a gentle side that had a better chance of reaching the father she remembered. Anna would be more likely to kill Robert at this point. Robin smiled slightly at the mental image, then stored it away.
Holly also had a stubborn side. She elbowed Robin discreetly. "Go talk to your dad," she whispered, and left the two of them to talk.
Holly walked over to the bar to sit with Luke, keeping an eye on Robin and Robert. "Hey, English."
"Luke, how's your leg?" Holly gave him a little hug.
"It's getting better. Listen, English, I have something I need to say to you." Holly raised an eyebrow at Luke's serious tone. "I feel really bad for the way I treated you. How can I make things up to you?"
"Funny you should ask!" grinned Holly. "I actually am in need of your help."
Luke looked at her with interest.
"My credit is in tatters. Any chance of you convincing your wife to float me a loan for my art gallery?"
"That's the least I can do, Holly. I'll talk to Spanky Buns tonight."
"I am so thankful you stuck with 'English' for me," laughed Holly.
Robert crossed the room to where Holly and Luke were sitting. He put an arm around Holly's waist and gave her a quick kiss. "Can I pry Holly away from you for a few minutes, mate?"
"Sure pal. You guys want to have dinner tomorrow?"
"You got it."
"How'd your talk with Robin go?" Holly asked Robert.
"Ehh, could have been worse. She was mostly interested in hearing about the viruses. How about you, what did you hear from the lawyer?" Robert sat down next to Holly.
"Well, to begin with, all the criminal charges against me are being dropped."
"That's a good start," said Robert encouragingly.
"The other thing is the question of my finances. It seems that despite its being headed by a criminal, the initial investment in Crylium stands because it was a legitimate company. So that's all gone."
"You never did tell me where your money came from in the first place."
"Nope. And you don't need to know that, either," retorted Holly with a smile. "But the good news is that for two separate reasons, I'm not accountable for the additional money that Dougald invested. One is due to the origins of the money, coming from Viranon." she paused then and lowered her eyes shyly.
"And the other?" wondered Robert.
"Well, your being alive sort of invalidated my marriage to Dougald, and since I had nothing to do with the other part of the investment and we weren't legally married, I'm not accountable for his additional debts," finished Holly quickly. She sat back and waited anxiously for Robert's reaction.
Robert looked at her and laughed. "Are you saying we're still married?"
"Umm, yeah. I never got around to signing the divorce papers," she admitted. "The lawyer said neither of us is guilty of bigamy, but it does invalidate both our subsequent marriages." Holly looked at him for a minute. "Why are you laughing?" She frowned, wiping the smile off Robert's face.
"Never mind. What do you want to do about it?" he asked nervously.
Holly paused for a long moment before speaking. "I think that when it comes to our relationship we've made too many hasty decisions in the past. So maybe while we sort the question of 'us' out, we could just leave well enough alone."
"I think that I would be very much ok with that," Robert said with a relieved smile. "Come dance with me." They began dancing beside the bar. "When are you going to leave for New York?"
"Probably in a couple of days. When are you going to come visit?"
"Whenever you're ready for me."
"Well, I have to go find a location for the gallery and find myself a place to live, and get it furnished You'll have to give me at least a week before you come to visit. Otherwise you'll have to sleep on the floor and I can't be held responsible for what that will do to your back," Holly smirked.
"Oh, absence just makes the heart grow fonder. Soon you won't be able to resist any of my charms. Are you going to send me sappy text messages in the meantime?" Robert pulled out his cell phone and texted "rs u r 2 cute" to himself. He showed it to Holly, who started to giggle. "It's a new era, luv." Robert returned Holly's laughter as the music played a little louder.
"The Space BetweenWhere you're smiling high
Is where you'll find me if I get to go
The Space Between
The bullets in our firefight
Is where I'll be hiding, waiting for you
The rain that falls
Splash in your heart
Ran like sadness down the window into your room
The Space Between
Our wicked lies
Is where we hope to keep safe from pain
Take my hand
'Cause we're walking out of here
Oh, right out of here
Love is all we need, dear
The Space Between
What's wrong and right
Is where you'll find me hiding, waiting for you
The Space Between
Your heart and mine
Is the space we'll fill with time
The Space Between..."
Robert twirled Holly around melodramatically. They both laughed as he dipped her back and and then brought her up for a long, sweet, passionate kiss.
The End
Author's Notes:
"The Space Between", Dave Matthews Band, Everyday, 2001.
It's been a hoot. Time to take a little break - I won't be as bold to say I am never going to write again this time, but I do need some time off. Hopefully the real GH will give me some incentive to keep writing. In the meantime, we fanfic writers thrive on feedback. If you've enjoyed this story, but you haven't left any comments here or on the Welcome to the Scorpios' board, please do! It will warm my heart, and warm hearts write better fanfic.