A/N: I will try not to jump around too much. Again, the beginning of this story will largely follow the story as it appeared on GH, so a lot of the dialogue will be similar or exact. Like Anna and Robin's/ Robert and Katherine's exchanges here. Except, I'm including a lot more of what could have gone on in Anna's head at the time. And the story will take a life of it's own eventually, especially with how the triangle went down. And again, check out Robertannafan if you want to see the Faison story from 1990! It's all there!

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Robert woke up disoriented. Being a heavy sleeper had its downsides sometimes… and when Robert had vivid dreams, he often woke up with no concept of where he was. And the topper was: usually, he could remember nothing about what he dreamt either.

He had dreamed, he knew that. And whatever it was, he still felt locked in its fringes somehow. Reality was slow-coming as he gathered his surroundings. Wherever he had been, it was not here, and he felt a twinge of sadness as he came out of it. A good dream then…

"Good morning!" Katherine called as she entered the bedroom, jarring him as he rubbed his face.

"Hey, sweetheart," he muttered tiredly.

His girlfriend clucked in sympathy and laid down a tray. "How ya feeling?"

"A little… groggy," he responded, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Yeah? Well have some coffee."

Robert reached for orange juice instead. "I'm gonna try this. I don't seem to be quite able to wake up."

Kate shifted in beside him as he swallowed. "Must have been what you were dreaming about."

For some reason, the juice went down hard. Well, she couldn't have read his mind… "What?"

Kate cast a glance at him that he couldn't quite interpret, her long blonde hair falling over one shoulder. "You were tossing and turning all night last night."

"Oh! I'm sorry…did I, uh…keep you up?" As much as he couldn't help it, he would feel a bit inconsiderate if he gave her trouble sleeping.

"A little bit…" she sighed and Robert grunted what he was sure she would take as an apology. But then she pulled the glass from his hand and even in his stupor, he could sense that she was building up to something as she leaned in. "So, I didn't realize that spies talked in their sleep!"

"Uhhhh…only to—only to cute blondes," Robert grinned, because even half-awake, he reverted to charm. However, his game must have been off because Katherine wasn't looking very susceptible, and he really sobered up when she pinned him with a look.

"How about brunettes?"

The smile melted off of his face. "What?"

Katherine's own smile was not sincere, he knew her too well. "I'm joking, I'm joking… You just—you mentioned Anna's name a few times last night, that's all…"

"Oh!" he looked down and ignored the fact that his heart skipped a beat at his ex-wife's name, because he didn't really understand why. "Well, um…maybe that's because," Kate wasn't letting up with that unimpressed face, "…uh, you know I've been a little preoccupied with…business over there." He accentuated his vague response by waving bacon in her direction. "You know?"

Kate nodded. "Yeah, I know."

God help him, he was trying not to seem curious. But he was a seasoned investigator and his girlfriend was looking at him all funny and he obviously had said more than Anna's name. No, it was worse than that, he concluded. "What else did I say?"

Katherine rubbed her face now and pretended to think about it. "Well, let's see…uh… you said uh, you mentioned a place called 'San Remo'?"

San Remo. Visions of a beach in Italy came unbidden to his mind. The jolt of cold surf, the taste of salt and the pale beauty moving underneath his hands as they celebrated their survival. Visions of white lace and dark eyes that drowned him as he covered her hair with a veil. Pledging wedding vows in Italian and the first kiss that burned him alive.

"Did I…" Robert muttered.

He dimly heard Kate say, "…Italian Riviera right near the French border?"

He nodded, lost in thought. "Right…"

"Well…soooo, did you and Anna have a mission there with the WSB or what?!"

A mission. Robert sat up, doing his damnedest to play it off but unable to curb the distinct desire to flee the conversation. "Well…we had a lot of missions…and stuff." He pulled the covers off of his legs and planted his feet on the ground, abandoning his bacon. "Right now, my prime mission is to have a shower."

"Pretty good block," his girlfriend commented frankly, trying to lure Robert back in so he would tell her what was wrong. He was aware that she knew something was off. She likely knew that before she even brought it up to him. She had heard him in his sleep. And he might have said more, he didn't even know. God almighty. "What about your breakfast?" she persisted.

"Ahhh, running late…it's gonna have to wait," Robert said as he snatched his robe from nearby, his flight instinct in full gear. He cleared his throat as he made for the bathroom. "Yeah…it'll…have to wait."

He couldn't even bring himself to wish he had covered better, for it had all come flooding back to him. Not just the nocturnally insistent memories of his first marriage…

Sean. Faison.

What they had done to his life thirteen years ago. Sean, his best friend, tears rolling down his cheeks. And Anna's face. Anna.

Oh, Anna…

Robert flicked the faucet on and cold water pelted him mercilessly. But when he closed his eyes, he could see her dark, wet eyes and her open, broken heart looking out at him from them…as Sean re-cast them as hapless fools within their own romance and went on about what might have been.

And now the piper had to be paid and they were all three on the line. Faison couldn't have made himself clearer with the visits to Anna and Robin and the flowers to Sean's hospital room. Robert couldn't think of another enemy, past or present, who had gotten in like this and taken apart his life.

He knew what he should be doing right now, what his training would have him do: disconnect; become cold and logical. Hell, it was the lesson he truly learned when Anna lay in a bed with a bandaged face, as Robert gave up the Swede to what he thought was a sure execution. That was the last time he let his heart make any decisions for him…for a long, long, time. Or in the name of a woman he loved.

Sean and Anna had taught him that lesson. And now, because of them, he was losing it all over again. There was so much at stake and he couldn't get a handle on himself because he was getting hit in the head with 13-year old history!

Well, he wouldn't be a victim to this. He was going to put an end to this threat to everyone, including his daughter, if it was the last thing he ever did.

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Anna's night had not been peaceful, not by a long shot… after three cups of decaffeinated tea and 38 pages of a novel, she had lain awake in bed, unable to stop thinking about Sean's confession. And every time the whole thing played out in her head, her feelings transmuted into something else and ran wild until she felt like she was going insane. She catalogued every word and every glance until there was nothing to think anymore and she dropped off into a restless sleep.

Her dear daughter was not helping her peace of mind this morning, as every other word out of her mouth seemed to be "Daddy".

"So Mom, how come Daddy didn't stay over last night?"

Anna groaned, but only inside her head. "Because we have an undercover cop, that's why."

"But I like when Daddy stays around, though." Robin persisted.

"Well, don't get used to it, it was just one time, alright?" She took a sip of her coffee, willing Robin to shut up about her father and put the whole thing to rest.

"I know, I just said it was nice, that's all…" Robin scrutinized her mother, and Anna hid again behind her cup, feeling somehow exposed. She knew she was acting strange, and if she didn't want Robin to get suspicious, she needed to cut it out.

"So…did they catch that lady yet?"

"No."

"You know, I was thinking—maybe we could stay with Daddy?"

For the love of God! Anna was disbelieving as she said "No!" with a little too much force. It was one thing to keep Robert off of her mind on a normal morning… but with Robin making all of these Robert-related comments on this morning, it was damn near impossible and her frustration with the whole situation was coming to a head.

"Just until they catch that lady, Mom."

"We can't keep bothering your father, alright?!" Anna leaned into the words subconsciously, praying that her words would reach whatever part of her daughter's brain that was bound and determined to send her to the asylum.

Robin finally looked chastened by her mother's overreaction and backed down. "…alright." And then she lifted up a scrap of something. "He forgot his tie. Can we take it over to him?"

This was getting downright absurd. "No!" Feeling ridiculous, she set her cup down and tried to handle this rationally. Explain it to the child, she told herself. "We can't go over there because Kate's there."

Robin looked at Anna like she had spouted horns. "So? She won't mind!"

"Your father has his life. We have our life. Now just leave it alone, alright?! Leave it alone!"

She had lost her temper, but really, she didn't want to think about Robert anymore. She was tired, she was confused and Sean was still in the hospital while Desiree was still running around free after holding her daughter at gunpoint and shooting two dear friends. If there were any time in her life to explode, this would be it!

But as Robin blinked at her in surprise, Anna immediately regretted it. Robin didn't understand why she was so on edge, and how could she? Anna didn't want any of this touching Robin, it was better that her daughter have no idea of what was going on…

Robin would never have a normal life. The plainclothesman a few feet away was testament to that. But it didn't mean that Anna wouldn't do her best to keep her life as normal as possible. These outbursts were going to have to stop. As she resolutely tried to tamp down on her emotions, Robin said something that she didn't fully catch and then "…I wanna see Uncle Sean."

Swallowing, Anna nodded. "Okay, then um…come by after school."

"Oh, thank you." Then she lifted up the damn tie again. "So…what about Dad's tie?"

Anna glanced at a passing waitress and rejected her offer to fill her cup. "I'll…see that he gets it."

The guilty look on her daughter's face was one she recognized and it filled her with guilt of her own. "You know, Mom, I wouldn't have said that, you know, we should bring it over to him, but this is his favorite tie. And all of his other ones are dorky!"

Anna felt a genuine laugh spring out of her and she felt even worse. She gave Robin a sheepish smile and then grimaced self-consciously. "Ugh…I'm sorry I snapped at you, I don't mean it."

"I understand."

"It's just that—"

Robin waved her toast dismissively. "He's with Kate, I understand."

"They don't spend enough time together, okay?"

"Yeah…you're right."

"And we can't just keep pulling him away from his life all the time." Anna tried to nail the point home, to tell both Robin and herself that this was how it had to be. Robert was separate. He had to be. He was involved…but as Robin's father and nothing else. That was how it had to be.

"But he can stay over sometimes, can't he?" Robin pleaded eagerly.

"Well…yes, he could, but why would he want to?" Anna said, truly not understanding what had brought on this line of thinking. But Robin's answer was simple.

"Well, because we're a family!"

It gave Anna pause, and she looked at her daughter, really looked at her for the first time that morning. She had been so locked up in her own troubles, that she hadn't noticed Robin's perspective on their life. She took a deep breath and then said gently, "We're not a family. I mean…we are a family…but…" she buried her face in her hands briefly, wondering herself where she was going with this. "You know that because he doesn't live with us doesn't mean that he doesn't love you… You understand that, right?"

Robin stared blankly at Anna, like she was asking a very obvious question. Obviously, the divorced parents schtick was too little, too late. Then she frowned. "Yeah, I know. He loves both of us!"

That was not what she wanted to hear. "Well, no. He loves you. Me…well…" she looked off to the side.

Robin was still frowning at her, looking genuinely troubled. "Yeah…"

"I was married to him once, and now… you know…" Anna trailed off at Robin's expression.

"And now you're divorced. I have a friend and her parents are divorced. They don't even talk to each other!"

Her sweet daughter had no idea how perilously close she had come to never even knowing her father. Recalling even 1985, when Robert was still angry with Anna, not knowing why she had betrayed him nor the fact that when they had divorced, their little baby girl was growing inside her.

What was new was the fact that Sean was partially responsible for it. She still didn't know how she felt about all of that...

Anna managed a grim smile. "Guess we're lucky, then… At least we like each other." She glanced quickly at Robin and amended, "We're friends—but that's…all…"

"I know. I get it," Robin said hurriedly. But Anna recognized her daughter's bafflement with the whole conversation. And why should Anna blame her?

Anna had had all night to think about it—to go over and review what Robert had been to her and what she had been to him. And what they weren't. Of course, Robin didn't understand the lines being drawn in the sand today. Anna was very sensitive about Robert right now; she could acknowledge that. Who could blame her after last night? But she had never taken stock of Robin's view of her relationship with Robert. Maybe she had done a disservice to them all.

He loves both of us!

Anna couldn't really deny that. Robert did love her. She loved Robert.

And Robin could see that. Robin had seen that, for years and years.

Maybe she and Robert should have distanced themselves from each other a little more throughout that time…maybe that had been a mistake. But ever since Robert returned to town after Holly's death, he had been a staple of their lives. Not just Robin's life either. It didn't matter that it threaded throughout her marriage to Duke and his relationships with Cheryl and Katherine.

She and Robert occasionally reminisced over the past, and she could admit to feeling a twinge when they talked about their long-lost love. And when they met eyes, she could see that he felt that too. It was gratifying, in a way…that they both had complete confidence in how much they had once loved each other, and that Robin was conceived of that love. And because of that, they built an incredible friendship that was more than anything she had ever built with another person in her life.

She knew that she had Robert's complete trust and that he had hers. Even when Casey was here, she had only kept the truth from him because she wanted to protect him and still, Robert came after her, ready to be the rock that he always was…

Robert never let her down, never wavered, never made her feel less than of the utmost importance to him, perhaps even at the expense of his girlfriends and her husband.

But this was the first time that she had ever considered the possibility that there was something wrong with that, and not just for the sake of Robert's oftentimes annoying overprotectiveness (her mind flitted briefly to his behavior after he found her when she was kidnapped by Grant Putnam…and flitted just as quickly away from it). She refocused on her daughter.

"It's just that…when you're talking about us being family…" Anna sighed, jittery as she said it aloud.

"Mom," Robin said. "I was talking like…Kate and Duke are family!"

"Oh," Anna said, mentally shaking her head at herself. She needed to calm down, for God's sakes! "You really are…very mature, aren't you?"

Robin grinned. "Come on, Mom, I'm twelve! I know about these things."

Anna laughed, a real smile blooming on her face. "Oh!" She sat back in her chair, feeling a little better. "You're a nice child. I do love you. Oh, you're a nice…young woman," she corrected as Robin smiled widely back at her. "Give me a hug!"

Robin leaned over and did just that. Maybe it wasn't a perfect arrangement, but Anna did get the feeling that Robin had a better understanding of the situation than she herself did. And perhaps that was a good thing.

If she could just act like it never happened, she and Robert could resume like normal and there would be no ifs, ands, or buts about it. That's how she would handle it.

She thought back to last night as Robin shouldered her backpack and got ready to go off to school. Robert had certainly looked like a man trying to put it all behind him when they had come out of Sean's hospital room and Katherine nearly walked right into them.

They had had one moment outside of Sean's room before Katherine appeared, when Anna had collapsed against the wall and instinctively reach out behind her for Robert, knowing that he would be there…and he was. And then he rambled on in astonishment as they walked until Kate called out his name.

It was a strange series of events and Anna could barely get her feet out from under her. Robert had been bothered by it, which was obvious to her, who knew him so well. But he had rallied with Kate's insertion into the situation, and had nearly been cruel in his haste to get away and reaffirm his love for his fiancé right in front of her. But Anna knew he was running, just the way she so dearly wished she could have run…

"Am I interrupting something?" Kate had asked, and if Anna had had the breath, she would have screamed "yes!" before Robert insisted that Kate had interrupted nothing.

In that moment, it hadn't mattered that Robert had been at Anna's beck-and-call for months, or that he had even been a constant and sometimes-unwanted presence when it came to his zeal over hers and Robin's protection, or that Kate had been completely sidelined in the process.

No, it hadn't mattered in that moment because Sean had cut them both wide open…and had left them to bleed all over the floor.

Neither of them were the type to run from their problems. But this felt somehow different. And they shared in that as Anna watched her ex-husband pull his fiancée into an embrace, and Robert looked over Kate's shoulder, watching Anna watching him. And he never stopped looking at her until the elevator doors closed and she felt that crippling finality.

What if…

What if…