A/N: Okay, finally got this out. There are some hints in this chapter as to where some of this is going. See if you can spot them! Thanks to sammy11357 (I agree, best time period!), wicked jade (Faison will forever be the best GH villain to me too, I thought he was more frightening than Helena, especially the 1990 version of him), Bostie (thank you so much! The jail cell scene is sooooo creepy, but it definitely is memorable! There are a few characters that might have more of a presence in the story, and others that will have a presence in different ways from the original story – Kate, specifically haha), saint2sinner (glad you're enjoying reading about him!), 4gcrazyme (Anders Hove is amazing and yes, I've always thought this was when it was most appropriate for R/A to get back together, from a writing standpoint), Wanda Sawyer (thank you! I'm both shocked and pleased you've read my other stories, since this is my only GH one, but thanks, and I hope you enjoy the update!), Sassydew (thank you for your patience, we'll get there! Lol).
Chapter 17:
As it turned out, Faison had been all-too accurate about his "fans". The next day, they had descended on the Department with a fervor that had sent the whole place into crisis-mode. Robert commanded deep respect as the Commissioner, but even he was not above the ire he supposed his men were feeling at putting them under this mess.
"How bad is it?" he asked Sam when he had been in for an hour.
"Pretty bad," she said truthfully. "It's going to have to be addressed at the meeting now, because if we don't have a protocol, I think this is going to get all over the place—the media, especially."
"That's probably already unavoidable," Robert conceded glumly. He appraised her, curious. "How do you feel about all of this?"
"I'm sure you had your reasons," Sam responded loyally.
"Well, that's as lacking an endorsement as I've ever heard," Robert grumbled. "And if that's what you'll say to my face, I can't imagine what they're saying behind my back out there."
"You underestimate the respect that the Department has for you, sir. You haven't failed them yet, and they know that." She looked him dead in the eye and straightened the papers in her hand gently, it was almost a soothing motion.
"I appreciate your trying to make me feel better. I really do. But if this doesn't chill out in the next few days, I'm afraid that goodwill is gonna dry itself up." He stood. "Set up the meeting bullets. I've gotta meet with Frisco."
"Yes, sir."
Sam really was a good girl, Robert thought to himself, a good officer. He wanted to be worthy of the faith that she and the rest of them were putting on him. Facts being what they were, P.K. Sinclair being off the streets and out of this town were in the interest of public safety. There was no question of that.
But Robert also knew that the personal element of this case was his greatest priority, and that knowledge left him with deep guilt.
This was the bloody blackout all over again, except when the media crucified him for that mess, he hadn't known who he was dealing with or what was really going on. Anna had made sure of that.
"If only you hadn't come here," she'd told him tearfully. She had been wearing that dress, the one that Faison had gotten on her through threats disguised as dreams and promises. She had been alone.
That wasn't going to happen again.
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The beach at sunset was quiet, save for the sound of the insistent waves crashing over and over against the sand. It was a rare, settled moment for Anna—sitting out in a lounge chair, listening to nothing but that insistent pound as it kept coming and then drew back, pulling whatever it could into the sea.
Sean found her like that, as the remnants of the sun was left and the stars began poking out. He stood a pace behind where she sat, knowing that she heard him when her head tilted slightly towards his footsteps, kicking up more sand. He had been making phone calls for much of the afternoon—business.
"Where's Robin?" he asked her.
"Olin took her around those little seaside shops. She said they'd grab dinner while they were out."
"Why didn't you go?"
"I wasn't hungry."
"Ah…" Sean said softly. She hadn't turned to look at him, but he could still see the intensity that was as loud to him as the surf. He took a few more steps and then crouched next to her chair, level with her. "Perhaps something's eating at you?"
"Oh, Sean." She was annoyed already and he decided to just forge ahead.
"Oh, come on, Anna! You've been distracted for the last two days! Do you think that Robin hasn't noticed?"
"I think that I want my daughter safe!" Anna retorted, standing up from the chair and looking about ready to stomp off. He grabbed her arm to keep her from going. "And the more that I think about it, that more that I know that Robert cannot handle this!" She wrenched out of his grip and Sean let her.
"Faison, you mean…"
"You know what I mean!" she snapped.
"Listen to me, you're thinking about this too much."
"Sean." She glanced back out at the sea, at the bruised sky, before returning her bottomless eyes to his. "What else am I gonna think about? We're sitting here, on a beach, tanning ourselves and sipping mai-tai's while Robert is trying to pin him down alone. And he can't." She gestured between them furiously. "You and I both know this!"
Sean stared long at her, frowning deeply while she huffed her gaze back out toward the ocean. He waited for a moment longer, gearing up for this, because it seemed like a good enough time and he didn't know if he would get another chance.
"You are scared stiff. That Robert's doing this…" His eyes bored into the side of Anna's head, who refused to look at him, knowing she didn't want him to see whatever was written all over her face. She said nothing. No denial, no explanation, nothing. She hugged herself, warding off the chill that the burgeoning night brought, but still said nothing.
"Anna, tell me what's—"
"We kissed."
Sean snapped his mouth shut at that. And Anna looked at him, tears glittering in her eyes.
"When?" Sean asked, when Anna didn't offer any further information. If she was telling him at all, then he presumed that she wouldn't refuse to give him the details. Was it when Robert was dating Kate? Is that why they had broken up? It would explain some of the charged …energy, he was experiencing around Robert and Anna, at least partially explain it.
He was also fighting disbelief. Their tension had been around for so long, and neither of them seemed willing to throw themselves into to something with each other again… What the hell had precipitated this?
"When…" she folded her arms, looking up at the sky miserably. "I had gone on the island to confront Faison and Robert came looking for me… we went to the club to talk and—I don't know! We kissed! It was…"
"It was what?" Sean pressed.
"It wasn't planned or anything, we just… we started talking about the past and, ugh—it just happened." Her frustration was palpable, though Sean wasn't sure what was the root cause. Was it that they still had this tension at all? Was it because it was bubbling over now?
"Well …what, do you think it was a mistake?"
She looked at him sharply. "Yes! I mean… I don't feel it was a mistake, but it was." She paused. "Wasn't it?"
Sean heard that young girl in her voice and refused to give her the validation she was seeking. Again, his interference in Robert and Anna's relationship had never led to good things. "Why do you think that?" he asked curiously.
"Because!" she said. "Because Robert and I have always been a—we've—from the moment that we got together in Italy, in France, we knew that it wasn't right. And it cost us… so much…"
"Robin." Sean reminded her, though he didn't need to because he could see that that was along why Anna could not refer to herself and Robert as a 'mistake'.
"Yes," Anna said softly. "But I can't understand it. We were willing to lose everything but each other, Sean. Whether you had found out about us or not, that was the price, and now…" The ocean was growing dimmer in the lack of light, and so were her eyes. "If we go any further… we'll be back in that place, Sean. I know it. But we kissed anyway."
"What makes you think that any of this is supposed to make sense, Anna?" he said firmly. "It's love, it's not supposed to follow the rules. If there was anythingthat finding out about your marriage told me, it was that. And that was something I couldn't truly fathom… until I met Tiffany."
The both smiled at the thought of the blonde newswoman. Sean took a step toward her. "You were a child back then, Anna. You didn't really understand the consequences of what you were doing, even if you thought that you did… Now you know. What I can't quite wrap my mind around is how you really believe that understanding those consequences is going to change a damn thing."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying that if you're expecting to control this, you've got another thing coming. Take it from someone who knows," he shrugged ruefully. "And that's not to mention how you're discounting Robert."
Her mouth flew open indignantly. "How am I—"
"That man," Sean interrupted fiercely, "would walk through fire for you, a thousand times over. That's just a fact. And he always has, and you've never been able to do anything about it. How are you going to stop him?" Anna made a raw noise of exasperation and turned violently away, upset at the voice given to what she already knew in her bones. Sean waved his arms animatedly, refusing to let her back out of this. "Do you think you're just going to walk up to Robert and say, 'sorry, we need to cut this off,' and that he'll just agree and all of this will all suddenly end?!"
"There's Kate—"
"Yeah, but it's YOU!"
There was a long, long silence then. In the growing darkness, Sean could only just make out her face. Anna was pressing her lips together hard and he thought that she might have been about to cry.
"Then I wish I wasn't …me." She let out a chilled breath. "I wish that I hadn't …done what I did. I was fine living with it… but Robert? His only crime was loving me too much."
"Not 'was', Anna," Sean said softly. "Not 'was'…"
"Then help me stop him!" she said desperately. "He's your best friend!"
"And I'll honor that," Sean declared calmly. He shook his head. "Do you think he hasn't come to me already and said the same thing about you?"
"It's not my life on the line!"
"If Faison gets his hands on you, Anna, you won't have a life!"
"More of a life than Robert would have, dead—"
"STOP IT." Sean growled, his hands coming to her shoulders and shaking her. "Stop it!" She was crying, the tracks were on her face, and he was surprised when she didn't push him away from her. "You don't get to declare Robert dead, Anna!"
"And you don't get to condemn me!" she rejoined. Her eyes shined like a cat's in the early moonlight. "You underestimate me, Sean. And I never thought I'd say that of you…"
"I'm not underestimating you." He knew better than anyone, including Robert, what she was capable of doing. "I'm asking if the cost is worth it. You play one man—one powerful, twisted, evil man, while you and Robert do whatever dance you're doing… Do you really believe that nothing is going to come out the other end? Even the best jugglers can drop a plate when there are too many. And Robert… he's never seen you when you're doing that."
That was something she hadn't thought about. Sean could tell by the way her eyes lost that reflective light and she put a slight distance between them, her chin dropping slightly.
"You wait. Wait until he has the chance to finish this before you go where I see you already heading. Don't start digging that hole yet, Anna…" he warned.
He could almost hearher thinking over his words while the waves noisily curled back and forth. Then her chin lifted again, a slight but deliberate movement. "If we go back, and nothing's changed… you and Robert are gonna have to let me do this. Remember that, Sean."
"I know." At that point, he doubted that they would have a choice either way.
"I'll need your help. But I'll be running point, I'll be controlling the mission"
"You will be," he affirmed, silently cursing himself because in some way, he felt that he had failed Robert tonight. Choice or not, he felt suddenly too old for this.
In his mind's eye, Anna was there too: flawless, gorgeous, mercenary… a secret in the corner of her mouth that would drive men mad. What he had seen in her when they met, how useful, devastating, game-changing she would be…
She had been young, lonely, and hungry too, though… hadn't she. He felt sick quite suddenly. He hadn't seen those things at the time, not really…not except to train them out of her as weaknesses. When Robert saw her for the first time, he had been unable to speak, fallen prey to everything that Sean had honed in her. Sean had been smug and proud. There was no one Anna couldn't have conquered, and he had gloried in it. But Robert… it had been more than that, because he made her his wife, against all the reasons not to. Robert had seen and nurtured what Sean hadn't.
I'm so sorry to you both…
Anna laughed abruptly, before turning back towards the hotel. "Right, but you won't be the one I have to convince."
I'm so sorry.
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Robert sat with Felicia and Frisco, listening to the clanging of harbor bells.
"You know who might've done this to Colton?" Frisco asked, fiddling with the spoon in his coffee.
"Not at the moment, but it's Sam's case and I'll have to know something soon."
"The press is more interested in P.K. Sinclair than they are in Colton's stabbing," Felicia said mildly.
The mist from the water seemed denser to Robert as that subject reared up again. "Tell me about it. I've got the phone ringing off the hook by a whole lot of outraged fans that I've violated his privacy…" He shoved food in his mouth, hoping that they might move on. But Frisco stared.
"Good. Let's hope that'll help pin him!"
"That's why I took the risk."
They were wrapping up, Robert having to go back to the station and Frisco going to maintain Spoon Island surveillance, when Ruby stuck her head out the door. "Robert! Robert, telephone for you. On the uh—counter phone, here," she said as he followed her inside. "Not the payphone."
He thanked her and snatched it up. "Scorpio."
"Mr. Sinclair's not too happy about being in the spotlight, is he, Mr. Scorpio?"
Robert glanced reflexively around the diner before asking casually, "Who's this?"
"Someone who knows P.K. Sinclair is just a penname," the accented voice answered.
"What else do ya know?"
"I get protection," he insisted, sounding adamant to cover the apparent nervousness.
"That depends, what do I get?" Robert said, swallowing his food and new alertness springing into his tone.
"Information you need to put Sinclair away… Interested?"
Klaus Friedlander, former DVX, willing to talk. When his plan finally landed, Robert could hardly believe that it worked. He was willing to talk, while wearing a red carnation to identify him. Frisco had offered to go too, but Robert declined. He accepted Frisco's offer to watch the island instead. People who knew Faison personally and were willing to sing had an alarming tendency to drop dead.
Klaus Friedlander included.
Robert was jumping to conclusions. He could have spooked. For some reason, he wasn't there, and that was the point! It made sense to assume the worst though, given who they were dealing with.
"Damn it all," Robert muttered under his breath after the bar tender shrugged and walked away.
"Robert…"
"What—" Robert turned, surprised. "Sam. What are you doing here?"
"One of the guys said they saw you come in here?" she gestured outside.
"Yeah, so what's up?" He felt slightly caught-out, being at a bar in the middle of the day, and Sam looked awkward as she stared at him. He must have forgotten something.
"Well, you said you wanted to supervise the security at the fireworks display. Down at the docks, right?"
Robert shook his head in self-deprecation and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, that's right."
"Well …so what are you doing here?"
He had to admit that this didn't exactly look great, so he went for a vague version of the truth in response. "Welllll, I'm supposed to meet this guy here…" A flash of red caught his eye and he bent to the side, quickly retrieving it, his heart plummeting to the dirty floor along with it.
"Robert, what is going on?" Sam asked from behind him as he straightened. He could hear it in her voice, that she had caught on that something that was really police business was going on. She wanted him to level with her, too bad that he couldn't.
"What I'd like to know," he said more to himself, twirling the red carnation between his fingers.
He got rid of Sam, promising to show up at the display later. He had to handle this. Frisco reported that Faison hadn't left the island, nor anyone else who would be associated with him.
He had help, Robert had already basically known that. The question was, how much help? Who were the associates still allied with him? Any threat Faison posed to Anna and Robin would extend to a threat posed by these unnamed individuals. And time was running out for Robert to stop them, in fact, he felt like he had only widened the playing field.
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"Looks like half of Port Charles showed up!" Kate ventured as she led Shep towards where the fireworks could be best-seen. Decker was lurking right around the corner and Kate felt suddenly uncomfortable as she caught Shep adjust his hat self-consciously. "Look, you don't have to stay here, ya know…"
He lingered on Decker's casually slumped form before turning to her. "What's that?"
She took a breath for patience. "If you're not enjoying yourself, it's alright, I'm fine. Because I know that plenty of people here."
Shep looked startled, having finally grasped her words. "You want me to leave?"
"Well, it's up to you …I just think that a woman's date should pay a little bit more attention to her, that's all."
Shep scoffed. "Kate, I didn't realize I was your date!"
Kate gave him a sideways glance, suddenly disconcerted but recovering nicely. "Did you or did you not ask me here?"
Shep put up his hands. "I said 'escort'. But uh… I didn't say 'date'."
Kate blew off the blow. "Ooo… semantics, yes? Right."
"Kate, c'mon, I'd love to be your date! But that implies a more, shall we say, 'serious' intention?" He put his toothpick back in his mouth. "And we all know where yours lie…"
Robert. Again. Kate leaned away from him and pulled a hand through her long, blond hair. "Not necessarily."
Shep perked up at that. "Oh really?"
She rubbed a hand briefly on his arm, annoyed, but also …hopeful? "Look, it's beautiful here, and we're here now. Let's just …leave it at that."
Shep held up his hands once more. "Okay, okay…" He breathed an uplifted-sounding sigh. "That's good, really. Because between you and me …you're better off not being in the splash zone with what's coming down for the Commissioner."
"What do you mean?" Kate asked immediately, both concerned and confused. Shep read her face and shook his head.
"The whole 'P.K. Sinclair' reveal party that Robert threw for the press? Well, it's coming to bite him in a big way, that's all I mean."
"Didn't you break that story?" Kate asked blankly.
"Yeah, I did him a favor," Shep said, almost caustic at the reminder. "I helped him feed into that weird obsession he has…"
"Not that there wasn't anything in it for you…" Kate pointed out sarcastically.
"Not pretending there wasn't, Kate." He leaned in. "But it gave me a little insight, you see. When he came to me and pitched the idea? Pretty obvious this has something to do with his ex-wife. The guy asks her out and gets thrown in jail? Give me a break! He deserves to get raked over the coals for that crap, I think."
"I don't disagree that Robert shouldn't …abuse his position like that," Kate conceded. "If he's abusing it like that."
"What? And you don't think that's exactly what's going on here?"
Kate knew Robert well, maybe even better than she did when she was with him. It enabled her to see a few things more clearly.
"I think if that's what's going on …there's a bigger picture. In fact, I'm sure of it."
"It doesn't bother you…" Shep stared at her like he had never seen her before. "That Scorpio is doing this, even in some small way, because of jealousy over Anna Devane?"
Kate blinked. "You reporters love to twist words, don't you? I'm just saying that I think there's more that's going on here. That's it."
Shep stared a little longer, and then touched his toothpick briefly, like a salute. "Alright, Kate. I'll quote you on that one."
Kate nodded, wondering if she had missed something in their exchange. But from that point on, Shep seemed in better spirits and more focused, and she wasn't going to complain.
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Brenner handed Faison a small box. "Package arrived from the mainland."
Faison took it delicately. "Thank you."
Jacques got the feeling that Faison already knew what was inside, but he leapt forward anyway. "Let me open it!"
Faison held up a hand. "Oh no! I want the pleasure…" He pulled the tie string and slowly turned his head to look at the waiting Brenner. "You may leave…"
Brenner hesitated, and then did as ordered.
Jacques rubbed his hands together, eager. "Well, which adoring fan sent it?"
Faison smirked. "You are curious, are you?"
"Yes!" Jacques freely admitted.
Faison handed the box off to him. "How much do you think it weighs?"
"It's very light. I'd say …a few ounces?"
Faison took a slight drag from his cigarillo. "Two, perhaps."
"What is it?"
"All that's left of …my erstwhile friend, Klaus."
"What?"
Faison raised his eyebrows seriously, nodded. Jacques hadn't misheard. "Go ahead… take a look, Jacques."
Jacques slowly lifted the top, looking suddenly very unsure, before peeking within and shoving it back at his boss, looking horrified and nauseous. He took several deep breaths, slightly bent over.
"The eyes of dear Klaus …nicely preserved in formaldehyde." He looked up at his assistant, pinning him with a sober look, eyes unblinking. "Jacques …they saw too much."
Jacques still couldn't look at him …wondering at the ground.
"Of course, we won't tell Scorpio. He'll go on searching for Klaus, who no longer exists …and crime will go rampant in Port Charles…"
"You've thought of everything," Jacques whispered, amazed.
"Oh yes." The look he gave him was still wide-eyed, slightly maniacal. "Nothing's gonna stop me. Anna and I will be together, for the rest of our days. Here, right here where I saw Anna for the first time after thirteen long years." He gazed off to the side, the smile in his eyes bigger than the one on his thin lips. "My Davnee…"
A/N: When I was looking through scenes, can I just say I kind of laughed at an exchange between Frisco and Kate where Frisco says Robert's trying to take down Faison for Kate? Lol. Robert never says this at any point to Frisco, nor is that terribly believable, even in the actual storyline. But it did give me a good chuckle. And weirdly enough, I'm actually enjoying the Kate/Shep potential? Ah well… Anna is coming home soon, and she might have a plan.
