Holly sees her as Robert pulls back from her quickly. Robert sees Holly staring behind him and he turns and sees her. Anna's face says it all in a very brief moment before her protective wall comes crashing down. Her face is now stoic and void of any emotion as she puts her hands in the pockets of her trench coat.
"Well what do we have here? Bringing in the second team Robert?" Looking at her watch. "Three hours. You do move quickly when you want to." She says with venom, not moving from her position at the door. Now looking at Holly. "And in Mac's club none the less. Interesting choice. I must say you two are brazen." She adds calmly.
"Anna, don't be ridiculous." Robert says trying to brush off her accusations.
"Ridiculous, me? Hmm, I'm not the one kissing my brother's girlfriend in his place of business, or my former spouse for that matter." She says with narrowed eyes.
"Anna what you saw was a comforting moment between friends that's all." Holly says. Robert blanches at her choice of words.
"Oh yes, I'm sure." She responds sarcastically. "Look, don't let me interrupt anything, I was just worried about MY husband, but I see he's in good hands, so I'll leave." She turns to leave. Robert goes to her as she moves to leave.
"Anna, wait please. What Holly is saying is the truth. This was just a long overdue discussion we were having and what you witnessed was nothing more than closure, that's all." He says grabbing her arm gently as she has her other on the door handle. She quickly pulls her arm from his grasp.
"Well then Robert, you must have a backlog of overdue discussions with your wives. I guess I'll have to wait, what, another five years for my turn again. Call me when my number comes up. I need to go home, my baby needs me." And she leaves. Robert just stares at the door. She knew that last comment would hit him hard and it did. He turns around to Holly, who is equally stunned by what just happened.
"I've got to go. I'm sorry for this Holly, tell Mac I'll call him." Robert says dejected. He opens the door and is gone as Holly displays a slight smirk.
Anna is beside herself as she gets in her car. The tears come and she curses herself for letting what she saw affect her like this. Damn it and damn him for doing this to her. After all his proclamations and heart-felt confessions, she walks in and sees something she never expected, but why now? He has never lied to her before, why is she allowing herself to doubt him now? Robert has always been honest with her and she knows his devotion and his love for her is deep and real. Robert can be many things, but a cheater has never been one of them. Betrayal is not part of his DNA and one thing she never had to worry about with him, is other women. With Duke, it was a different story. The Olivia affair rocked her to her core. She was humiliated and weakened by it and she never fully trusted him after that. She became another person because of that experience, a person she didn't ever think she would become.
She knows Robert is a completely different person, loyal to a fault. However, this is just not any woman, this is Holly, someone with whom he shared his life with for more years so far than they have been married. In South America and then in Aruba, his words and his actions came from his soul and she knows he meant every word of it. Why then is she doubting him now? She recalls the look on Holly's face as Robert was returning her kiss. It was not the face of woman who believed she was getting closure on a relationship. It was the look of a woman in love and that is what is most disturbing for her.
She looks up and sees him leave the club. He doesn't see her as he walks in the opposite direction. She watches him hail a cab, get in and drive away. She hopes he is headed home. She waits briefly and then drives off.
Donely Penthouse, Port Charles
"Hey old buddy, come in. That phone call has me really worried. What's going on? Is the family okay?" Sean asks as he lets Robert in.
"Slow down will you. Yes, they are fine. I just need a place to crash for a couple of hours; it's too late to get a hotel room that doesn't charge by the hour now, so here I am." Robert says sitting heavily on the couch. Sean chuckles at that last comment and sits on the other couch across from him.
"Can I fix you something? A drink?" Sean asks.
"No, no I'm fine." Robert responds laying his head back against the couch.
"Robert, what IS going on? Why can't you go home?"
"Look Sean, it's late, I'll tell you tomorrow, I just need some sleep for a couple of hours, ok?" Robert says.
Sensing now is really not the time, Sean responds, "Sure. Listen take the spare bedroom upstairs and I'll see you tomorrow."
"Thanks, I appreciate it." Robert says getting up and going up the stairs. Sean watches him go. "Fire and Ice, those two." He says with a smirk.
Outback, Port Charles
Mac comes into the room just as Robert is leaving. "I thought I heard voices in here. Was that Robert I just saw leaving? What was he doing here this late?" Mac says looking at Holly. "Yes, it was." She says turning away from him, so that he can't see her face. "He just came in here to get away from things at home apparently. I guess he and Anna are having some problems." She says. "Problems? What kind of problems could they possibly be having now?" He says in a shocked tone. "I don't know, he really didn't get into it. I'm really tired Mac, I'm going to bed?" Holly says dismissively. "Is something wrong?" He says looking at her, now noticing that she is a little upset. "No, nothing's wrong, it's just very late." She walks away from him. He doesn't understand, what was Robert doing here and why didn't he stay to talk to him and why is she so upset, again? She has been doing this more and more lately. These mood swings, the constant ups and downs, he never knows what to expect from her next and it always seems to happen after she has seen Robert, or more specifically, Robert and Anna together. Tonight is a prime example. They had a wonderful time in the city, seeing a play and dinner afterwards. He thinks maybe they should have stayed overnight and maybe the evening would have ended on a much better note. However, the minute they walked in the door here, she completely changed again. They have been inseparable for the last two months and to him its one of the best relationships he's had in a very longtime. However, if things don't change and soon maybe it's time to end this relationship, such as it is. In the beginning it was exciting and new and she really seemed to be into him, and maybe they were on a path to building a future together. But now, after four months that has all been replaced by rare moments of happiness and excitement. Maybe she was just using him as a substitute for Robert, he thinks, but is not sure. She never directly brings his name up, except in the beginning when she was pressuring him to make their relationship known to his family. He knows he has to find out where she thinks this relationship is going and if it's worth pursuing any kind of future together.
Donely Penthouse, Port Charles - Next Morning
"Robert, I'm not even going to attempt to understand what's going on inside that head of yours, but from what you have told us, I do have one question." Sean says.
"What is it?" Robert says with his elbows on his knees.
"What are your feelings toward Holly? I mean does Anna have the right to be worried or even slightly concerned here? And don't give me a knee-jerk defensive answer; think about it rationally for once and don't even think about BS'inging me ok." Sean says. Robert pauses and looks down. After a long moment he looks up and straight into Sean's eyes.
"No. It's over between me and Holly and has been for some time, probably longer than I care to admit. There are some lingering feelings there, I suppose there always will be, but that is just a fraction of what I feel for Anna." Robert says without hesitation. Sean smiles at him and nods his understanding but quickly his face changes to a frown.
"This other thing about Anna and Faison though Robert, is entirely your fault, you do realize that don't you? I mean you have to get past this, this emotional blockage you have because buddy she deserves better than this. She needs to know that you can deal with whatever happened for those two months. But more importantly, she needs to know that you do trust her Robert. Have you ever told her that?" Sean says looking at him.
"She knows I trust her Sean. If I didn't, I would not have married her again. Plus, it's not that simple Sean, it's not. Since we came back, I figured not mentioning Faison was the best way to get on with our lives and just be happy for once." Robert replies
"Yeah, but it's not the whole reason, probably not even half of it, if you were really being honest with yourself and that's the problem. She has to know you trust her Robert and I'm not entirely sure she does. Look you deal with it how you think best, but remember she is as stubborn and pigheaded as you are, so this could drag on for a long time and that's not going to be good for anyone, so just think about that. I have to go, but feel free to stay as long as you like." Sean says getting up from the couch.
He turns back to him. "Robert settle this today if you can. After everything you guys have been through to be together and for the sake of your family, don't let Faison or anyone else for that matter, tear that apart." Sean says.
"Robert, I agree with Sean. You can't let something like this, whatever it is, ruin your chance at happiness. You have a beautiful new baby, a daughter who worships you and a wife who is madly in love with you and you with her. This Faison thing is over, he's dead, he can never come between you again unless you let him. As far as the Holly thing is concerned, I don't know what's going on there, you say nothing and I believe you. Let me ask you one question though. Does Holly share the same opinion as you?" Tiffany asks with narrowed eyes.
"I told you both, there is nothing for Anna to ever worry about. We have had this discussion before. I can honestly say I don't know how Holly feels, I really don't, but it doesn't matter. Why can't anybody understand that? Look, I'm going to go and get a room at the PC Hotel, I need some time alone. Thank you both for last night." He says walking toward the door and leaving without even giving them a chance to respond.
"That went well, don't you think?" Tiffany asks sarcastically.
"Don't worry, he'll figure it out, I know him, he knows he's made some serious mistakes here. They'll be fine. They are two very proud and very stubborn people and it takes a lot to get past that armor. They've done it before, they will do it again. What concerns me more though is Holly. I'm convinced now more than ever based on what he told us about what happened last night and that other incident, she is after him." Sean says.
"So what do we do now? She's not talking Sean. I've tried numerous times and on numerous occasions. If I call her one more time to meet for lunch or run into her accidently she's going to think I'm stalking her."Tiffany says.
"Then we have to start baiting the hook." Sean says getting up to pace the room.
"What does that mean?" Tiffany asks. "It means we have to create situations that will draw her out making her either take action or reveal her emotional state of mind. Today, today would be perfect. Robert's is on his way to the hotel and I know Anna, she's probably already calling all over town looking for him. Once she finds out he's there, she's going to go and confront him. What we need is for Holly to be there, to see if she immediately tries pick up the pieces with Robert if it does not go well or witness a reconciliation that might force her to reveal her true feelings. Either way, it's the perfect setup. I am betting it will be the reconciliation that she will see and you need to be there to pick up her pieces" Sean says looking at her.
"I don't like this Sean. I don't want to manipulate our friends this way. There is a marriage at stake here. What if it does goes bad and Holly is there and Robert falls for it? I don't want that to happen Sean and I most certainly don't want to cause it." Tiffany says visibly upset.
"Honey, trust me it will turn out the way I said it will. Besides Robert is not going to jeopardize what he has with Anna regardless of what is going on now, that I will bet my life on."
Scorpio House, Port Charles
She hasn't slept all night and she sees it's now 7am. Looking at his bedside clock and his empty side of the bed she is wondering how she is going to explain to Robin where her father is if he doesn't come home again tonight. Where the hell is he? Why hasn't he even called? She quickly rolls over to his side and grabs the phone and begins to dial. She thinks she has an idea where he might have gone, she hopes.
"Hello"
"Hey, Tiff. I'm sorry to call this early, but.."
"Yes he was here last night Anna, so don't worry." Tiffany interrupts. Anna is more than relieved. She curses him for making her feel this way.
"Oh, Wait was? He left?"
"Yes, he kinda left in a huff about an hour ago saying he was going to the Port Charles Hotel" Tiffany says.
"Why did something happen?" Anna asks with concern.
"Yes, basically Sean set him straight on a few things and that really didn't sit well with him as you can well imagine. So off he went. It's so infuriating." Tiffany says exasperated.
"Yeah well tell me something I don't know." Anna says.
"I was talking about both of you. What's with you two anyway? Does it always have to be a competition as to who flinches first?" Tiffany asks with a little amusement in her voice.
"What? In this case it's most definitely he's fault and it will certainly not me who flinches first." Anna says with purpose.
"Fine, whatever. I'll never figure you two out, but I will say one thing, Anna he was very upset and very concerned about you." Tiffany says baiting the hook.
"He sure has a funny way of showing it though doesn't he?"
"Darlin, I've known Robert for longer than I care to admit and I have never seen him this frazzled and that's saying something. Don't give up on him Anna, he does love you." "I'll never give up on him, Tiff. Thanks for putting up with him last night, I owe you one." They say their good-byes and hang up.