A/N: Hey, back again! Thank you SO much to mygh91 (Thank you! And it's on AO3 now, so you can check it out there as well!), 4gcrazyme (Three Musketeers are going to be at their best! And expect other characters to also be haha. Also, thank you so much for the well wishes!), Bostie (glad you liked the format! For some reason, it made sense for me to immediately write it that way and I hoped that it ended up working! And I really appreciate the concern and prayers, we are doing so much better now!), Gb67 (I love to hear that! Thank you so much!), wicked jade (no worries, I will never abandon this one! Sean is VERY important, and I'm excited for him to kick things in gear The Faison/Anna backstory is not exactly going to be the version that came to town with Holly in 91/92, but I will contain myself to that for now haha). Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 26:

Tiff was sitting on the couch, too tense, when Sean returned from Anna's place. "What happened?" she asked immediately, standing.

Sean pursed his lips, air harder to come by than usual. But he nodded at the floor and then shook his head as he spoke. "You were right. We were right."

Tiffany exhaled as Sean smashed a fist against his palm in frustration. "So stupid!" he cursed through a tight jaw. He swept out a hand. "There they were! Like two teenagers necking in the back of a car when a policeman shines a light inside. And Robert is the police!"

"I know," Tiffany said sympathetically, though she wasn't sure what Robert's occupation had to do with it. She edged closer to him, wanting to calm him down, but not chancing it yet. "What did they say?"

"Oh, well Robert was all 'deny, deny', but it was obvious what had been going on. And Anna…" Sean took a breath of forcible calm. "I think this could be the death of her even more than it could Robert. And yet, both of them are perfectly fine with risking everything!"

"Sean…" Tiff's hands finally landed gently on her husband's chest. "Look, can we not be so—so gloomy about this? What are you afraid of?"

Perhaps if he could say it out loud, it wouldn't be so daunting. Sean stared at her for a moment before humoring her. "I'm scared that Anna isn't going to be able to handle her own plan. I'm scared that Robert is going to go rogue. And all of this is only made more complicated by the fact that they're sleeping together again."

Tiffany nodded, but remained silent.

"Last time," he winced. "…when I say that Robert gave up everything for her back then, I really mean it." He chuckled, but it was harsh. "I wouldn't have even believed it of him. I even thought to myself that there had to be another reason, another motive…"

"And there wasn't…" Tiffany finished. "But Sean, my god, you have got to get yourself out of the past, okay?" She could already feel him rebelling against her words, but she continued faster and her fingers curled into his shirt, holding him there. "Think of what's different, not what's the same! They have Robin. They're older and wiser. They've made lives for themselves, Sean. They're not secret agents anymore, flying by the seat of their pants. And you have to see that!"

"Honey…" he paused for a moment, likely thinking of how to phrase it. "What Robert, Anna, and I used to do …it isn't a switch that you can flip on and off. Once your head goes to that place," he shook his head. "…you can lose yourself."

There were things about this man that Sean was never going to share with her, that much Tiffany knew. But Sean's behavior did scare her. She wasn't used to seeing him this way: lacking the cold confidence he always had when it came to an adversary. She didn't even want to know what this man had done to earn this kind of reaction; she was sure that she wouldn't sleep at night if she did know.

"So it's not just about Robert and Anna, is it?" she stepped back. "It's about you too."

"You aren't going to lose me," he vowed firmly. "I'm not on the frontlines here…"

Tiffany nodded, and didn't fully trust it. "How long, Sean? How long is this gonna go on for?"

"It's anyone's guess at this point." Sean rubbed his face. "Everything we've tried has failed. I don't know how quickly we'll find a way to get rid of him. But I will tell you that it needs to happen sooner, rather than later. Robert is being nailed to the wall right now."

"About that." Tiffany chewed on her lip. "You know that I've been holding off, Honey. And Shep has been a surprising ally lately, believe me. But I'm telling you, if this whole thing blows up any more than it already has, my options are going to be limited here. I'm gonna need to run a story on the situation with Robert."

"Run it," Sean said, flooring her completely.

"What?!"

He held up his hands. "Just hear me out. We discussed it over at Anna's and the plan that she has …there's no way to avoid it. And Robert has agreed, so don't worry on his account."

"I'm worried," Tiffany crossed her arms. "What exactly is this plan?"

"I can't go into details, okay? But it's mostly about getting Robert out from under this attack, and that's all I'm gonna say, because I do not want you involved in any of this!"

"Well, my dear, I think the whole town is going to be involved very shortly, given all of this publicity." Now, she shook her head. "How can this be the best way to handle everything?! I thought the whole point is to keep all of this as quiet as possible, and now you are telling me to have the station report on this supposed 'love triangle' and engage in all of this insanity—I mean, what—"

"Okay," he held up a finger. "I'm gonna give you a word, alright? Misdirection. Simple, but effective. You let the town think what they want, let Robert retreat, it only gives him more ability to operate."

Tiffany threw her hands in the air. "I just don't see how Robert can 'retreat' when he's the Police Commissioner!"

"Look, I've already told you too much." His hands gripped her shoulders and his eyes met hers firmly. "Just trust me, please."

Tiffany pulled away from him, pensive. "Unless …unless he's not Police Commissioner anymore."

Sean only stilled from a fragment of a second, but it was enough for his wife to catch. "Please tell me that's not—"

"It's a possibility. Now that's enough fishing, Honey, and I'm serious this time."

She opened her mouth to protest, and he was on her before she could release anything, half-frantic. "Any further and you risk compromising everything. Now, you do have a part to play here, but know more than that and it will affect how you approach things. I—we can't have that. There are lives at stake."

"Fine, Sean, I won't push," she relented in the face of his desperation. She forced herself not to consider what they were potentially going to do, though she was sure that her mind would go running with speculation from time to time. "But you don't like this. I can tell that you don't, and that scares me."

"I just feel so powerless!" he exclaimed, walking past her in a pace. "I know that they aren't shutting me out completely, but there is a …an element of that. And then what if this fails? I'm not trying to put them down, but their relationship jeopardizes this by its very nature. I'm the most even-headed and I'm sitting on the outskirts, wringing my hands!"

"Then get off the sidelines, Sean."

"But how…"

Tiffany shrugged, but it was by no means careless. "I know who I married. You'll think of something. If it feels like there are holes in this plan, whatever it is, then have a backup for your own peace of mind. Maybe you won't need it. Or maybe you'll come up with something brilliant…"

At first, there was no discernible change in his expression, then slowly, the hard lines of his face melted away and a tentative hope came into his eye. Tiffany smirked. He liked the idea, and all he had needed was for her to tell him that he could do it.

He caught her up in his arms, practically lifting her off her feet. "You're right, baby!" he growled into her ear. "This is what I need. This is what we all need. You're a genius!"

"Well, don't go stating the obvious. Now can we go to bed, finally? The sun is about to come up and I feel woefully unprepared for the day ahead."

"And I don't anymore," he said jubilantly. "But you bet your sweet ass we can go to bed!"

He chased her the whole way up the stairs, putting aside anything but the two of them.

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EIGHT HOURS LATER

Frisco stumbled out of the way of a few pushy reporters trotting after a car. He couldn't see who was in the driver's seat, but some of them set to follow whoever it was, jumping into their vans. Frisco shook his head on behalf of the poor person and quickly entered the building before he was recognized. He nearly ran into Sam and Guy, who were flocked by the door.

"Hey, what's going on?" he gestured out there to the madness. "Tell me something else didn't happen…?"

Guy grabbed his arm and pulled him away from the entrance. "Yeah, something did…"

He didn't speak again until they were in a conference room and the door was shut. "Anna was just here, and …well, she really set off a bomb."

"Chief Lewis…" Sam protested.

"What did Anna do?" Had Anna been the person in that car? And what could she have done to cause an uproar, she no longer was part of the Department...

Robin had spent the night at the Brownstone and everything seemed pretty fine, though Felicia had remarked that Anna needed a break, that had gotten lost in all the company and babies in the place. Robin had happily occupied herself with BJ and Lucas. Everyone went to bed exhausted. Now, Frisco was sure Felicia hadn't said enough.

"And where's Robert?" He paid no heed to the fact that the answers were slow-coming from them. "Does this have something to do with Robert?"

"Robert's late today, and this is about Anna and her little impromptu press conference!" Guy answered. It was rare that Frisco heard him so irritated, he was typically the yes-man. But Sam's gaze snapped to Guy.

"That's not fair, this is definitely about the Commissioner!"

"I don't know, Sam. I have to wonder why she couldn't just go directly to Robert, instead of making this a public display!"

"Because according to Anna, Robert wasn't—"

"Hey, hey!" Frisco called, getting between them. "Can we please back it up for those of us that missed the first few chapters?! What did Anna come here for and why is everyone freaking out about this?"

"Anna came in here this morning to…" Sam sighed like there was a physical effort to say the rest, "…to file a restraining order against the Commissioner."

Frisco shook his head. "No." He shook it firmly. "No, you have to have misunderstood her."

"We didn't. She spoke to both of us," Sam said.

"And then the press," Guy added. "She just walked out those front doors and answered questions. Said she was attempting to get a restraining order against the Police Commissioner of Port Charles!"

"C'mon, no!" Frisco snorted, but Guy had no time for his incredulity.

"I'm telling you that Anna didn't come here to actually get that restraining order, no …she came here to tell the press that she tried."

"She's upset."

"Whose side are you on?!" Guy asked Sam. "The Department had more than its share of problems before this morning, and now…"

"This isn't the Department's problem, it's Robert's!"

Frisco gazed at the floor for a moment, before striding toward the phone in the room and picking it up.

"Who're you calling?"

"Brownstone."

Robin couldn't hear about this on television, that was the only concrete thing that Frisco could focus on for right now.

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Bobbie habitually watched the news while she got ready for work. She walked from one end of the house to the other and back, gathering necessary items while tuning in whenever she passed. The kids, Robin included, were having breakfast when Anna's face flashed onto the screen. Bobbie nearly dropped her earring.

Robin did drop her toast. "Mom?"

"Yes, I was attempting to get a restraining order against my ex-husband, the Police Commissioner. Due to harassment."

Robin's mouth was hanging open. Bobbie's eyes roved for the remote control, to turn this off. BJ was holding up her spoon and saying something, but she didn't hear it.

"—this has been an incredibly difficult and sad time for—"

Robin didn't even protest when the picture blanked. Felicia raced down the stairs. "Robin!"

"I need to go home," Robin said. BJ was still babbling and Bobbie lifted her up into her arms. Felicia breathlessly came to her side. "Can you take me home?"

Bobbie put a hand on the girl's shoulder, trying to sooth her. She seemed to be in a dull shock and it concerned the nurse. It was obvious that her mother's appearance on television and what she had said completely blindsided her. "Sweetie, are you okay?"

"No."

Felicia met eyes with Bobbie over her head and Bobbie jerked her head toward the turned-off television apologetically. Felicia had rushed downstairs; she must have known what was about to appear. Though focused on Robin, Bobbie felt extremely shocked by what she had seen too.

She knew Robert and Anna, and she didn't recognize this at all as anything she could believe of their relationship. Kate had broken up with Robert. And now this? No matter what was going on, her heart was going out to Robert right now—one of her oldest and closest friends. Robin shifted under her hand to look at Felicia, who was now wordlessly horrified. "My dad—I've got to see my dad. Can you take me?" The girl stood up, ready to go.

"But don't you want to talk to your mom?" Felicia tried.

"NO."

Felicia exchanged a look with Bobbie, and Bobbie's prevailing thought was what could have possessed Anna to talk to the press about this? It wasn't any of her business, but she could see that this wasn't good for Robin. BJ was pressing her spoon towards Bobbie's mouth and she stepped back a pace to withdraw from this entirely. She prayed that whatever was going on, that Robert and Anna knew what they were doing. Felicia gave her a reassuring look as she passed by, which made Bobbie wonder if there was more to this than what it appeared.

But she knew, with those that worked for the WSB, there usually was a twist. And the twist was likely none of her business.

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They were tuning into the small television at Delafield's: Katherine, Angel, and Mary. Shep, who had stopped by only to flirt (or that's all he had done), was intent too, one of his feet planted up on the booth seat as they watched Anna get followed out to her car. Kate and Mary were so absorbed that they didn't even tell him to remove it.

"Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…" Mary murmured. She clicked off the tv in a daze. "I would have never believed it."

"Yeah, well neither do I," Shep said after a moment. He straightened and turned to Katherine. "Do you?!"

Angel was rubbing his hands together. "Robert was always overprotective. I would be the first to admit that it drove Duke nuts …but Anna? I never would have thought…" he shook his head. "I'm gonna head back to the kitchen, this whole thing is beginning to give me heartburn."

He left without another word, and Mary gestured helplessly before following. She must have known it would have done no good to go over what they all just saw, even had she been tempted. That left Shep and Katherine.

"You don't have anything to say?" He spread his hands, palms-up.

Kate could have said a lot of things. But anything she would have said would have been blurted out and fragmented. She continued to stare at the darkened screen, frowning. At her silence, Shep continued.

"You know, I have been fighting to ignore this since the beginning. Thought I was doing a courtesy to Mrs. Lavery and your ex! Not to mention the boss lady…"

"Tiffany." Kate tilted her head toward Shep thoughtfully, murmuring. "I'm guessing that she didn't want you to talk about—"

"Of course she didn't!" Shep swept a hand back toward the screen. "Well, I'll tell ya this, she's not gonna be able to get out of it now!"

Kate stared at him with slightly new eyes. "You sound almost frustrated…"

"I am frustrated, Katherine! Who wants to report on this junk when people are dying in the streets? Nothing changes, year after year. People obsess over this gossipy trash and the innocent take the hit time and time again… What was your friend Anna thinking?!"

Kate couldn't deny that he had a very good point. Being around him had only made her realize that what interested people was less and less worthy, from one year to the next. It really explained things like the phenomenon of rubber-necking: get a good look at the disaster before you move along. The only thing that Kate could be grateful for is that she appeared to have been given a reprieve from being further thrust into the story.

"…outing the Commissioner like that… it takes some guts and a good dose of hatred."

"Anna could never hate Robert," Kate said immediately. She was slowly moving her head back and forth in denial. "I don't know what this is …but it's not that."

Shep exhaled, but it was more incredulous laughter. "You know, I was telling him to cool it, the night you stuck us together. I guess he didn't listen at all and now the whole world is gunning for him…" He glanced down at Kate and whatever he saw made him stop a moment. "What are you thinking?"

Kate still shook her head rhythmically, standing. "The more I hear about this, the more I just don't believe it. And I don't know what to say besides that."

Shep started to follow her. "What do you—"

The phone rang and Kate snatched it up. "Delafield's, how may I help you? …Hi, Tiffany. Yes, he's actually right here. Hold on." She thrust the phone at him. "It's your boss."

"Give ya three guesses what this is about," he muttered as he received it.

Kate politely tried to ignore the call, but she was sure that Shep was correct and it was hard to resist listening in.

"Are you sure? You know that I …right. Okay. Look, I'll head over to the station now and we can work out the details and maybe you can explain to me what changed, or where it was that you lost your mind? Sure, I'll see you in an hour." He brushed against her as he reached across to return the phone. Completely unnecessary, as she could have done it for him.

"What was that about?" she dared ask.

Shep looked to her, like he was in the midst of solving a puzzle. "She …she wants me to report on it."

"Wants you to—"

"Yeah."

"Huh." Kate bit her lip. All she could think was that she had gone out of her way to warn Robert. And now, the very thing she warned him about was what was unfolding. Still, she knew these people, and none of this made any sense. She was more convinced of that than ever; but conveying that to Shep when she didn't have an alternative explanation prevented her from voicing it at all. "What are you going to do?"

Shep shrugged. "If Tiffany Hill is throwing in the towel about this, so am I."

Call it instinct or whatever, but Kate didn't believe for a minute that Tiff was throwing in any towels. Kate had tried to stay out of it, but there was something here that wasn't right, and she had to think on it more before she came to any conclusions.

"Just try to be nice," she said warningly.

He smirked at her and left without a promise.

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Robert's heart was in his throat as he caught sight of Felicia and Robin through the square windows of the cottage door. He had certainly hoped to get some time hiding away before he had to contend with anyone, including his daughter. But the set of Robin's young jaw was far too brittle to be natural on her face and he mustered up the courage for it.

"Hey…" he called cheerfully as Robin stomped past him and Felicia watched with a sorrowful look on her face.

"I'm sorry," she said in undertone. "She insisted on coming."

"It's fine," Robert answered, patting her shoulder. "Just …can you give Anna a call, let her know?"

If Felicia felt tempted to even question that, she gave no sign of it. She nodded and squeezed Robert's upper arm.

"Thanks for taking care of her last night."

"Anytime. For me and for Frisco." With one last sad smile, Felicia was gone. Robert turned on his heel with the enthusiasm of one in a lion's den (and the lions hadn't eaten in weeks). He could square off against anyone (he kept that mantra in his head for the times like this, when the mission was slowly reaching unbearable heights), but his preteen daughter was an unexplored territory and likely, treacherous.

The difference in Robin from the sweet, smiling six-year old to the burgeoning, frosty young woman of today bowled him over with such a suddenness that it hurt that much more sharply. He scrutinized the lines of her face, wondering when it had happened.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He blinked, and his daughter was shifting self-consciously, some of the hardness disappearing from her face to a more recognizable set. That broke his heart. "Daddy …what's going on?"

It was only a moment, but Robert instinctively and violently cursed Anna for leaving him with this. She said that she would be the one to speak to Robin! She knew what to say to her, and that burden, Anna had told him, would be hers alone.

How readily he would have agreed to that if he had understood what it would feel like to hear those words, desperate for reassurance, from Robin's mouth.

"What have you heard, Robin?" Robert started with the basics, refusing the emotion that wanted to creep in. His tone remained level. But Robin took a step back in disbelief.

"That's all you have to say to me?!" she demanded. "You want to know what I heard? On the news?! I heard Mom say that she was getting a restraining order against you!"

Robert held up a hand, hoping that it was steady too. "She can't do that, luv."

"What does that matter?" Robin cried. "I don't understand, Dad! I—you guys seemed fine, and now you're…"

"We're in a disagreement?" Robert grasped at the idea of stalling for the moment. He needed Felicia to get a call through to Anna and for Anna to arrive on her trusty, parenting steed to save the day. He needed time, and that was all.

Robin gaped at him, reeling. "This isn't a disagreement! Mom just told everyone that she basically hates you! And she—she didn't even tell me that she was going to blow up your life!"

"Robin."

"—she told me to trust her, and then she does this! How could she do this, Dad?!" Robin crossed her arms, the feeling clearing from her face into a cold, self-righteous anger that someone her age was apt to have. "I really hate Mom right now."

"Don't say that." Robert boomed harshly, fury and fear rising up like a tsunami. The look melted off the girl's face and her eyes widened up at her father. Robert took a breath, trying to get control of himself without giving anything away.

"Sweetie, why don't you take off your coat and have a seat here for a minute? Do you want something to drink?"

"I don't want a drink." Robert was already headed for the refrigerator. Stall.

"Dad. I don't want a drink."

"Might make you feel better."

"What will make me feel better is understanding what's happening in my own home! Why are you defending her? She betrayed you, Dad!"

His lips pressed together as he opened a soda for her. He wouldn't respond. That was all the help there was for it. When he returned to the couch, Robin was staring listlessly at the coffee table.

"This is why you didn't go to work."

Robert laughed gruffly. "That's a small part of it."

"Are you gonna lose your job?" He jerked toward her and Robin's face was white with fear, for him. "Dad, I don't get it. How could she do this?"

"I think you ought to ask your mother that," Robert said gently.

"No!" Robin was on her feet. "I can't see her right now. Why don't you explain it to me, Dad? I don't get it. You're not even mad right now—how?! I know you aren't telling me something! I've known since—since you and Kate broke up and Mr. Sinclair started coming around! I'm not a baby anymore, you know!"

Her pleading voice was cracking his resolve as he watched her pace a few steps, back and forth, hands expressive. He knew that she was correct about this; she had been sensing something for a while. They were wrong to wait on this, he thought. They were blind to how quickly their daughter was growing up and how close she had gotten.

No—he knew Anna realized that Robin was aware. "She's very sharp." She had said that only weeks ago. He prayed that Anna would get here soon. But when she did, he needed to make sure that Robin was prepared to listen.

"Your mother and I know you're growing up," he said simply. He took one of those little hands and tugged her back to the couch. "Just as you know that sometimes there are things we cannot tell you."

Robin's dark eyes were not trusting. "Please don't use that excuse on me, not about this. This isn't a mission. This is my parents, fighting for the whole world to see. Mom—she told me to trust her, Dad! And I did, and now look!"

"My darling," Robert's other hand came to clasp hers so she would pay careful attention. "I'm not making excuses, alright? And you are growing up. But that still doesn't mean that you know everything that goes on between your mother and I." Robin heaved a sigh and Robert leaned in persistently. "That is a burden to carry that isn't yours. But I promise you that no matter what is going on, that everything will turn out right in the end. Do you trust me?"

He could see now that she didn't fully. Those eyes were glittering without the same openness and security that they held the first few years she had come into his life. It was a hard day, on many levels. But this was the worst of it.

"I want to," she said softly, honestly. "But I don't know how I can do that without the whole truth."

Now Robert stood, feeling Robin's eyes on his back so she wouldn't read the pain there. "I never wanted this for you," he said. "Robin, if I had known that there would have been you from the very beginning, then I wouldn't have made the mistakes I have."

"Don't say it's your mistake," she said. Her throat sounded clogged. "I know you don't like Mr. Sinclair, but that doesn't mean that Mom had to go and do this."

"You don't know what she's done quite yet, sweetheart." He turned back to her, more composed. "And once she gets here, she will be able to make you understand."

"I'm not ready to talk to her yet." He could tell the moment when it finally dawned on her that Anna was likely on her way. Her mouth dropped. "Dad, you can't be serious!"

"I'm deadly serious." He shook his head. "Believe it or not, your mother and I were just talking about this very subject. And so you are gonna sit here and hear her out before you jump all over this, young lady."

That was enough to kick his daughter's brain into high gear. She was staring at the carpet like she could sift through the fibers and come up with something. He was strongly reminded of Anna in that moment, and he felt a rush of love for the both of them. His girls, through thick and thin. "That's why you're not mad…" she said slowly. "You knew what Mom was gonna do, didn't you?"

"Just wait. And listen, luv." Impulsively, he looked at her worried eyes and he wrapped her up in his arms, kissing her head. He told her a different kind of truth.

"There's no one I'd rather wait here with than you. And I'm so glad you came to see me today."

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Anna should have known that she wouldn't be able to juggle the fallout of this morning, and she really had no one to blame but herself. She knew she was going to have to face Faison as soon as possible, but when Felicia rang, Anna could do nothing but drop everything and make her way to Katherine's cottage while dodging reporters and ensuring she wasn't tailed.

Olin was worrying a dish towel when she left. "Don't worry, man! Those reporters will think you're here and will never know the difference!"

She had very briefly explained to the woman that this was a calculated farce. Olin had been a trusted friend for years, and she couldn't bear to let her think otherwise. And above all, she was already skilled about keeping secrets and not asking too many questions.

It was pure luck that no one was camped out at the cottage yet. The press had apparently taken their chances with only her house and the Police Department, but Anna knew that wouldn't last. She tapped on the glass of the door and Robert stood up from the couch quickly to let her in. Anna could only presume that Robin was sitting there with him.

Oh Robin …Anna forced herself to push back the aching tears of regret. Robin was deeply upset and confused and Anna couldn't blame her. But if her heart felt so heavy at this betrayal, she couldn't imagine the devastation of Robin knowing she was a double agent. It would destroy them both. But there was no sense in going back over her mistakes, because right now she needed to make her child feel safe.

Robert stood back to let her come through the door and Anna immediately felt all the space between them hum, tense. She closed her eyes for a second and Robert closed the door, his other arm brushing against her waist. She created more space between them awkwardly. "I got here as soon as I could."

"Thank you for that," was all he said. She refrained from reiterating the apology because she knew it would only make him angry, but seeing him after her statement at the police station was strange, especially with an audience. Pretending to hate him was like wearing clothes that didn't fit. Looking towards the floor, she saw his fingers twitch toward her.

The couch shifted in front of them and Robin peered over the top, on her knees. Anna noted that her daughter wouldn't meet her eyes. "Dad said we had to talk."

"Yes, we do…" Anna moved away from the door, around to their daughter. Robin shuffled slightly away as she sat next to her, but Anna deftly ignored that. Robert trailed after her to face them both and watched as Anna looked intently in their daughter's eyes. "Before all of that, I want to apologize to you. I shouldn't have let you find out any of this on the television. That was my fault, you understand? And I'm very sorry about it."

Something in Robin relaxed when Anna said that. She didn't fight or move away when her mother took her hands. "Why did you let that happen?" Robin asked. "And why—"

Anna immediately drew nearer to her, like she was capturing her attention through proximity. Robert could see that it had the intended effect; Robin traced her mother's movement and their eyes met. "Okay," Anna breathed. "You're gonna have to be very grown up about this, because I'm going to tell you a very big secret."

Robin nodded solemnly. "Okay, I won't tell anybody."

"It's more than that. You can't tell anyone," Anna told her plainly. She took another breath. "And you also can't ask me any questions."

It was a big ask. Robin didn't answer immediately, so Anna pressed. "You understand that?"

"Yeah." She suddenly looked nervous. Robert could see that their daughter was managing to see how big this was. "Don't worry, it's not like when I was little," she added for levity.

Anna smiled and Robert felt his own face do the same.

"Boy …this sounds really serious."

Anna shrugged one, tense shoulder. "Yeah it is." She looked down and swiped her thumb against Robin's hand soothingly. "Um, you see…" Her eyes fell back on Robin's. "Contrary to what you believe …Mr. Sinclair isn't a very nice man. He's not a very nice man at all."

Robert felt an enormous weight lift off of him as Robin watched her mother carefully, but did not argue in the least.

"But we can't allow anyone else to know that."

Robin glanced at her father for the first time since Anna sat on the couch with her and then back at her mother. "But why?" she couldn't help but ask.

Anna grimaced. "Don't ask me any questions."

Robin smiled self-deprecatingly. "Right."

Though Robert had never felt more desperately serious in his life, he couldn't believe that this was working. Minutes before, Robin had been demanding answers. He hadn't given her enough credit, it seemed. She read the look on her mother's face and she had understood it better than most grown adults. She had put her desires aside because this was not about satisfying personal curiosity. A swell of pride at what his child was becoming had him crossing his arms to brace, not wanting to interrupt the moment with anything that might disturb this interaction. This was their girl.

Anna looked up at Robert briefly. "Now your father and I, we knew Mr. Sinclair a long time ago. And we want him out of our lives forever. And to do that, we had to come up with a plan… Now, I can't go into any details about the plan, but you are involved."

"What do I have to do?" There was a childlike eagerness in the girl's voice that she probably didn't even know was present. Anna cleared her throat.

"I'm gonna be pretending …well, I'm gonna be pretending a lot of things. But the first thing I'm gonna pretend is that your father and I, that we're fighting."

"But…" Robin's mouth fell open, but she caught herself before any question could leave her mouth. She turned again toward Robert, who nodded resolutely. They were together on this. "Sorry. I mean, I understand. Mr. Sinclair is jealous, isn't he?"

Anna smiled tightly at her, but she didn't respond. Robert bit his lip; the child was almost too astute. Anna decided to plough ahead.

"What you have to do is pretend that it's true." She pointed between herself and Robert. "You have to make people believe that we're fighting and you're unhappy about it. You have to pretend that to Mr. Sinclair and to everyone else."

"I can do that," Robin said. "I can. I mean, I am your daughter, aren't I?"

Robert watched Anna fight the shamed, defeated expression that threatened to take over her face and he knew what she was thinking. Anna stroked the girl's cheek and Robert stepped towards them, the encroachment distracting Robin.

"You are," Robert reassured her, speaking for the first time. "So we don't want you to worry about any of this, okay? We know what we're doing, and if we have your help, everything will work perfectly."

Robin nodded, looking hopeful at first, and then momentarily chagrined. "I'm sorry about Mr. Sinclair, Dad. Mom." It was likely that she was recalling her moments of hero-worship towards the man. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Anna smirked a little. "What did I say?"

"No questions," Robin answered softly. "Okay. But this is exciting," she confessed with a growing smile. "Maybe I'll write a book about it someday."

Dread pooled in Robert's stomach and he was sure, in Anna's. "Maybe you'll find a more interesting subject to write about," Anna told her. Neither of them wanted Robin to think that this would be easy, but it was a damn sight easier than what would happen if Faison got what he wanted. "I—I don't think that this is going to be very exciting. I hope that this goes very smoothly and …he leaves us alone. Forever."

Robin's smile turned rueful. "And then, we're gonna be a normal family, right?"

That seemed to surprise Anna. She had been fairly vulnerable up until this moment, but perhaps this was a bridge too far. Perhaps, she didn't know what the truth was in this moment. But Robert did. He dropped his hand to Robin's dark hair and stroked her braided locks.

"And then, we'll be a normal family," he promised her.

A/N: As you probably noticed, the Robin and Anna scene will be familiar, with some small tweaks. As for the plan...some characters are in on it, some characters are halfway in on it. Who's next? Haha, let me know what you think! Faison will be weighing in soon. ;)