I didn't have much time to write this week - sorry for the delay. This chapter is a bit of a pause. But things will now start to move really quickly. There will be some surprising plot developments soon, including a death. Thanks to everyone who's still reading for sticking with me. The pace will ramp up, I promise!

The next morning Anna and Robert stopped at Kelly's for a quick breakfast before she picked up the keys to her new apartment. Robert installed her at a table and announced, "I'll be right back—I'm off to shake the hand of an old friend."

"An old and dear friend of mine as well," Anna laughed, and then threatened, "Don't take too long or I'll order you something healthy." Robert disappeared to the bathroom at the back of the restaurant.

Anna studied the menu although she knew it by heart. Hidden in the corner and partially screened, she went unnoticed by Duke as he entered and walked up to the counter. Anna quickly observed him, however, and wondered what she should do: approach him? Make herself obvious? Hide and hope he left before Robert returned?

She decided she needed at least to attempt to resolve their uncomfortable estrangement. At very least she needed to warn him of the danger he was in, make him aware that Sonny had betrayed him to her. She walked up to the counter. "Duke?"

She thought she saw him flinch at the sound of her voice. He didn't turn around. "Anna," he answered, his back to her. "I wasn't expecting to run into you here."

Anna touched his shoulder. "Could we talk? Just for a few minutes." She lowered her voice. "Why didn't you meet me the other day? There's a great deal I want to say to you, to explain."

The woman working the counter came back smiling with a take-away container and a cup of coffee to go. "Here you are, Mr. Lavery. Just what you asked for."

Duke handed her a folded bill (a slip of paper carefully concealed inside). "Thank you, Deborah," he said in his most charming voice. "Keep the change. And have a very pleasant day." Deborah smiled back at him.

Duke turned to face Anna. "No explanations are necessary. A good friend explained the current situation to me—opened my eyes to certain goings-on of which I was unaware. Now I know that I was betrayed. And by someone I cared for and trusted very much."

Anna held Duke's gaze. "I could say exactly the same thing. So we betrayed each other. I'll acknowledge my guilt if you'll acknowledge yours—and if you'll open your eyes to a more dangerous betrayal. Sonny Corinthos sold you out, Duke. As it happens, I learned you were working for him on my own: I trailed you to his office the day you went to meet the shipment for the club. But I never would have suspected you if you hadn't been called away every time we were together, and I think Corinthos orchestrated your repeated abandonments to rouse my suspicions."

Duke scoffed. "Ridiculous. And how dare you follow me; how dare you not trust me."

Anna bit her bottom lip. "My trust in you obviously was and would have been misplaced. As is your trust in Sonny. He ensured that clear evidence of your presence at the warehouse on the night of the shooting was discovered by the PCPD. He wanted me to discover that you were working with him. And he wanted you to think that I slept with Robert to make you angry. He wanted us to split, likely to convince a certain someone in town that you and he are partners. Does any of this ring true, or at least seem possible?"

Duke said nothing. Anna sighed.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry, Duke. I didn't set out to hurt you. We decided to try again. But we aren't anymore what we once were. I still love you—dearly, deeply. I'm just not in love with you. I haven't been for a long time. And I suspect you haven't been in love with me either, just with the idea of me, of us. Things have changed. I know you feel it too. We can't go back."

At this moment Robert was about to emerge from the back hallway; he saw Anna and Duke together and froze. Neither noticed him. He decided to wait, let them have it out. Anna could tell him about it after, if she wanted.

Duke grimaced. Then he turned back to the counter, grabbed his containers, moved past Anna without another word, and left the restaurant. Anna stood and looked after him, wondering if anything she'd said had registered. Two minutes later Robert walked up to her. She was grateful he hadn't returned sooner but had to ask, "What took you so long?"

Robert apologized. "Sorry, Luv—obviously you're hungry; up at the counter ordering? As it happens, I actually did shake the hand of an old friend—Luke was lurking about in the back. Did you know he's invested in Kelly's? For reasons of nostalgia, as far as I can reckon—because Ruby owned it."

Anna frowned. "I wonder what Luke would think about the comparison established by your clever metaphor."

Robert smiled, took her arm, led her back to the table. "He'd be flattered, I'm sure. Now let's have breakfast. I'm starved."

By ten o'clock, they were at the Metro Court to pick up the few things Anna kept at her hotel suite and to hand in her key card. Just as they were arriving, a neatly-dressed middle-aged man in an expensive suit passed them in the lobby, throwing Anna an appreciative and not at all subtle glance. Robert noticed and felt his hackles rise. "Did that guy not see me walking next to you? What was up with that? He didn't even try to hide the fact that he was checking you out."

Anna gritted her teeth. "Be quiet, Robert. And don't give him too hard a time for looking at me. Because I was (I hope more surreptitiously) looking at him."

Robert froze, then snapped his head toward her. "What?"

Anna stared straight ahead and pulled on Robert's arm to keep him walking. "I'm pretty sure our friend back there is Giordano. I've only seen photographs, but I recognized him. Do you think he's staying at the Metro Court?"

Robert stopped her, swung her around to look him in the eye. "Staying here would require enormous balls. It would show he doesn't care that Corinthos knows he's in town."

Anna was thinking. "I can find out," she said. "Will you wait for me? There's someone I can ask—someone who likes to do me the odd favour. Let me see if he's here."

Robert curled his lip slightly. "Not sure I like the sound of that."

"Let me clarify: he likes to do me the odd professional favour. He thinks of himself as a mole, an informant. He hates Carly, hates Corinthos, but hides his antipathy very well to protect his job. He can access the hotel register, find out who is where in the hotel. I assume Giordano would be staying in the penthouse." She gave Robert her key card. "You go up to my room and wait for me. And while you're waiting," she smiled, "pack my clothes."

It was Anna's turn to disappear. Robert sighed, headed for the elevator. As he waited for it to arrive, he wondered about Anna's meeting with Duke, if he should ask her directly what happened. When the door opened, lost in thought, at first he didn't recognize the elevator's sole occupant. But she recognized him. "Robert Scorpio," she exclaimed, to all appearances delighted. "How nice to see you again. Tell me, have you discovered anything by looking at my bank account? Have you managed to locate my good-for-nothing ex-husband?"

Elizabeth Beaty radiated something; Robert could almost feel the heat scorching his skin. "Ms. Beaty," he forced a smile. "I'm surprised to see you here in Port Charles. Are you back in town for business?"

"Still in town, as a matter of fact," she corrected. "My short business trip has been extended indefinitely. My client has turned out to be more difficult than expected. I don't know when I'll be able to leave." She touched Robert's hand. "I would love to meet and hear more about your investigation. I didn't have the resources back in 1998 to trace the money Alan took. If you've discovered something, I'd be very grateful if you told me."

Robert didn't like telling her too much, but he had very little to reveal anyway. "You were kind enough to release your records to us; the least we can do is share the little information we've found. Could we meet tomorrow or Monday? I can fill you in on all the details then."

Elizabeth beamed. "It's a date. I'm free tomorrow afternoon—just phone me later with the time and location. And I look forward to it." She gave Robert's arm a squeeze and strode off toward the hotel exit. Robert looked after her long enough to miss his elevator. Pounding the button didn't call it back. He rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and leaned up against the wall.

Once in the hotel room, he fidgeted. He pulled all of Anna's clothes out of the closet, made an attempt at folding them. The concierge had left a few boxes outside the suite so that Anna could pack; Robert filled them. Then he moved to the dresser. He pulled out one of the drawers; it was filled with socks, tights, and even a pair of black stockings. No hearts, but black stockings. He made a mental note to ask her to wear them for him later. He dumped the contents of the drawer into one of the boxes without any attempt at organization or placement. Then he opened another drawer. Anna's lingerie. Robert lightly stroked one of her silk camisoles with his finger. He slowly sorted through the contents of this drawer, inspecting every piece in turn, trying to remember if he'd seen her wear it. He made more of an attempt to arrange these items in the box, to place them carefully. He opened the next drawer.

Here he found Anna's keepsakes, a small but obviously significant collection of memory objects. Robin must have given most of them to her; Anna had been taken from Port Charles with little more than the clothes on her back and her wedding and engagement rings. Robert noticed a shallow dish with jewelry; he saw here the bracelet Robin had worn the day she first discovered her mother was still alive (she'd told him the story of travelling to Pine Valley to meet the reporter writing a tribute to Anna, of deciding to wear Anna's bracelet without knowing why).

In the corner of the drawer Robert saw a stack of photographs. He guessed that these were the pictures Robin had given Anna to jog her memory. He'd never seen them. He rifled through, feeling guilty, hoping Anna didn't return to find him examining her very personal things. A photograph of Robin, Anna, and Filomena taken just after Robert learned of his daughter's existence. A photograph of Robin with her godfathers: Sean, Frisco, Buzz. Duke and Anna's wedding photograph. Robert thought how beautiful and how happy she looked. More photographs: Frisco and Felicia, Olin, Bobby and BJ, Monica, Sean and Tiffany. When Robert reached the end of the stack, he felt a twinge in his chest. No photograph of him. No photograph of them. Nothing.

He closed the drawer. And at that moment, he heard a light rap at the door. He moved to answer it.

It was Anna. "You'll never guess what I've learned, Robert," she spoke breathlessly. "Giordano is staying at the Metro Court, is in the penthouse suite. He travelled under and registered here using his real name. I think he wants Corinthos to know he's on his turf."

Robert shrugged. "We already knew this guy was tough. Just not how tough."

Anna sat down on the bed. "I was surprised to learn that Giordano is staying here. But I've learned something else that surprises me nearly as much. Did you know that the Metro Court has two penthouse suites?"

Robert shook his head. "I had no idea. Two sides of the hotel?"

"Exactly. One suite has a view of the harbour, the other has a view of the city skyline. Both are very nice, I'm told."

"Significance?"

Anna smiled. "When I asked who was staying in the penthouse, my informant asked me which suite, and since I didn't know, I just asked for both names. Giordano's in the suite facing the water. Guess who's in the suite facing inland?"

Robert kneeled down in front of her beside the bed. "I'm dying to find out."

Anna paused, then announced, "Elizabeth Beaty. She's been staying in the penthouse since she first arrived in town. What kind of business would keep her here this long? And what kind of company would put her up in a suite that costs over a thousand dollars a day? We knew she has money because she's so damned turned-out. But I didn't expect she'd be living quite this large. Who is this woman, Robert? Why is she still here?"

Robert took Anna's hands. "I don't know, but I'll try to find out. I'm meeting her tomorrow to discuss her bank account and the missing fifty grand."

Anna looked at Robert, smiled, and laughed. "What?" he asked. "What do you find so amusing?"

Anna blushed. "I just had a sudden vivid memory of you on your knees beside the bed in that horrible motel when we were traveling back to Port Charles from the Finger Lakes. Do you remember?"

Robert smiled back. "I remember. But right now all I'm going to ask you is please can we finish your packing and bring all this stuff to your new apartment? We're surrounded here by mobsters and—well, I'm not sure yet what Elizabeth Beaty is, but she makes me distinctly uncomfortable."

By evening Robert and Anna had coordinated the delivery of furniture from various stores, had sorted through donations of dishes, cutlery, pots and pans, towels given to Anna by Robin (so odd, Anna had remarked, to be receiving her daughter's discards; usually parents unloaded unwanted or no longer needed items on their children). They'd argued over the placement of the meagre contents of the apartment—the orientation of the sofa, the beds, the very few chairs. When they were finished, the apartment still looked empty and unfinished.

"Not quite to your style," Robert remarked. "It's a bit spare—every square inch of available space isn't filled. And there's not an antique in sight."

Anna flopped next to him on the couch. "I like it. It's clean, simple. I don't need a lot of stuff."

"I don't recall your decorating style being so compatible with mine when we moved into the Webber house."

Anna shrugged. "That was then. I'm a different person now. I'm not the same."

Robert felt the twinge in his chest again. He'd promised himself he wouldn't pry, but he had to ask. "Do you have many things? You know, from before? Or . . ."

"You looked through my drawers," Anna stated bluntly. "It's okay, Robert—I asked you to pack my stuff. It's okay that you found the photographs and the jewelry"

Robert swallowed. "Is that all you have? Robin's given me a few things. We could share."

Anna was quiet for a moment. "No, it's not all I have. I have other things. They just aren't kept in the same place. I sometimes look through the photographs you found in the drawer when I'm feeling down. They make me happy. I like remembering."

"And the other things?" Robert asked.

"I've put them somewhere I won't see them unless I make an effort, dig them out. I don't want to stumble upon them accidentally, if that makes sense. When I first recovered my memory, I found them too painful to look at. I've only pulled them out again once or twice. The last time I looked at them was when Emma was born."

They sat together in silence for a few moments. Anna cleared her throat. "It occurs to me that you might not feel the same way about them. Maybe you'd like to see the keepsakes I put away. They concern you as well." She got up, disappeared into her bedroom. In five minutes she came back with an unremarkable cardboard box. She put it on the coffee table in front of him.

"I don't really want to look. You'll notice that all the photographs I have of you are in here. When I recovered my memory and first remembered you dying in the explosion, I felt a lot of pain but also a lot of guilt. I felt responsible for your death, Robert. And I didn't handle that very well. Even when I found out you were alive, I felt responsible for the destruction of our family, for the loss of—everything . So the photographs stayed in the box." She sighed. "I'll go put the sheets on the bed in the guest room and find something to do in there. I'll leave you with the box for a bit." And she got up and left.

Once she was gone, Robert hesitantly opened the box and began to work through its contents. Robert found the letter he'd written to Robin when he left to find Anna after her disappearance. He didn't reread it, didn't need to, remembered everything he'd said. He found Anna's wedding rings there—the simple band from their first wedding, the engagement ring and band from their second wedding. He found the scarf she'd worn at their Italian wedding, the invitation from their second. He found the Valentine's day card Robin had sent Anna ordering her to "Dis[card] and kiss your hostilities away" when she and Robert had been fighting, each other and, more strongly, their feelings for each other. He found ticket stubs: from the caves they'd entered, posing as tourists, when they'd been trailing Helena Cassadine at Mount Rushmore; from the Port Charles zoo; from Robin's various dance recitals. The box contained a small hoard of items he hadn't known at the time that Anna had saved.

He also found photographs. Of him—including photos and newspapers articles documenting his appointment as police commissioner (while they'd been estranged). Of them—from their first reconciliation through to their re-marriage. Robert noticed how different they looked when they were finally back together, how joyful. And he found all the pictures of Robin before he'd known her. Photographs of her as a baby, mainly. Robert wondered why Anna found these particularly painful. She must have closely guarded them for a long time, intent on protecting Robin, preventing anyone from knowing she was Anna's daughter. But a few very intimate photos survived, of the time before Robin was completely conscious of her surroundings. Anna dressed in white holding her newborn and smiling for the camera, dark hair spilling over her shoulders. Then Robin as a toddler, Anna wearing her blonde wig, taking on the persona of Luv, the family friend, forcing more of a separation. The progression was heartbreaking.

Robert put everything back in the box, closed it. He sat for a moment and then rose, went to the guest room. He knocked gently, found Anna smoothing the sheets obsessively. He entered, sat down on the bed, pulled her down to sit next to him.

"You know, the memories there don't have to be painful. Why not merge the happy and the sad? And why not rethink the sad, see them in a new way? You, Robin, and I, we've all turned out okay."

Anna shook her head and forced a smile. "No. The best thing to do is to focus on the future. I don't want to be reminded of what I destroyed. And I don't need to be reminded. I think about it every day."