Manhattan, New York City
"No. Find someone else to act as your shield," said Frisco.
"A shield, yes, but not anyone I could trust," said Connie. "Give it a few days. Think about it."
"I don't have to think about it. I'm tired. I'm burnt out," said Frisco. "Felicia wants to go home and so do I. I'll wrap up Tim's case in the next two weeks then I'm walking out that door."
"And do what? Become a small town cop again?" asked Connie. "After everything you've done in the field, you're willing to settle for that?"
"Robert did," said Frisco. "Or start up a private investigations firm with Felicia. Or buy a bar and grill. I'll save a lot on the floor show."
"You're really set on this."
"Yup."
"Robert knows your mind?"
"Yes. He tried to talk me out of it, too."
"Well, if he couldn't change your mind, I doubt I could. You're a loss for us, Frisco, in a lot of ways," said Connie.
"I have some ideas for my direct field reports. I think Owens is due a promotion to my job."
Connie groaned. "He's rougher around the edges than you were when you started."
"But his instincts are good. Ethics are flexible to the situation but his loyalty is unquestionable. And, he cares, Connie, not just about the Bureau but about people. You can't learn or teach that," said Frisco. "He may need a push now and then but he's a good man to have on your side when the going gets tough. He doesn't fold easy and I've tried to make him give up a few times."
"Dean Owens? All right. I'll recall him to HQ and see how he handles things on my watch," said Connie.
Frisco munched on the last bit of his sandwich. "If that's all, I need some shut eye. I want to examine Tim's office and systems tomorrow. Go over logs and stuff."
"That sounds like a plan. I am going to do something I'm not going to be proud of," said Connie.
"What's that?"
"I'm going to deep six Ross," said Connie. "Since you're on your last weeks, Agent Jones, it won't matter if you raise holy hell at HQ."
"Is that an order?"
"I want you to stymie Ross wherever you can. Keep his attention on you and off me."
"What are you going to do exactly?"
"Something I should have done a long time ago - play hard ball dirty politics," said Connie. "I want Ross out, all the way out, of the Bureau. The only way to do that is to find something to hang him with."
"He's been a company man for forever."
"And he's trusted because of that. Unlike some of us, he rarely or never cuts corners in the field. Never puts the personal ahead of the professional."
"So, how are you going to find any dirt on him?"
"No one who's lasted this long in this business is innocent. I've looked for things on him before."
"And?"
"Didn't find a thing," admitted Connie. "But I may have been looking in the wrong places."
"Meaning?" asked Frisco.
"Better to keep this close to my vest. For now at least," said Connie. "Your assignment is to raise his blood pressure."
"I do that just by being in the office," said Frisco.
"I'm going to add to your repertoire," said Connie. "One thing that hits a nerve with him is Guardian. Or, rather his lack of access to it beyond what the normal internal user has permission to do. I was reading through the report that Robert handed in to the executive panel. I'd completely forgotten the built-in audit functionality."
"I'm horrible at administration."
"But you are superb at ferretting out the inconsistent, the bizarre, the things that don't fit," said Connie. "I'll have Guardian give you Auditor privileges tomorrow. Then I want you to start hunting around."
"What about Tim's case?"
"Tim was the last Auditor. If he found something, maybe you can, too."
"You are slick, boss."
"I did a cursory audit check the days after Tim disappeared. There were a lot of anomalies but I'm not up on the technical side enough to make sense of them. That's one of the things I want you to look into," said Connie. "On Tim's last day, I got a call from him warning me that Ross was back from vacation. Ross headed straight for the office instead of home and it was after five."
"He's a workaholic."
"Technically, he was still on vacation time though. It was a medically prescribed vacation. He shouldn't have shown up at work. He knew that but he did,' said Connie. "That day or the day after, Robert said the Guardian was acting strange and then we had the shutdown emergency and the data loss event. Joey Morton disappeared and who knows what else happened."
"They could all be connected you think?"
"It's a possibility to investigate."
"I can't push the Gem stuff to the side."
"For a day or two you can while we wait for results from Scorpio's team analysis," said Connie. "Leave Chase and his Gemini Group to me, Frisco. I don't want you to waste your last weeks on them. In fact, don't even think about them. Concentrate on finding out what Tim was working on in his last few days and making Ross' life miserable for a few weeks."
Airborne to Tokyo
Alex and Andrew exited the bedroom just as a burst of laughter erupted in the seats where Anna, Robin and Robert were gathered. Alex and Andrew went over to the happy group.
"What's so funny?" asked Alex.
"Diapers and Robert," said Anna as if the three words explained everything.
Alex patted Robert's shoulder. "The once and future brother-in-law has gotten better with the folding."
"Thank you, Alex," said Robert smugly.
"They're only a little crooked now," added Alex.
"I get no respect. None," said Robert.
"The disposable variety is more accurate and convenient," said Andrew.
"Screw the convenience. Cloth diapers are better for babies," said Robert.
"You would have a change in attitude if you were the one having to do the laundry," Anna said.
"Research shows that cloth diapers lead to lowered incidences of diaper rash, Mom," pointed out Robin. "And, they're better for the environment."
Robert held his arms out and said, "Come to me my child. THIS one is mine, for sure."
Anna playfully grabbed at Andrew. "Fine. I'll take this one. One each."
They all had another good laugh.
Andrew cleared his throat and held a hand out to Robin. "I don't believe we've been f-f-formally introduced. Hi, I'm your brother seems so in-in-inadequate. I'm Andrew."
Robin shook his hand. They both had a firm grip. She looked him up and down and up again. "You got the tall genes."
"You got the field general g-genes," replied Andrew.
"What?" asked Robin perplexed.
"Sorry. Inside joke," said Andrew. "I couldn't have done what you did. The p-p-planning, the escape, being on the run."
"I couldn't have taken those men on the way you did. That was amazing," said Robin. "What would be more amazing is … is if I knew where you came from? When? How? Why didn't anyone ever tell me? I have so many questions that I don't know where to start."
Anna looked at Robert then at Robin. "We have been going non-stop haven't we?" She squeezed her son's shoulder and said. "You ready? Feeling all right?"
Andrew nodded. "No time like the present. We're splitting off again as soon as we land."
"Let's go into the bedroom, shall we? Time for some private family time," said Robert.
"I want to know EVERYTHING," said Robin.
"Then that's what you'll get," replied Robert ushering in Anna, Robin and Andrew into the bedroom. "One thing to remember. We're a family coming in and a family coming out. That's not changing for any reason."
They made themselves comfortable around the room. Anna and Robin sat close on the bed with their backs against the headboard. Robert and Andrew on the chairs.
"Let me start at the beginning," began Robert. "Andrew here was going to be your surprise, sweetheart. Do you remember when we were at breakfast and we were talking about plans for Christmas. You thought that me and mum were keeping a secret from you."
"You were. I caught you out," said Robin. "I tried for days to get more out of you and Mom but nothing. It was so frustrating."
"At the time that Anna was kidnapped, she was nearly four months pregnant," said Robert. "That was the surprise."
Robin turned and looked at her mother. "Why didn't you tell me?"
Anna stroked Robin's hair. It was nearly an unconscious gesture. "We wanted to very badly but with my history, I could have miscarried at any time. I wanted to be sure that I could carry to term before we told you. I remember how sad you were when I lost Duke's baby. I wanted to spare you all that pain and anger again."
"But obviously you were able to have the … have Andy," said Robin.
Andrew corrected automatically, "Andrew. Please."
"Okay. Andrew it is," said Robin. "Mom, how could you not have told me about baby brother when I saw you in Pine Valley?" She glanced at Andrew. "He's too tall to ignore."
"I didn't know about him then," Anna blurted out.
"What?" exclaimed Robin. "Wait a minute. Did Dad raise him? Is that why he never came back? And …. and what did happen to you, Dad? How did you get engaged? Why does Andrew have a different accent? Papa isn't who I'm thinking it is right? We are NOT leaving this room until I get some answers. No more secrets, please!"
"She's half yours," said Robert. "Definitely. Picks up on the details like a … a vacuum cleaner on lint."
"Yeah, I know," said Anna. "It's good to have them here together."
Robert grinned. "Feels oh so right."
"It's only taken years, numerous ruses and dastardly villains to get us to this stage," said Andrew dryly. "Do we always have to do things the hard way?"
"It's not the destination but the journey that counts," said Robert.
Anna rapped on the nightstand. "Knock on wood that things keep turning up all right."
"Enough chit chat! Facts please," said Robin.
"Forceful," observed Andrew.
"You have no idea," said Robert.
"And persistent," said Andrew.
"Worse than Robert at times," said Anna.
"That's my little girl," said Robert proudly. "And I don't need a DNA test to prove it."
"It's going to be horrible watching movies together. I can already tell," said Robin. She pointed at Andrew. "The peanut gallery that comments at the worst of times." She pointed at her parents. "The bickering married couple who always blocks the view at critical moments."
"Ouch!" said Andrew. "She gives as good as she gets and spares no one."
"Just you wait until she wants something from you," warned Anna. "She will have you pulling your hair out by the roots and screaming at the top of your lungs."
"You're exaggerating," said Robert.
"And your father always takes her side," said Anna.
"You take his!" protested Robert. "Whatever he wants, he gets. He's spoiled rotten!"
"Am not!" retorted Andrew.
"Maybe Mom is overcompensating for-" began Robin.
"Am not!" cried out Anna. She looked hard at Robert. Annoyance was plain on her face. "Whatever he get, he earns, Robert. I can't believe you'd think I'd spoil him. You, on the other hand-"
"Me?" Robert shrugged his shoulder and cleared his throat loudly. "I thought we were here to answer Robin's questions."
"Changing the subject because you hate it when you get called out on something inescapably true," said Anna. "Typical."
"I have a policy of not commenting on slander," said Robert. "Where were we again?"
"Mom was three months pregnant when she was kidnapped. Next?" asked Robin.
"Thank you, sweetheart," said Robert smiling at Robin.
Robin smiled back and laid back on a pillow. "You're welcome, Dad."
Anna looked at Andrew and mouthed the words "See what I mean?"
"You're not alone any longer, Mum," said Andrew.
Anna got off the bed as if electricity was arching through her body. She gave Andrew a quick hug. "I love you!" She got back on the bed beside Robin and said matter-of-factly, "Momentary maternal indulgence. Continue, Robert."
"If we're all settled, I shall continue," said Robert. "The only ones who knew Anna was pregnant was the two of us. I never doubted that Anna was using everything she knew to keep her and our baby, here, safe. If that meant that she didn't try to escape too hard or that she was cooperating to an extent with her kidnapper, well, I knew the reason and that was enough."
"I tried to hide my condition from Faison for a while but morning sickness is inevitable. I was going to start showing at any time, too," added Anna. "We were going to tell you once your father had returned from New York and Mac's birthday party. You would not have missed the baby bump by then."
"Oh, Mom, it must have been horrible for you alone and with HIM," said Robin.
"It was at first then it became bearable. Faison took very good care of me and-"
Robin visibly shuddered at hearing the name.
"I"m sorry, Robin. You wanted answers and some of them are … are going to be unpleasant to hear and harder to understand," said Anna.
Robin set her chin on the pillow. "Go on, Mom. I did ask and I do want to know."
"He took care of me. He made sure I got my check ups, my medicines. It was hard yet there were times I treasure, too," said Anna. She looked at Andrew. "When I first saw Andrew on an ultrasound monitor. Or bought his first things - a rattle, a blanket, his first baseball cap. It was too big for him but I hoped he'd grow into them. And, I will always remember the times I would order and eat pizza."
Robert and Andrew laughed loudly.
Anna looked at Robin. "You see I had the strangest cravings. I wanted a pizza with the oddest ingredients like lots of anchovies with ham and pineapple and lots of cheese. Faison could not stand the smell. It would … would waft all over the inside of the yacht." She looked slyly at Robert. "If he saw me begin to open the pizza box, he would bolt out of my … the salon and flee for the deck and fresh air in calm seas or not. He couldn't get away from me fast enough."
Robert grinned back at Anna. "Ah, yes, the health benefits of pizza are well known in this family. Go ahead and tell her the clever thing you did to rescue yourself."
"More desperate than clever. It was the only thing I could think of," said Anna. "Faison moved by boat, Robin, docking at different places on our way to South America."
"That's how you got to Venezuela," said Robin.
Anna nodded. "We would make these stops and I would get a check up. While we were at the doctor's office, I would give someone there a message to fax to a mutual friend of your father's and mine - Andre Garnier. He lives in Paris where he's a doctor."
"Why not contact Dad?"
"Because I knew that Faison had ways to monitor what Robert was doing. He had this master plan all laid out. He could predict what Robert would do. I couldn't take the chance that Faison would find out what I was up to, could I?"
"No, of course not."
"I had to pick someone that I didn't think Faison knew about. Someone he couldn't associate with Robert or me. That was Andre. It turned out for the best."
"After I left home, Robin, people like Sean assumed that I would follow this list of ports that Faison had left behind. Ports where you were to have been shipped to if he'd managed to capture you, remember that?" asked Robert.
"Yeah, Dad, with the fish net and the electric fence," said Robin. "How could I forget?"
"Instead I went to Paris to see an old friend with effective ways of finding information - Andre's father Jacques Garnier. As it turned out, they had received Anna's faxes," said Robert. "There on a map was pinned every location from which they had received a fax. Anna's trail was obvious. Andre and I went off to Belize and then Venezuela."
"Just in time, too," said Anna. "Weeks and months had passed without any word or sign of rescue. If it wasn't for Andrew, I don't know what I would have done with myself. Andrew was premature. We were at anchor off Caracas, Venezuela. That was fortunate because there was a good hospital in the area. It was a Caesarian section. I bled a lot and-"
"What? You never told me this," interrupted Robert.
"Minor detail," replied Anna.
"He dragged you and Andrew out of hospital too early. Both of you could have died!" Robert's eyes blazed with anger. "For what? So he could get away and save his own skin!"
"It doesn't matter. We're both here safe with you," said Anna softly. She kept looking at Robert until he visibly settled back in the chair. "Two days after I delivered, we left-"
Robert exploded, "TWO DAYS? That's it? That murdering son of-"
"It was the right decision!" declared Anna. "If we had stayed there another day, I think someone else would have found us. Robert, please, calm down. We can talk about this later, all right?"
Robert nodded. He rested back in his chair. His face was set in the hard planes of anger but his eyes were sad as he looked back at Anna. Low voiced, he said, "We found your mother and brother when Andre and I boarded the yacht. Andrew was in a portable incubator and your mother was doped to the gills on pain pills. Now I know why."
"But, Mom, how can you forget about Andrew? You gave birth to him. I don't understand this," said Robin.
Anna sat indian style on the bed. "This is where it gets hard. We need you to listen first and ask questions after we're done. Can you do that?"
"I don't like how this sounds," said Robin.
Robert sighed. "Sometimes, we make choices because we have to not because they're the right choices to make." He looked at his teenaged son. "You can't know what the future holds. You roll the dice and hope that they come up good for you. If not, you keep trying. You never stop trying to make it right."
"Everything we're about to tell you is because of one thing and one thing only - family," said Anna. "We wanted to come home to you."
"To be a family plus one," added Robert. "But that wasn't possible."
"What did you do? What happened?" asked Robin with anxiety etched on her face.
"They made a deal with my … with Papa Faison. Their deaths in exchange for my safety," said Andrew. "You lost your parents because of me, Robin."