Timeless

A/N: For the purposes of this story, Robin really died in that lab explosion.

Emma caresses Robert's cheek as she holds a cool washcloth to his forehead. She knows he does not have much time left and it scares her. She does not know the first thing about life without her hero.

"I can see her Emma Bear," Robert states.

"How does Grandma look Grandpa," Emma asks. She does not have to ask who he means. She knows her grandpa's health has been declining for the last three months. Since they lost her, she thinks.

"She looks as beautiful as she did the day I met her."

"She's young again isn't she?"

"And free from pain. She's waiting for me."

Emma wipes at the tears now falling freely down her face. How could she ask her Grandpa to hold on when he has lost the last part of him that made it possible for him to keep living in a world without his little girl?

"Come here Emma Bear," Robert asks, and she climbs into the bed with him. She snuggles into his chest and he pulls her even closer. Being in her grandpa's arms had always been the safest place in the world for her.

"I know it's selfish but I don't know what I am going to do without you," she cries.

"You'll be just fine sweet girl. You have grown up to be such a beautiful young woman. You have a career in medicine just like your mamma. I know it was not your first choice but…"

"I never wanted to let you and Grandma down," she said.

"Oh Emma Bear, you never could. We were so proud of you. You graduated at the top of your class. I know you would have preferred to have a career as a spy but it is not what we wanted for you. That kind of life is not the kind of life I would wish on anyone. Your personal life suffers."

"But you and Grandma…"

"We suffered most of all. Our first marriage ended because of mistakes made for the government. I do not want that for you Emma. You are special. You deserve to have the kind of life we wanted for your mother."

"I never thanked you for that did I? After mom was killed in that explosion and dad was not able to take care of me…"

"He loves you Emma. He just could not cope after losing your mother. Nobody understands that better than I do. "

"You never even had a chance to grieve for her. You lost your daughter but you had to be the strong one. Grandma was coming unglued and I was left without any parents…it was you who stepped in. You who went to court to make it official. "

"And you hated me for it as I recall."

"I didn't understand then. I do now. You were trying to protect me. I love my dad but you were right. He was acting reckless. If I had not been with you when that car accident happened…"

"I could have lost you too. I am so sorry Emma Bear. I know you lost both your parents at such a young age. I also know your grandma and I might not have had the most traditional way of raising children but…"

"You left the WSB…both of you did…and you never looked back. How could I ever fault you for that? You were trying to give me the same chance that you wanted my mom to have. You are my grandpa but for many years, you were also my dad. I love you. I am going to miss you so much."

"I want you to know that I have no regrets. Raising you when you lost your parents was something that I felt was right. You are my flesh and blood and I was not going to let Robin's little girl end up with strangers. "

"And it brought Grandma back to you."

"Yeah I guess it did. We grieved together. We helped each other through the bad and celebrated the good. In the end, we realized that our love had never died. Losing Robin was the hardest thing I ever had to go through but losing your grandma…"

"It was so hard for you to watch her get sicker and sicker wasn't it? You never showed it but I know that it killed you."

"I hated myself for not being able to save her. I was her husband; I should have been able to…"

"Cure her? Grandpa, I love you but you are not superman. It is not your fault that she got cancer. It certainly is not your fault that you could not cure her. You are not a doctor."

"No, just the man who loves her. She was a god damned super spy. She survived things far worse than cancer…and yet it was the one thing she could not survive. I miss her Emma. Every day. Every Hour. Every Minute. Every Second. She was the beginning and the end of me. Without her, I just feel like half a man. "

"You really loved her more than anything didn't you?"

"She was my world. "

Emma squeezes his hand and he reaches up to caress her cheek.

"Promise me something sweet girl; promise me you will not settle for anything less. I want you to have that kind of love in your life. The kind that moves mountains. "

"I can promise to try…"

"Emma…"

"What? Grandpa, there are not a lot of men like you left in this world. Most of them are jerks. Grandma was lucky to have found one of the last great men."

"I was lucky too. "

"Grandpa?"

"What is it sweetheart?"

"I know you are ready to see Grandma now. It's okay if you have to let go."

"Are you sure baby girl? I need to know you will be okay."

"I'll be sad for a while…but you taught me how to be okay on my own. I will always miss you. As I miss, mom and dad and grandma…but I will be okay. You can let go now grandpa. Grandma and mom are waiting for you."

"I love you Emma Scorpio Drake. You saved me just as your mother once did. As your grandma always did. "

"I love you grandpa. I love you so much."

Robert pulls her closer and wraps his arms around her as she sings to him. It does not take long for Robert to close his eyes for the last time, Emma sobbing into his chest. She has just lost her hero and no amount of comfort will ever make this okay for her. She was completely alone now.

When Robert opens his eyes again, he is walking towards a bright light. He can hear laughter all around him.

"Daddy," Robin calls to him.

She looks just as she did when she was six years old with braids in her hair. He pulls her close.

"Oh how I have missed you," he says.

"I missed you too daddy. Thank you for raising my little girl when I couldn't."

"As if there would ever be another choice," he reminds her.

She opens her arms and he walks into them. It had been years since he had held his little girl. He savored every moment of it. That would be the last they would speak of the life they left behind.

"Come let me show you around. Then you can go find mommy. She's been waiting for you."

"I can't wait to see her again. Thank you for taking care of her when I couldn't."

"You are silly daddy. That is what you do when you love someone. We took care of each other."

"I know," he said and kissed her forehead.

"Come on daddy," she says, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her just as she did as a child.

Robert finds Anna sitting in a swing a little while later. She is humming a tune as she holds a child in her arms. His heart catches in his throat as he looks at her. She was still the most beautiful woman he ever knew.

"My Annie," he whispers. She turns around happily and smiles at him.

"Oh Robert, I've missed you. Come meet my daughter Leora."

He takes a seat next to her and she rests her head on his shoulder.

"Well hello little one," he says, as he looks at the little girl. "You have the most amazing woman for your mamma. But you probably already knew that."

"You aren't biased are you," she quips.

"Not at all. "

She laughs and Robin comes skipping down the steps, reaching out her hands for her sister.

"Come on Leora. Let us give our mom some time alone with my dad. They've earned it."

"Thanks Luv," Robert says.

She smiles at him and then the two of them disappear from sight.

"I've been waiting for you Robert. I could feel the time would be soon."

"Come here you," he says, and she wraps her arms around his neck. It is the most carefree they have been since they were young and in love…before the world got between them. Their kisses still tasted like sin, even from heaven.

"I love you Anna Scorpio," he says.

"I love you Robert Scorpio. I guess we finally got our happy ending didn't we?"

"In the end, we had it all. We lost so much in life but we found each other again. I am so grateful that when you died in my arms, it was as my wife. Those last years with you were everything to me."

"Oh Robert, for me too. I hated to leave you behind but I knew that someday you would join me again and we would get to live our best life here in heaven. I just did not expect it to be so soon."

He reaches up and caresses her cheek, letting his lips trail down her collarbone.

"How can you be so surprised? I did not have the same will to go on without you. I believe the official cause of death was heart failure but Emma called it a broken heart. She was right."

"I broke your heart again Scorpio; I'm so sorry."

"This time it was not your fault."

She cuddles into him on the swing and he wraps his arms around her. "From now on, its only happiness. You are still the only woman I want to spend eternity with."

She smiles as she runs her fingers up his chest and loosens a few buttons. "I want to spend eternity with you too Scorpio. You always were my once in a lifetime. Now you are my forever. I love you so much."

"I love you back."

They started kissing again as they cuddled together on the swing…each kiss growing in intensity…neither of them having any intention of stopping. Robin and Leora smiled at them from the sidewalk. Even in heaven, her parents could not keep their hands off each other. In this case, whatever part of their soul that allowed them to touch this way. She was happy for them. They did not have the easiest time of it in life.

Robin picked up Leora and smiled. "Let's go run around in the grass. I think they will be busy for a while."

She was right of course. Robert and Anna's kissing never ended at kissing. Why would it be any different in the afterlife?