Anna is introduced in 1985 as skilled jewel thief who takes an interest in Robert Scorpio (Tristan Rogers) and his wife Holly Sutton (Emma Samms). Anna is soon revealed to be Robert's ex-wife whom he divorced upon discovering she was a double-agent working for the DVX. Anna works as Sean Donely's (John Reilly) secretary and partners with him to fence the Aztec treasure. However, the treasure goes missing forcing Anna and Robert to team up which makes Holly jealous. As the revelation about their marriage leads to Holly leaving Robert, Anna teams up with Robert and Grant Andrews (Brian Patrick Clarke) to bring down Donely who has gone rogue. When Robert goes missing during their mission, Anna returns home to find her apartment destroyed and her old friend Filomena Soltini (Argentina Brunetti) tied up. It is revealed that Filomena has been secretly been raising Robert and Anna's daughter Robin (Kimberly McCullough) as her granddaughter. Robert resurfaces and confronts Anna about Robin who overhears the truth and runs away. She is kidnapped forcing Anna and Robert to rescue her. Later, Anna is named co-police chief along with Burt Ramsey (Bob Hastings). In 1986, Anna falls for the handsome mysterious club-owner Duke Lavery (Ian Buchanan). When her friends Frisco and Felicia (Jack Wagner and Kristina Wagner) go missing, Anna suspects Duke is involved but her urges her to trust him. As Duke and Anna are engaged in October 1986, Robert exposes Duke's involvement in a money laundering scheme for the mysterious "Mr. Big." Soon after, Anna's home is bombed and Duke assures Anna he loves her and decides to get out of the mob for good. However, Duke is framed by his boss, the mysterious "Mr. Big" and ends up in jail. Robert then enlist Anna and Frisco's help to expose "Mr. Big" who turns out to be Anna's corrupt partner Ramsey. After the death of his father Angus McKay (Guy Doleman), Anna becomes suspicious of Duke's relationship with his half-sister, Camellia (Elizabeth Keifer). In May 1987, Anna is horrified when the press crashes her wedding to expose that Duke covered up Camellia's murder of Evan Jerome, the son of mobster kingpin Victor Jerome (Jack Axelrod). Anna dumps Duke and starts her own private investigator firm, and a recently widowed Robert becomes her partner. Robert and Anna bond as they work together and he wants to reunite but she chooses to go back to Duke instead. Duke and Anna are married in a traditional Scottish wedding on October 19, 1987. In January 1988, the deranged Grant Putnam (Brian Patrick Clarke) kills Filomena after a failed attempt to kidnap Robin, and abducts Anna instead. Robert tracks Putnam and Anna to the Adirondack Mountains and rescues her. Anna settles into a happy life with Duke while working with Robert as they co-parent Robin. In the summer of 1988, Anna announces she is pregnant. However, Anna suffers a miscarriage in October 1988 when she is trapped in an elevator rigged to fall by Victor's jealous daughter Olivia St. John (Tonja Walker), who had become obsessed with Duke. When Olivia is shot and left comatose, Anna is arrested for her attempted murder. Anna is cleared when Victor's bastard son Dino (Chris DeRose) is revealed to be behind the shooting. Anna is relieved when Olivia is shipped off to a mental hospital in 1989. However, Anna's life with Duke comes to an end when he is killed in a fire in April 1989, as revenge for testifying against the mob.
