Fic: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? (GH, Robin/Patrick, Anna, Lana, Lanaverse)
Title: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 58 - Elusive
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Anna
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 1024
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lanaverse.
Summary: “Dessert? Really? Nana, can you visit every day?”
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
The Drake’s were just sitting down to dinner when a knock on the door interrupted them.
Robin, who was in the middle of cutting Lana’s meat, looked over at Patrick. “Would you mind getting that?”
“Sure.” Patrick stood and stalked into the living room, irritated with whomever was on the other side of the door. He flung it open, intending to give them a piece of his mind, when he found himself enveloped in a hug.
“Darling! It’s wonderful to see you again.” The woman brushed past him into the house.
“Anna?” Patrick stammered. “What are you doing here?” Seeing that she wasn’t about to answer him, he trailed after her into the dining room.
When Lana saw her grandmother, she squealed “Nana!” She jumped out of her chair and ran into Anna’s waiting arms.
Robin rose from the table as well. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
Anna released Lana from her hug, and stood to greet her daughter. “I had some time between missions, darling,” she explained. “And I thought that I’d take advantage to come see you all.” She reached out and pulled Robin into her arms. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“I’m happy to see you, Nana,” Lana exclaimed happily, attaching herself to Anna’s hip.
“Of course, I’m happy to see you, Mom, I just wasn’t expecting it,” Robin said, flustered at her mother’s surprise appearance. Robin loved her mother dearly, but the way Anna always breezed so carelessly in and out of their lives frustrated her. She didn’t want Lana to grow up disappointed that she didn’t have a normal grandmother, one who was capable of actually making plans to come see her and following through on them.
“But darling, how could I have surprised you if I’d told you I was coming?” Anna reasoned. She looked around the dining room. “I’ve interrupted your dinner, I’m terribly sorry.”
“It’s why we don’t like surprises,” Patrick said flatly from the doorway.
“Patrick!” Robin hissed. “Would you mind going into the kitchen to get another plate so mom can join us?”
He nodded and walked into the kitchen. At the sound of the slammed cupboard door, Robin winced. “Mom, excuse me for a minute okay?” She looked down at Lana’s beaming face. “Lana, why don’t you tell your Nana about your dance recital last spring, okay?” Without waiting for a response, Robin scurried into the kitchen to find Patrick staring out the window over their sink, hands clenched so tightly around the countertop that his knuckles were white. “What is your problem?”
Patrick turned his head to face her. “Are you serious?”
“Yes!” Robin snapped in a hushed tone, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why are you being so hostile?”
He laughed, a trace of bitterness evident in the sound. “I can’t believe you’re not being hostile,” he countered. “We’ve told your mother a thousand times that she can’t just drop in unexpectedly, that it’s not fair to Lana, hell, that it’s not fair to you, for her to flit in and out of your lives without a thought as to how it effects both of you. God, Robin, when are you going to stop thinking the sun shines out of your mother’s ass?”
“I wasn’t aware that I did think that,” Robin hissed angrily. “I love my mother, but I clearly perceive her faults, and no, I don’t want Lana to grow up idealizing her and constantly being disappointed in her, but what am I supposed to do about any of that when she is standing in the next room?”
Patrick let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. “I know that,” he said finally, resignation laced through his voice. “And I’m sorry, but I’m just sick of this.” He picked up the plate from the counter. “I’m ready to go in and place nice.” He stepped towards Robin, and bent down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”
“I know,” Robin whispered. She stepped back and pivoted, heading back into the dining room, Patrick trailing behind her.
Anna was seated next to Lana at the dining room table, listening intently to her granddaughter as she described her dance recital of the previous spring. She looked up as Robin and Patrick came into the room. “I was beginning to think you two had decided to slip out the back door.”
“Nope,” Robin said cheerily, as if nothing had happened. “Just trying to figure out what we had available for dessert, since this is a special occasion and all.”
Patrick handed over the plate to Anna and silently took his seat.
Lana’s eyes went wide. “Dessert? Really? Nana, can you visit every day?”
Robin laughed a little. “Sweetheart, if your grandmother visited everyday it wouldn’t be a special occasion and then you wouldn’t get dessert. So you might want to reconsider that.”
Lana shook her head. “No, I’d still want her here.” She looked up at Anna pleadingly. “Are you going to be here for long, Nana?”
“Yes, Mom, how long are you going to be here?” Robin echoed, shooting a look at Patrick. He shrugged and busied himself with putting his napkin on his lap.
Anna looked down at Lana. “I’m not sure how long I’m going to be staying, darling. It all depends on when the agency needs me for another mission.”
Lana’s lower lip slid into a pout.
Seeing it, Robin rushed to cover. “I’m sure your Nana is going to try to stay as long as she can, aren’t you Mom?”
“Of course!” Anna exclaimed. “Lana, darling, you know I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
“Can we eat?” Patrick interrupted. “I was in surgery all day, and missed lunch.”
“Yes,” Robin said, turning towards Lana’s plate once again. “I think that sounds like an excellent idea.” She began to cut up Lana’s meat once more, and Patrick began passing dishes to Anna. Idle chatter began to fill the air and some of the tension seeped out of the room.
It was a cycle that happened every time the elusive Anna Devane came to visit.
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 58 - Elusive
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Anna
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 1024
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lanaverse.
Summary: “Dessert? Really? Nana, can you visit every day?”
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
The Drake’s were just sitting down to dinner when a knock on the door interrupted them.
Robin, who was in the middle of cutting Lana’s meat, looked over at Patrick. “Would you mind getting that?”
“Sure.” Patrick stood and stalked into the living room, irritated with whomever was on the other side of the door. He flung it open, intending to give them a piece of his mind, when he found himself enveloped in a hug.
“Darling! It’s wonderful to see you again.” The woman brushed past him into the house.
“Anna?” Patrick stammered. “What are you doing here?” Seeing that she wasn’t about to answer him, he trailed after her into the dining room.
When Lana saw her grandmother, she squealed “Nana!” She jumped out of her chair and ran into Anna’s waiting arms.
Robin rose from the table as well. “Mom? What are you doing here?”
Anna released Lana from her hug, and stood to greet her daughter. “I had some time between missions, darling,” she explained. “And I thought that I’d take advantage to come see you all.” She reached out and pulled Robin into her arms. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”
“I’m happy to see you, Nana,” Lana exclaimed happily, attaching herself to Anna’s hip.
“Of course, I’m happy to see you, Mom, I just wasn’t expecting it,” Robin said, flustered at her mother’s surprise appearance. Robin loved her mother dearly, but the way Anna always breezed so carelessly in and out of their lives frustrated her. She didn’t want Lana to grow up disappointed that she didn’t have a normal grandmother, one who was capable of actually making plans to come see her and following through on them.
“But darling, how could I have surprised you if I’d told you I was coming?” Anna reasoned. She looked around the dining room. “I’ve interrupted your dinner, I’m terribly sorry.”
“It’s why we don’t like surprises,” Patrick said flatly from the doorway.
“Patrick!” Robin hissed. “Would you mind going into the kitchen to get another plate so mom can join us?”
He nodded and walked into the kitchen. At the sound of the slammed cupboard door, Robin winced. “Mom, excuse me for a minute okay?” She looked down at Lana’s beaming face. “Lana, why don’t you tell your Nana about your dance recital last spring, okay?” Without waiting for a response, Robin scurried into the kitchen to find Patrick staring out the window over their sink, hands clenched so tightly around the countertop that his knuckles were white. “What is your problem?”
Patrick turned his head to face her. “Are you serious?”
“Yes!” Robin snapped in a hushed tone, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why are you being so hostile?”
He laughed, a trace of bitterness evident in the sound. “I can’t believe you’re not being hostile,” he countered. “We’ve told your mother a thousand times that she can’t just drop in unexpectedly, that it’s not fair to Lana, hell, that it’s not fair to you, for her to flit in and out of your lives without a thought as to how it effects both of you. God, Robin, when are you going to stop thinking the sun shines out of your mother’s ass?”
“I wasn’t aware that I did think that,” Robin hissed angrily. “I love my mother, but I clearly perceive her faults, and no, I don’t want Lana to grow up idealizing her and constantly being disappointed in her, but what am I supposed to do about any of that when she is standing in the next room?”
Patrick let out a heavy sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. “I know that,” he said finally, resignation laced through his voice. “And I’m sorry, but I’m just sick of this.” He picked up the plate from the counter. “I’m ready to go in and place nice.” He stepped towards Robin, and bent down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m sorry.”
“I know,” Robin whispered. She stepped back and pivoted, heading back into the dining room, Patrick trailing behind her.
Anna was seated next to Lana at the dining room table, listening intently to her granddaughter as she described her dance recital of the previous spring. She looked up as Robin and Patrick came into the room. “I was beginning to think you two had decided to slip out the back door.”
“Nope,” Robin said cheerily, as if nothing had happened. “Just trying to figure out what we had available for dessert, since this is a special occasion and all.”
Patrick handed over the plate to Anna and silently took his seat.
Lana’s eyes went wide. “Dessert? Really? Nana, can you visit every day?”
Robin laughed a little. “Sweetheart, if your grandmother visited everyday it wouldn’t be a special occasion and then you wouldn’t get dessert. So you might want to reconsider that.”
Lana shook her head. “No, I’d still want her here.” She looked up at Anna pleadingly. “Are you going to be here for long, Nana?”
“Yes, Mom, how long are you going to be here?” Robin echoed, shooting a look at Patrick. He shrugged and busied himself with putting his napkin on his lap.
Anna looked down at Lana. “I’m not sure how long I’m going to be staying, darling. It all depends on when the agency needs me for another mission.”
Lana’s lower lip slid into a pout.
Seeing it, Robin rushed to cover. “I’m sure your Nana is going to try to stay as long as she can, aren’t you Mom?”
“Of course!” Anna exclaimed. “Lana, darling, you know I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”
“Can we eat?” Patrick interrupted. “I was in surgery all day, and missed lunch.”
“Yes,” Robin said, turning towards Lana’s plate once again. “I think that sounds like an excellent idea.” She began to cut up Lana’s meat once more, and Patrick began passing dishes to Anna. Idle chatter began to fill the air and some of the tension seeped out of the room.
It was a cycle that happened every time the elusive Anna Devane came to visit.