Fic: Holding Out For a Hero (GH, Robin/Patrick, Lanaverse)
Title: Holding Out For a Hero
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 7 - Monster Under the Bed
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the television series General Hospital does not belong to me.
"And they all lived happily ever after."
Patrick closed the book he'd been reading to Lana, and said, "Which means it's time for little girls to go to sleep."
Lana shook her head. "One more story?"
"You've already had one more story," he reminded her. "You promised you'd go to bed after this one, remember?"
Her lip slid out into a pout. "But Daddy..."
The lip killed him, it really did, and she knew it. He tried to be stern. "Alanna Mackenzie Drake. It is past time for you to go to bed."
The lip slid out further and her eyes started to take on a sheen of tears.
Desperate to prevent them from actually falling, he relented. "Sweetie, is something wrong? Is there a reason you don't want to go to bed?"
She nodded. "That's when the monster comes."
"The monster?" he repeated. That was new. Lana had never believed in monsters under the bed or in the closet, which left him unsure if she was genuinely afraid or if this was a stall tactic.
She nodded again. "Jake told me about him. He told me that he comes for little girls when it's dark and that he'll eat me!"
He groaned. "Jake, hm? We really have to stop letting you play with that boy."
"Daddy!"
"I don't suppose Jake mentioned how to get rid of the monster?" he asked hopefully. He'd revisit the idea of not letting her play with Jake later. For now he needed to get her to go to bed, or else Robin would accuse him of being a softie again. Which he wasn't. Not at all.
Her face scrunched up as she tried to remember. "I think he said you can scare it away. But you have to be really scary, Daddy. Or he'll eat me."
He sighed. "Alright. Why don't you go use the bathroom and I'll scare the monster away for you?"
She shook her head. "I need to see you scare it away."
"Really?"
"Really." Her lip slid out again. "Please, Daddy? I'll go to sleep right after, I promise."
"That's what you promised before I read you the last book too," he muttered under his breath. "Alright, I'll see if I can't scare it away."
He rolled up his sleeves and stood, trying to think of ways to scare a nonexistent monster out from under the bed. He glanced at Lana who was watching expectantly, clutching onto her favorite stuffed koala bear. He sighed. He could do this, he could. And then Lana was never playing with Jake Spencer again.
He charged the bed, waving his arms wildly, letting out loud grunting noises. Lana watched the whole affair with a mostly solemn expression, a few stray giggles emerging.
Patrick sat back on his knees. "I think he's gone."
She nodded. "He is."
"Good." He stood, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Now go to sleep. When your mom gets home from the hospital I'll send her in to check on you."
"Okay." She laid down, still clutching on to her stuffed animal. "Night, Daddy. Thank you."
He smiled. "You're welcome. Night, baby."
He switched off her bedside lamp and crept to the door, flipping off the light switch, checking to make sure that her night light was lit. Satisfied, he pulled the door almost shut, and tip toed down the stairs to the living room.
He flopped down on the couch, just as the front door opened and Robin walked through.
He turned his head and smiled at her, dimples winking out. "Hello, gorgeous."
"Hello, yourself," she said, amusement in her voice. "What's wrong?"
He pouted. "What makes you think anything is wrong?"
She kicked off her heels and shrugged out of her coat, coming to sit on the arm of the couch. "You don't often greet me with such effusive terms of endearment."
He sat up straighter. "Yes, I do," he protested.
She shook her head.
Eyes narrowed, he pulled her off the arm of the couch and into his lap. "Do so."
She laughed, and patted his cheek. "If you say so. Now tell me what's wrong."
"We'll be back to this," he warned.
"Of course."
He sighed. "Lana thought there was a monster under her bed."
Robin blinked. "Lana?"
He nodded. "Apparently Jake Spencer has been putting ideas in her head. They're not allowed to play together anymore."
Robin burst out laughing. "You threaten that once a week," she pointed out between laughs. "You'd think it could at least wait till they were teenagers."
"Lana is never going to be a teenager, and if she is, she's certainly never going near Jake. Ever."
She patted his cheek again. "If you say so. Did you chase the big bad monster away?"
"Yes." He pouted again. "I'm sure I looked ridiculous."
"But you were our little girl's hero. Isn't that something?"
"You just wish you were here to see me look ridiculous," he accused.
She nodded. "Guilty as charged."
Rather than answer, he stood, scooping her up into his arms.
"Patrick!" she shrieked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Shh," he warned, starting up the stairs. "Child sleeping, remember?"
"Patrick!"
He shook his head. "I would have thought that would have been obvious. Clearly, I need to work on that." They reached the top of the stairs and his face fell. "Oh, crap. I promised Lana I'd send you in to say good night."
"So let me down and I'll go do that."
"But I'm trying to be your hero right now." He grinned, dimples winking out. "You know, sweeping you off your feet and all that?"
"Oh, that's what this was?"
He frowned. "Woman, you are hell on my ego."
"Which is why you love me," Robin said sweetly. "Now let me down so I can say good night to our daughter, and then I promise you, you can play my hero."
He set her down on her feet gently. "Promise?"
"Promise." She stretched up on her toes to kiss him, then turned to go into their daughter's bedroom.
Patrick watched her creep into the room with a smile on his face. There were worse ways to spend a night than playing hero for his wife and daughter.
In fact, there might not be any better.
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 7 - Monster Under the Bed
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the television series General Hospital does not belong to me.
"And they all lived happily ever after."
Patrick closed the book he'd been reading to Lana, and said, "Which means it's time for little girls to go to sleep."
Lana shook her head. "One more story?"
"You've already had one more story," he reminded her. "You promised you'd go to bed after this one, remember?"
Her lip slid out into a pout. "But Daddy..."
The lip killed him, it really did, and she knew it. He tried to be stern. "Alanna Mackenzie Drake. It is past time for you to go to bed."
The lip slid out further and her eyes started to take on a sheen of tears.
Desperate to prevent them from actually falling, he relented. "Sweetie, is something wrong? Is there a reason you don't want to go to bed?"
She nodded. "That's when the monster comes."
"The monster?" he repeated. That was new. Lana had never believed in monsters under the bed or in the closet, which left him unsure if she was genuinely afraid or if this was a stall tactic.
She nodded again. "Jake told me about him. He told me that he comes for little girls when it's dark and that he'll eat me!"
He groaned. "Jake, hm? We really have to stop letting you play with that boy."
"Daddy!"
"I don't suppose Jake mentioned how to get rid of the monster?" he asked hopefully. He'd revisit the idea of not letting her play with Jake later. For now he needed to get her to go to bed, or else Robin would accuse him of being a softie again. Which he wasn't. Not at all.
Her face scrunched up as she tried to remember. "I think he said you can scare it away. But you have to be really scary, Daddy. Or he'll eat me."
He sighed. "Alright. Why don't you go use the bathroom and I'll scare the monster away for you?"
She shook her head. "I need to see you scare it away."
"Really?"
"Really." Her lip slid out again. "Please, Daddy? I'll go to sleep right after, I promise."
"That's what you promised before I read you the last book too," he muttered under his breath. "Alright, I'll see if I can't scare it away."
He rolled up his sleeves and stood, trying to think of ways to scare a nonexistent monster out from under the bed. He glanced at Lana who was watching expectantly, clutching onto her favorite stuffed koala bear. He sighed. He could do this, he could. And then Lana was never playing with Jake Spencer again.
He charged the bed, waving his arms wildly, letting out loud grunting noises. Lana watched the whole affair with a mostly solemn expression, a few stray giggles emerging.
Patrick sat back on his knees. "I think he's gone."
She nodded. "He is."
"Good." He stood, and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Now go to sleep. When your mom gets home from the hospital I'll send her in to check on you."
"Okay." She laid down, still clutching on to her stuffed animal. "Night, Daddy. Thank you."
He smiled. "You're welcome. Night, baby."
He switched off her bedside lamp and crept to the door, flipping off the light switch, checking to make sure that her night light was lit. Satisfied, he pulled the door almost shut, and tip toed down the stairs to the living room.
He flopped down on the couch, just as the front door opened and Robin walked through.
He turned his head and smiled at her, dimples winking out. "Hello, gorgeous."
"Hello, yourself," she said, amusement in her voice. "What's wrong?"
He pouted. "What makes you think anything is wrong?"
She kicked off her heels and shrugged out of her coat, coming to sit on the arm of the couch. "You don't often greet me with such effusive terms of endearment."
He sat up straighter. "Yes, I do," he protested.
She shook her head.
Eyes narrowed, he pulled her off the arm of the couch and into his lap. "Do so."
She laughed, and patted his cheek. "If you say so. Now tell me what's wrong."
"We'll be back to this," he warned.
"Of course."
He sighed. "Lana thought there was a monster under her bed."
Robin blinked. "Lana?"
He nodded. "Apparently Jake Spencer has been putting ideas in her head. They're not allowed to play together anymore."
Robin burst out laughing. "You threaten that once a week," she pointed out between laughs. "You'd think it could at least wait till they were teenagers."
"Lana is never going to be a teenager, and if she is, she's certainly never going near Jake. Ever."
She patted his cheek again. "If you say so. Did you chase the big bad monster away?"
"Yes." He pouted again. "I'm sure I looked ridiculous."
"But you were our little girl's hero. Isn't that something?"
"You just wish you were here to see me look ridiculous," he accused.
She nodded. "Guilty as charged."
Rather than answer, he stood, scooping her up into his arms.
"Patrick!" she shrieked, wrapping her arms around his neck. "What the hell are you doing?"
"Shh," he warned, starting up the stairs. "Child sleeping, remember?"
"Patrick!"
He shook his head. "I would have thought that would have been obvious. Clearly, I need to work on that." They reached the top of the stairs and his face fell. "Oh, crap. I promised Lana I'd send you in to say good night."
"So let me down and I'll go do that."
"But I'm trying to be your hero right now." He grinned, dimples winking out. "You know, sweeping you off your feet and all that?"
"Oh, that's what this was?"
He frowned. "Woman, you are hell on my ego."
"Which is why you love me," Robin said sweetly. "Now let me down so I can say good night to our daughter, and then I promise you, you can play my hero."
He set her down on her feet gently. "Promise?"
"Promise." She stretched up on her toes to kiss him, then turned to go into their daughter's bedroom.
Patrick watched her creep into the room with a smile on his face. There were worse ways to spend a night than playing hero for his wife and daughter.
In fact, there might not be any better.