Fic: High School Can Be So Rough (GH, Scrubs, Lana, Lanaverse)
Title: High School Can Be So Rough
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 28 - Slamming Doors
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. All original characters do.
Lana burst in through the front door and ran up the stairs.
Patrick and Matt looked up from the racetrack they were playing with as she ran by, confusion on their faces.
Robin followed closely at her daughter's heels. "Alanna Mackenzie Drake, we are not done!"
Her answer was the distinct sound of a door being slammed shut.
Patrick looked at his wife with an eyebrow raised. "Problem?"
"Is Lana in trouble?" Matt demanded to know, an eager expression on his face.
Robin sighed and scrubbed her hands across her face. "Yes. And no."
"Which order were you answering those questions in?" Patrick asked, patting the spot next to him on the couch. "Come sit down."
Robin crossed the room and dropped down next to him, running a hand across Matt's hair. "Matt, why don't you go play your race car video game for awhile?"
His face lit up. "Really? Cool!" He scrambled to his feet and then frowned. "Wait, am I being sent away? Is Lana in trouble?"
Robin tweaked his nose. "Scram. Or I'll tell you to go do your homework instead."
Matt ran out of the room immediately.
Patrick draped an arm around Robin's shoulders. "Well that was effective."
"A combination of blackmail and bribery usually is." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Too bad it doesn't work on teenagers."
"Ah. So what happened with our darling daughter?"
"She turned into a teenager," Robin said with disgust, lip sliding out in a good imitation of Lana's pout. "I want my daughter back."
Patrick couldn't quite smother his laugh.
Robin raised her head and looked at him sharply through narrowed eyes. "Think it's funny, do you? Well you won't when I tell you what we were fighting about."
He sobered at that. "Is there a boy involved?" he demanded. "I'll kill whoever it is, I will."
Now Robin laughed. "Patrick, unless you're going to kill someone with a log, you'd best leave that to me." She patted him on the cheek. "We all have our little talents."
"True," he conceded. "And the fact that you can kill someone with your bare hands is seriously hot." He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her into his lap. He sealed his lips to hers for a heated kiss.
She let herself be dragged under for one heady moment before she pulled back. "We can't do this here," she said, batting his hands away as he tried to pull her back.
"Sure we can," he said, pressing kisses to her neck instead.
"Patrick," she moaned. "Do you want to do this or do you want to talk about what's wrong with Lana?"
"I sense I don't have a choice in the matter," he muttered. He sat back, but held her on his lap. "What's wrong with Lana?"
"She wants to dress like a cheap tart, that's what's wrong!" Robin exclaimed.
His eyes narrowed. "Define cheap tart."
She rolled her eyes at him. "What do you think it means? Mini-skirts, too tight jeans, shirts that are way too low cut..."
"I assume you didn't let her buy anything."
"Do I look stupid?" she demanded. "Of course not. And she practically threw a temper tantrum in the store. I haven't seen her do that since she was two."
"What does she want with clothes like that anyway?" he asked curiously. "She wears a uniform to school. It's not like she'd get much use out of them."
"Ah, but she would. Or so she thinks."
Patrick stared at her blankly.
"Don't you remember being a teenager? Group movie dates, boy-girl parties, pretending she's going out with her girlfriends but meeting up with a group of boys. That's where she wants to wear those clothes."
"She wouldn't be leaving the house dressed like that," he said matter-of-factly.
Robin raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know the first thing about teenage girls do you?"
He shrugged. "I knew how to talk them into the backseats of cars, but I don't really think that's what you mean."
"She'd sneak them out of the house, Patrick. Stick them in her purse and then change somewhere else."
His jaw dropped. "She's never leaving the house again," he decreed. "Never."
"Patrick..." Robin sighed. "That won't solve anything."
"How about a convent, then?"
"Patrick!"
He pouted. "I like my ideas."
She stroked his cheek. "I know you do."
"Well, what are you suggesting?"
"I was thinking about seeing if Maxie couldn't work a shopping trip into her schedule."
"You want to reward her? Or is that a punishment?"
She elbowed him. "Very funny."
"Explain how more shopping will solve the problem."
"Lana idealizes Maxie, she thinks, no knows, that Maxie knows what she's talking about when it comes to fashion. And Maxie could steer her towards clothes that are still cool, but not so tarty."
Patrick cocked his head, considering. A slow grin appeared on his face. "That's kind of brilliant."
"Yes, I know," Robin preened.
"She says modestly," he laughed, giving her a quick kiss. He smacked her on the butt and pushed her to her feet. "Now if you're so smart, go play Lana."
"Coward," she accused, scowling at him.
"Damn straight." He stood. "I'm going to go check on the one that thankfully isn't a moody adolescent."
"Fine." She walked to the foot of the stairs before turning to call after him. "And Patrick?"
He paused in the hallway and turned to look at her. "Yes?"
She flashed him a brilliant smile. "If I don't make it out alive, remember I've always loved you!"
She ran up the stairs to face her daughter.
She thought she'd rather face down one of her parents crazy enemies.
She paused outside Lana's shut door and knocked.
"Go away!" was the answer through the door.
She knocked again. "Lana, we're going to talk one way or another." She pressed her ear to the door to listen for signs of what was going on inside.
Heavy footsteps clomped across the floor from behind the door.
Robin just had time to pull her ear back from the door before it was abruptly jerked open.
“What?” Lana said rudely.
“First of all, drop the attitude,” Robin advised, as she brushed past her daughter, settling herself in Lana’s desk chair.
Lana flopped down on her bed, sulky expression firmly in place. “Fine.”
It wasn’t really any better, but Robin decided to let it pass for the moment. “We need to talk about what happened at the mall.”
“Why?” Lana demanded. “You want me to look like a baby so that no boy will ever notice me. I get it.”
“You really don’t,” Robin muttered under her breath. She shook her head. Lowering herself to Lana’s current frame of mind wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “Just because I didn’t like the clothes you picked out doesn’t mean I want you to look like a baby.”
“Oh yeah?” Lana challenged.
“Yeah. And if you don’t dial the self righteous indignation back a few notches, I’m not going to offer the compromise that I came up with.”
Lana tried not to look interested. “What compromise?”
“We’ll get to that. But first I need you to understand that I’m not trying to make your life miserable and I’m not trying to punish you by not letting you wear those clothes. They’re too old for you, and I hope when you’d be old enough to wear them you’ll have realized you don’t need to exploit yourself like that just to get boys to like you.”
“But all my friends get to wear clothes like that!” Lana protested, sitting up straighter.
Robin gave her a level stare. “Does Molly dress like that? Or Kristina?”
“Well, no, but Alexis is really strict, and -”
“Ah, but I thought you said all your friends dress like that.”
Lana frowned. “I hate when you do that.”
“Yeah, well I hate when you act like this, so we’re even.” She took a risk and came to sit next to Lana on the bed, stroking her hand over her long, dark hair. “You’re such a beautiful girl, sweetheart. Believe me, you don’t need to dress like that to get boys to notice you. And the boys who would only notice you because of clothes like that aren’t the ones you want to notice you anyway.”
Lana leaned her head into Robin’s side, and Robin kept stroking her hair gently. They sat in silence for a few moments, letting the quiet wash over them and their fight.
“So do you want to hear my suggestion?” Robin said finally.
“Okay,” Lana said warily.
“We’ll go on another shopping trip, only this time we’ll bring Maxie with. I’m sure with her help we’ll be able to come up with some outfits that are a mixture of what we both want and will be something we both can live with.”
Lana sat straight up. “Really?”
Robin nodded. “Really.”
Lana flung her arms around Robin’s neck. “That’s awesome, Mom!”
Robin laughed and hugged her back. “I’m glad you like the idea.”
Lana pulled back a wide smile on her face. “I’m sorry I was such a brat. You didn’t deserve it.”
“Apology accepted.” Robin stood. “Now, why don’t we go see what your dad and brother want to do for dinner.”
Lana scrambled to her feet. “Okay.” She reached out to hug Robin again. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.”
With a last grin, Lana ran out of the room and down the stairs.
Robin laughed, and followed at a more sedate pace.
Crisis averted. This time at least.
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 28 - Slamming Doors
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. All original characters do.
Lana burst in through the front door and ran up the stairs.
Patrick and Matt looked up from the racetrack they were playing with as she ran by, confusion on their faces.
Robin followed closely at her daughter's heels. "Alanna Mackenzie Drake, we are not done!"
Her answer was the distinct sound of a door being slammed shut.
Patrick looked at his wife with an eyebrow raised. "Problem?"
"Is Lana in trouble?" Matt demanded to know, an eager expression on his face.
Robin sighed and scrubbed her hands across her face. "Yes. And no."
"Which order were you answering those questions in?" Patrick asked, patting the spot next to him on the couch. "Come sit down."
Robin crossed the room and dropped down next to him, running a hand across Matt's hair. "Matt, why don't you go play your race car video game for awhile?"
His face lit up. "Really? Cool!" He scrambled to his feet and then frowned. "Wait, am I being sent away? Is Lana in trouble?"
Robin tweaked his nose. "Scram. Or I'll tell you to go do your homework instead."
Matt ran out of the room immediately.
Patrick draped an arm around Robin's shoulders. "Well that was effective."
"A combination of blackmail and bribery usually is." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Too bad it doesn't work on teenagers."
"Ah. So what happened with our darling daughter?"
"She turned into a teenager," Robin said with disgust, lip sliding out in a good imitation of Lana's pout. "I want my daughter back."
Patrick couldn't quite smother his laugh.
Robin raised her head and looked at him sharply through narrowed eyes. "Think it's funny, do you? Well you won't when I tell you what we were fighting about."
He sobered at that. "Is there a boy involved?" he demanded. "I'll kill whoever it is, I will."
Now Robin laughed. "Patrick, unless you're going to kill someone with a log, you'd best leave that to me." She patted him on the cheek. "We all have our little talents."
"True," he conceded. "And the fact that you can kill someone with your bare hands is seriously hot." He grabbed her by the waist and dragged her into his lap. He sealed his lips to hers for a heated kiss.
She let herself be dragged under for one heady moment before she pulled back. "We can't do this here," she said, batting his hands away as he tried to pull her back.
"Sure we can," he said, pressing kisses to her neck instead.
"Patrick," she moaned. "Do you want to do this or do you want to talk about what's wrong with Lana?"
"I sense I don't have a choice in the matter," he muttered. He sat back, but held her on his lap. "What's wrong with Lana?"
"She wants to dress like a cheap tart, that's what's wrong!" Robin exclaimed.
His eyes narrowed. "Define cheap tart."
She rolled her eyes at him. "What do you think it means? Mini-skirts, too tight jeans, shirts that are way too low cut..."
"I assume you didn't let her buy anything."
"Do I look stupid?" she demanded. "Of course not. And she practically threw a temper tantrum in the store. I haven't seen her do that since she was two."
"What does she want with clothes like that anyway?" he asked curiously. "She wears a uniform to school. It's not like she'd get much use out of them."
"Ah, but she would. Or so she thinks."
Patrick stared at her blankly.
"Don't you remember being a teenager? Group movie dates, boy-girl parties, pretending she's going out with her girlfriends but meeting up with a group of boys. That's where she wants to wear those clothes."
"She wouldn't be leaving the house dressed like that," he said matter-of-factly.
Robin raised an eyebrow. "You really don't know the first thing about teenage girls do you?"
He shrugged. "I knew how to talk them into the backseats of cars, but I don't really think that's what you mean."
"She'd sneak them out of the house, Patrick. Stick them in her purse and then change somewhere else."
His jaw dropped. "She's never leaving the house again," he decreed. "Never."
"Patrick..." Robin sighed. "That won't solve anything."
"How about a convent, then?"
"Patrick!"
He pouted. "I like my ideas."
She stroked his cheek. "I know you do."
"Well, what are you suggesting?"
"I was thinking about seeing if Maxie couldn't work a shopping trip into her schedule."
"You want to reward her? Or is that a punishment?"
She elbowed him. "Very funny."
"Explain how more shopping will solve the problem."
"Lana idealizes Maxie, she thinks, no knows, that Maxie knows what she's talking about when it comes to fashion. And Maxie could steer her towards clothes that are still cool, but not so tarty."
Patrick cocked his head, considering. A slow grin appeared on his face. "That's kind of brilliant."
"Yes, I know," Robin preened.
"She says modestly," he laughed, giving her a quick kiss. He smacked her on the butt and pushed her to her feet. "Now if you're so smart, go play Lana."
"Coward," she accused, scowling at him.
"Damn straight." He stood. "I'm going to go check on the one that thankfully isn't a moody adolescent."
"Fine." She walked to the foot of the stairs before turning to call after him. "And Patrick?"
He paused in the hallway and turned to look at her. "Yes?"
She flashed him a brilliant smile. "If I don't make it out alive, remember I've always loved you!"
She ran up the stairs to face her daughter.
She thought she'd rather face down one of her parents crazy enemies.
She paused outside Lana's shut door and knocked.
"Go away!" was the answer through the door.
She knocked again. "Lana, we're going to talk one way or another." She pressed her ear to the door to listen for signs of what was going on inside.
Heavy footsteps clomped across the floor from behind the door.
Robin just had time to pull her ear back from the door before it was abruptly jerked open.
“What?” Lana said rudely.
“First of all, drop the attitude,” Robin advised, as she brushed past her daughter, settling herself in Lana’s desk chair.
Lana flopped down on her bed, sulky expression firmly in place. “Fine.”
It wasn’t really any better, but Robin decided to let it pass for the moment. “We need to talk about what happened at the mall.”
“Why?” Lana demanded. “You want me to look like a baby so that no boy will ever notice me. I get it.”
“You really don’t,” Robin muttered under her breath. She shook her head. Lowering herself to Lana’s current frame of mind wasn’t going to get them anywhere. “Just because I didn’t like the clothes you picked out doesn’t mean I want you to look like a baby.”
“Oh yeah?” Lana challenged.
“Yeah. And if you don’t dial the self righteous indignation back a few notches, I’m not going to offer the compromise that I came up with.”
Lana tried not to look interested. “What compromise?”
“We’ll get to that. But first I need you to understand that I’m not trying to make your life miserable and I’m not trying to punish you by not letting you wear those clothes. They’re too old for you, and I hope when you’d be old enough to wear them you’ll have realized you don’t need to exploit yourself like that just to get boys to like you.”
“But all my friends get to wear clothes like that!” Lana protested, sitting up straighter.
Robin gave her a level stare. “Does Molly dress like that? Or Kristina?”
“Well, no, but Alexis is really strict, and -”
“Ah, but I thought you said all your friends dress like that.”
Lana frowned. “I hate when you do that.”
“Yeah, well I hate when you act like this, so we’re even.” She took a risk and came to sit next to Lana on the bed, stroking her hand over her long, dark hair. “You’re such a beautiful girl, sweetheart. Believe me, you don’t need to dress like that to get boys to notice you. And the boys who would only notice you because of clothes like that aren’t the ones you want to notice you anyway.”
Lana leaned her head into Robin’s side, and Robin kept stroking her hair gently. They sat in silence for a few moments, letting the quiet wash over them and their fight.
“So do you want to hear my suggestion?” Robin said finally.
“Okay,” Lana said warily.
“We’ll go on another shopping trip, only this time we’ll bring Maxie with. I’m sure with her help we’ll be able to come up with some outfits that are a mixture of what we both want and will be something we both can live with.”
Lana sat straight up. “Really?”
Robin nodded. “Really.”
Lana flung her arms around Robin’s neck. “That’s awesome, Mom!”
Robin laughed and hugged her back. “I’m glad you like the idea.”
Lana pulled back a wide smile on her face. “I’m sorry I was such a brat. You didn’t deserve it.”
“Apology accepted.” Robin stood. “Now, why don’t we go see what your dad and brother want to do for dinner.”
Lana scrambled to her feet. “Okay.” She reached out to hug Robin again. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you, too.”
With a last grin, Lana ran out of the room and down the stairs.
Robin laughed, and followed at a more sedate pace.
Crisis averted. This time at least.