fic: gracie girl (ghtng, lana/jake, robin/patrick)
Title: Gracie Girl
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 18 - Nightmares
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. Any original characters do.
There will always be a part of me
Nobody else is ever gonna see
But you and me
A little girl
My Gracie girl
~ Ben Folds, Gracie
Patrick figured there was no greater punishment for his womanizing past than having a daughter.
A daughter that was the spitting image of his wife, that was feisty and intelligent and beautiful, and that had wrapped her tiny fist around his heart since the moment he'd seen her and never let go. He loved both of his children as equally as he could, but he couldn't really deny to himself that Lana was his favorite. As she'd grown up, he'd wanted to freeze time and keep her his little girl, to keep her safe from the world, from men like he'd been. When she'd asked for permission to date Jake Spencer, he'd known then that the boy would take his little girl away. He'd always known it, really, since they were just kids, he'd always had his suspicions about that boy.
And now that boy was standing in front of him, holding his daughter's hand, telling him and Robin that he would be taking Lana away from them forever.
It was every father's worst nightmare come to life.
He knew, intellectually, that it had only been a matter of time. They'd been dating for over three years this time around, and it was more than obvious that the boy wasn't going to be stupid enough to screw it up again. He only had to watch Jake watching Lana to see that the boy was blindly in love with her.
Patrick was a man that loved his wife more than he'd thought was ever possible. He recognized it in other men when he saw it.
And Jake had mostly made up for breaking his daughter's heart. Not completely, of course. Patrick would never forget the sight of Lana's tear stricken face after it happened. He wasn't sure if anything had ever hurt him so much before or since. She had been in so much pain and he was completely helpless to do anything for her.
But that didn't mean that he was okay with this. Not at all.
"Daddy?"
He heard Lana speaking to him, anxiety laced through her voice, and he shook his head to regain his focus. He tried to smile at her as best he could. "Yes, sweetheart?"
She bit her lip. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Hope shone on her face, and her eyes were bright with happiness, though he could see the faintest hint of worry buried in their depths.
This wasn't about him. It was about his beautiful, grown up, daughter, and he had no business making this about him.
He stood from his seat on the couch and stepped forward to envelop Lana in his arms, holding her tight against his chest. He bent his head to whisper in her ear. "I'm so happy for you, sweetie. So happy."
She sighed (with relief, he was sure), and he felt the front of his shirt dampen from her tears. "Thank you, Dad."
He kissed the top of her head and stepped back. "How could I be anything but happy for you?" When he smiled at her this time, it was genuine.
She beamed back at him.
He extended his hand to Jake, who took it with palpable relief written on his face. "Congratulations, Jake. I hope you know how lucky you are."
Jake's head bobbed up and down. "Yes, sir. I do."
"Good, because-"
His threat was cut off by Robin elbowing him in the side.
"Now isn't the time for threats, Patrick," she chided.
"I think it's the perfect time," he muttered under his breath, watching Robin reach out to hug Lana, then Jake in turn.
"Have you told your parents yet?" Robin asked Jake, slipping her arm through Patrick's, stroking along his forearm reassuringly.
Jake shook his head. "No, we wanted to tell you first."
"I wanted to tell you first," Lana corrected, smirking at Jake. "Jake feared telling you."
Patrick's face brightened considerably. "Really?"
Lana nodded. "Really, but Dad, I think he's more afraid of Mom than he is of you."
Jake scowled at Lana. "It's not too late for me to take that ring back, you know."
Robin stretched up on her toes to whisper in Patrick's ear. "Do they remind you of anyone?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he deflected. But he did. Watching the two of them was like looking in a mirror sometimes, to what he and Robin might have been if they'd grown up together, if they'd fallen in love first.
Then again, if that had happened, he might not be standing here with Robin now, looking at his beautiful, grown up daughter, seeing her smile at her fiance with love written all over her face.
He reached for Robin's hand, running his thumb across her wedding ring. "You should go tell your parents," he said abruptly. "And then we should all celebrate."
"Really?" Lana asked with surprise.
He nodded. "Really."
"I think it's an excellent idea," Robin said, squeezing his hand in approval. "I'll call and make us reservations at the Lady Jane, how about that?"
"That sounds great!" Lana said brightly. She elbowed Jake in the side. "Doesn't it?"
"It does, thank you." He looked down at Lana. "We should probably go, though, if we're going to go see both my dad and my mom."
She nodded. "You're right." She stepped forward to hug Robin. "Thanks, Mom."
Robin hugged her back, stroking her hair. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart."
Lana sniffled and then turned to Patrick. "Dad..."
Patrick didn't say anything, but tugged her to him, hugging her tightly. "You're still my little girl, you know," he said gruffly into her hair. "This doesn't change that."
She tilted her head back, eyes damp with tears but serious. "Nothing could." She stretched up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you, too." He released her with a sigh, shaking Jake's hand another time. "Congratulations, again."
"I'm going to make her happy," Jake said simply. He took Lana's hand and squeezed. "I promise."
"And on that note, we should go." Lana tugged Jake towards the door. "I'll call you later to get the details, okay, Mom?"
Robin nodded. "And tell Maxie and Elizabeth to give me a call."
"Will do. Bye!"
Jake and Lana sailed through the door and it fell shut behind them.
Patrick sank down onto the couch, suddenly exhausted. "Lana's getting married," he said slowly, disbelief heavy in each word. "Wasn't she five yesterday?"
Robin laughed and sank down onto his lap. His arms came round her automatically, holding her close.
"It doesn't seem like she's old enough to be crossing the street by herself, let alone getting married," she agreed. "But it's not like this is a surprise. She's had that boy picked out for her whole life. And what Lana wants Lana gets."
"I wonder where she gets that from," he said dryly.
Robin twisted her neck to look down at him, narrowing her eyes. "Watch it, mister, or I won't feel sorry for you anymore."
"Okay, okay." He patted Robin's butt. "Aren't you supposed to be making reservations?"
"Ah, so you want to sulk in private." She slid off his lap. "I see how it is. I'll leave you alone to your memories." She bent down to press a gentle kiss to his lips, before starting for the kitchen. She paused in the doorway. "Patrick?"
He looked over at her. "Yes?"
She smiled. "She really always will be your little girl." She disappeared into the next room.
He smiled at her retreating back. Somehow she always knew what he need to hear most when he needed to hear it. Falling in love with her might have been the smartest thing he'd ever done, not that he'd had a choice in the matter. From the day that they'd met, Robin had changed his life. Made his life. Given him his life.
Given him his family.
If Lana turned out to be half the influence on Jake's life that Robin had been on his, Patrick reflected, Jake might be the second luckiest man in the world.
Because without question, Patrick knew the luckiest was him.
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 18 - Nightmares
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. Any original characters do.
There will always be a part of me
Nobody else is ever gonna see
But you and me
A little girl
My Gracie girl
~ Ben Folds, Gracie
Patrick figured there was no greater punishment for his womanizing past than having a daughter.
A daughter that was the spitting image of his wife, that was feisty and intelligent and beautiful, and that had wrapped her tiny fist around his heart since the moment he'd seen her and never let go. He loved both of his children as equally as he could, but he couldn't really deny to himself that Lana was his favorite. As she'd grown up, he'd wanted to freeze time and keep her his little girl, to keep her safe from the world, from men like he'd been. When she'd asked for permission to date Jake Spencer, he'd known then that the boy would take his little girl away. He'd always known it, really, since they were just kids, he'd always had his suspicions about that boy.
And now that boy was standing in front of him, holding his daughter's hand, telling him and Robin that he would be taking Lana away from them forever.
It was every father's worst nightmare come to life.
He knew, intellectually, that it had only been a matter of time. They'd been dating for over three years this time around, and it was more than obvious that the boy wasn't going to be stupid enough to screw it up again. He only had to watch Jake watching Lana to see that the boy was blindly in love with her.
Patrick was a man that loved his wife more than he'd thought was ever possible. He recognized it in other men when he saw it.
And Jake had mostly made up for breaking his daughter's heart. Not completely, of course. Patrick would never forget the sight of Lana's tear stricken face after it happened. He wasn't sure if anything had ever hurt him so much before or since. She had been in so much pain and he was completely helpless to do anything for her.
But that didn't mean that he was okay with this. Not at all.
"Daddy?"
He heard Lana speaking to him, anxiety laced through her voice, and he shook his head to regain his focus. He tried to smile at her as best he could. "Yes, sweetheart?"
She bit her lip. "Aren't you going to say anything?" Hope shone on her face, and her eyes were bright with happiness, though he could see the faintest hint of worry buried in their depths.
This wasn't about him. It was about his beautiful, grown up, daughter, and he had no business making this about him.
He stood from his seat on the couch and stepped forward to envelop Lana in his arms, holding her tight against his chest. He bent his head to whisper in her ear. "I'm so happy for you, sweetie. So happy."
She sighed (with relief, he was sure), and he felt the front of his shirt dampen from her tears. "Thank you, Dad."
He kissed the top of her head and stepped back. "How could I be anything but happy for you?" When he smiled at her this time, it was genuine.
She beamed back at him.
He extended his hand to Jake, who took it with palpable relief written on his face. "Congratulations, Jake. I hope you know how lucky you are."
Jake's head bobbed up and down. "Yes, sir. I do."
"Good, because-"
His threat was cut off by Robin elbowing him in the side.
"Now isn't the time for threats, Patrick," she chided.
"I think it's the perfect time," he muttered under his breath, watching Robin reach out to hug Lana, then Jake in turn.
"Have you told your parents yet?" Robin asked Jake, slipping her arm through Patrick's, stroking along his forearm reassuringly.
Jake shook his head. "No, we wanted to tell you first."
"I wanted to tell you first," Lana corrected, smirking at Jake. "Jake feared telling you."
Patrick's face brightened considerably. "Really?"
Lana nodded. "Really, but Dad, I think he's more afraid of Mom than he is of you."
Jake scowled at Lana. "It's not too late for me to take that ring back, you know."
Robin stretched up on her toes to whisper in Patrick's ear. "Do they remind you of anyone?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about," he deflected. But he did. Watching the two of them was like looking in a mirror sometimes, to what he and Robin might have been if they'd grown up together, if they'd fallen in love first.
Then again, if that had happened, he might not be standing here with Robin now, looking at his beautiful, grown up daughter, seeing her smile at her fiance with love written all over her face.
He reached for Robin's hand, running his thumb across her wedding ring. "You should go tell your parents," he said abruptly. "And then we should all celebrate."
"Really?" Lana asked with surprise.
He nodded. "Really."
"I think it's an excellent idea," Robin said, squeezing his hand in approval. "I'll call and make us reservations at the Lady Jane, how about that?"
"That sounds great!" Lana said brightly. She elbowed Jake in the side. "Doesn't it?"
"It does, thank you." He looked down at Lana. "We should probably go, though, if we're going to go see both my dad and my mom."
She nodded. "You're right." She stepped forward to hug Robin. "Thanks, Mom."
Robin hugged her back, stroking her hair. "I'm so happy for you, sweetheart."
Lana sniffled and then turned to Patrick. "Dad..."
Patrick didn't say anything, but tugged her to him, hugging her tightly. "You're still my little girl, you know," he said gruffly into her hair. "This doesn't change that."
She tilted her head back, eyes damp with tears but serious. "Nothing could." She stretched up on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Dad."
"I love you, too." He released her with a sigh, shaking Jake's hand another time. "Congratulations, again."
"I'm going to make her happy," Jake said simply. He took Lana's hand and squeezed. "I promise."
"And on that note, we should go." Lana tugged Jake towards the door. "I'll call you later to get the details, okay, Mom?"
Robin nodded. "And tell Maxie and Elizabeth to give me a call."
"Will do. Bye!"
Jake and Lana sailed through the door and it fell shut behind them.
Patrick sank down onto the couch, suddenly exhausted. "Lana's getting married," he said slowly, disbelief heavy in each word. "Wasn't she five yesterday?"
Robin laughed and sank down onto his lap. His arms came round her automatically, holding her close.
"It doesn't seem like she's old enough to be crossing the street by herself, let alone getting married," she agreed. "But it's not like this is a surprise. She's had that boy picked out for her whole life. And what Lana wants Lana gets."
"I wonder where she gets that from," he said dryly.
Robin twisted her neck to look down at him, narrowing her eyes. "Watch it, mister, or I won't feel sorry for you anymore."
"Okay, okay." He patted Robin's butt. "Aren't you supposed to be making reservations?"
"Ah, so you want to sulk in private." She slid off his lap. "I see how it is. I'll leave you alone to your memories." She bent down to press a gentle kiss to his lips, before starting for the kitchen. She paused in the doorway. "Patrick?"
He looked over at her. "Yes?"
She smiled. "She really always will be your little girl." She disappeared into the next room.
He smiled at her retreating back. Somehow she always knew what he need to hear most when he needed to hear it. Falling in love with her might have been the smartest thing he'd ever done, not that he'd had a choice in the matter. From the day that they'd met, Robin had changed his life. Made his life. Given him his life.
Given him his family.
If Lana turned out to be half the influence on Jake's life that Robin had been on his, Patrick reflected, Jake might be the second luckiest man in the world.
Because without question, Patrick knew the luckiest was him.