Ficlet: Near You Always (GH, Robin/Patrick, Noah, Lana Verse)
Title: Near You Always
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 68 - Pieces of You
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana, Noah
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 532
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lana!AU.
Summary: “You and Daddy get sad sometimes when you talk about her.”
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
Noah sat on Robin and Patrick’s deck, sipping iced tea and just enjoying the peace of the late summer evening.
From behind him, the door slid open and he turned his head slightly to see who was coming out. At the sight of his granddaughter, freshly scrubbed from her bath, dressed in her purple shorts pajamas, and clutching a large book, he smiled broadly. She padded up to his chair and wordlessly climbed into his lap, cuddling against his chest.
Grandfather and granddaughter enjoyed the silence together till Noah’s curiosity got the better of him, and he tugged the book from Lana’s arms.
“What have you got there?” he asked, prying the book open. To his surprise, rather than the bedtime stories he’d imagined, he found pictures. He flipped through a few pages and saw pictures of Robin and Patrick’s childhoods, primarily them with their parents. Noah smiled wistfully at a picture of Patrick, Mattie, and himself on a long ago Christmas morning.
“It’s a book of my family,” Lana explained. “Since Nana and Grandpa Robert are gone so much, this way I can always see them.”
“Who thought of that?” Noah flipped idly through the pages, laughing when he saw one of Patrick at about a year old, clad only in his diaper and smiling like the camera ham he’d always been. He looked down at Lana waiting for his answer.
“My mom.” Lana looked up at Noah shyly. “Grandpa?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
Lana took a deep breath and carefully asked, “Will you look at the pictures of Grandma Mattie with me? And tell me about her?”
Noah sat back, surprised by her request. “Of course I will sweetheart. Anytime you want. But why did you sound like you were scared to ask?”
“You and Daddy get sad sometimes when you talk about her,” Lana explained. “I don’t like it when you’re sad.”
“Oh, Lana.” Noah pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly. “You remind me so much of your grandmother sometimes, you know that?”
“Really?” Lana looked wistful. “I wish I could have met her.”
“I wish that too.” Noah smiled sadly. Wanting to lighten the mood, he turned to a page at random and found a picture of Patrick and Mattie wearing mouse ears and matching dimpled grins, in front of the castle at Disney World. He pointed to the picture and said, “See this one? This is from our first family trip to Disney World. Your grandmother and dad are smiling so much because they’re laughing at me.”
“Why are they laughing at you, Grandpa?” Lana interjected, settling herself more comfortably against Noah’s chest.
“Because I spent most of the day trying not to throw up on the rides,” Noah said dryly.
Lana burst into giggles, and Noah continued his story.
As the sun started to go down, Noah continued to tell Lana stories as she listened with rapt fascination. Only Patrick coming out to remind them about bedtime interrupted the reminiscing.
That night, Lana insisted on taking her book to bed with her and as her father, mother, and grandfather all helped to tuck her in, she smiled contentedly.
She finally had her whole family with her.
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 68 - Pieces of You
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana, Noah
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Word Count: 532
Spoilers/Warnings: Part of the Lana!AU.
Summary: “You and Daddy get sad sometimes when you talk about her.”
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus.
Noah sat on Robin and Patrick’s deck, sipping iced tea and just enjoying the peace of the late summer evening.
From behind him, the door slid open and he turned his head slightly to see who was coming out. At the sight of his granddaughter, freshly scrubbed from her bath, dressed in her purple shorts pajamas, and clutching a large book, he smiled broadly. She padded up to his chair and wordlessly climbed into his lap, cuddling against his chest.
Grandfather and granddaughter enjoyed the silence together till Noah’s curiosity got the better of him, and he tugged the book from Lana’s arms.
“What have you got there?” he asked, prying the book open. To his surprise, rather than the bedtime stories he’d imagined, he found pictures. He flipped through a few pages and saw pictures of Robin and Patrick’s childhoods, primarily them with their parents. Noah smiled wistfully at a picture of Patrick, Mattie, and himself on a long ago Christmas morning.
“It’s a book of my family,” Lana explained. “Since Nana and Grandpa Robert are gone so much, this way I can always see them.”
“Who thought of that?” Noah flipped idly through the pages, laughing when he saw one of Patrick at about a year old, clad only in his diaper and smiling like the camera ham he’d always been. He looked down at Lana waiting for his answer.
“My mom.” Lana looked up at Noah shyly. “Grandpa?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
Lana took a deep breath and carefully asked, “Will you look at the pictures of Grandma Mattie with me? And tell me about her?”
Noah sat back, surprised by her request. “Of course I will sweetheart. Anytime you want. But why did you sound like you were scared to ask?”
“You and Daddy get sad sometimes when you talk about her,” Lana explained. “I don’t like it when you’re sad.”
“Oh, Lana.” Noah pulled her into his chest, hugging her tightly. “You remind me so much of your grandmother sometimes, you know that?”
“Really?” Lana looked wistful. “I wish I could have met her.”
“I wish that too.” Noah smiled sadly. Wanting to lighten the mood, he turned to a page at random and found a picture of Patrick and Mattie wearing mouse ears and matching dimpled grins, in front of the castle at Disney World. He pointed to the picture and said, “See this one? This is from our first family trip to Disney World. Your grandmother and dad are smiling so much because they’re laughing at me.”
“Why are they laughing at you, Grandpa?” Lana interjected, settling herself more comfortably against Noah’s chest.
“Because I spent most of the day trying not to throw up on the rides,” Noah said dryly.
Lana burst into giggles, and Noah continued his story.
As the sun started to go down, Noah continued to tell Lana stories as she listened with rapt fascination. Only Patrick coming out to remind them about bedtime interrupted the reminiscing.
That night, Lana insisted on taking her book to bed with her and as her father, mother, and grandfather all helped to tuck her in, she smiled contentedly.
She finally had her whole family with her.