Ficlet: Santa Claus is Coming to Town (GH, Robin/Patrick, Lana Verse)
Title: Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 26 - Presents
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Patrick and Robin aren't mine. Believe me, I wouldn't write their current story.
Word Count: 948
Spoilers/Warnings: It's all AU.
Summary: She made it a whopping 45 minutes longer than last year. Be grateful.
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus. Yes, it's two days before the fourth of July and I'm posting Christmas fic. I'm weird, I know. For florashaw on the occasion of her birthday.
It was still dark out when Lana threw herself onto her parents’ bed.
“Mommy, Daddy, is it time to open presents now?” She whispered excitedly. Neither Robin nor Patrick responded. Lana frowned, and reached up to shake their shoulders. Louder, she repeated, “Is it time to open presents now?”
This time, Patrick responded with a groan. He rolled over and cracked an eye open, finding his daughter’s excited face starting at him expectantly. “Lana, what time is it?” Patrick mumbled drowsily.
She leaned over him to look at the alarm clock on the night stand. “There’s a five, a one, and a two.” Not deterred, she asked again, “Can we open presents now?”
Patrick managed to open his other eye. “Didn’t we say you had to wait till six to open presents?”
Lana shrugged. “I can’t tell time yet. How am I supposed to know when it’s six?”
“I knew we forgot something,” Patrick muttered. He nudged Lana in Robin’s direction. “Wake your Mom up, and then yeah. We can open presents.”
As Lana crawled across the bed to Robin, Patrick pushed himself upright to a sitting position. He watched with amusement as Lana tried to shake Robin awake. When she didn’t get a response, he whispered conspiratorially to his daughter, “Here let me try.” Patrick reached under the covers to run his fingers lightly across the side of Robin’s stomach, which was easily the most ticklish place on her body.
Robin instantly shot up and swung her arm out, smacking Patrick in the chest. After hearing the sound of her hand making contact, her eyes finally opened. As she looked back and forth between Lana’s laughing face and Patrick’s pouting one, she sighed and asked, “What time is it?”
Still rubbing his chest, Patrick answered, “5:15. She made it a whopping 45 minutes longer than last year. Be grateful.”
Robin rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned widely. “Thank heaven for small miracles.” She looked down at Lana, who wore a wide smile. “You want to go open presents.”
Lana bounced up and down on her knees. “Please, please, please?”
Robin cracked a smile at her daughters enthusiasm. “I suppose, since you asked so nicely.”
Patrick scooped Lana up and set her down on the floor. “Go on, we’ll be right behind you.” Lana raced from the room, and Patrick called after her, “Don’t touch anything till we get downstairs!” Patrick looked over at Robin. “Merry Christmas.”
“I think you said that when we went to bed, since it was already Christmas,” Robin said dryly. She smiled. “Merry Christmas.” She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Patrick’s lips. As she drew back, she sighed and said, “I suppose we should get down there before she gives into temptation and opens everything in sight.”
Patrick pushed back the blankets and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching. “As usual, you’re probably right.”
In the process of doing the same, Robin paused. “Excuse me, could you repeat that? I think I was hearing things.”
“Nope. You snooze, you lose.” Patrick walked around the bed and pulled Robin to her feet.
Robin pouted, an expression that more commonly could be found on their five year olds face. “Please?”
Patrick laughed. “You should ask Lana for lessons on how to use the lip more effectively,” he teased gently. When Robin just stuck her lip out further in response, Patrick laughed again and reached down to hoist her over his shoulder, and started walking out of the bedroom.
“Hey!” Robin exclaimed, beating him on the shoulders with her hands. “Put me down!”
“Nope. Time to open presents.” Patrick walked down the stairs to the living room, where he found Lana sitting cross-legged in front of the Christmas tree, eagerly staring at the pile of presents underneath. At the sound of foot steps, she turned her head slightly.
“Daddy, why are you carrying Mommy?” She asked, a puzzled tone in her voice.
Patrick dropped Robin unceremoniously on the couch. “She didn’t want to get out of bed,” he explained. “Now, I’m going to go start the coffee, so your mother doesn’t kill me. Don’t touch anything till I get back,” he ordered, as he backed into the kitchen.
Robin righted herself on the couch, and patted the cushion next to her. “Come here, sweetie. Let’s remove you from temptation.”
Lana scampered up onto the couch next to Robin, cuddling into her side. “Mommy, what’s taking Daddy so long?”
“He was starting hot water for you to have hot chocolate, as well as the coffee,” Patrick said, as he reentered the living room, carrying a plate of gingersnaps. At Robin’s questioning look, he shrugged. “It’s Christmas. We’ll feed her real food later and I’m hungry.” He set them down on the coffee table and seated himself next to Robin and Lana. “Well, kiddo, you ready to dig in?”
Lana nodded eagerly.
“Stocking first,” Robin reminded. “And bring your father and I ours too, please.”
As Lana scrambled down from the couch and ran across the living room to grab the stockings from the edge of the fireplace, Patrick slid across the couch to wrap his arm around Robin’s shoulders. She lifted her face and he leaned down to press a kiss to her waiting lips.
The sensation of stockings being dumped in their laps pulled them apart, and Robin and Patrick turned their attention back to Lana, who was practically vibrating with excitement.
“On the count of three, alright?” Patrick said. “Three, two, one…”
The Drake family tore into their stockings in unison, and the snow started to fall gently outside.
It was a perfect Christmas morning.
Author: empressearwig
Prompt: 26 - Presents
Pairing/Character(s): Robin/Patrick, Lana
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Patrick and Robin aren't mine. Believe me, I wouldn't write their current story.
Word Count: 948
Spoilers/Warnings: It's all AU.
Summary: She made it a whopping 45 minutes longer than last year. Be grateful.
Author's Notes: Written for theechochorus. Yes, it's two days before the fourth of July and I'm posting Christmas fic. I'm weird, I know. For florashaw on the occasion of her birthday.
It was still dark out when Lana threw herself onto her parents’ bed.
“Mommy, Daddy, is it time to open presents now?” She whispered excitedly. Neither Robin nor Patrick responded. Lana frowned, and reached up to shake their shoulders. Louder, she repeated, “Is it time to open presents now?”
This time, Patrick responded with a groan. He rolled over and cracked an eye open, finding his daughter’s excited face starting at him expectantly. “Lana, what time is it?” Patrick mumbled drowsily.
She leaned over him to look at the alarm clock on the night stand. “There’s a five, a one, and a two.” Not deterred, she asked again, “Can we open presents now?”
Patrick managed to open his other eye. “Didn’t we say you had to wait till six to open presents?”
Lana shrugged. “I can’t tell time yet. How am I supposed to know when it’s six?”
“I knew we forgot something,” Patrick muttered. He nudged Lana in Robin’s direction. “Wake your Mom up, and then yeah. We can open presents.”
As Lana crawled across the bed to Robin, Patrick pushed himself upright to a sitting position. He watched with amusement as Lana tried to shake Robin awake. When she didn’t get a response, he whispered conspiratorially to his daughter, “Here let me try.” Patrick reached under the covers to run his fingers lightly across the side of Robin’s stomach, which was easily the most ticklish place on her body.
Robin instantly shot up and swung her arm out, smacking Patrick in the chest. After hearing the sound of her hand making contact, her eyes finally opened. As she looked back and forth between Lana’s laughing face and Patrick’s pouting one, she sighed and asked, “What time is it?”
Still rubbing his chest, Patrick answered, “5:15. She made it a whopping 45 minutes longer than last year. Be grateful.”
Robin rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and yawned widely. “Thank heaven for small miracles.” She looked down at Lana, who wore a wide smile. “You want to go open presents.”
Lana bounced up and down on her knees. “Please, please, please?”
Robin cracked a smile at her daughters enthusiasm. “I suppose, since you asked so nicely.”
Patrick scooped Lana up and set her down on the floor. “Go on, we’ll be right behind you.” Lana raced from the room, and Patrick called after her, “Don’t touch anything till we get downstairs!” Patrick looked over at Robin. “Merry Christmas.”
“I think you said that when we went to bed, since it was already Christmas,” Robin said dryly. She smiled. “Merry Christmas.” She leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to Patrick’s lips. As she drew back, she sighed and said, “I suppose we should get down there before she gives into temptation and opens everything in sight.”
Patrick pushed back the blankets and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, stretching. “As usual, you’re probably right.”
In the process of doing the same, Robin paused. “Excuse me, could you repeat that? I think I was hearing things.”
“Nope. You snooze, you lose.” Patrick walked around the bed and pulled Robin to her feet.
Robin pouted, an expression that more commonly could be found on their five year olds face. “Please?”
Patrick laughed. “You should ask Lana for lessons on how to use the lip more effectively,” he teased gently. When Robin just stuck her lip out further in response, Patrick laughed again and reached down to hoist her over his shoulder, and started walking out of the bedroom.
“Hey!” Robin exclaimed, beating him on the shoulders with her hands. “Put me down!”
“Nope. Time to open presents.” Patrick walked down the stairs to the living room, where he found Lana sitting cross-legged in front of the Christmas tree, eagerly staring at the pile of presents underneath. At the sound of foot steps, she turned her head slightly.
“Daddy, why are you carrying Mommy?” She asked, a puzzled tone in her voice.
Patrick dropped Robin unceremoniously on the couch. “She didn’t want to get out of bed,” he explained. “Now, I’m going to go start the coffee, so your mother doesn’t kill me. Don’t touch anything till I get back,” he ordered, as he backed into the kitchen.
Robin righted herself on the couch, and patted the cushion next to her. “Come here, sweetie. Let’s remove you from temptation.”
Lana scampered up onto the couch next to Robin, cuddling into her side. “Mommy, what’s taking Daddy so long?”
“He was starting hot water for you to have hot chocolate, as well as the coffee,” Patrick said, as he reentered the living room, carrying a plate of gingersnaps. At Robin’s questioning look, he shrugged. “It’s Christmas. We’ll feed her real food later and I’m hungry.” He set them down on the coffee table and seated himself next to Robin and Lana. “Well, kiddo, you ready to dig in?”
Lana nodded eagerly.
“Stocking first,” Robin reminded. “And bring your father and I ours too, please.”
As Lana scrambled down from the couch and ran across the living room to grab the stockings from the edge of the fireplace, Patrick slid across the couch to wrap his arm around Robin’s shoulders. She lifted her face and he leaned down to press a kiss to her waiting lips.
The sensation of stockings being dumped in their laps pulled them apart, and Robin and Patrick turned their attention back to Lana, who was practically vibrating with excitement.
“On the count of three, alright?” Patrick said. “Three, two, one…”
The Drake family tore into their stockings in unison, and the snow started to fall gently outside.
It was a perfect Christmas morning.