CONTAINS SPOILERS
Title: Shattered
Author: Steph
Rating: PG
Pairing: Robin/Patrick
Category: Drama/Romance
Disclaimer: I do this out of a love for this couple. No infringement is intended.
Spoilers: Based on upcoming spoilers
Summary: Based on upcoming spoilers, Mr. Craig forces Robin to break Patrick's heart.
Note: SPOILER ALERT: Okay, so when I first heard about these Nik/Craig/Scrubs spoilers I was more than a little upset. I just couldn't bear the thought of watching Robin having to break Patrick's heart. I'm still not looking forward to it, but I started thinking that the scenes between them could be really good if written well. I just know Jason and Kimberly could knock them out of the park! So this popped into my head as I imagined how this could play out. I sort of made up a little more of a reason for what Craig's doing to explain why he needs Robin. Also, I know people are probably going to say I should continue this, but I really just wanted to get these scenes out of my head. I have to finish The List and then I have a new multi-part story in the works. So, anyway, hope you enjoy it and please let me know what you thought. Thanks! -Steph
--- Shattered: Part 1/1 ---
Robin entered Wyndemere, smiling at Nikolas when she saw him.
"I was so glad when you called. I've been so restless since I got out of the hospital. It's so good to see you."
Nikolas managed a weak smile as greeting, just as Mr. Craig came out from behind the door.
"Ah, Dr. Scorpio. So good to see you again. You seem to be recovering quite nicely."
Robin's face paled at the unwelcome familiar voice. She slowly turned around to face him. "What are you doing here?"
Craig's lips curled into a pout. "Now, that was a less than enthusiastic greeting. And after all we've been through together. I must say I'm hurt, Robin."
Robin turned to Nikolas. "What's going on? Are you okay?"
"Nikky here only knows a bit of what's going on, actually. I injected him with a poison and told him that I want him to use his resources to help me get a new identity."
Robin's brow furrowed in worry. She placed her hand on Nikolas' shoulder. "Oh, my God. How are you feeling?"
"He's more or less fine," Craig said. "I sort of lied to him about the poison though and why I really need him. Need you."
Nikolas swallowed hard. "What are you talking about?"
Mr. Craig smiled at them, as he gestured at Nikolas with the gun.
"I have injected the prince with a poison that will kill within 30 days of entering one's blood stream. Turns out, that counteragent I gave you, Nikky, will actually keep you symptom free for the next 21 days, not 24 hours. Over the next week, your health will slowly deteriorate until you die."
Robin shook her head, her brow furrowing. "I don't understand. Why are you doing this to Nikolas?"
"Why? Well, it's simple really. Two weeks ago, right before the hostage situation, I was injected with the same poison by a particularly nasty enemy. The only known antidote was in that suitcase in the vault. It has since been destroyed and no one knows what it contained in order to replicate the antidote."
"What does that have to do with me?" Nikolas asked.
Mr. Craig smiled. "Glad you asked. I need an antidote and you're my guinea pig. Dr. Scorpio here is going to use your blood to develop a new antidote and then test it out on you. You see, I'm no fool. I tried to kill her and I don't want to chance her exacting revenge by tainting the antidote. Therefore, she will test versions out on you until she finds the right one. And then you will take it first to make sure it is safe for me to use."
"And what if I refuse?" Robin asked.
"Then Nikolas here will surely die, along with your brave Dr. Boyfriend."
Robin's eyes widened in fear. "Don't you dare touch Patrick."
"I won't have to if you're a good little girl and cooperate. As added incentive, I've developed a poison of my own that is set to be put into Port Charles' drinking water supply at a moment's notice. If I feel you have told anyone or are trying to deceive me in anyway, I will kill your boyfriend and contaminate the water. You will be responsible for the death of the man you love and thousands of Port Charles's citizens. What a pity that would be. A tough one for the conscious to wrestle with, don't you agree?"
Robin dropped her eyes to the floor, as she blinked back tears.
"Now, Dr. Scorpio, you are going to have to spend a lot of time with the prince in order to develop this antidote and test it. Therefore, it only makes sense that you have a reason for spending so much time together. In fact, you're going to need to spend so much time together that there's no point in leaving this dreadful home of his. You will be moving in here and pretending to have fallen in love with Nikky."
Robin's head snapped up and her mouth dropped open. "What?"
Nikolas shook his head. "Absolutely not. We are both in serious relationships. The people we love will not simply accept that we no longer love them and are suddenly in love with each other. You are going to make people suspicious and they will figure out your plan."
Craig smiled evilly. "I don't really think you're in a position to argue with me, Nightmare Nikolas. Either you do this or you will surely be dead in a month. Or I can kill you now, if you prefer. I can always find myself a new guinea pig."
Robin shook her head back and forth. "I can't do this. I can't do this to Patrick. It'll break his heart."
Craig sighed in frustration. "For two intelligent, highly educated people, you are sure having a difficult time grasping this concept. Let me simplify this for you, too, Dr. Scorpio. Either you break his heart or I'll put a bullet in it."
Robin squeezed her eyes closed, the tears stinging her lids. When she opened them, she looked at him with disdain. "Wasn't nearly killing me enough? Now you have to go and ruin my life, too? Force me to destroy the best thing to ever happen to me?" She narrowed her eyes at him. "It doesn't have to be done this way. I can do your dirty work while maintaining my relationship with Patrick and Nikolas can stay with Emily. This is just another one of your games. This is solely for your entertainment."
Craig offered her a grin, as he cocked his head. "I'll admit, it will be very entertaining watching your loved ones spiral downward and you two pretend to be in love. It's all very Shakespearean."
"You're sick," Nikolas spit out, his eyes boring holes into Craig's forehead.
"Ah, well, we all enjoy different types of entertainment. That's what keeps things interesting. It's rude and unfair to judge me harshly for my unique taste. And here I was thinking you had impeccable manners." He paused and then pointed at Robin. "Now, why don't you run along and tell your doctor boyfriend that you will be moving into Wyndemere with Nikolas and that you have fallen in love with him. You have two days to do this."
"Patrick knows how much I love him. He'll never believe it."
Craig raised the gun up to Robin. "Make him believe it."
---
"Robin," Patrick said, as he followed her on the docks. "Slow down. What's going on with you?"
Robin squeezed her eyes closed and turned around to face him. She had been avoiding him for the last two days, trying to find a way to force herself to break his heart. How could she do this? After everything they had been through, after everything Patrick had worked through to get to this point, how could she just rip his heart out?
"Patrick, I just need to be alone," she said.
He took a step toward her, but she backed away. "Tell me what's wrong. Let me help."
"You can't help."
"You don't know that unless you let me try."
"Please, Patrick," she said weakly.
Patrick's face reddened in frustration. "Why are you shutting me out? You've been avoiding me for two days. We promised each other we would be honest. I know something's wrong, but you won't tell me what. Why won't you let me help you?!"
Robin squeezed her eyes shut again and took a deep breath. She needed to go out of herself now. She needed to take on the role of someone else if she was going to be able to do this. Her parents used to tell how they would have to do that when on missions. Compartmentalize their feelings, numb themselves, become a different person all together.
They just never mentioned how hard it is to do.
Her eyes flew open and she met his gaze. "Because we're what's wrong?!"
The color drained from Patrick's face and his mouth dropped open. "What?"
Robin swallowed hard. "We are what's wrong, Patrick. It's…it's not going to work out between us."
Patrick shook his head back and forth. "No, no. I…I don't understand. What are you talking about? Is this about wanting you to move back in with me? Because I said I would give you as much time as you need until you're ready."
"I'm never going to be ready," she said coldly, as she felt a pang shoot through her stomach.
She had tried to step outside of herself, but it was impossible. She loved this man with every bit of her heart, mind, and soul. She couldn't compartmentalize her feelings for him or numb herself. And she couldn't become someone else with him standing right in front of her, looking at her with love in his eyes.
Patrick took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair. "Fine, we don't have to move back in together. But that doesn't mean there's anything wrong with us. Robin, we're happier than ever."
"I'm not," she snapped.
Patrick simply stared at her. His heart was beating wildly in his chest. How could this be happening? How could his world have turned so quickly?
He licked at his dry lips. "I don't understand."
"You're smothering me. I feel like I can't breathe," she said, forcing herself to respond automatically.
Patrick nodded. "Okay, I understand that. I've been a little overprotective since you were shot and-…"
Robin shook her head. "I can't be who I want to be when I'm with you. I feel like I'm losing myself."
Patrick ran a hand down his face. "This doesn't make any sense. A week ago, you were telling me how happy you were. You were telling me that you loved me so much you felt like your heart was bursting."
Robin dropped her eyes to the ground, the memories of that wonderful day filling her mind. She couldn't stand to look in his eyes now and see that she was responsible for tearing his world apart piece by piece.
Patrick swallowed hard. "What changed, Robin? What changed in a week?"
"There's someone else," she finally whispered.
Patrick laughed bitterly and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I thought I just heard you say there's someone else."
Robin slowly lifted her head and met his eyes. Her own heart nearly broke at the sight of tears pooling in them.
"I did," she said softly.
"No, no!" Patrick said, as he trailed a hand across the back of his neck. "That's impossible! You love me! I know it!" He paused and took a deep breath. "When could this have possibly happened anyway? I've barely left your side since you were shot."
"It happened during the hostage crisis," Robin replied.
Patrick's brow furrowed. "What?" He paused, placing his hands on his hips. "Wait a minute. Are you talking about Nikolas?"
Robin nodded. "We already had a bond and it just deepened during the hostage situation. And when he saved my life by carrying me from that building…" Her voice trailed off, as she was unable to finish her sentence.
Patrick simply stared at her, failing to find any words. After a few long moments, he finally said, "And Emily? What about her?"
"Nikolas is telling her the same thing."
"Which is what exactly?! Something that makes no sense at all?!" Patrick's breathing grew shallow. "What about everything you ever said to me? What about what you've said to me since the shooting? How happy you are and how much you love me? Was it all just a lie?"
Robin watched as a tear slipped from her eye and splattered onto the wood of the docks. She couldn't bear to meet his gaze.
"Yes," she replied softly, eyes rooted to the ground.
Patrick closed his eyes, as his own tear cascaded down his cheek. He then slowly opened them, saying in an eerily calm tone. "If you're going to destroy my whole world, tear my heart out and stomp on it, you can at least have the decency to do it while looking me in the eye."
Robin slowly raised her head and met Patrick's gaze. The pain she saw shining back at her nearly made her drop to her knees.
"Now tell me," he began quietly. "Tell me you never loved me. That it's all been a lie."
"Patrick," she whispered.
"Tell me! Because that's the only way I'll believe this. It all had to be a lie from the beginning. I may be new to this love thing, but I know it doesn't work like this. You don't say the things you've said to me one day and then turn around and fall in love with someone else the next. Not if it's real and true. So, if I'm to believe what you're saying now, then you have to convince me that it was never real to begin with."
Robin furiously blinked back her tears. How could she do this? How could she look into his eyes and say that everything they've ever shared was a lie?
Patrick let out a breath, as he shook his head, his voice emerging just above a whisper. "I used to believe that I could see everything I needed to in your eyes. Your love for me. Hope. Truth. Our future. And I could always tell when something wasn't right. I could see it in your eyes." He shrugged. "I don't know, maybe that wasn't real either. Maybe I was just seeing what I wanted to see. But I'm looking into your eyes right now and I want to believe that it was real. So if you want to convince me, you're going to have to look me in the eye and make me believe it. Tell me it was all a lie, Robin."
Robin mentally prepared herself for saying the hardest words of her life.
"It was all a lie," she whispered.
Patrick stared at her for a long, tense moment, then shook his head, as a tear slid down his cheek.
"Liar," he stated softly.
Robin's mouth dropped open. "Patrick."
He shook his head, saying firmly, "No. I can see it in your eyes just like I've always been able to see it. You love me. It's real and it's true and it's forever."
Robin couldn't stand to look at him any longer. She turned on her heel. "I can't do this anymore. I have to go. I'm moving into Wyndemere with Nikolas," she added quickly and quietly.
Patrick gently grabbed her elbow and spun her around to face him. "This isn't over. I know you. No matter what you say, I know you and I know your heart. Something is wrong here. I don't know why you won't tell me what it is, but something is not right. And I'm not going to stop until I find out what it is. I almost lost you once, Robin. If you think I'm just going to let you go without a fight now, then you don't know me at all."
Robin bit at her bottom lip, her chin quivering. "Patrick, please stop this. I never meant to hurt you. I thought what we had was real, I did. But now with Nikolas I realize I was just pretending. I wanted to be in a relationship again and you were so great after being exposed to HIV, that I let myself believe it was love. But it wasn't."
"Stop it!" he snapped. "Don't take every moment we've ever shared and pretend like it wasn't real when we both know it was."
"I don't know what you want me to say," she replied, again dropping her eyes to the ground.
Patrick brought his thumb and forefinger up to her chin and forced her gaze to meet his. "I want you to say that standing here right now and looking into my eyes, you love me with everything you have inside. That you always have and you always will."
"Patrick, please."
"And then I want you to tell me what's going on so I can help."
"I'm sorry I hurt you, but you need to accept that we're over," she responded softly.
"I'll die before I accept that," he whispered, his voice cracking on the last word.
Patrick then cupped her face with his hands and stepped forward, his lips crashing into hers. He kissed her with a feverishness and desperation that scared them both. His hands entangled in her hair and he pulled her up against his body, as if holding onto her for dear life. Robin's fingernails gripped the back of his shirt and in that moment she wasn't sure she would ever be able to let go of him. As they kissed, tears streamed down their faces, the salt hitting their lips.
When Patrick finally pulled back, he leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "Just try and tell me that was a lie, too."
Robin took a deep breath, then covered her hands with his and gently removed them from her face.
She took a step back and swallowed around the lump in her throat, as the words just barely passed through her lips. "Goodbye, Patrick."
She then turned on her heel and left him standing there, rooted to his spot. A lone tear now streamed down his face, but he paid it no attention as he stood there staring in the direction she had just gone.
And he wondered how exactly his world could have turned upside down so quickly. Had he really lost her? Maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see. Maybe it had never been real. Maybe it was all just a lie.
Patrick dragged himself over to the bench and sank down onto it. Then he dropped his face into his hands.
---
Robin rounded the corner of the warehouse, her vision blurred from her tears and her lungs aching from her ragged breathing. She leaned up against the warehouse and closed her eyes. All she could see was Patrick's stunned expression, the pain swimming in his eyes as she dismantled his heart piece by piece.
She slowly slipped down to the ground, pulling her legs up to her chest and letting her head rest on her knees, as her sobs began to shake her body.
"Oh, God, what have I done?" she cried.
Knowing that she had been left without a choice gave her no comfort. She had done it to protect him, but it didn't matter. That didn't make his pain any less real. It had been so hard for him to take a chance on love, but he had worked through his fears. And now she had thrown every one of them right back in his face.
Worries plagued her mind. She wondered if they would ever get past this. She wondered if he would ever trust her again. When everything was said and done, would they be able to regain what they once had or had the damage she just inflicted been too much to overcome? And, worst of all, would losing her transform Patrick into a shadow of the man she fell in love with?
-------------------------------------------------THE END-----------------------------------------------
Yes, seriously, that's the end. Hope you enjoyed it (if that's the right word!). Thanks for reading and please let me know what you thought. -Steph