The Resolution

Chapter One:

"I really don't want to go out. I don't see the problem in staying in." Robin Scorpio said to her good friend Lanie. It was New Year's Eve and Lanie was trying to get Robin to go out and celebrate. She had been going through a funk lately and was closing herself off a bit from anything social. Her friends were worried about her, but she insisted that everything was fine. The truth was, she was just lonely, and going out with her friends who all had boyfriends was depressing and she felt like a third wheel.

"Robin, you are acting like you're an old maid and you're not." Lanie said. "It's New Years and you need to start the year off right. I promise it will be fun."

"I don't know," she began.

"Great. Pick you up in an hour." Lanie said and hung up before Robin could object.

"Shit," Robin said and ran her hand through her hair. She turned to jump in the shower and make herself presentable. What was the worst that could happen?

XXXXX

"I'm not going. You know what happened last time I agreed to go on a set up and I'm not doing it again. You and Lanie can have fun and leave me alone. I'm going to watch the hockey game and order a pizza and enjoy being unattached." Patrick Drake said to his friend Stan. He was tired of arguing about why he wanted to stay home and he just wanted to be left alone. He was happy, or so he told himself.

"Dude, you are ruining your chances for love." Stan said and laughed. "Lanie is bringing her friend and you are going to love her."

"Love? What the hell, man? I am not interested in whatever hook up you are trying to get me into. Tell Lanie thank you but no thank you." Patrick sighed.

"Look, I know you don't want to be bothered, but nothing will ever happen if you sit home and dwell on things. So you got dumped, so what? Get out there and try again." Stan hoped he wasn't pushing it, but he needed his friend to get out of his funk.

"Thanks for that. I appreciate the care in which you reference my getting dumped." Patrick snorted. "I'm fine, please let it go."

"Sorry, but if your friends aren't going to tell you the truth, no one is. "Pick you up in an hour?" Stan said.

"Dude," Patrick said.

"See you soon." Stan hung up and Patrick swore.

XXXX

"You look so beautiful and you are going to have a blast." Lanie said as she drove Robin to the hotel.

"Where is Stan? Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than you're telling me?" Robin asked as she put her seat belt on.

"He had to take care of something and he is meeting us there. Kelly and Liz will be there with Leo and Lucky and we will have a blast." Lanie neglected to add that Stan was bringing Patrick.

"Great, so I am the only one who will be alone? Lanie I hate this." Robin sighed. "I already feel like a loser, there is no need for me to look like one as well."

"You are not a loser. You just haven't found the right guy yet." Lanie pulled into the hotel parking lot. "Look, forget everything else and just have fun tonight. Get drunk, dance and remember you aren't 80."

Robin rolled her eyes, preparing to call herself a cab as soon as she could.

XXXXX

Patrick stood at the bar and ordered for his friends. He sighed as he saw all of the couples standing together, laughing and enjoying the festivities. He felt so completely out of place and the fact they were at a hotel made it all the more pathetic. He didn't know how he let them talk him into coming here. Turning to look back at the table while he waited for the drinks, he saw a sight that made him stop. There was a woman standing next to Lanie and she was gorgeous. Patrick wondered if she was the friend he was supposed to meet. He noticed her beautiful chestnut hair and her smile seemed to light up the room. She was wearing a small black dress that hugged her petite frame and he felt himself getting lost just looking at her. He shook his head and tried to get the image of her out of his mind. It would be just his luck if she wasn't the woman he was supposed to meet.

"Patrick? What's going on?" Leo asked as he walked up to his friend.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, nothing. I was just thinking." Patrick smiled and handed Leo a beer.

"Well Kelly was complaining about needing another beer and you know how she gets." Leo laughed and Patrick grinned.

"I know, sorry. I'll be right there, just need to grab one more drink." Patrick turned back to the bar and Leo left him. Patrick just needed a minute. He exhaled, trying to figure out what the hell was happening to him.

XXXX

"You did not set me up, did you?" Robin said to Lanie after Stan let it slip that he brought someone for her.

"Robin, just give him a chance, you never know what you might like," Lanie said.

"I know that I just don't want to be bothered. I'm sorry, I know you're just trying to help, but I would really just like to be alone."

She felt tears come to her eyes and felt ridiculous.

"I'm sorry, Robin. I really didn't mean to make you upset," Lanie said and hugged her friend.

"You didn't, I'm just going through some stuff. I'll be fine," Robin wiped her eyes and turned to leave the room and get some air.

XXXX

Patrick continued talking to himself at the bar and realized he needed to rejoin the group. He didn't know who the girl was or if she was there to meet him, but it didn't matter; he needed to do something. He picked up his glass and turned to walk away when he tripped over something and dumped his drink all over the beautiful woman he had been watching and when he stepped to help her, he slid on an ice cube and fell down, pulling her with him.

Chapter Two:

Oh my God, Oh my God, Robin thought to herself as she lay on the ground with a man on top of her. She took a minute to make sure she was in one piece. Her head was throbbing and she felt something wet between them. What was that? Seriously, what was it? Need to move, now. She tried to do just that.

Patrick was frozen. He was acutely aware that he was squishing the woman under him on the cold dirty floor. There was something wet between them and he panicked at the thought of what it was. The woman squirming jerked him out of his stupor. "Oh, shit, I'm sorry," Patrick said as he moved slowly off of her, but held her gaze.

Robin looked up into his soft brown eyes and was momentarily stunned. He was absolutely gorgeous. He had chiseled features and dimples, which seemed to go through his cheeks. She felt the air hit her legs and realized her dress was up to her waist and his hand was against her upper thigh, at least she hoped it was his hand. Her eyes went wide and she scrambled to her feet, only to find her dress was stuck on his watch and as she moved, the material tore right down the side.

"Oh no, no, no," she said and tried to hold the material together, but his arm was still attached.

People began to move to them to see if they were okay and Robin turned to look at the handsome stranger, panic on her face. He quickly held her dress together with his hand and pulled her into his side, putting his other arm around her, trying to mask what happened. He was acutely aware his hand was against her soft skin and she was pressed against him. The smell of her hair was intoxicating to him.

"I see you two met?" Lanie and Stan came over to them. "What was the commotion?"

Robin couldn't find her voice, wondering when she would actually die of embarrassment. She hoped it would be soon. Her head was throbbing and she hoped she wasn't bleeding.

"Yes, we met and hit it off nicely. Actually, I think um," he realized he didn't know her name.

"Robin," she whispered.

"I think Robin and I are going to take a walk. We'll catch up with you later, okay?" Patrick said. "Thanks again for introducing us."

Stan winked at him and Lanie smiled. "I knew you both would like each other. Don't do anything we wouldn't do." Lanie grinned and she and Stan walked away.

Robin and Patrick stood there, frozen. Now what? "We need to go somewhere private so I can fix this," she hissed.

"Just walk with me and we can go out to the lobby." He said and kept his arm around her and held his other hand on her dress to keep it closed. They walked very closely to each other as they made their way to the lobby and saw there was no way they were going to find any privacy. The lobby was crawling with couples.

"Any other bright ideas?" She said with anger in her voice.

"Excuse me for trying to be a gentleman. Would you prefer I just rip my arm away?" He hissed back and smiled as a couple walked by and nodded at them.

"A gentleman? What part of dumping your drink on me before slamming me onto the disgusting floor and then ripping my dress is gentlemanly?" She hissed back and smiled as another couple walked by.

He rolled his eyes. "Right, that's how it happened. I don't know about you, but I find this to be a great meeting." He walked them to the elevators.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"I have a room booked and I figured since we couldn't find anywhere else to go, we could go there." He really thought it was a good idea.

"Right. Your hotel room? Who do you think you are? I am not going to a hotel room with you." She turned to face him and her dress flapped open. She quickly turned back into him. "This is the worst night ever."

He sighed. "I'm having a great time, honey." His sarcasm was dripping.

"Honey? Seriously? I have an idea, give me your key and I will go into the room and change and you can stay out here." She said.

"No way. I don't know you at all. You could go into my room and steal all of my things. This could be your MO. You could be a man eater." He said. "You probably know I'm a doctor and you figure I probably have money."

She laughed. "You are giving yourself way too much credit. For your information, I am also a doctor, so I don't need your money, and as for being a man eater, sorry, sweetie, you're not my type."

He glared at her and she glared back at him.

"This is ridiculous," she said. What the hell was going on? "You're a friend of Stan's?"

"Yes."

"Well I'm a friend of Lanie, so now you can trust me."

"Not going to happen." He said.

"Ugh, whatever, just get me to the room so I can get away from you." She said.

"Gladly." He said and pushed the elevator button.