Hi Everyone I am taking another quick leap into the Hollyoaks fandom!
I got this idea by the end of the episode where Finn is arrested and Robbie hugs his dad-I don't think we saw much of the Roscoe's In the aftermath of the whole confession.
I like Rick I really do and I think he could have had a good relationship with his children if it wasn't for Freddie and Joe (who I also love-Joe especially if he's without Lindsey) so this is based on what Rick thinks is a relationship with his children.
Disclaimer-I own nothing and I wont go into what would be different if I did.
As Always please leave a review and tell me what you thought!
A Father's Protection
Robbie and Rick share a moment in both the aftermath of the rape accusation and the trial-just Robbie/Rick father/son fluff.
When he hears the news Robbie's been released it'd from that lovely Blake girl the one that doesn't seem as mad as they say. She's out drinking a bottle looking lost and forlorn before telling Rick that he should get home as his son should be home. It's Finn O'Connor she says, he's raped another teacher as well as Nancy and tried to set his son up for it.
He runs home so fast he doesn't care how insane he looks.
When he gets home its dark and he comes face to face with what he thinks is Robbie's girlfriend whose face is dripping with tears and she looks older beyond her years. He moves past and into the house letting her out without another word and staggers into the living room.
And there is Robbie, his hair a mess, his face blank still dressed in the clothes he was wearing yesterday and he seemed exhausted. He looks up as Rick enters the room then crosses it his face crumpling to wrap him in a hug.
Rick blinks in surprise. He honestly can't remember the last time he got a hug from his son and he closes his eyes trying to imprint the memory. He can feel Robbie shake slightly with a deadly combination of fear, tears and the adrenaline of the previous evening.
"Ok" he says forcing the two of them to sit down and patting Robbie awkwardly "its ok son I promise you nothing's gonna happen" but naturally it does because at that moment the door slams open. Robbie flinches but pulls himself back clearly making his mind to face whatever happens with his head held high.
But it's Jason, Ziggy and the two idiots who come slamming in. Jason half throws himself at his brother and the two of them hug nearly inseparable muttering to each other in their own way.
"What the hell is going on?" Zig asks watching with wide blown eyes-"one minute we hear from Sinead that Robbie's been arrested for attempted rape and the next Sienna is telling us it's Finn"
"It was Finn" Robbie mumbles his voice hoarse "He attempted to rape Nancy and he's already raped John Paul McQueen" Ziggy sinks into his chair as if the world is spinning and Rick knows the feeling.
"How long have you known?" Freddie asks his face uncharacteristically serious and Robbie looks miserable "Finn gloated in the aftermath of Mr McQueen hitting me" he trails of looking sick.
"Why the hell didn't you do something then then?" Joe demands and Robbie catches his eye for a second that drags on forever "He…" he gives a little cough and continues "He… threatened…" and he trails off as the meaning becomes perfectly clear.
Somewhere In the background of his mind Rick can hear Jason swearing, Ziggy groaning in shock, Freddie coming up with a rather good plan of what to do with Finn and Joe's silence of horror. But he can't focus on that right now because someone has just threatened to rape his son. Someone has scared him so badly that he is a shell and a wreak and unable to focus, someone has terrified him so much he couldn't come to his own family. If Rick gets his hands on Finn O'Connor he will ensure that he will be sorry he was ever born.
When he looks up he sees that the boys have fallen quiet. Jason is still gripping Robbie's hand with the expression that says he never wants to let go. Ziggy is still sat down looking like he's going to be sick, Freddie's face is white with horror and Joe just looks blank.
"How about we go open a bottle" he says and Freddie nods moving to the cupboard as Rick goes to the kitchen looking for the glasses. Joe follows him.
"Why didn't you say anything?" he mutters numbly and the thin thread Rick has been clinging too snapped in two. "Are you kidding me?" he asked his voice a harsh whisper "This happened over a year ago Joe why the hell didn't you do anything?"
Joe gaped at him "Why the hell didn't you realise something was wrong with him Joe?" he demanded his anger ensuring his voice rose. "Why the hell didn't he feel like he could come to you, his big brother?" it was mocking and a kick to the gut as Rick could see on Joe's face.
Taking the glasses back he winced at Freddie's choice of booze. He wasn't a vodka drinker. He would have to buy these boys some decent scotch and soon.
It was late when he packed all the boys to bed even Joe and Freddie disappearing without a fight. Robbie was leaning on Jason a bit and when they all disappeared Rick poured himself another glass of vodka wincing at the bland taste before an awful thought struck him.
Somebody was going to have to ring Sandy.
The next days are blurs and blurs. Rick remembers the prosecution team turning up to take Robbie's statement and he remembers the police officially exonerating Robbie not that that does anything and he remembers Nancy ringing to apologise-not that that does any good then Jack comes over with a decent bottle of something and it's good for Rick to talk to someone. Jack is one of those people that doesn't really judge and it's nice after the whirlwind that was Sandy.
Then the next day he comes face to face with Diane O'Connor. For a woman that Rick thought was once a good mother it wasn't a pretty sight. A rapist and what he hears from Freddie a disgrace of a grandmother (he may have been a crap father but at least he has never accused one of his children of poisoning their children) he loses what little respect he has for her.
Naturally she blames it all on Robbie who is watching from the stairs and Rick takes a great amount of pleasure in slamming the door in her face.
He thinks to himself later that that was nothing compared to what Sandy would have done and the thought makes him smile.
Darren he will admit has some balls. There is the whole attack on Diane which even Rick has to admit takes some doing. The man lets himself down when it comes to his wife. Sandy would have stood by and gone to prison with him before she let him apologise.
Then there's the trial and God never has anything been a bigger strain on Rick than that (and that's saying something because Sandy's pregnancy had been a thing of hell)
The boys don't bother coming something Rick is very glad about. Jason is in school and Freddie and Joe in work and Ziggy off with Leela something or other and Robbie is on the stand trembling with fear.
Listening to it, to the truth spilling out of Robbie like poison makes him want to be sick because he can see what this is costing his son, he can see what the prosecution is doing to him and he wants nothing more to wrap his arms around Robbie and hide him away from the world.
He didn't know what else to do when he got Robbie home other than to pack him off to the shower. What the hell was he supposed to do right now?
When the boys came home they all had expressions of sombre neutrality when they saw Robbie sat in a pair of old joggers and jumpers sat watching T.V unmoving.
This trial was draining the life out of them and they weren't the ones whose lives were being decided.
When the verdict came through of two accounts of guilty Rick felt Robbie sag against his shoulder and he half had to drag Robbie back to the car. It was only when they arrived back at the house that he realised that Robbie had fallen asleep in the car the drag of the last year keeping him up in more ways than one.
Dragging him inside Rick places his son into his own bed tucking him up like he used to when he was little "Love you dad" came the small mumble and Rick smiled his whole face crinkling with the first smile in nearly two weeks.
"Love you too son" he mutters back and as Robbie drifts asleep looking younger than he actually is he Rick makes one of the first vows in his life and forces himself to remember to always be there for his sons.
Because whatever happens these boys are his life and they cannot go on forgetting that Rick will protect them with everything he has.
After all what were fathers for?
I do have another fic in the works but please tell me what you thought about this one x