A/N: Thanks for reading, you guys are awesome!

Climbing in the shower he turned the left nozzle to cold…very cold. He didn't know what was wrong with him lately. Elizabeth had been his friend since he came into town. Even when he was trying to get in her pants she was strong and steady. It was refreshing in a way, a woman that didn't fall into his bed. He respected her, and then he had come to trust her…with his secrets, his feelings and his daughter. It was a time that all he could feel was broken and alone. Elizabeth had been there to remind him that he had someone in his corner, and she had stepped up when she didn't have too…and it had left him sort of in awe of her.

Somewhere in there, Robin had finally chosen to get help, and Matt had somehow manned up and asked Elizabeth out on a date. The rest was lost in the months that had suddenly passed them by…and as he and Robin became reacquainted he still depended on Elizabeth to remind him that everything would one day be okay.

All that was fine until the day he started to imagine her lips on his…it had snuck up on him. Sure, he was a man, and it's not like he hadn't entertained a fantasy or two about another woman when he was with Robin but...Elizabeth was never just another woman.

OoO

After he pulled on a pair of running shorts he wandered back towards the bedroom. Her door was half opened and he smiled as he caught sight of her fast asleep, cuddled up next to the pillow. Before when he use to look at women he use to judge them by how doable they were. Now he noticed things about them, like the way gentle fingers played in his daughter's hair whenever she climbed into Auntie Izzie's arms, or how cerulean blue eyes deepened when son's names fell from her lips. He didn't know what to make of it…three years ago he wasn't this guy, and somehow all these women came around and changed his world.

Grabbing the afghan off the chair he gently placed it over her tiny body before backing out of the room and gently shutting he door. Taking the stairs two at a time he found his way down into the living room and picked up the discarded cell phone.

Robin had called, and he wished for those flip flops that use to happen upon hearing the sound of her voice over his voicemail.

"Hey, it's me, Matt and I are on our way, I stopped by Mac's and Emma was taking a bath. I gave her a kiss for me and you…so I'll see you later tonight"

The thought of his daughter made him smile and he hit the speed dial number three, "I was surprised you waited this long to call" Maxie answered.

"What are you doing there?" he asked.

"Painting Emma's toenails" she said.

Groaning he could feel his nostrils flare, "Maxie, I swear, you better"

"Okay chill out Daddy day care, Mac went to go get dinner at Kelly's so he left Spinelli and I are watching Emma"

"I hope that means Spinelli is doing most of the watching" he said purposely pushing her buttons.

She sighed, "Did you actually want something or did you call just to hear my voice?"

"Let me speak to my daughter"

"You are so lame, she is going to gurgle a couple of times and slobber on the phone" she said before her voice became distant, "Say hi to your dorky daddy Emma" she told her.

He could hear soft coos before the phone dropped and the sounds of toys rustling got noisier, "Yeah sorry Patrick, you use to be able to hold a woman's attention longer then ten seconds…then you went and bought a minivan, have a nice vacation" Maxie mocked before hanging up on him.

Sighing he heard the stairs creak, "You miss her already, don't you?" she asked coming towards him.

Dimples caved in and he shrugged, "You caught me"

Sitting next to him she tucked her legs underneath her, "I just got finished calling the boys" she admitted a slight blush coming to her milky white skin.

Looking down at his hands he shook his head before turning back to her, "It's hard to remember who I was before Emma, most of the time I don't even want to"

Touching his hand she looked at him from under the fan of lashes, "You were never a bad guy Patrick, never"

For a moment they sat there chocolate eye locked with blue, the tension thick, the tingling that flowed through their still connected hands. She pulled away first and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, "So, were we going to barbeque? You mentioned it earlier and we should probably get started so we're not stuck out with the mosquitoes" she said hoping off the couch and walking towards the kitchen.

"Yeah, sounds good" he said trying to act like there wasn't blood pulsing through his veins and he couldn't hear his heartbeat in his ears.

"Okay, I'll get the meat ready" she finished before escaping through the door.

Sitting there for a couple long moments he stared at his hands. Before he had come to Port Charles they were his most prized possession and the only thing that mattered…but now, everything mattered.

OoO

"Ew Patrick no, that's still bleeding" she protested as he cut a piece of steak off.

The evening was warm and any tension Patrick swore was there before had dissipated and the comfort she seemed to carry in her smile had engulfed him, "I refuse to burn your steak…it hasn't done anything for me to treat it that way" he teased, "Come on, one bite, and if you hate it…well then I will make you some beef jerky"

Rolling her eyes she grabbed the fork and bit the piece of beef. He could see the scowl come over her face, "Okay, so maybe it's not that bad" she said.

"Okay, we'll say that Nurse Webber"

Shaking her head he watched as she sashayed towards the kitchen, "Yes we will Dr. Drake"

OoO

During dinner her phone vibrated across the table, "Hey" she answered a smile playing on her face, "What, no, seriously? There's no way. No I understand, okay, yeah I'll let him know" she finished before hanging up and looking at him, "The road's closed, some bad accident, Matt and Robin are stuck"

"What?" he asked.

Putting down the phone she sighed, "The highway patrol said it wouldn't be open until five tomorrow morning so they got a hotel room and are going to drive over early tomorrow morning"

The words didn't quite sink in until the next ones fell from her lips, "So it looks like it's just you and me tonight"

Suddenly, surviving the night seemed like a goal in itself.