Chapter 15

Once alone, Bobby twisted in his seat back to Robin, Patrick, and Lulu. "I don't care what they say," Bobby growled, determination shining in his eyes. "I'm going to London to find my parents."

Lulu nodded quickly. "I'm coming, too." She held up a hand to stave off the protests. "Hey, hey, hey! You need me, buddy," she said to Bobby. "You're gonna need to get back inside the WSB's servers, and you're gonna need another computer running decryption software on those files." She narrowed her eyes at Bobby. "You need me."

Robin sighed and rubbed her hands over her face. She couldn't believe this was happening. "You're not going alone."

Patrick whipped his head up. "Are you crazy?" he gaped. "I mean, yeah, you are, but I didn't think you were crazy-crazy."

"Patrick," Robin warned.

"No!" Patrick jumped out of his seat. "This is ridiculous!"

"You've been saying that an awful lot the last few days. Aren't you getting tired yet?" The expression on the older man's face was enough to stave off any further comments from Bobby.

Patrick stood up and loomed over Robin, his hands on his hips in challenge. "Robin, you cannot seriously be thinking about following Bobby on some half-assed trek to London," Patrick said slowly, reining in his frustration. "I hate to agree with your father about anything, but you need to stay where you can be protected."

Robin bristled. "And after everything you've heard about me, you don't think I can take care of myself?"

"I don't think it's a question of you taking care of yourself, I think it's a question of you wanting to stick it to your father."

Lulu and Bobby exchanged nervous glances, and shifted out of the way as Robin leapt out of her seat on the couch. They could practically see steam coming from her ears, and Bobby couldn't help but feel a little scared for Patrick at that moment. But just a little.

"You really don't get it, do you, Patrick?" Robin seethed, staring Patrick down as much as their height difference would allow. "Yeah, I'm mad at my father right now, but not for any reason that has to do with me." She waved a hand in Bobby's direction to illustrate her point. "You were panicking before because you thought your father was in danger by your association with me. It took my mom placing armed guards around him to make you feel better, and don't think I didn't see the color come back to your face when you found that out! So poor Bobby, here--"

"Poor Bobby?" Patrick and Bobby repeated, earning glares from both Robin and Lulu.

"--Bobby here has been worrying about what happened to his parents for over a week now, and we finally have some solid leads on them, and then my dad comes in all Super Spy, and tells him that Uncle Sean is on his own?" Robin curled her lip in disgust. "That's my godfather out there Patrick, and one of my parents' oldest friends, and they're all but abandoning him to whatever Faison has planned!"

"You know," Bobby said, "When you say it like that, yeah. Poor me. Ow!" He frowned and rubbed his arm where Lulu punched him, but fell silent again.

"This isn't about me, Patrick--"

Patrick cut her off. "Yes it is!" he hissed. "Don't you see that? I'm barely processing everything that's been happening -- and can I just say that my dad never told me about this part of living in Port Charles? -- but even I know this is about you. Don't!" He waved Robin off as she opened her mouth to reply. "We were finally getting to a place where we didn't jump all over each other and run away at the slightest provocation, we were just getting started, and then the sky falls down on us!" Patrick rested his hands on his hips and tried to calm his breathing. Dropping his head slightly, he met Robin's eyes. "I didn't grow up around things like this, so maybe I can see it all more clearly than you can. This Faison guy is the ultimate monster under the bed, and he's terrorized all of your families," he nodded at Lulu and Bobby, "For decades. And he reentered your life because I did something stupid and then went and made things worse by trying to make them better, so you'll forgive me if I'm a little invested in making sure you come out of this alive and well." His eyes flashed accusingly at her.

Robin dropped her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Patrick, none of this is your fault."

"I know," Patrick said, softer now. "But that doesn't really change anything, does it?" He took a step closer to Robin, almost forgetting that they had an audience. "I've never done any of this, Robin. Mel and I sort of kept stumbling sideways into each other, so this is the first time I've had to try." Patrick took her hand and lowered his voice. "This is the first time I've wanted to try. And I did, and I blew it all to hell." They both laughed softly at that, before Patrick turned serious again. "I get that this is terrifying, but he is after you. And he'll go through anybody he has to in order to get to you. And no matter how much you hate it, I'm involved now, too." Patrick looked pointedly at Robin. "Do you get that yet? Because it involves you, I'm going all in, however I can help."

"I do get it," Robin sighed. "And I am terrified, just as much for me as for everybody else, and now you." She looked up at him, sadness coloring her face. "Say whatever you want, Patrick, but the only reason any of this is touching you is because you wouldn't leave me alone." Robin pulled back slightly. "At least maybe if I'm not in town, then it won't be so dangerous for everyone else."

"So, does that mean you'll help me find my parents?" Bobby asked, breaking into the conversation.

"It mean's she'll help us find your parents," Lulu reminded him.

Robin looked over at them and smiled. "Yes," she said, rolling her eyes. "I guess we're going to London."

Patrick dropped his head and sighed. "There's no talking you people out of this, is there?" he asked. Patrick closed his eyes, and came to a decision. Well, he thought, Drakes don't do anything halfway. "Then I guess we're going to London."

"Over my dead body!" Robin shouted.

Patrick jerked his eyes back to hers. "Excuse me?"

Robin remained firm, pulling out of Patrick's grasp completely. "Over my dead body will you do something so stupid!"

"Yeah, it will be your dead body if you don't take all the help you can!" Patrick shouted back, shocked by Robin's sudden change in attitude. "What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem, Dr. Drake," Robin emphasized his title, "Is that this is going to be exceedingly dangerous, and it'll be hard enough for me to look after those two!"

"Hey!" Bobby and Lulu cried indignantly.

"--Without having to look after you, too!" she finished.

Patrick's face darkened. "Well, then, there isn't a problem, because I don't need you to look after me, Dr. Scorpio."

Robin raised an eyebrow. "I don't think we're going to need any neurosurgeries performed while we're there," she scoffed, "So this'll be a little bit out of your area of expertise."

"Because Yale and the Sorbonne are the normal training grounds for super-spies now?" Patrick spat. "Unless you have a double life you haven't mentioned yet--"

"What, did you think my little speech the other night was just for show?" Robin asked incredulously. "All that stuff I told you about self-defense and firearms, I know about from experience." She allowed herself a moment's satisfaction at the look of shock on Patrick's face. "Yeah, Patrick. I can defend myself, and pretty damn well, too! I don't need whatever help you think you'll be providing, and I don't need you to protect me!"

Patrick abruptly turned Robin around and pushed against her lower back, ushering her towards the front door. "Could you excuse us for a minute?" he asked tightly, not waiting for a response. It was not a request.

Robin fumed silently and pulled away from Patrick, walking quickly for the door. "And we shouldn't be going outside unescorted!" she called out behind her as she left the house.

"Neither of your parents would let this house go unguarded!" Patrick shouted after her, following her outside. Slamming the door behind him, his voice came muffled through the walls, "And unless they're complete morons, they've got people watching you, too!"

Left alone in the living room, Bobby and Lulu turned to each other and gaped at the scene they had just witnessed. Each raising a silent eyebrow at the other, they simultaneously jumped up from their seats and raced for the front window to continue watching the show.

"You have no right to talk to me like I'm a child, Robin!" Patrick bit out.

"And you have no right trying to make decisions for me like that!" Robin retorted. "We're barely dating; you are not my boyfriend."

Patrick rolled his eyes. "Oh, are we back to that again? I knew this was really about your commitment issues."

"My what?" Robin choked. "You're one to talk, Mr. I-Don't-Date-a-Woman-More-Than-Twice! If either of us has commitment issues, it's you!"

"Bull, Robin!" Patrick shouted, catching a whisper of movement along the tree line. He smirked as Robin saw it too; it looked like he had been right about the WSB agents, after all. "I'm trying to protect you and just offered to follow you halfway around the world on some crazy spy mission, and you think I have commitment issues?"

"I think the only reason you made the offer was to prove a point!" Robin shot back, stubbornly raising her chin.

"Enlighten me, then," Patrick challenged, crossing his arms over his chest. "What point am I so desperate to make that I'd put myself in harm's way to do so?"

Robin returned his gesture, crossing her arms across herself in a gesture of defiance. "You've been bragging since the day we met about what a go-getter kind of guy you are. When we went out the other night you were going on and on about how you don't do anything halfway, and how you've never backed down from a challenge." Her eyes flashed in the moonlight, reflecting her anger and the tiniest trace of fear. "Well, I've always been the ultimate challenge, haven't I?"

"You are the most infuriating woman--"

"First, it was because I didn't fall for your lines," Robin continued, meeting his glare head-on. "Then it was because I was HIV-positive, and you were determined to prove how informed and how fearless you were--"

"Of all the insulting things you could possibly say right now--"

"--And now it's because I'm involved in one of my parents' crazy spy games," Robin finished tearfully. "Our relationship has always been about you proving a point to me."

Patrick ducked his head for a moment, gathering his thoughts before bringing up his burning eyes to meet her own. "Are you finished?" he asked softly. Robin nodded, so Patrick continued. "You are the most cowardly person I've ever met."

"Excuse you!"

"No!" Patrick snapped. "I mean it! You have been running scared from us since the day we met. First, you hid behind your hurt from Jason, and then you hid behind the HIV--"

"Well, I'm sorry my incurable disease got in the way of your sex life!"

"And now you're hiding behind my past!" he finished. Taking a deep breath, Patrick stared at Robin and continued angrily. "You go on and on about how great being in a relationship is, and about the evils of doing anything casual, and yet you have been running away from me since the beginning. For all your pronouncements, you're terrified that you might be happy with me for however long we last."

Robin returned his stare, suddenly overcome by the need to push Patrick as far away from her as quickly as possible. "You talk about being in a relationship like it's something you've really ever experienced," she said. "Falling sideways into someone doesn't count!"

Patrick ignored her and continued making his point. "You're right, I am a go-getter," he said unapologetically. "I've always gone after what I want, and nothing has ever stood in my way. The best college, the best medical school, the best residency program--"

"The best women?" Robin added bitterly.

Patrick nodded. "Yeah. Whatever, whoever I wanted, I've gotten. And I've wanted you from day one."

"You're just proving my point!"

"You need to stop talking for once!" Patrick exclaimed. "My God, is this what you do? Talk someone to death or until you get your way?" He shook his head in disbelief. "Yes, you were a challenge, because you challenged me. Since the beginning, you've been different."

"And that is exactly what I have been saying--"

"What did I just say?" Patrick snapped. Robin's jaw dropped at his tone, but she fell silent. "You were different. You stuck out from all the other women. You made me want more. Why have you always found that so offensive?"

"Because I am nobody's challenge!" Robin hissed, tears stinging her eyes.

"What do you think they're saying out there?" Lulu asked Bobby, not taking her eyes off the two figures on the front lawn.

"Hopefully she's reminding him of all the reasons why it would be stupid for him to tag along with us," Bobby replied.

Lulu rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on. I think it's sweet that he would risk everything to follow her halfway across the world."

"And I suppose what we walked in on earlier tonight was 'sweet' too?"

"No," Lulu retorted. "It was romantic. Plus," she grinned wickedly, "Patrick Drake is seriously hot."

Bobby frowned and shifted away from Lulu slightly. "He was more concerned that we interrupted his make-out time with Robin than what we discovered about the DVX's activities."

"Oh, please!" Lulu cried, twisting her head to glare at Bobby. "Robin was a more than willing partner in all that, not that I blame her in the slightest."

"Robin needs to be focused on protecting herself."

"You are such a guy! Do you even have a single romantic bone in your body?"

"How the hell does romance figure into all this?!"

Lulu shook her head slightly, her wide eyes disbelieving. "You really don't get it, do you?" she asked. "It's about him wanting to risk everything for her. That's terrifying, yeah, but also an incredibly romantic gesture. He said he'd drop everything, his job, his family, everything, to help her solve this mystery. He didn't walk away when it got bad, and now he's willing to do even more." She looked at him. "That's real romance. Who needs flowers and candy when you've got a hot guy willing to risk everything for you?"

Bobby made a noncommittal grunt and returned his attention back to the window. "So," he said after a moment. "Do you think we should risk it and open the window?"

"I am nobody's challenge," Robin repeated.

Patrick took a deep breath to steady himself. "Robin, you know that I am the most arrogant man on the face of the planet, and you also know I take my career more seriously than even you take yours," he said, speaking lower now. "Yes, the HIV is an issue, but not insurmountable, and not one I'm afraid of." He looked pointedly at her. "Excepting times like this when you make me want to wring your neck, I think you're worth it. And now I am offering my help, for however much it's worth, to run off to the other side of the world, battle evil super spies, and save your godfather from uncertain doom." Patrick's face fell and his eyes told her how much her doubt was hurting him at this point. "If it were just about the challenge, I'd duck out until you were safe again. It's about you."

"I don't want it to be."

Her voice came out soft and hollow, and Patrick frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"I don't..." Robin held her arms tighter around her torso as she struggled to put her swirling emotions into words. "You know about what happened between me and Jason?" she finally asked.

Patrick blinked. "Yeah," he said slowly, unsure about the sudden change in conversation.

"And you know about what my father did," she added. Upon seeing Patrick nod, she took a shaky breath and continued. "Even my mom still runs off on missions. I know she'll always come back, and I love that she's able to make the world safer however she can, but she still leaves."

"Robin, what--"

"Please let me speak," she said neutrally, holding up a hand to stave off another interruption. "I have three godfathers, and they all left. Granted, Uncle Sean was recovering from major surgery for months, but he and Aunt Tiffany never came back. Buzz just sort of went away, and Frisco decided he liked undercover WSB work more than he liked having a family. My grandmother died, my stepfather died, my ex-stepmother, who was supposed to help take care of my after I thought my parents had died, left and never came back. Jason turned his back on me for a child that wasn't his and a woman he never loved, and Sonny, a man I used to think of as my big brother, kicked me out of his life in favor of Jason."

Robin trailed off, and Patrick felt a knot in his stomach that told him where this was heading. He forced himself to say it. "And Stone?" he asked hoarsely.

"He was the only person besides Uncle Mac who put me before everything else, made me the center of his world the same way I did him, and he..." she said, blinking back tears, "Life took him away from me. He fought so hard, he tried to stay, and even at the end when AIDS proved how strong it really was, I was the only thing in his world. But he was still gone. I'm not...I'm not used to being the center of things anymore. I'm not used to being the thing that people focus on, that they fight for."

Robin looked at Patrick and saw his dark eyes processing everything. She continued, determined to finally lay everything bare. "You're saying you would walk into an unknown, dangerous situation for me, and I don't know how to handle that. Faison is doing all these horrible things because he wants me for something, and I can't even deal with that. You know how hurricanes, and all their destructive force, center around the eye?. I'm in the eye now, and all these things, these different things, are happening because of me. It's just...I don't know how to do this anymore." She shrugged helplessly and dropped her eyes to the ground, unable to look at Patrick after being so raw.

Patrick stared at her for a few moments, letting her words wash over him in the silence. It made sense now, he thought, why she had always been so hesitant in the face of his brazen advances. He also found himself hating most of the people who had been in Robin's life before him. "You don't know how to be wanted anymore," he said, rather than asked. "Whether it's good or bad, you don't know how to have someone want you."

Robin kept her eyes downward, but shakily nodded her head. She usually hated his summations of her life, but couldn't deny that this was the essence of what she had said. "It's been a really long time since someone put me first, Patrick, and it sounds an awful lot like that's what you're doing."

He shrugged. "It is," he said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world. And to him, it really was. "Look, you have continually taken my attitude as a negative thing," Patrick explained. "I mean, if I wasn't focused on you, I wouldn't have spent so much time focusing on you. I get," he swallowed, "I get that it's hard for you, especially in light of everything I'm learning about your past, to believe that this hasn't just been about the chase for me." Patrick rubbed a hand over the back of his neck in uncertainty. "And I know my past doesn't exactly instill confidence in you."

"You keep telling me that you chase women because you get bored easily," Robin said bitterly. "What happens if you get bored while we're searching London for clues?"

"It's been five months, Robin," Patrick reminded her. "I'm not bored. I'm excited about the next thing with you. It's different with you. I have no idea what to call it or how to categorize it, but this...thing between us is new, and it's been growing since December." He looked at her. "If I was going to move on, I think I would have by now. I just...I just know that I want more of it. I want more of you, and that's why I'm doing all this, Robin. I know it's been a long time for you, but it really is that simple from where I'm standing."

Robin brought her eyes up to meet his. Her arms were still crossed over her chest, but she looked looked less guarded now. Robin took a step closer to Patrick, her dark eyes shining from unshed tears and the sliver of moonlight overhead. "You realize what you're asking for, right?" she asked. "I know what we said we were doing, but things have changed so much since the other night, Patrick. You're right, I thought the HIV would be our big obstacle, but this whole...thing with Faison and my crazy spy-parents and everything else, I never thought that part of my past would touch me again." Stepping closer until she could feel Patrick's body heat, Robin looked up at him. "You need to be really sure about all this."

"I am," Patrick said, taking a chance and bringing his arms up to Rub along Robin's back. She didn't pull away this time. "You matter, Robin, to more people than you realize right now." He grinned, some of his usual cockiness slipping back into his tone. "All I can tell you is that I'm one of the good guys in this scenario."

Robin laughed -- finally, she thought -- and collapsed against Patrick's chest. "This is pretty crazy, isn't it?" she mumbled into his shirt.

"No kidding," Patrick snorted.

She peered up at him, a thoughtful expression crossing her face. "You do realize you very likely just volunteered to help stop a plot to take over the world, right?"

"Yeah. I think I could get used to the whole 'being a superhero' thing."

"We'll see if you say that when we're running away from DVX agents while they're shooting at us. You've never even held a gun. What role do you intend to play, exactly?"

Patrick shrugged, still holding Robin to him. "I sort of figured I'd just seduce the beautiful-yet-evil DVX agent who will inevitably be leading the chase to find us and get information out of her."

Robin burst out laughing. "The DVX agent leading the chase to get us is an old, evil, and crazy man. Although," she grinned cheekily up at Patrick, "I'd pay good money to see you try and seduce Faison. Purely for entertainment purposes."

"He must have a protégé," Patrick argued weakly, paling at Robin's suggestion.

Robin's amusement abruptly fell away. "I wonder..." she said. "Did you see anyone else besides Faison in the bookshop?"

Patrick frowned at the change of mood, but answered. "Yeah, actually. There was a younger guy, about my age. He was Asian and he definitely worked there."

"Really?" Robin perked up. "Like, as a cover for Faison, or do you think the guy worked for Faison?"

"Um...he did what Faison told him to." Patrick thought back to something the older man had said. "You know, when I was paying, Faison told the other guy to give me some sort of discount." He looked at Robin with wide eyes. "I didn't think about it then, because I didn't know about the book. But the other guy must have known what Faison was doing."

"So he probably works for the DVX," Robin concluded. "You didn't catch a name, did you?"

Patrick closed his eyes and dropped his forehead to touch Robin's. "Hoshi...Hiro...Hiroshi, maybe? I don't remember," Patrick sighed in frustration.

"That's okay," Robin said, wrapping her arms around Patrick's back. "At least we know of one other agent who's likely involved with all this." She didn't tell Patrick about the other thought forming in her mind, that this second man was probably the same agent leading the attack on Sam. She still hadn't told him about Sam's suspicion that the lead kidnapper had known that Sam wasn't Robin. She didn't know why yet, but Robin was sure that piece of information was going to be important. She just wasn't certain how. Robin shook her head slightly and pulled her mind back to the current task at hand. "So. London?"

"Well, one way I can be useful is to get us all tickets," Patrick said, unaware of Robin's internal analysis.

"Wait, no," Robin protested.

Patrick put a finger over her lips in a gesture of silence. "We don't know how closely they're paying attention to me, but we do know they're making overtures on your family, Bobby's family, and Lulu's family. My bank account's the least likely to be traced right now, so we need to take advantage of that."

Robin nodded, a gleam of mirth dancing in her eyes. "You're thinking like a spy already."

Patrick gave her a dimpled smile. "Just call me Drake. Patrick Drake."

"God! I'm starting to see why whenever you extol your list of virtues to me, you never include a sense of humor as one of them."

"That was a pun!"

"I rest my case."

"Thank God you didn't go to law school."

Robin rolled her eyes. "We're being watched," she said casually.

Patrick jerked up straighter. "Who? Where? How can you see anything right now?"

Laughing, Robin turned him to face the house, where they saw Bobby and Lulu watching them in the front window. Both teenagers had distinct deer-in-headlights faces at being caught spying, and quickly scrambled out of sight upon seeing Robin and Patrick staring back at them.

Patrick gritted his teeth. "I swear, that kid drives me insane. And not in the good way that you do."

"I though you liked being the center of attention."

"Women's attention," Patrick corrected, wrapping an arm around her and moving them back towards the house. "He does this on purpose, you know," Patrick told Robin. "From the moment we met, Bobby's made it his hobby to annoy me."

"I think it's cute," Robin smiled. "It sort of reminds me of the way Maxie and Georgie were when they were younger."

"Great," Patrick muttered. "Just what I never wanted: a little brother." Sighing, he looked down at Robin as he opened the front door. "Look, why don't you give Mac and your parents a call? I know you're worried about them, so just check in, and then I'll take you guys home."

Nodding, they walked back into the Scorpio-Jones house and prepared to figure out what to do next.