Beautiful Disaster

Chapter: 26

Pairing: Robert and Holly

Rating: PG

Robin who had been listening outside the door finally made her presence known. "Congratulations, Dad, you're finally getting the family you always wanted." she snapped. "With Holly."

Robert looked at his daughter then at his wife and then finally back to his daughter. "Do you want to run that by me again?" he asked.

"You heard me." Robin snapped again. "My mother and I were just substitutes and we would have always been if it wasn't for her death and Holly's reappearance. Now that Holly's back I don't matter anymore."

"That's not true!" he told her. "And you know it!"

"Yes it is." she replied. "I haven't mattered from the moment you came back and found out that she was pregnant. Everything has been about Holly and the baby."

"I've heard about enough!" Holly said sternly. "You and I, Robin, have had this conversation before. It didn't hold any weight then and it's not going to now."

Robin rolled her eyes. "Right." she sighed. "Because being a Mother for five minutes has made you an expert. You can't tell me what to do."

"I suggest you drop the attitude." Robert told her.

"Robin, I have included you in Xavier's life from the very beginning." Holly reminded her. "You know that I love you as if you were my own."

"You're not my Mother." Robin snapped.

"No." Holly agreed. "I'm not. Anna will always be your Mother and nothing will ever change that. But that doesn't mean that you're not a part of this family anymore just because she's gone." she said softly. "You're Father and I love you and that's not going to change no matter how many other children we have."

Robin's eyes began to fill with tears, she quickly turned and dashed out the door. Robert got up off the bed to followed her, but Holly caught his hand. "Let her go." she told him. "Once she calms down she'll come back in. She just needs a little time alone."

Robert brought her hand up to his lips. "I'd be so lost without you." he said and then placed a soft kiss to the back of her hand. "When you I thought I could lose you..."

"Robert." she interjected. "I love you and I'd never willingly leave you."

"I know." he replied as he gently stroked his son's hair. "I love you, Holly." he said as he kissed her lips and then dropped a kiss on Xavier's head. "And I love you."

Holly smiled to herself. Seeing Robert interact with his son was amazing. It was everything she had dreamt of and more. "Here, you take him for a while." she said as she handed the baby over to Robert.

Robert gently cradled Xavier in his arms. "Mac and Tiffany and Sean are going to stop by tomorrow to see you." he told her. "Tiffany has already grown quite attached to this little guy."

"Good." Holly replied. "Hopefully it's planted some ideas in her head because I fully expect a playmate for Xavier by the end of the year."

"Have you ran this past Tiffany?" he asked.

"No." she answered. "I knew that once she held our baby she'd come to the conclusion all on her own."

There was a soft knock on Holly's open door. Holly looked up to discover Tiffany standing in the doorway. "Hello."

Holly smiled. "Hello."

Tiffany made her way over to the bed and gently hugged Holly. "You scared me nearly to death." she said as she pulled away.

"I know." she replied. "So Robert tells me you've been bonding with Xavier."

"I have." Tiffany said. "He's the most adorable baby I've ever laid eyes on."

"Thank you." Robert smiled. "He looks just like his Father."

Tiffany laughed. "You're not conceded even a little bit are you?" she asked. "Oh, by the way I looked for Robin like you asked but I wasn't able to find her."

"She found us." Robert said.

"Good." Tiffany sighed. "I really should be going, I just wanted to see with my own eyes that you were alright." she told Holly. "I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Bye." Robert and Holly echoed.

"You know, we didn't tell Robin about what happened in the delivery room." Robert told Holly. "We weren't quite sure of how she would take it."

"Robin doesn't need to know." she replied. "Besides everything is over and done with and everyone is all right."

A crying Robin suddenly re-appeared in the doorway. She knocked softly this time. "Can I come in?"

"Of course." Holly replied.

Robin slowly made her way across the room. "I'm sorry." she apologized. "I shouldn't have said those things."

"It's okay." Holly assured her.

"No it's not." she replied as a few tears trickled down her face. "I was being selfish."

Robert got up from the bed with Xavier and took a seat in the chair beside the window, leaving Robin and Holly to talk alone.

"Come sit." Holly instructed.

Robin sat down in the spot her Father had vacated. "Will you forgive me?"

"Of course." she said as she gently wiped away a few of her step-daughter's tears.

"I'm sorry." Robin said softly as she made her way into Holly's embrace. "I love you." she sobbed into her Holly's shoulder.

"I love you, too." Holly said as she gently stroked Robin's hair.

tbc...