Thanks for the patience. Believe me, if we hadn't had these few days to stew we would have been bringing this story to an abrupt end. I'm not sure how much longer we have, but feedback always helps!

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Chapter 21
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"How is it living with Patrick?" Liz asked as Robin put away the client binder she had been working on.

"It's fine, believe it or not." Robin leaned back against the counter, her back towards the elevator as she watched Liz entering information into the hospital computer system. "He's much better tempered than he was in the hospital now that he's up and about. He's even made me dinner and once he packed me a lunch."

"Thinking of making it more long-term?" Liz asked, a sly grin on her face.

Robin rolled her eyes at Liz's determined matchmaking.

"Come on, Robin. You can't tell me you're so eager to kick him back out after going to all that trouble to move his stuff into your house."

"Did Lucky tell you he didn't want to help move it back out?" Robin asked with a laugh. Lucky had called her at regular intervals for a couple of days after he and Jesse helped move Patrick's stuff into her cottage just to tell her how much his back still hurt.

"You know he's always happy to help his Scorpio sister. Especially when you bribe him so well." Robin had babysat for Cam so Liz and Lucky could enjoy a night out before Patrick got out of the hospital. It was the only way to get Lucky off her back.

"Don't you think it's a bit soon for Patrick and me to be considering moving in together? We've only been dating for three weeks."

"Oh please, you two have been dating since the first time you had dinner at the MetroCourt. If not before. All that bickering, foreplay."

"Wow. Well then it's been surely long enough to live together. Might as well call the caterers." Robin rolled her eyes. "I want to take my time here, Liz. Even with Simon, as spontaneous as I thought we were, it always felt like there was an agenda. Now I know why. With this, with Patrick, there's plenty of time. I really do want to learn to take it as it comes."

"You really mean that don't you?" Liz looked over at Robin, fully taking in her happy expression.

Robin nodded. For the first time in a long time she really did believe that there was plenty of time for her and Patrick to build a future together. For the first time in a long time she didn't feel a clock ticking somewhere from the bottom of her subconscious. She was happy just being where she was and with whom she was with.

"If she said that I'm the most dynamic man she's ever met, good looking, educated, cultured, sexy, talented in the kitchen and the …."

Robin spun around and nailed Patrick, who was standing on the other side of the Nurses' Station counter, with a dirty look.

Patrick shot her a leer and looked over at Liz. "How is General Hospital's most beautiful nurse doing on this fine afternoon?" While he spoke he clasped Robin's hands over the counter, tightening his hold on them when she tried to pull away.

"I'm great, Patrick. How are you feeling?" Liz asked.

"I am doing wonderful. In fact, I'm cleared to come back to work on Monday. Alan gave me off the weekend first, though. In fact, I'm told that you have a break in your schedule as well Doctor Scorpio."

"I do?" Robin asked wondering if she was mistaken or if he was up to something. She managed to pull one hand away and looked around to see who was watching.

Patrick nodded in confirmation, the grin on his face showing he was not-so-secretly enjoying flustering the ever professional Doctor Scorpio. "Which is lucky for you because I'm willing to take you away with me this weekend."

"Gee, lucky me. What about your Dad? He won't be released until the middle of next week at the earliest."

"Which means no chaperones." Patrick winked. "And before you say anything else, he's the one who's arranging this weekend for us."

Robin looked at Patrick curiously.

"He's sending up to the Drake family ski lodge and yours truly has the keys. Dad cleared it with the caretaker, no one else will be there this weekend."

"Ski season is over. Whatever will we do?" Robin put her hand on her chin and pretended to think deeply.

Patrick smiled, grabbed her hand back and brought both of Robin's hands to his lips. His eyes never left hers as he slowly kissed each one.

Liz grinned as she slipped away unnoticed.

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"It's beautiful." Robin stood at the glass doors looking out at the gorgeous view of the ski slopes and surrounding mountains in the waning winter dusk. Patrick walked over and put his hands on Robin's arms and looked down at her. "Yes, you are. Especially when you smile."

"Then it's a good thing for both of us you make me smile." Robin leaned back and sighed as he slid his arms around her. They fit so perfectly together, sometimes she didn't want to be anywhere but in his arms. She sighed again and closed her eyes, trying to chase away the nervous thought that it was too soon to feel this emotionally dependent.

"I always knew that you couldn't resist my charm." Patrick nuzzled her neck.

"I found you insufferable, arrogant, glib and irritating and I could barely stand you for two minutes at a time on a good day."

"And yet, here we are." Patrick smirked and nibbled causing Robin to huff out a breath.

"It was the virus, it caused brain damage." Robin bit her lip to stop a moan from escaping as his ministrations drove her mad.

"Good thing I'm a neurosurgeon then. Did I mention I'm really good with my hands?" And he set out to prove just that.

"I think you. Might. Have. Mentioned. That." His hands and lips were roaming over her body and Robin would have melted to the floor if she wasn't leaning against Patrick.

"You find my insufferable arrogance extremely sexy. Your eyes shoot sparks at me when you're particularly annoyed." He began unbutton her pink shirt, the tips of his fingers teasing her skin in between each button.

"I don't find it sexy." Robin wondered where she got the presence of mind to put a sentence together, never mind protest his claims. He was probably right she conceded as he slid the shirt off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

"Do you know how many fantasies I had featuring you in that locker room with just this bra on?" Patrick asked huskily as he traced his fingers over the sexy black garment.

Robin shook her head, no longer able to form the words to confess she'd had quite a few of her own about him back in that O.R. in NYC. His fingers were now unbuttoning her jeans.

"We haven't had dinner yet." She covered his hands with her own, stopping his movements.

"Are you hungry?" He asked, definitely not referring to food.

"It's my turn to cook and I had some romantic plans." Robin turned around in his arms and put her hands around his neck.

"If you cook just wearing that. Then serve me. Feed me." Patrick slid his index fingers under the waistband of her jeans at each hip. "Maybe speak in all French. In just your underwear."

"Do you understand French?" she asked.

"No. Spanish."

"So basically you want me to serve you, look hot and for you to not understand a word I say. In other words, be a male fantasy."

"I am still recuperating for a very dangerous surgery." Patrick grinned down at her unrepentant. "You could have lost me."

Robin cracked up, leaning her forehead against his chest, which sadly was still clothed, as she laughed. "That's very interesting, Patrick. Or would be if I were a psychiatrist. How easily you can use a life and death surgery to try to score a fantasy." Robin grinned up at him as he leaned down towards her in that way that always made her stomach flutter.

"Did it work?"

Robin rolled her eyes and brought his head the rest of the way down to her for a heated kiss.

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