Chapter Three - Getting to Know You
Robin's bare feet padded along the shiny hardwood floors of her apartment. She knew she had a bottle of bubble bath somewhere in her new apartment and she was on a mission to find it. When her uncle or co-workers didn't know what to get her for her birthday or Christmas, they went with the old stand-by's...bubble bath and scented candles. She had the candles. She had the wine. She had the latest best-seller and the Carly Simon CD's cued up in the stereo. She had a good thirty minutes before her dinner was finished heating up in the oven and the rest of the night all to herself. And she had the hot water running in the tub. A perfect recipe for a relaxing evening at home. All she needed now was the bubble bath.
"Riley, did you eat my bubble bath?" She asked her German Shepard, who was lying on the floor in the living room watching her go back and forth between the boxes she hadn't gotten around to unpacking when she moved in. He lifted his head to acknowledge that she was talking to him, but then laid it right back down again. "Aha!" She exclaimed in victory, pulling a gift bag out of one of the boxes . Still wrapped up from last Christmas, Robin pulled out the bottle of jasmine scented bubble bath and headed back into her bathroom. She added the foamy liquid to her hot, running water and let the fragrant aroma settle her frazzled nerves. It had been a long week. And she deserved this evening to herself.
Lighting the candles she had strategically placed around her bathroom and shedding her bathrobe, Robin climbed into the hot, soapy tub and submerged her weary body in the floral scented bubbles. Carly Simon's melodic voice filled the small room and Robin began quietly singing along to her favorite song.
"All I want is you and the sexy hurricane that we share..." She sang, leaving her book in it's place on the counter. She would read later. Right now she was just enjoying the nothingness that filled up the space around her. Lying back against the tub, she closed her eyes and drifted off into relaxation world.
The CD was nearing the end and Robin was contemplating the thought of getting out of the tub to change CD's when she heard her doorbell ring. Her eyes flew open and she sat straight up. Riley began barking and she could hear his toe-nails clicking on the floors as she was sure he was pacing back and forth in front of the door. "You've got to be kidding me." She muttered to herself, pulling herself out of her soothing bath and putting on her robe. Pulling the belt tight around her, Robin made her way out into the front hallway to find Riley jumping up on his hind legs against the door.
"Sit." Robin commanded him, but was ignored. Riley's barking became louder, so she raised her voice and said again, "Riley, sit!" Looking through her peephole, Robin was surprised to see Patrick standing on the other side of her door. Riley had crept back up behind her and Robin turned to grab a hold of his collar. "It's OK. It's OK, buddy. Go back to your bed." Riley, the well trained guard dog, looked at her with his ears pointed and cocked his head to the side. It wasn't until Robin pointed at his bed that he finally followed her command.
"How did you get up here?" Robin asked through the closed door. "I have a rather large doorman downstairs. Who is paid very well, actually."
"Hi yourself." Patrick said, smirking.
Ignoring his sexy smirk, Robin tried again. "How did you know where I live?"
"Employees addresses are listed in their personnel files at the hospital. You are an employee and so your address..."
"You looked in my personnel file?" Robin exclaimed, wondering what else he found out about her in there. Who in their right mind would give him access to her personnel file? "Have you no shame?" She demanded.
Patrick chuckled and said, "Oh relax, will you? Liz gave me your address."
"Liz is a little too helpful for her own good." Robin muttered under her breath.
"Are you going to let me in?" He asked. "I feel like an idiot standing out here in the hallway. And with all the noise your dog was making, people are starting to stare."
"What do you want?" She asked, not sure she wanted to deal with him on her night off.
"To come in." He repeated. "Now will you please open this door before I have to impress you with my ability to kick it in?"
"I think you are greatly underestimating my security system." Robin said, unlocking the door and opening it up. "And greatly overestimating your own strength."
"That hurt." He said, casually leaning against her door frame and grinning at her. "How are you going to make it up to me?"
"You interrupted my relaxing evening. And showed up here without calling first." She shot back. "I think the better question is, how are you going to make it up to me?"
Riley, who had stayed on his pillow bed longer than Robin had expected, made his appearance and began barking at Patrick. "Whoah...nice doggy." Patrick said nervously, taking in Riley's sharp teeth and menacing bark.
"Riley, get back in your bed!" She knelt down and rubbed her baby's head. "It's OK, baby. Go." Again, she pointed at the bed and Riley skulked back to his bed, keeping one watchful eye on Patrick.
"That's a big dog." Patrick said, also keeping one of his eye's fixed on Riley.
"That's a good quality for a watch dog to have." Robin teased him. "My uncle Mac gave him to me when I moved back to Port Charles. Kind of a welcome home gift is what he said. But there's always going to be a part of him that thinks I need to be protected. I wouldn't move in with him, so I guess he figured that a dog was the next best thing."
Patrick shrugged in agreement. "An understandable reaction for him to have since you cavort with hit men."
"I don't cavort." Robin said stiffly, finally accepting the fact that he wasn't going away and closing the door behind him. "So, why did you say you were here again?"
"To see you." He answered simply.
Taken aback by his honest answer, Robin recovered by saying, "That's all you've got? C'mon Dr. Drake, there's got to be some case of mine that you've been reviewing and disagree with. Or some friend of mine who's phone number you want. You couldn't come up with something better than you want to see me?"
"Do I need something better than that?" He asked, moving closer and finally noticing that all she wore was a bathrobe. Her flawless skin was pink from the heat of her bath, her dark hair was loosely pulled up on top of her head with enticing little tendrils escaping all around her face, and she smelled intoxicating. Trying to focus, Patrick said, "OK, how about I tell you that Manny Ruiz's attorney contacted me today and said that we would be called upon for medical testimony at his trial."
Robin shook her head and said, "Too late. Alexis already spoke to me this afternoon about it. So if that's all you've got, you can go now." She said, motioning her arm toward her door.
Ignoring her motion and comments, Patrick walked past her into the living room of her apartment. "I love what you've done with the place."
Robin shook her head and followed him into the living room. "I haven't had a lot of time for unpacking. With the holidays and trying to keep you from messing with my cases, I've been pretty swamped."
Again ignoring her sarcasm, Patrick moved over to the table by the couch and picked up one of the framed photos that were sitting there. "Is this the illustrious Robert Scorpio, man of intrigue and adventure?" He asked, turning back to Robin.
"The one and only." Robin said, smiling at the photo of Robert, Anna, and herself. It was one of her favorites, taken right before the explosion.
"And your mom?" Patrick asked, looking at Anna.
"Her name is Anna."
"And where is she through all of this?"
"Paris. She couldn't get back to the states for the holidays, but I talked to her for a few hours on Christmas Day." Robin smiled at the memory of her mother's voice and how good she sounded. "I'm going to owe Uncle Mac big money for that phone bill."
"You look like her." He said, looking from the photo back to Robin.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Robin said.
"Good." Patrick replied with a smile. "It was meant as one." They smiled at each other and their gazes held for longer than either had expected. Patrick was the first one to look away as he picked up another framed photo from the table. On the frame, the quote "Love is giving someone the power to destroy you and trusting them not to." was etched into the silver under a picture of a younger Robin sitting with her arms around a good looking guy. "Since this looks nothing like Jason Morgan, I'm going to guess that this is the other great love of your life. Stone. Is that his name?"
"How do you know about Stone?" Robin asked, walking over and taking the picture out of his hands.
"Your life is an open book, Dr. Scorpio." He answered, looking at her curiously as she lovingly replaced the picture on the table. "At least for some people anyway."
"Liz again?" Robin asked. When he nodded, Robin knew that she and Liz were going to have to have a chat about matchmaking. "Her heart is in the right place, I guess." Robin said quietly.
"So, where is old Stone?" Patrick asked with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Is he back in France, too? Because if he's my only competition for your affections, I've got to say that I definitely have closer proximity in my favor..."
"He's not in Paris." Robin snapped, cutting him off. "He's not anywhere. He died. Over ten years ago." She glared at him for a few moments and watched the surprise at her response register in his eyes. "I need a drink." She said, suddenly. "Do you want one?"
"Sure." He said slowly, processing what she had just told him. She nodded and headed back to the bathroom. Confused Patrick asked, "You keep drinks in your bathroom?"
"I told you that I was relaxing this evening. I only got to finish half of my wine before I was so rudely interrupted." Plus, Robin thought, I have to change. Being so close to him and wearing only a bathrobe was doing something delightfully dangerous to her senses. But she needed to put some distance between them for a little while.
"OK, Riley and I will wait here." Patrick called after her. He looked down at the dog and laughed a nervous smile. "Good doggy." He said as he sat down on the sofa.
When Robin returned, safely clothed in the outfit she had been wearing earlier that day and carrying the bottle of wine, Patrick was nosing through one of the books on her coffee table. He looked up and said, "I found the dog treats. Riley and I are now good friends."
Robin grinned as she went into the kitchen and found another wine glass for him. As she was pouring, the timer on her oven went off and so she pulled out her dinner plate.
Patrick, who had wandered into the kitchen, looked at the meal and asked, "Did you cook that?"
Robin shook her head and avoided his eyes. "I reheated it." She said, focusing on the food. "I went over to Uncle Mac's house for the holidays and Felicia loaded me up with dinners I could stick in the freezer and reheat."
"Prime Rib, twice baked potato, broccoli and cheese souffle." Patrick let out a low whistle and said, "Uncle Mac does pretty well for a cop. Do Sonny and Jason float a little cash his way because they are friends with you...?"
Robin turned on him, the fire flashing in her eyes. "Don't you dare!" She said, pointing the knife she had been using to cut the meat at him and causing him to lean back. "Don't you ever imply that my uncle takes pay offs from the mob. He is a stand up cop and a stand up guy! He hates the fact that I cavort, as you say, with Sonny and Jason." Robin turned back to the plate, having lost her appetite completely. "It was Christmas." She said in a softer tone. "A special occasion. They don't eat like this everyday."
Patrick watched her for a moment, leaning on the counter, before saying quietly, "I'm sorry. For implying anything about Mac." He paused and then said, "And for joking about Stone. I didn't know he was dead. Liz didn't tell me that part. I guess that's why she said you should tell me."
"Well, now I have." Robin said shortly. "Do you want some of this?" She asked, pointing to the separate plate she was making. "It's too much for me and it would be rude to eat in front of you."
Patrick nodded and sat on one of the bar stools across the counter from her. "So, did you and Stone meet in high school or something?"
Robin shook her head and put the plate and wine glass down in front of him. "He worked for Sonny."
"Is that what killed him?" Patrick asked, innocently enough but winced when he realized how bad it sounded as the words came out of his mouth. "What I mean is, was he a hit man like Jason and something went wrong..."
"Why can't you let it rest?" Robin asked him, sitting across from him at her own plate.
Patrick shrugged. "Because it intrigues me. You intrigue me. You are a smart and beautiful woman who sits at home nights with only her dog and her research to keep her warm. I just want to figure out the puzzle that is Robin Scorpio and this new information seems to be important."
"You won't be quite so intrigued when you find out why." Robin muttered, watching him feed pieces of his prime rib to his new friend Riley. "At $10 per pound, could you not feed that to the dog?"
Patrick tossed another piece of meat at Riley, just to annoy her. "I need an ally." He said, grinning at her. "And what makes you so sure that whatever secrets you have will cause me to be any less interested in you than I am now?"
"Because it's happened before. More times than I care to count." She answered.
"Maybe I'm different." He said, taking a sip of his wine.
"And maybe you're not." She answered, picking at her plate and avoiding his eyes.
"Try me."
Robin smiled a wry smile and said, "See, you say that now. And then in two minutes you're going to be running for the hills."
"I don't scare that easily." He countered, the challenge he was issuing lighting up his eyes.
Robin put down her fork and looked him right in the eye. Taking a deep breath, she said in a strong voice, "It wasn't a mobster's bullet that killed Stone. It was AIDS."