Disclaimer: Yeah, no, as much as I love the show- and despite the fact that I have been a loyal fan most of my life- I don't actually own it or any of it's characters…

--Chapter Two--

--General Hospital--

Elizabeth stepped out of the elevator on the fifth floor of General Hospital and went straight to the Nurse's Station. "Epiphany," she began as the ostentatious but endearing woman walked by, "do you know where Noah and Patrick are?"

Without looking up from the file she was reading, Epiphany answered, "Cafeteria." Her stern gaze collided with Liz's as she raised her head. "I don't want to see any drama," she told the young nurse, who gave a nod before stepping over to catch another elevator. Epiphany shook her head in a combination of amusement and dismay- she knew good and well there would be drama.

When Elizabeth reached the cafeteria, she easily spotted both Drakes. For a moment, she just stared at the pair, thinking how amazing it was that they were her family. She was a Drake, the thought with a proud smile- and she had every reason to be proud of both Noah and Patrick. They were both brilliant doctors who loved what they did. And, despite the fact that he'd rather not show anyone his true feelings, he'd been there for her when she'd had problems with Lucky- he was a really good listener, and he always made her feel like it was okay to talk to him. He was exactly the kind of big brother she'd always wished for. And Noah... Since he'd gotten the transplant from Patrick, he'd really begun to change- he wanted to make up the past ten years to Patrick, though no one was sure that was really possible. He wanted to be a part of his son's life- he loved him. And that, she thought, is exactly the type of dad I've always wanted- one that would love me unconditionally, as Noah did Patrick. Before she could let her thoughts wander too much farther, Patrick glanced up and noticed her.

A grin spread across his face and he waved her over. "Hey, Izzy, come join us."

Izzy, Liz thought with a grin, was Patrick's own interpretation of her name. He'd been using the nickname on her since he'd started work there. She noticed the look that crossed Noah's face when Patrick called out to her- it was the same sad look he got every time his son called her Izzy, and Elizabeth had always wondered why that was- she'd thought about asking, but the look never lasted more than a few fleeting seconds before Noah managed to hide it. Now she thought she might finally have the answer.

"Hey, guys," she greeted, pasting a smile on her face. Panic was beginning to set in now- what if Noah and Patrick weren't happy about this? She bit her lip- she really didn't want to think about being rejected by another family. "Can we… That is, I need to talk to you two, and I was wondering if we could go somewhere more… private," she informed them, not wanting to have this particular conversation in a room full of gossip-loving nurses and doctors.

After sharing a concerned look with his son, Noah shrugged and stood. No words were necessary- there were certain people in their lives that they would always be there for, no questions asked- Elizabeth, Bobbie, Robin. Granted, Patrick and Robin fought like there was no tomorrow most of the time, but Robin knew that Patrick was there for her when she needed to talk- just like Robin was there for Patrick. The same went for Noah- he loved Robin and was glad that she had come into both his and Patrick's lives- he was thankful everyday that she'd helped him and Patrick begin to make amends- though, both father and son knew that there was a long way to go. At least they both knew that the things they said and did were out of love for one another.

He and Patrick both picked up the remnants of their lunch and tossed them in the nearby trashcan. The three went to the on-call room down the hallway and, after Noah closed the door, Elizabeth began to pace.

Patrick slumped onto the bed and waited for her to speak while Noah leaned against the door. Finally, she turned to Noah and asked in a gentle voice, "Why do you get that sad look in your eyes when Patrick calls me Izzy, Noah?"

Noah, clearly startled, started to deny the accusation and Elizabeth held up her hand to silence him before he could even speak. "Is it because of your daughter?"

The question, so softly spoken, surprised Patrick beyond measure and he was suddenly very glad he'd been sitting when she'd asked it. Looking toward his father, he could plainly see that Noah wished he'd been sitting, as well. Patrick knew very little about his deceased baby sister- only that he'd supposedly been very excited about being a big brother and that his sister had died before he'd ever had the chance to meet her.

"How… How do you…?" Noah let the question trail off- he couldn't speak past the lump of emotion clogging his throat. Elizabeth was right- it was because of his daughter, but he'd never spoken to anyone at the hospital about that time- not even Bobbie Spencer knew, and he considered her to be a very good friend. So how did Elizabeth know?

Elizabeth began pacing again and Patrick and Noah shared another look- this one of confusion. "Uh… Izzy?" Patrick started, trying to get her attention- it sort of worked.

"You know that I've never felt like I belonged in the Webber family," she said, this time looking at Patrick, who nodded. He did know that- it was something they'd talked about and it had led to him unofficially adopting her as his sister and telling her that she would always belong in the Drake family. "Especially," she continued, "since they've all pretty much cut all ties to me since I moved her ten years ago- well, I mean, with the exception of Gram and Steven, both of whom seem genuinely interested in my life. But my par- Jeff and Amanda and Sarah… Well, things between us have never really been easy, and our relationship just deteriorated when I moved out here."

Patrick nodded, trying to keep up with her and not get too dizzy watching her pace. He knew that there were things she was leaving out- like how her relationship with Sarah had ultimately ended when she'd found Lucky and Sarah together in bed, but he didn't say anything as he waited for her to continue.

"Sarah's in Port Charles- well, I mean, she was- she's probably already on a plane back to Baltimore right now, but she was here earlier and called and asked me to meet her at Kelly's. She said that she really needed to talk to me, and I… well, I couldn't say no, so I went. And she…" Elizabeth drew a deep breath. "She told me why the Webbers had stopped talking to me- why they… why they don't care," she said, surprised that, though she was having difficulty explaining the situation, she no longer felt the pain that usually came with the admission that Jeff and Amanda Webber didn't seem to care.

Patrick raised an eyebrow but remained silent, and Noah seemed to be finding his composure once again. Still, neither spoke as they waited for Elizabeth to tell them how she'd known about the baby and how that related to her relationship with the Webber family.

Liz came to a stop in front of Noah and smiled, her eyes filled with tears of happiness and hope. "Your daughter and their daughter… They were born in the same hospital on the same night," she told him, fighting not to let the tears spill over. "There was a mix-up and… you ended up with the real Elizabeth Webber, while they ended up with your daughter." There, she'd said it- she hoped they would be happy. Please, please let them be happy, she silently prayed.

Patrick, who had started to stand when she'd started talking about how both babies had been born in the same hospital, promptly fell back down on the bed when she made that statement. He was floored- and he could tell from the look on his father's face that Noah was, too.

"You…" Noah began but, once again, wasn't able to finish the sentence. He slowly raised his hand to Elizabeth's cheek and ran his knuckles tenderly down the side of her face while staring into her eyes and reading the truth there. It had been there all along, he thought- he'd known from the beginning that she was his daughter. He couldn't say how or why he'd known- he'd just… known. "When you laugh, I hear Mattie," he told her, his voice rough with emotion. "When you smile a certain way, I see Mattie." He raised the other hand so that he now held her face tenderly between his large hands. "You're so compassionate, so loving… I…" He shook his head, looking for the words to tell her how he felt right then- to be given the miracle of having his daughter back; to have another piece of Mattie to cherish and love.

"There have been so many moments when you and Patrick are bickering when I've looked up and almost said, "Patrick, stop picking on your sister," because it was just so right. I can see Mattie in you- I can see me- and I…" He broke off and tears rolled down his cheeks. "I thought it was just wishful thinking, you know? But I would know my baby girl anywhere- just like I'd know Patrick anywhere or you'd know Cam anywhere." He pulled her into a bear-hug, thinking he was never, ever going to let her go again.

He felt her tears seeping through his lab-coat and scrubs and tee-shirt, and stepped back just enough to brush them from her face. He took her hand and led her to the bed so she could sit beside Patrick. He just stood there for a moment- taking in the long-awaited sight of his son and daughter, side-by-side, identical "is-this-real?" looks on their faces. "The first time I heard you call her Izzy," he told Patrick, "I was coming around the corner and my heart stopped. It was the day you "adopted" her and you were telling her," he had to stop for a moment and clear his throat before continuing, "that as far as you were concerned, she was a Drake- she was your little sister, and you'd always love her and take care of her." He smiled, remembering that day. "Those were words I've heard out of your mouth before- while your mother was pregnant with her. You'd crawl up next to your mom and pat her stomach and talk to the baby. You told her how happy you were that you were going to be a big brother and that you were always going to love her and take care of her," he finished on a laugh. "From the moment we named her, every time you saw your mom you'd go, "Hi, Mommy! Hi, Izzy!" and you'd kiss your mom's stomach."

"Izzy…" Patrick said, trying to remember a time when he'd known his sister's name. For a moment, he thought he wasn't going to- he'd been much too young. But he remembered being about five one time and visiting the grave of his little sister. "Isabel Elizabeth Drake," he muttered, remembering the name on the tiny little headstone for the tiny little baby.

Noah nodded. "Yes- Isabel Elizabeth Drake," he said. Liz gasped and took Patrick's hand in hers. "You picked Isabel, you know," he told Patrick. "Mattie and I were throwing names out there one day, and you heard that one and shouted, "Isabel! Isabel! The baby's name is Isabel!" And Mattie and I laughed and agreed, but as far as you were concerned, from that moment on she was Izzy- more specifically, she was your Izzy."

Patrick squeezed Elizabeth's hand and tears filled his own eyes. "I- I can't believe it," he whispered, thinking about all the times he'd wished his sister had lived. He'd thought so many times about the things he would have taught her. He'd thought about how he would have beaten up any guy that had ever dared to break her heart, or interrogated all the guys she'd dated. "You're really my sister," he told her, looking over at Elizabeth and giving her a genuine smile. He had only been this happy once before- at least since his mother's death… The day he'd given Robin the serum and known she was going to be okay…

She nodded and Patrick laughed. "You know, I am really glad Robin dragged us here," he told Noah, who raised an eyebrow in question at the remark. With a devilish grin on his face, Patrick added, "You've got to love the fact that no one seems to stay dead around here," causing both Liz and Noah to join in the laughter.

When they all had tears streaming down their faces from laughing so hard, Liz spoke again, "I have one more surprise for the two of you."

Noah clutched his chest dramatically and claimed, "I'm not sure I can handle another one!" The statement began another- shorter- round of laughing.

"Go on, Izzy," Patrick encouraged his sister- his sister! It seemed like it should take longer than that for him to accept the fact that Elizabeth Webber was his sister, but it just seemed so right. He knew that this was real- his sister was really alive and home at last.

"I'm pregnant!" she declared and both Noah and Patrick smiled. "You're going to have two grandchildren," she told Noah.

"Well, at least someone's going to give me grandkids," Noah told her with a laugh. "I can't wait to spoil this little one and Cam rotten," he added.

"And then we'll hand them back over to you and Jason when they start getting crabby," Patrick put in with a grin, earning him a teasing smack on the arm from Elizabeth.