This is short, but I'm going away, so I'll probably be deathly ill once I return (always happens), so here's a little something to tide you over on the brazen front. Thanks for the reviews last chapter. There's a Jason/Jake question answered at the bottom for GH Fan.

Part Nine

-o-o-o-

Q's Family Room Tuesday Night:

"He's boring," Charlie informed his mother as she walked back into the room after taking a phone call.

"You liked Victor," she blew off his statement as she flopped into an armchair directed at the tv, while Monica and Charlie sat on the couch.

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did, you liked him until we went to that preserve" she referred to the outing, Charlie had met him a few times briefly before that.

"I don't need a dad," he informed his mom.

"You need to not eavesdrop," she said after staring in shock at him for a moment, knowing that he had definitely overheard a conversation with Lois or Gloria when they were in New York.

"He made us go bird watching."

"He was trying to be nice, he knows you like science," she countered. She was the adult, at least that was what Robin kept repeating, she made the decisions about her life.

"We couldn't talk," he countered.

"Okay that was annoying," she frowned.

Monica snorted.

"Let's watch the movie," Brenda ordered annoyed with the interference in her social life. Victor was a good solid dependable role model, so what if he was a little boring at times? If she could deal with that, so could Charlie.

"You can bite him if you want," he loudly whispered to his dog as he petted him.

"I heard that," Brenda said rolling her eyes.

"Good," Charlie muttered.

-o-o-o-

Wednesday Afternoon, the movie theater:

"Told you they'd be in the game room," Brenda smugly informed her son, since he'd been panicked over the fact that they were late arriving at the theater, convinced that every seat would already be taken despite the half hour remaining until show time, a sure sign they'd seen one too many movie in New York.

"I need money," his hand went up.

That was kind of annoying, she thought frowning down at the hand, she might need to apologize to Jason.

"Only five?" he frowned at it.

Okay very annoying. "Go now before I take it back."

Lucky laughed as he exchanged hellos with the young boy leaving his sons' side to aid Charlie in his effort to get change out of the too tall machine. Receiving a quick thank you for his help as Charlie scooped the quarters out and scurried away.

"You can feel the gratitude right?" Brenda rolled her eyes.

"Mine are the same way," Lucky laughed.

"Good to know I'm not just a bad parent."

Lucky laughed, "You're a bad parent if he's doing that at 25."

She laughed with him. "Where's Liz?"

"She had to go into work, someone called in sick."

"Lucky her."

"What you're not looking forward to Jackie Chan as a babysitter?"

She looked over with dry eyes.

"Shooting a few zombies will makes you feel better," he smiled and headed back to the change machine.

-o-o-o-

"I like Spencer," Charlie informed his mother on the car ride home. Spencer had arrived with his nanny a few minutes after them.

"I like Spencer too," she smiled over.

"He should come to my school," Charlie nodded.

She chuckled, "He already has a school."

"My school's better though."

"We don't know that-"

"Yes, we do. Pops said so."

She counted to three in her mind, "Not everything Edward says is true."

"It isn't?" Charlie frowned.

"It's his opinion Charlie, like how you think Alvin is the best dog in the world."

"He is."

"Good dogs don't eat pants."

"They shouldn't have been on the floor," he countered.

"That's not the point."

"You tell me to pick up my clothes."

"The point is good dogs don't eat pants."

"Bet you'll never leave your pants on the floor again," Charlie muttered under his breath, "seems like a good dog to me."

-o-o-o-

Thursday Night, Scorpio-Drake Residence:

"Do you know why Brenda's been blowing off Matt?" Patrick asked his wife who was on the floor with Emma playing.

"Hmm?" she asked focusing on their daughter.

"Your best friend, my brother, you know the couple that has been sleeping together since New Year's."

"They're having sex, they're hardly a couple."

"Language," Patrick's eyes widened, "do you really want her repeating that word?"

"You're the one that started it."

"Why are you getting so defensive?"

She quickly responded, "I'm not-"

"What did you do?"

"Brenda has a child Patrick."

"Yea I know, he already calls me Uncle Patrick."

"Brenda can't be wasting her time on a Fu-" she frowned and quickly amended her words, "friends with benefits situation."

"I really think Matt likes her."

Robin rolled her eyes, "All guys like Brenda. That isn't the issue."

"Are you jealous of Brenda?"

"I am not jealous of my best friend."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. I want for her the same thing I have."

"You are aware you didn't think I was capable of a relationship right."

"Brenda doesn't have years to wait for Matt to grow up-"

"Grow up? I had to grow up?"

"I didn't mean it like that." She shook her head and quickly continued on before he could, "I just mean that it took a few years for you to be ready for a child. Actually it took me getting pregnant with Emma-"

"Hey Charlie's already here, ever consider Matt just needs to spend some time with him."

"Matt's spent time with them."

"Dinner at our house before they were a couple."

"Will you stop using that word?"

"They're a couple Robin and you need to stay out of it."

"Daddy's crazy isn't he Emma?" Robin smiled at their little girl that was handing her a toy.

"Maybe you should be leaving the kids out of it and let the adults make adult decisions."

"Daddy's crazy," Robin repeated to Emma.

-o-o-o-

Friday afternoon, GH:

Patrick's was promising to bring her back a sandwich from the Italian place they loved the next day as he headed towards the elevator.

She frowned, not because she was trapped at the hospital, but because Patrick is heading out to a place that is a 15 minute walk from the hospital in the middle of January. "Who are you going with?" She yelled out.

He hopped in the elevator just in time, "Brenda," he smiled, it would be too far for her to catch him before the doors closed, "I'll tell her you said hi."

Dr. Robin Scorpio-Drake growled.

"Brenda issues?" Liz sympathetically nodded at her friend.

"Husband issues," Robin rolled her eyes.

"What's he done?"

"He's meddling in Brenda's love life," her voice went low, Matt was in surgery, but she didn't know who would report back to him.

"Mine's doing that too."

"Lucky?" Robin frowned, "Really?"

"Yea," Liz's head bobbed dramatically, "he's suddenly decided he's a matchmaker."

"Mine too," Robin's eyes narrowed.

"It's a little odd isn't it?" Liz's arms crossed.

"Well," Robin tried to ignore the implication, "it's his brother so-"

"Really? Lucky's been trying to set Brenda up with Nikolas."

Robin frowned for a moment, trying to imagine Brenda with someone as uptight as Nikolas, but he hadn't always been like that. The teenager, the young man, he had enjoyed life, he had smiled. He even had a pretty good rapport with Brenda.

"You don't think it's a little odd that they're trying so hard to get Brenda with their brothers?"

Robin frowned again. "They're-"

"Trying to live vicariously through their brothers?"

"No," Robin let out a suddenly uneasy laugh. "I mean come on."

"Does Patrick normally have lunch with your friends without you?"

"Well," she frowned and the words trailed off.

"Lucky's staying for play dates."

"He is?" Robin frowned further.

"He is. Seems like everything we do now he wonders if we should invite Brenda and Charlie."

Robin shook it off, "Everyone just being nice to Brenda because she's new to town."

"She went to high school here. I'm thinking she knows where the movie theater is."

"You know what I mean, they're just helping Brenda and Charlie get settled."

"Whatever you say Robin," Liz shrugged, "I'd just watch Patrick if I were you."

"She's my best friend," the seed of doubt had been placed in Robin's mind about Patrick, she wouldn't let it spread to Brenda.

"She's also a gorgeous former model," Liz shrugged yet again, "I need to get back to work."

Robin did too, but that didn't stop her from standing there another moment fighting off that horrible feeling.

-o-o-o-

Friday, The Q's:

"Do I even want to know?" Brenda asked walking into the mess that had formerly been the family room. She almost banged her shins into the coffee table that was now across the room because where it used to be was now covered by a tent held together by the sofa and chairs.

Charlie crawled out from under the sheet, "You said we couldn't camp outside."

"You are not camping in the living room either, we have a busy day tomorrow."

"We're not sleeping here," Jason didn't bother crawling out.

"But-"

"I already said no," Jason cut him off.

Charlie's face fell.

Brenda cocked her head to the side.

"Guys only," Charlie frowned and crawled back in.

"Okay, what is with this attitude lately," she ignored the desire to peel off the sheet and grimaced as she dropped to the floor and poked her head in.

Jason was holding the dog, sitting near an electric lantern with a photo album in front of him and a plate of cookies-

"Are those s'mores cookies?" Her eyes went wide, her hand reached out automatically.

"Guys only!" Charlie blocked her path to them.

"Okay seriously, what's your deal?"

"I don't want to go tomorrow."

"Charlie, it was one bad day over a month ago. You can't judge people because of one day. You need to give him a second chance."

"Why?"

"Because he's a nice guy, with sweet kids."

"They're losers."

"Charlie!" Brenda snapped.

"What? They are."

"No they aren't and why would you ever call anyone that?" She was horrified.

"It's what they are."

"No they're a very smart, very nice family."

"What makes them losers Charlie?" Jason questioned as Brenda finished.

"They're boring."

"We barely talked to them," she countered.

"Because they're boring."

Boring was at least a step up from losers. "Because of the activity we were doing."

"That was boring."

"No Charlie, it wasn't our idea of fun. Do you think I find everything you do interesting? Do you like shopping?"

"Shopping's boring."

Her mouth was agape at him, what had been happening to her sweet little boy. She looked over at Jason.

"We don't like shopping Charlie, a lot of people like it though. They think it's fun," Jason supplied.

"It's stupid."

Jason continued, "No it isn't and it isn't nice for you to call something that someone likes doing stupid. How would you feel if someone called your chemistry projects stupid?"

"That they were stupid."

"Why?"

"Because if they just did it, they'd have fun."

"Maybe they wouldn't."

Charlie rolled his eyes.

"You know your mom has no interest in languages."

Charlie was silent.

"Your mom does all those flashcards and games with you though, doesn't she?"

"She's my mom."

"And you're her son, so maybe you can do this for her," he tacked on that argument.

"I'd rather go shopping," he muttered.

"I also hate the microscope," Brenda supplied.

Charlie frowned and took a cookie. He took a bite in silence looking down before he spoke, "I don't wanna move to the city."

"Why are you moving to the city?" Brenda asked in confusion.

"Cam said you'd make us move because of him."

"We aren't going anywhere," Brenda promised.

"But Cam-"

"Remember what I told you about Edward?"

"Not everything he says is true."

Jason held in the laugh.

"That might have been what Cam thought would happen, but it isn't going to happen."

"Promise?"

"Promise," she swore and just like that Victor was done. Shame they had a date tomorrow. "Can I get a cookie yet?"

Charlie smiled and handed her one.

"So why the hell are you holding the dog?" Brenda nodded at Jason after taking a bite.

"He kept trying to eat the cookies," Jason explained.

"Yea, he licked the WHOLE plate before Jason stopped him," Charlie shared with enthusiasm.

She started spitting the crumbs off her tongue as Charlie laughed.

Thanks for reading. Um and not calling me out how many times I used the word frown. :-P

Reply back to GH Fan:

Why is Jason involved in Charlie's life? Same reason he's involved in Michael's their mothers. No sane parent would allow their child near Jason or Sonny, hence Carly, Brenda and Alexis all letting their kids near him :-P (do remember this is prior to Liz joining their ranks of locked up in the loony bin). Also in this story, Franco's threat does exist and Jason is respecting it out of fear for those close to him (end of chapter 5). Remember this wasn't supposed to be a long visit, these are people that Charlie knows from Skype basically, I have it in my head that Jason saw him a handful of times in person in NYC while Brenda was in town for work. Brenda did spend 5 years purposefully keeping Charlie OUT of Port Charles, she and Jason talk about it in chapter 6.

Jason and Jake: Honestly, I was just going with what was going on with the show at the time. Liz wanted Lucky to be Jake's dad (whatever, I guess she tried to take that back when she wanted to marry Jason, but seriously she made a decision), Jason made the choice to respect her wishes and the put Jake's safety first, and Lucky chose to be Jake's father and Lucky IS Jake's father. This is not a decision you get to take back. (This note was totally written prior to what happened on GH)