Patrick strolled into the bakery around noon, a fifty in his hand. He found his cousin flipping through a magazine at the other side of the room, looking bored. Lucas looked up, slightly amused. "Don't interrupt and I'll let you keep this." He told the younger man. Lucas snatched the bill from Patrick, put it up to the light, studying it, and then shoved it into his pants pocket. "Is she back there?" Lucas shrugged. "Thanks." Patrick muttered dryly.

He let himself into the back room, spotting a familiar brunette with her back to him. She was slumped over the counter, mumbling to herself in French, flipping through a cookbook. Patrick smiled, taking special care to not make any noise as he closed the space between them. Her hair fell into a huge clump at her shoulders, blocking her face from his view. She was dressed in a pair of black pants and a white knitted top which seemed strange considering it was already reaching sweltering temperatures just beyond the front door. "Mademoiselle." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

Patrick was barely able to leap backwards to avoid an angry Anna Scorpio. It was incredible how much the two women resembled each other even as mother and daughter. If she had been standing at her full height, he would have known instantly. Anna's hair was longer too, he realized. Her eyes were blazing and he worked to think of the most appropriate response. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"I thought you were Robin." Patrick insisted.

"So this is how you greet my daughter? By grabbing her?" Anna challenged, folding her arms in front of her. It was as if she planned on murdering him with her eyes. Just from the horror stories Luke had told him as a young boy, he was terrified of the woman in front of him. She had never once hesitated to kill someone when the situation called for it. He worried he might have just given her cause.

"No I--" Patrick argued.

"No you what, Mr. Drake? No you don't belong in my daughter's kitchen? No you have no right to touch my daughter? Well, which is it?"

"Where is Robin?" Patrick asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"She's not here."

"Clearly. Might you know when she'll be back?"

"I really have no way of knowing that. You're welcome to wait, but I think she might have mentioned making a day of it." Anna smirked.

"Making a day of what?" Patrick countered.

"Shopping for…shopping." Anna decided.

"You're lying. Where is she?" Patrick demanded.

"I think you need to check your tone." Anna warned.

"Will you have me shot if I don't?" Patrick inquired.

"You're pissing me off." Anna told him.

"I have a knack for that." Patrick answered, unperturbed.

"Your brother about ruined my daughter. What makes you think I'm going to let you anywhere near her?"

"You're in town for a visit." Patrick reminded her. "Sooner or later, you're going to have to leave and when you do, you won't be able to monitor Robin's every move."

"I'm not above having you tailed if it means putting distance between you and Robin."

"Do what you will, but Robin's not going to take lightly to being babysat. She's a grown woman."

Damn, he had a point. Robin would be furious if she did it without her knowledge and irritated if she told her the whole truth. She could blame it on the election, say that there were some very unsavory characters looking to settle a score with her and that Robin could be a target. Yes, that could work. Well, it had worked for Robert. She was starting to see the hole in her logic. "What is your endgame?"

"I haven't figured that out yet." Patrick replied.

"I know your type, Drake. You pursue only until you get what you want, and then you're out the door." Anna accused.

"You really think I'm manipulating Robin?"

"No. I think my daughter is far too smart for that."

"Then what is your objection?"

"Other than my overall hatred of you and your family?"

"I understand being angry with Logan, but leave my family out of this."

"Relax. I adore the Spencers. It's the other side that I have to believe made you and your brother the way you are."

"What did I just walk in on?" Robin asked from the doorway, interrupting what looked to be the beginning of a war zone.

"Robin, darling, this man is a--a--pig." Anna declared.

"Yeah, I know. What brings you by?" She directed her question at Patrick.

"You." Patrick ignored Anna's sounds of disgust behind him.

"Mother, can you excuse us please?"

"But Robin, you don't actually--" Anna protested.

"Please."

"Fine, but I'm watching you, Drake." She said, stomping into the center of the bakery.

Robin waited until her mother was out of earshot to laugh. "You picked quite an enemy, Patrick."

"I didn't have to pick her. She singled me out." Patrick explained.

"Well, anyway, I hope she didn't threaten your life or anything."

"Is that concern I hear?"

"Absolutely not." Robin shook her head.

"Good. I don't want you going all mushy on me."

"At least not yet right?" Robin said in a quiet voice.

Patrick caught the belt of Robin's apron and yanked her closer. She was dressed in a sensible sky blue short-sleeved top and a pair of hip hugger jeans. "I'm sorry you didn't get that kiss you've been craving since the other night." He whispered into her hair.

"How can you fit that ego of yours in this tiny kitchen?" Robin wondered.

"I am a man of many talents." Patrick wagged his eyebrows at her.

"So the bathroom stalls insinuate." Robin grinned.

"Bobbie told me about Morgan."

"Does that mean you apologized?"

"Yes. I apologized last night. I remember your mother mentioning him, and I actually thought you were referring to Jason."

"Jason Morgan?" Robin scrunched up her face. "We haven't been together in six, almost seven years. We haven't talked since he was sent to prison."

"How was I to know that? He went away for pedophilia." Patrick reminded her.

"Yeah, but I didn't put him there." Robin clarified with an eye roll.

He had to quit assuming things. It was only getting him into more trouble. By referencing to Morgan, Jason should have been the last name Patrick came up with. If anything, Anna hated him more than she'd ever hate Patrick if for no other reason than the hit man had kept her in constant danger during their entire relationship. "Whatever, you're dodging."

"So what if I am? I don't want to include Morgan in anything that goes on between us."

"You were the one who told me that there's nothing going on here."

"Do you want me?"

"Of course I want you."

"Then stop overanalyzing and kiss me." Robin ordered, tracing the collar of Patrick's navy blue vest.

"Robin, there was one thing--" Anna burst into the kitchen.

Patrick didn't even turn in her direction, just aimed his right arm at her. "Get out. Whatever it is can wait."

"Actually, it's quite important." Anna snapped.

"I'll be right there." Robin assured her mother.

"Robin--"

"Bye Mother." Then she wrapped her left hand around Patrick's neck, pulled his face down until it was level with her, and brushed her lips against his.

Patrick's entire body shook at the light contact, but once the shock wore off, he had his arms around her waist. He used his thumb to tilt her head back and deepened the kiss, amazed at how fast it seemed to flare out of control. Her fingers fisted in his hair and she dragged him closer though it didn't seem possible since she was already flush up against him already. Her instant reaction enticed Patrick to sweep his tongue over her closed mouth. As he had expected, she wasn't quick to part her lips for him. It would take a bit more coaxing on his part. He barely rubbed the spot where her neck met her shoulder with his thumb and index finger and she trembled, her fingers sliding through his hair as his tongue desperately sought entrance to her tightly pressed lips. His fingers bit into her waist and she let out a low, practically never-ending, moan, her mouth surrendering beneath his. She turned her cheek to Patrick's mouth when she heard her mother gasp.

Lucas peeked his head into the room. "Miss Scorpio, did I tell you we got in these great English muffins? I've already got the coffee started. Let's go and have some." He steered a clearly distressed Anna into a chair nearest the front door.

"I guess this means he's worth that fifty bucks I gave him." Patrick mumbled, tracing his thumb over Robin's bottom lip.

"I gave him a hundred." Robin clarified, pushing Patrick deeper into the room so that they wouldn't have an audience. Patrick looked like he wanted to say something so she dissuaded that notion by standing on tiptoe and pressing her breasts into his chest.

Patrick easily lifted her off of her feet and onto the metal counter, settling his body in-between her legs. She stared at him for a second, looking like she wanted to tell him something, but then he was kissing her and she let the moment carry her away to a place where neither of them had a past. She pulled at his shirttails until the material was free of his pants and let her hands move up his back, leaning into Patrick's hands when they slid up and down the outside of her thighs.

She broke the kiss suddenly and said, "Patrick."

"Hmm?" Patrick muffled as he returned to his gentle exploration of her mouth.

"Patrick." Robin tried again, pushing at his shoulders when he made no effort to listen to her. "We're in the kitchen."

"Yes." Patrick agreed, placing biting kisses down her jaw line.

"We're in the kitchen. We need to stop." Robin said slowly, exaggerating every word.

"Okay." Patrick let her go and took a step backwards, shoving a hand through his already tangled hair.

"Now that was something to write home about."

"Why are you surprised?" Patrick sounded offended.

"Men like you rarely live up to their hype." Robin explained.

"Men like me? You didn't seem to mind a man like me kissing you a second ago."

"I didn't mean anything by it." Robin assured him. "Let's not fight."

"Go out with me tonight."

"That's not a question, is it?" Robin guessed.

"Would you please go out with me tonight?" Patrick rephrased.

"I'd love to Patrick…but I can't." Robin hopped off of the counter, hoping that standing on her feet would give her some sense of empowerment.

"You're not going to tell me you actually have plans tonight." Patrick rolled his eyes.

"Is that so unbelievable?"

"Robin, you're trying to get out of being alone with me. Tell me why." Patrick insisted.

"You're crazy, you know that?" Robin giggled.

"Robin."

"Hmm?"

"Fine, I'll believe you since, no, it is not at all unbelievable that you have plans. I do find the timing suspect, but I'll let it go if you can convince me that you're telling the truth."

"I have a date."

"With?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business." Robin said indignantly.

"Now you're trying to pick a fight with me."

"I am not!"

"Then tell me what I want to know."

"Why? So you can play jealous?"

"Jealous of who?"

"I can't talk to you when you're like this." Robin made a beeline past him.

"I don't like to share." Patrick explained, catching the belt of her apron and stopping her in her tracks.

"That implies you own me and you don't."

"Of course I don't own you." Patrick shook his head.

"Then what do you want, Patrick?"

"If you haven't figured that out, you're denser than I am."

"I doubt that's possible." Robin muttered to herself.

"Well?" Patrick urged.

"My son. I have a date with my son. I told you I had plans. I told you I didn't want to fight with you."

"This isn't fighting. This is how we get answers from each other."

"So, this is how we converse?" Robin assumed.

"Yeah." Patrick clarified.

"Satisfied?"

"Not by a long shot, but I'm sure you can do something to fix that. I'll let you off the hook tonight, but what about tomorrow?"

"Busy."

"Robin." Patrick shook his head at her.

"Okay, so I could have been busy." She admitted. "Fine. Tomorrow I'll let you take me out on a date."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. A date?"

"Yes, a date. I want to share a meal with you, one that I'm expecting you, Mr. Big Shot Photographer, to pay for. I want to be picked up. I want to dress up. A date. Deal or not?"

"Deal." Patrick nodded, tugging her to him. "Let's make it official." He suggested dipping his head and letting his lips linger above hers.

"Okay." Robin lifted her mouth the needed quarter-inch and kissed him.