What are we going to do tonight, Brain? Same thing we do every night, Pinky: Take over the world...one update at a time. By all means, enjoy the visual.
Patrick peeled the sticky shirt over his head and threw it into a heap on the bathroom floor along with his gray-green pants, socks, and tennis shoes. He turned on the shower, reaching out to test the temperature before exposing his body to anything especially unpleasant. Having lived at the Spencer house off and on most of his life, he had managed to stash a lot of his hair products and shaving accessories off the back corner of the grainy cream counter. Having accidentally left a load of laundry here, Patrick hadn't expected Laura to fold it up and put it in the spare bedroom for him.
Climbing in under the steamy spray, he stood there for the longest time, just thinking. A lot had happened in a very short amount of time. He had been thrown into a surreal kind of existence where seeing Robin Scorpio was the best part of his day. He didn't know anyone else who talked as brazenly as she did only to feel guilty about it later. When she did speak bad of him, it was never without cause; he deserved a lot of what he got. Still, he couldn't justify her reaction to his proposition when it had been sincere. Logan had taken her through the wringer for sure and Patrick was doing his best to work around her insecurities. It wasn't so much that he expected trust. Trust would lead to feelings and that's where things got really fuzzy. He had only offered monogamy, much to Lucky's bewilderment, because he knew she would never consider him any other way. Her main reason for breaking things off with Logan had been his inability to commit to her. Patrick didn't think he would have a problem paying Robin all of his attention for however long this lasted. There would always be other opportunities out there, but that didn't mean he had to pursue them all right now.
Patrick smiled, recognizing the small bottle of hair conditioner Laura had left for him. He dropped a quarter amount in his hands and worked it through his hair, wondering how he should go about getting Robin to talk to him. She would be expecting him to pick a fight with her since it was the fastest way to resolve issues when it came to their shaky relationship. Relationship in that they were actively participating in a common goal, not in the way that they planned on picking out china patterns any time soon. He wasn't willing to change his lifestyle too much, but he wasn't opposed to a few alterations. Robin's insistence on keeping Morgan in the dark about their affair meant that they would be spending a lot of time at his place. He already knew she was a neat freak and, while he wasn't incredibly messy, his apartment's usual level of clutter might give her just enough reason to think twice about pursuing this any farther. She worked like crazy and would be even more unavailable once she could get around without needing help. His schedule stayed flexible during the summer months, but once fall got here, he wasn't sure when he'd be able to see her. It was going to be a give-and-take system for them and she would have to be willing to help out just a little bit.
The water ran to cold as his thoughts floated into more dangerous areas. He reached for his towel and tried to keep his brother's face out of his mind. After the stunt the younger man had pulled on the anniversary of their mother's death, he would automatically assume that Patrick getting with Robin was be a ploy to pay him back. Patrick was almost certain that that wasn't it at all. It was that smile, he concluded. On the rare occasions where she would let a bit of pleasant emotion sweep across her face, she was incredibly beautiful. If she wasn't so quick to fight with him, he might have tried harder to get her to react differently to him. He wanted her to look forward to spending time with him, wanted to witness what it was she constantly held back. Basically, he wanted her to break loose and have some fun.
Logan would consider this the biggest betrayal, but surely it would all be over before his brother even knew what was going on. Patrick wouldn't hide it if his brother asked him directly, but he wasn't going to brag about Robin to his friends or family either. He didn't want to cause her anymore heartache. Logan had left her wary and vulnerable. While Patrick's conscience was conflicted, his brain pointed out that he would have to play on her emotions if he expected her to ever come to his side.
Slapping a moderate amount of goo into his hair, he combed it through every strand and wrapped the towel around his waist with his free hand. In his effort to approach her, he would have to be both subtle and noninvasive. He would lure her away from the family and be open and honest about what he wanted. He would convince her that he had considered every possibility, had thought of everything.
He hadn't been lying about the research he had done, had actually spent the last few days printing out page after page, making sure that he knew what he was getting himself into. His watch beeped at him and he had no choice but to take the single dose of pills from his pants pocket and swallow them dry. He was nothing if not punctual. While he understood his family's need to know, their concern would overwhelm him and he wouldn't be able to function after that. He needed to handle this on his own, needed to take every precaution if and when Robin decided that sleeping with him was in her best interest.
The house was silent as he left the confines of the bathroom, having cleaned up his mess and put his dirty clothes in the hamper. He made his way to the guest room and selected an outfit of jeans and cotton shirt from the bureau. He buttoned his jeans and pulled the shirt on, stuffing his feet into socks and then searching for his tennis shoes. Realizing that he had left them in the bathroom, he headed back across the hall and retrieved them. He heard a few cars pull into the driveway and knew that he had finished just in time. Running a hand through his damp hair, he cursed himself for not drying it, and put himself in charge of opening the door for guests. He could always tell his family, because not one of them bothered knocking. By the time he reached for the handle, they were already dropping onto the couch, carrying on small conversation with Patrick as they passed him.
Both Lucky and Cruz had gone back to their apartments to change clothes, so he was met with mostly family members he hadn't seen in a couple of years. No one was quite brave enough to pinch his cheeks or comment on his bare hand that should have held a wedding ring by now. When they did speak to him, it was always in reference to his company. He would tell them all they wanted, being sure not to overwhelm them, and then they would make a beeline for the fruit and vegetable trays. Lulu had set up the snack table and disappeared upstairs--Patrick assumed she was slapping on a lot of makeup to impress Cruz. It was comical how much effort she put into making herself look like a completely different person when she only ever received an obligatory compliment from Cruz. If he didn't know his friend like he did, he might have thought Lulu was the girl he was seeing, but that image left Patrick tasting something metallic. Cruz was practically his brother and Lulu might as well have been his little sister. His friend was a lot of things, but he wasn't fearless. If he showed even the slightest bit of interest in Lulu, Lucky would hit the ceiling.
Laura and Bobbie still hadn't arrived fifteen minutes later and Patrick began to let himself fret a bit. Lulu came down the stairs with Cameron in tow, looking just as conflicted. He and Lulu were supposed to keep a party going without any help at all? Without the birthday girl herself? Without Laura? They had gone through the complimentary snacks already so Patrick was forced to hire a caterer. Polite conversation was made as they awaited their guest of honor's arrival and Patrick found himself bored of the whole affair.
Leaning against the counter, Elizabeth paused long enough to splash her face with the cool water before resuming her self-appointed task of cleaning fresh vegetables for the rapidly dwindling trays. She began rummaging through the drawers, searching for the proper knife in the strange kitchen. Finding it, she blew a stray piece of hair out of her eyes as she began chopping.
When she had been at home, she had almost called and cancelled at least three times. She and Lucky had gone on two official dates, three if she counted the trip to Buffalo like Robin and Courtney did. And here she was getting ready to meet not only his mother and father, but his entire extended family as well. Plus she was also going through this audition process in front of her grandmother. Audrey had been invited to the party as well but had insisted on coming separately than her granddaughter, saying she didn't want to disrupt or cancel any plans that she and Lucky may have after the party. Elizabeth felt herself blush as she wondered if her grandmother had really been asleep when she finally made it into the house the other night.
She should just open the phone book and start looking for a good therapist. Or start asking for recommendations. This was insanity of the highest order! It ranked right up there with 55 hour marriages in Vegas. She hadn't even confronted him on the pictures with this Daphne girl yet and here she was meeting his family.
Elizabeth paused and amended her thoughts. She was about to meet his family. His mother and aunt still hadn't arrived yet. When Lucky ushered her into the home, his sister Lulu had cornered them in a panic. The guests kept coming and no one had a clue where the guest of honor was or how much longer they would be. Lulu had surrendered Cameron to one relative or another and the toddler had been swept away in the sea of well meaning relatives he barely knew. Lucky had left on a mission to save his son from having his cheeks seriously damaged from pinching and Elizabeth had decided the safest place for her right now was the kitchen. With no birthday girl present, suddenly being the new girlfriend or whatever it is she was would become the only topic of conversation in the room.
She blamed the still lingering heat. There was no way she would have agreed to this had the heat not affected her brain. And his uncanny talent for planning unbelievable dates. Horseback riding under the moon? She would have agreed to go on some sleazy talk show had he asked at that point. And his hands. Those terrible, damnable, wonderful, way too effective hands.
Lulu Spencer rushed through the swinging kitchen doors and stopped the second she spotted Elizabeth standing at the counter, stopping Elizabeth from further rumination about Lucky Spencer's talents, the ones she had experienced and fantasized about. One did not think about what exactly a guy could do with his hands when his baby sister was in the room. While she wasn't completely sure, Elizabeth was fairly certain Ann Landers would frown on it. Out of the corner of her eye, Elizabeth saw the younger blonde let out a sigh of relief.
"Oh thank God!" Lulu exclaimed. "I thought you had run in terror at the sheer numbers." Lifting herself up on the counter next to where Elizabeth stood cutting, she grabbed at one of the carrot sticks. "Don't let them scare you. We never see three-fourths of them anyway."
"You don't?"
"Nope the only ones you really need to impress are mom, dad, Aunt Bobbie, Lucas, Lance, Dillon, Aunt Ruby, Patrick and me."
Elizabeth laughed. "Oh is that all?"
Lulu shrugged. "Well Cameron already thinks you are the coolest thing ever since you know Chuck E. Cheese. Honestly Mom's a fan since you've managed to keep my brother interested three dates in a row, a rare accomplishment these days. Dad's a sucker for a pretty face. Patrick's easy as long as you don't plan on ruining Guy's Night for him. If Aunt Bobbie approves, Lucas and the rest will fall into place pretty easy. Never interfere with Aunt Ruby's cooking and you'll do fine."
"And what of you Miss Lulu?"
The younger woman smiled brightly. "Just treat my brother right and we'll get along fine." She looked over Elizabeth's Bermuda shorts, sandals, and rose colored cap sleeved peasant top. "You already get points for not dressing like a slutty extra from a video Lucky's had produced. Those I'm not always sure Lucky brings home just to scare Mom into not bugging him about his love life."
Elizabeth felt her trepidation rise with every word Lulu spoke. She hadn't for a second thought she was the only person Lucky Spencer had ever brought home. He was a handsome, successful single guy. He, most obviously, had a son. At some point, he had to have brought girls home to meet his family. But bringing girls home to scare his mother into not asking about his love life? And his mom being impressed that she had kept his attention for three, technically two, dates? It only added to Elizabeth's uncertainties about whatever it was she had started into with Lucky. Damn his hands!
Before she could press the younger woman for more information, a loud cheer erupted from the other room. Lulu hopped down from her perch, sticking her head barely out the swinging door. "Mom and Aunt Bobbie just got here," she announced over her shoulder as she left to greet the latecomers.
Elizabeth stood frozen by the sink. Did she bite the bullet and go meet members of the Spencer family? Or did she remain back here, until someone asked point blank where she had disappeared to?
She began arranging the chopped carrots on the tray. She'd just wait until she finished refilling this plate. Then she would go in. It was a job she had started and she was going to finish it. She wasn't going to stay in the kitchen forever. But she sure could try to delay her departure as long as she could.
"Quit being a pussy! It's just a party!" Cruz pounded on the steering wheel of his beloved Expedition for emphasis. "One you were invited to as a family friend. So suck it up and be the family friend. You didn't think hiding this was going to be easy for one second so quit avoiding it Rodriguez and get your ass in there before you raise more suspicions by sitting out here talking to yourself."
With a false sense of bravado, Cruz left the safety of his car and moved towards the Spencer family front door. Charles Street was crowed with cars all striving to park right next to the white home. It was impossible to miss the constant murmur of voices from inside the party, even with the door closed. He reached his hand to ring the bell and froze. This was it.
"Don't stand there. Just do it already." Cruz whispered to himself harshly. "Eventually Lucky or Patrick will see you standing out here like an idiot and wonder what is going on."
The reassuring peel of the doorbell signaled he was crossing the point of no return. For better or for worse, he was about to enter his own girlfriend's birthday party and pretend he was nothing more than a distant family friend.
And it was going to kill him.
"It's bad enough Elizabeth's hiding in the kitchen," Patrick explained without preamble throwing the door open. "Did I mention it amuses the he--heck out of me that you still ring the bell?" He corrected himself, locking eyes with Great Grandma Lindsey.
Cruz cocked his eyebrow. "It's called manners. Something Laura has been trying for years to teach you without success obviously." He entered into the familiar living room, filled with various distant relatives he had met once or twice since he first met Patrick and Lucky.
"What did you say to Elizabeth to cause her to hide in the kitchen?"
"I didn't even get to say hello. Lucky stashed her in the kitchen to protect her from the out-of-town relatives." Patrick replied defensively.
"He always was the smarter one." Cruz nodded his head. He glanced around the sea of faces, searching for two in particular. "Where's Lulu?"
"Don't worry old buddy. I convinced her to take the kids into the backyard." Patrick smirked.
Cruz let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. Lulu was a sweet kid but she was still just a kid to him. As of yet, Lucky hadn't seem to notice his kid's sister crush on his friend, but it was just a matter of time. At some point, her habit of flying up the stairs and returning considerably more dressed up when he stopped by for Laura's cooking would penetrate Lucky's brain. "Thanks. I owe you one."
"You didn't happen to pass Robin on the way over did you?" Cruz and Robin lived within a mile of each other and it would make sense for them to take similar routes to the party.
Cruz struggled to keep his smirk in check. Now there was a development. Plenty of Patrick's former conquests lived near him, hell he at one point had four on his own payroll before Patrick agreed to stop dating every new hire Cruz had. But never once had he ever asked Cruz if he had seen one of them outside of trying to ditch them. "Nope. Sure didn't. But she may have stopped by the bakery since she did the cake."
"It's not like her to be late, is it?" Patrick mused.
Cruz shrugged. "You know her better than me. I've never known her to be late so I'm sure there is some explanation."
Patrick did his best to keep from stomping his foot like a four-year-old. Robin's absence disturbed him and severely pissed him off. What reason would she have to keep her distance? She and Bobbie were friends, business partners..."Okay, thanks. Do you want something to drink?"
Cruz waved his hand. "I'll get it myself. So what's the verdict? Do I risk scaring the mysterious Elizabeth off by introducing myself or go find Bobbie and wish her happy birthday?"
"I'll take you to Elizabeth. It's about time you meet the 'special' lady in Lucky's life." Patrick chuckled.
"Is he using the 'special' or is that Laura? Cause we are in trouble if it's him."
"I haven't heard him mention special in the same sentence as her, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was encouraging Laura's enthusiasm." He said silently.
Cruz caught his old friend's eye, ever watchful of Great Grandmother Lindsey's presence. "Crap. This is serious isn't it? This is like Jess-level serious."
"I don't know for sure. He's not saying anything and I haven't really gotten a chance to be alone with her since Robin's accident. Even then, she was pretty shady on the details. I don't think they're sleeping together yet."
"Key word yet."
"How many times has he used the 'L' word?" Patrick whispered.
"I can count it on one hand."
"Yeah, me too. I was just hoping I might have missed some. He's definitely fu--"
"Falling hard?" Cruz cut in, saving his friend from offending the nearby elderly woman.
"Yeah. Thanks." He said through clenched teeth.
"No problem. So take me to meet this special lady who has Laura planning weddings as we speak."
Cruz gamely followed Patrick through the maze of relatives towards the kitchen. He really was interested in meeting this Elizabeth. No woman had ever so completely made Lucky jump the way he was doing right now since he and Jess had met. It was also an excellent way to prolong actually having to pretend to not want to do anything more than kiss Bobbie's cheek hello when he really wanted to give her a proper kiss to celebrate her birthday.
Patrick motioned for him to be quiet as they moved through the swinging door. Cruz caught sight of the back of her first. She was bent forward, rummaging through the refrigerator for some item or another. Well so far he could see the attraction. Patrick cleared his throat, causing her to jump up, clutching a head of lettuce to her chest as she turned. Cruz amended his thought immediately. He could completely understand the attraction. She was a looker. Skittish as hell but a looker.
"Elizabeth Webber, meet Cruz Rodriguez." Patrick motioned his hand from one of them to the other.
She had the presence of mind to put the lettuce head down on the counter next to her before offering her hand. "Hi. It's nice to meet you."
"You too. I've heard lots of wonderful things." Now that he really had a chance to look at her, he had this strange feeling that he had met her before. Even her voice sounded familiar to him.
Patrick turned to Elizabeth, "I don't suppose you've seen Robin tonight."
Cruz bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud. Oh now this was rich.
Elizabeth shook her head. "No. I've called her a couple of times, but I keep getting her voice mail."
"I'll leave you two to talk." Patrick headed out the back door.
"You do realize he's trying to figure out some way to find out why she's late without making it obvious that he's asking about her right?" Cruz asked.
Elizabeth laughed and nodded. "And if he knows what's good for him, he won't let her know that right now."
"So she's still not talking to him?"
Elizabeth shook her head. "Nope." She busied herself with starting to prepare the lettuce. "So you and Lucky met in college right?"
Cruz nodded, opening the refrigerator to pull out the bottle of RC Cola he knew Laura bought just for him. "I was roommates with Patrick. And somehow got myself adopted by the Spencer's." Opening the bottle, he turned towards her. "You taught Cameron I hear."
Cruz settled back to get to know Elizabeth Webber. Eventually if they kept talking, he reasoned, he would figure out why he kept getting this feeling he had met her before. And as long as she stayed in the kitchen, he wouldn't have to come up with explanations as to why he was watching Bobbie's every move like a hawk. It was a win-win situation.
"Better late than never!" Lucas called, shouldering the front door open. Cruz and Elizabeth left the kitchen, Elizabeth automatically spotting Lucky over by the fireplace. He was tapping Cameron's head with the fluffy part of the feather duster and then hiding it so that the boy was utterly confused. Cruz and Bobbie shared a split-second smile and then turned their attention to Lucas. Dillon helped him get the monster cake over to the only empty table. Laura had decorated the simple fold-out table with a beautiful yellow tablecloth and streamers. She might as well have put Place Cake Here in big letters, Lucas thought to himself. Lance looked from Lucas to Dillon, wordlessly asking them if he could sneak a bit of frosting.
"Cake!" Luke exclaimed, sliding down the banister, startling the other guests.
Cameron began to laugh and Lucky and Lulu covered their eyes with their hands.
Cruz tapped Elizabeth's shoulder subtly and murmured, "If you want some cake, you should really get some now. Once Patrick realizes it's here he'll--" He glanced around. The open back door slammed against the kitchen counter. Patrick was gone.