Lucky bit his lip and closed his eyes. "I'm guessing a tool set would be out of order?"

"Unless you're going to add a belt for yourself, but I really don't think discussing yours and Elizabeth's sex life is something I want details about." Robin crinkled her nose and smiled.

"You've hung around Patrick entirely too long." Lucky accused waving his finger in her direction. "You never used to be in the gutter this much."

"Oh, I've always been in the gutter." Robin decided it'd be best not to comment on the other point.

"You've just so ruined my image of you. I may need therapy."

"I hear Dillon and Lucas get a good deal with...what does your dad call him? Oh yes, Dr. Quack."

Lucky shook his head. "This was probably a total mistake. We are never going to get this done."

"Sure we are. You have something other men don't have."

"My own personal Robin?" Lucky smirked.

"That's right!" She patted him on the head, actually having to stand on her tiptoes to do so. She had the extra time; why not help Lucky find a present for Elizabeth's upcoming birthday?

"So Short Stack," Lucky looped his arm over Robin's shoulder. "Since you've shot down all my ideas, where would you start?"

"If you'll think hard, don't hurt yourself, you'll remember something that Elizabeth asked for. She's never been the subtle type. Think. Has she mentioned anything in particular?" Robin wondered.

"I thought you said you didn't want details on our sex life?"

"Oh!" Robin was at least at the perfect height to smack him in the arm. "I'm telling if you keep this up! I have to get sleep sometime and these mental images are making it seem impossible." So what if she hadn't slept since the attack? She wanted to keep things light. "I've missed you."

"Me too." Lucky squeezed her shoulders in a sideways hug. He watched out of the corner of his eye to make sure she wasn't uncomfortable. Robin hadn't spent much time with him since Logan's attack and he was unsure just how ok she was.

"Now, where to first, Mr. Navigator?"

"I'll get smacked again if I suggest Victoria's Secret won't I?"

"That is so cheap, Lucky Spencer. This is her present, not yours." Robin pointed out.

"I was kidding. Sheesh Scorpio, did you lose your sense of humor?"

"No, of course not!" Robin laughed, shoving her hands into the side pockets of her pink coat.

"Good. Now that we have settled on that I guess the movie store is a good spot to start at least."

"Now you've got it. Maybe a signed something or other from one of your...old pals." Robin suggested.

"I thought you were my friend." Lucky grumbled as they made their way through the crowd. "The whole point of this birthday present thing is to avoid fights."

"Are we fighting?" Robin gave him an incredulous look.

"Move Short Stack." Lucky good naturedly shoved her along into the thickening crowd.

Lucky watched Robin out of the corner of his eye and tried not to smile as he noticed the DVD set she was studying intently. Sneaking a glance at the title, he tried not to laugh. Jack & Jill, he should have known. He remembered very well how obsessed Robin had been with that show in college. The attractiveness of Ivan Sergi was one of the few things Robin and Jess could agree on.

He wasn't sure how much longer he could keep this up. Needing help with finding the perfect birthday present for Elizabeth had been the only thing he could think of Robin wouldn't find a reason to refuse. He had the perfect present already set up. Elizabeth would never see this one coming. No, faking complete obliviousness had been the perfect plot to get Robin to actually respond to his requests to see her.

She'd been avoiding everyone since the attack. For awhile Patrick had been hopeful she was close to opening up to him or her mother. Then her birthday happened. Lucky wasn't sure what happened exactly but he knew the fallout. Patrick had become the worst kind of ass one that knew what he was doing and didn't really care. And Robin had gone back to hiding. On some level it was probably wrong to use his girlfriend like this, but on the other hand, he needed to see that Robin was alright.

"Don't put that back on my account." He teased her. If he kept it light, then maybe he could pull this off. At least long enough to reassure him that Robin really would be fine. "Certainly my being in the room never stopped you from drooling over that MTV dude before."

"Oh be still my heart." Robin sighed, turning the cover over so that she could stare into those big brown eyes again.

"You probably watched Crossing Jordan just to see him too." He accused

"Oh you know. I even suffered through a whole season of Charmed just to put him on mute and watch his lips move." Robin replied in a dreamy voice. "Anyway..." She put the DVD back where it had been and dropped her eyes to her shoes.

"Nope." Lucky reached over her, an easy feat, and grabbed it from its spot. "I saw how you were looking at it." He began to head toward the cashier.

"Lucky, don't. I don't want it." Robin tried to grab it, but the little bastard held it above her head and then flung it onto the counter.

"Yeah you always drool over things you don't want." He pulled out his credit card and handed it to the clerk. Once the transaction was complete he handed Robin the bag. "Too late now. Looks like it's yours."

"Thanks. I guess." Robin responded awkwardly. One eye on the EXIT sign, she clutched the weightless bag in her hand and pretended she was somewhere else. She couldn't quite place her uneasiness. It seemed so out of place with Lucky. She supposed it had to do with who he was now as opposed to who he was before she and Patrick got serious. He wasn't just her old friend. He wasn't her next-door neighbor. Now he was Patrick's cousin and everything in relation to her boyfriend made her feel defensive. She hadn't spoken to him in a long time, an eternity as far as she could tell. She was still mad, angry—near hysterical—and that was why she hadn't called him. It didn't matter if he was right. It didn't matter if she was wrong. Neither affected her current mood.

Lucky looked at the floor when he heard her tone. He screwed this up. Maybe there really was a reason to use wrapping paper and cards, besides the greeting card conspiracy his dad always rambled on about. "Robin it's just a birthday present. If you really don't want it, I'll go take it back."

"No. No, I want it." She touched his wrist and then yanked her hand back. What was wrong with her? Would she ever again feel safe in her own skin? "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He didn't miss the way she yanked her hand back. She wasn't ready for this; he was pushing her too fast too soon. "You know what? Let's just go. I'll find something later."

"We're not skipping out on Elizabeth's present just because I'm neurotic." Robin shook her head erratically, worried beyond belief that he would bail on her and she would have to return to an apartment where no noise was ever made. Morgan was still mad at her despite her efforts to pacify him. Courtney just didn't talk to her at all. The sound of the phone ringing earlier had startled her so much; she had mistaken it for the fire alarm.

"But if you aren't up for it, it's no big deal. I'm sure I'll find something." Or he'd just crack and confess Elizabeth's birthday present was already set up.

"I'm screwing this up. God, I'm so sorry." Robin whispered.

"No you aren't screwing this up. I am." Lucky sat down on a nearby bench and motioned for Robin to do the same.

"What's up?" Robin wondered, taking the seat offered.

"Truth?"

"If memory serves, I remember what that is." Robin smiled.

"I fed you a load of bullshit to get you here." Lucky shrugged his shoulders. "I have Elizabeth's present all set up. I only need to get something ok but not great to make it a complete shock."

"Then why—?" The question died on Robin's lips. "You felt obligated to ask me out today, didn't you?"

"No." He answered rather forcefully. "Not even close."

Robin folded her hands together to give her eyes something to focus on. "I guess he told you then."

"Told me what?" It had to involve Patrick that much he knew. "If it has to do with you and Patrick I think it's probably better I don't get involved. I will say that he's been a grouch since whatever happened, happened." Lucky shook his head. "I know nothing."

"I'm so embarrassed." Robin brought her hands to her face and rubbed the skin there roughly to try and will the threatening tears away. "You don't want to hear this."

Tentatively Lucky placed his hand on Robin's and pulled them gently away from her face. "Robin, no matter what else I'm your friend and that's the only reason I asked you to come help with this. Tell me whatever you want to tell me."

"I thought I was over it." Robin linked their fingers together and didn't flinch when he placed them on his left knee. "I should be over it. I wasn't raped."

"I don't think there is a timetable here."

"I ruined what should have been the end to a perfect night. I never knew Patrick could be that romantic." Robin spoke quietly. She hadn't even told Elizabeth, but Lucky was different. He wouldn't judge her or give her some kind of half-cocked solution. He knew her as well, if not better, than he knew Patrick. She would keep the girly stuff for Elizabeth. How had she almost given up the simple Spencer-Scorpio friendship she had clung to during a time when her world was crashing down around her? "And then I pushed everything too far. I just wanted to prove that I was ready. We haven't...since..."

"Robin." Lucky held up his hand. "I'm your friend and all, but still details about that...details bad."

"I'm sorry. You're right. We got into a fight over it and we haven't talked since. I made a real mess of things, but why can't he just trust that I'm stronger than I look?" Robin wasn't sure if she was still talking to Lucky or not. Maybe this was her way of getting it all out and he was more like a wall that she needed to vent to. "Do you think I'm wrong for wanting my life to get back to normal?"

"No. You're not wrong in that." Lucky sighed. "But you do realize that Patrick is just trying to help you right? He's probably doing it wrong because he has no clue how to do that, but I'm sure that was what he thought he was doing."

"I don't want his help. I don't need his help. He's trying to fix something that isn't broken."

The last thing he wanted to do today was explain Patrick's feelings. "He's just reacting. I saw him when he brought you in the hospital, Robin. He was terrified. And I hear you that nothing is broken, but avoiding all of us doesn't help us feel anything else."

"I've gotten so used to handling things by myself. I've tried to lean on other people, but they've always gone away." She didn't miss the hurt flash across his eyes. "I know that you had to distance yourself from me after Jess died. It was no secret that I didn't like her, or that she was trying to sink her claws into you. And when you asked me to leave, I did. I shouldn't have walked out. I should have been a better friend. And now you're trying to make me feel better when I don't even deserve it."

"Hey I asked you to back off and you did. I shouldn't have made you feel like I backed Patrick and Logan over you in the divorce." Lucky offered his hand. "Bad choices all around?"

"Yeah pretty much. Honest from here on out?"

"Deal." Shaking her hand, Lucky offered her a grin. "And in the spirit of honesty here, a belated happy birthday to you."