Song Credit goes to Ben Folds "Gracie." HOLY CRAP CHAPTER 300!

This was absolutely the last time she tried to plan anything. There was apparently some law written in the stars that if she planned something then the gods would conspire against her to make it impossible. She planned to tell Lucky about being pregnant at Thanksgiving, Patrick got sick. She planned to tell him at Christmas and Patrick had to jump to conclusions and pick a fight with Robin. They planned to tell the families at Christmas and Cameron told the entire town. Ok she didn't plan the baby shower so the twins deciding then was the perfect time to show up was not technically her fault but it still upheld the pattern. Elizabeth sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. What did God have against her plans?

It wasn't exactly a stretch to realize this birthday was going to difficult for Lucky. It was probably closer to the truth that it was going to be impossible for it to be the perfect birthday she wished he'd have this year with Cameron still not home yet. But she had been determined to at least try it. With Patrick's help, her present succeed her every imagining on the subject. Not that Lucky was going to be able to see it in the middle of a blackout.

She had just wanted it to be special for him. After everything they had gotten through in the past year, was a good birthday really that much to ask for? Elizabeth walked up the steps towards the twins' room, where Lucky had disappeared to just minutes before. Gracie appeared to be developing an ear infection and had been extra cranky all day long. True to his fashion, Jake had decided to be extra agreeable all day long. It still confused her how they could be so small, so different and yet still manage to coordinate their every schedule. She was still learning how to juggle children, work, and having an actual life.

Pausing outside their door, she tried not to smile as Lucky tried to talk Gracie into going back to sleep. She had yet to convince him boardroom negotiation tactics would not work with a daughter. "Come on Gracie. Sleep is a good thing."

Gracie's response was to continue to whimper, not loud enough to wake her brother but just loud enough to make sure all attention was on her. Their daughter apparently had other ideas for the evening. Elizabeth was about to step in when she heard Lucky speak again. "Hmmm maybe you need some music to help you sleep? Huh? You'd like that wouldn't you? Your old man making a fool of himself like that?"

She stayed exactly where she was. Ever since their first dance at Jake's she had wanted to hear Lucky sing again. He tended to get embarrassed and quickly change the subject whenever it came up. Even Robin had been doubtful about it ever happening without serious promises and drinking involved. Now it seemed all she needed was a little brunette daughter who had Lucky wrapped around her tiny finger.

It took her a few seconds to recognize the tune from her Ben Folds' CD. Of course, she realized, she should have known this was coming when he started using the nickname Gracie. Leave it to Lucky to find not only a lullaby that satisfied his music snobbery, but name checked the little girl's name.

You can't fool me, I saw you when you came out

You got your momma's taste but you've got my mouth

And you will always have a part of me

Nobody else is going to see

Gracie girl

With your cards to your chest walking on your toes

What you've got in your box only Gracie knows

And I would never try to make you be

Anything you didn't really want to be

Gracie girl

Elizabeth found it interesting they had both made the same promise to Gracie about not forcing her into anything. Of course not that Lucky had the same fears she did about turning into a mini-me version of her mother. His parents were actually human beings.

Life flies by in seconds

You're not a baby Gracie, you're my friend

You'll be a lady soon but till then

You've got to do what I say

She made a mental note to ask him one day how the whole "just do what I say" plan was working out for him.

You nodded off in my arms watching TV

I don't move you an inch even though my arm is asleep

Elizabeth had to turn away before her laugh clued him into her presence. It was only the other day she had found him on the couch with both twins sound asleep and him terrified of getting up in case one or both woke up.

One day you're going to want to go

I hope we taught you everything you need to know

Gracie girl

And there will always be a part of me

Nobody else is going to see but you and me

My little girl

My Gracie girl

He may claim the only talent he had in the music business was spotting talent, but it was clear Gracie didn't share his opinion. The singing seemed to be the trick as the little girl's whimpers had all but stopped before he got to the last verse. Elizabeth knew she should move quickly before he caught her listening in but she just didn't want to move, afraid to break the spell she was currently in. She could hear him chuckle softly and put Gracie back in her crib and start back towards the door and still she didn't want to move.

Lucky opened the door, shocked to see Elizabeth standing there in the darkened hallway. The only way he had been able to see her was the partial moonlight that filtered in from a window a little further down the hall. How long had she been standing there? Long enough to hear him make a fool of himself? Judging by the look on her face, long enough for her to hear what he didn't want her to hear. "Elizabeth?"

Planning is highly overrated, Elizabeth decided. Smiling she held up one finger. "Wait here just one second ok?" She ran off for the living room before he could even articulate an agreement. Reaching the last step, she nearly jumped off them, racing on instinct to the small blue package she had left on the sideboard just before the blackout hit. Grabbing it, she hurried back up the steps, smiling as she made it back to where a very confused looking Lucky still stood.

"Elizabeth? Is everything ok?"

"Fine. Everything's fine. You know how much I love perfect moments and all." She offered the present out to him. "It's a little dark, but I think you can see it alright here."

The last time Elizabeth had handed him a shiny wrapped package with a cryptic comment beforehand, it was to give him the first sonogram picture of the twins. Confused, he started to tear open the picture, seeing the edge of the frame first. A picture. Once he removed the last of the paper, he peered closely at the image in the dim light, feeling he throat start to close up. How had she managed this one without him knowing?

Cameron sat between Jake and Gracie, a smile lighting up his face. By some small miracle Jake and Gracie had decided for this one occasion to be on the same page at the same time and both were awake and looking at least in the general direction of the camera. By the clothes Lucky could tell it was taken the day of Cameron's supervised visit, but it still didn't explain how this had happened and why he had been so clueless to its occurrence. "How?"

"I had help. Patrick took the picture and, let's just say there was a reason Robin approached the social worker." Elizabeth admittedly sheepishly. "Do you like it?"

"Like it? I love it Cinderella." Pulling her close to him, Lucky kissed her gently on the lips. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. Happy birthday."

*****

Robin was downstairs putting together homemade lasagna for dinner when Patrick headed up the stairs purposefully. Faint sounds of Morgan's new videogame filtered through his half-open bedroom door and Patrick took the time to knock. A muffled response followed and he let himself into the room. Morgan sat in the middle of the bed with both of his hands wrapped around the Nintendo 64 controller. He had outgrown his Spider-Man pajamas and when Robin asked if he wanted her to get more he shook his head and said he would rather have something without the once-beloved superhero stitched into it. She had sent Lucky and Patrick on a shopping adventure and been pleased when they returned with some solid colored pjs for her little boy. Tonight, he was clad in the navy blue and gray short-sleeved with matching navy blue pants. It never ceased to amaze Patrick how fast Morgan grew or how accustomed he had become to having him around. He took a deep breath and waited for Morgan to meet his eyes before he said anything, "What are you playing?"

"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Morgan replied. It wasn't often Patrick sought him out so he figured he better turn and see what he wanted.

"What level are you on?" Patrick decided to ease into the conversation because he didn't want to startle Morgan or freeze up.

"Seven." Morgan explained. "Lance is better at this game than me."

"You miss him don't you?" Patrick asked sitting on the edge of the mattress.

"Yeah. Robin said he's sick and that's why Grandma and Uncle Lucas and Uncle Dillon won't let him go to anybody else's house."

"They're worried about him, that's all. You know how Spencers are." Patrick said watching Morgan's shoulders slump. "Maybe we could go over there tomorrow."

"Maybe." Morgan's tone proved that he wasn't entirely certain he believed in even the possibility of seeing his cousin. As an adult, Patrick knew how dense he could be when it came to understanding a child's loneliness. He wasn't foreign to the feeling, not by a long shot, but it had been replaced with other things, other worries and joys and responsibilities that he didn't have a quick fix for.

"I want to talk to you about something." Patrick told him calmly. It was a direct contradiction to how he was feeling on the inside, but he looked perfectly in control on the outside.

"Okay." Morgan paused his game and dropped it beside his right thigh. "What'cha wanna talk about?"

"I know life's been a little nuts for a long time and neither Robin nor I have taken the time to really explain to you what's going on." Patrick stated and then continued, "Now I know I can tell you this because you're a big kid and if you have any questions to what I'm about to tell you, stop me and I'll answer them, okay?"

"Okay." Morgan affirmed.

"Okay, now I'm sure you've been wondering why Uncle Mac and Robin were fighting at the party. You see, when we told you about the baby, we didn't tell everybody."

"Why?"

"Well, because in the beginning the doctor told us that the baby and Robin were very sick and that stress would be very bad for Robin."

"What's stress?" Morgan asked.

"Stress is when you worry about something so much it makes you feel bad."

"Robin and my brother are okay, aren't they?" Morgan was on the verge of tears so Patrick grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Yes, she and the baby are just fine. She doesn't have any stress."

"I don't understand." Morgan admitted. "How would she get it?"

"Well sometimes the people we love don't always agree with the choices we make and they want to argue with us about it."

"Like Uncle Mac?"

"Yes."

"Did he give Robin stress?"

"He didn't."

"But he could have."

"He wouldn't have meant to."

"Do I have stress?" Morgan deadpanned.

"No." Patrick bit back a smile. "Kids don't have stress."

"But grownups do? I thought you said Robin doesn't have stress."

"She doesn't. Morgan, listen. We've been doing everything we can to keep Robin from getting stress because, like I said, that can be very bad for her and the baby. That's why you two went to see your grandpa and why we waited so long to tell everyone about your little brother."

"Did my brother cause Robin stress?"

"No. He's a kid. Remember what I said about kids?"

"They don't have stress." Morgan chimed in.

"That's right." Patrick blew out a steady breath. "And that visit with your grandpa did a lot of good things for all of us. Your brother and Robin are fine and they're going to stay that way."

"How do you know?"

"The doctor said so." She had said a few other things, but Patrick wasn't going to explain it all to a seven-year-old. He was already scared enough.

"Oh." Morgan thought on that for a minute. "Is Uncle Mac still mad at Robin?"

"He was never mad at her, Morgan. He was just sad we hadn't told him about the baby before the party."

"You should have told everybody sooner." Morgan decided with a swift nod of his head.

"You're right. We should have. It's my fault. I wanted to make sure Robin and the baby were safe before I put either of them in a situation that would risk their health. I didn't do a very good job I guess." Patrick said the last part very quietly.

Morgan patted Patrick's hand. "It's okay. Everybody makes mistakes sometimes."

Patrick brushed an unshed tear from his right eye with the tip of his knuckle and cleared his voice. "Before I make any more mistakes I want to talk to you about something else."

"Okay. What?"

"How would you feel about me marrying Robin?"

"Marrying Robin?" Morgan echoed.

"Yes. I would marry Robin, we would get a house to raise you and your brother in, and maybe I could adopt you. If that's okay with you."

"If you adopted me, would we still be cousins?"

"Yes. All adoption would mean is that to the rest of the world I'm your dad too. It's up to you about whether or not you want me to be. I know you're still very sad about your real dad and I'm not going to try to replace him."

"Would I call you Daddy?" Morgan wanted to know.

"If you want to. Or you could call me Patrick."

"I guess that would be okay." Morgan said at last. "Robin loves you a lot and I know you love her. Plus, my brother's got to have a daddy."

"I love you too." Patrick reminded him.

"I know." Morgan grinned and then asked, "You're not going to make me say it back, are you?"

Patrick threw back his head and laughed. "No." He got to his feet, only Morgan's question stopping him.

"Have you asked Robin yet?"

"Not yet. I wanted to make sure it was okay with you first." Patrick clarified.

"What if she says no?"

"Well I guess I'll just keep asking until she says yes."

"Good luck."

Robin strolled down the stairs with a confidence she didn't feel and stopped short when she felt Patrick's eyes on her. She didn't have to lift her hands to her cheeks to know they were inflamed; she didn't dissuade her lips from turning up slowly to form an affectionate smile. "I don't know what got into Morgan, but he fell right to sleep." She wasn't used to him slipping into such a peaceful slumber, at least not since before the kidnapping, and she took it to mean he finally felt safe in his own bed.

There was a kind, bland response resting on Patrick's lips, but he never spoke the words. Instead, he held out his hand until she took it and led her down the final two steps of the stairs toward the balcony. He had been planning on candles, the citywide blackout making them as romantic as they were necessary, but the translucent moon slung directly over their balcony provided too perfect a setting to be ignored. The night smelled of rain, but there was less than a five percent chance of it in the forecast.

"Wow." Robin breathed. The night air was crisp; this was unusual for Port Charles in the summertime, but the scene was something right out of a storybook. Everything from the single news station located on the edge of town to the loading docks to the long row of housing developments, all of which housed a Spencer or Jones or Quartermaine, had been absorbed by an all-encompassing darkness. The streets were silent; the water was extraordinarily still and free of waves; even the crickets refused to disrupt the tranquility.

Patrick waited for Robin to sit down before he dropped down into the remaining green folding chair. The chairs were able to fold all the way out and for this reason Robin had sworn one of these days she was going to misjudge, fall into it, and not be able to get back up. Even though Dr. Walker said she wasn't gaining any more weight than was necessary—for a while she had been worried Robin wasn't gaining enough—Robin insisted she was going to be eligible for the cover of the next Free Willy movie.

"I thought you might like it." Patrick told her. "It's such a rarity for Port Charles to look like anything but a New York City rip-off." He jested, letting her know he wouldn't live anywhere else. "How are you feeling?"

"Well I'm happy to report I kept down all three meals without so much as a dizzy feeling." Robin answered, her eyes crinkling when she noticed how intently he was watching her. "Good." She amended. "Happy. How about you? You barely said a word during dinner."

"It's been a long time since you've spoiled me with lasagna." Patrick explained. "I wasn't going to waste such an opportunity on conversation."

"Is that right?" Robin intertwined their fingers and let their joined hands hang loosely between their chairs. "Nice to know I'm appreciated."

"You're more than appreciated." Patrick corrected. "You're worshipped." He turned her palm up and kissed the soft skin he found there.

"What's so funny?" Robin demanded once she saw the hint of laughter behind his eyes.

"You are. I brought you out here to talk about something, but if you keep looking at me like that I'm taking you inside and having my way with you." Patrick warned.

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Robin tried to laugh, but the sound was choppy to say the least. She had never seen him move so fast. Before she knew it, he was leaning over her and pressing his mouth to hers. She got fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him closer, her arms moving to his back. He tilted her head back and groaned when her tongue swept across his lips and delved into his mouth.

"Hold on." He pleaded, cupping her face between his hands and kissing her a few more times before forcing himself to step back and put a considerable amount of distance between them.

"Why did you stop?"

"Trust me, I have some good reasons." Patrick assured her.

"I bet mine counteract yours a lot better." Robin pouted, crossing her arms.

"I'm sure they do, but humor me please." Patrick was afraid to even kiss her—afraid he wouldn't be able to stop. While nothing sounded better than making good on his threat, either he asked her tonight or he didn't ask her at all. He couldn't pretend this was all he wanted for them. She deserved the best and, while he didn't know if he necessarily fit into that category, he wasn't willing to let her get rid of him.

"Okay, fine. What are we doing? Where are you going?" She felt wobbly and confused when he dragged her into the living room. "Patrick, what's going on?"

"Wait here." Patrick walked toward the hall closet and pulled down a familiar box. "I think it's about time you get that rematch you've been wanting." Now that he was moving closer, she could see what he had in his hands.

"You'd rather play cars than make love to me?" Robin asked incredulously.

"Don't be silly." Patrick shook his head. "This isn't a toy." When she didn't spread out on the floor next to him, he patted the carpet. "Come on, Roby. Are you that afraid I'll beat you again?"

"You did not beat me the first time. I clearly won." Robin argued.

"I see you're still in denial. Get down here and I might even let you win." Patrick offered grinning from ear to ear.

"Let me win? You've got some nerve." Robin accused.

"Babe, we both know it's not nerve that I boast about." Patrick wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"I'll play if for no other reason than to wipe that smug smile off your face." Robin announced and gingerly sat down.

"I bet I get it back by the end of the night." Patrick said under his breath.

"What are the stakes?" She helped him set up the track and then reached for her favorite car, the red Convertible. Her hand froze midair.

"Higher than ever." Patrick took the gold band from the front seat of the tiny racecar and held it out to her.

Robin opened her mouth several times, but no sound came out. Her eyes were wide chocolate saucers as her gaze transfixed on the sparkling two-karat diamond resting between Patrick's thumb and index finger.

"I never thought shocking you into silence would be a bad thing," Patrick taunted, his heart in his eyes.

Was this what he had wanted to ask her when she came home? It must have been. She could no longer assume it had to do with her bakery.

"Robin Cecilia Scorpio, will you marry me?" Patrick held his breath, certain that she would instantly dismiss him if he didn't. A million feelings danced across Robin's face. Shock. Confusion. Fear. Love. Hope. More confusion. Disbelief. Why wasn't she saying anything?

Robin was stunned to realize she was crying. The answer was so clear, but she couldn't voice it. Then it would all be a dream. This wouldn't really be happening. But the ring was there, just beyond her grasp. She could feel Patrick's breath on her face. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Patrick chanced touching her hand and released the breath he had been holding when she folded their hands together. "I don't want to force you into anything, but I want you to be happy and I know I can make you happy."

"You do make me happy." Patrick Drake was proposing to her? Where were the hidden cameras? The annoying red buzzer? Where was the laughter from the backstage audience? There was a little fear in his stare, but nothing in those beautiful brown eyes said that this was a joke. Her disbelief had more to do with the fact that it was happening at all rather than it was happening sooner than she had expected. "Maybe it won't always be a lie," he had said. She should have known then, but she hadn't even dared to hope.

He made her happy and they weren't married was what she meant. She was perfectly content to keep it that way. He knew he should be disappointed, but it wasn't anything he hadn't expected. She would fight him all the way down the aisle; then she would obsess over everything from the table settings to the attire of her bridesmaids. "Are you saying no?"

"No. I mean, I'm not saying no." Robin corrected herself. "I'm making sure that this is what you really want."

"Let me end your suffering and tell you that I know what I want and I have no intention of giving up. I don't care if I have to ask until we're old and gray; one of these days you're going to be my wife."

He had made a career out of complimenting beautiful women and taking what he wanted before discarding them. Somehow it had never been that way with them. That man he had been hadn't known how to handle a woman like her and she could no longer say that he had changed tactics merely because he thought it was what she wanted. Too many fights. Too many inconvenient emotions. She could remember feeling this same mixture of fear and excitement the night he had confessed his love for her. "So why don't I just save us both some time and say yes now? Is that what you're saying?"

"You know I would never ask you to do something you didn't want to do. If the idea of marrying me repulses you, I'm just as happy living in sin with you until the day I die."

Robin covered her face with her hands, muffling an indescribable sound. He tugged her hands free and his bottom lip trembled at the sight of her crying. Slowly, her eyes met his. "I love you so much." She whispered.

"Baby, don't cry." Patrick begged. He loosely ran his fingers through her hair.

"Happy tears." Robin promised. "These are definitely happy tears. I would be honored to be your wife." The words were barely out of her mouth before Patrick was kissing her. He stopped only long enough to slip the ring on her finger.

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A soft, but determined voice responded forcefully, "May I speak with Maxie Jones please?"

"This is she. What can I do for you?" Maxie wondered, slightly intrigued.