Title: Sweet Temptation
Author: Steph
Rating: PG
Pairing: Robin/Patrick
Category: Romance/Humor/Drama
Disclaimer: I do this out of a love for this couple. No infringement is intended.
Spoilers: Just that Gwen stuff.
Summary: After deciding to have a purely professional relationship, Robin and Patrick attend a medical conference together in Miami.

Note: Thanks for the great feedback on part 4. Here's the last part. I just wanted to thank you all for your great feedback and support during this story. I had a ball writing it and I'm so glad you enjoyed it! So, hope you enjoy it one last time and please let me know what you thought! Thanks! -Steph

---Sweet Temptation: Part 5/5---

Patrick flagged down a cab and got into the backseat. He leaned forward and looked out the open door at Robin, who was still standing in the same spot, wiping away tears. He squeezed his eyes shut, mentally berating himself for causing her any pain.

What was wrong with him? Here was this amazing woman, who was willing to face her fears to be with him, who he wanted so badly he could barely see straight, and what was he doing? Pushing her away...again. He wondered at what point would he push so hard that she'd be gone for good. Or maybe he just had.

Robin blinked back tears and looked at the waiting cab. The last thing she wanted to do was share a cab with him. Actually, scratch that. The last thing she wanted to do was share a hotel room with him. How were they supposed to go on like this?

She shook her head and turned on her heel, heading back inside the club.

Patrick's eyes widened as he saw Robin walk back inside. He turned to the cab driver.

"Could you hold on a minute?"

"Okay, but I'm starting the meter."

Patrick hopped out of the car and ran across the parking lot. He went inside, quickly spotting Robin sitting alone at a table in the corner. He walked over to her.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"That's really none of your concern."

"The hell it isn't."

"Just go, Patrick. You seem to be really good at that."

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm not leaving you here alone."

"What I choose to do is none of your concern. You see, we're not friends and we're certainly not a couple. I'm not sure how we'll even be colleagues after this. We're nothing, Patrick."

Her words cut him to his core. He licked at his lips. "You know that's not true. We could never be nothing."

Robin shook her head. "Well, I can't stand to look at you, or listen to you, or be anywhere near you right now, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Please leave. I'll be fine here on my own."

He sighed. "Look, I know you're angry with me and you have every right to be, but don't do something stupid just to spite me."

"Who's doing anything stupid? I'm just sitting here enjoying the show. Go back to the hotel."

"You know I can't do that."

"No, you won't do that. There's a difference. It seems you have a little trouble differentiating between 'can't' and 'won't'. We all make choices, Patrick. Some harder than others. Sometimes we rationalize and make ourselves feel better by saying we can't do something, when it's really just that we won't...because we're too stubborn or lazy or angry...or scared."

His jaw clenched. "Fine, you're right. Is that what you want to hear?"

Robin laughed bitterly. "This isn't about me being right. You have no idea how hard it was for me to put myself out there again. If you didn't feel anything for me, I could accept it. It would be hard, but I'd eventually get over it. But knowing that you do feel something, that this is something you want, but are too damn scared to go after...knowing that this is your choice...Well, that's what really hurts."

With that, Robin stood and headed toward the exit. Patrick shook his head and followed her outside. She headed to the sidewalk, her hands rubbing the exposed skin of her arms as the cool night's air sent chills down her body.

"Where are you going!" he screamed.

"Wherever you aren't!" she yelled back.

Patrick quickened his pace to a jog and caught up with her.

"You can't just walk around alone at night in a strange city, Robin. Do you have any idea where you're going?"

"Fine, if you must know, back to the hotel."

"I have a cab waiting."

"Good. Use it. I'm walking. I could use the exercise."

"It's three miles away. Take the cab, I'll get another one."

"Don't do me any favors," she said, as she sped up.

Patrick watched as she rubbed at her arms and shivered. He quickly removed his leather jacket and tried to place it over her shoulders.

"Here, take this. You're freezing."

She moved out of his reach, muttering under her breath. "Wow, such a gentleman. I think I just fell in love with you all over again."

Patrick eyes widened and he stopped in his tracks, his outstretched arms still holding the jacket out. Robin's mouth dropped open and she squeezed her eyes shut.

"What did you just say?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

She stopped and slowly turned around to face him. "Nothing. I didn't say anything."

"Yes, you did."

Robin moved her eyes to the ground. "You're hearing things. When you get home, you should probably get that checked out. It could be symptomatic of a serious condition."

He shook his head sharply. "No, no. You...you just said something about being in love with me."

Robin placed her hands over her face and groaned. "Oh God, why couldn't I just shut up for once? Like things haven't been disastrous enough as it is tonight!"

He took a few steps closer to her, looking down and meeting her eyes.

"Are you?" he asked softly.

She let out a breath and threw her hands up in the air. "Yes! Okay? Is that what you want to hear? Yes, I am in love with you. Though for the life of me I can't imagine why right now. "

"Wow," he breathed, his eyebrows arching.

Her forehead wrinkled. "Wow? I admit I'm in love with you and that's all you have to say? Wow?"

"Sorry I'm not meeting your standards of eloquence, but you kind of took me by surprise. Give me a minute."

Robin shook her head. "How surprised could you really be? I mean, I told you I want you and want a relationship with you. I told you that I am willing to face my fears for the right person, which, in case you haven't figured it out yet, is you...you idiot!"

He stammered. "I...I knew you had feelings, of course. I just didn't realize...how deep they were."

She lowered her eyes. "Well, now you know. You don't feel the same or at least you won't let yourself, so none of it matters anyway."

He stared at her for a long moment. She finally looked up and then snatched the jacket from his grasp.

She put it on and continued on her way, throwing over her shoulder, "Oh and I'm keeping the jacket."

Patrick stood frozen in place.

---

Patrick followed her the whole three miles back to the hotel, staying a few paces behind her. She didn't acknowledge his presence, but he saw her wipe at her face every once in a while. It was very late when they finally reached the hotel. They rode up in the elevator in silence and entered their room in silence.

Patrick moved to the closet and pulled out his suitcase. He then walked over to the bureau and began to pack his things.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm just going to go hang out in the lobby until morning. We have to check out tomorrow any way and I have to pack, so I might as well speed up the process."

Robin watched as he threw his socks in the suitcase. She sighed. "You're not going to sleep in the lobby."

"Yeah, I probably won't sleep. Nothing like a three mile walk to energize you."

She walked over and pulled the suitcase from his hands. "Stop. Look, it'll be morning in a few hours. There's no reason we can't handle being around each other until then. I'll be sleeping, so that should make things easier."

She put the suitcase back in the closet and then went into the bathroom. Patrick moved to the bed and sank down. The truth was, he didn't know if he could stand spending one more night with her knowing it would be for the last time. And he had no one to blame but himself.

---

Robin's eyes fell upon Patrick's figure. His mouth was open wide and he was breathing loudly. His face was bathed in moonlight and, no matter how much she wanted to, Robin couldn't tear her eyes away. She smiled, thinking of how she had caught him watching her sleep. The truth was, she had woken up several times and done the same thing. It was in those moments that she realized just how far she had fallen. That there was no chance of friendship, that her feelings were way beyond that.

She squeezed her eyes shut, the tears stinging her eyelids. She just didn't think she could face him in the morning. She didn't want to look into his eyes again and know they could never be more. She didn't think she could stand it.

Still, as she watched him, she couldn't help but wonder. She wondered if there really was no hope for them. Or would he wake up and realize what he was throwing away? Would he decide to face his fears and take a chance with her?

Maybe last night was just too much, too fast. Maybe he just couldn't face it then. But maybe in the morning he would see things differently. Maybe in the morning he would see just what he was losing.

Robin needed to know if they still had even the slightest chance, but she couldn't bear to face him in the morning, only to find nothing had changed. So she did the only thing she could do.

Robin got dressed and quickly packed her things. Taking a deep breath, she took out a piece of hotel stationary, envelope, and a pen from the drawer in the nightstand. She quickly wrote the note, placed it inside the envelope, sealed it, and leaned it up against the clock radio. She then stood and walked over to him. She smiled, as she ran her fingertips down his cheek. She placed a soft kiss on his forehead and then headed to the door. She offered him one last sad smile before closing the door behind her.

---

Patrick squeezed his eyes shut, as the sun tried to force him to welcome a new day. Today was their last day in Miami. They had to attend the closing meeting in a few hours and catch a plane at 3:00.

He rubbed at his face, stretched his arms, and then slowly opened his eyes. He turned his attention to the bed, expecting to find Robin sleeping peacefully. Instead, he found the bed empty and already made. Brow furrowing and lips turning downward, he stood up and surveyed the room. He noticed her purse missing. He walked into the bathroom and saw that all of her toiletry items were gone. Moving to the bureau, he pulled open the drawers and found them empty.

He sighed and sank down into the chair. She had left. She left without even telling him. He dropped his head and threaded his fingers through his hair, as he realized he had finally pushed too hard. She was gone for good.

He raised his head and, out of the corner of his eye, noticed something leaning against the clock radio. He stood up and walked to the nightstand, realizing it was an envelope. He picked the envelope up, running his fingertips across the letters of his name written in her familiar handwriting. Taking a deep breath, he opened the envelope and pulled a sheet of paper out. He read it silently to himself.

Dear Patrick,

I spent all night watching you sleep. I started hoping that you would wake up in the morning and realize what you were throwing away. Maybe that's crazy, I don't know. But it's all I have left to hold onto. You see, no matter what you say or do, I can't seem to let go of you. But I knew that I couldn't be here in the morning and look into your eyes, only to find that nothing had changed. I don't think I could handle that again.

So, I decided to leave and take an earlier flight. But if you woke up this morning and, by some miracle, decided that you're willing to face your fears and give us a chance, then there's a seat waiting for you on the 10:00 a.m. flight to New York. I would never be happier to see an annoying flying companion in my life. All you have to do is come and sit down and I'll know we have a chance. You don't have to say a word.

If not, I'll see you back home and I guess we'll have to figure out where we go from here.
Robin

Patrick looked up, realizing for the first time that he had felt empty the moment he woke up, looked over, and saw that she was gone. They hadn't even slept together and he was wishing he had woken up to her face. Normally, after a night spent with a woman, he would be relieved to find her gone or disappointed to find her staring back at him. But he had grown so accustomed to seeing her face in the morning. At some point, he realized he didn't want to greet another morning without first laying eyes on her. He shook his head in disbelief. He'd never once experienced anything close to this and how many women had he been with?

But Robin was different. He should have realized that the moment they met and she didn't put up with any of his crap. The truth is, she was the woman he had been scared to find his entire life. The one who would change him, make him see things differently, force him to take a chance on love. The one who would turn his world upside down.

And she had. Because he was now sitting there alone and he would have given anything if she were sitting by his side.

Patrick took a deep breath and glanced at the clock radio. His eyes widened at the time: 9:00 a.m. He sprang up off the bed and spent the next three minutes throwing all of his belongings into his suitcase. He quickly threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and was out the door.

Patrick hit the elevator button, but when it didn't open immediately, he headed for the stairs. He took them two at a time until he reached the ground floor. Breathless, he practically ran to the check-out desk.

The same clerk that had checked them in greeted him with a smile. "Dr. Drake, did you enjoy your stay?"

"Yup, it was great," he said quickly, handing her the keycard and his credit card.

He tapped his fingers on the counter impatiently, as the clerk took her sweet time.

"Could you hurry please? I have a flight to catch."

The clerk finished and Patrick quickly completed what he needed to. He then ran through the lobby and outside. It took him five minutes to flag down a cab. The ten minute ride to the airport was the longest of his life, images of Robin and their time spent there together going through his mind.

He finally reached the airport, ran inside and went to the American Airlines check-in line. The line was mercifully short and moved fairly quickly. When he reached the front, he handed the attendant his ticket, explaining that he had called about an earlier flight. She confirmed his information and handed him his boarding pass.

Patrick looked at his watch: 9:55. He ran through the airport, searching for Gate B. He passed through the metal detector, groaning when it beeped. He quickly emptied his pockets and walked through again. When it beeped again, Patrick nearly lost it, running his hands through his hair in frustration and gritting his teeth. The guard pulled him aside and scanned the wand over his body. It beeped at his belt buckle and the guard waved him through.

Patrick ran toward the gate, his heart dropping when he saw the empty seats and the closed door. He slowly walked over to one of the chairs and sank down into it. Then he watched as the plane pulled away from the terminal.

---

Robin looked out the window, her face falling as they began to move. He hadn't come. He hadn't changed his mind. A tear slipped out of her eye and fell down her cheek. She wiped at it and squeezed her eyes shut. She slowly opened them again and looked at the empty seat beside her. She'd give just about anything to see him looking back at her, his dimpled smile making her heart race a little faster.

But he wasn't there and she had to accept the fact that maybe they just weren't meant to be more.

---

Patrick entered his room at the MetroCourt. He dropped his suitcase and crawled onto the bed, not bothering to remove his shoes. He closed his eyes, his mind filled with images of Robin's face.

How could he have let this happen? How could he have let the best thing to ever happen to him walk out of his life? He'd been so scared to take a chance on love and now the thing that scared him the most was facing life without it...without her.

---

Robin opened up her suitcase and began to unpack it. She took some clothes out and placed them on the bed. She reached inside for more, her hand pausing in midair at what she saw. It was Patrick's jacket. The one he had offered her last night and the one she had subsequently taken. She hadn't actually meant to keep it, despite her statement. But in her haste to pack, she had thrown it in her suitcase.

She picked up the jacket and sat down on the bed. Holding it close to her body, she brought it up to her nose and breathed in his scent. She stood and walked over to the foot of the bed, crawling on top of the covers and lying on her side. She pulled the jacket close to her, as tears hit her pillow.

---

Robin sighed, as she put a patient's chart back and then took her planner out of her purse. She opened up to that week, groaning at her busy schedule. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and wake up when her life wasn't quite so crappy. She dreaded the moment she saw Patrick again. He was already two hours late for his shift and she figured he was avoiding her.

How were they supposed to act now that she had put it all on the line and he had rejected her? She wasn't angry with him anymore, but the pain remained. And she wondered where they were supposed to go from here. What kind of relationship were they supposed to have now? They obviously couldn't be friends, but they had no choice but to be colleagues. She wondered how they were supposed to make that work. What happened between them would always be there. It would always be the elephant in the room. And her feelings for her him weren't about to go away.

Robin shook her head free of her thoughts, her eyes narrowing, as she looked at an entry for that day. She didn't remember writing that: Consult on Krueger case 10:00. She looked at her watch. Great, that was right now. She let out a breath, grabbed Mr. Krueger's chart, and headed to his room.

She was busy reading through the chart as she opened the door to the room and entered. It took her a moment to realize that something wasn't right. She slowly lifted her gaze, her eyes widening when she realized that Patrick was standing in front of her holding a bouquet of flowers.

She shook her head. "Patrick? What are you doing? Where's Mr. Krueger?"

"Don't worry about him," he said, his eyes focusing on her face.

Realization dawned on her. "You wrote that in my planner."

"You should really stop leaving your purse out where anyone can get to it."

She clenched her jaw. "What did I say I would do to you if you ever did that again?"

He grinned. "Don't worry, I've already started practicing performing surgical procedures with my feet. I'm actually quite good."

Robin tried to suppress her smile. She folded her arms over her chest. "Fine, since I'm here, you might as well tell me what you want."

Patrick smiled and stepped forward, dropping his left hand with the flowers by his side and nearly closing the distance between them. He placed his thumb on her chin and lifted her head, so their gaze met. "That's easy. You."

The way he was looking at her was making Robin's knees weak. She shook her head to clear it. "But you didn't come. I waited and you didn't come."

He shrugged, saying softly, "I didn't make it in time."

Robin's eyes widened. "You mean you were-..."

He cut her off. "I knew the moment I woke up and didn't see your face that things weren't supposed to be that way. It was the first time I'd woken up and wanted to see a woman's face before and when you weren't there...Well, I knew I had to do something about that."

She took a deep breath. "So this means-..."

Her voice trailed off and he finished the thought for her. "This means you're going to show me what I've been missing."

He then leaned down and lowered his lips to hers. Robin sighed into his mouth, as tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. She placed her hands on the side of his face, pulling him deeper into the kiss. After a few more moments, they pulled back, their foreheads still touching.

He smiled. "So about that whole friends thing."

"Dumbest idea ever," she breathed.

He grinned and nodded. "Took the words right out of my mouth." He paused, his grin fading. "I'm sorry for what I put you through. I'm an idiot."

She smiled, "Yes, you are, but I guess you're my idiot now. It's okay. You're here now."

Robin then looked down at the wildflowers in his hand and smiled. "Are those for me?" He lifted his hand and gave her the flowers. "They're beautiful. Oh, there's a card."

Patrick eyes widened and he moved to snatch the card before she could read it, but he wasn't fast enough.

She read it aloud. "Get well soon, Uncle Teddy." Robin looked up at him, an amused smile playing across her lips. "Uncle Teddy?"

"I was thinking we could be one of those couples who has cute nicknames for each other."

"Nice try," she said with a chuckle and shoved them into his chest.

"So you're not a fan of Uncle Teddy. How about Buttercup? Snookums?"

"How about 'shut up and kiss me'?" she said, as she took the flowers from him, threw them on the ground, and placed her palms on his chest.

She pushed him onto the bed and then climbed on top of him, straddling his legs with hers. She brought her mouth down to his, her tongue diving in.

After a few moments, Patrick pulled back, licked his lips and looked up at her, his eyes dark with desire. "So, Shut Up and Kiss Me, you want to have dinner with me tonight?" He paused and then nodded. "You're right, it does have a certain amount of charm. Nice ring to it."

She smiled. "I'll have dinner with you. Just make sure you bring me flowers that aren't from one of our patients."

"Hey, I was just being resourceful. I forgot my wallet and the gift shop girl wouldn't accept my coupon for 'one free hour of playing doctor' in exchange for the flowers."

Robin slapped his arm. "We're throwing those coupons out."

"You sure you don't want to keep a few? You can use them when I'm not in the mood."

Robin laughed. "And here I was thinking that was a physiological impossibility for you."

He waggled his eyebrows. "I guess you're going to find out," he replied before bringing his lips to hers again.

After a few moments, he breathed into her lips, "By the way, can I have my jacket back?"

"Nope," she said, as he moved his lips to her throat.

''But it's my favorite jacket," he replied, his voice muffled against her skin.

"It's a very nice jacket. I've grown quite attached to it," she said in a soft moan.

"Fine," he said, as he pulled back from her, grinning, "I'll just take it when you won't notice. You know, after we've made love and I've made it so you can't see straight for a week."

Robin smiled. "Promises, promises."

Patrick's eyes grew serious. He raised his hands to her cheek, cupping her face. His voice emerged softly, "I'm going to do my damnedest to keep every promise I ever make to you."

Robin's smile widened. "And I'm going to love watching you try."

Patrick offered her a dimpled smile, before bringing his lips down to hers again.


--------------------------------------------------THE END-----------------------------------------------Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it and please let me know what you thought. -Steph