Christmas Eve...

Patrick was in deep. As he sat behind his desk toying with the sterling silver locket (with Gabriel's picture inside) that he'd bought Sabrina for Christmas, he tried to decide what to do. Being with Sabrina again had reawakened his feelings for her, which were just as powerful as before. However, he was still married to Robin even though he'd barely spoken to her in months and had no idea when or if she was coming home. He loved Robin and always would, but he just didn't know if they could save their marriage - or whether he even wanted to anymore. When she came back last year, Patrick had been torn but knew deep down the woman he wanted was his wife. If Robin walked through that door right now, he didn't know if he would make the same decision. The problem was that Robin wasn't going to walk through the door because Jason was more important than their family. So, if she wasn't coming home, was it worth it to deny himself the happiness he could have with Sabrina?

As he put the locket back in the box and tiny snowman gift bag he'd picked up, he heard a knock on the door. He put the bag in his duffel beside his chair and said, "Come in."

When the door opened, Sabrina entered carrying her coat, purse and a giant bag of wrapped presents. Patrick smiled and then rushed to help her. "Did you leave anything at the store?" he joked as he took the bag from her and sat it on the floor.

Sabrina laughed happily. "Nope!" She sat her purse and coat a chair in front of his desk and then turned around to face him again. "Those are for Emma. I know you are coming for dinner tomorrow, but I wanted her to have them when she wakes up."

"You spoil her rotten, but she appreciates it."

Sabrina shrugged. "I don't mind. I know she misses Robin." When Patrick frowned, Sabrina asked if he'd heard from her.

"No, not since she skyped Emma at Thanksgiving." When Sabrina opened her mouth to get him to elaborate, Patrick stepped forward and shushed her by putting his index finger to her lips. "Can we not talk about her?"

Sabrina nodded and Patrick moved his hand away and placed it on her shoulder. Noticing her dress, he said, "You look beautiful. Is that new?"

Sabrina stepped back, smiled and twirled around in her new red wrap dress. "Uh-huh. I thought it was festive for the holiday. You like it?"

"Yeah." Before he could say anything else, Sabrina walked toward him, leaned in and whispered in his ear, "But it is just the wrapping. Your present is underneath."

When she pulled back and winked at him as she turned to get something out of Emma's bag, Patrick halted her by grabbing the ends of the tie holding the dress together.

She laughed as he reeled her back in to him until she was inches away. "Oh no you don't."

"Don't what?" She asked as she looked at him all innocent and puppy-eyed.

"You don't say that and then walk away as if you commented on the weather."

Sabrina closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I just wanted to see what you would do." She kissed him lightly on the lips and then asked, "Well, do you want to open your present or not?"

Sabrina waited with baited breath for Patrick to make up his mind on opening her "present". She knew he wasn't deciding whether or not to untie her dress, but how slowly he was going to do it. She meant to torture him a little by making her comment and then pretending she hadn't said it, so she knew he was getting her back for it. He released one of the strings to the tie and stood there holding the other one. As he wrapped it around his fingers to loosen it, he smiled at her wickedly and her breathing grew more shallow in anticipation.

She locked eyes with Patrick as he began tugging on the end and could tell that he was as turned on as she was. She had expected him to yank the tie after he reeled her in, but instead, he pulled it slowly, inch-by-inch. Frustrated, Sabrina rose an eyebrow at him as if to say, "Get a move on."

However, Patrick was having none of that and said, "With presents as valuable as this, you have to take extra care with the wrapping." On a smile, he added, "I wouldn't want to accidentally rip it..."

Once the tie was completely loosened (way too slowly for Sabrina's liking), Patrick pulled the top layer of her dress across her body and the inner layer fell to her side. He let out a "Wow," as his eyes traveled down her body and back up. Then he said, "That's some present."

Sabrina grabbed her dress and slid it off her shoulders. Once it fell to the floor, she kicked it aside using her matching heels and then held out her her hands in a model-like pose. She'd found the delicate lingerie set when she'd impulsively stopped at Victoria's Secret during one of her recent Christmas shopping trips to the mall and knew instantly it was something she wanted to wear especially for Patrick, who knew and appreciated the passionate woman she was beneath her goody-two-shoes persona.

"So?" She asked.

Patrick crossed his arms and put one hand to his chin in a mock serious thinking pose. After a moment, he dropped his arms and said, "I don't know... I mean it looks nice on you, but I have an idea of where it would look better."

"Oh? And where might that be?" Sabrina asked as she advanced on him.

He pointed to her discarded dress. "I think it would look really great there."

Sabrina rolled her eyes at his interpretation of one of the corniest pickup lines ever, but decided to play along. When she got to him, she began unbuttoning his dress shirt. "Hmm. You may be right."

Patrick smirked and shrugged as if his correctness was a foregone conclusion, to which Sabrina responded with, "But, for it to look good there, I think it will need a little something extra."

As Sabrina undid the last button on his shirt and began untucking it from his khackies, he laughed. "And what might that be?"

Sabrina pushed his shirt off of his shoulders and said, "Well, this for starters..." When she reached for his belt buckle, Patrick grasped her wrists and pulled her flush against his body. He leaned down and growled, "Enough," right before he began kissing her and backing her toward the edge of his desk.

When they got there, he picked her up and deposited her on the surface. Sabrina opened her legs and he stepped between them. As Patrick reached around her to undo the clasp on her bra, Sabrina pulled him close and allowed her hands to roam over his back as she captured him in a kiss.

Sabrina momentarily tore her mouth away while she worked on his belt buckle. "Patrick?"

"Yeah?"

"Whatever you do, just don't mess up my hair, okay?" (They were due in the conference center for the annual children's reading of The Night Before Christmas by Santa shortly with Emma, who was being dropped off by Anna.)

Patrick, who was supporting himself over her reclining body with one hand, took his free one and entwined his fingers in her hair. He murmured, "Honey, I'm not making any promises I can't keep," and then used his hold to bring her lips to his.