A/N: So, I'm a horrible person. I wasn't truly happy with the ending I had previously written for this story, and it didn't sit right with me to post it. And then life happened, and I forgot all about Anna and Pat. But finally, FINALLY, here is their ending. I hope, dearest reader, you can find it in your heart to forgive me. Happy Thanksgiving!

Anna watched the wedding proceedings from the front pew seated next to Theresa. Pat was the third to last one to walk down the aisle, just before the maid of honor and best man. Once the groomsmen and bridesmaids had taken their place along the altar, the familiar wedding march played. Everyone stood.

Sienna's dress was a stunning lace-covered mermaid style number, and her train stretched far back enough that Aunt Marie whispered loudly that it was "going to get caught and rip, and wouldn't that be kind of funny?"

Theresa turned around and hissed something at her sister, making the other woman go white as a sheet. When the matriarch sat back in her pew, she was smiling serenely.

Anna locked eyes with Pat, and the two of them looked away before they burst out into laughter. When Sienna reached her intended, his eyes were swimming with unshed tears. Angelo shook hands with her father. She handed her bouquet of roses off to her bridesmaid, and she and Angelo clasped hands, facing each other while the music died.

The priest, a family friend, kept his speech short and sweet before the bride and groom said their vows and "I dos."

As they kissed, the church erupted in cheers and applause.

The crowd slowly moved out of the room afterwards, the intent on going back to the Moretti estate for the after-party. Anna found herself in the bridesmaids' limo once more. Sienna had changed from her voluminous wedding gown to a shorter, white silk cocktail dress, perfect for dancing.

The ride was short and champagne filled, and they gushed over the five-carat diamond surrounded by sapphires that glittered on her ring finger.

Dozens of guests were already milling about the estate when they arrived, and Anna was easily able to pick out Pat from the groomsmen, as he was the tallest. She moved towards him, taking care in her heels as she walked over the gravel.

He broke away from the men and pressed a kiss to her cheek when he saw her, and for a second, it was like they actually were dating. Her stomach twisted.

"Hey, you," he said, clasping her hand. "You look...nice. Really nice."

"You look...nice, yourself," Anna said, taking in his attire. "How's Angelo?"

Pat glanced back at his brother. "Over the moon. He's taking it better than we were all expecting. Listen, we're gonna take wedding party photos. Why don't you go find your seat, and I'll come find you afterwards?"

"Perfect," Anna nodded, even though she didn't want to let him go.

"Save me a dance?"

"If you're lucky."

He leaned down until his forehead was against hers, and she breathed in his spicy cologne. "I dunno," he said lowly. "I'd say I'm pretty damn lucky, Anna."

And he backed away, leaving her already yearning for his embrace. She rubbed the back of her hand across her forehead. Christ, she had to get it together.

Fifteen minutes later, Anna discovered she had been seated with several Moretti cousins. This wouldn't have normally bothered her, but the oldest one was eleven, and the table and chairs were noticeably smaller than all of the others.

"How old are you?" an eight-year-old girl, her dark hair in curls, asked her.

"How old do you think I am?" Anna said, taking a sip of her sparkling water.

"You look a lot older than us. Forty-seven, maybe?"

Anna briefly considered the repercussions of punting this little girl into the pool. Instead, she decided on smiling. "Close enough."

Dinner was brought out around five o'clock, a feast that had the guests whistling and applauding appreciatively. Two bottles of wine, red and white, were deposited at every table (except hers and the kids', much to Anna's dismay). The salad was crisp and fresh, drizzled with a raspberry vinaigrette. The main course consisted of tender chicken in a wine sauce, hearty roasted potatoes, and a vegetable medley.

Michael Moretti made a speech, congratulating his son and new daughter on their wedding, and wished them many years of bliss. He urged everyone to eat as much as they possibly could or his wife would have his hide, and the guests laughed.

"I will not eat my vegetables," the little boy to her left muttered under his breath.

Anna could get behind that.

They all watched an hour later as the bride and groom took their first dance. More couples joined halfway through. She was arguing the finer points of Thomas the Tank Engine with little Anthony when Pat came over and squatted beside her.

"Sounds like I'm interrupting a serious conversation."

"Yeah, well, you are. So make it quick," Anna said, placing her chin in her hand as she looked at him, batting her lashes. Meanwhile, her heart thundered.

The corner of his mouth twitched. "Care to dance?"

"Do you mind?" she asked her current companion.

Anthony frowned. "Will you come back?"

"Yes, absolutely."

He glared at Pat, who held his hands up. "Okay."

A slow, romantic Italian song played as he led her out onto the dance floor. He'd discarded his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt. When he pulled her to him, her heels put her at just under his chin.

His hand trailed from the nape of her neck down her bare skin to rest at the small of her back, and she nearly shuddered against him.

"I meant what I said earlier," he murmured in her ear. "You're so beautiful."

His words left her feeling warm all over, but they were just a tease. "Pat."

"I know. Sorry."

She closed her eyes against his chest and contented herself with reveling in the music and his body against hers. When the song came to an end, they stepped back from each other a little and she looked up at him and smiled.

Pat stared at her. "Damn," he whispered, and crushed his mouth to hers.

His kiss seared her from the roots of her hair to the tips of her toes, sending her heart into free fall. There was a dull rushing sound in her ears as the scene around them disappeared until all she could feel, touch, taste, and hear was him.

Fuck, she couldn't do this anymore.

Anna wrenched herself away from him and turned on her heel, carefully navigating her way through the thick crowd of couples. Her heart pounded in her chest, and ringing filled her ears. She went up the veranda and was halfway inside the house before someone caught her elbow.

It was Claudia. She took in Anna's flushed appearance and the tears welling in her eyes. "Sweetie, what's wrong? Did Pat do something? I swear to god, I'll kick his ass. "

Anna forced a bright smile on her face. "No, no, it's fine! Weddings just make me, um, weepy. I was just gonna go freshen up."

Claudia looked uncertain. "If you're sure."

She patted the hand on her elbow. "I am. Thank you, though."

She walked through the foyer and up the stairs. When she got to their room, she kicked off her heels and flung herself face first on the bed, not caring if she smeared her perfectly applied makeup across the pillow and her face. How had she let herself get in this deep?

The door to the room flung open with such force that it hit the wall behind it. She sprang up to a seated position as Pat rushed in, slightly out of breath.

"Haven't you ever heard of knocking?" she asked, her voice watery.

He threw his hands up to the ceiling. "You yell at me for knocking, you yell at me for not knocking - what do you want from me, Anna?"

"I don't know!" she snapped, glaring at him.

Pat closed the door and took a step into the room. "Anna, I'm sorry if - "

"Stop apologizing!" she roared, surprising even herself.

Pat, his eyes wide as saucers, halted in coming towards her.

Anna lowered her voice. "I need you to stop apologizing, Pat. Because I'm not sorry. I'm not sorry when you touch me, when you kiss me, when you compliment me." The dam broke, and all of her words were rushing out with no sign of stopping. "And I lied. I do know what I want from you, Pat."

"What's that?" he asked softly, folding his arms across his chest.

"Big things. Complicated things. I understand if you don't want that. I won't fault you for it. But maybe we can pretend for an hour or two? Because, while I do want all that stuff from you, I also want something very simple."

She rose to her knees, moving until she was at the edge of the bed, a foot between them. Anna gripped his lapels. "I want you to fuck me, Pat."

The silence that followed her words was ringing. They stared at each other. She watched his eyes darken and narrow, going from deep brown to almost black. His lips parted, and his arms fell to his sides. He closed the space between them and threaded his fingers into her hair, gripping at the base so he could pull down to bring her chin up.

His words were slow, clear, and precise. "Are you sure?"

"Yes." The word came out a whisper.

"Are you on birth control?"

Anna nodded.

She expected him to claim her lips in a searing kiss, plunder her mouth with his tongue, but when he did kiss her, it was slow and soft and sweet. His hands fell from her hair, went down her neck and back up to cup her face.

"I've been in agony, Anna," he murmured against her ear. "Fucking agony." Suddenly his palms were cupping her rear. "I haven't been able to keep my eyes off this sweet ass all weekend. I haven't been able to think about much besides bending you over and slipping into you from behind."

Her breath came in a slow stream as his tongue flicked out to graze the shell of her ear. Goose bumps erupted on her skin, and heat pooled low in her belly. He unzipped her dress in one go and pushed it off her shoulders, tracing the path with his mouth. When he sank his teeth gently into the skin between her neck and shoulder, she moaned.

Pat pushed her back until she was sitting, and he tugged her dress down her hips and tossed it to the side. There was something ridiculously sexy about having him fully clothed in front of her while she laid before him in her panties and heels. He groaned from somewhere low in his throat and swept his hands over her thighs, her hips and her waist before he let them cup her full breasts. Anna hissed at the contact.

"God, these are great," he murmured. His eyes, nearly black with lust, roved over her body.

He placed one knee onto the bed and then the other so he was straddling her, trapping her with his powerful body and enveloping her in the scent of his cologne and arousal.

"I'm pretty sure you should take your shirt off," Anna said, her words a little breathless.

"You think so?" he asked, pinching her right nipple between his thumb and index finger.

"Mmm." Her mouth fell open as her eyes fell shut. "Yes."

"Maybe later," Pat teased, and pushed her breasts together before burying his face in her cleavage.

His tongue laved across the sensitized skin, circling the areola of one nipple and then the other, using his fingers on one when the other was in his mouth. She reached out a hand and gripped his shoulder, her nails digging into his skin through the material of his dress shirt. It felt so good to finally surrender.

When he'd had his fill of her chest, his mouth moved up her neck and back to her lips. His kisses were feverish now, and when she moved her left thigh over his growing erection, he growled. Because asking him had done nothing before, her hands flew to his tie and deftly undid the knot before attacking the buttons of his shirt.

"Anna," he snapped, catching her wrists and slamming her hands back onto the cushy comforter. Completely on top of her, his groin naturally settled into the juncture of her thighs, and her eyes almost rolled back into her head. "Naughty girl."

"Sorry," she said, though her tone was unapologetic. She kept her eyes on his as she slowly moved her hips, making it so her cleft slid along the full length of his dick. "I just want you so bad."

The corner of his mouth crooked up in a smirk. "Yeah?"

Without waiting for a response, he flipped her over so she lay on her stomach, the move so quick and effortless it took her breath away. She felt vulnerable in the position, her ass presented to him, but when he dragged a finger softly down the line of her back, she calmed, her eyes lazily drifting shut.

She heard him undo his shirt and rip off the t-shirt underneath. She heard his buckle clink as he worked it off, and when he draped his body over hers, the only thing that separated them was her g-string. She turned her head and glanced over her shoulder, and her eyes widened at the sight of his cock. Long and thick, it jutted straight out from a thatch of wiry black hair. Pat nestled his hand underneath her body and shoved his hand down her thong, his fingers finding her clit with unerring accuracy.

"So wet for me already," he said, and she could hear the amusement in his voice.

And all at once she knew this wasn't going to be like the sex she'd experienced thus far in college with guys who didn't care about anything but getting themselves off.

Pat stood up and back, and she instantly felt the loss of his body on hers. She was placated seconds later when he yanked her by the hips so her stilettos were on the floor but her torso remained flat on the bed. She moved to kick her shoes off, but he stopped her.

"Nuh-uh. Keep those on, sweetheart." He tugged her g-string down her thighs. "But this can come off."

And then the thick head of his cock dragged down her wet slit before nudging at her entrance.

"Oh," she breathed, clenching the comforter in her hands.

And suddenly he surged forward, burying himself in her to the hilt. She cried out in surprise. She'd never been filled like this before, so completely and wholly. She stretched over every inch of him in the most delicious way.

Pat dragged his nails lightly down her back, and the move made her shudder. "You good?" he asked, his voice tight.

"Yes," she replied, and the word was strangled.

Almost without her consent, her body moved, aching to feel his cock slide along the inner walls of her cunt. Behind her, Pat groaned through clenched teeth. He gripped both her hips and started slowly, drawing back until he was almost all the way out of her before surging back in. It was torturous.

"Pat," Anna whimpered, biting her lip. "Faster. Harder. Please."

The fingers of his left hand found her clit again as he leaned over her. "You asked me to fuck you, Anna. I'm fucking you. My way." He punctuated his words with a smart smack on her right ass cheek.

She hissed, but the fleeting pain only added to her overall sense of pleasure, the sense of being possessed by this confident, dominant, virile man.

He continued at this pace until inspiration struck Anna. She lifted herself a little on her elbows and met his next trust, slamming back into him. Twin moans sounded from the both of them, and Pat froze. For a minute, she thought he was going to cum.

"Fine," he said, and her stomach swooped low at his dark tone.

He withdrew from her and turned her over once more, and face-to-face, she took in his animalistic expression, reminiscent of a lion stalking a lamb. He ordered her up all the way on the bed, and once she was, he nestled between her thighs. He guided his cock to her dripping pussy, and was inside her once more. He dropped himself up on his elbows.

"Wrap your legs around me."

Anna did as she was told, and he began fucking her anew, his motions ruthless. She threw her head back as her breasts bounced, thinking, yes. This is what I want. This is what I need.

"You like my cock inside of you?"

She answered him through gritted teeth. "God, yes. This is fucking perfect."

His smile was feral, his teeth gleaming white in the dim light. He reached between them and teased her folds with his thumb, and Anna saw stars. She met him thrust for thrust, their harsh breaths mingling in their closeness, their bodies slick against each others. He took her mouth in a brutal possession and she gave it back to him, tugging on his lower lip with her teeth.

He played her body just right then, bottoming out inside of her and flicking her swollen clit, and she went taut, her mouth falling open in a silent cry. Ecstasy shot through her, leaving no part of her body untouched. She felt herself clench around his dick, heard his strangled groan in response.

And then Pat buried his face in the crook of her neck, stilling above her. His cock pulsed as he emptied himself into her cunt, and the feeling was glorious; Anna reveled in the warm spurts of his cum.

His breath was loud in her ear, his body heavy on hers as he relaxed. She didn't mind either, and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, running her fingers through his thick, short hair. After a few minutes, he lifted himself off of her and captured her chin between his thumb and index finger.

"Wow," he murmured, and pressed a short, warm kiss to her mouth.

Despite what they had just done, Anna blushed. Her blood sang in her veins. "Same."

Pat laughed and grazed her cheek with his knuckles. She watched as he stood and traipsed to the bathroom, shamelessly naked. He was back in a minute, washing his seed from her thighs with a warm washcloth.

"I could fall asleep right now," Anna sighed, throwing her arm over her face.

Pat trailed his fingers along the sensitive flesh of her inner thigh, and the move reawakened her in an instant. "Really? That's unfortunate."

She was silent for a moment. "Why's that?"

"Just 'cause…I wasn't done with you yet. But if you can't handle – "

Anna was on him in a flash.

When Pat awoke the next morning, they were still tangled together. Anna was half on top of him, her arm and most of her hair splayed across his chest. He glanced at the clock and saw it was nearly nine. Though it pained him to do so, he gently shook her awake.

"Hmm?" She opened her eyes a sliver.

"I don't wanna alarm you, but our train leaves in an hour."

"Oh!" she said, rolling off of him.

They spent the next fifteen minutes shoving things into bags, collecting things from the bathroom and pulling on clothing. She kept it simple with a pair of jean shorts and a CFD t-shirt. It was odd how, with her wild hair and smudged makeup, she looked more beautiful now than she had all done up yesterday.

He thought about telling her that, but he didn't.

They left their bags in the foyer by the door and entered the dining room, where his parents and sister were eating breakfast. Angelo and Sienna had left yesterday night for France.

Saying goodbye to his family was a long, drawn out affair that put them behind another twenty minutes. Theresa made them both promise to come back and visit soon, and Claudia told him to "actually call her back once in a while, asshole."

In the car to the Pleasantville train station, they didn't talk much. They sat on opposite sides of the vehicle, and Anna stared out the window. Pat looked down at his hands in his lap and searched for something to say, but commenting on the nice weather sounded like he was trying too hard and commenting on last night was probably not a good idea just yet.

He glanced at her, and his heart skipped a beat. He remembered her face in throes of her orgasm last night, her pussy clenching around his cock. God, he already wanted her again, but it was more than that. He would miss her witty, biting comments, the attentive way she watched him when he spoke, her laugh when he'd been able to wring one from her.

They caught their train with three minutes to spare, hastily stowing their luggage in the overhead compartment. They were seated across from each other this time, and, without looking at him, Anna stuck her headphones in her ears and settled back into her seat.

He frowned, but didn't bother her.

They reached Grand Central Terminal at a quarter to noon, and when they stepped out of the building and into the street, Pat took a deep breath, inhaling the city smog. Home sweet home.

In the taxi back to the apartment, she spoke for the first time. "Busy week ahead?"

"Yeah," he said. "Two doubles at the firehouse. You?"

"Few shifts this week. I turn in my paper on Thursday, so I'm nervous about that."

Pat gave her a look. "If your notes are anything to go by, you're gonna slay it."

She shrugged. "Maybe."

"I get to read it?"

The corner of her mouth twitched; she almost smiled. "Perhaps."

In their building, Anna broke the silence in the elevator just before they reached the fifth floor.

"It was a good weekend," she said. She didn't look at him, but her voice was strong and sure. "I wouldn't take anything back."

The grin that stole his mouth was genuine. "Yeah? Me neither." The doors dinged open and they walked until they reached their apartment doors. "All right, well...take it easy."

Her blue eyes were bright as she stood on her tiptoes, pressing a sweet kiss to his mouth. "Yeah, Pat. You too."

She disappeared inside her apartment and it took him a few seconds to unlock his. His hand shook. Inside, he threw his bag down on the couch and popped open his fridge, grabbing a bottle of water and guzzling it. He walked over to his window and watched the traffic for a couple minutes, but he quickly grew restless.

He stared at the door of his apartment, and after a few more seconds of deliberation, he crossed the room and opened it. He went straight across the hall and knocked on Anna's door three times.

She opened it almost immediately, like she'd been waiting. Just inside to her left, a willowy redhead sat at the island, munching on a bowl of cereal. Her spoon paused halfway to her mouth when she saw him. This must have been the aforementioned Charlotte with the crush on Ramirez.

"Hi. Again," Anna said, a little breathless.

"Hey."

Charlotte cleared her throat loudly. "Right. Okay, well, I'm gonna go to my room. I'll just take my cereal with me. Okay. Bye."

Anna glanced over her shoulder, and he could tell she was trying not to laugh. "Did you need something?" she asked.

He rubbed his hand over the back of his head. "Yeah. Uh. There's this really great Italian place on 46th. I thought maybe if you weren't too busy next weekend, we could...I mean, I understand if you're kind of over Italian at this point, but I...yeah."

God damn it.

"Please say something," he added.

"Italian's my favorite. Saturday, maybe? Around seven?"

"All right, Polak, it's a date."

Anna laughed, and the sound seemed to light up the entire hallway. "It most certainly is."

Fin.