Alright, so this is my first Hush, Hush fanfiction. (I usually write for Maximum Ride and The Gallagher Girls, but I thought I'd branch out a bit. :) ) I have just finished Crescendo, and am currently reading Silence, but I just had to write this! Hope you like it! :)

Takes place after Crescendo! Except the the ending never happened!

Disclaimer: Do not own, even if I want to. :'(

For thousands of years, Patch lived. Through that time, he had kissed many women (both young and not-so-young), placed many bets, and won many nice things. But there is one thing that Patch had rarely ever done, one thing that only three women can testify to:

Patch had seldom ever fallen in love.

Which was quite odd, don't you think? He was a fallen angel! Sent down from the golden gates of heaven for the very purpose of loving a single human woman on this very earth! Of course he would be known to love, wouldn't you think?

But no, he kept his heart carefully guarded. An art he was well trained in, indeed.

For many, that raises many questions: So why did he fall for Nora? What is so special about this Nora Grey that has had this emotionless rock bending over backwards to save her, even when she so clearly pushed him away several times? What about her is making his heart ache whenever he sees her? Unable to keep his hands off of her when she approaches? Putting the knife down instead of finishing her off to become human, his heart's desire? What is so special about Nora Grey?

The answer: Not even he knows.

Is it the way her hair moves in the wind on a hot, summer's day? Maybe. Is it the way her lips raise when she smiles, shining a light within her eyes along with the gesture? Supposedly. Or maybe it's the way those same lips press against his own, his lips unable to feel them, but his heart and emotions flooding out like a fire as the knowledge of what they were doing coursed through his veins, stabbing at his heart? Could be.

But, like I said, nobody knows why. No one accept God, and maybe a few other close angels, though I doubt it.

Patch sat on the porch at Nora's house, thinking as he looked out at the overcast sky. Rain was promised in the forecast, and for once it looked like they were right. He sighed as he watched a bird fly from one tree into the next, the sounds of little baby birds chirping happily at the mother bird's arrival. He smiled as he watched and listened, his sight enhanced by his angelic abilities. Yes, he could see and hear things from far away. Especially things that were out of this world. But he still could not feel anything.

And that was probably the most annoying thing of all.

From behind him, he felt before heard Nora step out onto the porch, the screen door shutting behind her. She came into his line of vision as she sat on his lap, resting her head against his chest as she stared out into the sky, breathing him in. "Good morning," she whispered.

"Good morning," he returned, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "How did you sleep?"

Nora sighed, snuggling closer in comfort. "Better," she whispered, stroking one of his shirt's buttons with a finger. "And you?" she asked lazily.

He kissed her head. "Wonderfully," he murmured against her hair before turning away, looking once again at the sky as he rocked her back and forth on the bench, content.

Nora yawned, seemingly still tired as she watched the clouds drift above them. "I love you, Jev Cipriano."

He smiled lazily at the use of his real name, his arms tightening around her, bending down to once again to kiss her on the crown of her head. "And I love you, Nora Grey."

"About time."

Nora jumped as Vee came up the steps, smirking down at the two lovebirds. Knowing she was coming from a block away, Patch just simply looked up at her, annoyed with the intrusion. It was obvious Vee still didn't like him, but did she have to be so open about it?

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Patchy-boy," Vee scolded, waving a finger at him disapprovingly. "If you want to spend some alone time with my girl, then you better mean what you just said, because if you don't-"

"Vee," Nora interrupted, sitting up and looking at her friend. "Seriously?"

"What?" Vee demanded innocently, shrugging her shoulders and looking back at Patch. "It's just a friendly little reminder. If he ever hurts you again, I'll have to kick his ass. And that's the truth."

"I'm not planning on hurting anyone I love ever again," Patch said with finality, wrapping his arms back around Nora where they had fallen off as she sat up. "Especially not her, so you have nothing to worry about."

"Good," Vee said, though she still looked like she didn't believe him. Good. Test him. He'll show her. Turning back to Nora, Vee said, "Weren't we going to go shopping today? It's already ten, and Macy's is having this really good sale on shoes, and I'm willing to bet they're almost out already. So if you could just get up and-"

"Can I call a rain check?" Nora asked, leaning back into Patch, closing her eyes as she breathed his minty scent in once again. "I like it here," she mumbled against his shirt. "It's comfy."

"What?" Vee demanded, eyes wide in shock. Here we go, Patch thought. "But we've been looking forward to this for days! You can't just reschedule now. What about my awesome new shoes, huh, Nora? What will they ever do, ever amount to, without my feet inside of them? How will they ever survive? They will willow away and die, all because Nora Grey, girlfriend of a weird hottie- Sorry, but it's true," she commented at his look on her, "wouldn't go shoe shopping with her friend, whom she has known for years, and has only met her boyfriend a few weeks ago! Is that what we shall tell them, Nora?" she demanded, glaring at her accusingly. "Huh? Is that what we shall tell them?"

"Vee-" Nora began, but was quickly interrupted by Patch's, "Just go."

Nora looked at him, eyes wide in shock. "What?" she asked, sitting up to look into his eyes.

He rolled his own at her. "Go," he repeated, motioning his head to Vee. "Have fun. I'll be right behind you."

"Oh, no you won't," Vee interrupted. "You'll be as far away from us as possible! This is girl's night out, after all."

"Agreed," Patch said, but then said into Nora's mind, I'll be right behind you, where she can't see me. You should go, Angel. You'll be okay. I'll keep you safe, no matter what happens. The look in his eyes as he stared into hers sealed that promise, and her heart squeezed as she believed him.

She nodded lightly, then kissed him once before turning back to Vee, standing. "Ready to go?" she asked, her hand still clutched within his own before it slowly slipped away, leaving each of their hands outstretched for the other before falling limply to their sides.

"More ready than you know," Vee responded, glancing angrily at Patch before turning back to her Neon, which had been through hell and back, Patch swore.

"Will I ever be able to do anything that will make you like me?" Patch asked Vee as she opened the door to her car.

"Not likely," she called back before slamming the door, then starting the engine. Patch looked at Nora through the windshield, and she smiled at him, rolling her eyes at her friend's stubbornness. He laughed, watching as they pulled away from the driveway, not looking away until she was out of sight, which was pretty dang far away from him.

Patch sighed, basking in the silent nature around him for a moment. The bird's chirped, the snake's hissed, and the bears growled. When his thoughts returned to Nora, he smiled. No, no one would ever guess why he liked her so much, why he loved her so fully. He couldn't even grasp the concept himself sometimes. But he loved her anyway, no matter what.

As he stood up and got into his Jeep Commander, he smiled.

Jev Cipriano loved Nora.

And that would never, ever change.

Alright, that's it! A bit OOC, I'll admit, but what do you think? Like? Hate? Eh? Please review! :)