Hey guys! I know it's been a while, but I just wasn't getting ANY inspiration. Like, at all. It really sucked.
Anyway, this is my new favorite song, and I was just itching to find a book that would suit it. I was just so tired of writing Twilight stories, ya know? And I didn't think it quite fit the song right, so I didn't bother trying. Lemme tell you, I was SO happy when I read Hush, Hush. It just kinda clicked. :)
I know Patch and Nora may be a little OOC (out of character) but I did the best I could with them and this is what came out of it. Hope you like it! :D
Disclaimer: I don't own RJA or Hush, Hush… though I really wish I did. The rest of the spoiler is at the bottom in an attempt to keep from spoiling the story.
I was sitting in English, taking diligent notes as always, when I felt the increasingly familiar tingle at the back of my mind. Someone was trying to get into my thoughts. I concentrated for a brief second to try to identify the intruder.
…Patch. No one else had a presence quite like his—physically or mentally.
I felt a little smug for a moment. My thoughts were officially my own now, and no one could get in without my knowledge. Patch and I had been working on protecting my mind since the whole escapade with Jules. Since he was my guardian angel and knew how to protect me best (HA! That's what he thinks) he told me that we had to start practicing so I wouldn't be as susceptible to mind control.
In addition to effectively blocking my mind from others, Patch and I had found a way to communicate over long distances. When he'd become my angel, I'd started picking up his thoughts all the way across campus, and he picked up mine. We'd wound up sitting across from each other on my bed having long conversations without even saying a word. We could even send images and sounds and scents to help describe what we were saying. It was so cool.
I let down the block around my thoughts and was immediately presented with a picture of Patch kissing me passionately. "Hello my Angel," he whispered to my thoughts.
I thought of myself laughing as I replied, "Shouldn't I be the one calling you Angel? You are a winged messenger of God after all."
"I said it first. Therefore, I get to use it."
I smiled to myself. "What. Ever. What do you need? Kinda in class."
"So am I." An image of him grinning slyly accompanied his message, soon followed by one of him feigning hurt. "I'm not allowed to talk to my girlfriend/ protectee when I want to?"
Yes, we are dating. But take the fact that Patch is with me almost every second of the day (minus class and when my mom is home) and add in the inescapable, impossible-to-explain bond between us, it was a mix for an inevitable relationship.
Not that I could explain any of that to Vee or Mom. Both of them nearly lost it when I told them about Patch and I. Of course, Mom gave in and let it go, saying, "I don't like it baby, but if it makes you happy, I say go for it."
Vee hadn't given in so easily. She'd begged for info about how we'd hooked up, why we'd hooked up, when exactly we'd started being boyfriend and girlfriend… and so on. I'd felt guilty that I couldn't tell her the whole story, but when you think about it, the whole story seems a little out there to someone who wasn't there for it all. And I mean it all. Yeah, she'd been tortured by Jules too, but she hadn't been there on my date with Patch, or in the motel room when I'd finally figured out he was a fallen angel (thank goodness for that.) Anyway, Vee had eventually accepted the fact that Patch and I were together and stopped begging for all the details. She still got grumpy whenever I told her I was going with him, but she was being much nicer about it.
Patch's voice brought me back to reality. "I'll make this quick then. I'm not gonna be here for last period."
"Awww…" I sulked.
"Don't worry Angel," he reassured. "I have a surprise for you, but it requires some time to finish."
I winced in my head. "A surprise?"
"Yes. And don't even think about complaining. You'll love it."
"… Please tell me there's not a lot of money involved."
"Nope," he grinned. "Totally free. I only need one thing from you."
I concentrated on a likeness of me raising an eyebrow.
He seemed amused by that. I could tell. "I need you to drive straight home today, okay?"
I nodded. "Alright. See you after school then?"
"Straight home," he said firmly. After that, I no longer felt him in my head. He was off. And after a little more concentration, I discovered that he had a block around his mind. Whatever he was thinking, he didn't want me knowing about it.
I spent the rest of the day wondering what he could possibly be up to. Patch, while I loved him, was far from a romanticist. His idea of a romantic evening was teaching me to play pool at Bo's, or paintballing together. Fun, but not really what I was looking for.
I considered every thing I could think of, things like curling up on the couch together to watch some cheesy old movie, or even a homemade candlelit dinner for two, but nothing seemed to fit Patch's style.
I finally gave up trying to figure him out as the final bell rang and I packed up all my stuff to go home. When I started driving, I felt Patch poke around in my head again.
"Yes?"I asked.
"You on your way?"
"Yep. I'll be there in roughly fifteen minutes."
I could practically hear the smirk in his voice. "Good. I just finished up here."
"Can't wait," I swallowed. The suspense was killing me, but I knew better than to ask what was going on. Whoever was surprising you never told anyway, so what was the point?
I pulled into the farmhouse driveway fifteen minutes later, as promised. My heart was racing; I was both nervous and excited at the same time. I had absolutely no idea what was in store for me, but it had to be good.
My hand shook as I opened up the front door—unlocked, I noticed—and set my backpack down. "Patch?" I called hesitantly.
He walked out of the kitchen like he owned the place. Not surprising, really. But what really caught my attention was the fact he was holding a plate of food. "Hey. How was Biology?"
I shot him a playful glare. "Vee nearly rose hell because you got to leave early. You should've seen the look on her face." I looked at the food. "Speaking of, you left early so you could make me an afterschool snack?"
"Not just any snack," he grinned. "Tacos." He held the plate out toward me. "And that's not the whole reason. This took maybe twenty minutes to prepare. I'll show you the real reason after you eat."
My stomach had all but snarled when Patch held out the plate. I snagged a taco and munched happily as he guided me to the couch, not a moment too soon.
"I take it you were hungry?" he smiled.
"Starving," I replied.
When it was all gone, he took the plate from my lap and helped me to my feet. There was a giant, sly grin on his face.
My eyes widened in response. "Uh-oh."
"What?"
"It's never good when you grin like that. It means you've got something up your sleeve…"
He slid me a look that said I always have something up my sleeve. "You'll find out soon Nora. But I need you to put this on for me first." He offered his hand to me, a scrap of black silk pooled in his palm.
A blindfold.
I shook my head. "Uh, no."
"Why not?" A hint of amusement crept into his voice as he pushed it toward me. "Don't you trust me?"
I blinked in surprise. "Yes, of course. I just don't trust that—" I pointed to the blindfold—" and these—" I pointed to my feet—"working together. Last time I put a blindfold on, I wound up falling in the mud and totally ruining my clothes. It's an experience I don't care to repeat."
He managed to keep a straight face through my little anecdote, but I knew he was laughing his ass off on the inside. I could hear it in his voice. "We're indoors. No mud here."
I raised an eyebrow challengingly. "That may be true, but how do I know that I won't trip over the staircase or something?"
"I'm right here to help you. You'll be fine." He wasn't going to rise to the bait. Damn.
I sighed in defeat. "Fine… but please don't let me fall."
He smiled to himself— it was a smile full of mischief and secrecy. Like he knew something I didn't.
"Oh, the irony…" The words were so quiet I could barely hear them. As he reached around my head to tie the blindfold, he whispered in my ear, "Trust me Angel. I will never let you fall."
"Okay…" I said shakily. I wasn't so sure about this…
"And off we go." He said.
He guided me up the stairs slowly, and I managed to make it without making a fool of myself. Go me, I thought happily.
"Can you make it to your room, or do you want help?" If I didn't know any better, I would have sworn that he was gloating… just a little.
"No, I think I can make it." And I was sure I could. I'd lived in this house since I was a baby. It would be simple to navigate myself down the hall.
I took a cautious step forward. When I was sure I wasn't about to topple over, I took another step, then another, and another, until Patch murmured in my ear "You're going the wrong way, Angel. Your room is at the other end of the hall."
"Oh…" I blushed. Oops.
I turned and walked very slowly and carefully back down the hall until my fingertips touched a door. My door.
"We're here." Patch laughed. "See? You're okay."
The urge to roll my eyes was overwhelming. The only reason I didn't was because I knew he couldn't see it.
As if in answer to my thoughts, he murmured, "You can take off the blindfold now." The door opened with that soft little creak that no amount of oiling the hinges had ever fixed.
My fingers crept to the knot on the back of my head. Ever so gently, I untied it, allowing the piece of cloth to fall from my eyes.
I gasped.
"Patch… wow… this is… I mean…"
Impressive. Real impressive, some part of my mind noted dryly. But I couldn't help it. What was before me literally took my breath—and my powers of speech—away.
The room had been transformed from the dinky but still bright room I was familiar with, to a beautiful paradise of sweetly scented flowers and incense. Said incense and reed diffusers burned prettily on my bedside table and dresser, while rose petals and small candles in little glass spheres adorned the floor. The shades had been drawn and the light was off, creating a secluded, almost surreal effect as the candlelight flickered across the walls and floor.
"You like it?" Patch's voice was low, almost seductive.
I turned to look at him. "How could I not? It's beautiful… like you yanked my own personal heaven right out of my mind. " I shot him what I hoped was a disabling look. "You weren't snooping in my mind, were you?"
"Nope. I didn't use anything I didn't already know or figure out." He wrapped his arms around my waist.
"Good." I grinned. "I hope you weren't trying to seduce me. It's not going to work."
He laughed softly. "Not that I don't want to Nora, but not likely. At least, not tonight. I have something else in mind."
My eyes widened. "Such as…?"
He pointed at my bed. "Sit, please."
I did so, and watched him intently as he pulled out a guitar. "I'm going to need to get inside your mind for this to work properly. Do you trust me?"
I nodded. He smiled in response, and began to play. (A/N: Cue "Your Guardian Angel" for full effect. Trust me on this one.)
It was melancholy sounding, but somehow still beautiful. I can't really describe it.
"I wrote this for you, Angel. Unfortunately it's a little complicated for one person to play…"
I wondered what he meant, but when Patch began to sing, I completely lost my train of thought. I found myself swaying to the music, lost in the melody.
"When I see your smile
Tears run down my face
I can't replace
And now that I'm strong
I have figured out
How this world turns cold
and it breaks through my soul
And I know I'll find
deep inside me
I can be the one"
Right there I felt a gentle tug at my mind, and I let him in. As he sang and played, I started to hear more than the simple acoustic guitar. It sounded more like I was listening to a live band.
Patch looked up to meet my eyes as he sang the chorus.
"I will never let you fall (let you fall)
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
It's okay. It's okay. It's okay.
Seasons are changing
And waves are crashing
And stars are falling all for us
Days grow longer and nights grow shorter
I can show you I'll be the one
I will never let you fall (let you fall)
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all (through it all)
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
Cause you're my, you're my, my, my true love, my whole heart
Please don't throw that away
Cause I'm here for you
Please don't walk away and
Please tell me you'll stay, stay"
Now the song took on more of a grungy rock sound. It was still beautiful though.
"Use me as you will
Pull my strings just for a thrill
And I know I'll be okay
Though my skies are turning gray
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever
I'll be there for you through it all
Even if saving you sends me to heaven
I will never let you fall
I'll stand up with you forever…"
During the last few verses, the music he'd been projecting in my mind had slowly begun to fade out. I noticed he was no longer playing, instead staring at me with a hesitant smile on his face. With a jolt, I realized he was waiting for me to tell him what I thought.
Tears that had been threatening to fall started to overflow as I launched myself off of the bed and into his lap. I didn't know how, but somehow he'd managed to move the guitar to the floor and make room for me.
"You're crying, Angel? Was I really that bad?" His voice was playful, but I could hear the hurt in it too.
I shook my head and kissed his cheek gently. "No, no. You misunderstood me."
He was confused now. "What do you mean?" He murmured gently as he wiped away my tears.
"I'm happy." I said simply. "That was so beautiful… Nothing has ever moved me to tears like that did. I want to listen to it over and over again."
He was totally still, only moving his eyes to follow my movements. "Patch?" I whispered.
I only had a split second warning before he sprang into motion just as suddenly as I had. He pulled me to my feet and then up into his arms, twirling me around in an uncharacteristic display of joy.
"Patch!" I half squealed, half giggled.
He set me down, then pulled me back to him for a tender yet passionate kiss. "I can't believe you liked it! Rixon and the guys and I have been working on that for ages, but none of us were ever satisfied with it." He grinned. "You're the first person outside of us to hear it."
"Wait wait wait. Whoa. You're in a band?" It was hard to suppress the shock.
"For all intents and purposes, yes. We're a bunch of guys who play music together for no reason other than to kill time."
"Cool." I smiled. "How long has this been going on?"
"Not long." He said. "About three months or so."
"Why haven't I heard about this? I wanna hear you and your band play."
He laughed softly. "I never told you because I wanted you to be surprised. Besides, you never asked."
"Well I'm asking about you guys now. What's your band name?"
That brought out a sheepish smile. "You'll probably think it's a little weird, but we like it. It's random. People will remember it."
I rolled my eyes playfully. "It can't be too bad. Tell me?"
"You really wanna know?"
"Yes!" I laughed.
"Alright. We decided to call ourselves The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus."
Disclaimer: I don't own The RJA or Hush, Hush. Despite what is otherwise claimed, Patch is NOT real and is NOT a member of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus…. Again, though I really wish he was.
Okay I know it's not the best ending ever but I couldn't think of any other way to end it. I was a little stuck :P
Thanks for reading! Now click that little green button down there and leave a comment. You know you wanna. Writers need love too! :)
Psychotic chick out. PEACE!