Hush Hush Series After Finale

Patch POV

Well, its over. Its finally over. All of the danger, all of the sneaking around, all of the lies. Now, Dante is dead, the war between angels and nephilim has ended, and all of the fallen angels are locked away in hell.

Well, except for me.

Now, I look to Nora as she lies next to me, in my bed, in my place. In my heart, I think to myself. She whimpers lightly in her sleep. I frown, thinking about the bad dreams she has been having lately. The war, the stress, and the loss that she has endured over the last couple months have taken their toll on her, supplying a fresh wave of nightmares each time she falls asleep.

All I want to do is to comfort her, make her believe that it is finally over, that we have each other, and nothing can keep us apart.

I shift my weight off the bed, trying to ease myself out of the room and head to the kitchen to make breakfast. Nora's eyes snap open as her hand reaches out to grasp the empty space next to her. Her eyes dart around frantically, looking for me.

"Shhh, Nora, its okay." I say as I rush back to her side. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to wake you."

She looks up at me as she sits up, relief flooding her eyes. "I thought you left. I had a dream that you left, and I woke up – and, and you weren't there." Tears threaten to fall as her lip trembles, breaking my heart.

"I would never leave you, Nora." I say as I sit on the bed and curl our bodies together. "Why do you keep having these bad dreams? What can I do? I feel so helpless." I try to meet her eyes, but she won't look at me.

"Oh, its nothing. Just me being silly I'm sure. But the thought of you leaving…" Nora says as she looks down into her lap, biting her lip and wringing her fingers together.

I put my finger under her chin, tilting her head up so that I can see her eyes. "Nora. I love you. I'm never leaving. In fact, you're stuck with me. For… forever." I smirk and give her a quick kiss on the nose. She scrunches up her face and her lips tug upwards, threatening a smile.

"There we go! I see a smile. Now, as much as I wish I could stay in bed with you forever…"

Nora punches my arm for my signature innuendo and hops off the silk sheets. God, she is fine. An old t-shirt of mine hangs off her tiny frame, barely covering her bottom and showing off her bar-stool legs. Crossing the room, she reaches the bathroom door and looks over her shoulder.

"Like what you see, Patch?" she speaks to my mind.

It takes every ounce of control to resist running over to her, pinning her against the wall, ripping off her shirt, and – "Nora. Please. Don't tempt me." I say, before I do something rash.

"But, what do you mean?" Nora says as she bats her eyelashes at me. Oh, she's playing Innocent Nora today. I guess I'll just have to play… Devil's Advocate.

"Well, Nora." I say, crossing the room to stand in front of her. I take small steps toward her until she is completely back against the door frame. One of my hands braces against it, trapping her. "What I mean is, I am trying really hard to behave myself, but your body is tempting me otherwise."

Color spreads to her cheeks and she peers up at me through those damn eyelashes. "I'm sorry. I'll leave you to it then. But maybe, if you're really well-behaved, you'll get rewarded. Later." She smirks and turns on her heel, ducking under my outstretched arm and into the bathroom. I shake my head and laugh to myself. How did she get out of that one?

Walking into the kitchen, I think about her. Well, I'm always thinking about her. But this time, I'm thinking about how great it is to feel. To feel Nora's soft skin, to feel the tile under my feet, to feel heat and silk and hard and soft, to feel anything and everything. Detective Basso gave me more than sensation when he gave me this ability, he gave me purpose. I never want to go another day without feeling Nora's hair, her lips, her skin.

Sitting at the counter, smiling like an idiot – that's how Nora finds me. She waves her hand in front of my face and whispers "Helloooo… anybody in there?"

I blink and take her hand, pulling her into my lap. I whisper back "Just thinking about you, Angel."

Nora POV

After a relaxing morning with Patch, I begin to feel restless. I dial up my mother just to check in with her. I feel bad living with Patch and leaving her in the farmhouse by herself, but then again, I would miss Patch if we were apart. It's a viscous cycle of guilt, dividing my time between them. I really do miss her though. I need to talk to her about all these things going on in my life. And by things I mean Patch. I know I want to be with him forever, but what's the next step? I need some mom advice.

One ring, two rings, three, four. Hmm. That's weird. She always answers her phone; it's always nearby in case she gets a work call.

"Patch?" I yell between rooms, trying to get his attention. He appears in the doorway in nothing but faded jeans, his hair still damp from a shower.

"I think I'm going to go and see my mother. She wasn't answering her phone, and I just wanted to make sure she is okay. I'm probably just being silly again, but I worry about her being alone all the time." I say as I gather my purse and my jacket.

He dips back into the bedroom, returning with a shirt and tugging it over his head. "Uhh... what are you doing?" I ask as he slips into his shoes.

"I'm coming with you, Nora."

"Oh, Patch, you don't have to do that. Besides, my mom and I need some girl time together."

"I think I can handle a little girl talk. And besides, my nail beds need a good buff." Patch smiles that crooked smile and I forget what I need to say.

"Well, uhm… We need some private girl talk. As in, you may come up in conversation."

"Nora," he says, clutching his chest and feigning a look of hurt. "Talking about me? What is there to talk about?"

"Top secret information, sorry." I say as I give him a quick peck on the cheek and run out the door before he can stop me.

~End of Chapter 1~