A/N This is a bit about Patch's backstory (or how I would imagine it) rather than how Patch and Nora could've met. I hope you like it!

Number 4

The Girl Patch Fell For

"Patch…I know about the girl you fell for. It's been a long, long time. Who was she?" Unknowingly, Nora had asked the question that Patch feared the most. Certainly, after his near-death experience, the letter he left behind sufficed for about…fifty years. It was romantic. But now Nora was curious, and after swiping the question to the side for probably however long they had been together (minus fifty), Patch knew he had to tell her.

Patch sighed. "It was a while ago, Nora."

She nodded, waiting for more. Patch sat down on the edge of the bed, and Nora placed her had in his, her skin soft and her touch gentle. He closed his eyes and fell backwards onto the bed.

"When I was an archangel, I had lots of duties, responsibilites…I was to set an example and keep the other angels in line, to show them right from wrong. It's hard to explain, but I did it because it made me feel alive, Nora. I wasn't paid, but being an angel is the best job you can have."

"Why?"

Patch peeled his eyes open. "Well, you can never do anything wrong." Nora laughed, flopping on the bed beside him. "It didn't take time for angels to be archangels; it was measured by the purity of their souls. There was no test. When He created us, we all had jobs, and mine was to be an archangel.

"Being an archangel wasn't about being on top. It was about serving, keeping things in line, helping other angels. There was no lust involoved, and you weren't supposed to have any distractions. But I had met Dabria. When the other archangels found out, they were furious, but if I wanted them to keep my secret, I would owe them. And for some reason, I promised them not to tell anyone about their behind-the-counter deals. I guess I loved Dabria that much.

"I stopped loving her after a while. The deals that I had promised to keep a secret were piling up, getting bigger, and I could do nothing. An angel can't break a promise. I was tired of having to cover for the other archangels, and they began terrorising Nephils for their cause. They betrayed Him by coming onto Earth for lust and money. They would use their powers in the human world. It became repetitive – I would have to take over the job of the four of us while they…" Patch cleared his throat. "I was out on assignment. This girl she-she was twenty four, with beautiful raven hair and green eyes." Patch's voice was now empty. "I saw her, and for a second I forgot what I was supposed to be doing. I knew her name – I knew everything about her, everything that she had done, everything that she was thinking. She was a schitzophrenic. They were going to burn her alive. They thought she was a witch.

"She wasn't a witch, but she was a Nephil. The other archangels had decided that they wanted to use her to test their weaponry, and for once I realised that even though I had promised to keep what they were doing a secret, I never promised to help them. I hid her. I would spend more and more time out of heaven, visiting her, wanting to be with her.

"There was a rumour that once an angel left Heaven for Earth, they would still have their wings. It had gotten to the point that I cared so less about Hell and Heaven that I did it." Patch dropped Nora's hand. "I trusted the rumour and I left my world behind for this one. I burned my ring that allowed free passage to Heaven. I was never going to come back.

"I went to find the Nephil girl, and I did. She didn't know I was an angel, but I told her that I needed to stay with her, that I had no home. She let me in. I loved her a lot." Patch shook his head.

"Three hours later, I could sense a familiar presence. It was another archangel. He found me sharing a bed with the Nephil girl and stabbed her with the weaponry that I let him make. I was weak after my transit to Earth. He ripped my wings off and left me a token – a ring to Heaven. It was his way of telling me he'd won. But I already knew that. He'd killed the exact reason I had left my home.

"I buried her. I had never felt such loss before. Never.

"It took me a while to stop trying to get revenge. I wanted to kill him for what he had done. If he could kill a Nephil, surely I could kill an angel? He had given me a ring to Heaven, all I had to do was find a way to get there.

"I never found it. It took me a long time to give up, and it took me a long time to stop loving her to the point that I could get a Nephil vassal. I was hardened and I was stranded. Every Cheshvan I would go to Chauncey and then I could feel again. I hated the first few changed because I could feel the heartache, but over time it lessened. Evelyn was dead, but I was not.

"In the earlier years, I did try to find a way to kill myself. I blamed myself for her murder; if I hadn't wanted to be with her, the archangels would not have seen my actions as a betrayal and killed her. I wanted to find her in Heaven. At one point, I thought that if I died I would meet her there. It was stupid, because no angel would accept me back.

"Dabria would visit me. She would tell me she wanted me to come back home, but I knew it was impossible. I humoured her. I asked her if there was any way I could get into Heaven.

"I became a licenced killer. I would fantisise what I would do when I met the archangel who had killed Evelyn – I had decided how I would do it, how I would trick him. My every victim bore his face." Patch stopped, closing his eyes. He had told Nora what she had asked. Nevertheless, he was tired and he wanted her to know the rest. He reached for her hand.

"I felt as every other fallen did – I wanted to be human. An archangel came down to me and told me that, with the help of The Book of Enoch, I could become human. I asked him why he told me and he said it was because he was my Brother. I didn't believe him.

"Angels did not have brothers of blood, but they were Brothers if on the same rank or if they were close. We were neither.

"He would feed me more about The Book of Enoch while I would tell him about Nephil activity. I didn't ask why he was interested; he was curious, I told myself.

"One night, I followed him. He went to a club, and watched only one of the strippers. The Nephil one. She didn't know, but he did. I realised in that moment that he wanted to use The Book of Enoch to find a way to make her an angel. I knew he would not become human or Nephil for her.

"I confronted him, but he told me nothing. I found out no more about The Book of Enoch, but I knew enough.

"After a week of searching, I found you. You were hidden from someone, which had made it difficult for me. I watched you for a year, and I felt the same feeling I had from when I was with Evelyn. I tried to push it away. I didn't want anyone killing you before I could." Patch stared up at the ceiling, jaw taut from his ground teeth.

After a moment, Nora said, "Wow." When he didn't move, she leant up to cup his cheek. "You love her," she stated, jealousy palpable.

"No," Patch said. "I fell for her. I love you, Nora."

"Then why is she so painful to talk about?"

"She died because of me, Nora. Don't you get it?"

Nora moved her hands from his face, dropping them to her sides. "That isn't the nicest bedtime story." She moved her hands to her stomach. "Let's hope junior didn't hear it."

A/N Again, this is just my interpretation of Patch's backstory. I hope you liked it! The next chapter should be another one shot on how they met. Toodles :)