A/N: Hi guys! I shamefully admit that I have been neglecting Patch and Nora. Buuuuuut, I'm back! Yay! I've missed it so much.

This chapter really expands Patch and Nora's relationship, looking at it from both views and talking about some sticky topics. (Pun semi-intended). They sort things out in their relationship, and there's some fluff thrown in there. (;

As always, I would love some feedback! Even if it's just a word or two! Okay, shameless plugging over. Take it away, Nora.

Nora POV

Breathe, Angel, Patch says to me quietly.

I release the breath I didn't realize I was holding. My hands lie on his sculpted chest, and I feel his heart beat beneath my fingers. It's a fast beat, but not nearly as fast as mine.

Patch pulls me to him and let his face rest against my neck, content to just be in contact with me. I fit myself against him, his big shoulders curved over and around me, almost protectively. Our bodies fit together perfectly, as if we were made to be this way, holding each other.

My mind wills my body to do something. Anything. Anything other than just stand there and hold him. But my subconscious is sitting in the corner, laughing at my awkwardness and my lack of sex appeal. God, I think to myself, why can't I just be a freaking woman and get over myself?

Suddenly, I push him back so that I can look him in the eye. He looks surprised at my sudden draw back and raises his eyebrow quizzically.

Just say it, Nora, I think to myself. I take a deep breath and say "Patch, you know I love you, and I really do. But, it's just that… well…" I'm mumbling and avoiding his eyes. I've been developing a new and embarrassing tendency to bite my lower lip when I'm nervous. God, why do I become such a blundering idiot when I'm around him? It's like I loose all resolve when he's around.

He takes my chin in his hands and tugs gently so that I release my lip. My gaze slowly lifts to his; as if I'm afraid he'll be annoyed or upset with my actions. But it's the opposite.

He finishes my sentence, saying, "It's just that you're nervous and scared of intimacy. You're scared that you'll do something wrong, or I won't love you anymore, or I'll pick up and leave you. But Angel, I can swear to you, I'll never leave you. I'll sure as hell never stop loving you. I would never want to push you into something you didn't want, and I can certainly wait until you're ready. Hell, I've waited centuries for you – what's a little while longer?" His mouth turns up as he finishes his little speech. His adorable expression is almost, well, proud.

Realizing that he basically summed up my feelings in a couple sentences, I gape at him in amazement. "Patch. How? Just how?" I close my eyes and shake my head lightly in disbelief. "How do you know exactly what I'm feeling? I could tell that your presence wasn't in my mind or anything." When he's in my mind, which he knows not to do unless we're speaking, I can feel him there. But right now, it's only me.

He looks at me with wide eyes and says, "Nora, I've waited a long time to tell you this, but… it's one of my powers. I can, well, read emotions." He wrings his hands together, waiting for my response and looking odd.

My eyes widen in shock and I exhale, "No, no you can't. What? That's… but…" I can't find any words, so I settle for flailing my arms and taking deep breaths.

He finally breaks with a smile and says, "ANGEL, I'm only kidding! I'm kidding. I can't do that freaky shit." After laughing for a minute, Patch's mouth drops and he actually looks a little concerned for my health. He says, "Calm down before you have a heart attack!" He pins my arms to my sides so that I can't hurt myself, or him for the matter. He's smirking and trying not to laugh.

"PATCH." I yell, when I get my voice back. "NOT funny. This is me, trying to be serious for one minute!" I glare at him accusingly. But after trying my best to scowl at his adorable face, I find myself swallowing a laugh that is ready to escape my own mouth.

I control my giggle fit and do my best to put on a serious face. "Honestly, Patch. How did you know exactly how I feel? Was it that obvious that I'd never done anything like this?" I groan and drop my face into my hands. Way to go, Nora, I think to myself, thinking back on my actions. He'll really want you once he sees that you can't even think about that without acting like a scared child.

"Angel. Stop that. Don't be embarrassed." He pries my fingers from my face and holds our hands in front of us. By now, we've left the bathroom and crossed the bedroom. He guides us down and we sit on the edge of the bed, crossing our legs Indian-style.

"Angel. Do you want to hear how I knew?" I nod slightly, still not meeting his eyes. "I can finish your sentence because I know you. As in, I know you better than anyone else on this earth, probably better than I know myself. I love you and I'll do anything to make sure that nothing comes between us."

It felt good to have someone care for me that much. Patch deserved the same.

I meet his eyes. "Patch, it's true; I'm scared and nervous and wildly embarrassed. And you have been more than patient and understanding. But…" I waver, trying to get the words out that he needs to hear. "But Patch, I wouldn't be able to give you what you give me. You're perfect and you've got a hell of a lot more experience than I do. I'm just a naïve, stupid girl, who's a… a… virgin!" I blurt out, color flaming my cheeks. Why in the hell did I just say that? Just kill me now.

This would be a perfect opportunity for Patch to make a couple suggestive jokes, in his usual Patch way. But he doesn't. He just chuckles once and shakes his head. He cups my blushing cheek with his hand and says, "Oh, my innocent Angel. First off, you have given me everything I have ever dreamed of just by being you. Second, I bet you'd be surprised at how little experience I have. Really. It's just that, no one's been it for me… before you."

His jaw tenses, and I can tell he's thinking about his next words, trying to phrase them delicately. "And most importantly," he says after a moment, "Your virginity isn't something to be ashamed of Nora. It's admirable that you respect yourself, and it's one of the things I love most about you."

His expression is full of love; an expression that I'll never get tired of. But in the same breath, his eyes darken and he suddenly tenses yet again. "And besides, it's a comfort to me to know that no man has ever touched you like that. Nora, if anyone had ever mistreated you, I'd… I'd…"

I squirm under his serious gaze and I whisper quietly, "Patch, I can promise you that you're the only man that I would ever even want to touch me like that."

Patch throws me one of his crooked smiles and says, "I'll hold you to that, Angel."

Patch POV

How did I get so lucky?

That's what running through my mind as I watch Nora sleep – that I'm with the most amazing woman. I realize now that I watch her sleep quite often, or as often as I can, but I can't bring myself to stop. Her face when she sleeps is so beautiful and relaxed. It brings me joy when I know that she's sleeping peacefully. With all of the chaos and stress that reality has brought us, it's comforting to know that at least one of us is getting sleep. Right now, it's 8 a.m. I've been awake since 3 a.m., only managing a couple hours rest.

Since I came home to Nora yesterday, I have been near to completely healed. All that's left is a few scratches on my knuckles. Hell, it's great to be able to feel, but I took quite a beating when that son of a bitch attacker was taken care of. Let's be real, he took the bigger beating, I think to myself. But however much I was hurting, I did my best to cover up the pained expressions. Coming home to Nora looking like that was hard enough; I didn't want to let her know how bad it really was.

But now, the cuts and bruises are gone. So I'll do my best to make sure that it's as if it never happened.

The only thing is, some archangels helped me get rid of that piece of dirt. I know that they'll want me to do something for them in return down the road. A kind of 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' deal. I can only hope that they'll forget about it. But what am I kidding? That's just wishful thinking; archangels don't easily forget.

When Nora was asking about what happened, I made sure not to lie. Trusting relationships don't have lies. But I didn't lie, did I? She's just on a need to know basis with the situation. I give her the information if she asks. I told her that the archangels helped me and then I moved on quickly. I'm just trying to protect her from the corruption of the archangels. She doesn't need another stress in her life, she's got plenty.

"If you're gunna continue to stare at me while I sleep, will you at least pretend to look guilty when I wake up and catch you?" Nora says from my side, not even opening her eyes. Her voice snaps me out of my thoughts. I nearly jump out of my skin and grab the headboard so I won't slide off the silk sheets. This gets a rise out of Nora. She's smiling softly and still trying to fully wake up.

"Geez, Angel. Its not even light out and you're already trying to kill me today." I huff, sitting up against the headboard and situating myself. I run my hand over her arm that is extended towards me.

Nora raises her eyebrow at me. "Says the guy who's probably been watching me all night. How do I know you weren't about to murder me in my sleep?"

"I guess that we'll never know now, will we?" I grin mischievously. We lay there for a while, me sitting up and her lying on her stomach. We're pretty content just being there, watching each other in the early morning. The light starts to stream in through the blinds and fall on us.

Finally I say, "What's on the agenda for today Angel?" She shrugs her shoulders and purses her lips, pretending to think really hard. Her face is scrunched up in mock-frustration, trying to remember if we had any plans.

She lets out a big sigh and says, "I don't know. Do we have anything planned? Don't tell me it's some important anniversary today that I'm forgetting." Her eyebrows draw together and I can tell that she's ready to apologize for whatever she's missing.

"No, I don't think we have anything planned. And I certainly hope it isn't any type of anniversary. Because if it is, both of us would have forgotten."

I reach out and play with a strand of her hair, twirling it around my fingers. It catches the light and glows a soft copper. I wouldn't dare comment on it, because she is adamant that her hair is NOT red. I think that when I say it's red, she gets annoyed with me. So I just keep this to myself, appreciating the beauty that she refuses to see.

Nora lifts her head off the bed and props herself up on her forearms. "Patch."

"Yes, Angel?" I continue the twirling, but I let my eyes move to hers.

"Let's go on a date." A date, I think to myself, that wasn't expected.

The edge of my mouth shoots up in a smile. "A date? We aren't even dating yet?" My eyes widen and I jump off the bed in a hurry, still grinning.

She bolts upright and drags the sheets to her chest. "What? Why did you jump out of bed like that?" She looks confused and nervous, probably wondering what it was that made me move away from her like she had the plague or something.

I hold up my hands and take a step back. "Nora. I am SO sorry. If I had known that we weren't even dating, I would never have made you sleep in my bed with me! Don't worry, tonight I'll sleep on the couch and –"

"Patch!" Her eyebrows drop and she shakes her head at my game.

She moves to her knees on the bed so she can reach out and grab me back. But when she does, she lets the silk sheet fall that was covering her. If she had made a move to grab it back and cover herself, I would have respectfully averted my eyes. But she remains still and locks my eyes with hers, a clear statement for me.

"I uh, guess I was feeling overheated last night." She whispers and looks down, blushing slightly. But when she looks back up, there's a sort of resolve in her eyes. And she doesn't back down under my startled gaze.

She's propped up on her knees on the bed in nothing but a lace bra and some boy shorts. For the first time, she is actually inviting me to observe her. Her hands dangle by her sides, unsure of what to do. The way her hair falls down her shoulders and around her chest makes me shiver with desire. I rein it in and keep my body still. It's like I'm face to face with a wild animal – I'm afraid I'll scare her off if I make any sudden movements.

She continues to look at me, a question on her face. I realize that I'm just standing there and not saying anything, so I quickly regain my composure and speak.

"Angel," I say, taking small steps towards the bed, "You are so beautiful."

Once the fronts of my knees hit the bed, she slowly reaches out a shaky hand and touches the side of my face. Her other hands snakes up my chest and then runs through my hair. Our foreheads lean together and meet.

Nora brings her lips to mine, brushing our noses and tilting her head. She leans forward slightly and grabs the back of my head, softly tugging at my hair and forcing us closer. Each second, the kiss becomes deeper and filled with more desperate need. Our lips dance harmoniously, fueled by passion and desire. Every ounce of control I have is being used to take it slow and let her lead.

"Patch," she pulls away and whispers, trying to catch her breath. "On second thought, let's just stay home today."

I grin mischievously and say, "I was beginning to think you'd never ask." I wink and move to kiss her again. She greets my advance hungrily, gripping my forearms and ensuring that I won't move.

Even though her moves are desperate and full of desire, they are completely confident and certain. Nora has obviously made up her mind, and she's set on her actions, fully aware of what she is doing. There is no hesitancy anymore. Only determination and love.

She pulls me onto the bed and pushes me down onto my back until she swings her legs over me. Now, she's straddling me and driving her hips downward.

Eager, are we? I say, smirking and raising one eyebrow. This prompts Nora to growl and silence me with her mouth. Her fierceness is new and alarming. Don't get me wrong – I love it. Nora taking control is something new, yet it seems so right, so familiar and easy. I don't have to worry about taking it too far for her – because she's already five steps ahead of me.

She stills suddenly mid-kiss and pulls back slowly, dragging her hands down my chest as she sits up. She looks me in the eye and opens her mouth to say something, but closes it.

I use this time and catch her off guard, pushing her shoulders playfully back and switch my position so that I'm the one pinning her down. She giggles and squirms under me, but I hold my ground and keep her pinned. Once again she stills, and once again she tries to catch my eyes. "What is it, Angel?" I whisper against her skin as I bring my mouth to the curve where her shoulder meets her neck. Her silence makes me look at her; only a minute ago she was so sure of herself.

She opens her mouth and mumbles something, even my hearing couldn't catch. As if she just breathed the words. I search her eyes with a question on my face, urging her to say it again.

"Make love to me, Patch," she whispers.

A/N: It's getting hot in here... that is all.