A/N: Hey people! Been sooo busy, went to the Grand Canyon. But, I've managed to write this chapter! This one and the last chapter were super awesome to write, I hope you like it! Lollololol at Patch's experience in the store in this chapter, he would so do anything for Nora. (; Warning for some readers, there is an itty-bitty lemon in here. A mini-lemon. A lime, if you will. Enjoy!

Patch POV

Well, shit.

I guess this is what girls feel like when they have to pick up, like, motor oil or something. This is just a little far out of my comfort zone. Just a little.

I'm standing in the aisle at the grocery store. Well, I'm hoping I'm in the right aisle; I'm standing before probably a good one million different types of product. God, is there even a difference? I think to myself. I'm sure if a woman heard me say that I'd get smacked upside the head and given a lecture on the topic. I clench my fists and grind my teeth in frustration. C'mon, Patch. This should be freaking simple. You've been through more trying situations before.

I look both ways down the aisle. Thankfully, it isn't too crowded; only the occasional shopper passes at the end. I've already gotten the medicine and chocolate, so there's nothing left to do.

What the hell? I think as I pull at the collar of my shirt, which suddenly seems to be strangling me. The light in the ceiling feels like it's shining down its own special spotlight, just for me. Its loud buzzing seems even louder in my ears. It's like I'm in a freaking horror movie, I think. Maybe I'll be brutally murdered and I won't have to pick this out. Yep, that would be okay.

I shake my head and clear my thoughts. I'm just going to do it. Dive in. Bite the bullet. Here I –

"Can I help you find anything, hun?"

Shit! I nearly jump out of my skin and I drop everything I was holding. I scramble to pick everything up, cursing myself internally. Real smooth, Patch. When I stand up and turn around, I see a young woman, probably in college, trying to conceal her laughter. At first, I think she's just mocking me, but I realize she works there when my eyes land on her nametag. Becca. I give her a sly smile back, regaining my composure and what dignity I had. She's still standing there, waiting expectantly for my answer and continuing to hold her laugh. Well, Becca, queen of making people uncomfortable. Two can play at that game... Besides, I'm the king of making people uncomfortable.

"Oh, uh … Becca, is it?" I turn on the smolder and innocently ask her name. She nods and tries to keep her gaze focused on my face. I make her squirm with the eye contact and say, "Would you like to… recommend something for me? Personal favorite, maybe?" I gesture largely at the shelves in front of me with a smirk on my face. She blanches and stammers, not able to get any words out. She clearly wasn't expecting this; she was just hoping I would start a conversation.

I save her before she has a coronary by saying, "Oh, I meant to say, I appreciate the help, but I think I've got it. My girlfriend gave me a few pointers. Trained me well, you could say. Thanks though." I give her a dazzling smile. She looks away, blushes and mutters, 'yeah, of course' before hurrying back down the aisle.

Smiling at my little victory, I turn back to the shelf. Now, well, double shit. I still don't really know what I'm doing. But, after a moment more of doubt, I make my best educated guess and stuff the boxes in my arms. I start to turn away, but then I grab another box, in case the others are wrong. Which they probably are. But hey, at least I didn't have a meltdown or something. Crisis averted, for now.

I go to the self check out lane – no way in hell was I going to a cashier – and hurriedly pay. I scoop up the bags and grab my change. The lady at the help kiosk raised an eyebrow and also looked near laughter. I scowl at her and think, what is up with this staff? Give a guy a break, here.

I hold the receipt in my mouth, the bags in one hand, and I struggle to get my keys out of my pocket with the other hand. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going, because the next thing I know, I've literally run into someone and almost knocked them over. I start to rush out an apology, but as I see the woman's face, my words cut off.

"Oh! Long time no see, Patch." The woman says, a hint of aversion in her voice.

Blinking rapidly, I manage to stammer out, "Yeah, it's been a while, Mrs. Grey."

Nora POV

Well, shit.

I guess I didn't think that far ahead.

I stand in the car garage underneath our apartment and stare at Patch's motorcycle. He took his Jeep to the store, and now I'm left with this death contraption. Of course, he didn't expect that I'd be leaving, or even getting out of bed, so he took the car.

I have no freaking idea how to ride a motorcycle! I've only ever ridden on the back, with Patch in front. I almost turn around and go back, ready to abandon all plans. But I've committed too far to go back now. Hell, I don't have time for this inner debate, the clock is ticking. "Looks like I'll be walking," I say under my breath. I roll my eyes at my horrible luck and even worse planning skills. Even if it were here, I probably would've felt too bad and not taken his car. So walking was practically inevitable. At least I wore my converse sneakers and not some uncomfortable ballet flat.

I jog out of the garage, eager to get off of the property as fast as I can. The sunlight blinds me for a second while my eyes adjust. My hands fly up to my face and I shield it, wishing I brought my sunglasses. With a shock, I realize that I haven't really been outside in a while; I've been cooped up inside for the past three days or so.

I start walking along the side of the road. Immediately, I pull my cell out of my pocket and dial Vee. She picks up on the second ring. Without preamble, she says, "I'm excited that you're coming over and all, but… What the hell was that text about, babe?"

I sigh and collect my thoughts. What was I expecting? I knew that she would react this way to my shady text. I stammer, "I- I'm sorry Vee... I just…" I take a deep breath and whisper, "Can you come get me?" My breath hitches on the last word, betraying me. I probably sound like a mess.

She gushes, "Ohmigod babe! Are you okay? Of course I'll come get you… where are you? Did Patch do anything to you? Because if he did, I swear to God I'll come over there and kick his -"

"Vee!" I interrupt, not wanting to hear what she might kick of Patch's. "Vee… I'm fine." I barely look both ways before crossing at an intersection, ignoring the sounds of horns blaring after me.

But she continues, "Nora, you sure as hell don't sound fine. I'm getting in my car now. If that piece of -"

"Church Street." I cut her off again. "I'm going south on Church Street." I sound tired and sad, even to my own ears. Vee probably thinks I'm verging on suicidal.

She sighs and tells me, "I'll be there in a couple minutes, Nora. If this damn person in front of me would just MOVE THEIR ASS." I laugh halfheartedly and say goodbye before hanging up.

I'm walking along, trying to will the tears back into my head. Why am I crying? I put myself in this mess and it's no one's fault but my own. Okay, maybe it's Patch's fault too. But I can't even be mad at him anymore, because I turned around and lied right back to his face. He thinks I'm lying down at home, anxiously awaiting his return. Instead, I'm walking along a major road, crying, and no doubt looking like a homeless person.

I glance up, looking at the cars that are passing me. Karma must be out to get me, because at that exact moment, I see a Jeep, exactly like Patch's, come up over the hill. Headed my way. Oh no, no no no no, I think. It's at least a good hundred yards away, but I can't risk him seeing me. I know he'll eventually find out I'm gone, but he would definitely haul my ass back with him if he saw me walking on a busy street. That's not happening.

I literally dive into the bushes next to me, tucking and rolling into – yep, you guessed it - a pricker bush. I harshly mumble a string of curses. I roughly swat the hair out of my eyes and look up just in time to see the car drive right past me. Wait, past me? I catch a quick glimpse of the driver, and – oh! It's not even Patch. Just a random person with a Jeep that looks like his.

Awesome, I think sourly. I jumped into a bed of thorns for nothing. I stand up, picking leaves out of my hair and brushing foliage off of my clothes. Somehow I've gotten a tear in my jeans, and mud and dirt all over me. There's several scratches on my arms and cheeks, but nothing too serious. Carefully, I step through the bushes and head back to the side of the road.

About five long minutes later, Vee pulls up next to me, unlocking her passenger door. I rush over and slide into the seat, closing my eyes and smiling at the comfortable seats. This is the best part of my day. These seats. How sad.

Vee pulls back into traffic, screaming, "NORA! First of all, why are you so dirty? Did you roll around in a pig pen or something? I leave for two minutes and you abandon ALL fashion sense I so desperately tried to teach you. Girl, I don't even care! It's so great to see you!" She squeals and I smile and tell her how much I've missed her, how much I really needed her right now. We exchange pleasantries, delicately skirting around the issue for a minute or two. After a minute of silence, she turns to me, looking incredulous, and says, "Start explaining, Grey."

I revert back to enjoying the comfort of the seats that I was so in love with when I got in the car. I say, "I've missed the Neon. Did you miss the Neon when you were in England? How's Gavin by the way?"

"GREY! Time for that later! Please, just tell me why you're so messed up… it's killing me to see you this way." We speed along the backroads of the town, taking the shortcuts back to Vee's house. Staying silent, I grip the side of the car for support, nearly tumbling forward in my seat when she makes a sudden lurch at a stop sign.

We pull up in her driveway and turn off the car. I fiddle with the seatbelt for as long as I can. Vee and I meet eyes and I can't help it – I slowly melt into tears. What is this, like, the fifth time today? I do this big, ugly, messy cry and Vee understandingly pulls me into her arms across the seats.

"This is bad, Nora. Honestly, I was expecting it to be. But this - this calls for junk food, reality television and nail painting. How does that sound?" She pulls back to look in my face and I only hiccup and give a pathetic nod.

~ Later ~

I've told her everything. From the moment I was kidnapped, to escaping the hospital, to recovering, to finding Patch with his mystery phone call, to Patch's departure and my escape. She interjected frequently with her opinion and some more… colorful language. I left out the more, uh, intimate times Patch and I had together, but it'll without a doubt come up soon. She'll likely beat the details of my first time out of me if she had to.

But after I'm done, she sits across from me on the sofa with a look of shock. I think I've overwhelmed her, and Vee Sky never gets overwhelmed. When waving my hand in front of her face doesn't work, I snap my fingers, which brings her straight back to reality. She bites her lip and says, "So Patch is at the store right now, buying you feminine products… and he thinks you're at home, sick and in bed?" I nod, squeezing my lips together and trying to keep my laughter in. We both burst into laughter at the same time, kicking up our feet and nearly falling off the couch. We recover and she high-fives me, telling me how totally badass that is. "Serves him right. I hope he throws a bitch fit when he finds that note."

I sit up suddenly, fishing my phone out of my pocket. Crap, has he called yet, or texted me? I didn't even think. I look at the screen and feel both relief and disappointment. Nothing.

My shoulders lift in what I hope is a nonchalant shrug. "Maybe he's not home yet." She shrugs back and picks up what must be her third donut. We have a buffet of junk food spread in front of us, but my upset stomach tells me I'm not entirely hungry. We sit in comfortable silence, mindlessly watching some reality television show. Somehow, watching someone else's life unravel and then resolve itself in less than 30 minutes makes me believe that my life will work itself out.

After a moment, I feel Vee's harsh stare burn into the side of my head. I bring my gaze to hers, not surprised to find her scrutinizing me and giving me a killer look. I feign a look of innocence. "What?!" I ask, raising one eyebrow and shaking my head towards her. Vee taps her manicured finger on her chin, squinting her eyes and giving a low "hmmm". I wait for the blow, desperately hoping that my expression isn't giving anything away.

"You seem different." She concludes.

I keep an impassive face and reply, "I don't feel all that different." Oh God, she's already on to me.

"Nope," she counters. "Definitely different. What aren't you telling me, Grey?" I noncommittally shrug and focus intensely on the suddenly interesting task of filing my nails. The nail file's rhythm matches the beat of my heart; at this rate, they'll be filed down to the cuticle in no time.

Vee lunges forward on the futon couch towards me, grabbing my wrists to still my frantic nail filing. She looks me square in the eye, daring me to try to get away. Her strength, regardless of her being nephilim or not, always overpowered mine. My shocked look is genuine, I really didn't have to fake it, because her sudden intensity surprised me.

Once she's sure that I won't either run or start the filing again, or both, she looses her grip and leans back. Her passive and calm face does not prepare me for her next statement. "You had sex, didn't you?" And once again, my mouth drops open in shock. How did she guess that on like her first try? It couldn't have been that obvious, could it? Noting my look of shock and my silence, she gasps, "You DID! Nora Grey, you naughty girl!" She's smirking and looking shocked herself.

My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. I'm not going to deny it. My face is on fire, but Vee doesn't seem to notice how uncomfortable I am. She goes on, "Oh COME ON Nora, you don't think I wouldn't have noticed? Well… if we're being honest here, it was lucky guess number one, but it's actually TRUE!"

Me, still gaping, struggling to find the right words or even any words at all, manage to mumble out, "Uh… yeah. We, uh… yeah." Oh yeah Nora, I'm sure she'll be satisfied with that answer.

"Oh no no no. That is NOT going to cut it!" she pouts, shaking her head. Vee and I have always shared secrets and juicy details of our lives with each other. I had to suffer through an hour long phone call with her when she called after her honeymoon. Practically the whole hour was spent listening to Vee describe – in detail – her first time with Gavin. And the thirty other times. Gosh they were like bunnies on that trip. NOT that I needed to know that.

"Uh… what do you want to know? It was… great." I sigh and submit to Vee's famous inquisition, answering her questions. I kept most of it to myself, giving her bare minimums. I could tell she wasn't happy, but she was taking what little she would get out of me. What little details I told her certainly brought me back…

~Flashback~

"Make love to me, Patch." I say again, repeating it so he could hear.

His eyes go wide with carnal desire and he suppresses a moan that I can feel through the fabric of his shirt. His body weight on top of mine is doing wonders for my self control, really. His face scrunches tightly as he battles himself. "Nora, you're really testing my strength. I won't be able to control myself if you say things like that."

"Then don't control yourself." I dare, feeling brave in the moment. Patch snaps like a rubber band, all will shattered as he takes possession of my mouth, securing it with his own and stealing my breath. I only break apart to lift his shirt off and toss it across the room. Our arms and legs are a jumble of limbs, not really ending, just all connected. Because I'm already in my sleepwear of a bra and panties, I mumble against his lips, "You're a little overdressed, Patch." I trace my kisses along his jaw and down to his shoulders, sneaking my hands further down his sides. My fumbling hands reach the waistband of his pants, clumsily trying to undo it. He stills my hands with his and helps me tug them off, leaving him in his boxers. "Better?" he teases, laughing at my blush and nod. He resumes the kiss, grabbing the sides of my head in his hands.

Just when I think I can't take anymore of this teasing, Patch pulls back and says, "You deserve the best, Angel. So much more than anyone can give you. But if you're willing to accept it, I'll give you everything I have." For some people, this long winded statement might have lessened the passion with the lack of physical contact, but for me, this was better. His words made pressure behind my eyes, threatening tears but being too happy to cry. I bite my lip and say, "You've given more than enough, Patch. And even then, I still want more of you. I want all of you." With Patch still above me, I wrap my legs around him and use my feet to inch his boxers down. He catches my plan and helps, revealing his… erm, impressiveness. My eyes widen for a second but I think, what did I expect; Patch wouldn't be anything less than perfect.

He catches my eye and says, "Please don't worry. But now, I'm afraid you are the overdressed one." Patch winks and his hands grab my hips, digging into the fabric of my panties. "Not too fond of these, I hope?" With a gasp, I realize he's torn through them. Oh gosh, that just makes me squirm and pull my legs up to myself. How hot is that? My faces flushes and I say, "Not anymore." He sees my hesitancy and begs, "Don't be shy with me, Nora. It's quite entirely selfish to keep yourself from me." He flashes me his pirate smile, rendering my legs jelly and free. His eyes roam over me, like worshipping or admiring a piece of art.

I'm not sure I can form sentences above a third grade level right now. I nod dumbly and urge him on, giving him my full permission. I know I want this. And I know I'll be with Patch forever, so my decision isn't changing. Patch couldn't have been more gentle or understanding of my needs. Several very clumsy moments later, the pain is already forgotten. Everything is forgotten. Only Patch, that's all I know. He's all I know.

I can't completely see or hear anything, the overload of senses clouding my head. Attempting to pull me back from the clouds, Patch slows and smirks when I exclaim, "What are you doing? Don't stop… please… what-" He silences me with his mouth, mumbling, "Trust me." I'm squirming and going crazy, but I nod because I trust him. Implicitly. So when he begins again, I sigh and give in, swaying my hips for some kind of relief. Any type of friction or movement, I crave it, I need it. He clucks his tongue and mutters, "Uh uh uh. Don't move." Even in the haze of my mind, these words snap me out of it. My eyes snap to his and search them. "What?" I moan, barely able to get the word out.

His lips trace my collarbone and I hear him say, "You said you trust me. So don't move. It'll make it feel even better, more intense." My mind is already going crazy with his actions. Believe me Patch, it's pretty intense already, I mind-speak to him, squeezing my mouth to hold in a cry. His body reverberates with a chuckle, sending sparks through me. I try to do as he says, holding still and just absorbing it. I want so desperately to bend my legs toward me or move my hips or curl my toes or anything, but his gaze reminds me. It really is so much more intense, if that's possible.

He sees me start to squirm and whispers, "We can work on that later." His pirate smirk sends me close to the edge. Seeing this as a sign that I can move now, I heave a sigh and try to find some relief. Perfectly attuned to my body, he leans into my ear and his voice caresses me, saying, "Let it go, Angel." Once again, I can't think. I feel my body nearing a cliff, one that is impossible to resisting jumping off of. The feeling is unlike any other. I hear myself calling Patch's name, and I've been tipped over a glorious edge. Now I'm slowly coming back, gathering my senses. That was the most intense, satisfying, pleasurable experience of my life. That I'm sure of.

"You in there, babe?" Vee asks, looking at my face for any sign of life. I shake my head to clear my thoughts, worried that she'll see right through me. And, surprise! She does. "Oh my GOD. Babe, you were totally reliving it. I can see it in your face, don't try to lie to me, Nora Grey. And for the second time tonight, I say, what a naughty girl!" She winks and punches me lightly on the shoulder. Her light punches could give a kick boxer a run for their money, so I rub my arm and pout at her. "It's a little hard not to Vee," I complain, "considering you've asked me every single detail imaginable."

She shrugs and tells me it's only best friend's duty. She's merely doing her job. Right, I think, rolling my eyes.

I'm so eager to get off this topic completely, so I divert attention back to her. "How long are you staying in town Vee?"

She mentally counts, and physically ticks off on her fingers. "I'm staying for five more days. But the last two days are all stupid family get-togethers and parties. Ugh. The only thing getting me through it is the promise of free booze at the shower." I give her the strangest of looks, prompting a, "Oh, you know, don't they always have that fancy champagne-spiked punch? How much of that will I have to drink to make me forget I was there? That's my goal, I think."

I roll my eyes and stand up, going to her closet. Vee is definitely more curvaceous and fuller than me, but there's a few items that we share. Jackets, boots, things like that. I rummage through the clothes she left in her house, reminiscing on our high school days. Things were so normal back then. But I guess even then we had nephilim blood running through our veins, waiting for the perfect moment to show itself.

As much as I'd love to have a normal sleepover, full of Friends re-runs, midnight snacks, and gossiping, I know that we aren't those simple, innocent girls anymore. I'm not that simple girl anymore, and I'm definitely NOT innocent. I'm in deep with Patch, and there's no turning back. Really, I wouldn't want to, though. I have to get him back, make up, and fix this shit that's been going on. Today is as good a day as any other, I suppose.

"Vee, where do you keep those black knee high boots? I think you and I will be going on an… adventure later tonight."

A/N: Please, please review! They inspire me so much. Thanks for your kind words! An update is on its way!