A/N: Wow it has been far too long! Sorry! But I pretty much have the next chapter done. I just need your feedback to let me know what you think, what should happen, etc. Thanks to my loyal readers! Take it away Patchy.

PPOV

Of all the people I could run into at the store, her? Of all the times that she had to go grocery shopping. Now? The Fates have a pretty twisted sense of humor.

Blythe Grey had never liked me. I wouldn't go so far as to say that she hates me, but I'm sure that when she pictured someone for her daughter, I wouldn't even make the list for top one hundred. Our relationship has always been somewhat… strained. She's a great mother, but she isn't the biggest fan of me.

She stands a few feet away from me in the supermarket entrance, eying me up and down. We haven't seen much of each other recently – she's always away for work and well, Nora doesn't live with her anymore. Yet another reason why Patch sucks in her eyes: she stole away her only child, her only daughter. The blowup between them when Nora told her she'd be moving in with me is one of those things that might be nothing big when we look back on it, but at the time it was a mess. Thank the heavens Nora refused to let me be there when she told her.

Her scrupulous gaze makes me harden my stance; I've never been a fan of examinations. I look much the same, considering I don't age normally. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I register that she appears aged – lost weight, some wrinkles, grey hairs. I feel a pange of guilt, saddened that Nora, her and I don't have a better relationship. Other than Nora, she's the only family I have. I resolve to try and build our relationship, in the future.

So while this inner monologue is going on through my head, she stands there. She looks at me expectantly, like she just asked a question. I say, "I'm sorry, what was that?" I honestly was too wrapped up in my thoughts.

Mrs. Grey repeats, "I was wondering where Nora was. I'm surprised she's not with you. I thought she was glued to your hip."

"Oh, she's just taking a nap right now. She's feeling a bit under the weather, I'm afraid." I say nonchalantly. Luckily, the bags in my hand are paper, not plastic, so I won't be subject to embarrassing explanations. I raise them and point, saying, "Just picking up some pain relievers and the like."

"That's a shame." She says, frowning. "Tell her to call me, would you? I haven't seen her since last week." That's right… the last time she saw her mother, Nora was kidnapped and hospitalized. Mrs. Grey has no idea that anything happened, of course. And I don't intend for her to find out; I'm sure Nora would be ordered back home instantly if her mother knew.

"Of course I'll tell her. She'll be happy we ran into each other. And we've been saying that we would love to have you over for dinner soon." She nods and agrees, promising to come over one night this week. I give her a smile and she moves to leave, saying goodbye.

That went fairly well, I think to myself. Another crisis averted, for now.

On the ride home, I spent the whole way making up a plan for tonight. As I very well know, because it has been one of the only things on my mind, I have that meeting tonight. That damn phone call that nearly ruined Nora and I, that meeting. They didn't sound like people that would want to be kept waiting… at all, so I have to time it perfectly. The man on the phone told me to meet them at the south gate, and alone. I know that he meant the south gate of Coldwater's cemetery, even though he didn't verbalize it. But I just know that he meant the cemetery; where else would we meet? When I consider the meeting place, I guess it's kind of an ironic choice.

Because Nora isn't feeling well, I'm hoping she'll call it a night early and fall asleep, letting me slip out unnoticed. It shouldn't take too long; they aren't men of many words. But I will not let their shortness scare me off or force my hand in any way. And as much as Nora hates me for it, I'm doing this for her. Everything I do is for her sake, for her safety and well-being. Now I'm just eager to get back to the apartment and see how she is doing. I can't stand it when she's in pain or feeling sad. Or in this case, both.

Once I'm there, I juggle the bags in one hand and unlock the door with my other. Stepping inside, I call out, "Angel! I'm back." No response. Oh, shit… I hope she isn't sleeping and I just shouted my arrival. But I go father into the apartment and I see the bedroom light on through the half-opened door. She never likes to sleep with the light on; it's like a weird pet peeve or something, so she's definitely still awake. Probably in the bathroom and I can't hear her mumbled response. Nora did always mumble.

"You'll never guess who I saw at the store… I mean you might, since you can read my mind and all, but don't! Because that, my love, would be cheating." I laugh and throw my keys on the counter, but I don't hear the laugh that I expected. I set down the bags and pull out some Advil that I bought, intending to bring it to her. Shaking the bottle loud enough so she can hear, I call out, "Hear that Angel? That's the sound of some be-a-utiful pain relief." I move swiftly down the hallway. "Angel?" I say, twisting the cap off the medicine bottle and pouring two capsules into my hand. With my elbow, I nudge the door open.

As my eyes fall on the note on the bed, the pills slip from my hands and scatter onto the floor.

She's gone.

NPOV

"Babe, your hair."

"What about it Vee?" I sigh, already knowing what she is planning.

She pushes my shoulders down until I'm sitting in the chair in front of her vanity. Once I look in the mirror, I can kind of understand her worry. It looks like I just slept on it, ran a marathon, fell into a bush (which I did), and slept on it again. A part of a dead leaf falls sadly from my hair and onto my lap when I shake my head. I pick it up and say, "Okay, Vee, might as well do my hair. You've chosen everything else I'm wearing."

Minutes before, I'd stood in the middle of Vee's room, looking at the clothes-strewn, glittering, pink décor. Her bureau and vanity table was rimmed with make-up, hair supplies, and accessories. "I really can just wear what I have on." I said. "I'm sorry I even brought up the boots."

She emerged from her closet, holding the knee-high black boots in one hand and something that looked black and silky in the other. Or maybe it was velvet. Either way, it looked slinky and way too tight. "Where did you even get that?" I ask, catching it when she tossed it at me.

"I bought it a while ago. I told myself I would slim down enough to fit in it before Jimmy Kent's party last year, but that never happened. A shame, really. It made my ass look great. Go put it on. NOW." She demands, turning her back and flicking through her jacket collection.

I step into the small bathroom attached to her room and wrestle the dress on. It was form fitting and scandalously short, with spaghetti straps that crossed in the back. Moping, I step back into her room and say, "I look ridiculous, Vee. This is too short."

"GOD, babe. You look great in that. If you got it, flaunt it!" She exclaims, shoving a small black leather jacket onto me. Flaunt what? I think as I'm handed those damn boots.

Looking incredulously at the shoes, I say, "Vee, I hate to break it to you, but we aren't going to a strip club tonight. We're not even going to any type of club tonight. We're following Patch to see what this meeting is about."

With a wicked glint in her eye, she tells me, "Exactly, dear Nora. And I hate to break it to you, but its not every day that you get to go on a secret mission to spy on your boyfriend's whereabouts. I need to take full advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity. Which is why we are dressing up like the sexiest spies this world has ever seen."

Rolling my eyes, I flop onto her bed in defeat, knowing that I won't win this argument. I pull on the boots, lacing them to the top and standing in front of a mirror. I have to admit, this combination is fairly badass. When she notices that I've finished dressing, Vee comments on my hair and starts to work on it.

After a few minutes of pulling and tugging, sticking my skull with bobby pins, and perfecting the look, Vee tells me she's done. But before I get up, she says, "Where exactly are we going tonight? You said it wasn't a strip club, but what did you have in mind?"

I look in the small hand-held mirror sitting on the counter and say, "You know… just around town. I've got one or two places, maybe…"

"Cut the bull, babe." She interrupts. "You know exactly where it is. Just tell me. I won't run off and abandon this plan or anything." She crosses her arms and stares at me.

Bracing myself, I say, "Fine Vee. He'll be at… the cemetery." I see her eyes go round, so I put up my hands. "I know, its –"

"Bat shit crazy, that's what it is! You were abducted there. Babe, there was a freaking war there. That place is not somewhere we should ever go." As she goes on, her voice is getting quieter, almost to a whisper. "Nora… It's just… Scott died there." Her voice wavers and tears pool in her eyes. Scott's death really affected her, whether she cares to admit it or not. Underneath her steely exterior, Vee always had a soft spot for Scott.

I move from the chair and wrap her in a hug. "I know Vee. I'm so sorry that happened. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him. And I'm sorry for bringing up that place. I would totally understand if you stayed here." And I would, really.

She pushes me an arm's length away and looks shocked. "Nora! I just told you, like two seconds ago, that I wouldn't abandon you! Is something wrong with your short term memory?" She smiles sadly and wipes away the stray tears that leaked onto her cheek. She takes a breath and my old Vee is back in a heartbeat.

"But how did you know that he'll be there? At the cemetery?" She asks.

She already thinks I'm crazy, and I'm starting to think I'm crazy too. "I don't know, Vee, I just… When he was on the phone, the guy said to meet him by the south gate. And I figure, the cemetery has gates, right?" I shrug and avoid her steely gaze.

"And so does about every other park, manor, and resident in the fifty mile radius." She counters. "What made you think cemetery?"

I wring my fingers together and say, "Don't think I'm crazy-" She interrupts and tells me she already thinks that. I roll my eyes and continue "- but when I imagine that he might be at the cemetery tonight, my gut tells me I'm right. Literally, when I think of him being there, my gut twists. And I just know that's where he'll be."

She gives me a look that says, 'yeah, sure, right' but doesn't question me any further. All she says is, "Whatever you say. I'll go wherever you lead me." I nod, looking sure of my decision. My hand sticks to my hip and I lose my balance a little in these shoes, but overall, I'm the picture of confidence.

She glances up and down, eyeing me over. A small humming noise comes from her throat, signaling her approval at my ensemble. "If I do say so myself, I believe I was a stylist in another life." She winks and saunters into her closet. From inside, she calls, "Okay, what should I wear? Oh goodness. This might take a while, Nora. How on earth do I have nothing to wear? Well, maybe this one…" When I stop listening, she's still talking to herself.

Unfortunately, something else is demanding my attention. It's the ring of my cell phone. Patch is calling.

PPOV

She's gone.

I ignore the scattered Advil and grab the note in my hands to make sure it's real. It says that she's gone to Vee's for a "girls night". I may not know everything about these "girls nights", but I don't really buy it for a second. Not only an hour ago, she was violently ill and bed-ridden. Does she expect me to believe it? Why would she want to get out of the house like that?

She wants to get away from you, asshat, I think to myself. And I honestly can't blame her. All I've done for the past 24 hours is lie to her. Hell, I want to get away from me. But if it's space that she needs, I'll give it to her. I just need to make sure she's safe. Make sure that she's gotten to Vee's okay. I boot up a device on my phone that tells me where her phone is located. On more than one occasion, the device has been useful. More recently, I used it when I had to find her when she was kidnapped. But Nora knows I have it and has asked me once or twice to find her cell when she just misplaces it by accident.

The device is seaching… searching… located it. She's, she's… at Vee's house; I recognize the address. Well, at least one of us is being truthful. That's good, she's safe. Maybe she really is having a girls night? Nora is a fighter, I mean, maybe she really did bounce back from being sick that quickly.

Now that I know she's at Vee's house, safe, I debate whether or not I should call her. The note didn't say to. And if she wants space, calling her when she leaves certainly wouldn't give her any space.

But underneath, I can't help but feel relieved at her being out for the night. I don't have to sneak out and go meet them, and she won't be worried if she finds me gone. Maybe her being at Vee's is the best thing for everyone right now. For now, I'm not going to question why she left and went to Vee's house. Nora is a big girl and she can handle herself if she doesn't want me. Everything seems like it's working itself out.

For a few moments, I stir around the apartment, looking for something to occupy myself. I can't let my mind drift to tonight; I'll just overthink it. But of course, my mind has other plans and starts to overthink. So when my eyes glance over my cell phone in my hand, I can't help but think that I should call Nora before tonight. I don't expect anything bad to happen, but I should call and talk to her, in case this is my last chance because something bad does happen. Her voice will calm my thoughts.

Scrolling through my recent calls, I find Nora's name. When I press on it and bring the phone to my ear, I decide that I'm just going to go along with whatever Nora says about her girls night. She would be so much safer with her friend than with me tonight.

It rings once, twice. On the third ring, she answers. "Hello!" She squeaks, raising her voice an octave to match her cheery note. "I'm sorry, did you find my note? I'm at Vee's. Girls night, you know."

In spite of the situation, I smile to myself. Her voice, that's just what I needed. "Hey Angel. Gave me quite a surprise when I didn't see you here." She laughs nervously and squeaks another apology. I say, "But I got your note. And that's great… you and Vee should catch up. You're feeling better, I assume?"

"Oh, yep, hundred percent. Never better!" she says quickly. I hear Vee in the background say, 'How bout this outfit? Wait, who are you talking to?' Nora mumbles back, 'Patch'. Well, I know for sure now that she's with Vee. And I don't doubt for one minute that Vee would let anything happen to Nora. But now, I just want to hear Nora's voice some more.

"What are you two doing over there?" I ask, my lip curling up in a smile that I'm sure she can hear in my voice.

I hear a zipper being zipped and Nora's response, "Oh, uh, just doing some dress up. Vee made me put on this ridiculous dress, with crazy high boots to top it, because we're-" She cuts off mid-sentence.

I wait for her to finish, but she doesn't. "You're what, Angel?"

She laughs nervously again, and I hear Vee's harsh whisper in the background, but I can't make out her words. "We were just going to take some pictures! Of us. In the outfits. You know, like modeling? Girl stuff. Su-per boring." My response is a chuckle, the thought of her doing that is a little strange. She says, "I'll probably stay over, so I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Sounds like fun, Angel. I'm glad you're feeling better. I'll see you soon." She says goodbye, but before she goes, I add, "I love you, Angel." Her intake of breath is audible. Too soon, Patch, I think as I face-palm myself. She needs space, not I love you's. But she surprises me and says in a wobbly voice, "Love you too, Patch. Stay out of trouble. Please." We end the call there and I set my phone down.

It's almost time to leave for the cemetery. I go into the bedroom and shift the wardrobe a couple feet to the left. Kneeling down, I graze my fingers over the floors until they catch on a slight crack. My fingers pry open the one floorboard and I set it next to me. I reach down into the compartment in the floor and pull out my old bow and quiver, blowing off the dust. I can't remember the last time I used it.

Ironic, I know, an angel with a bow an arrow. But it's my oldest weapon of choice. I find that the position of the bow and arrow is similar to the arm positioning of the cue stick in pool. Tonight, nothing should make me use this but I can't go completely defenseless. This is merely a precaution.

And I have to take every precaution I can, because I have no idea what I'll be stepping into when I get to the cemetery tonight.

A/N: Mwahaha cliffy. Review like the wind!