A/N: Wow. Honestly, I've missed it here. I forgot how awesome of a release that writing is. I'm so, so, so sorry for making everyone wait. I'm hoping that my faithful readers will be back, along with some new faces! I welcome any and all reviews (they're super motivational for me). Did I say that I'm sorry for making you wait this long? Take it away, Nora.

Nora POV

The moon's rays light up my face in flashes – their beams peeking through the trees as Vee's Neon speeds along Coldwater's back roads. I blink each time it hits my face, as if each burst of light surprises me. I sit in the passenger seat for the second time that day, consumed in my own thoughts. Thoughts of what will happen tonight, thoughts of Patch.

Vee hums an off-tune song under her breath, one of her nervous habits. I start to say, "I'm sorry I dragged you into this Vee. You shouldn't have to deal with this when you're only in the States for a short time."

Her humming stops, and she waits for a minute, choosing her words carefully. "Honestly babe, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Her mouth stretches into a smile as she reaches to take my hand. "Besides, I sort of miss our shenanigans when I'm in England. It's too quaint there, I think. There's none of this secret mission-type adventures that British television makes you expect."

I stifle a laugh and pick at the hem of my dress as we both lapse back into comfortable silence. Oh God, this ridiculous, ridiculous dress. It's tight and black and short and ridiculous. But it made Vee happy when I put it on. "Thanks, Vee. For helping me." I say, truly meaning it.

After a few minutes, I can see the sign for the cemetery in the distance, swinging ominously in the slight breeze of the night. "Don't park in the cemetery's lot Vee, just keep driving. I know there is an old car junkyard about a mile down from here."

"Okay," she agrees, passing the entrance. As it blurs by, I twist in my seat to try and get a look, to see anything, or anyone. Nothing out of the ordinary. I turn back around and point out the junkyard entrance.

The Neon shudders into an empty corner, echoing in the silent lot. My paranoia is in full bloom tonight, and this eerie place does nothing to calm my nerves. We unbuckle and slide out of the car. The stillness of the night feels somewhat ironic to me – I know that whatever tonight holds will be anything but still.

"Please, Vee, you can stay in the car. I won't be long." I give it one last attempt. But when she curtly refuses to stay with a quick "Awh hell no", I'm not at all surprised. Sighing, I give in. "Okay."

Our boots crunch in the dead leaves on the ground as we shuffle through the junkyard. Most of the cars really are junk, but a few are classic models that don't belong here. It makes me sad, to see these beautiful pieces abandoned, left to rust in the harsh Maine winter. We reach the edge of the lot, near the metal gate, and I say, "Actually, hold on." When I grab her arm, she pauses before we reach the roadside. "Let's go through this patch of woods. It'll be quicker and we'll be able to see what happens from the cover of the trees."

Vee shrugs, and we both swing around the gate and start our trek into the dense patch of woods. The walk from the junkyard to the edge of the cemetery is only a mile, like I told Vee.

When we walk, I can hear my best friend behind me, muttering harsh curses as she trips over twigs and branches. I stride in front of her, pretending to be confident in my sense of direction. "Of course, yea, it's uh, this way…" I say every few minutes, responding to her questioning looks.

My breath fogs in front of my face and the wind howls in my ears. Shivering involuntarily, I pull my thin sweater around my shoulders and yank the hem of my dress down to cover more of myself. The boots, however stylish they might be, are completely impractical for this type of hiking. Yet, I keep these complaints to myself.

As we're about ten minutes into our walk to the edge of the cemetery, I stop. When was the last time I heard Vee's footsteps crunch behind mine?

I spin my feet in the wet leaves, my stomach plummeting. No, I think, this is NOT happening.

"Vee?!" I scream-whisper, afraid of what I might hear. "Not bloody funny Vee! Come out here!" I screech. But only silence answers. I curse loudly and start to jog back toward where I came from, all the while, calling out for her.

All the trees are looking the same. Have I been here before? It's been like a solid 5 minutes that I've been looking now. Where the hell is she? My mind races. I'm not even sure which way to turn. I've spun myself around so many times that each direction seems wrong, and I don't know where any of them lead.

I've definitely seen that tree before.

I'm starting to panic. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I squeeze my eyes shut and take a deep breath. However, on the exhale of my breath, my gut twists, forcing me to my knees with the sudden lurch. My mouth opens, but no sound escapes. The pain blinds me for a second, and I drop onto my side. It's almost identical to the pain I had when I stepped out of the shower. Oh God, I'm going to vomit.

I'm doubled over in pain, alone in the woods, in the middle of the night. All I can do is hope and think, Patch?

Patch POV

It's an eerie night. I can see my breath cloud in front of me.

Tonight, I am meeting with the archangels. Not by choice, however. Their commands left me no doubt that there would be consequences if I refused.

The story of the archangels is a long and interesting tale, passed down through the generations of the nephilim and supernatural world. They are elusive, cunning, and mysterious, according to the varied accounts. No one truly knows much about them – for every generation adds their own twist to the story. One thing is for certain: if they call a meeting in person, you know you're in deep shit.

What infuriates me the most is that no one dares to question them. We bend to their authority, putting them on a pedestal - when in reality, we know little about them.

But not tonight. I won't give in without a fight.

I slam the Jeep's door hard in the deserted cemetery parking lot, causing an echo. I don't need to bother with hiding, so it's in the dead center of the lot. I sling my arrow pack across my chest and grip my bow in one hand. The arrows are teeming with energy on my back, because I cursed them. Now, they are my only chance of weapon against a holy person like an archangel.

Like a march to my persecution, I stride confidently to the south wall. Once there, I can see that there is no one around, waiting for me. I check my watch: right on time. Leaning against the stone wall, all I can do is wait.

That's when I hear the faint, Patch?, in my mind.

I lurch forward with the sound of Nora's voice in my head. Instinctively, I move toward where I sense the sound is coming from, nearby. Not even one second later, my cell rings blaringly loud in my pocket, out of place in the silent night. It flies to my ear before I can even look at the caller ID.

"Hello? Nora?" I answer, out of breath.

"Unfortunately, Jev, this is not your precious Nora." A deep male voice, the same one that summoned me here, resonates in my earpiece and also behind me. Dropping the phone from my ear, I turn around to see two tall, cloaked figures standing a few yards away.

Without hesitation, I scream at them, "What have you done with her? You assured me she would NOT be harmed!" I am seething with anger and worry, my body shaking and my fists clenching.

The figure that stands a little more forward reaches up with wiry hands and drops the hood from his head, revealing his face. It's both horrifying and beautiful, impossibly dark while emanating light. It replies calmly, "Unfortunately again, Jev, we have done nothing to bring your Nora here. She has come of her own accord and has broken our only request."

"She had no way of knowing." I reply through clenched teeth. "I'm going to get her, she isn't far." But as I turn to walk away, I can only take a few steps. I run straight into a barrier, like an invisible wall, that rebounds me back several feet. The impact rattles my head, blurring my vision for a few seconds.

When I blink back into reality, I am standing where I was against the wall, facing the two archangels. When I try to move my feet, I find that I can't – they are stuck where they are. "My name is Gabriel, and I will speak for the archangels." the first one announces. "And this," he says, pointing to the other one who is now removing his hood in the same fashion, "is Raphael, my second in command."

In response, I spit at them and say, "Let me go, Gabriel."

He chuckles softly under his breath and replies, "Fiesty one, I see." Gabriel and Raphael exchange looks, seemingly deciding what to do with me. They turn back and Gabriel says, "You're not going anywhere Patch. Not until we hear what we want to hear."

I say nothing, refusing to answer.

Gabriel walks towards me, and begins to circle me, like a predator hunting its' prey. Striking out his hand, he knocks my bow out of my grip and its skids a couple yards away. There goes my weapon, I think sourly. He enjoys making a mockery out of me, controlling me and showing me his power. "Remember that night, Jev, that you asked us to help you? Hmm? That night that we helped you send Nora's attacker back to hell? Well Jev, I'm sure you know as well as I do, that archangels don't do things for free."

I keep my eyes straight ahead, refusing to give him any hint of submission. He stops right in front of me and grabs my chin with his strong hands, forcing me to meet his gaze.

Getting as close as possible, he glares into my eyes. "If you're having trouble remembering, Jev, maybe I could find some incentive to say, jog your memory?" Gabriel sneers, throwing his hot breath on my face. My mind races, trying to think of what his next threat could be.

Gabriel's hand flings out, motioning to a silent Raphael behind him. "Bring her, Raphael," he commands. And at that, Raphael goes behind to stone wall, forcing a figure to stand up and follow him. I squint to try and see their face –

"Vee," I whisper, my eyes going wide with horror and shock.

She turns her tear-stained face to meet mine. Her mouth is covered with a cloth that they tied around her head, and her hands are tied together behind her back. It's obviously charmed, for I know that Vee's nephilim strength could have broken the bonds. Her clothes are torn and rugged, showing her signs of struggle. Defeatedly, she shakes her head at me, as if to say, Do whatever they tell you.

My feet, still stuck to their ground, try desperately to move so that I can get to Nora's best friend. She sees my struggle and shakes her head again. I look to Gabriel, who looks amused at our silent communication of defeat.

"How adorable, Jev tries to save the damsel in distress and her friend. A little ambitious, don't you think?" Gabriel teases, whispering in the still night.

But through my stubbornness, I remember Nora's cry for help. I have to get to her. "I'll do what you want. Whatever you want. Just let Vee go, and let me get to Nora."

Gabriel's stoic façade breaks, for a fraction of a second, in surprise. "Anything?" he asks, an evil smile curling his lip.

With the resolve of a desperate man, I reply, "Yes, anything."

He releases my chin, throwing my head back forcefully. I clench my jaw and wait for his next words. "Okay, Jev. That was… unexpected."

But I'm hardly listening. I catch Vee's eye, and I quickly glance down at my bow, which had skidded across the ground when Gabriel knocked it out of my hand. Now, it lays a few feet in front of Vee. My arrows are still strapped to my back. I desperately try to make her understand my plan, staring into her eyes until she gives me the smallest of nods.

My heart races in my chest.

At the same time: I reach up to grab an arrow, seeing Gabriel's shock. Vee swings her leg around to round-house kick a silently shocked Raphael. We move in tangent.

I throw her the arrow before Gabriel gets to me. When it leaves my hands, I'm knocked to the ground by Gabriel. I look up, into his sneering face, as he towers over me ready to strike. He opens his mouth to say something and –

An arrow suddenly protrudes through his chest with a sickening noise. Gabriel looks down in shock, touching the golden –what seems to be- blood. The area around the arrow is starting to become transparent, his body disappearing from the center of his chest. The wound is sending him back, far back, to his domain in the sky.

Before he can fully disappear, he looks me dead in the eyes and says, "This isn't over. The last Fallen will be eliminated, and the Arch will regain the world."

And with that, he's gone.

I pull myself up and see Vee, frozen, with her arms still aimed with the bow. I cross over to her, and she blinks, lowering the weapon. She stammers, "I'm sorry Patch… he could've gotten you, I was cutting it too close, I – I needed to cut my hands loose, and then, then I saw him standing over you – and, and I-"

I hold her forearm from shaking and say, "Shh, Vee. It's over. You saved us. Thank you." She hold her breath and expels it shakily, nodding. Her eyes wander over to a pool of golden blood behind her, where an arrow is stuck in the ground. "I got Raphael, too." She says with a smile.

We are both shocked, exhausted, and shaking.

But I can't rest. I say hesitantly, "Vee, where is Nora? We need to find her. I think- I think she might be hurt."

A/N: How much do you hate those archangels? And our dear Nora, whataya doin? Whats wrong?! xx