A/N: Patch and Nora are steaming up and stressing out. How have you liked their journey so far? It has only just begun... xx

NPOV

Despite my begging, I know that Patch is still worried about me. I'll admit, I have been a little vague and out of it for the past few days. My sketchy behavior and my crazy about-faces are throwing him for a loop. He's battled demons, broken through the gates of hell, and defied Heaven's fate, but there is one thing he won't compromise on: my safety. I'm surprised he hasn't appointed me a body guard, honestly. That man would be happy and content if I wore bubble wrap and a helmet everywhere I went.

"Hello, Nora Grey speaking." I answer my cell on the second ring.

"Holy crap, babe. Do you know how hard it is to get through to you? I mean, I'm practically your sister and I had to jump through like twelve hoops just to get on the phone with you! Like, was the screening of my call really necessary? Security questions? For real? I mean, c'mon. It's a damn good thing that I know the name of your childhood pet, for god's sake -" My silence after Vee's rant stops her mid sentence. "Oh my sweet goodness. Did you not know about your calls being screened?"

I take a deep, calming breathe and relax my death-like grip on the steering wheel. It's a good thing that I'm talking on the hands-free headset because I might have crushed that little chunk of metal in my hands if I was holding it. I clench my jaw and through gritted teeth, I say, "Hi, Vee. And no, I didn't know that Patch put up screenings of my calls and messages. That will be… dealt with later." Another breath, in and out. Later, I promise myself. Freak out later. God, he is in so much trouble.

Vee's laugh fills the car and she says, "Oh honey, that man is as good as dead. Sorry I had to be the bearer of bad news. But honestly! He's gone off the deep end with the whole safety thing."

I bite my lip and reply hesitantly, "Well, Vee, I guess I can see where he's coming from. If anything had happened to him, I know that I would be just as crazy as he is now." I sigh and shake my head.

This thought sobers her up real quick. She replies, "…how are you doing Nora? I haven't talked with your since your episode in the woods. I didn't want to overwhelm you, but it's been a few days now and I wanted to see how things were."

I smile at my friend's sincerity and thoughtfulness. "I don't know… a lot has happened since then, but nothing that I want to discuss over the phone. And I have a date night tonight with Patch, so maybe we can get together tomorrow for lunch? How is that?"

"That sounds perfect Nora! Tomorrow it is. I have to go back to England soon, but I have a few more days in town. I just want to spend time with you." I can almost hear her smile over the phone. We arrange a place to meet tomorrow, say our goodbyes, and I end the call.

Today, I'm running all around Coldwater. I just dropped off Patch's suit to the dry cleaners, I need to shop for a date night outfit for myself, and I'll probably pick up some extra things here and there. But since I was so lost in the phone call, I ended up driving past my exit. "Drat." I muttered to myself, getting off at the next exit, an unfamiliar one.

Pulling off into the nearest parking lot off the strange exit, I reach into the back seat to pull out my GPS and find my way back into town. When I glance up out my windshield, I notice that I pulled into a tiny bakery parking lot off the main road. "I guess it's my lucky day!" I laugh as my stomach rumbles, loudly. Grabbing my purse, I get out to explore this quaint and perfect little bakery/cafe.

A tiny bell jingles as I open the front door. A cute, warm old man greets me from behind the counter with a joyful, "Good morning!" This place feels like an inviting, home-y cafe, and I already love it. Scanning the chalkboard menu of signature drinks, I order a caramel latte and I pick up a warm, fresh blueberry muffin. Once I pay for my coffee and pastry, I thank the old man and turn back to go to my car.

Right as I turn around, I run into a large wall of someone and nearly spill my scalding hot latte all over them. Luckily, it doesn't spill, but I am still mortified and flustered. I blurt, "I am so sorry! Are you ok? Oh my gosh, I am so clumsy, are you ok?"

The person puts their hands on my arm and says, "I'm fine, its ok, really." I am doing my best to avoid awkward eye contact and just make a beeline for the exit, but they say, "Nora?" and I nearly spill my coffee out of pure shock.

"…Detective Basso! Wow, what a surprise! Its so great to see you!" It honestly is great, this man has been a huge part of my life for the past year and I've been meaning to get in touch with him. "Please, Detective, let me get you a coffee!"

He refuses to let me buy him anything, but we do agree that it would be lovely to talk for a bit over coffee. He makes his purchase and we find a secluded table in the corner of the shop to sit.

I start by saying, "Listen. I just wanted to start by saying that I've been meaning to call… I really have, its just… life got a little crazy. And I know thats no excuse, but…" I trail off, not knowing how to finish.

"Nora, its ok. I understand that life gets that way. But next time, I'll be here if you need to talk. About anything. You know that, right?" My eyes tear up a little and I nod, trying to pull myself together. God, why am I crying? I laugh as I dab my eyes and apologize for crying like a child. It's just that… Basso is like a father figure to me. He's been there, especially recently, when my dad wasn't alive to be.

He looks a little nervous. So I say, "Spit it out, Basso. You look like you need to tell me something. Let me be the one to listen this time."

He gives me a casual smirk and says seriously, "Yeah. I do, actually." His somber tone changes the mood of the conversation. I urge him to continue. "Listen, Nora. I'm going to be upfront and honest with you, because I hope you'll be honest with me. The truth is… I talked to Patch recently."

With this, I huff out a breath that I was holding. "Basso! That's fine. You made it sound like something bad! You can talk to Patch anytime you want, you two are allowed to have a friendship outside of me, you know."

He shakes his head slowly; clearly I am not understanding. "No, sweetie. I talked to him… about you."

"Me?! What about me? Nothing bad, I hope!" I laugh in an attempt to alleviate the tension in this conversation. I do not like where it is heading.

Basso rubs his hands across his face. I am not making this easy for him, now he's just going to have to be straightforward. "Nora, I'll tell you what he said because I don't want any secrets between us. The other day, Patch called me. He sounded worried out of his mind. He told me all about the-" He stops himself, but I know that he was about to tell me about whatever happened in the cemetery. "All about what has been going on. Most of which you don't need to worry about."

I huff in a frustrated way and throw my hands up. "So why are you telling me if its not supposed to concern me?"

"It is not supposed to concern you at all, because that part doesn't. But Nora, then we talked about you." He takes a swig of his coffee to collect himself. "He told me that you gained new nephilim powers, Nora. Something that not a single nephilim has done for the past few centuries. Patch told me about the miraculously fast healing." At his words, I freeze. Even though I didn't have a problem with Basso knowing, it was still shocking that Patch went behind my back and talked about a personal thing. This whole time, I had though that it was just between us. I had been thinking that it was just an "us" thing.

But I trust Basso. And right now, it seems like he is the person to tell everything to. And I mean everything. So I come clean. I start with an account of my fragile state from the woods, about how weak I was when I was lost from Patch and the miraculous recovery at our reunion. I confirm about the super healing that we observed after the kitchen incident. I tell him about the magnified senses that I discovered once I was alone. So far, Basso was quiet and contemplative, thinking about every detail that I told him. He nodded at the right times, allowing me to pause when I become frustrated or sad.

As for telling him about the auras and emotions… I'll keep that one to myself, for now. Really to myself, because not even Patch knows. I think that he suspects something else, but he hasn't told me. Once I had told Basso all that I was going to, I said, "I'm sorry that I didn't come to you right away with this. I just… was scared. It was all so new to me and I didn't know what to do." Even to my ears, this excuse sounds lame. But he accepts it.

"Thank you, Nora. For telling me everything. I really appreciate your complete honesty and trust." Just as he says this, I can't help but to notice his aura. My one secret, ironically remembered just as he thanks me for my honesty. His colors, quite a bit duller than Patch's, are a split of relief and worry. Relief that I've told him, but worry about what I've told him.

"Wait!" I exclaim, startling him a little with my outburst. "Basso, can you promise me that this will stay between us? I will tell Patch everything, just… at my own time. Can you promise me that?" I plead with him, desperate to keep Patch calm for just a little longer.

"Oh, Nora. If that's what you want… I'll promise." I begin to thank him fervently, but he holds up his hand and says, "On one condition."

My breath catches in my throat as I wait for the condition. He says, "I'll keep this between us, if you let me take you to see a doctor. Just to run a few, simple and harmless tests." At the mention of doctors and tests, I gulp and begin to breath quick, shallow breaths. He takes my hand and says, "Nora, I would never let anyone hurt you. I know of a very nice, very nephilim doctor, and maybe she can tell us more about your new abilities. We can test your strength and speed, your agility and your mind. Maybe we can even discover abilities that you don't even know you possess! Please, let me take you. I want to know that you're healthy and safe. I need to know that you're healthy and safe."

After a minute, I nod resolutely. "Yes, I'll agree to that Basso. Take me there now."

PPOV

I have a date tonight with the loveliest woman in the world. Unfortunately, she is also the only woman in the world that has the ability to drive me crazy with worry. I didn't know it was possible to be this concerned about someone other than yourself. For centuries, it was only me. I worried about such selfish, stupid things. But now, this entirely new person in my life has me wrapped around her finger.

Speaking of wrapped around her finger… I want to be. Literally. I want my ring to be on her finger, I want the whole world to know that she belongs to me and I belong to her. I think I've known it since I first met her. Hell, I think I have waited my entire existence to be with this woman. Every fiber of my being lives for her; for her happiness, her safety, for her love. I can't imagine my life without her in it, and I don't want to. So today, one of the most important nights in my hundred year life, I'm going to propose to the love of my life. My sweet Angel.

To say that I'm nervous would be an understatement. In a minute, I'll leave the apartment to go to the jewelers to pick up the custom engagement ring. I'm pacing around the bedroom after she left for the day, I'm triple checking my appointment at the jewelers, and I jump at every slight sound. The anticipation of her reaction is what is getting to me. I mean, I'm pretty sure she'll say yes. If she doesn't, we have been living in two very different worlds for the past year. What if she doesn't say anything? I'll just be kneeling there like a complete idiot, begging her to marry me. Maybe she'll laugh and tell me to stop being ridiculous. I guess I would deserve that.

In case she comes back early, I scrap together a note saying that I'm just grocery shopping and to call if she gets home first. I leave it on the kitchen counter and I head out of our apartment, towards the elevator.

I hear the bing of the elevator as it starts to close and I yell out, "Hold that, please!" I see a hand jump out to catch the doors for me. I bustle in, sliding past the kind stranger that held the door for me. "Thank you" I say, nodding politely to this young, 20-something woman. I'm lost in my thoughts of diamonds and promises, so I don't hear her at first when she asks me what floor I'm going to. She asks again. "Oh, sorry. Garage level please."

I haven't been paying attention to her, just trying to ride out this elevator with as little awkwardness as possible. So when she literally backs me into a corner, I'm against the wall and forced to meet her eyes. She is tall, blonde, and well-manicured. I'm not outwardly rude to her, but her advances are making me uncomfortable. She is definitely not my type. Well, everyone that isn't Nora is not my type, but her fake dyed hair and long nails are especially not my taste. She practically purrs, "So, you've lived here long? I just moved into this building yesterday from out of town. My name is Juliette. And yours?"

I'm a little taken aback, that was a lot for the first exchange of words. So I stammer, "Patch. I've lived here for a while and I've been living with my girlfriend here for about a year now." I emphasized girlfriend, hoping she would take the hint and back off. I don't want to give too much away to a stranger, but I almost couldn't resist calling Nora my fiance. When I say the word girlfriend I expect her face to drop, but instead she smiles and says, "Oh, how lovely. I'd love to meet her someday too. She's a lucky girl." Okay, that was unexpected. And what is 'she's a lucky girl' supposed to mean?

The door pings as it opens to the lobby, the floor she's getting off at. She spins on her heels, and before she exits the cart she says, "It was nice to meet you, Patch. I'll be seeing you around." The doors close and I'm left wondering what had just happened.

Later

"Mr. Cipriano? We're ready to see you now." I stand as the woman takes me into a back office of the jewelers, to meet with the man in charge of creating my custom ring. Known as one of the best jewelers in the northeast region, Pierre LeBlanc has crafted diamonds and precious gems for years. I have sought him out to create the ring because, well… I want the best for my Angel. I want every man in town to see this ring and know that I'm the one who put it there.

As I enter, Pierre stands. "Mr. LeBlanc, its a pleasure to meet you," I say cordially, extending my hand for a firm handshake. He takes it and replies, "Ah, Mr. Cipriano. The pleasure is all mine. And please, call me Pierre." He has a thick European accent that fills the room and fits his large stature.

We sit and he begins to talk. "Here, I have all of the sketch plans for the ring. It is a halo cut diamond in the center, vintage style, with a twisted white gold band encrusted with diamonds, just as we discussed." He shows me the preliminary sketches. I know that he has the physical ring in his possession, so I'm eager to skip over the build-up and get straight to holding it in my hands.

I fire questions his way, testing his dedication and attention to detail regarding this creation. "Polish? Facets? Weight? Clarity? Table?"

"Excellent, hundreds, 2.02 ct, an SI2 clarity, and 51%, Mr. Cipriano. I assure you, I have been very involved over the past few weeks to ensure that this ring is everything you asked for." Pierre's posture is confident, but I can see in his eyes that he is nervous that it won't meet my expectations. Since we've started working together, I have made it very clear that I am not a man that you should disappoint. "Very well, Pierre. I'm sure it is perfect." He visibly relaxes.

He sets down the prints and stands. Crossing the room, he stands in front of a safe that is built into the wall. He enters the combination, and a loud clicking sound booms through the room as the heavy door swings open. I can see a small, velvet box sitting inside. Pierre pulls it out and walks it back to me, setting it in my outstretched hand. The box feels heavy in my hand; from the weight of the materials or from the weight of the meaning of this ring, I'm not sure. I open it carefully and examine it. I keep my face stoic, but inside, my heart melts. It is absolutely perfect. I shut the box and tuck it into my inside jacket pocket, nodding my approval. "It is a masterpiece. Flawless, Pierre."

Pierre begins, "Mr. Cipriano, I'm so glad it meets your expectations. Although we haven't discussed the final price, I still have the blank check you gave me in my possession. Would you still like for me to use that?"

I smile and say, "Yes, use the blank check. Besides, I've told you that price is no matter. You can send me a receipt once you have written the check. Thank you again for your services Pierre." At this, I shake his hand and walk out of his office.

I can't believe it. The ring that is burning a hole in my pocket makes this real. Absolutely real. Tonight is actually the night that I'm going to start the rest of my life. The rest of our lives.

A/N: Hi lovelies! This story is taking on a life of its own. I have so many plans and so many things to include! I have like five major plot twists all lined up and ready to be written. Gah! I'm so excited to share with you!

Thank you to all of my lovely, loyal reviewers. And to my amazing new ones! Each and every one of you brings me such happiness. Please continue to leave your thoughts. xx