A/N: I've never loved these characters more. I hope you enjoy and leave your thoughts. xx

NPOV

"Yes, I'll agree to that Basso. Take me there now." I'm surprised that my voice doesn't crack or waver with my command. I'm a ball of nerves inside, though I do my best to keep a hard exterior. Basso doesn't need to know that I'm freaking out. He's already worried about me enough. Too many people in my life are worried about me all the time - I should really try harder to act like I'm fine. They have enough to think about, they don't need to add me to that list.

We stand from our corner table in the bakery and walk towards the parking lot, waving goodbye to the old man at the counter as we exit. "We'll take my car, Nora," Basso offers, a squinting look in his eye that makes me think that he wouldn't trust my driving. I'm about to make a comment like, 'oh, you don't trust my driving?' when I realize - at any time, I could gain a new power, and lose control. It's a scary thought, knowing that I'm not in control of my body. Not really. Basso opens the passenger door to his huge SUV and I jump in. For the most part, we ride in silence on the way to the clinic. It's only a twenty minute drive, according to Basso. Every once in a while, we make light conversation. But each word is strained and tense. I think that both of us are nervous.

After a few minutes of silence, the car turns onto a road lined with oak trees. The long road turns out to be a driveway, leading to a small building that sits next to an enormous field of wheat. It's really a striking scene, the field. The wind blows through the golden wheat and creates shimmering waves. I step out of the car into the warm sun, closing my eyes and turning into the heat. In this moment, I'm calm. But I know what this is - the calm before the storm. Basso puts a hand on my shoulder, but I don't flinch. I know what he is going to say. "We should get in there, Nora." I take one last deep breath, and nod, following him.

We step into the foyer of this space and I look around, admiring the decor. The waiting room is full of deep cherry wood tables, brass accents, and dim lighting that allows the atmosphere to straddle a delicate balance of restrained and relaxed. I feel at ease, relieved that it isn't the sterile, cold clinic that I pictured in my mind. The door on the far side of the room opens, revealing a beautiful woman doctor dressed in a white lab coat. Her chestnut hair, streaked with a gorgeous silver, is pulled back softly into a low bun. A few loose and unruly tendrils frame her face. In the first few seconds that I see her, the colors of her aura begin to show. There are swirls of peaceful green, flowing into a friendly and warming yellow. Basso mentioned before we came that she was a nephilim doctor, so I was expecting the brightness and vibrancy of her colors… but wow. I feel like I know her, like I've been in her presence before. I couldn't see auras a couple days ago, but I think that I recognize her…

I must have been zoned out for a minute or two, because I'm snapped back into reality when I hear her say, "Nora? Its good to see you again. How is Patch?" She's crossed the room by now, and she stands in front of me, smiling. Again? I think to myself. When…

And then… it clicks. "You… you were a doctor there, in the hospital! After I was attacked outside of Bo's. You stopped Patch and I in the hallway as we were escaping… you said you did my catscan. I remember!" I gasp for breath after all of those memories poured out of my mouth. I look at the name on her lab coat and it reads: Dr. Claire Greene.

"Hello, Nora. " She smiles warmly, showing a set of perfectly white teeth. "Yes, I am the doctor that you saw that day. I just happened to be at the hospital that night when I did your catscan. I recognized you as a nephilim immediately, but you were unconscious. So when I felt a nephilim presence in the hallway, I had to stop you." She raises her eyebrows, waiting for my reaction.

"Dr. Greene, you said that you were a friend of Basso's, I should have connected it…" I looked to Basso, standing next to me, and he shrugs and says, "I honestly didn't know that you and Claire had met, Nora."

"Well, we're about to get very acquainted with each other, if you'll allow. And please, call me Claire." She reaches out for me and touches me softly on the shoulder. Everything about her screams a gentle, motherly presence. "You can come back into my office, Nora. Detective Basso has told me a little about the miraculous healing powers that you've gained."

I follow her through French double doors, down a short hallway that opens into a large room. The room is obviously some sort of doctor's office and lab hybrid. There were exam tables, vital sign monitors, catscan, MRI, and ultrasound machines, along with other diagnostic tools. All things that I have seen before, but knowing that I'll be tested on them was a bit daunting and scary. Dr. Greene saw my mind begin to spin with all of the equipment, and she said softly, "Why don't you have a seat, I'll explain everything. I would never hurt you or make you do something that you didn't want to do, Nora. You know that, right?"

I take a seat, letting Basso and Dr. Greene sit on either side of me. I start the conversation by declaring, "I just want you both to know, that this is all new to me. ALL of it. That means that I haven't been doing any of these things for very long, and I'm scared. There are times where my powers are so beautiful that they're amaze me, and there are times when my powers scare me. So please, bear with me with whatever happens today." I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear and look into my lap, surprised at myself for being so commanding and forward.

Dr. Greene nods and writes something on her clipboard. She sees me eyeing her elegant script and reassures me, "Oh, don't worry. I'm just taking notes of everything that happens today, so I can look back and see if I missed any clues the first time."

My eyebrows scrunch together. "Clues? Clues for what, exactly?"

"Clues to tell us why this is happening, sweetheart. You are the first nephilim to acquire new and advanced powers that transcend all previous ability. You're here so that we can run tests to determine the scope of your powers, but I'm also trying to figure out why you've gained them." I nod in understanding, because I also want to know why. She stands and reaches for my hand. "Here, darling. I'll explain each test along the way, so you'll know whats happening."

As I stand, Dr. Greene turns her head to Basso and says, "Detective, if it's alright with Nora, I'd like for the room to just be the two of us. I'm afraid, in your presence, she'll hold back what she's feeling so that she won't worry you."

Basso's aura swirls grey with anxiety, thinking of leaving me. He looks to me, silently asking me what I want. But as soon as Dr. Greene said those words, I knew they were true. If Basso were to stay, I would hold back. Hold back my feelings, my powers, my honesty. So I look to Basso and tell him gently, "She's right, Basso. As much as I want you in here, it wouldn't help anything. I wouldn't focus."

"Ok, Nora. If that's what makes you feel comfortable. I'll be right outside if you need anything." He presses a weak smile at me, squeezes my hand, and walks out of the room. The closing of the doors echoes throughout the lab, sobering my thoughts and making me nervous. Dr. Greene keeps smiling at me, as if I'm a terminally ill patient and she just wants to make me comfortable. But I'm not a terminally ill patient, as far as I know. I just have some… extra powers.

Dr. Greene sets down her clipboard and takes my hand, asking, "So, Nora… I'm going to start by taking a blood sample." When she notices my look of horror, she laughs. "It's ok, sweetheart! Just a little needle and a few seconds. It'll be over before you know it."

"I'm anemic," I say, gulping. My healthy red blood cells don't like me very much, and they like to quit on me. If I don't take precautions, it leaves me fatigued and leaves my blood without enough oxygen to function.

"How has your anemia been since you've gained these new powers? Any problems with your levels?" Dr. Greene holds her pencil over the pad of paper, ready to record my answer.

I open and close my mouth, trying to remember. "I… I haven't taken my iron medication since then, actually. And I've been fine. Better than fine, actually. Do you think that it might be… cured?" My mind spins with this possibility. All my life, I've been anemic. And now, I've gained powers and lost my anemia?

"Its possible," Dr. Greene said, writing on her paper. "Until we figure this out, anything is possible. I'm going to draw some blood now for my later analysis." She turns and pulls a needle and glass vial out of a desk drawer. I sit down in an exam chair, lay my arm down on an armrest, and clench my fist. Thankfully, she finds a vein easily and takes a vial of my blood. I'm still a bit squeamish about blood, so I look away. But by the time I look down at my arm once she's removed the needle, the skin is smooth and back to the way it was. "Incredible," she mutters.

I sputter a laugh and say, "HA! You think that's incredible? Watch this." Feeling daring, probably from just finding out that I am now not an anemic, I reach past her to grab a tool off of one of the rolling carts. It's a scalpel. I take it and quickly slice the top of my left forearm, hissing at the slight pain. Dr. Greene exclaims loudly, "Nora! What are you doing?!"

"Shh," I say. "Just watch." I smirk as I see her face drop when the wound begins to stitch itself together. In a second, just like all other times, the only thing that remains is the blood on my arm. She gasps and reaches for my wrist, turning my arm over and trying to understand. She looks into my eyes and says, "If this is only the beginning, which I believe it is, you have more abilities than any of us realize."

We continue on with a series of tests. First, she asks me to move to one corner of the room, where a treadmill was stationed. Dr. Greene attached wire pads to my temples, chest, and arms to measure all of my levels. She told me, "Run as fast and as long as you can comfortably. Tell me if you want the speed to go faster." I began to jog at a medium pace, finding it entirely too easy. I jerked my thumb up, indicating that she could make it faster. Another jerked thumb, a little faster. Faster, faster, faster. I still wasn't tired or breaking a sweat. When I asked for it to speed up again because it wasn't quite challenging, she stops the machine gradually and tells me, "Nora, that was the absolute fastest it could go. And you weren't even tired."

"Oh," I whisper, not sure what to say. "Well… I guess I just gained a lot of physical powers." I give a nonchalant shrug of my shoulders.

But Dr. Greene doesn't miss a thing. She has an innate lie detector, I guess. "You certainly have. But you're also keeping something from me. You have another power that you've discovered, don't you?" Her eyebrows shoot up as I gulp, audibly. "I would love for you to tell me. I'm here to help you, Nora. I can't help you if you don't let me. Of course, there is doctor-patient confidentiality."

The auras that I can see - thats what I'm keeping from her. Right now, her colors are a mix of calming and wise violet, and a warm, inviting yellow. She has no hidden intentions or malicious feelings. It's so tempting, getting this off my chest. But what would she say? Would she look at me like a freak? Would she run endless tests on me, like a lab rat? I don't think I could handle that scrutiny. But, she is my doctor, and if I want to be thorough with this exam, I need to tell her.

In a small defeat, I shrink into myself and look down. I mumble, "You're right. I haven't told Basso, or Patch, or you… I do have another power. And it's frightening and overwhelming and beautiful all at the same time." I bite my lip and add, "I'm not quite sure how to explain it without sounding crazy."

Dr. Greene laughs and says, "Nora, although your case is special, I've seen it all. There isn't much that would surprise me with you at this point, you've proven yourself since you walked into my office. I haven't run yet, have I?" She adds a smile and waits for my response.

I twist my hands together and fidget in my chair. Clearing my throat, I begin by saying, "Uhm, I don't think you've heard anything like this…" Slowly, I close my eyes and prepare to vocalize the new power I've acquired, the one that scares me the most. "I… I can read emotions. And not like a physic where I just feel the vibe, although I do feel it as well. But I can actually see a physical color of a person's aura."

I smile a half-smile as I see Dr. Greene's face drop with shock. I speak my words slowly and carefully. "For example… right now, your confusion streaks your aura with grey. But your curiosity is a beautiful, pure blue. This whole time, you've had a warm and friendly yellow." With each word, Dr. Greene's mouth hangs open. I laugh, saying, "Now your colors are dancing! I've never seen this before, but I'm almost positive it's because you don't know what to feel."

"Nora, I… I don't know what to say. This is truly special, and has a significant meaning. All your other nephilim powers were hints, but this a game-changer." Her aura is swirling, and dominated by her confusion and worry, a storm cloud of concern. When I see this, my beaming smile falters. She realizes that I can see her worry and says, "I'm sure this is only good news. I do have a couple tests that I want to run…" She is lost in her thoughts, probably to try and make sense of this power.

Once again, I shrink into myself and look down at my lap. She probably thinks that I'm a freak, or she is afraid of me, or that I'm just crazy. Maybe I am crazy.

"If you could come with me over to this corner of the room, I just have one more test that I'd like to try for you." Smiling tightly, she stands and waves her hand to the corner of the room with a group of imaging machines. I notice that she doesn't touch my arm this time, like I have some sort of disease. Like there is something about me that she doesn't understand anymore. I nod my head and walk across the lab, light on my feet, as if everything around me is made of glass. As if the slightest touch could shatter my whole world.

"Nora, if you could just lie down on this exam table, please." Surrounding the table, there are a few trays with monitors, a few mobile machines. She walks to the closest desk and pulls out a pair of gloves and snaps them on. Dr. Greene is avoiding eye contact with me, busying herself with preparing whatever test she plans on running. I sit on the table, which is actually more of a reclining chair. My hands are clammy and my pulse is racing.

"Dr. Greene, I'm sorry if I've scared you with my power." She begins to argue, to tell me that I'm being ridiculous. But I need to say this. "I don't know how to deal with it. There is no one I can talk to that would understand. So thank you, for not running."

She clears her throat, and I think I see her eyes water with unshed tears, but then I blink, and they're gone. For the first time since I told her about the auras, she takes my hand in her gloved hand. "Nora, I will be here for you as you go through this. Don't hesitate to tell me anything, please." When she sees me nod my head in agreement, I hear her take a deep breath. "Nora, if I didn't believe you were as strong and capable as you are, it would be a lot harder to tell you what I'm about to say. But, I know that you're-"

Her words catch in her throat when she sees my expression. I've sat up straight, my eyes have widened, and my mouth is agape. I whisper, "Do you know what's wrong with me? Why this is happening? Have you known since I told you about the auras, and thats why you're acting weird?" Dr. Greene nods, and I say, "Well, whats wrong? I'm not dying… am I?"

Her voice reaches barely above a whisper. "I haven't run the test yet, but Nora, I believe that you are… pregnant."

The word echoes in my brain. My vision blurs for a minute, and her voice brings me back. The voice keeps saying my name. Nora. Nora. "Nora!" Dr Greene yells, finally snapping me out of my trance. My eyes circle the room until they find hers, sitting in front of me, staring at me.

I can only manage one whispered word: "Patch." My mind is a jumble of thoughts, but none of them seem to make sense. Nothing coherent flows through my brain, just a flood of memories from the past few weeks. Patch. The woods. The sickness. The powers.

"Nora," Dr. Greene says again, pulling me back once more. "I know this is quite shocking for you. Please, let me preform an ultrasound." Robotically, I recline in the exam chair. My arms and legs feel numb, and the buzzing of the overhead light seems louder. Dr. Greene continues to talk to me, telling me about what exactly she'll be doing, but I don't comprehend her words.

At one point, I hear her ask me to pull my shirt up to expose my stomach. My fingers accidentally touch the skin of my abdomen, and an electric tingle shoots through my body. Maybe I imagined it. More incomprehensible words from Dr. Greene as she pulls out a bottle of a clear, aloe like gel. She squirts some into her hands, rubs them together, and then puts it on my stomach. I suck in air through my teeth, feeling the extreme coolness of the gel on my bare skin. "Sorry, that was the worst part. None of this will hurt, Nora."

She holds a wand-like remote, the tip covered in the gel, and brings it toward my midsection. Pressing hard, she moves it around and keeps her eyes focused on the screen in front of her. I don't know where to look. I alternate from her face, to my stomach, to the ceiling, to my hands. I'm not sure that I can look at the screen right now. After a minute, her hand stops moving.

There is a distinct, loud thumping in my ears, and I just think it's my own pulse that races in my throat. The next words that Dr. Greene say change my whole world. "Nora. Do you hear that? That is your baby's heartbeat."

My eyes water and my throat closes. My voice cracks as I squeak out, "My baby?" Tears rush from my eyes, flowing down my cheeks. Five minutes ago, when she told me I might be pregnant, I never thought the word 'baby'. Hearing this heartbeat, I can't imagine thinking of anything else. This is real. My vision is blurred by my tears, and the sobbing that I hear is probably coming from me. I turn my head and look at the screen for the first time. I throw my hand over my mouth, trying to keep my sobs in. Right there, on the screen, I see a little thrumming heartbeat. My baby.

All of a sudden, the screen goes black. "NO!" I yell, twisting out of my seat.

"Nora! NORA! Its okay, your baby is fine. I just stopped the ultrasound." I realize that she had removed the wand from my stomach. My reaction startled me, and her. There are too many thoughts running through my head, and that little heartbeat was the only thing that made them all stop.

I look to Dr. Greene. She begins, "I know that this is all very overwhelming. But I need you to calm down, and steady your own heartbeat. Distress is not good for you right now." I take several deep and calming breaths. "Good," she says.

I say, "How is this possible? I mean, I know how, but with Patch and I? That shouldn't be possible! He is an angel and I'm a nephilim. What does this mean?"

"Honestly, this has never happened before. I don't know how or why is it possible. Your child is special, and I think it is the source of your powers. I think once we line up the clues, we can determine exactly when you conceived." My brain struggles to wrap itself around the idea: "The… source of my powers?" I ask, and Dr. Greene says that she thinks that is a possibility. When she tries to tell me more, I shut down.

I put my hands on my stomach and begin to cry, this time out of my fear for the future. My mind goes into overdrive. "This can't be happening. This baby will never have a normal life, it won't have normal parents. I didn't want this for myself, at least not yet. I'm not ready for this, I'm only barely an adult myself. I haven't discussed this with Patch, not really. What if he doesn't want this? Of course he doesn't want this, I'd be tying down his entire life. Oh dear god, he's going to hate me."

The mobile machines that I am hooked up to, monitoring my heart rate and vitals, start going off like crazy. They beep incessantly, reflecting my erratic heartbeat. Suddenly, its all too much. I pull off the attachments, disentangling myself from the web of wires. Dr. Greene tries to stop me, telling me that I'm safe. I jump from the chair and weave my way through all the machines in the lab. More tears blur my vision, but I concentrate and focus on the thudding of my feet as I run away from Dr. Greene and this mess of my life. I burst open the French double doors that lead to the lobby. Basso, having patiently waited for me to come out, stands up to greet me. With my tear-stained face, I rush past him without an explanation. I bolt for the front exit.

The warm sun hits my face and envelopes me like a blanket. I turn towards the gold wheat field next to this place and I run to it. The breeze flows over the wheat, creating waves. I stand in the field, brushing my hands over the tops of the grain and closing my eyes. My fingers trail lazily from the wheat to the hem of my shirt. I rest my hands lightly on my flat stomach and stand still. A feeling of peace flows from my fingertips, all the way to my heart. Everything is still.

"How are we going to do this?" I whisper into the air, looking at my hands. My words are taken away by the wind, and I am left alone in the midday silence.

A/N: Thank you for the continued support, it means more than you know. I'm so sorry to keep you all waiting for this long, but I hope it was worth it. I appreciate each and every review, my lovely readers. Until next chapter, xx