Patch's POV
I hugged Nora and went to hug Noel, but she stood there like a statue. I pulled away and her eyes were completely emotionless as she stared off.
She's been like this since we got back to Vee's house. She ate a chip before we left on the plane and she hasn't slept whatsoever. Patch, I'm so worried about her. Nora thought to me as we began to walk toward the baggage claim. Noel walked behind us in complete silence. I looked over my shoulder at her and offered my free hand because Nora was tucked under my other arm, but she just shook her head and put another foot of space between us.
We'll figure something out, Angel.
I know you two are talking about me, so you might as well do it out loud. I looked back at Noel and she was staring rather blatantly at me, as if she really didn't give any thought to mind speaking.
"We can get pizza on the way home," Nora said with forced enthusiasm as she watched our daughter when we came to a stop next to the baggage claim that hadn't started yet. Noel shrugged and looked around without making eye contact.
"Noel, you may not be human, but you're still you. You're still an amazing volleyball player, a student with a 4.0 GPA, the kind of friend a friend would like to have, a daughter that parents pray they'll have and never get, and so much more Princess. Can't you still see that?" I asked and she began to stare down at her hands that twisted against one another, "I hate to admit it, but Matt loves you sweetie. I doubt he wants you to close off from the world and from him."
"Yeah, you listed a bunch of normal things that I was. Did mom tell you how she's one of the most powerful Nephils in the world and yet she couldn't mind trick or whatever you call in on those fallen angels. But I could, I could destroy them mentally, and you want to tell me that I'm still me. That the same person who shot four men in the back is still the same person who walked on to that plane to England, because I don't see it, not anymore," Her lip quivered, like she was about to cry, and I decided to ease back to give her some breathing room. Nora was starting to get upset too and I hugged her against my side, much like I wanted to do to Noel, but I knew better. Noel grabbed her own bags as I grabbed Nora's and he headed out to the truck. From her carry on bag, I watched her pull out her cell phone, turn it off, and lightly toss it in the seat farthest from her without even glancing at the screen to see who had called and texted. We drove home in silence and Noel went straight to her room.
"I don't know what to do with her," Nora sighed, choking on a sob, and I walked over to wrap my arms around her. I didn't know either, couldn't understand what would convince her that she wasn't the abomination that she thought she was. Matt was human, but that shouldn't have deterred her so easily, not the daughter I used to know. We got into bed and Nora cried some more until she finally went to sleep and I lay there wondering what I could do. Noel had convinced herself that she wasn't normal, and we just needed to show her that being half Nephil and half fallen angel didn't give her the right to put her life on hold. I understood she was upset with the news, but I'd watched her get floor burns, bruises, and cuts on the volleyball court, and she shrugged off the pain like it was no big deal. She'd come home with a completely scraped up arm once when she'd fallen when playing outside and hadn't shed a tear. That Noel was still in there somewhere, I just had to find her. I remembered that she'd left her phone in the truck and an idea came to mind.
Noel's POV
I was lying in the hammock on the back porch. The doorbell had ringed, but my dad had answered it, and I didn't feel like getting up. I wanted Matt, but I didn't want him at the same time, or at least, I didn't want him to want me. What was I supposed to say? Sorry, let's flush three years of dating down the drain because I'm half of two things that never existed before a few days ago. I hope you have a nice life without me. I hadn't texted or called him, hadn't summoned up the courage to end it with the one person who meant everything to me. My eyes were closed when I heard the back door opened and I hoped it was Gran B because I could at least get her distracted enough to leave me alone.
"Noel?" My eyes shot open to find Matt standing just a little passed the doorway, a bouquet of carnations in his arms, my favorite flowers, and the guilt practically ate me alive in that very moment.
"Hi," My voice didn't sound quite right as I got out of the hammock to stand in front of Matt. He looked like Matt with his blond hair and big muscles, yet unfamiliar to me, was the pronounced concern in his blue eyes as he gazed at me. He was worried already and we hadn't said two words to one another. He reached forward to touch my cheek, a silent question hanging between us, but I instead took the carnations and went in the kitchen where we kept the vases.
"They're beautiful, thank you," I said, forcing a small smile, and I felt faker than Barbie. After putting them in water, I placed them in the center of the counter, and we stood there awkwardly as Matt continued to watch me and I continued to die a little on the inside.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked, quirking one of his half smiles, something that normally should've melted off my reservations, but I held tight to my walls.
"Yeah," I stuck my hands in my back pockets to avoid him reaching for one and kept enough space in between us so he couldn't wrap his arm around my shoulders. Seventy percent of our 10 acres was covered by trees, so it didn't take long for the house to disappear from view, or for me and Matt to be very alone. We came to a small clearing where we'd played, laughed, and kissed more times I could count. So many times we'd laid there in the warm sunlight in silence or whispered softly of things that connected us in a million ways. Matt stopped in the clearing and turned to me. I gulped, trying to figure out how I was going to break up with him, and how painful that consequence would be afterwards.
Why are you blocking me out Noel? I froze my eyes going wide as Matt gazed at me evenly after mind speaking. I just imagined it, I'd let my own need get the best of me, yes, that was it. Something happened and I don't know what, but it's hurting you, and I want to help. Nope, definitely didn't imagine that, and all I could do was stare dumbfounded at Matt before trying on my own.
How are you talking to me? You're not Nephil or fallen angel and I would know.
You're right, I'm not either of those things, I'm your guardian angel. All I could do was stare like a stupid child. Matt had grown up with me, he'd aged with me, and yet he was dropping his own bombshell on me. I didn't know up until I turned thirteen. The archangels came to me and explained my duty to protect you, that you were more powerful than either fallen angels or Nephils. They said I could tell you, but wait for the time to be right, and by fact that you're acting like you're about to break up with me, I think this would be a good time to lay my cards on the table, but I think you need to lay down your own hand as well. I'm still your Matt, baby, and that's never going to change.
In England, my mom and I got cornered by four fallen angels that aren't even supposed to exist anymore. She couldn't hurt them, but I could . . . and I did. Matt's eyes went wide and I couldn't react fast enough as he strode toward me and cradled my face between his hands.
"Are you okay? Did they hurt you?" Everything crumbled then and I felt tears stream down my face as Matt's arms folded around me as I cried into his sweatshirt, and then managed to cry some more. I could hear him whispering in my ear promises, how much he loved me, how everything would be okay, and that he was here, with me. By the end, when my sobs had turned into petty sniffles, he pulled away enough to wipe the last few tear drops from my cheeks, and then pulled me close again as I clung to him. We stood there for minutes on end, just taking the other in, until finally I felt the tsunami that had hit me recede back into my emotions, and I could admit to myself that I was okay.
"So you knew?" I asked, my voice slightly muffled against the fabric of his hood. One arm was wrapped around me like a boa constrictor while one hand rubbed up and down my back.
"I did. I could tell your parents hadn't told you, so I decided I'd wait until they did before I told you what I was. I didn't think you'd find out that way though. Good God, what would I have done if something happened to you, Noel, I couldn't live with myself," The fear in his voice was tangible as he pushed his face in my hair.
"So you're not normal, like me?"
"What about you was normal before? This coming from the girl who goes deer hunting with me every year and has no problem gutting it, but screams bloody murder when she sees a little worm," He chuckled as he pushed our foreheads together and I felt the internal knot within me loosen, "You know I still love you more than anything, don't you?"
"Of course I do, just like I love you because you're my everything," I whispered back, kissing his cheek, and he grinned. I missed that smile so much.
"That's my girl," He said right before he kissed me softly, like a kiss that hadn't even happened, before making it more forceful and real. I kissed him back with as much passion as he offered, feeling myself become whole again, and watching those dangerous thoughts drown as Matt's love protected me from it all.
"Why'd you end up coming today?" I whispered when we finally parted.
"Your dad called me from your cell phone, told me the trip got cut short, and I was invited over," I smiled at my dad's thoughtfulness, though if Matt would've told me that before this all went down, I might've considered killing my dad for forcing me through this.
"Does he know what you are?"
"No, the archangels made it so my energy or whatever is like a human's. I don't think we should tell them quite yet, considering that's just going to reinforce the fact as to why I'm such a clingy boyfriend," He teased with a smile.
"So when I stop aging?"
"I'll stop aging with you. Sorry babe, you'll be stuck with me for kind of as long as forever," He teased against my temple, kissing all over my face, and I held at him tighter.
"Damn, I thought I'd got rid of you by the time college came around," I teased back and he chuckled again before pulling away, wrapping an arm around my shoulders, and we headed back toward the house. We didn't have to talk, just enjoy the other, and I couldn't help but smile like I'd just won the lottery. Everything was quiet when we walked back in the house and I found a note from my mom that she and dad had gone out for dinner and that Matt was allowed to stay over for the night, that she'd "cleared" it with his parents. I showed him the note while I hunted through the refrigerator to find a whole pizza that was from a couple of days ago, before I'd wanted to start eating again. We didn't bother heating it up as we went downstairs to the family room to turn on a movie. We each had half of the pizza and Matt told me how sexy it was that I could eat that much. Exhausted from my emotional turmoil over the last few days, the last thing I remembered was curling up against Matt, and closing my eyes.
Nora's POV
"Do you smell bacon?" I whispered to Patch as I pushed on to my elbow with sleepy eyes. Patch mumbled something and pulled me back against him and I smiled. We'd left our door cracked open last night and Noel's laugh carried up to me and that even had Patch sitting up in surprise.
"I think it's about time we see how our daughter is," He murmured. I changed into some more decent clothes and threw my hair back in a ponytail as Patch put on some shorts and a t-shirt before we headed down stairs. When we entered the kitchen, Noel had a huge smile on her face, and playfully cheered as Matt flipped two pancakes at once. There was already a sizeable pile on the serving plate, along with that there was freshly cut up fruit, bacon, milk, orange juice, and the coffeepot had just finished making a fresh batch.
"You're finally up sleepyheads!" Noel teased with the same smile as she placed our plates in front of us as we sat down in the bar stools. She'd watched us make our own coffee enough to know what we liked and set steaming cups in front of us along with the assorted arrangement of fruits, syrup, and whipped cream.
"Did you go for a run this morning?" Patch asked.
"Yep," Noel popped the P and Matt kissed her cheek as she passed him to get the newest pancakes off the pan before he poured the last of the mix. He peeked over his shoulder at Patch considering how careful they normally were about their PDA around us. Patch only nodded his head in permission.
I'm glad you're doing better Princess. Patch said it so both of us could hear and I smiled.
Thank you for calling Matt when I couldn't daddy. She leaned and kissed Patch on the cheek before getting her own plate ready for her breakfast. With both kids distracted, Patch and I kissed, and I was glad to see my little girl as happy as before, maybe even a little bit lighter.
AN: So I really like this chapter and please review!
