CHAPTER 2

BEST FRIENDS & PROTECTION, LOVE & DEVOTION

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

A few weeks had passed since the Cipriano's had moved in and the boys were now a permanent fixture at the Grey estate. The funny thing was things weren't going the way Clista had originally thought they would. She had come to simply adore young Patch, how could she not when the ten year old had taken little Nora under his wing and protected her like a best friend and big brother and not an annoyance. He had even managed to befriend Vee who, until the Cipriano boys had moved in, thought boys were 'utterly disgusting'. Rixon was there right along side Patch, but Clista had already noticed some sibling rivalry brewing over her youngest granddaughter whom Rixon had a little crush on that big brother Patch did NOT approve of for his friend. Even at the age of five Clista knew that the look Nora wore whenever Patch was around spelled love and devotion of the more than a friend kind for later in life. It was as if Patch were the answer to every question. Yes, that girl was destined to fall hard one day when she discovered boys were useful as more than just friends and if Patch kept wearing the same expression she had when he was spending time with her. Patch had a face that other than promising trouble was virtually unreadable. By the age of ten his life had been so tightly controlled that he had perfected the art of masking all feelings and emotions. That made Clista's heartache for the young Cipriano.

Patch and Nora became vast and true best friends, they had the kind of relationship that most adults weren't capable of cultivating. Patch and Vee were the same age, but it was Rixon entertaining Vee and Patch looking out for Nora if they all four weren't together.

As time passed and the kids got a little older Clista watched as Nora latched herself onto Patch's leg or back or simply followed him wherever he went. Now that she had knew the Cipriano boys she knew had no worries that Patch would hurt Nora, instead she knew that Nora was safest with him. He took his job as her guardian very seriously.

The children had grueling schedules for their young ages. The boys parents had them enrolled in martial art classes. Both Patch and Rixon were already showing peak physical shape and winning all of their competitions. Every season they were expected to participate in whatever the current sport was, they were always on a team of some sort whether it be football or baseball or something else. All four kids were expected to learn an instrument and at least one other language, not counting Italian that the Cipriano family spoke when at home. Their son's were fluent in both English and Italian and spoke both with beautiful accents and perfect pronunciation, never overlapping the languages when talking. They were eloquent and flawless, just how they were expected to be.

Patch played the guitar and Nora could sit for hours listening to him and when they thought no one was watching them she would hear one or both of them singing quietly. They never sang for anyone else, just for each other which was a real shame since both had natural talent for it. It was probably for the best anyhow Clista thought, once their parents heard them they'd be twisting that for their own benefit and scheduling the already over booked kids for more things to draw attention to them as if they were the worlds best parents.

Later Clista noticed she was spending more time focusing on caring for Vee and Rixon while Patch catered to Nora. He walked her to and from her school bus each day rain or shine, then he sat with her as she did her homework after he made her an after school snack. He helped her understand anything she struggled with, that wasn't much since all four kids were exceptionally smart. Vee had the hardest time in school. Their parents didn't deserve any of the credit for their school success, but that didn't stop them from claiming they did. Patch even sat through cartoons with Nora when he had long since outgrown them. As serious as he was about his job taking care of his little friend they still had a lot of fun together. Clista had to laugh at the memory of the day Blythe had dressed the girls all up for church service, demanding they not do anything to ruin their expensive dresses or embarrass her. Vee liked clothes and dressing up but her little sister didn't and just as Clista had suspected when she first met Patch he was every bit the mischief maker she thought he was. Patch knew that Nora hated dresses and that she would follow him anywhere so when he thought no one was looking he lead her unaware to a big mud hole behind their house and just like he knew she would Nora jumped right in after him church dress and all. To say that her daughter-in-law was furious would have been the understatement of the century! When Blythe turned her back Clista had a good laugh at the sneaky and creative way Patch had 'helped' his best friend out of the outfit she despised. Blythe blamed the older boy for being a bad influence, which he had been, but Clista knew the whole time that Nora had willingly jumped in after Patch. She also knew that he had gone into it knowing he would take the blame and keep Nora from being in trouble so Clista just smiled and kept their secret. Not even Patch knew she had witnessed the whole transgression. They would be the only one's who knew the truth about the day the dress met the mud puddle. Clista just wasn't the type of grandma to tattle, after all what is a secret if it's shared and what the kids didn't know, or Blythe for that matter, didn't hurt them. It wasn't like he pushed Nora in front of a car.

Around the same time Patch took an interest in learning to make Italian food from his family's professional Italian chef. He took Patch under his wing tutoring him in the fine art of cooking. It wasn't long before Patch could put his mentor to shame in the kitchen. As soon as he had become competent Patch had taken over cooking and feeding the other three kids. Clista enjoyed the break as she sat back with a smooth glass of wine and watched her grandchildren interact with each other. It was Patch who could get Nora to eat her vegetables when no one else could get her to even try a sliver of them. All the threats and punishments in the world from her parents hadn't made a damn bit of difference.

Patch and Nora, Vee and Rixon were dragged from party to party from event to event as their parents were at the pinnacle of who's who among the socialites, partly because Clista was a descendant of one of the family's that formed the town of Coldwater Creek and even though she had money at her disposal her and Nick had made their living on their own in their own way building their own empire together. That didn't stop her from being known in the community as one of the few with "old money", she was easily the wealthiest in the entire area. In her opinion these activities were just set up as excuses to drink from an open bar and try and outdo each other through 'entertaining stories' of their lives that were really only a form of bragging while appearing friendly with each other. Clista was forced to watch as the young one's she tended to were treated like trophy's in a case by their parents that they would leave to collect dust until the next gathering where they would bring them out and show them off before placing them back to be ignored until the next time. The only reason she even attended these things was to keep an eye on her young troops.

When puberty hit for young Patch and kids his age he had girls falling all over themselves trying to get to him just as Clista had predicted. She nicknamed him 'stud'. At thirteen he could lay on the charm with the ladies already. (Clista schooled him on what was acceptable boundaries of behavior with girls)He was winning the attention and admiration of all of his classmates. At his age younger siblings or kids were 'uncool', but Patch convinced his closest friends that Nora needed to be with them because it helped them pick up girls by showing how well they looked after and cared for their "little sister". Nora didn't mind, she wasn't interested in boys yet, she us wanted to be with HER PATCH. When she was older the girls that took an interest in Patch knew that little Nora, HIS ANGEL, would come first. They didn't really mind at the time as long as they got a date with the hottest guy ever and often times Nora would find herself helping them with their hair or make-up for their dates with Patch since she knew what he liked better than anyone.

Around the age of six Nora started having horrible nightmares of drowning in a car going through a bridge guardrail over Coldwater Creek. It wasn't so much a creek as it was a fast flowing river, the name was deceiving. She would be screaming and crying, gasping for air and nothing Clista or Vee could do seemed to calm her. Almost like clockwork when Clista would stay in one of the guest bedrooms she would be woken to Nora's nighttime hell and she would hold her while her granddaughter sobbed and sobbed. Clista begged Harrison and Blythe to take her to a Doctor about them, but they said it would look bad on them for one of their children to be seen at a 'head doctor'. She was not to mention to anyone ever about it including them. The subject was closed. After a week of sleeping all the way through the night, which she hadn't done in ages with Nora, Clista wondered what had changed to stop the night terrors from tormenting her poor granddaughter. That night she left the little girls door slightly ajar to see if she was doing anything different from her normal routine. It was then that she discovered that it was non other than the tough young stud from next door that was doing the trick. Patch 'the bad boy' Capriano with a reputation for being hardcore had another soft side brought out by 'His Angel'. He bought a stuffed elephant of the softest material for her to cuddle with and wrapped her blanket around them holding her close to him as she slept. Who would have thought the eternal stud liked to cuddle? They had pajamas on so after checking repeatedly through the night for two weeks with them unaware she hadn't ever seen anything inappropriate or concerning, hell, Nora was still only seven years old. She had already trusted him to watch over her and after the two weeks was up she kept to herself what was going on just thankful her granddaughter was finally getting a full night sleep. That didn't stop her irritation that it was the next door neighbors son who was only five years older then Nora tucking her in, holding her and comforting her to calm her and make her feel safe instead of her own parents. It was incomprehensible. He was the only one who had been successful at it, but her own parents hadn't even tried. Even as they grew into adults if he wasn't next to her already, no matter what he was doing or who he was with he would rush to Nora's side to help her no matter the time of night. All she had to do was call or text and he would be on his way. All these little things that the young Cipriano did piled up inside Clista. She made her opinion known loud and clear repeatedly to her son and his wife about their lack of parenting.

If one thing could be said by those privileged enough to be friends with Clista Grey it was that she was one hell of a fire cracker. She was fierce and loyal, she put those she loved and admired above herself with no regards to their financial or social status. She may have been the wealthiest in Coldwater Creek but she was also one of the kindest to those earning it. She spoiled her staff that helped keep her home and charity work afloat. Her sizable donations made her the top donor for all worthy causes in the community and although everyone suspected it was her, few new for sure since she gave anonymously. She loved with passion and fire and her beauty for her age made women half her age jealous. She had long reddish brown hair and brilliant and wise green eyes. Her skin was creamy and her cheeks naturally had a soft blush. Her lips were curved perfectly and neither too full or too thin. She didn't wear make-up, she didn't need to. More important than all of that was how intelligent she was, she wasn't all looks and no brain. Long after her husband had passed and her son had taken over she was still using her share of money to invest and her smart investments earnings went directly into donations to charities supporting things like local food banks and medical care for those in need who didn't have insurance. She supported the local children programs and numerous others. The people who knew her best would describe her as having a great sense of humor, she was witty, charming, not easily offended and she spoke what was on her mind. If you asked her something she was sure as hell going to tell you what she thought honestly, no holding back. She often told what Blythe called "tasteless sexual jokes" or made flirty remarks and innuendo's, mainly to piss her daughter-in-law off. The other reason she did was that she was a firm believer in the fact that just because her age said she was old she wasn't dead. She was one of the influences on Patch's naughty side, how could she not be when she set the example by having such a wicked sense of humor.

Clista never would take another man in her life, Nick had been 'it' for her and she had cherished each and every moment with him. Their love had been like no other, all consuming and timeless, the kind that endured whatever life threw their way. No matter how hard he worked, how big their business grew, her and Harrison were ALWAYS first. He spent a lot of quality time with them, something their only child didn't do with his own children much to her shame and dismay. One of the reason's she was so involved with all four children was to role model that kind of love. She wanted for them each what she had with the girls decease grandfather. A love that you only got by following your heart, something she would time and again drive into their heads.

Harrison usually quietly sat back and let his wife control everything but his business, at least the part that was nuts and bolts. Even without the involvement of either Harrison and Blythe or Mr. and Mrs. Capriano, Clista grew prouder by the day of all of her grand kids, the boys were now firmly hers in her eyes as well as the girls. Despite their parents and all the pressure mounted on them, they were there for each other in ways their parents weren't. If Nora was picked on by a girl, Vee was there to set them straight, if a boy picked on her they would deal with the wrath of Patch. There was an unspoken understanding that Nora was Patch's Nora, HIS Angel. It wasn't meant in a boyfriend girlfriend way, it was a you mess with her you mess with me her big brother and her best friend way. They were a package deal. They were true best friends in every sense of the word. The older they got the more of a rock they became for each other. The depth of their friendship was known by the whole town and many adults marveled at how intensely they protected each other and cared for each other with such a large age difference. They were there for Vee and Rixon and the four were often together, but when it came down to it they split in two. Vee and Rixon being best friends and Patch with Nora.

Patch and Nora celebrated each others achievements and their heartaches together. When one got a good grade on something they had worked hard on or achieved something they had been involved in it was to each other they ran to celebrate, not their parents. When a school grade or contest placement didn't meet their parents standards or expectation in any activity, they would comfort each other through it, building each other back up after their parents had torn them down.

In middle school when Nora's cat was ran over Vee felt horrible for her little sister. Rixon who was harboring a crush on young Nora couldn't find it in himself to care much over a dead cat and didn't really understand why it hurt her so much. He cared about her not some stupid cat. It was Patch who held her while she cried and dug the hole and officiated the funeral for Snuggles before placing a headstone he made for her cat on the grave for her.

When Patch was fifteen he got his license and his first car, a sleek 1970 black Dodge Charger with tinted windows, all mint interior and exterior work with a souped up engine and blower. It screamed bad boy as it purred and he babied it. When he should have been hanging out with his friends he was driving Nora to and from school and when he could have been out partying or running around he was more often then not curled up on the couch with Nora watching her favorite shows or tucking her in for the night just like he'd been doing for years. No matter who he took out at any age, junior high or high school it didn't matter, the girl always new that HIS Nora, HIS Angel, would ALWAYS come first.

Clista knew at the time she could relax, that Patch was more of a dad and a big brother then Harrison would ever be. All of the kids had other friends outside of each other, not just each other. Patch's closest guy friends were the Salvo brothers, Angelo and Zuriel. Nora's closest friends were Bella and Shadow.

The girls had been together since preschool so they spent a lot of time together unless Patch was around. They had an awkward relationship, Patch and Nora's girl friends. The young girls had crushes on him and he teased them relentlessly. The older Bella got the more she disapproved of his wild ways. Shadow was shy around him. He nicknamed them Grumpy and Bashful after the Seven Dwarfs since they were short and he thought the names amusing and accurate. He hadn't really been taught to accept anyone else or love them, hell his own parents hadn't offered him that, the only people who had outside of his brother were his neighbors. He just didn't care what anyone else thought outside his 'family'. His family meaning grandma Clista, his brother Rixon, his friend Vee and of course his Angel. Anyone else was of little consequence aside from his friendships with the Salvo brothers. His attitude towards Bella and Shadow would get much worse in their later years and it eventually drove a wedge between Nora and the two girls for a few months.

In middle school Bella had talked Nora into skipping class and going to the mall, don't ask how he knew but boy was Nora and Bella surprised to come out of the bathroom after 'freshening up' to find Patch leaning on the wall casually waiting for them before marching them to the car and back to school. He always seemed to know where his Angel was and what she was up to and that was something that wasn't likely to change.

Patch wasn't the only protective one or even the only one to worry. When he got his license and would go on dates Nora would stay up with her little bedside lamp on watching from her window for his car to pull into the circular drive before disappearing into the garage and then for his bedroom light to turn on so she would know he made it home safe and he never did let her know that the whole time he knew she was watching. Knowing she was still awake he would make his way over to her house to tuck her in, going along with her excuse for still being up because she was reading and hadn't noticed the time. Sometimes she made up a different story so it sounded more believable, to her that is.

Things between them stayed much the same as Nora got older. Whenever she was feeling scared he was still the one she text, the one who always came. He was always exactly what she needed him to be. He knew her better than he knew himself and Nora understood him better than anyone including him. They were like magnets constantly drawn to each other, when one moved the other moved in perfect sync.

Patch turned out to be the ladies man Clista had always suspected he would be when he was a teenager, her "stud" she had so aptly named all those years ago. He dated girl after girl the older he got older. There wasn't a girl in town that wouldn't give everything they had to be seen out with Patch, even for a night. The town's "cougars" weren't any better, trying to pick him up for a night of recreational fun. He still had his silky black hair that gave midnight a run for its money with matching intelligent black obsidian eyes that took in everything and gave away nothing framed with long thick black eyelashes. His sharp Italian features and aristocratic nose were off set against his tan skin complexion. His body was tall, over 6'2 at age sixteen. He had a hard lean build with well defined muscles that bore several souvenir scars from street fights he had been in as a teenager. He could write a book about 'How To Radiate Sexy Without Trying' and he was the perfect example of a bad boy. His smile spoke of hidden dangers and unmentionable promises. He looked every bit as scary and intimidating as he did hot. He wasn't the boy you brought home to mother expecting her to welcome him with open arms, he was the type of boy that mothers took one look at and changed the locks on the house. Dad's kept loaded guns by the front door to greet guys like him interested in their daughters. None of it made a difference to Clista or Nora, they saw a side only they knew about. If anything, his physical appearance and famed reputation as a teenager made him safer for Nora, no one would mess with her knowing they'd be messing with the likes of him. When he wasn't at Nora's side he was at Bo's arcade betting on cards or games of pool. No amount of trouble he could get into would keep the girls away from him. He had a trademark sexy smirk that made ladies everywhere swoon and he had a habit of making sexual innuendos and jokes, his constant flirty comments could make a sailor blush. His ego was the size of a house, but his heart was far bigger and made of gold, just because others didn't always see it didn't mean that it wasn't there. It just wasn't there for them.

When Nora hit puberty her body started to change along with her friends, the boys around her took notice. It didn't fail to catch Patch's eye either since he now had a full time job of going behind her back threatening and dealing with boys who found her new body all too interesting for his over protective taste. He was a model big brother. Nora truly was beautiful with killer legs that seemed to go on for miles and as she got older she had what the boys called a perfect little ass and her back had the cute little dimples at the bottom of her spine. She had a lean build with just enough meat on her bones to give her body a soft and sexy curvy look unlike Vee who wasn't obese but she did have more curves than a roller coaster, the pastries and junk food she insisted on eating didn't help. Nora had creamy skin that felt satiny soft with her grandma's natural pink cheeks and sexy curvaceous mouth that didn't need make-up to look gorgeous. Her eyes were smoky gray and would lighten and darken with her mood. They were lined with generous black lashes. They were the kind of eyes that a guy could get lost in and never say no to. Her eyebrows were perfectly arched over them. Her face was framed with a cascade of sometimes unruly curls that she claimed often held up to the very best of flatirons. It was brown with natural red highlights that shined and reflected light. Patch often teased her that it couldn't get redder if he held a match to it. When she smiled it brightened her whole face and the cute little dimples she had would make an appearence. As beautiful as she was on the inside she was as insecure as the next teenage girl.

Her body made her attractive to boys long before boys became attractive to her. This set her apart since other girls her age were interested in dating. Bella and Shadow forced her to try dating unsuccessfully. What did she need boys for? She had her best friend Patch if she wanted to hang around with boys. She really didn't understand her friends falling all over themselves to be noticed by him either, she just wasn't into boys yet, not even Rixon, whom their parents were still trying to arrange a marriage for her with. That thought excited Rixon, but made Nora pale and sick to her stomach. She liked Rixon, but she had no interest whatsoever in marrying him. To Nora, Patch was just plain 'ole Patch. Even when she woke up earlier than usual one morning with Patch curled around her in their usual way and she felt a certain part of his anatomy awake before he did she still thought nothing of him beyond friendship. When he woke up he quickly excused himself to shower and nothing was said about the incident. As Nora and Patch continued to mature they started to take notice and to adjust to finding each others bodies attractive enough to check each other out but never crossing the line. It was just that though, taking notice and moving on. Things between them weren't sexual, they were still just as much family as friends at that point.

By the time that Nora really did take an interest in boys and understand 'boy fever' she had subconscious already accepted that the love of her life had and would always and forever be Patch, but it was buried in the back drop for later discover when they had experienced other things together, things that for them that would have life altering consequences for them both.

Nora had grown up watching Patch take out a different girl almost every weekend so she never really worried about anyone coming between them. He hadn't given his heart to anyone, not even close so when she started to become aware that her feelings for him ran far deeper than friendship it still didn't cross her mind to be concerned. She was confident that if she didn't already own it his heart would would be hers in the future. Clista was there observing it all and saw caution signs flashing ahead, but she couldn't predict the future, and how do you prepare the kids you love for things you don't know will happen?