CHAPTER 10

I SPY

They may have planned on their activities going unseen, but that didn't mean they did. Grandma was in the right place at the right time like usual to witness Nora climbing out of Patch's black jeep without her being seen. A knowing smile lit her face, she knew her grandchildren and she knew them well. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what had happened the night before and why she was climbing out of his jeep in the same clothes she'd left in instead of that kid's she'd gone to the dance with when Patch had been seven hours drive away. Only one thing would bring him back...Nora.

Nora was an adult now, she'd had several years under her belt of unrequited love. She'd long ago accepted things were as they were, but it didn't change how she felt. She took her grandma's words seriously, she was trying to follow her heart and Patch owned that. Grandma knew that Patch hadn't caught on, men rarely do, in matters of the heart they are usually the last to know what's going on inside a woman's head. Marriage or not grandma held out for the two of her kids to come together. No good could come from a girl like Dabria. They would just have to move forward and redouble up their plan to dig into Dabria's past and life to see what she was trying to pull before Patch said 'I do'. Little did she know it wouldn't take much longer at all.

Two weeks after her prom night standing alone in front of the towns wishing fountain Nora tossed in a coin, saying the most selfish words she had ever thought or spoken. She wished that Patch wouldn't marry Dabria, that she would have a chance to find out what she kept sensing was wrong when his fiancé was around. Even if he never gave her a chance she didn't want him marrying Dabria.

Nora had followed her competition and there was definitely something amiss so she started carrying a camera with her at all times, an idea grandma had come up with. Soon she was rewarded (if you could call it that when you find out something that will effect your best friend's life so negatively) when she spotted little Miss High Society with all her perfection coming and going from several hotel rooms with wealthy men and freshly fucked hair after leaving when it had been in perfect place when she went in. Her clothes weren't neat and straight upon exiting either. Nora captured it all on video with a gut-wrenching sickness in her stomach.

Nora's heart broke for Patch, but she needed more proof. She couldn't rip his heart out with information like that if she wasn't one hundred percent proof positive it was a fact not only a hunch. The next time she saw 'sweet Dabria' disappear into a hotel room with a man she had a small hand-held recorder ready. That tape made it very clear that they were doing more than talking when her and Clista hit play and the sound of two people fucking rang out loud and clear along with Dabria's name being called by another man in the throes of passion and then her voice.

Even with critical evidence like this, damning evidence, Nora struggled with what was the right thing to do here. Did she confront Dabria with a warning? Did she let it go and hope it stopped or did she tell her best friend who was deeply and madly in love with that horrendous evil bitch screaming someone else name. With the type of men Dabria was carrying on affairs with it left no question in her mind that she was a woman after money and to make a name for herself, obviously not one based on her actions Nora thought bitterly, or she'd be known as a low class call girl. Nora didn't have fault with the profession, whatever floats your boat, but there wasn't anything high class in Dabria, no doubt she was high priced and high risk. What if she didn't tell Patch and he learned later that she knew and didn't say anything, that she let him vow his love and heart to a woman who would repeatedly screw him behind his back. He might never forgive her.

Nora's biggest fear for him had been realized, to her horror Patch had been being played the whole time and she didn't think it was just by Dabria, other things that had happened during the time she was tailing the slut gave her good enough confirmation that their own parents who should have loved and protected him, their own flesh and blood, hadn't for their own selfish reasons.

If she showed Patch the recordings, video and audio, would the evidence she had tailed his fiancé behind his back make it look like she was purposely trying to destroy his heart and his happy ever after like Dabria had continued to accuse her of? After much reflection and talking to their grandma she decided either way Patch was destined to find out and it would be better to have that happen before the wedding than after it. She would put her feelings about everything aside, her love for him, her hate for Dabria, all of it to the side because this wasn't about her or her heartache this was about Patch and he was going to be hurt and be angry and he would need her there to help him pick up whatever pieces they could of his life and heart when this was over. He had always been there when she was hurt or in pain and now it was her turn to be his shoulder. She just hoped he would understand she had only done this to protect him and that if the situation were reversed he would have done the same thing for her no questions about it.

That night she sat Patch down and after a couple of glasses of his favorite top shelf bourbon (which put him on instant alert that Nora was about to tell him something he wasn't going to like hearing if she thought softening him with alcohol was necessary) she told him what she had found and showed him the proof. He knew he wouldn't like what she had to say, but never in a million years would he have guessed this or been prepared. At first he shut down completely, his face going blank and his body statue still. Slowly she could see the walls she had watched him so carefully build around himself through the years crumble before her very eyes in a way only she would ever witness. Pain, disbelief and betrayal flashed in his eyes and across his perfect face. Then a mirage of other feeling ending in hurt and rage took over and in an instant the walls that had fallen were erected higher and thicker than ever. Impenetrable. Patch had never really let anyone in or loved anyone beyond Nora until Dabria. Dabria had bragged she was the one who stole his heart and made him a one woman man after his disgraceful past. Not even his closest friends, Angelo and Gianni ever got past the first set of walls, no he had hidden behind his jokes, his smirk and his there and gone one second smile that promised he was as dangerous and deadly to your heart as he was sexy and easy on the eyes. His flirty gestures and double meanings were all for keeping people on their toes and clueless about how little they really knew about him. Patch was a master of disguise and only Nora knew the hurt the pain and the deep thoughts and feeling that went on in the head and heart of Patch Cipriano. She knew EVERYTHING there was to know about him; his favorite foods, books, colors, music, she knew his dreams and aspirations, his heartaches and his worries.

Patch may have thought that Dabria had been the love of his life, but there were already warnings going off in his head he was trying to ignore. Like the way Dabria spoke about Nora and looked at her had him seeing red. He knew she had a katty side, he just didn't know she would stoop so low and be so inconsiderate as to do this. The thing that had bothered him almost as much as this news was how 'right' things had felt that night with Nora. Being with her, being inside her felt like coming home of sorts. With the evidence of Dabria's misconduct laying before him he put those nagging thoughts and feelings aside to deal with this new revelation.

She fooled him once she wouldn't fool him twice, Patch broke off the engagement and his parents were enraged, so much so that they literally disowned him. They kicked him out of their house the second he said the words 'there's not going to be a wedding' telling him he was no longer their son.

No one ever knew outside of Patch and Clista that it was Nora that had been behind the incriminating discovery. That didn't mean she didn't get drug right into the deadliest part of the storm by Dabria. Dabria was instantaneous in her accusation of Nora being behind his decision to end their engagement. She wailed loudly that it was his love for his friend that caused their split and told all of their parents, hers, his and Nora's that it was Nora's fault the merger of the family's wasn't going to happen. She left no mistake the hate she had for the younger girl, even when Nora had tried her hardest to begin with to befriend the heinous bitch. She'd have done anything for Patch so long as he was happy, even if that meant losing her hope for him and her being something more, to be friends with the person who held his heart.

Dabria seemed to have known right away how deeply in love Nora was with Patch and she used it every chance she got to punish her with it until Nora had snapped.

Initially Nora had felt a sickening guilt for what they had done on her Prom night, but the way she was being treated turned that guilt right around and the meaner Dabria got the angrier Nora became until she renewed her vow to find out what the conniving bitch was up to and put her grandma's plan into action. Nothing had added up and yet everything had. It was all too perfect...Dabria was too perfect, the timing was too perfect. Their parents all knowing her and so instantly involved and supportive had set off more alarms than wedding bells in her and Clista's heads.

With the notoriety of Patch's family and Dabria's the split was tabloid heaven. The engagement had made headlines so the break up was a hit in a sickening way. Patch Cipriano, the famous playboy had been ready to settle down, considering having a family and attending college. The public had found their perfect princess and the sexy knight in shining armor. The rich would become richer and the sky was the limit. Perfect for everyone...except Patch and Nora.

Paparazzi parked out on their front lawns and were hiding everywhere they went to get 'the money shot'. Who would look heartbroken, everyone wanted to know. Patch refused to give even a sentence of a statement and tried his best to avoid pictures while his parents attempted to pay off any stories that cast them in an 'unsavory' light. They announced instead that the marriage had been 'put on temporary hold due to business requirements that had their schedules at odds'. This was exactly what Patch had expected from his parents, what he hadn't expected was what was coming next.

The day the story broke and his parents issued 'their' statement, Patch had gone over to the Grey's to seek comfort and support from Nora. Harrison and Blythe had loved Dabria as much as the Cipriano's and with as much to gain as the other family's they were hot over the news Patch would have the audacity to call it quits. After letting himself in as he had always done he heard raised voices, actually shouting was more accurate. Nora's parents had her cornered demanding she choose between them and Patch. He was a disgrace as always to his family and their good names and she WOULD be marrying Rixon if she wanted to stay in the family or she could join Patch and be disowned as their daughter, and like Patch all her money and ties with the family would be cut.

It didn't take Nora a split second to think, she would ALWAYS choose Patch and with that she left to pack her stuff leaving her stunned, yet also unsurprised parents behind. None of them had been aware of Patch's approach. He was speechless.

The Grey's always felt that he had corrupted their perfect daughter, that Patch was no good for her. They would later accuse him of making her "offers and promises" she couldn't refuse at her age of ignorance. They would comfort themselves saying she would grow up and realize he only ever brought her down and they were sure she would take her place again in their family instead of choosing to be a community outcast after the public humiliation of being disowned by the famous Grey family. The only reason Patch and Nora had been allowed such a longstanding friendship is the threat Clista made on their parents in support of 'her kids'.

Patch was snapped out of his shock by the slamming of Nora's bedroom door, quickly he climbed the stairs opening the door. Nora didn't even glance, she had heard him coming up the stairs and recognized his footsteps. Right away she had known he had heard everything and that broke her heart a little bit more.

"Angel, you don't have to do this. We won't have anything, I can't do that to you, this should never have gone this far for you. You shouldn't be in this situation, Nora. It was my decision and my decision alone to not marry Dabria. I broke off the engagement not you, you shouldn't lose everything because of me." He said softly.

Nora stopped for a moment and turned, cupping his face in her small hands. "Patch, it has always been you and I, they were never there. Ever. It was YOU that has taken care of me, I wouldn't have survived all I have if it wasn't for you. Neither of us would have survived without each other and you know that. Is there anyone who can read us like we can each other? You've been my best friend, my protector, my guardian, my cook, my Doctor, my parent, my brother, you've chased away the bogey man and monsters under my bed, you've been on call since I was five with my nightmares we still can't prevent, you've been my lover and a part of my heart and a part of my life has always been in you. Sorry Mr. Patch Cipriano, like it or not we are each others life line and rock and you are stuck with me. Right now it looks like your needing those two things, as for me, my choice was made when I was five and a little boy moved next door and took me under his wing. My parents have spent the better half of my childhood trying to intimidate and threat me, but Patch, the only thing that truly scares me is losing you, so as your very best, not to mention sexiest AND smartest friend, where you go I will follow. I always have, I always will." With a gentle pat on his cheek she turned around to busy herself with the rest of her packing.

Patch smiled a smile that melted her heart when she saw it out of the corner of her eye.

"You know, Angel, I met a girl who made quite an impression on me when I was younger too, kinda like the neighbor boy you were talking about. She was a little younger than me though, she followed me around and grew on me until we sort of stuck like glue. I don't know what I'd do without her, especially now. Everything inside of me is one giant fucked up mess. I don't know how to think, feel, or react. There are no guarantees with me anymore other than I'm swearing off relationships permanently. Love is cheap, painful, and overrated so in lieu of that I will go back to useful but meaningless one night stands and my second best friend, bourbon. Angel, I have nothing to give you aside from the friendship you already have and maybe a little 'release' if you're ever in need or inclined..." He winked and gave her one of his million dollar smirks. Yeah, he was going right back to flirting his way out of any and all real emotions. "I wouldn't want my best friend getting 'frustrated' on me, that wouldn't make for very pleasant company." He gave her such a suggestive look it got her heart racing and just as she was getting ready to hit him he winked at her. Friends with benefits with Patch Cipriano, sex god, body of Adonis, the only man she had ever been sexual with, the only man she loved...THAT could get very interesting, smirked Nora.

Between friendly playful elbow jabs and flirting faces they finished packing, both of them had thoughts of her Prom night in their heads...future potential? A chance for him to unlock that wild little tiger vixen he was sure she had leashed up in there?

The thing that people missed about Nora is she wasn't as helpless or stupid or even spineless as people might mistakenly assume. It takes a strong girl to grow up in a family with no love and succeed in life and at school, an even wiser one to grow up without a positive example of what love is, what it means and how you act when you're in love and still manage to have the compassion and, well, love she had for others. Nora's parents didn't only neglect to teach her the facts of life, they neglected to teach her the facts of the heart, and yet she knew how to love in a way most adults didn't. She hadn't been tricked into how she felt for Patch, the love she gave and devotion were choices she made. Sure there was pain involved, there usually is and they had faced and were facing a lot of tough challenges at a very young age. True love isn't something that you force a person to earn and snatch away every time they do something you don't like. It's a gift you give, you love them through their hard times in spite of their flaws. Patch had an even worse example with his parents, his home bordered dangerously close to physical abuse, yet he was compassionate and tender with Nora. He had a lot to learn and Nora recognized that as they were setting off into a new life with new adventures together. It wasn't going to be smooth, not at all, Patch just had his heart ripped out. Like an angel with his wings torn he'd fallen from the heavens and landed square on his ass in cold harsh reality. How much strength would it show for her to walk away from him for being human, for making mistakes? Sometimes hope appears weak when it's not, giving up is the easy route and often the things most worth having are the hardest to achieve. Whatever happened in the future she was walking into it with both eyes open, they were in for a hell of a bumpy ride, of that she was sure. Her best friend was going to need time and she had a lot of that. Maybe they would just be friends, maybe they would be friends and lovers, maybe he'd eventually see what was staring him in the face all along or maybe Nora would find something else along the way. Whatever happened they took comfort in each others presence and now more than ever they were grateful for the love, friendship and acceptance they had in each other.

Initially they stayed at Clista's place for as long as they could until their parents made it unbearable. They assured their grandma they had enough money to make it on their own and with a promise to call and visit as much as possible. With that they said their good-bye's and headed off into the city. When they said they had money to live, they didn't say how well they would live...

At first they lived in the scariest part of the city in a dump with more problems than you would think even a 'slumlord' could have. For now it was a roof over their heads as they worked their way up from the bottom. There was a certain pride in knowing they weren't living from anyone else money. It was bad though, even the cockroaches and rats turned their noses up at their place, but they refused to let Clista know of their situation or help. This was their choice and they would make it on their own. Knowing their grandma she would force her money on them, insisting it wasn't a problem and had no strings or paybacks attached. They each understood the others need to prove they could do this on their own, well, mainly Patch needed to prove he could still take care of the only person still in his life, the person who loved him through all his faults...and boy did he have a lot of them, especially after Dabria.

Patch reminded Nora at least once a day that she could go back, leave this dump, this lifestyle for one he felt she deserved and he wasn't able to give her yet. She would insist she would always love and accept him in any condition, she wasn't going to leave his side. She was as stubborn as he was. He knew he was lucky to have ever met someone like Nora.

There were other problems besides just the shitty apartment. Often they had little or nothing to eat so Nora took a job as a waitress. That was a huge help because even though it was against policy, the cook understood the young couples situation and admired their hard work and dedication to each other and making it independently so he would box up and hide any and all 'mistakes' he made and send them home each day with Nora.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: If you are reading a story you don't like, stop reading. If you don't like how a character is written or a part then write it yourself. Many great writers start out that way, I often find characters in stories I hate, especially girls I want to beat over the head, but I'm not going to criticize someone for it. I either quit reading or now I write them how I want or change the story, even if I don't post it (trust me I have a LOT of stuff I don't post that falls in that category). We can't all write the characters the exact same way and NO ONE is ever going to write a character/story exactly how you want so if you're unhappy...do something about it. It takes a lot of courage to post things on here, people aren't always the nicest so keep that in mind. Most of us are just starting out, many have no experience and it's just a hobby to share something we love with other people who love it too. I would never come into your home and start telling you how you arranged your furniture telling you I don't like it was all wrong, when you tear someone's stories apart you're basically doing the same thing. You're stories are a part of you, a part of your thoughts and even your feelings, it all goes into it. Positive critique is one thing, cruelty is another whether it's to me or anyone else...so if you don't like it write it yourself, you may find you enjoy it and you won't be raining on anyone else day or use the handy little button called a mouse, click it and move on to a different story. :)