Patch

There's nothing more beautiful than Nora after a shower when her skin is wet and her eyes are bright and she tastes delicious. And I'm pretty sure there's nothing sexier than Nora tangled in bed sheets, lacking clothing and under garments, with her splayed out around her like a blanket.

Nothing.

Nothing is more beautiful or alluring.

So that's why I felt myself smiling at the steering wheel and through the wind shield.

I pictured Nora in front of me with her clothes off, her hair, wind swept curls, and she moves toward me with a coy smile on her face that delights me even further. I can almost feel her tongue against mine and the softness of her skin. I can feel her breath on my skin and the shape of her mouth and her skin is slick with sweat against my body...

Her fingers in my hair.

Teeth grazing my ear.

Long, wind swept hair.

Arms on my chest.

Fervent lips, tongue, and teeth.

"Patch," Nora whispers to me.

I freed myself from the vision and looked at her. "Mmm..."

"You okay?"

I smiled, the sides of my mouth tipping up as I look at her. "Yeah, Angel. You?"

That snagged a smile.

"I'm starting to think that you're getting spoiled," I stopped her before she could make a good come-back. "And I'll keep spoiling you. I love you, Angel."

She threads her fingers with mine. "Patch -"

Then the crash came and everything turned to black.

My first thought was of Nora.

She wasn't there with me in the empty room and I felt a tug of fear in my chest. "Nora!" Angel, I called out. Angel!

She didn't answer.

"Nora isn't going to answer."

Something of a growl escaped my throat and I fought to break the chains on my wrists and the shackles on my ankles. "Where is she? Where is she? If Nora doesn't walk free in the next ten seconds, I will make sure to drown your corpse somewhere where no one will ever find you. I will make sure that -"

"I told you that the next time we came, you wouldn't see Nora again. No one will see Nora ever again." She cackled like a hyena.

I slammed on the chains. "Where the hell is she?" I demanded, shouting in all of the rage. "Where the hell did you take Nora?"

And it was right then that I told myself I would kill her. Anyway I possibly could, I would kill Lisa Martin.

But Lisa did not panic. "I'll take good care of Nora for you. We won't have any problems if she agrees to cooperate with us and if not...who knows what could happen?"

"Let her go!" I shouted. "Let Nora go, you pathetic leech! I'll kill you. I'll make you wish you were never born!" I threw myself forward but was held fast by the chains. "Give her back! Giver her back to me Lisa or -"

"Oh, stop your blubbering threats. They make you look stupid. And I'll let you see her, but only when you show cooperation. You've shown none such thing. So you'll have to go at least another night without her."

"Let me see her," I shouted.

"You see, Patch, we only want one thing. To test on you and your emotions. We need to know what we're going to do when angels are back and want to use us like they have for hundreds of years."

I shook my head. "I'm not negotiating."

"You're not in a position too."

"Where is she?" I demanded. "What have you done with Nora?"

Lisa almost smirked. "That's just the beginning of our testing sessions, angel," she said with a hiss. "I'll take you to her now."

The world went black again.

When I opened my eyes, I saw her. Nora wore a white tank top and tan cargo pants. She looked anxious and worried and her hands were bound so tightly that they were raw, red, and bloody.

"Nora..." My voice was hoarse and scratchy.

"Patch..." My name was barely a whisper on her lips. "Patch, I-"

Lisa cackled and the sound was haunting. "This is only the beginning, demon," she hissed at me and my eyes focused to my surroundings. A nephilim was lifting Nora, fighting, kicking, and screaming, and threw her into the depths of something that looked like a tank of water. He closed the top.

Was it like water-boarding and torture?

"No! Let her go!"

I slammed my body against the nephilim who had a hold on me and fought to reach the tank.

I could see her red curls swirling in the tank as she fought in the water for breath and the white tank top moved below the surface. She was fighting for breath.

"Nora!"

No. No. No. No. No. No.

This could not happen -not now.

"Stop him!" Lisa Martin's voice rang out and my head was simmering with rage.

Nora, I said and there was no response.

The water no longer bubbled or racked against the glass. No splash or fighting. "Nora!"

I slammed myself against the glass and it made a scrape and a crack against the glass. Her body simply lay there, pliant and lifeless in the water. I slammed against it again and knew the truth. The horrible realization was beginning to settle upon me. She's dead. She's dead.

I didn't save her.

No.

She was immortal. She could not be dead. She just couldn't.

The glass webbed and flew apart.

I rushed forward and caught Nora in my arms before she could fall against the hard concrete floor. "Angel," I whispered, "Angel."

Lisa grabbed my shoulder but I slammed back against her and sent her flying.

I pressed my lips to hers -breathing for her.

1, 2, 3, breathe.

Repeat.

1, 2, 3, breathe.

Repeat.

Again and again.

She was cold and limp in my arms.

Lifeless.

"No. No. No," I said, the words were frantic and I knew that I was tipping dangerously close to the edge. If she didn't wake up... "Nora! Nora!" I shook her slightly and there was no response. "Wake up." I choked on useless tears. "Wake up."

Nothing.

Silence.

"Angel..."

"Why isn't she waking up," Lisa hissed. "This was a test. She was not supposed to die." No one hurried to answer her.

Her heart had stopped beating.

I brushed a kiss to her lips.

I turned to Lisa. "I'm going to kill you," I whispered, my voice low and threatening. "I will kill you and I'll see too it that you die in the most horrible way there is."

Just as quickly as saying the words, I turned back to Nora again.

"I failed you." A tear slid down my face and dripped onto the cement floor. "I've failed you." I slid my arms around her and shuddered horribly. "No!" I shouted. I pressed her against the cement floor again. "You are not dead. You are not dead." I tipped her chin back and breathed for her. "Nora -Nora, wake up, baby, wake up."

Angel! I shouted.

"Angel," my voice broke. "Angel..."

She jerked forward and began to cough.

Water pooled on the cement floor but she was alive and breathing again.

"Angel."

She was in my arms and I felt her trembling in my arms. I kissed her cheek and smoothed her hair and wrapped my arms strong and surely around her.

"Patch," she sobbed into my chest. "Patch. Patch. Patch."

"You're okay," I whispered against her skin, my cheek pressed to hers. "We're going to be okay."

Lisa moved toward us. "Want to keep her?" A snide smile spread across her lips.

"I'll kill you," I said, pulling Nora so close and so tight that there were red marks on her arms where I touched. "I'll kill you." Nora wrapped her arms around me and pressed her cheek into my shoulder.

Lisa laughed. "Hardly. Keep her while you can." She stopped and looked at me. "She has hypothermia. You should probably do something about that." Then she turned away and left us there.

"Oh, Angel, I'm so sorry. I should have gotten you out sooner." I choked on the words and tears threatened to fall. "I failed you angel. I failed you and I am so sorry. I love you. I never meant-" But she silenced me by pressing a finger to my lips.

She shook her head. "You didn't fail me, Patch. I love you," she murmured.

"But I-"

"I love you," she repeated, nuzzling her face into the curve of my neck and letting her lips slide across my skin. "I. Love. You."