Ever since Lilith, Nex rarely left Kat unguarded. He was too paranoid. That was why he left Arda with Kat, thinking Arda could handle anything. Turned out, Arda couldn't handle Katherine. Nex had barely come in view of Kat's house when Arda came outside, tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" Nex asked, listening closely for Kat's heartbeat inside the house.

"Nothing," Arda said, wiping at her eyes. "She's just... She's just..." Arda took a deep breath and shook her head. "Nex, she's so sweet," Arda cried. "She's so sweet and genuine I can't take it. I want to keep her forever."

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Nex sighed. "I thought something was really wrong."

"She's pure, Nex," Arda said, shaking her head. "She's so pure."

"I'm aware," Nex mumbled, brushing past Arda and heading into the house.

Nex walked into the house to find an incredible scent. Katherine was standing at the kitchen island counter, adding raspberries to a tall, round, chocolate cake. Nex walked over and leaned his forearms against the counter, his eyes darting to hers.

"What did you do to Arda?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing," Kat frowned. "She just had a lot of things she was keeping pent up," she shrugged. "It's not good to keep that all pent up. You sometimes just have to let it all out."

Nex regarded her in confusion. Partially because it was the second time she was playing therapist for his demon friends and partially because part of him wondered how she was a real person. He shook his head and looked at the cake.

"Another cake you're taking to church that I can't have?" He scowled.

"Nope," Kat said, popping the 'p'. "This one's for you," she said, giving him a sweet smile.

Her smile had a much bigger effect on him than he liked but it wasn't enough for him to miss that there was something else behind this. He straightened up and watched her carefully, crossing his arms.

"What do you want now?" He asked suspiciously.

"It's nothing big," Kat said, tucking her hands behind her back. "Just a little favor."

"A favor so little it needs bribing with a cake?" He asked doubtfully.

"I mean, in the grand scheme of things it's really not a big deal and it won't take much of your time," Kat shrugged.

"Spit it out, kitten," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"I have a friend that needs some help moving some furniture," Kat sighed. "It'll be fast. It's just getting rid of something old and putting in something new."

"What friend is this?" Nex asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Bernice," Kat said, darting her eyes away. "She's very nice."

"And how do you know her?" Nex pressed.

"Uh..." Kat bit her lip and looked at him sheepishly. "Church," she muttered quietly.

"No," Nex said flatly, walking past her for the fridge to get a drink.

"Please?" Kat tried, following after him. "She's super nice and it'll only take a second. She's seventy-nine and she lives all alone."

"If she goes to your church then shouldn't there be church people to help her?" Nex pointed out, snatching a bottle of whiskey from the freezer.

"Well yeah but she's shy about that kind of thing," Kat shrugged. "She doesn't like asking for help or admitting she has limitations but she's comfortable with me and you're so strong we wouldn't need to ask anyone else, you could do it yourself."

"It's not happening," Nex said firmly, getting a glass out of the cupboard.

"Don't you want some of this cake?" Kat said, gesturing to it as if it were some big prize. "I made it from scratch," she tried.

"Katherine, I am not mingling with your church friends," Nex snapped, pouring some whiskey into a glass.

Kat sighed and grabbed a knife from the drawer, cutting a small piece of the cake in a final attempt to convince him. She held her hand under the cake as she brought it over to him to keep the crumbs from falling.

"At least try it. I bet you change your mind," she tempted. "I make amazing chocolate cake."

Nex glared down at the delicious smelling cake she offered before turning his glare to Kat. "If I try this, it means nothing. It does not mean I agree to do this for you."

"Fine," Kat shrugged. She really hoped once he had a taste he'd be more lenient. He tended to be in a better mood if he had food in him, especially sugar.

Kat tried to hand it over but Nex greatly enjoyed getting a reaction out of her. He grabbed her hand and tugged her closer, eating the cake from her hand and watching as the blush spread over her face.

As much as he enjoyed watching her reaction, he was equally annoyed because it turned out she did make amazing chocolate cake.

Their eyes met and the restraint he was trying to have with her was slipping. Her heart started beating faster, her chest rising and falling with quicker breaths. He couldn't stop himself from licking off the crumbs that stuck to her fingers, making her pink cheeks turn bright red.

They stared at each other for a moment before Kat blinked a few times. "Well?" She asked, her voice coming out a lot quieter than she intended.

"It's very good," he admitted, his tongue darting out and taking the last crumb off her fingertip. "But I'm still not going."

Kat swallowed hard and slowly pulled her hand away. "Fine," she sighed. "I'll ask someone else."

"You do that," he nodded, reaching for his glass.

His hand hovered over the glass as he watched her pull out her phone and scroll through the contacts, stopping at someone named "Jeremiah". He watched in anxiety as she clicked on the contact and her thumb moved over the call button.

"Who is Jeremiah?" He asked, setting his hand on hers before she could hit the call button.

"He's someone from church," Kat shrugged.

"Uh huh," Nex said, narrowing his eyes. "And what is he like?"

"He's nice," she said, pulling her hand and phone away from Nex and looking at him curiously. "I don't know him that well, he was just stationed here a couple weeks ago."

"Stationed here?" Nex repeated.

"Mhm, he's a marine. He's strong so I won't need to ask more than one person," Kat shrugged. "That'll put Bernice more at ease, to have less people. That and she knows him and his mother, so there'll be familiarity."

Nex breathed in and out slowly and snatched her phone right before she hit the call button. "Fine," he scowled. "It worked. Your trap cake has me convinced."

"Really?" Kat asked, looking up at him as a smile formed on her face.

"Unfortunately," he grumbled. "When?"

"Now?" Kat suggested.

"Fine," Nex sighed. "Let's get it over with. But I am not doing small talk."

"Okay," Kat agreed, grinning. "Thank you."

Nex sighed and muttered a curse under his breath as she went to the front door and grabbed her coat. He hated how easily she could get him to do things. She turned to him as she wrapped her red scarf around her neck, looking at him expectantly, inclining her head towards the door. He sighed and walked over, grabbing his coat and following her out the door.

They started down the street and Kat stuffed her hands in her pockets. Thanksgiving was getting close, as was winter. Fall was essentially gone and so the cold settled in. Kat shivered, wrapping her arms around herself as they walked. Nex watched her shiver and fought the urge to wrap his arm around her and bring her close so he could warm her up.

As they drew closer to Bernice's house, they also drew closer to Katherine's church. Just the sight of it had Nex tensing but they stayed on the opposite side of the street as they approached Bernice's house.

"Bernice is very nice but she's sometimes a little..." Kat trailed off, giving him a shy smile. "Blunt."

"Your opposite then," he said, giving her a side-glance.

"I guess," Kat shrugged. "Definitely not shy."

"If she starts trying to talk to me about religion, I'm out," he warned.

"I doubt she will," Kat shrugged. "She's not pushy. Well," Kat scrunched up her face, remembering countless times Bernice had definitely been pushy. "She's not pushy about that, anyway."

Nex wondered what that could mean but didn't have time to ask as Kat turned towards a house and walked right up, knocking on the door. An older woman with grey hair tied back in a bun and glasses that barely held onto the tip of her nose opened the door. She smiled warmly at Kat, her eyes drifting to Nex curiously.

"Hi," Kat greeted. "This is Nex," she introduced, gesturing to Nex.

"Oh, this is Nex," Bernice said with a knowing smile. "I've heard a lot about you," she said. Then she really surprised Nex when her eyes darted up and down him. "Quiet a lot. Come on in," she said, opening the door wider and stepping to the side.

"Quite a lot?" Nex asked quietly, looking at Katherine whose cheeks were now redder from embarrassment than the cold.

"She means the neighbors," Kat said dismissively, stepping into the house.

Nex narrowed his eyes and followed in after Kat. Bernice stopped him before he passed by, setting a hand on his arm. "It's not just from the neighbors," she winked. "She talks about you all the time. All I hear about anymore is my sweet Nex did this or that for me today."

Nex fought the urge to smile at that comment, especially because Kat heard it and was currently hiding her face in her hands.

"Bernice," Kat scolded.

"What? You're the one telling a lie," Bernice shrugged. "Right this way dears," she said, shuffling past Kat down the hallway. "Do you want something to drink to warm you up? I've put the kettle on, should be hot enough soon."

"Sure," Kat nodded, following after Bernice and pointedly avoiding looking at Nex.

They entered a small kitchen with not much in it except a round table in the corner. Bernice had already set up Christmas decorations so there were red and white candles and garland hanging off the little shelves attached to the wall, shelves that held little crystal angel figurines. Kat sunk into a chair and leaned over the table, keeping a curtain of hair as protection from her and Nex so he wouldn't see how red she was.

Nex was more than amused and set his hand on the table, right next to hers, bending down next to her ear. "I'm sweet, am I?"

"You can be," Kat muttered. "She's exaggerating."

"Nex, do you want some tea, dear?" Bernice asked.

"I'm afraid I only like tea if it has whiskey in it," Nex answered.

"Whiskey I don't have but would brandy do?" Bernice asked.

Nex wasn't expecting that. He stayed silent for a moment before he nodded. "Yes, thanks," he muttered. "What is it that needs moving?"

"Oh, I'll show you," Bernice said, heading back towards the hallway. "Katherine dear, you can manage the tea, can't you?"

"Of course," Kat nodded.

"Right this way," Bernice said patting Nex's arm as she passed by.

Nex followed after her, leaving him alone with Bernice. At least she was more tolerable than he expected. She led him down the hall towards the front door but took him through a door on the left, leading into a garage. In the garage was a couch that didn't look new but at least appeared nice.

"I'm replacing my couch before my family comes in for Thanksgiving," Bernice explained. "Someone from church was getting rid of theirs and it's much nicer than mine," she said, leaving the door open and walking back into the hallway, directly across to the doorway leading into a living room. "I just need you to bring in the new one and leave this old one on the curb," she said, looking back at Nex. "The city is picking it up in the morning."

"I'll get it done," Nex nodded, walking past her and over to the couch that looked like it'd seen one too many years. No wonder she wanted a new one. He expected Bernice to go back to Katherine but she didn't. He glanced back, seeing her staring at him curiously.

"There's something different about you," she said, tilting her head to the side.

Nex wasn't sure what to say to that but her intense scrutiny left him feeling almost bare. She narrowed her eyes not so much in a threatening way but in a way that implied she was trying to figure something out.

"You're not from around here, are you?" She asked. Nex simply gave a noncommittal shrug and shook his head. "Your name," she continued. "Your name is very interesting. Unique."

"My upbringing was unique," Nex said simply, circling around the couch to get in position to push it out the door.

"Hmm," Bernice said thoughtfully. "You know, back when I was in school we all had to learn Latin. It used to be required. At least knowing your Latin roots was required."

Nex hesitated after placing his hands on the arms of the couch. He looked up at her, wondering just how much Latin she knew.

"It's strange your parents would name you after death," she said, tilting her head to the side. "I wonder why they did that."

"I wouldn't know," Nex said, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I had no say in my name."

He watched her carefully and analyzed her scent. She seemed a little too in tune to him but she seemed to be completely human. She couldn't know.

"You know, I'm very glad you were there when that asshole did whatever it was he did," Bernice said. "She wouldn't tell me what he did but I know Katherine and I know it was bad."

Nex's eyes widened, surprised to hear her speak like that. Bernice laughed and waved her hand dismissively.

"When you get as old as I am, you stop caring what people think about the way you talk," she shrugged. "I'm glad she has you," she said with a nod before turning towards the door. "I think you're good for her. I think she needs a real man, now," she said, surveying Nex. "I think it's good you're waiting for her even though you clearly care for her. Just don't forget, Nex, ex nihilo nihil fit. Don't wait too long."

She walked away before he could say anything but part of him was glad she did. Out of nothing, nothing is produced. That was the meaning behind what she said. A phrase to remind that achieving anything meaningful can only happen with hard work. He stared after the doorway for a minute before deciding he needed to move fast and get the fuck out of there.

Bernice may be human but sometimes humans had another sense and she definitely seemed to notice he wasn't all he seemed.

He got the old couch outside and then returned to the garage for the new one, shaking his head at himself. The fact Katherine had him doing all these things for her he would never do was starting to grate on his nerves. She had way too much control over him for his liking.

He brought in the new couch and placed it where the seemingly permanent indents in the carpet from the last couch were. He dusted his hands off and headed back towards the hallway, hoping he could get Katherine to leave quickly since he was done.

Kat came around the doorway with a mug in her hands and nearly ran into him. "Oh, sorry," she said sheepishly, taking a small step back. "Bernice told me to bring this to you," she said, holding up the mug.

"Oh, look at that!" Bernice said from the hallway.

Kat glanced back and frowned in confusion. Bernice pointed up and Kat followed her direction, looking up and finding mistletoe hanging in the doorway, directly over her and Nex.

"Uh..." Kat went to take a step back but Bernice set a hand on her back.

"Now, Katherine, don't be shy," Bernice said, taking the mug from Kat's hands. "I mean, really, who wouldn't want to kiss this handsome young man? You don't want to break tradition, do you?"

Nex decided despite the way the woman made him feel a little uncomfortable, he liked her very much. "Yeah, kitten, don't you respect tradition?" He asked, a smirk forming on his face.

Kat's cheeks burned with a new ferocity as he stared down at her. His eyes darted to her lips and she subconsciously licked them, watching his eyes darken as she did. He lifted her gaze to hers again and took a step closer, noticing Bernice backing away out of the corner of his eyes, leaving them alone.

Bernice wasn't so bad after all.

"What's wrong?" Nex asked, lifting his hand to Kat's cheek, resting the other on her waist. "Did you hate kissing me so much the first time?"

"No," Kat said, unable to stop her eyes from drifting down to his lips before slowly coming back up to his eyes. "I didn't hate it."

"Does that mean you liked it?" He asked, tilting his head to the side and leaning closer, his nose touching hers.

"I mean," Kat breathed. "I... I don't know," she stammered. "It happened so long ago I can barely remember it."

"You should know by now I can always tell when you're lying," he said, narrowing his eyes. "It's one of my many gifts," he said, sliding his hand down to her neck, wrapping his fingers around the back of her neck. "But very well, kitten, I can play along. You don't remember. I think that means I need to refresh your memory," he said, leaning closer, his lips nearly touching hers. "Doesn't it?"

Kat hesitated. Nex scared her. Not because he was a demon but because she felt so much with him. He was right with what he said to her before, he made her feel out of control. But he also made her feel whole.

"It..." Kat started, licking her lips and inadvertently gently touching his lips with her tongue in the process, making his hold on her waist and neck tighten. "It wouldn't hurt."

"Wouldn't hurt?" Nex chuckled, dragging his nose over to her jaw then to her ear where he whispered. "You can do better than that, kitten," he said, his hand sliding to her back, pulling her against him. "Do you want me to refresh your memory or not?"

He came back to face her, pressing his forehead to hers and staring down in her eyes. She looked up at him, noticing every dark spoke in his eyes that made them so much more beautiful than any other she'd seen before. It suddenly felt like there wasn't enough air in the room. She wasn't sure she made the conscious decision to bring her hands up to his shoulders but she liked them being there. She bit down on her lip for a moment before releasing it with a long breath.

"Maybe," she said quietly, her heart hammering in her chest like it wanted to come out.

"I'll accept a maybe, just this once," he said, his lips brushing against hers. "Next time, I expect a yes."

He pressed his lips against hers and she melted into him, relaxing her body against him and moving her lips against his. Nex groaned at the way she seemed to mold her body to his and held her tighter against him, pressing his fingers into her lower back and sliding his hand to the back of her head. Kat's hands made their way around his neck, pulling him closer, bringing their kiss deeper.

Kat thought their first kiss took her breath away, it had nothing on this one. It was as if every emotion she'd been holding back with him was released, pouring into that kiss, bringing them closer, making it more intimate. His tongue came out and moved along the seam of her lips, asking for entrance. That action alone had her body warming, that hot tea no longer necessary.

She granted him access, opening her mouth enough for his tongue to slide inside, searching for hers, gliding along it and eliciting an involuntary sound from Kat. Nex groaned again, kissing her harder, turning her towards the doorframe and pressing her up against it and sliding his hand up, cupping her face and holding her in place as he kissed her like he'd been starving for her.