By: magicks
Summary: One friend says good-bye to another.
Feedback: Eh, it's a vignette. If you want.
Disclaimer: If I did own Witchblade (which I don't), this would never happen.
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"God, I miss you. Your laugh, your smile, the way you'd lean against my desk and we'd chat about anything and everything under the sun. Heh, we used to get a few weird looks from our banter, remember? But we knew what it meant. That's all that mattered.
Sometimes I forget you're gone. I'll look at the picture on my desk, the one of us at that street fair on 3rd. You remember, the one I dragged you to, saying you needed to get out of your apartment. You had fun, though, despite your protests to the opposite. I could see it in your eyes. I look at that picture sometimes, and I think, 'I hope we can do that again.' Then I remember we can't.
Danny's worried about me. He said so himself. He doesn't think it's healthy for someone to grieve this long, and he wants me to see a therapist. What do shrinks know, huh? He hasn't tried to stop me from investigating your murder, though. He knows it would do no good.
You changed my life, you know that? Of course. You probably knew it before I did. It's strange, how well you knew me after such a short time. It's almost as if we've known each other before. Not just in a past lifetime; I think we both know our lives are intertwined. No, I mean I feel like we spent more time together in this life. I felt close to you, closer than I'd ever felt to anyone before. When I found out- I promised myself I'd find your killer. I promised you- I *promise* you, I *will* find your killer. That's why I did this. That's why things changed.
Oh, did I tell you? Ian came by to see me today. He's been helping me with your case, although I'm not sure if he wants to help you or me. I know you guys were close before it happened. Heh, you and him, close; who'd've thought? Anyway, he's been great with tracking down hard-to-find suspects and discovering bits of info. We're becoming pretty good friends. You know, this hit him really hard. Sometimes I wonder who's hurting more, me or him?
I saw Jake last week. He came down from DC for a visit. He said he would stop by to say hi. He has a new girlfriend, you know. Some redhead named Sonya. Complete ditz. Danny and I have a running bet as to how long she'll last. I say three weeks; Danny says at least a month. Of course, we're both wrong. Considering the amount of tongue Jakie-boy was sticking down that Asian guy's throat last night outside Badlands, I'd say Sonya didn't last more than a couple hours. But it's not my secret to tell, so I guess the bet's still on.
Well, I gotta go. Lunch hour's almost over, and Danny's waiting. Who knew he'd be my training officer huh? He's a good partner, just like you were." Gabe laughed a little and pulled out the long-stem purple rose hidden in his overcoat, placing it on the grave. Putting his fingers to his lips, he kissed the tips and lightly touched the headstone. "Luv ya, Pez. I'll see you tomorrow."
Dusting the snow from his slacks, Detective Gabriel Bowman stood and walked back to his car. He had work to do.