A/N: This starts the morning after Sara and Ian return from Mexico (A Much-
Needed Vacation) I hope you enjoy!
As Sara woke the next morning to the alarm, she felt disoriented. Was it only yesterday she and Ian had returned from Mexico? She stretched and sighed, feeling almost depressed to wake up in her bed alone. She was surprised at how quickly she had gotten used to waking up next to Ian, or wrapped in his arms. She definitely missed his beautiful smile. She fingered the ruby and silver heart dangling on its chain around her neck and smiled softly.
Half an hour later she was just putting her hair up in a ponytail when Jake knocked on her door. She had asked him to pick her up this morning because she had gotten Gabriel to keep her Buell while she was gone. She let him in and gave him a hug and a big smile. He seemed a little distracted for a minute, but looked her over appreciatively as she handed him a cup of coffee.
"Damn, Pez," he said. "You look good! All tan."
"Thanks, Jake," she replied. "I feel good. I guess I really needed that break."
She left him drinking his coffee and grabbed her jacket and helmet, and a tissue-wrapped bundle. She handed him the bundle while she shrugged on her coat. He stared at it.
"Open it, Jake," she laughed. "It's for you."
"Oh," he said, grinning sheepishly. He tore off the tissue and unrolled the bundle inside to find a white tee shirt with a group of leaping dolphins surrounding a surfer, and the words "Puerto Vallarta" beneath. He gave her a big grin and a hug. "Thanks, Pez. I really like it."
"You're welcome, Jake. Oh, hey, wait a sec." she said as she headed back into her bedroom and grabbed another bundle. She tucked it into her helmet and they headed out her door and down to his car.
"So what's been going on in the past 10 days," Sara asked. Jake looked uncomfortable.
"I've pretty much been doing paperwork," he said. She looked at him for a minute.
"Come on, Jake," She said. "Something's up. Your poker face is lousy. What gives?"
"I don't know how to tell you this, Sara," he admitted. "And I'm not supposed to be telling you at all, really. But I think you need to know." He handed her a badge wallet, and she flipped it open to reveal an FBI badge and ID.
"What the hell is this, Jake," she asked, completely confused.
"I'm undercover for the FBI, Sara. I'm here to bring down the White Bulls."
"You know about that?" she was surprised. After seeing her father's video tape she hadn't said a thing to Jake about it.
"Yeah. And I know that you have information on them. That's why I'm telling you. I may need your help at some point. And I don't want you to misinterpret what I'm doing. Dante sent you out of town so he'd have a free hand to recruit me. I'm in with White Bulls, Sara. So I can gather information, evidence. I wanted you to know you can still trust me, even if it seems at times I'm not on your side."
"Uh, okay, give me a minute to digest this." Sara handed him back his badge and turned to stare out the window. "I can't get over it. FBI Agent Jake McCarty?"
"I wanted to tell you sooner, but I had to gather more information."
"So, what am I supposed to do," she asked.
"If I tell you we need to back off of something, do it. Don't rile Dante. Trust me, he'll get his. Just go along with whatever he wants, don't argue, and keep your head down. I know it goes against the grain, but it's all for the purpose of gathering evidence. And I need to see anything you've got on them."
"My dad left me some stuff. Maybe next time we go for lunch we should swing by my place and I'll show you."
"Thanks, Pez."
"Hey Jake, keep me in the loop, will ya?"
"As much as I can," he said. "Now, about our current case load."
Ian woke slowly, opening his eyes to the empty room, and sighed. He was in serious need of a good workout to wake him up, because Irons had kept him up almost all night grilling him for his much-doctored account of Sara's vacation. He had kept a journal, in great detail, of the account of the trip he wanted Irons to see, and had handed it over immediately upon arriving home. Irons had poured over every detail, asking pointed questions about this detail, that observation. He had then informed Ian his first duty would be to inform Sara that she was expected for dinner that evening so Irons could insure himself of her good health, since he was cut off from the Witchblade and couldn't tell for himself.
As Ian made his way to the gym, he impulsively decided to take a swim first. After about twenty laps he felt awake enough for a good vigorous workout. He showered off the chlorine and dressed again, then went to stretch out and indulge in a long workout. He was doing sword exercises when he felt Irons approach. He finished the set of maneuvers then turned to face his master, waiting patiently with his head bowed.
"Your trip seems to have lost you little of your edge, Ian," Irons observed. "It is good to see you did not neglect your own routine while watching over our fair Sara." He held out an envelope and Ian moved to take it. "Deliver this to Captain Dante while you are informing Sara of my dinner invitation."
Irons turned and left. Ian stayed still a minute longer, staring down at the envelope in his hands, then he went to shower off and change into his habitual black clothes. He made his way quickly to the precinct and stopped by Dante's office to drop off Iron's envelope. The Captain wasn't in, so Ian left it conspicuously in the center of his desk. He then turned to Sara's office, but she wasn't in either. Pulling out his celphone, because he could feel she was near, he called her.
"Pezzini," she answered, but her voice was warm. She knew it was him. There were voices in the background, and he identified one as Vicki Po. So, Sara was down in the morgue again. He heard a door open and shut, and guessed she had taken her conversation out into the hallway.
"Hello, Sara," he said. "Irons sent me to invite you to dinner tonight."
"Huh," she said, amused. "Don't you mean insist?"
"Well, yes," he admitted. "Seven o' clock."
"Casual or formal," she asked.
"Whatever you are comfortable with," Ian said.
"Casual it is."
"I missed you this morning," he said softly, the yearning plain in his voice.
"Me too," she replied, just as softly.
"Be careful, Sara," he said.
"I promise," she replied. The line clicked as Ian hung up.
He stood for a few moments, struggling to regain his composure. He wanted nothing more than to rush down to the morgue and take her into his arms, but he took a deep breath and casually headed back out onto the street. There were other duties Irons had assigned him, many things that needed to be caught up from his absence. It would be a very busy few days. He just hoped Sara would remember all the details of the carefully constructed version of their vacation when Irons was grilling her tonight.
As Sara woke the next morning to the alarm, she felt disoriented. Was it only yesterday she and Ian had returned from Mexico? She stretched and sighed, feeling almost depressed to wake up in her bed alone. She was surprised at how quickly she had gotten used to waking up next to Ian, or wrapped in his arms. She definitely missed his beautiful smile. She fingered the ruby and silver heart dangling on its chain around her neck and smiled softly.
Half an hour later she was just putting her hair up in a ponytail when Jake knocked on her door. She had asked him to pick her up this morning because she had gotten Gabriel to keep her Buell while she was gone. She let him in and gave him a hug and a big smile. He seemed a little distracted for a minute, but looked her over appreciatively as she handed him a cup of coffee.
"Damn, Pez," he said. "You look good! All tan."
"Thanks, Jake," she replied. "I feel good. I guess I really needed that break."
She left him drinking his coffee and grabbed her jacket and helmet, and a tissue-wrapped bundle. She handed him the bundle while she shrugged on her coat. He stared at it.
"Open it, Jake," she laughed. "It's for you."
"Oh," he said, grinning sheepishly. He tore off the tissue and unrolled the bundle inside to find a white tee shirt with a group of leaping dolphins surrounding a surfer, and the words "Puerto Vallarta" beneath. He gave her a big grin and a hug. "Thanks, Pez. I really like it."
"You're welcome, Jake. Oh, hey, wait a sec." she said as she headed back into her bedroom and grabbed another bundle. She tucked it into her helmet and they headed out her door and down to his car.
"So what's been going on in the past 10 days," Sara asked. Jake looked uncomfortable.
"I've pretty much been doing paperwork," he said. She looked at him for a minute.
"Come on, Jake," She said. "Something's up. Your poker face is lousy. What gives?"
"I don't know how to tell you this, Sara," he admitted. "And I'm not supposed to be telling you at all, really. But I think you need to know." He handed her a badge wallet, and she flipped it open to reveal an FBI badge and ID.
"What the hell is this, Jake," she asked, completely confused.
"I'm undercover for the FBI, Sara. I'm here to bring down the White Bulls."
"You know about that?" she was surprised. After seeing her father's video tape she hadn't said a thing to Jake about it.
"Yeah. And I know that you have information on them. That's why I'm telling you. I may need your help at some point. And I don't want you to misinterpret what I'm doing. Dante sent you out of town so he'd have a free hand to recruit me. I'm in with White Bulls, Sara. So I can gather information, evidence. I wanted you to know you can still trust me, even if it seems at times I'm not on your side."
"Uh, okay, give me a minute to digest this." Sara handed him back his badge and turned to stare out the window. "I can't get over it. FBI Agent Jake McCarty?"
"I wanted to tell you sooner, but I had to gather more information."
"So, what am I supposed to do," she asked.
"If I tell you we need to back off of something, do it. Don't rile Dante. Trust me, he'll get his. Just go along with whatever he wants, don't argue, and keep your head down. I know it goes against the grain, but it's all for the purpose of gathering evidence. And I need to see anything you've got on them."
"My dad left me some stuff. Maybe next time we go for lunch we should swing by my place and I'll show you."
"Thanks, Pez."
"Hey Jake, keep me in the loop, will ya?"
"As much as I can," he said. "Now, about our current case load."
Ian woke slowly, opening his eyes to the empty room, and sighed. He was in serious need of a good workout to wake him up, because Irons had kept him up almost all night grilling him for his much-doctored account of Sara's vacation. He had kept a journal, in great detail, of the account of the trip he wanted Irons to see, and had handed it over immediately upon arriving home. Irons had poured over every detail, asking pointed questions about this detail, that observation. He had then informed Ian his first duty would be to inform Sara that she was expected for dinner that evening so Irons could insure himself of her good health, since he was cut off from the Witchblade and couldn't tell for himself.
As Ian made his way to the gym, he impulsively decided to take a swim first. After about twenty laps he felt awake enough for a good vigorous workout. He showered off the chlorine and dressed again, then went to stretch out and indulge in a long workout. He was doing sword exercises when he felt Irons approach. He finished the set of maneuvers then turned to face his master, waiting patiently with his head bowed.
"Your trip seems to have lost you little of your edge, Ian," Irons observed. "It is good to see you did not neglect your own routine while watching over our fair Sara." He held out an envelope and Ian moved to take it. "Deliver this to Captain Dante while you are informing Sara of my dinner invitation."
Irons turned and left. Ian stayed still a minute longer, staring down at the envelope in his hands, then he went to shower off and change into his habitual black clothes. He made his way quickly to the precinct and stopped by Dante's office to drop off Iron's envelope. The Captain wasn't in, so Ian left it conspicuously in the center of his desk. He then turned to Sara's office, but she wasn't in either. Pulling out his celphone, because he could feel she was near, he called her.
"Pezzini," she answered, but her voice was warm. She knew it was him. There were voices in the background, and he identified one as Vicki Po. So, Sara was down in the morgue again. He heard a door open and shut, and guessed she had taken her conversation out into the hallway.
"Hello, Sara," he said. "Irons sent me to invite you to dinner tonight."
"Huh," she said, amused. "Don't you mean insist?"
"Well, yes," he admitted. "Seven o' clock."
"Casual or formal," she asked.
"Whatever you are comfortable with," Ian said.
"Casual it is."
"I missed you this morning," he said softly, the yearning plain in his voice.
"Me too," she replied, just as softly.
"Be careful, Sara," he said.
"I promise," she replied. The line clicked as Ian hung up.
He stood for a few moments, struggling to regain his composure. He wanted nothing more than to rush down to the morgue and take her into his arms, but he took a deep breath and casually headed back out onto the street. There were other duties Irons had assigned him, many things that needed to be caught up from his absence. It would be a very busy few days. He just hoped Sara would remember all the details of the carefully constructed version of their vacation when Irons was grilling her tonight.
