{First off, I'm not sure that I have ever mentioned this (and I'm waaaaay too lazy to go back and put it in), but Witchblade a Darrow Clark Darrow Clark 2 259 2001-11-01T20:57:00Z 2001-11-01T20:57:00Z 4 1585 9039 Progressive Technology Group 75 18 11100 9.3821

{So I wish I could say that this is so late due to all of the obvious delays, but truth be told I only finished this chapter a little while agoJ Sorry to leave you all hanging so long!

 **I'm not sure that I have ever mentioned this or if I need to (and I'm waaaaay too lazy to go back and put it in), but Witchblade and all of it's characters are not owned by me. I claim no rights. I'm just a poor college student, so please don't sue me.}

Chapter 4: Afterthoughts

I stood facing Jake. My right hand, sheathed in a mystical glove of armor, was right up against Jake's stomach with the sword that had emerged from it protruding out of his back, right between his shoulder blades. He was still slightly hunched over from the impact; his eyes were locked on mine with a look of fear and pain I had only seen one other time, when Danny had been killed.

            I know part of me had noticed that my attacker had let go of me and grabbed Jake's gun as he bounded out the front door of my apartment. But the rest of me couldn't stop searching Jake's eyes for a glimmer of hope that this wouldn't be the last time I looked into them.

            Jake had gasped when the Blade had entered him and now he stood with his mouth hanging open as if he were unable to take in any air. His usual tanned skin tone was a harsh pale, a single tear streamed down his cheek.

            "Oh my God, Jake." I tried to yell out, but it sounded more like a sob. My own weapon had been used against me to attack my own partner. I didn't know what to do, so I willed the sword to contract and it did without hesitation, sliding out of Jake's chest and hiding back up into the bracelet. Jake dropped to his knees as if it had been the only thing holding him up.

            I followed and dropped to my knees in front of him. I caught him as he started to fall forward trying to use his hands to catch himself and gasping desperately for air.

            "Jake." I sobbed again as I rolled him onto his back with his head in my lap, his eyes had closed. "No, don't leave me."

            I began to tear up, which annoyed me, because it was blurring my vision. I went to pull his shirt up out of the way so as to get a better look at the wound. It was then that I realized he wasn't bleeding.

            "Jake," I couldn't form sentences. Not that I had anything to talk about, I was just trying to rationalize with myself out loud. "Jake you're not bleeding?" Tears streamed down my face. "Jake, can you hear me?" I had his shirt pulled up as I leaned over him, frantically searching his muscular chest for a wound or cut, but there wasn't one.

            Jake inhaled sharply and his eyes burst open.

            "Sara!" he called out.

            "I'm here," I looked down at him, his head still in my lap, his breathing was labored. "Are you okay? Are you in pain?" I needed to know what was going on.

            "I'm not dead." He whispered. I couldn't tell if he was making a statement or asking a question, but I answered him anyway.

            "No. You're not even cut." I motioned to his chest.

            He closed his eyes for a moment and sighed.

            "I felt it, Pez." He said softly, looking up at me. He slowly sat up from my lap with the help of his shaky arms and sat across from me, half leaned over. I still had tears streaming down my face as I helped him into this semi-upright position.

            He glanced at me. "I felt it cut through every part of me. It was real Pez. It felt real. Then it all just vanished." His words were soft and quite, his breathing was still a little off.

            I reached forward and touched his shirt that had fallen back into place, there was a blade-size hole in it, and I'm sure there would be one to match in the back.

            "Jake, I am so sorry. I couldn't.. he was so strong, I didn't mean to." I just blurted it all out, it wasn't very sensical.

            "I know, it's not your fault." He said. I still must have looked pretty dazed, because he reached up and touched my cheek, lifting my face to meet his eyes.

            "Sara, I'm still alive." He said with a weak smile.

            The tears were still streaming, even though it didn't fell like I was crying anymore.            

"Yeah, you are." I answered with the best smile I could provide at the moment before grabbing him in a large hug. As I held him, his arms went around me tightening the embrace. "Oh god Jake. I thought I was watching another partner, another friend die. I couldn't bare to lose you too." I spoke half into his shirt collar as he held me, before pulling me back to face him.

            "Sara, it's okay." He said with a serious tone and a smile.

            I returned his smile and before I knew it he had leaned in, his eyes looking in mine, I didn't react. His lips gently touched mine. I closed my eyes in response and kissed him back. It was brief and gentle; to the casual onlooker it could have been considered platonic. He moved back and looked at me.

            "I'm still here and I'm not leaving."

            My cell phone rang. I looked in it's direction and then back to Jake before lifting myself off of the floor where we had still been sitting, between the bathroom door and the rest of the large loft. I walked over to the couch and pulled the cell out of my pocket.

            It had been the precinct calling me about a possible break-in, in my building. I informed them of the situation and how it had been our suspect. They were sending over a forensic crew so that we could hopefully find more evidence on the guy.

            Jake had waited on the couch trying to answer enough questions to satisfy the other detectives about how this guy had gotten away again. An oversized band-aid I had applied to the small and already healing cut on my neck at least bought us some explanation. I could hear Jake explaining our fictional tale of how Jake had come back up to my apartment to borrow my phone and had apparently frightened away the attacker who had fled the scene after leaving me with a cut on my neck and a bump on my head. I was suddenly more thankful than ever that Jake was now a part of my secret.

            I had spent the time packing a few items, seeing as how my apartment, for the time being, was considered a crime-scene.

            Apparently they had found Jake's story to their liking because they had allowed him to leave with me as they finished up for the night.

            "So what now?" Jake asked me as we walked down the hall and into the elevator.

            "I dunno, I'm going to grab a hotel I guess."

            "Come on Pez, just crash at my place." He looked over at me as if to say, is there really any other option?

            "Really? You don't mind? I mean, I did almost kill you tonight." I added trying to make a joke.

            "Sara. Really." Was all he said as he nodded and we headed for the car.

            The drive home had been in silence, I think we both had a lot to contemplate. Like; What had happened tonight? What had my attacker wanted with me? Would he have killed me if Jake hadn't shown up? And how was Jake still alive for that matter?

            "Jake?" I asked cutting the silence.

            "Yeah?" He turned to look at me briefly before returning his attention to the road.

            "How did you know that I was danger?"

            "I told you Sara, I feel a "connection", I just knew. As soon as I pulled away from your building I had this horrible feeling that you needed help." He looked straight ahead and kept driving. Neither of us spoke again until we got to his apartment.

*          *            *            *            *

I emerged from Jake's bathroom in my gray pajama pants and a white tank top. I found Jake sitting quite comfortably in silence on his couch, also donning some blue plaid pajama pants and a white T-shirt that read: Surf N' Sand Competition.

            "Hey" I said plopping down next to him on the couch. "What would Dante say if he knew this was the second time I've slept here this week?"

            "If you keep this up, I might as well give you a drawer." He returned my smile before I changed the conversation.

            "You were right Jake. I don't know how to explain it, but we definitely have a "connection"." I said, making quotation marks with my fingers. "That's the only way I can explain what has happened tonight. How you knew I needed your help and how you're still alive." The last part came out so quietly it was almost a whisper.

            "Maybe," Jake replied. "That thing, the Witchblade, it knows me now. After it healed you through my hand, it recognizes me and it won't harm me." Jake moved a little closer and turned to sit sideways on the couch so as to face me. "Do you feel the connection too Sara?"

            "Yes." I answered quietly as I looked down at my hands in my lap.

            "There's something else." Jake said making me look back up in curiosity. I was surprised to see him taking off his shirt. I stole a better glance at his well-defined chest. He caught me looking and I quickly turned my attention back to his face, his dirty blonde hair was more tousled than usual from pulling off the shirt. "Look." He motioned down to his stomach, just to the edge of his navel. Thankfully, there was no gaping chest wound as I had expected to see earlier, but in its place was a strange scar.

            The scar was shaped like two raised circles about the size of quarters. One was above the other, barely overlapping enough to form an intersection. I reached out and touched it softly, tracing my finger over the shapes.

            "Jake," I said while examining it. "I've seen this symbol before. Kenneth Irons has one on his wrist. He claims that he received it after a brief contact of trying to wear the Witchblade. "And," I paused and pulled the collar of my tank top down, just far enough to reveal my matching scar that sat on my left shoulder just beneath the collarbone. "I got this about 11 months before I even found the Blade."

            Jake mimicked my earlier motions and reached out to touch my scar. I pulled my hand back from him and he laid his hand on my shoulder. The moment was comfortable, but awkward at the same time. I looked up to find him staring at me.

            "Sara, I…" Before he could finish, I interrupted.

            "Long day, huh?" I said turning to face forward. "I need to wind down."

            "Uh, yeah. Me too."

            He reached over to grab the television remote and clicked it on to the Cartoon Network. "How about 'Space Ghost'?"

I smiled. "Sure."

I pulled a blanket over myself and curled up on the couch next to him.

I remembered watching the cartoon, but I didn't quite remember what had happened and next thing I knew, I awoke to find myself being carried to his bedroom.

"Jake?" I whispered as he lay me down on the mattress.

"Shhh, go back to sleep." He responded and pulled the covers up over me. "Goodnight Sara." He leaned over to place a gentle kiss on my forehead before turning to walk back out through his turnstile "door."

"Jake, stay." I called out a little louder. From what I could see in the dark, he stopped and curiously glanced over in my direction.

I patted the covers next to me. "Just stay, I don't want to be alone." Without a word, he climbed into bed beside me.

"Goodnight."

{What do you think?   Too sappy? Please review! Hopefully it won't take nearly as long for the next chapter. Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!}