Chapter 18: The Truth Can Hurt
Jake sat intently awaiting Sara's "big" secret. Sara leaned back in her chair and touched her bracelet lightly. It breathed and Jake looked around the room for where the noise came from. He had heard it before, a breathy hiss. Sara lifted her wrist and pointed to the now swirling and glowing bracelet. "This is the Witchblade."
Jake's face contorted into a strange "what the" look, "The Witch…what?"
She cleared her throat and recounted how she had found it and all that had happened over the last three months. Jake sat quietly, listening to every word Sara said. "To make a long story short…"
Jake cut her off, "Too late." He smiled at her.
She just glared at him, "That's how Big died, I shot him." She had kept the whole Ian and her thing out of her story. She didn't think that Jake would be able to take that she had had an "intimate" moment with the man that had beat Jake to a pulp. "So…Irons is innocent."
Jake leaned back in his chair and sighed, "I really wanted to bag him for this one too." He looked at Sara's relieved face. "That was a big load that you dropped, huh?"
Sara smiled, "Oh yeah." She looked at her partner; he had been so patient and pleasant while she told him something that any normal person would've placed her in a mental hospital for. "So…you believe me?"
Jake took her hand in his, looking at the now silent bracelet, "How could I not? I mean, look at all the weird stuff that has been going on since I met you. I'm just glad that I know what is really going on now." He released Sara's hand and turned his eyes downward. He had a disturbed look on his face.
Sara stared at the top of Jake's head, "What's up, Rookie?" He looked upset.
He looked up, the expression was still on his face, "Why were you missing for over a day? I was worried. You know, how I should be as a partner and friend." His eyes deceived his true feelings. Sara could tell that he cared for her deeply and it stung that she didn't feel the same way.
"I told you what happened. I went to my apartment with Constance and later to that meeting with the person on the phone. Big jumped me and I was out cold the whole night." She knew that Jake would see through her story. She hadn't told him about the Ian parts. She couldn't tell him how Ian could make her heart leap when she saw him, or how when he was close her body screamed for him to hold her. She still didn't understand it that well herself.
Jake saw the look on her face change when he had questioned her, "Sara, you are not telling me something. Why are you hiding the truth from me? Don't you know that I care for you?" Jake closed his mouth, wishing that he hadn't shown his emotions so openly. "Sometimes, I feel too much for you. More than I should. I know you, Sara. More than you know. I can tell when my partner has had something change her life drastically." Jake fidgeted in his chair, "I can tell when my partn…friend is in love." His eyes were glassy; they were filled with feelings that he hadn't wanted to bring to the surface. He loved her. He had loved her from the first moment that he had seen her. Her personality fit his so perfectly; they could joke and laugh together, yet they could also cry together. He would die for her.
"Love?" Sara tried to chuckle it off and make Jake drop it. "You aren't serious?" Her voice cracked. She knew that he was serious, he could see through her.
Jake just looked down at his hands that were folded on his desk, "Who is he?" He looked up at her, his eyes had an deepness that she had never seen, "The man who saved you? You said that you had help getting away from Big? Who saved you?"
She tried to beat around the bush again and Jake just looked at her with his deep eyes, "Okay. There was a man who saved me, but I'm not in love with him." Sara recounted the story of the man who had taken her to his hidden "nook" in the alley. "So you see, it was just a kind bum. You're getting upset over nothing." She shrugged her shoulders and leaned back, proud of herself for successfully keeping her secret.
Jake still looked upset. He thought in quiet again for awhile, Sara stared at his head. He looked up at her quickly and pointed his finger at her and then placed his hand on his chin, "You…" He began to speak, "Y-You and…and…him!"
Sara raised her eyebrow, "Me and who?" She looked at him awkwardly. Could he have really figured it out?
"You and…Nottingham!" Jake's voice became louder; some cops stared at the two of them from outside their office.
Sara got up, "What are you looking at?" She kicked the door shut. She turned around and met Jake's blue eyes, "Listen…"
Jake stood up, "Nottingham. I can't believe I didn't notice! You left him out of your story!" Jake grabbed Sara's arms, "You're in love with him aren't you?" Sara stayed calm, Jake's grip tightened on her arms, "He saved you, that's where you have been. With him!" Jake's face tensed with hurt, "How could you, Sara? I thought you were different. I…" Jake stopped abruptly and released his grip. Sara kept eye-contact with him. He looked terribly sad as he walked closer to her, "Sara…" She looked at him blankly, holding in her feelings. Jake placed a hand on her shoulder gently, "I'm so, so sorry." His eyes were watery, "I shouldn't…"
"It's okay…"
"No…no it's not. It wasn't my place. I jumped the gun. I shouldn't have touched you like that."
"Really, Jake it's okay. I should have told you the truth about Nottingham." She placed a hand on his, "Nottingham did help me, like he has done so many times before, but that's all he did. He helped me get back on my feet and then helped me take down Big." Sara felt a stinging pain in her stomach, "Jake, you're my only friend that's still alive. Please believe me."
Jake stepped towards her and looked into her eyes, "Sara…I believe you. I just…I…Sara…" He leaned in a met her lips with his, pulling her close to himself. He kissed her in a way that he had longed to. She met his kiss, yet did not kiss back or fight it. He pulled away and looked at her, "I thought that that would feel different."
Sara looked at him as a small smirk drifted across her face, "What do you mean?"
Jake chuckled, "I've been longing for you, Sara! Wanting you so passionately, and now…" He looked down at his hands and looked back up to her, "Nothing."
"Nothing?" Sara felt her stomach loosen.
"Nothing. I didn't feel anything. No offense, but I felt like I was kissing my sister." He smiled at her and stuck his hands in his pockets.
"No offense taken." Sara spoke with a hint of laughter.
Jake shook his head, "I mean, I thought that I was in love with you, but now I see that it isn't romantic love. I still believe that I love you but more like a friend. I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders."
"Great!" Sara sighed and moved over to her chair again.
Jake looked at the clock, "Wow! We've been in here all day. Shall we get back to what we came in here for in the first place?" The sun was setting in the sky.
Sara smiled and picked up the files on Irons, "Sure, that sounds very good to me, lets book the slime-ball."
Jake sat in his chair and looked at his partner, "Don't you think that I have dropped the Nottingham thing, because I haven't. I still don't think that you should be around him."
Sara looked at him amused, "Who made you my father, Rookie?" Jake just smiled and started looking through his stake of files.
Nottingham watched Sara and Jake, as they sat silently together. He smiled to himself; he knew that Irons wasn't going to get off this time. Sara looked out of the window and saw a familiar outline as it swiftly moved into the shadows. The Witchblade glowed on her wrist and Ian could feel her emotions flowing through his mind as he jumped from rooftop to rooftop. He clutched the shoe-box closely to his body as he neared Sara's apartment. Sara's face filled Ian's every thought as he entered her apartment, like he had done so many times. It was warm and it smelled of vanilla candles. Ian breathed in deeply remembering the kiss that they had shared that morning. He was going to miss her. He walked slowly towards her bed and laid the shoe-box on the white sheets. Pulling a red rose from his jacket he lifted it to his nose and inhaled the lovely aroma. Kissing its soft petals he laid it gently on her pillow with a small note. He turned his back to the bed and headed for the window, "Goodbye, Lady Sara. I love you." He disappeared through the window and into the blackness of the night.
