A/N: Uh....*stares at screen*...oh yeah! *smiles* Thank you for your reviews and compliments. In case you're wondering I do take the threats as a good sign. ^_^ I'm glad you all like it.
*************
Gabriel looked up to see that Gwen had fallen asleep. Again. That made it four times in one afternoon of doing research. Smiling to himself he stood up and moved to table- turned computer desk and slid the papers she was using as a pillow gently to one side.
Gwen looked up at him sleepily as he helped her to stand, "The couch is more comfortable." he said by way of explanation.
She allowed him to assist her in reaching the couch but swatted him away when he made to pull a blanket over her, "I'm fine." she mumbled, pulling a pillow Gabriel had sacrificed from his own bed under her chest as she curled around it.
"Sweet dreams, Gwendollyn." Gabriel wispered as he prepared to reclaim his seat and continue looking up information about Daeryc.
No sooner had he become comfortable than the buzzer rang, announcing someone waiting to get into the shop, but when he reached the door he hestiated. Glacing out the peek hole, he could see nothing.
"That's odd." he said aloud and jumped when his phone rang.
"Don't open the door." Sara's voice said before Gabriel had the phone all the way up to his ear, "Don't open it."
"Is it Daeryc?' he asked, looking behind him to see Gwen still sound asleep.
"I don't know but someone came by the station today. They seemed quite interested in the events of a certain night. They said they were distant family of the girl that had been killed, of Fiona, but my braclet saw otherwise." The buzzer sounded again and Gwen groaned sleepily in complaint, "I'll try to get out as soon as possible but call if you need me."
"Believe me, I will." Gabriel hung up and found Gwen staring at the door.
"Lock it." she wispered, eyes large and unseeing,.
The chain was already in place but Gabriel hurried the bolts into place as the buzzer rang for the third time.
"He can't get in." Gabriel sighed happily with the realization, "He's human. No special powers or anything, right?"
"Right." Gwen agreed, "But you may want to close the shop early today."
"Already have." He was watching Gwen who was still staring as he made a small gesture to the door, "That's the only way in."
Gabriel stood frozen in place as he waited in silence for something to happen.
Neither Gwen or Gabriel moved for nearly an hour.
"He's gone." Gwen's voice sounded odd after the long silence and the young bussinessman turned to look at her as she stood.
"How'd you know?"
"Oh, well, that's the easy part of dealing with Daeryc, since the first meeting between him and Fiona the Keepers have been able to keep tabs on his location."
"Then why don't you use that to turn him over to the police?" Gabriel's legs rejoiced at thier movement as he followed Gwen to the kitchen.
"I can't let him know I'm here. He mustn't know that I took Fi's place. He thinks that his path to the Witchblade is almost open." Gwen paused by the sink to get a glass of water, "Let's let him think that awhile longer."
************
The day seemed to creep by at an unbearable pace and every ten minutes or so Sara would find herself checking her watch as she hurried through paper work.
"Sara?" Jake asked when Sara's attention when to her wrist, "Do you have a date or something you're in a hurry to get to?"
"I wouldn't call it a date." Sara said absently as she reached the bottom file on her desk, "Ah, so the pile does have an end." she smirked, holding the folder up for Danny to see, "I was begining to wonder."
"It happens to the best of us." Danny laughed then glanced at Jake who still stood in the doorway, "Did you say you had a date?"
"That's not what I said. " Sara kept her eyes on the file, "I promised a friend dinner. That's it. No movie or after dinner coffee, Danny."
"Sure, Pez." Danny went silent for a few minutes then asked, "When do I get to meet him?"
"What?!" Sara's concentration broke, "Danny, it's Gwen!"
"Sorry." He said as Jake bit back a laugh and avoided Sara's gaze, "It's just- you haven't gone out in awhile- I thought...."
"You thought wrong." Sara replied with a smirk, "She's never seen the city at night, and Gabriel has some arrand or another to tend to."
They seemed satisfied with her lie.
***********
That last file couldn't get done quick enough.
Slipping away without saying goodnight to Jake or Danny, Sara rushed to Gabriel's. To Gwen.
"Please let them be ok." she muttered to herself as she took the stairs two at a time, "If any thing's happened-"
Stopping short of Gabriel's door Sara could plainly see that there was indeed someone there.
"Knottingham?"
"Sara." Ian bowed, "I have stood watch over the lady for the past few hours."
"But how-?"
"You are not the only one who has lived other lives, Sara." Ian stared at her for a second longer than was needed before dropping his gaze to the floor, "Forgive me for being late."
"Yeah." Sara said in her normal cop-tone, "I'll forgive you when I see that they're ok."
The door open as Sara raised her hand to knock and she had to stop in mid-motion to keep from knocking on Gabriel's face.
"You're late." he said, stepping aside to allow both her and Ian into his shop.
"Where's Gwen?" Sara asked.
"Where do you think?-She's sleeping. Again." Gabriel locked the door behind them then motioned towards the couch,"She doesn't do anything other than sleep, eat and mix my files up."
Sara noticed a smile on Gabriel's lips despite his annoyed tone.
"Then she's ok?"
"Right as rain- which reminds me, she seems to have a facination with water." Gabriel said as Sara sat next to Gwen on the worn couch, "She's been here for 4 days and yet she can't seem to drink enough water. She also stares at it when she's not drinking it."
"Did you ask the lady why?" Ian asked from his place by the closed door.
"I did." Gabriel looked at the darkly dressed man as if he just noticed his pressence, "She doesn't know why she does it."
"How'd everything go after I called?" Sara asked as Gwen moved in her sleep.
"Fine." Gabriel sat on the coffee table, "How was work?"
"Long." Sara sighed as she looked down at the sleeping Gwen and smiled, "She seems stress free."
Gabriel laughed, "Things bother her for like five minutes and then she's over them completely. It makes me wonder what it was like to be in love with her."
"You loved her, and she you." Ian placed a hand on Gabriel's sholder for a brief second, "I must be going."
"Hey, Knottingham?" Sara said to Ian's back as he halted at the door, "Thanks."
**********
Everything was dark when Gwen woke at 2 in the morning. Stretching, she made her way to the dark kitchen for a glass of water. The cold liquid was just what she needed to make her bad dreams flee from her thoughts.
Were they dreams or memories?
She had no way to know for sure.
Now that she was up, Gwen was wide awake and wondering what to do.
'I can't wake Gabriel.' she thought as she made her way back to the living room, 'That would be rude after all he has done for me...all he has done for Sara.'
Sitting at the window she looked out over the sleeping city and wondered what it would be like to live in such a huge place with so many different things happening at once.
'Fiona loved it here.' sighing, Gwen pressed her forhead against the cool glass, 'She'll be returning soon and I'll be able to go home.'
Home.
A memory of a large early Irish-arcitype Keep came to mind, bringing tears with it.
"Home." the night sky was blurred by tears, "It's passed. Gone but for a few memories that no one but the keepers will ever see." Gwen said bitterly to the glass as she stared out at the deserted street.
Gabriel sat silently on the stairs watching as his house guest cried herself to sleep in front of the moonlit window.
*************
Gabriel looked up to see that Gwen had fallen asleep. Again. That made it four times in one afternoon of doing research. Smiling to himself he stood up and moved to table- turned computer desk and slid the papers she was using as a pillow gently to one side.
Gwen looked up at him sleepily as he helped her to stand, "The couch is more comfortable." he said by way of explanation.
She allowed him to assist her in reaching the couch but swatted him away when he made to pull a blanket over her, "I'm fine." she mumbled, pulling a pillow Gabriel had sacrificed from his own bed under her chest as she curled around it.
"Sweet dreams, Gwendollyn." Gabriel wispered as he prepared to reclaim his seat and continue looking up information about Daeryc.
No sooner had he become comfortable than the buzzer rang, announcing someone waiting to get into the shop, but when he reached the door he hestiated. Glacing out the peek hole, he could see nothing.
"That's odd." he said aloud and jumped when his phone rang.
"Don't open the door." Sara's voice said before Gabriel had the phone all the way up to his ear, "Don't open it."
"Is it Daeryc?' he asked, looking behind him to see Gwen still sound asleep.
"I don't know but someone came by the station today. They seemed quite interested in the events of a certain night. They said they were distant family of the girl that had been killed, of Fiona, but my braclet saw otherwise." The buzzer sounded again and Gwen groaned sleepily in complaint, "I'll try to get out as soon as possible but call if you need me."
"Believe me, I will." Gabriel hung up and found Gwen staring at the door.
"Lock it." she wispered, eyes large and unseeing,.
The chain was already in place but Gabriel hurried the bolts into place as the buzzer rang for the third time.
"He can't get in." Gabriel sighed happily with the realization, "He's human. No special powers or anything, right?"
"Right." Gwen agreed, "But you may want to close the shop early today."
"Already have." He was watching Gwen who was still staring as he made a small gesture to the door, "That's the only way in."
Gabriel stood frozen in place as he waited in silence for something to happen.
Neither Gwen or Gabriel moved for nearly an hour.
"He's gone." Gwen's voice sounded odd after the long silence and the young bussinessman turned to look at her as she stood.
"How'd you know?"
"Oh, well, that's the easy part of dealing with Daeryc, since the first meeting between him and Fiona the Keepers have been able to keep tabs on his location."
"Then why don't you use that to turn him over to the police?" Gabriel's legs rejoiced at thier movement as he followed Gwen to the kitchen.
"I can't let him know I'm here. He mustn't know that I took Fi's place. He thinks that his path to the Witchblade is almost open." Gwen paused by the sink to get a glass of water, "Let's let him think that awhile longer."
************
The day seemed to creep by at an unbearable pace and every ten minutes or so Sara would find herself checking her watch as she hurried through paper work.
"Sara?" Jake asked when Sara's attention when to her wrist, "Do you have a date or something you're in a hurry to get to?"
"I wouldn't call it a date." Sara said absently as she reached the bottom file on her desk, "Ah, so the pile does have an end." she smirked, holding the folder up for Danny to see, "I was begining to wonder."
"It happens to the best of us." Danny laughed then glanced at Jake who still stood in the doorway, "Did you say you had a date?"
"That's not what I said. " Sara kept her eyes on the file, "I promised a friend dinner. That's it. No movie or after dinner coffee, Danny."
"Sure, Pez." Danny went silent for a few minutes then asked, "When do I get to meet him?"
"What?!" Sara's concentration broke, "Danny, it's Gwen!"
"Sorry." He said as Jake bit back a laugh and avoided Sara's gaze, "It's just- you haven't gone out in awhile- I thought...."
"You thought wrong." Sara replied with a smirk, "She's never seen the city at night, and Gabriel has some arrand or another to tend to."
They seemed satisfied with her lie.
***********
That last file couldn't get done quick enough.
Slipping away without saying goodnight to Jake or Danny, Sara rushed to Gabriel's. To Gwen.
"Please let them be ok." she muttered to herself as she took the stairs two at a time, "If any thing's happened-"
Stopping short of Gabriel's door Sara could plainly see that there was indeed someone there.
"Knottingham?"
"Sara." Ian bowed, "I have stood watch over the lady for the past few hours."
"But how-?"
"You are not the only one who has lived other lives, Sara." Ian stared at her for a second longer than was needed before dropping his gaze to the floor, "Forgive me for being late."
"Yeah." Sara said in her normal cop-tone, "I'll forgive you when I see that they're ok."
The door open as Sara raised her hand to knock and she had to stop in mid-motion to keep from knocking on Gabriel's face.
"You're late." he said, stepping aside to allow both her and Ian into his shop.
"Where's Gwen?" Sara asked.
"Where do you think?-She's sleeping. Again." Gabriel locked the door behind them then motioned towards the couch,"She doesn't do anything other than sleep, eat and mix my files up."
Sara noticed a smile on Gabriel's lips despite his annoyed tone.
"Then she's ok?"
"Right as rain- which reminds me, she seems to have a facination with water." Gabriel said as Sara sat next to Gwen on the worn couch, "She's been here for 4 days and yet she can't seem to drink enough water. She also stares at it when she's not drinking it."
"Did you ask the lady why?" Ian asked from his place by the closed door.
"I did." Gabriel looked at the darkly dressed man as if he just noticed his pressence, "She doesn't know why she does it."
"How'd everything go after I called?" Sara asked as Gwen moved in her sleep.
"Fine." Gabriel sat on the coffee table, "How was work?"
"Long." Sara sighed as she looked down at the sleeping Gwen and smiled, "She seems stress free."
Gabriel laughed, "Things bother her for like five minutes and then she's over them completely. It makes me wonder what it was like to be in love with her."
"You loved her, and she you." Ian placed a hand on Gabriel's sholder for a brief second, "I must be going."
"Hey, Knottingham?" Sara said to Ian's back as he halted at the door, "Thanks."
**********
Everything was dark when Gwen woke at 2 in the morning. Stretching, she made her way to the dark kitchen for a glass of water. The cold liquid was just what she needed to make her bad dreams flee from her thoughts.
Were they dreams or memories?
She had no way to know for sure.
Now that she was up, Gwen was wide awake and wondering what to do.
'I can't wake Gabriel.' she thought as she made her way back to the living room, 'That would be rude after all he has done for me...all he has done for Sara.'
Sitting at the window she looked out over the sleeping city and wondered what it would be like to live in such a huge place with so many different things happening at once.
'Fiona loved it here.' sighing, Gwen pressed her forhead against the cool glass, 'She'll be returning soon and I'll be able to go home.'
Home.
A memory of a large early Irish-arcitype Keep came to mind, bringing tears with it.
"Home." the night sky was blurred by tears, "It's passed. Gone but for a few memories that no one but the keepers will ever see." Gwen said bitterly to the glass as she stared out at the deserted street.
Gabriel sat silently on the stairs watching as his house guest cried herself to sleep in front of the moonlit window.