A little more. I think you'll be getting this story a couple pages at a
time instead of decent sized updates. Sorry
The door slamming open was barely heard over the blast of Queen and Gabriel turned in his office chair to see who had came in. Sly had called earlier and said he might be stopping by during the day, but chances were it was. Right in one. Sara. In full fighting mode, he realized as he took one look at her flashing green eyes. "To what do I owe this pleasure," he asked her as he leaned back in his chair and linked his arms behind his head.
"What on earth were you thinking, Gabriel?"
His eyes slid to the side where his cursor was flashing at him. "Just now? Actually I'm researching Phoenician religion. I have a line on a limestone statue of Astarte, the Queen of the Stars, goddess of love and war. Sound familiar?" He shrugged. "You know me, Sara, I'm a research hound. Besides, it's only good business practice to make sure of what you're selling, right? Don't want some of your buddies in blue to take me away in cuffs for fraud, do you?"
She waved a hand, dismissing his stall tactics. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it, Gabriel."
"I do?" He imitated one of her own facial expressions, cocking an eyebrow in a questioning manner. He doubted it looked as normal as it did on her, but he didn't expect it to.
"Yes, you do." At his deliberately blank look, she elaborated through gritted teeth. "The flowers."
"Oh, the flowers!" he exclaimed, continuing to play as if he hadn't had a clue. "Did you like them?" he asked in a voice he hoped had just the right touch of guilelessness .
"What were you thinking, sending me flowers? Sending me roses?" Her voice raised until she practically yelled the last word.
Gabriel shrugged again. "Yellow roses are the flower of friendship, Sara. I just wanted to say thanks for my birthday present."
She opened her mouth, about to say something, and stopped, blinking. "Thanks," she finally said grudgingly.
"No problem, Sara. I take it you don't like flowers?"
She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug as she took the extra office chair he gestured to. "If you could have heard all the ribbing I got today at the station." she gave by way of explanation for her earlier outrage.
"Probably wasn't too smart of me to have them delivered there, eh? You're not the easiest person to track down at night, though," he told her, hoping his explanation wasn't too over the top.
She blinked at him before replying sarcastically, "yeah, I'm out every night till dawn."
"Hey, pretty girl like you, what do you expect?" He grinned at her even as he felt her hand ruffle his hair as she aimed a light sack at the back of his head for his remark. "You know, it's a good thing my hair's tousled anyway."
"Girl?" she asked dangerously.
"Woman. Better?" He raised his hands in a placating gesture as she aimed for another light smack.
She nodded and crossed her arms. "Gotta get you out of tossing these chauvinistic phrases around somehow."
Gabriel laughed, wondering what she would do if she ever heard Sly talking. Especially since, after her first visit to his friend after witnessing a murder, Sly's talk was peppered with 'damn fine chick' and 'a bit macho, just needs to be shown how good bein' a chick can be' among other things. "Other than the excitement over the flowers, decent day at work?"
"Yeah." She glanced down, idly rubbing the Witchblade where it rested on her wrist. "I should probably get back; Danny's gonna be wondering where I went."
"Do I get my kiss before you leave?"
"Kiss?" She looked over at him, obviously startled.
"Sure, remember yesterday? My birthday? Twenty-five kisses and one to grow on. You gave me one, that means I have twenty-five more coming to me."
"I told you I thought that was spanks, not kisses, remember?"
"I'm still easy." He hid his grin when Sara blinked at him again, obviously taken aback by the upgrade in his flirting. Without waiting for her to say anything, he looped a foot around the bottom of her chair and pulled her closer to get one of his remaining kisses. Remaining seated, he buried one hand in her hair and drew her mouth to his. His tongue darted out to trace her lips and he smiled against them as they automatically parted. The kiss ended after a few moments and her lids opened to reveal dazed green eyes.
"I, um, better go."
He nodded and watched her look around. "See you tonight, Sara?"
"Sure," she replied automatically as she got her bearings and walked out the door, her cell phone starting to ring.
He fingered the necklace he still wore and grinned. Sara was interesting when skittish. She was still being herself, as assured as always in her mannerisms and as quick at her come-backs, but she was just enough off balance to give her a little unpredictability. Because of her job, she was always in control. The Witchblade enhanced that, giving her more control over herself and in her ability to help while taking away a large part of her control at the same time. This new side to her, one he had guessed at and glimpsed, was going to be as fun as he had thought.
Shaking his head and turning back to his computer, he continued his research on Astarte. Goddess of love and war. He could definitely see the parallels there, though he figured his Sara saw more of the latter than the former.
His Sara. That has a nice ring to it.
TBC
And yes, the next part is already in the works.. Just not sure how long it'll take so I decided to post this.
The door slamming open was barely heard over the blast of Queen and Gabriel turned in his office chair to see who had came in. Sly had called earlier and said he might be stopping by during the day, but chances were it was. Right in one. Sara. In full fighting mode, he realized as he took one look at her flashing green eyes. "To what do I owe this pleasure," he asked her as he leaned back in his chair and linked his arms behind his head.
"What on earth were you thinking, Gabriel?"
His eyes slid to the side where his cursor was flashing at him. "Just now? Actually I'm researching Phoenician religion. I have a line on a limestone statue of Astarte, the Queen of the Stars, goddess of love and war. Sound familiar?" He shrugged. "You know me, Sara, I'm a research hound. Besides, it's only good business practice to make sure of what you're selling, right? Don't want some of your buddies in blue to take me away in cuffs for fraud, do you?"
She waved a hand, dismissing his stall tactics. "That's not what I'm talking about and you know it, Gabriel."
"I do?" He imitated one of her own facial expressions, cocking an eyebrow in a questioning manner. He doubted it looked as normal as it did on her, but he didn't expect it to.
"Yes, you do." At his deliberately blank look, she elaborated through gritted teeth. "The flowers."
"Oh, the flowers!" he exclaimed, continuing to play as if he hadn't had a clue. "Did you like them?" he asked in a voice he hoped had just the right touch of guilelessness .
"What were you thinking, sending me flowers? Sending me roses?" Her voice raised until she practically yelled the last word.
Gabriel shrugged again. "Yellow roses are the flower of friendship, Sara. I just wanted to say thanks for my birthday present."
She opened her mouth, about to say something, and stopped, blinking. "Thanks," she finally said grudgingly.
"No problem, Sara. I take it you don't like flowers?"
She lifted one shoulder in a half shrug as she took the extra office chair he gestured to. "If you could have heard all the ribbing I got today at the station." she gave by way of explanation for her earlier outrage.
"Probably wasn't too smart of me to have them delivered there, eh? You're not the easiest person to track down at night, though," he told her, hoping his explanation wasn't too over the top.
She blinked at him before replying sarcastically, "yeah, I'm out every night till dawn."
"Hey, pretty girl like you, what do you expect?" He grinned at her even as he felt her hand ruffle his hair as she aimed a light sack at the back of his head for his remark. "You know, it's a good thing my hair's tousled anyway."
"Girl?" she asked dangerously.
"Woman. Better?" He raised his hands in a placating gesture as she aimed for another light smack.
She nodded and crossed her arms. "Gotta get you out of tossing these chauvinistic phrases around somehow."
Gabriel laughed, wondering what she would do if she ever heard Sly talking. Especially since, after her first visit to his friend after witnessing a murder, Sly's talk was peppered with 'damn fine chick' and 'a bit macho, just needs to be shown how good bein' a chick can be' among other things. "Other than the excitement over the flowers, decent day at work?"
"Yeah." She glanced down, idly rubbing the Witchblade where it rested on her wrist. "I should probably get back; Danny's gonna be wondering where I went."
"Do I get my kiss before you leave?"
"Kiss?" She looked over at him, obviously startled.
"Sure, remember yesterday? My birthday? Twenty-five kisses and one to grow on. You gave me one, that means I have twenty-five more coming to me."
"I told you I thought that was spanks, not kisses, remember?"
"I'm still easy." He hid his grin when Sara blinked at him again, obviously taken aback by the upgrade in his flirting. Without waiting for her to say anything, he looped a foot around the bottom of her chair and pulled her closer to get one of his remaining kisses. Remaining seated, he buried one hand in her hair and drew her mouth to his. His tongue darted out to trace her lips and he smiled against them as they automatically parted. The kiss ended after a few moments and her lids opened to reveal dazed green eyes.
"I, um, better go."
He nodded and watched her look around. "See you tonight, Sara?"
"Sure," she replied automatically as she got her bearings and walked out the door, her cell phone starting to ring.
He fingered the necklace he still wore and grinned. Sara was interesting when skittish. She was still being herself, as assured as always in her mannerisms and as quick at her come-backs, but she was just enough off balance to give her a little unpredictability. Because of her job, she was always in control. The Witchblade enhanced that, giving her more control over herself and in her ability to help while taking away a large part of her control at the same time. This new side to her, one he had guessed at and glimpsed, was going to be as fun as he had thought.
Shaking his head and turning back to his computer, he continued his research on Astarte. Goddess of love and war. He could definitely see the parallels there, though he figured his Sara saw more of the latter than the former.
His Sara. That has a nice ring to it.
TBC
And yes, the next part is already in the works.. Just not sure how long it'll take so I decided to post this.