Here's part 18.. Enjoy!
Part 18
"Night Leigh, night Danny. Night Jenny," Sara told the Woos as she gave Jenny one last hug before closing the door behind them. It was still early, a little after seven. She chuckled, remembering the look on Danny's face when she opened the door to let him and his wife in to pick up Jenny. The little girl had been sprawled on the floor wearing a ridiculously oversized hat that had had a seascape of soft felt fish perched on waves. Another hat, this one the felt head of a lioness, was laying abandoned on the floor next to her. Crayons were spread out on the floor and cartoons were playing in the background with Jenny providing the 'whooshes!' and 'bams!' as the trio of superheroes saved Townesville.
Even more astonishing to the Asian was Sara's own acceptance at it: Sara seemed carefree, more at ease with herself. Especially in light of the fact that she'd spent the day with a bunch of kids. He'd half expected her to be downing a handful of aspirin as they got there to relieve her. Instead she acted like it was perfectly normal for her to have cartoons on while she watched his daughter.
He'd absently tried to get more information about Gabriel from her, but it was merely a token effort; the pleasurable day had loosened him up. He wouldn't have let her take his daughter along in the first place if he didn't trust her judgement. He'd just ask Jenny for anything she remembered.
"Night Sara. Have fun!"
Sara shook her head at the comment. Trust Danny to expect something more. She flopped down on the couch and absently sought the remote. Powerpuff Girls and the Cartoon Network wasn't her cup of tea. There had to be something on TV that wouldn't annoy her. Maybe something that had enough plot that it wasn't drivel but nothing she had to pay attention to for it to make sense. The phone rang as she was flipping through the channels and she picked it up from the cushion next to her. "Hello, Gabriel."
"Expecting a call, Sara?"
Sara pulled the phone away from her ear and made a face at it. Immediately regretting the childish impulse, she replaced it. "Not really, Jake. What's up?"
"You aren't being called to a crime scene or anything so don't worry about it. I was just wondering if you wanted to do something tonight." There was a moment of silence that Jake filled in before it could become uncomfortably prolonged. "Assuming you aren't doing anything," he added to appease her.
She cleared her throat. "You decided to call me after seven o'clock on a Saturday night to ask if I wanted to go out? Just take a stab in the dark that I'd be home and hurting for company?"
"I didn't mean you wouldn't have any plans," he clarified hastily. "It was just a thought. I found myself with a free night since my plans got cancelled."
"And I was the person to call," she concluded dryly. Sara was sure that if she thought about it, she'd be insulted. It wasn't that he meant to put his foot in his mouth; it just happened naturally. There was no answer to her semi-question, the rookie detective on the other end of the line having decided that silence was the better part of valor. She sighed and decided to toss him a bone. "I'm actually kind of tired, Jake."
"Too tired for a couple of beers and some pool? I'll even let you win," he offered.
"'Let me win' my ass," she returned. The two laughed for a few seconds before Sara begged off the invitation again. Hanging up the phone, she resumed flipping through the channels on the muted TV as blessed silence filled her loft apartment. She relaxed bit by bit, not having realized how loud everything had been that day until that moment. Was that why Gabe blasted his music? You aren't aware of the noise if you don't have anything to compare it to.
The phone beside her trilled again and she stared at the plastic instrument with annoyance. She was half tempted to turn off the ringer and let the caller continue to wait to be answered. It was almost certainly Jake calling back to try his luck at changing her mind about going out. The ringing continued and she groaned in defeat as she picked the phone back up. Clicking the button to talk, she answered by repeating herself. "I told you, Jake; I'm gonna have to pass. I'm pretty wiped."
Laughter greeted her announcement. "Jake, huh? Seeing some guy on the side?"
"Gabriel?" A surprise she hadn't expected crept into the question.
"Expecting someone else?"
"Gabriel." she growled warningly.
"Guess not, eh? You obviously told him no this time. What about any of the other times?" The still laughing voice had a thread of mock worry in it.
"Did you call for a reason other than busting my chops?" She asked the question brusquely, used to his teasing and knowing that he's continue all night if she didn't stop him soon.
"Well, I dropped off all the kids and the van. Managed to get out of my family's clutched before they could pry too much information out of me.. I figured it was still pretty early and decided I'd try calling. Maybe see if you watched to catch a movie or go out to dinner. Unless you're too tired, of course," he teased her.
Sara considered the invitation before sighing. She hadn't lied to Jake earlier; she was tired. She didn't want to go out. She just didn't feel like staying home alone either.
"That hesitation sounds pretty promising," Gabe said more to himself than to her.
"I am pretty tired," she stressed.
"But." The single word was drawn out into a question.
"Well, it is too early to crash."
"Want me to grab some take out and a movie on my way there? There was a pause and he decided to sweeten the deal. "I won't even stay too long. You can kick me out anytime and go to bed nice and early."
Even though she knew he couldn't see it, she shook her head. "Still have the key?"
"Yeah," he answered. "I couldn't figure out if I should keep it because you never asked for it or if I should prove that I can be a gentleman and give it back either way."
Sara bit back a laugh and asked dryly, "so you decided to keep it?"
"What can I say? I figured that you know your own mind and I know for sure that you aren't afraid to tell others when you want something. Besides," he reminded her, "you already know I'm a sweet guy."
Sara laughed and shook her head again. "I'll see you soon, Gabriel." He murmured his assent and they both hung up. Sara was left staring at the phone she still held. Shaking her head again and chuckling, she put it down and stood up with a soft groan. She probably had half an hour before he got here. Might as well put it to use.
Gabe parked his car and climbed out to walk around to the passenger door and gather the things sprawled on the seat. Balancing them carefully with the pizza box serving as a tray on the bottom, he locked the door and shut it with his hip, a move that sent him grabbing for the videocassette. Making his way through the familiar parking lot to the front door, he absently looked around him. The area was mostly deserted, the kids who played there inside eating dinner, getting their baths and going to bed. The old men that used the stoop to the building as a meeting place probably doing the same.
The only other occupant was a tall blonde that looked vaguely familiar to him. Did Gabe know him from somewhere? He watched the man out of the corner of his eye while carefully keeping everything balanced and fighting to swing the front door of the building open. Whoever the man was, he seemed awfully interested in Gabe being there. The man's bearing was alertly relaxed, something he saw in Sara. Maybe he was a cop buddy of hers?
The door swung shut behind him and Gabe consigned the man to the back of his mind. The blonde wasn't, after all, threatening. Merely unusual. That was pretty normal in New York City. Ignoring the elevator, he began the trek up the stairs to Sara's apartment. The ancient lift ran too slow for everyday use, in his opinion. It was one that most of the building's inhabitants shared in.
Reaching the top floor, he made his way to Sara's apartment and knocked on the door. There was no answer and he dug his keys out of the pocket of his leather jacket to let himself in. The apartment was lit by a couple of lamps and the setting sun, the light dispersing over the area to create a warm glow. He put his offerings for the night down on the kitchen table and shrugged out of jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. "Sara?"
"Out in a minute!"
Gabe shook his head and wandered across the room to the wall of windows that overlooked the parking lot and street. The man he'd noticed earlier was still standing in the elongated shadows. Before he noticed the man in the parking lot doing anything, Gabe heard a door at the opposite end of the room open.
"Looking for something in particular?" Sara joined him at the windows and looked out over the small slice of New York City.
"Just watching one of your neighbors." He noticed her beginning to scan the street and helped her by pointing out where he meant. "Seems to be waiting for someone."
Sara looked down at the shadow her companion had indicated and frowned. The bracelet on her wrist came alive as it transmitted tingling across the nerves of her arm and she absently rubbed the skin.
Gabe caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to her. "Twitchblade telling you something?"
She rubbed her write for a moment more before consciously dropping her hands and smiling. "No, not really. It probably isn't used to a day of relaxation."
He watched as she moved her hands to her side and nodded to himself in warning. They day had been enjoyable; the evening promised to be pleasant. He didn't want to push her too much and get her defensive. "Interesting definition of relaxation. Can I sign you up for next weekend?"
"Uh, no," she answered with little hesitation. "Maybe in a few weeks. I think I need a while to recuperate." They both laughed and then Sara shook her head. "I meant no visions, life and death fights."
"Wars, gun fire, martyrs." he picked up and continued the list. "That second trip to the petting zoo sure seemed like a life and death fight."
"Exactly!" she chuckled. "Let's forget about the trials of sentient weapons and concentrate on having a nice evening?"
Gabe nodded his agreement and reached down to grasp her left hand. Lifting it to his lips to press a gentle kiss on the skin right below the bracelet. "Behave," he whispered to it, only to draw back slightly in surprise when it swirled in response. "Oh-kay. I don't know if that's good or bad, so I'm just going to quit while I'm in one piece." He backed up a step and gestures to the kitchen table. "Pizza, subs, and Lethal Weapon awaits."
Sara followed his invitation and moved away from the window with one last glance down into the parking lot. "Pizza, subs, and Lethal Weapon?"
"Couldn't decide on one type of food," he replied with a shrug. "Whatever's left can be breakfast or lunch for both of us tomorrow."
"Both of us?"
He tensed slightly and looked up at the lightly asked question. As soon as he saw the teasing look on her face, he relaxed and ran a hand through his hair. "You had me going there," he admitted. "I'm never sure how to take you." Before she could respond, he changed the subject. "What do you want to start on?"
"Subs," she immediately decided. "Pizza works better the day after."
"When the lady is right, the lady is right." He grabbed two plates down from the cupboard and put two wrapped subs on top of them. He picked up the cassettes on the way to the main part of the living room as she grabbed drinks from the refrigerator. "I hope that Lethal Weapon works," he tossed over his shoulder.
"They work fine. Which did you bring?"
"All four. Didn't know which one you preferred."
"By all means, start at the beginning." She put the drinks on the table next to the food and sat down on one end of the couch as he popped the first movie of the series into the VCR.
"Thought these were a pretty safe bet. Haven't met a person yet who hasn't enjoyed at least one of them." He fast-forwarded through the promos until they had come to the opening credits. As the movie began, he joined Sara on the sofa and accepted the plate handed to him. "Thanks."
"Thank you," she stressed the you, "for. everything."
"Glad to be of service," he replied with a grin.
TBC
Part 18
"Night Leigh, night Danny. Night Jenny," Sara told the Woos as she gave Jenny one last hug before closing the door behind them. It was still early, a little after seven. She chuckled, remembering the look on Danny's face when she opened the door to let him and his wife in to pick up Jenny. The little girl had been sprawled on the floor wearing a ridiculously oversized hat that had had a seascape of soft felt fish perched on waves. Another hat, this one the felt head of a lioness, was laying abandoned on the floor next to her. Crayons were spread out on the floor and cartoons were playing in the background with Jenny providing the 'whooshes!' and 'bams!' as the trio of superheroes saved Townesville.
Even more astonishing to the Asian was Sara's own acceptance at it: Sara seemed carefree, more at ease with herself. Especially in light of the fact that she'd spent the day with a bunch of kids. He'd half expected her to be downing a handful of aspirin as they got there to relieve her. Instead she acted like it was perfectly normal for her to have cartoons on while she watched his daughter.
He'd absently tried to get more information about Gabriel from her, but it was merely a token effort; the pleasurable day had loosened him up. He wouldn't have let her take his daughter along in the first place if he didn't trust her judgement. He'd just ask Jenny for anything she remembered.
"Night Sara. Have fun!"
Sara shook her head at the comment. Trust Danny to expect something more. She flopped down on the couch and absently sought the remote. Powerpuff Girls and the Cartoon Network wasn't her cup of tea. There had to be something on TV that wouldn't annoy her. Maybe something that had enough plot that it wasn't drivel but nothing she had to pay attention to for it to make sense. The phone rang as she was flipping through the channels and she picked it up from the cushion next to her. "Hello, Gabriel."
"Expecting a call, Sara?"
Sara pulled the phone away from her ear and made a face at it. Immediately regretting the childish impulse, she replaced it. "Not really, Jake. What's up?"
"You aren't being called to a crime scene or anything so don't worry about it. I was just wondering if you wanted to do something tonight." There was a moment of silence that Jake filled in before it could become uncomfortably prolonged. "Assuming you aren't doing anything," he added to appease her.
She cleared her throat. "You decided to call me after seven o'clock on a Saturday night to ask if I wanted to go out? Just take a stab in the dark that I'd be home and hurting for company?"
"I didn't mean you wouldn't have any plans," he clarified hastily. "It was just a thought. I found myself with a free night since my plans got cancelled."
"And I was the person to call," she concluded dryly. Sara was sure that if she thought about it, she'd be insulted. It wasn't that he meant to put his foot in his mouth; it just happened naturally. There was no answer to her semi-question, the rookie detective on the other end of the line having decided that silence was the better part of valor. She sighed and decided to toss him a bone. "I'm actually kind of tired, Jake."
"Too tired for a couple of beers and some pool? I'll even let you win," he offered.
"'Let me win' my ass," she returned. The two laughed for a few seconds before Sara begged off the invitation again. Hanging up the phone, she resumed flipping through the channels on the muted TV as blessed silence filled her loft apartment. She relaxed bit by bit, not having realized how loud everything had been that day until that moment. Was that why Gabe blasted his music? You aren't aware of the noise if you don't have anything to compare it to.
The phone beside her trilled again and she stared at the plastic instrument with annoyance. She was half tempted to turn off the ringer and let the caller continue to wait to be answered. It was almost certainly Jake calling back to try his luck at changing her mind about going out. The ringing continued and she groaned in defeat as she picked the phone back up. Clicking the button to talk, she answered by repeating herself. "I told you, Jake; I'm gonna have to pass. I'm pretty wiped."
Laughter greeted her announcement. "Jake, huh? Seeing some guy on the side?"
"Gabriel?" A surprise she hadn't expected crept into the question.
"Expecting someone else?"
"Gabriel." she growled warningly.
"Guess not, eh? You obviously told him no this time. What about any of the other times?" The still laughing voice had a thread of mock worry in it.
"Did you call for a reason other than busting my chops?" She asked the question brusquely, used to his teasing and knowing that he's continue all night if she didn't stop him soon.
"Well, I dropped off all the kids and the van. Managed to get out of my family's clutched before they could pry too much information out of me.. I figured it was still pretty early and decided I'd try calling. Maybe see if you watched to catch a movie or go out to dinner. Unless you're too tired, of course," he teased her.
Sara considered the invitation before sighing. She hadn't lied to Jake earlier; she was tired. She didn't want to go out. She just didn't feel like staying home alone either.
"That hesitation sounds pretty promising," Gabe said more to himself than to her.
"I am pretty tired," she stressed.
"But." The single word was drawn out into a question.
"Well, it is too early to crash."
"Want me to grab some take out and a movie on my way there? There was a pause and he decided to sweeten the deal. "I won't even stay too long. You can kick me out anytime and go to bed nice and early."
Even though she knew he couldn't see it, she shook her head. "Still have the key?"
"Yeah," he answered. "I couldn't figure out if I should keep it because you never asked for it or if I should prove that I can be a gentleman and give it back either way."
Sara bit back a laugh and asked dryly, "so you decided to keep it?"
"What can I say? I figured that you know your own mind and I know for sure that you aren't afraid to tell others when you want something. Besides," he reminded her, "you already know I'm a sweet guy."
Sara laughed and shook her head again. "I'll see you soon, Gabriel." He murmured his assent and they both hung up. Sara was left staring at the phone she still held. Shaking her head again and chuckling, she put it down and stood up with a soft groan. She probably had half an hour before he got here. Might as well put it to use.
Gabe parked his car and climbed out to walk around to the passenger door and gather the things sprawled on the seat. Balancing them carefully with the pizza box serving as a tray on the bottom, he locked the door and shut it with his hip, a move that sent him grabbing for the videocassette. Making his way through the familiar parking lot to the front door, he absently looked around him. The area was mostly deserted, the kids who played there inside eating dinner, getting their baths and going to bed. The old men that used the stoop to the building as a meeting place probably doing the same.
The only other occupant was a tall blonde that looked vaguely familiar to him. Did Gabe know him from somewhere? He watched the man out of the corner of his eye while carefully keeping everything balanced and fighting to swing the front door of the building open. Whoever the man was, he seemed awfully interested in Gabe being there. The man's bearing was alertly relaxed, something he saw in Sara. Maybe he was a cop buddy of hers?
The door swung shut behind him and Gabe consigned the man to the back of his mind. The blonde wasn't, after all, threatening. Merely unusual. That was pretty normal in New York City. Ignoring the elevator, he began the trek up the stairs to Sara's apartment. The ancient lift ran too slow for everyday use, in his opinion. It was one that most of the building's inhabitants shared in.
Reaching the top floor, he made his way to Sara's apartment and knocked on the door. There was no answer and he dug his keys out of the pocket of his leather jacket to let himself in. The apartment was lit by a couple of lamps and the setting sun, the light dispersing over the area to create a warm glow. He put his offerings for the night down on the kitchen table and shrugged out of jacket, draping it over the back of a chair. "Sara?"
"Out in a minute!"
Gabe shook his head and wandered across the room to the wall of windows that overlooked the parking lot and street. The man he'd noticed earlier was still standing in the elongated shadows. Before he noticed the man in the parking lot doing anything, Gabe heard a door at the opposite end of the room open.
"Looking for something in particular?" Sara joined him at the windows and looked out over the small slice of New York City.
"Just watching one of your neighbors." He noticed her beginning to scan the street and helped her by pointing out where he meant. "Seems to be waiting for someone."
Sara looked down at the shadow her companion had indicated and frowned. The bracelet on her wrist came alive as it transmitted tingling across the nerves of her arm and she absently rubbed the skin.
Gabe caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to her. "Twitchblade telling you something?"
She rubbed her write for a moment more before consciously dropping her hands and smiling. "No, not really. It probably isn't used to a day of relaxation."
He watched as she moved her hands to her side and nodded to himself in warning. They day had been enjoyable; the evening promised to be pleasant. He didn't want to push her too much and get her defensive. "Interesting definition of relaxation. Can I sign you up for next weekend?"
"Uh, no," she answered with little hesitation. "Maybe in a few weeks. I think I need a while to recuperate." They both laughed and then Sara shook her head. "I meant no visions, life and death fights."
"Wars, gun fire, martyrs." he picked up and continued the list. "That second trip to the petting zoo sure seemed like a life and death fight."
"Exactly!" she chuckled. "Let's forget about the trials of sentient weapons and concentrate on having a nice evening?"
Gabe nodded his agreement and reached down to grasp her left hand. Lifting it to his lips to press a gentle kiss on the skin right below the bracelet. "Behave," he whispered to it, only to draw back slightly in surprise when it swirled in response. "Oh-kay. I don't know if that's good or bad, so I'm just going to quit while I'm in one piece." He backed up a step and gestures to the kitchen table. "Pizza, subs, and Lethal Weapon awaits."
Sara followed his invitation and moved away from the window with one last glance down into the parking lot. "Pizza, subs, and Lethal Weapon?"
"Couldn't decide on one type of food," he replied with a shrug. "Whatever's left can be breakfast or lunch for both of us tomorrow."
"Both of us?"
He tensed slightly and looked up at the lightly asked question. As soon as he saw the teasing look on her face, he relaxed and ran a hand through his hair. "You had me going there," he admitted. "I'm never sure how to take you." Before she could respond, he changed the subject. "What do you want to start on?"
"Subs," she immediately decided. "Pizza works better the day after."
"When the lady is right, the lady is right." He grabbed two plates down from the cupboard and put two wrapped subs on top of them. He picked up the cassettes on the way to the main part of the living room as she grabbed drinks from the refrigerator. "I hope that Lethal Weapon works," he tossed over his shoulder.
"They work fine. Which did you bring?"
"All four. Didn't know which one you preferred."
"By all means, start at the beginning." She put the drinks on the table next to the food and sat down on one end of the couch as he popped the first movie of the series into the VCR.
"Thought these were a pretty safe bet. Haven't met a person yet who hasn't enjoyed at least one of them." He fast-forwarded through the promos until they had come to the opening credits. As the movie began, he joined Sara on the sofa and accepted the plate handed to him. "Thanks."
"Thank you," she stressed the you, "for. everything."
"Glad to be of service," he replied with a grin.
TBC