Eli: Hello, here's the next chapter. "About time" as many will say. Enjoy.

Sara had stopped by at Gabriel's for a chat, and was surprised when Elaine announced he wasn't home.

"Where is he?"

"He and Jesse had their first date last night. He didn't come home." Sara raised an eyebrow.

"First date? Damn that's awful quick to be." She didn't add a last part due to censorship. Elaine noted it and finished the line for her.

"Shagging?" She laughed at Sara's surprised face. "Well, you have to remember they have been secretly holding sexual desires for each other for a good six or seven years. It's the raging hormones."

"Did Gabe ever censor anything while raising you?" Elaine shook her head.

"I'm a bad, bad girl."

"I bet you are. Tell him to call me when he gets home."

"If he gets home."

"Yeah. Either way." Sara walked out.

-Gabriel and Jesse-

"We really should get out of this bed."

"Why?" Gabriel pouted. "This is the closest to heaven I'm ever getting." Jesse looked at him and laughed.

"Stupid ass! You can't just leave Elaine in the house all day."

"She's a big girl."

"No, Gabriel. She has a tendency to get in trouble."

"Like what?"

"Like not coming home for the same reason you did." Gabriel sat up in surprise.

"What?!" Jesse stared at him blankly.

"Um, I thought you knew. I could have sworn your mum told you."

"Told me what?"

"That I had to take Elaine in for a pregnancy test."

"You did what?"

"Just what I said. It's better safe than sorry and we really thought she might've been. I'm sorry I couldn't prevent it. And don't scold her, I already did. She probably didn't tell you because she thinks you'd be all ashamed of her. You're like her father, Gabriel. She couldn't bare the look of disappointment in your eyes. Please go easy on her."

"Alright. And don't worry; I know you can't hold her hand through everything. If anyone's to blame, it's my mom. I don't know how she could let Elaine get so reckless." Jesse put her head on his shoulder.

"It's just a hard time for her Gabriel."

"That's the problem. It's ALWAYS a bad time for her. She couldn't raise me; she can't raise Elaine. And look whose suffering because of it."

"You are fine, and so is Elaine. She gets straight A's for Lord's sake. It will be alright."

"Yeah, I guess. Changing the subject."

"To what?"

"To this." He bent to kiss her. Then he broke it off to whisper into her ear.

"I love you, Jesse." Jesse was speechless. Her stomach did a back flip and a million ideas ran through her mind. Gabriel just smiled at her. She didn't know how to react or respond. She knew she really liked Gabriel, but did she love him? She didn't know. She pulled away from him.

"Gabriel, I.." She shook her head in confusion. "That I wasn't expecting."

"I understand." He said calmly, lying not being one of his strongest suits. He wanted her to tell him that she loved him, too. He had waited for her to say that to him for so long, and now it was being denied? A silent anger took him over slowly. He stroked the side of her face with the back of his hand. The hand. The scars felt noticeable as he did so.

"Tell me, Jesse." Jesse looked like a deer caught in headlights. What would she tell him? How could she say no, or worst yet, lie and say yes. She turned away from him and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Gabriel, it's all so much. I can't respond just right now." The anger swelled in him as she avoided answering. He closed his eyes and felt the anger eat at him. He put his hand on her shoulder.

"I know it's a lot, but I need to know. Do you love me?" Jesse wanted to hide under the bed from the question. She remained silent. She refused to turn and look at him when he pushed her shoulder in that direction.

The ignoring of his comment sent him over the edge. He grabbed her wrist, and with lightning fast speed neither had known he had, he had her against the wall facing him. His face sent chills down her spine. His eyes, he usually cool blue eyes, were now filled with such an icy glint of anger. It was as if hatred itself stared her in he face, not her Gabriel.

This man was not her Gabriel.

"Tell me, Jessica. Tell me!" He demanded. Jesse pushed him off using all her strength. When he hit the ground and glared up at her, she spoke.

"No, Gabriel. I don't love you. That's the truth. You mean the world to me, but I don't love you, yet. And acting like a fucking maniac doesn't help!" She sobbed out. Gabriel blinked once, twice, and looked around.

"What?" He was very confused, as was Jesse. It was too much for her.

"Gabriel, just leave now."

"But-"

"No, please. Just go."

-Later-

Elaine cheerfully opened the door for her brother.

"Somebody got lucky." She said and smiled. Gabriel just shook his head.

"Not really." Elaine closed the door and stared at him.

"What do you mean? Did you or did you not just come from her apartment?"

"I did, but I got kicked out."

"What?!"

"Jesse kicked me out."

"Why?" He just shrugged his shoulders. It wasn't a good enough answer. He sat down at the table and Elaine took the seat beside him. "Why?" She asked again.

"I wanted her to tell me that she loved me, but she wouldn't say it. So I got angry and she kicked me out." Elaine's jaw dropped in disbelief.

"Gabriel!" She whined out. "How fucking stupid can you be? Why the fuck would you do something like that for?"

"Because I love her."

"And you don't try to force the one you love to say she loves you when she doesn't, yet! You stupid ass!" She yelled at him. Gabriel got up in anger. His eyes once again flashed icy blue. He turned and glared at her.

"Stop bitching at me! I'm a grown adult and I'll do what I want. Unlike you. You almost got pregnant and needed Jesse to take you to the clinic! Your only sixteen and your already acting like mom! And you say I'm fucking stupid?! How smart is it to be sleeping around like some fucking whore? Tell me, Elaine, how smart is that, hm?"

Elaine looked at him with a caravan of emotions. Pain, misery, hurt, sadness, guilt, but mostly and over bearing anger. She got up from her seat.

"Yeah, I'm just a stupid ass whore, aren't I?" She grabbed her jacket and headed to the door. She put her hand on the handle and turned one last time to meet his icy glare. "Just because your life is hell doesn't give you a right to act like it's my fault, so just fuck off!"

She slammed the door behind her and ran.

-Later-

Sara heard a knocking at her door just as she was about to get into bed. She opened it to find a teary eyed Elaine.

"Elaine? What....?" She didn't know where to begin. Elaine cried out and hugged Sara. She was crying so heard. Sara pulled her into the apartment and closed the door behind her. Elaine sat down on the couch and tried to calm down.

"Elaine, what the hell happened?"

"Gabriel happened." Elaine sobbed out.

"What? Did he do something to you?"

"We got into a scrap and he called me a whore, Sara. He's never done anything like that before, and now he's gone insane or something. Jesse even kicked him out of her apartment." She somehow got out clearly.

Sara couldn't believe Gabriel had done such a thing. She calmed Elaine down and got her to stop crying. They talked for a bit, and then the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Pezzini?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm calling from Hope Memorial concerning a Mr. John Dougherty." Conchobar. Sara quickly responded as her stomach turned a back flip.

"Uh huh. Is he awake?" She asked hopefully.

"I'm sorry to inform you that he has not waken up but has passed away this very hour." Sara felt her knees give way to her weight. Elaine came to her side as she fell. She hung up the phone for her.

"Sara?"

"John.dead." Those were the only words that escaped her mouth. Elaine understood.

"Oh, Sara. I'm so sorry." Sara just shook her head dazed.

"Elaine, I need to be alone." Elaine would have gladly obliged if the look in Sara's eyes hadn't scared her. It was the same look Elaine remembered having when she slit her wrists in the bathroom. And from when she tried to swallow a glass of arsenic. Elaine knew what Sara wanted.

"No, you shouldn't be alone. I understand that you need grieving time, but at least let me stay the night. I can't leave you like this, Sara. Surely you see that."

"No, Elaine. Just go. Go!" Sara commanded, turning the witchblade from a bracelet to a gauntlet. It scared the hell out of Elaine, who then did leave out of fear.

She raced out of the building, and then smacked her head for giving into her own fears. Sara was the one in real danger here. She didn't dare risk returning to Sara's apartment the same way she left. She went to the side of the building and climbed the stairs that led to her fire escape. She was so concentrated on Sara that she didn't notice Ian standing there till she ran straight into him, knocking herself down.

"What are you doing here?" He asked softly as he helped her up to her feet.

"Sara's going to do something."

"What?"

"John is dead." Elaine whispered. Ian's eyes grew wide and his heart sunk with pain at Sara's broken heart. "She might do something, I saw it in her eyes. I can't let her be alone."

"She needs to be alone, Elaine. You should understand."

"I won't rest till I know she's safe."

"I'll keep here and guard her the whole night through. Nothing will happen to Sara. I'll save her through whatever happens."

"Can you save her from herself?" Ian answered with no delay.

"Yes." Elaine stared at him a second and then nodded. "Alright."

"You should go home, Ms. Bowman."

"Not really home, but I have no choice." Elaine sighed and he nodded.

"I know what that feels like." He glanced at Sara, who was crying. It shattered his heart into a million pieces. Elaine noticed the sad look in his eyes.

"I don't understand." He looked back at Elaine.

"What?"

"I know it's tragic, but shouldn't you be doing a happy dance right about now? I mean, your competition is gone."

"At her heart's expense. I would never be joyful at her pain, no matter what it meant for myself. I mourn with her."

Elaine gave him a look of utter shock, and then extreme respect. She nodded and turned back around to go home.

"Watch her well, protector."

Eli: Oh, pain and loss. What's to come?