I'd like to thank roguegal17. Not only for fixing all my mistakes but for providing amazing insight into the characters *especially the one she has dubbed as 'the Reigning King of Badass' although I like Count Chocula as well* and her wonderful enthusiasm towards the story. I cannot thank you enough.
roguegal17 you are a Godsend and a Goddess.
The usual disclaimers. The story is mine. The characters are not. Batteries not included.
***
The characters belong to Top cow and TNT as do all their toys and appliances, including the Witchblade.
*warnings and excuses*
***
mention of blood
swearing
*********************** denotes change of scenery in this chapter.
*words typed within asterisks signify thoughts*
I apologize for my flagrant favoritism/abuse of asterisks. It's not that I don't like the other symbols, I just don't trust them.
Tenebrous
Part 2
chapter 5
*********************************************************
The Wielder stared after the black clad man. *What the hell was that leer for?* She couldn't decide if he was trying to throw her off balance or piss her off. Both reactions seemed to please him.
Sara was confused as to what had just transpired but decided she could wait to find out. Her friend was tied up and bloody. Her bracelet had also started to burn just before he'd went into shock. She was worried it had done something to him. "Gabe? Sweetie, are you okay?"
Gabriel seemed deep in thought. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah... A little surprised but okay."
Setting the Tome by the toilet tank cover, Sara sat down and held him. "Oh god, Gabriel, I am so sorry." Tears escaped the hardened detective's eyes. She had been sure Nottingham was going to slit her friend's throat when he failed to answer him. She released Gabriel to study his face. His pupils weren't dilated anymore. He seemed pretty calm despite what he'd just been through. "I was so scared," She murmured. "If he ever comes near you again, I swear I will rip-"
"Actually, Sara... I think he just saved my ass."
"What? Gabriel he - Oh God, you're still bleeding." Blood was seeping from both cuts and pooling on the ridge of the ridiculous dog collar. "Hold on, I'll get something," she assured and disappeared into the bathroom.
"They trashed your bathroom too?" Sara yelled while stepping over the medicine cabinet that had been torn from the wall.
Gabriel groaned in response.
"Were they actually searching for something or just really pissed off?" The Witchblade had shown her men rifling through his stuff but it hadn't looked this bad.
While Sara searched for supplies Gabriel tried to remove the collar but the buckle was being difficult. Sighing, he gave up and attacked the binding at his ankles. Nottingham's knots were impressive.
Sara came back with some cloths and ointment while Gabriel was muttering something about Boyscouts and wrestling with the knot.
"Oh hon, I'll take care of that. Just sit back and let me take care of you...little twerp" Sara added, when Gabriel raised his eyebrows in surprise and disbelief. He had never seen THIS side of her. It was hard to believe this was the same woman that crushed beer cans on guy's heads. The Wielder pulled him into her lap and tended to his cuts.
"Mmmm this is nice, I should get boo boo's more often," he cooed against her neck.
"If you ever get injured on purpose, Gabriel Bowman, I will FINISH the job and you KNOW I can do it!" Sara retorted. Once the cuts were bandaged she unbuckled the leash to clean his crimson neck and shoulder. Removing the offending object, Sara asked, "Why did he have you on a leash?"
"He said it was convenient," Gabriel replied.
That sounded like a Nottingham answer. "You're looking pretty comfy there, Gabe. How many laps have you been in tonight?" Sara muttered, grabbing another cloth. There was a lot more blood than she'd thought. The second cut was deeper. His undershirt was soaked. "Ah, only two," He replied. "Yours is much nicer, especially since you don't have a gun jabbing me in the ass." Sara froze in her ministrations then decided not to comment.
"Okay Bowman," She said, shoving him off her lap. "Your shirt is soaked. You're gonna need a bath."
"You know, Sara, I am capable of bathing myself...but if you wanna join me..." He raised an eyebrow suggestively. This earned him a cuff in the head.
"You're filthy all over," Sara commented.
"It was just a suggestion," Gabriel complained.
"I'm talking about your clothes, Gabe, what did Nottingham drag you through."
"An alley, it was mostly bouncing though." *Sara winced* "I wished I'd used my fighting style sooner."
"Fighting style?" Sara queried.
"Yeah, run really fast." He quipped.
***********************
The danger was not over for Ian Nottingham. He had called Randy, the stiff handler to dispose of the bodies but he still had to face his Master, Irons.
The Bowman boy was lucky. He could have ended up spending the rest of the evening being tortured by the Sufult thug who was stalking him or Irons himself. Instead he was probably getting coddled and cooed over, by Ian's Lady Sara. Again, he regretted his initial decision not to break the legs.
When Ian had been alerted to movement on one of his Talismaniac monitors, he'd immediately recognized one of the intruders as a member of the Sufult Sect. Apparently the assassin wasn't the only one whose suspicions were piqued by the b-Mr. Bowman's recent activities.
The Sufult wouldn't deliberately provoke Irons unless something big was at stake. And trying to retrieve what Kenneth Irons had 'acquired' from them was a provocation.
The Tome was believed to be written in Enochian, a very ancient language. The translations of that language were scarce and Gabriel had somehow managed to find and meet with the reclusive owner of a very comprehensive set of translations.
The Sufult must have monitored either Gabriel or the hermitic linguist and came to the same conclusion. *The Tome must be open.* The assassin had to act quickly. He hadn't had time to alert his master to the situation at the time but he was quite certain Irons would be aware of the raid by now. Kenneth Irons was rarely in the dark about anything concerning the Witchblade.
Ian stalked towards his inevitable Interrogation. He would have to choose his words very carefully.
As he entered the study, Irons greeted him with a cool glare.
"So, the Tome has been opened and yet I do not see it in your hands, Ian. You will not tell me that the Sufult have foiled you," Irons threatened, caressing his cane as he slowly advanced on his servant.
"They have not, Sir. They have been 'dealt' with," Ian responded, bowing his head.
"Then why don't you have it, Ian?" Asked Irons, groping the back of a chair.
"The Sufult were mistaken in their alarm. The boy has managed the first puzzle." *He didn't mention he'd managed the second and possibly the third as well*
As Kenneth drew near the assassin, Ian continued. "He has maneuvered the outer casing to reveal The Witchblade Tome in its book form, however, it requires a key. The symbols surrounding the lock are Enochian, the same language the Tome is believed to be written in. Thus, the false alarm," Ian replied, trying to concentrate and not ponder the new rug.
"Still, they may attempt to retrieve it again," Kenneth insisted, stroking Ian's arm.
"They have 'acquired' the replica created for this purpose," the assassin assured.
"They may discover the ruse." Irons retorted while fondling Nottingham's hair.
"That is true, Master. If it is perceived as a fraud, they will react swiftly." Ian agreed while wondering if his Master was attempting to braid his hair, as both hands were now fiddling with his locks. His intimidation techniques were highly inventive. "I have left the Tome in the hands of the Wielder. They will not confront her."
Iron's seemed to ponder this as he disentangled his fingers from Ian's mane, painfully yanking a few hairs out in the process. "They might use the boy as bait," he suggested.
Having had first hand experience at a similar ploy he did not envy anyone else who attempted it. His groin gave a sympathetic twinge. "I will return to monitor his safety at once, master."
"Good." Kenneth stated, managing a pat on Ian's rear as the assassin quickly retreated out of the room. He wished Irons would take up knitting or any other hobby that would occupy his frisky hands.
***********************
"So, Gabriel. What happened here," Sara asked after freeing Gabriel's legs. "What is going on?"
"At the moment not much," He replied sleepily. "Nottingham is probably reporting to Irons and I have two dead bodies in my flat." *And possibly thousands of dollars worth of broken relics* he thought miserably. He was insured, of course, but money can't bring back some things.
"Six," Sara corrected. Gabriel raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I found four bodies piled in your kitchen when I went to get the Tome," Sara explained. "So who are these people, why were they here?" Sara nodded towards the remains of 'Tank man'.
"Nottingham said they were from some secret sect that is after the Witchblade, but too wussy to actually confront the Wielder. He didn't tell me the name of the sect. Apparently they knew I had the Tome and got worried when I started asking around for less common translations of Enochian writing. There aren't many to begin with and the ones I have aren't complete. There are some symbols in the Tome that I have no translation for," Gabriel explained.
Sara contemplated this for a moment before wondering how persistent this sect was. "What if they come back, send more men to come get it?"
"Nottingham didn't seem worried about that so I'm not getting my undies worked up over it. Besides, I'm tired," The young man complained while sinking further into the demolished sofa.
The picture still wasn't clear to Sara and the Blade wasn't helping. Nottingham's cryptic statements had certainly made no sense. "If they knew you had it all this time why didn't they get it back before?"
"Well, no one has managed to open it for thousands of years, as far as I know," Gabriel stated. "It isn't really useful to anyone if it's unopened. I still think it's odd that you've never seen this uh, Guzar guy. He's supposed to be part of the legacy."
"Maybe somebody killed him," Sara suggested morbidly.
"Nah, It says he's immortal, as in Immortal everlasting," Gabriel argued.
"Maybe you translated it wrong," Sara suggested before addressing the issue that was really bothering her. "I'm still confused about Ian's part in all this and why he did what he did."
Gabriel took a deep breath. "Irons stole the Tome from the sect and had it basically 'sent' to me, according to Nottingham. I'm guessing he thought that if it was in the hands of someone who was trying to help the Wielder, that the blade itself would aid the person. According to that one part of the Tome I told you about, it tends to sort of cause coincidences, along with that Guzar guy."
Gabriel's eyes widened slightly and went soft, as if he'd just realized something and was sorting it out.
"Gabe? Gabe, what is it?" Sara asked when she noticed his expression. She had known about that particular aspect of the blade but had never mentioned it to Gabriel.
"Hmm? Oh, I just thought of something. Some strange-I dunno, unusual looking old guy was always hanging around the place where I found the key. There was something odd about the whole thing but it's probably just coincidence."
"Anyway," Gabriel continued. "Nottingham said that Irons had planned to recover the Tome once I'd opened it." Gabriel shuddered when he realized that once he'd opened it his usefulness would have ended. Based on Nottingham's brutality and thoroughness his master would no doubt off him to tie up loose ends.
"So why didn't he even try to open it?" This question had been burning in her mind ever since the assassin had ordered Gabriel to give it to her.
"When he saw the lock and the writing around it he had his excuse, I guess," Gabriel replied.
"His excuse?" *Gabriel was starting to sound like Nottingham. She was definitely going to make sure they didn't spend any more time together.*
"Yeah. Sara, we have to keep all this stuff a secret okay? Not ever mention it again."
"Okay," Sara agreed, "but I still don't understand."
"I don't think Nottingham was lying, Sara, he does seem to want to protect you but he said he can't lie to his master. Whatever is going on there, I don't get. I don't think he really wants Irons to get the Witchblade Tome, though. I think he's stalling for something."
Sara rubbed her forehead. *Well, that's a relief she wasn't expecting.*
"So, that's all I can think of for now." Gabriel sighed. "I really don't want to recount my quality time with the guy who put a leash on me. Can I go to bed now?" He pleaded. "I'm so tired."
Gabriel had a few expressions that melted Sara. He was wearing one of them now. "Sure kid," she acquiesced. "But not here. I don't care if Nottingham thinks you're safe. I'm not leaving you alone. Besides, you need a bath and your tub is..."
"They broke my tub? How in the hell do you break a tub?"
"I don't know, but it's filled with the rest of the contents of your bathroom. Go grab whatever you need. You're staying with me tonight."
"Um, what about all the dead people?" Gabriel paused to ask on his way to his bedroom.
"That's Nottingham's mess, let him clean it up," Sara replied casually.
********************************
I concur with Gabe, so tired, but divamercury, I understand impatience fully. You nudged, I quailed and roguegal set the muses loose. Everyone,...run.
p.s.
The symptoms of Gabe's state of shock, described in the previous chapter, were drawn from my personal experience, though I imagine they vary from person to person. I still had slight tremors five hours later.
Guzar is Lazar. From what I gleamed from a site whose addy I now cannot find (I was positive I bookmarked it); Enochian predates Sanskrit and is described as a magical and very guttural language. Personally I tend to associate most words or names beginning with 'L' as French (Yes, I am weird), which is not a very guttural language. The idea that the pronunciation and spelling of his name would change through the centuries appealed to me. Consequentially, The idea that Sara and Gabe would know something that Irons didn't also seemed pretty nifty.
Yes, that was Guzar/Lazar hanging about to draw Gabriel's attention to something. (The key, basically)
Also, If anyone is wondering why Ian's hair is fancy free and not tied, well, he was about to walk his dog when he had to spring into assassin action. He's been a busy guy but I'm sure he'll tidy it once he gets a chance.
Again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It means the world to me and is basically the reason I keep writing.
roguegal17 you are a Godsend and a Goddess.
The usual disclaimers. The story is mine. The characters are not. Batteries not included.
***
The characters belong to Top cow and TNT as do all their toys and appliances, including the Witchblade.
*warnings and excuses*
***
mention of blood
swearing
*********************** denotes change of scenery in this chapter.
*words typed within asterisks signify thoughts*
I apologize for my flagrant favoritism/abuse of asterisks. It's not that I don't like the other symbols, I just don't trust them.
Tenebrous
Part 2
chapter 5
*********************************************************
The Wielder stared after the black clad man. *What the hell was that leer for?* She couldn't decide if he was trying to throw her off balance or piss her off. Both reactions seemed to please him.
Sara was confused as to what had just transpired but decided she could wait to find out. Her friend was tied up and bloody. Her bracelet had also started to burn just before he'd went into shock. She was worried it had done something to him. "Gabe? Sweetie, are you okay?"
Gabriel seemed deep in thought. "Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah... A little surprised but okay."
Setting the Tome by the toilet tank cover, Sara sat down and held him. "Oh god, Gabriel, I am so sorry." Tears escaped the hardened detective's eyes. She had been sure Nottingham was going to slit her friend's throat when he failed to answer him. She released Gabriel to study his face. His pupils weren't dilated anymore. He seemed pretty calm despite what he'd just been through. "I was so scared," She murmured. "If he ever comes near you again, I swear I will rip-"
"Actually, Sara... I think he just saved my ass."
"What? Gabriel he - Oh God, you're still bleeding." Blood was seeping from both cuts and pooling on the ridge of the ridiculous dog collar. "Hold on, I'll get something," she assured and disappeared into the bathroom.
"They trashed your bathroom too?" Sara yelled while stepping over the medicine cabinet that had been torn from the wall.
Gabriel groaned in response.
"Were they actually searching for something or just really pissed off?" The Witchblade had shown her men rifling through his stuff but it hadn't looked this bad.
While Sara searched for supplies Gabriel tried to remove the collar but the buckle was being difficult. Sighing, he gave up and attacked the binding at his ankles. Nottingham's knots were impressive.
Sara came back with some cloths and ointment while Gabriel was muttering something about Boyscouts and wrestling with the knot.
"Oh hon, I'll take care of that. Just sit back and let me take care of you...little twerp" Sara added, when Gabriel raised his eyebrows in surprise and disbelief. He had never seen THIS side of her. It was hard to believe this was the same woman that crushed beer cans on guy's heads. The Wielder pulled him into her lap and tended to his cuts.
"Mmmm this is nice, I should get boo boo's more often," he cooed against her neck.
"If you ever get injured on purpose, Gabriel Bowman, I will FINISH the job and you KNOW I can do it!" Sara retorted. Once the cuts were bandaged she unbuckled the leash to clean his crimson neck and shoulder. Removing the offending object, Sara asked, "Why did he have you on a leash?"
"He said it was convenient," Gabriel replied.
That sounded like a Nottingham answer. "You're looking pretty comfy there, Gabe. How many laps have you been in tonight?" Sara muttered, grabbing another cloth. There was a lot more blood than she'd thought. The second cut was deeper. His undershirt was soaked. "Ah, only two," He replied. "Yours is much nicer, especially since you don't have a gun jabbing me in the ass." Sara froze in her ministrations then decided not to comment.
"Okay Bowman," She said, shoving him off her lap. "Your shirt is soaked. You're gonna need a bath."
"You know, Sara, I am capable of bathing myself...but if you wanna join me..." He raised an eyebrow suggestively. This earned him a cuff in the head.
"You're filthy all over," Sara commented.
"It was just a suggestion," Gabriel complained.
"I'm talking about your clothes, Gabe, what did Nottingham drag you through."
"An alley, it was mostly bouncing though." *Sara winced* "I wished I'd used my fighting style sooner."
"Fighting style?" Sara queried.
"Yeah, run really fast." He quipped.
***********************
The danger was not over for Ian Nottingham. He had called Randy, the stiff handler to dispose of the bodies but he still had to face his Master, Irons.
The Bowman boy was lucky. He could have ended up spending the rest of the evening being tortured by the Sufult thug who was stalking him or Irons himself. Instead he was probably getting coddled and cooed over, by Ian's Lady Sara. Again, he regretted his initial decision not to break the legs.
When Ian had been alerted to movement on one of his Talismaniac monitors, he'd immediately recognized one of the intruders as a member of the Sufult Sect. Apparently the assassin wasn't the only one whose suspicions were piqued by the b-Mr. Bowman's recent activities.
The Sufult wouldn't deliberately provoke Irons unless something big was at stake. And trying to retrieve what Kenneth Irons had 'acquired' from them was a provocation.
The Tome was believed to be written in Enochian, a very ancient language. The translations of that language were scarce and Gabriel had somehow managed to find and meet with the reclusive owner of a very comprehensive set of translations.
The Sufult must have monitored either Gabriel or the hermitic linguist and came to the same conclusion. *The Tome must be open.* The assassin had to act quickly. He hadn't had time to alert his master to the situation at the time but he was quite certain Irons would be aware of the raid by now. Kenneth Irons was rarely in the dark about anything concerning the Witchblade.
Ian stalked towards his inevitable Interrogation. He would have to choose his words very carefully.
As he entered the study, Irons greeted him with a cool glare.
"So, the Tome has been opened and yet I do not see it in your hands, Ian. You will not tell me that the Sufult have foiled you," Irons threatened, caressing his cane as he slowly advanced on his servant.
"They have not, Sir. They have been 'dealt' with," Ian responded, bowing his head.
"Then why don't you have it, Ian?" Asked Irons, groping the back of a chair.
"The Sufult were mistaken in their alarm. The boy has managed the first puzzle." *He didn't mention he'd managed the second and possibly the third as well*
As Kenneth drew near the assassin, Ian continued. "He has maneuvered the outer casing to reveal The Witchblade Tome in its book form, however, it requires a key. The symbols surrounding the lock are Enochian, the same language the Tome is believed to be written in. Thus, the false alarm," Ian replied, trying to concentrate and not ponder the new rug.
"Still, they may attempt to retrieve it again," Kenneth insisted, stroking Ian's arm.
"They have 'acquired' the replica created for this purpose," the assassin assured.
"They may discover the ruse." Irons retorted while fondling Nottingham's hair.
"That is true, Master. If it is perceived as a fraud, they will react swiftly." Ian agreed while wondering if his Master was attempting to braid his hair, as both hands were now fiddling with his locks. His intimidation techniques were highly inventive. "I have left the Tome in the hands of the Wielder. They will not confront her."
Iron's seemed to ponder this as he disentangled his fingers from Ian's mane, painfully yanking a few hairs out in the process. "They might use the boy as bait," he suggested.
Having had first hand experience at a similar ploy he did not envy anyone else who attempted it. His groin gave a sympathetic twinge. "I will return to monitor his safety at once, master."
"Good." Kenneth stated, managing a pat on Ian's rear as the assassin quickly retreated out of the room. He wished Irons would take up knitting or any other hobby that would occupy his frisky hands.
***********************
"So, Gabriel. What happened here," Sara asked after freeing Gabriel's legs. "What is going on?"
"At the moment not much," He replied sleepily. "Nottingham is probably reporting to Irons and I have two dead bodies in my flat." *And possibly thousands of dollars worth of broken relics* he thought miserably. He was insured, of course, but money can't bring back some things.
"Six," Sara corrected. Gabriel raised an eyebrow questioningly. "I found four bodies piled in your kitchen when I went to get the Tome," Sara explained. "So who are these people, why were they here?" Sara nodded towards the remains of 'Tank man'.
"Nottingham said they were from some secret sect that is after the Witchblade, but too wussy to actually confront the Wielder. He didn't tell me the name of the sect. Apparently they knew I had the Tome and got worried when I started asking around for less common translations of Enochian writing. There aren't many to begin with and the ones I have aren't complete. There are some symbols in the Tome that I have no translation for," Gabriel explained.
Sara contemplated this for a moment before wondering how persistent this sect was. "What if they come back, send more men to come get it?"
"Nottingham didn't seem worried about that so I'm not getting my undies worked up over it. Besides, I'm tired," The young man complained while sinking further into the demolished sofa.
The picture still wasn't clear to Sara and the Blade wasn't helping. Nottingham's cryptic statements had certainly made no sense. "If they knew you had it all this time why didn't they get it back before?"
"Well, no one has managed to open it for thousands of years, as far as I know," Gabriel stated. "It isn't really useful to anyone if it's unopened. I still think it's odd that you've never seen this uh, Guzar guy. He's supposed to be part of the legacy."
"Maybe somebody killed him," Sara suggested morbidly.
"Nah, It says he's immortal, as in Immortal everlasting," Gabriel argued.
"Maybe you translated it wrong," Sara suggested before addressing the issue that was really bothering her. "I'm still confused about Ian's part in all this and why he did what he did."
Gabriel took a deep breath. "Irons stole the Tome from the sect and had it basically 'sent' to me, according to Nottingham. I'm guessing he thought that if it was in the hands of someone who was trying to help the Wielder, that the blade itself would aid the person. According to that one part of the Tome I told you about, it tends to sort of cause coincidences, along with that Guzar guy."
Gabriel's eyes widened slightly and went soft, as if he'd just realized something and was sorting it out.
"Gabe? Gabe, what is it?" Sara asked when she noticed his expression. She had known about that particular aspect of the blade but had never mentioned it to Gabriel.
"Hmm? Oh, I just thought of something. Some strange-I dunno, unusual looking old guy was always hanging around the place where I found the key. There was something odd about the whole thing but it's probably just coincidence."
"Anyway," Gabriel continued. "Nottingham said that Irons had planned to recover the Tome once I'd opened it." Gabriel shuddered when he realized that once he'd opened it his usefulness would have ended. Based on Nottingham's brutality and thoroughness his master would no doubt off him to tie up loose ends.
"So why didn't he even try to open it?" This question had been burning in her mind ever since the assassin had ordered Gabriel to give it to her.
"When he saw the lock and the writing around it he had his excuse, I guess," Gabriel replied.
"His excuse?" *Gabriel was starting to sound like Nottingham. She was definitely going to make sure they didn't spend any more time together.*
"Yeah. Sara, we have to keep all this stuff a secret okay? Not ever mention it again."
"Okay," Sara agreed, "but I still don't understand."
"I don't think Nottingham was lying, Sara, he does seem to want to protect you but he said he can't lie to his master. Whatever is going on there, I don't get. I don't think he really wants Irons to get the Witchblade Tome, though. I think he's stalling for something."
Sara rubbed her forehead. *Well, that's a relief she wasn't expecting.*
"So, that's all I can think of for now." Gabriel sighed. "I really don't want to recount my quality time with the guy who put a leash on me. Can I go to bed now?" He pleaded. "I'm so tired."
Gabriel had a few expressions that melted Sara. He was wearing one of them now. "Sure kid," she acquiesced. "But not here. I don't care if Nottingham thinks you're safe. I'm not leaving you alone. Besides, you need a bath and your tub is..."
"They broke my tub? How in the hell do you break a tub?"
"I don't know, but it's filled with the rest of the contents of your bathroom. Go grab whatever you need. You're staying with me tonight."
"Um, what about all the dead people?" Gabriel paused to ask on his way to his bedroom.
"That's Nottingham's mess, let him clean it up," Sara replied casually.
********************************
I concur with Gabe, so tired, but divamercury, I understand impatience fully. You nudged, I quailed and roguegal set the muses loose. Everyone,...run.
p.s.
The symptoms of Gabe's state of shock, described in the previous chapter, were drawn from my personal experience, though I imagine they vary from person to person. I still had slight tremors five hours later.
Guzar is Lazar. From what I gleamed from a site whose addy I now cannot find (I was positive I bookmarked it); Enochian predates Sanskrit and is described as a magical and very guttural language. Personally I tend to associate most words or names beginning with 'L' as French (Yes, I am weird), which is not a very guttural language. The idea that the pronunciation and spelling of his name would change through the centuries appealed to me. Consequentially, The idea that Sara and Gabe would know something that Irons didn't also seemed pretty nifty.
Yes, that was Guzar/Lazar hanging about to draw Gabriel's attention to something. (The key, basically)
Also, If anyone is wondering why Ian's hair is fancy free and not tied, well, he was about to walk his dog when he had to spring into assassin action. He's been a busy guy but I'm sure he'll tidy it once he gets a chance.
Again, Thanks to everyone who has reviewed. It means the world to me and is basically the reason I keep writing.