Connections
Part 4 - Transitions
Ian rose from his warm nest next to Sara's bed, her kiss and the feelings remaining from the dream had him in a daze. She had kissed him and he had not flinched. His thoughts were jumbled as he picked up the blankets and folded them neatly, laying them on Sara's bed. It had been a long time since he had to tend to these simple tasks, not since the military but still it gave him something to do with his hands.
The whole weekend was like a dream and now he had to make his way in the real world again. He hoped that everything would not fade away once they left this place. Wondering what he could do to make up to her for all she had done, he wondered into the kitchen. He had seen her make enough coffee that it should be no real problem for him. He needed to do something for her, and some how this little bit of a domestic chore seemed like the right thing. Besides she was always happier after her first several cups of coffee.
Sara came out dressed for the day ahead to find Ian standing there with a mug of coffee for her. "Thank you," she said, surprised and touched. He was learning fast.
"I should get ready myself," he told her, wanting very much to spend the day with her, knowing that it was impossible. He gave her a smile and went to prepare himself. Cold water would help, he thought. He stood under the shower, focusing his mind, trying to prepare himself for the day ahead. When he emerged he was dressed, calm and more or less ready to face a day of bureaucratic detail. Days spent at the office made him miss Irons in a different way. While he had the training, he never really felt comfortable handling this sort of business. Ian knew that this particular facet of his education had been a mere afterthought, a contingency plan to ensure his father's empire. his legacy.would continue of something should happen, however unforeseen.
Sara was standing by the couch drinking her coffee and looking at the roses he had brought with him the other night. She saw him enter and he was pleased to see a look of happiness cross her face. "Roses, Ian?" she asked.
"A conceit, nothing more, I wanted to do something. Although things did not exactly go as planned." She crossed over to him.
"Oh?" She stepped closer to him, enjoying seeing Ian flustered by her closeness.
"I could not have imagined anything so." he groped blindly, not accustomed to being at a loss for words. He started again. "I was not really expecting you to accept me," he finished, sounding a little lame in his own ears. How could mere words express the hope and despair that had led him here and to her.
Sara watched him reaching for what to say and decided to give him a break. It was way to early for emotional confessions anyway and he was still just getting used to looking her in the eyes. "Ian, let's just leave it for now, Ok? I understand. You want some breakfast? I have to leave soon, but."
"No thank you, I will get something at the office. I need to change anyway." He told her, bringing himself back to the practical and more comfortable. "This is not really appropriate," he indicated the sweater and dress pants he had put on. Sara started to say something only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. Ian's expression went blank and then a cold, dangerous look replaced the more relaxed one he had before. Suddenly Sara remembered that Danny was picking her up today. She put her hand on Ian's arm, to calm him.
"It's only Danny, he's here to pick me up. I completely forgot." He relaxed a little; his stance stiff but he had a guarded expression. She was not sure how the two of them were going to react to each other, Ian was definitely looking a little wary. An uncomfortable thought struck her. "Can he recognize you?"
"No." he said, firmly in a tone she was learning to recognize and except without argument. He strode over to pick up his weapon and slid into it easily as he grabbed his coat and gloves. Sara went and opened the door.
"Took you long enough, partner.hope you have coffee, I was a little slow at home." Danny entered quickly and headed for the kitchen. He stopped suddenly as he registered the tall, black clad figure standing in the middle of the room. This must be Sara's new guy. Danny had met Sara's boyfriends before so the elegant stranger standing there in was a kind of a surprise. She ran to tattooed bad boys and the man moving smoothly through her apartment did not look like he qualified. He stepped forward in an attempt to be friendly. Sara had seemed a little edgy on Friday, but now she seemed to be comfortable with him. Ian had finished getting ready, coat on, gloves in place, and looked like he was about to leave. Sara closed the door and prayed that this went smoothly.
"Hey, you must be Sara's new friend. Danny, Danny Woo," he said holding out a hand. Watching as Ian flowed forward to smoothly, Sara closed her eyes briefly, wishing she had remembered sooner so she could have prepared him for this. And her partner's new found interest in her love life was not something she needed right now. Ian took Danny's hand and shook it briefly.
"Yes, Sara has spoken of you. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said. "If you will both excuse me I need to be going." He walked past Danny to Sara. "Dinner?" he asked, just loud enough to be overheard as he leaned down to give her a very quick kiss.
"Yeah, sure, I'll call," she said, slightly bemused but pleased.
"Please do," he said only his look betraying the urgency of the request. He touched her hand and was gone through the door behind her before she could answer. Probably just as well with Danny here.
"Hey, Pez," Danny called as he grabbed a mug of coffee, getting her attention. "That your date?" He teased her. "A little long for a garden variety date, don't you think?" He was still trying to get a bead on the guy. He moved like a martial artist and there was a sort of dangerous edge under the well-dressed exterior that confused and concerned him. Danny decided to wait though, if he said something to her now she would probably spend the day pissed at him. Most of them never lasted long anyway. He had always hoped that she would find someone, the way he had found Lee, but so far none of them had made much of an impression on her Teflon coated heart. Danny knew that she was afraid to let herself get hurt, but he wished she would let go a little.
"Yeah, well he never does anything by halves," she told him, trying to keep her tone light.
Danny gave her a slightly puzzled look, trying to figure out where he had seen him before. "Have I met him?"
"No, I don't think so, you might have seen him at the station though, he met me there last week," she said covering over the moment quickly. "Don't we have to get to work?"
"O.K." he said, accepting her answer easily. Sara clipped her weapon onto her belt and pulled on her coat. She figured that she would have to put up with his razzing all day about this. Overall it was better than having him ask serious questions about Ian, questions she couldn't answer. She hustled him out the door.
"Hey, Partner, I just thought of something."
"Oh?" she said.
"Mystery boy didn't give me a name." Sara gave an inward sigh of relief.
"Ian, his name is Ian."
"Oh, Ian is it." Danny said suggestively.
Danny kept up the teasing all the way to the house, alternating it with the third degree about Ian. "Where did you meet?" he asked, trying to get some information and figure out what it was about the guy.
"At the Midtown Museum." Strictly accurate if not the entire truth, she figured that it would be enough to keep him off her back.
"Before or after you blew the place up." Sara gave him a look and he flicked his eyes off the road for a moment to give her a wink. "So how long have you known him?"
"Seems like forever," she told him, really wishing he would get this out of his system. The questioning continued until they got to the office. "Listen partner, this is all pretty new, ok? Can you just give me a break for now?" She gave Danny a look and he nodded.
"For now, but if you decide to keep him you will have to bring him over and get Lee's approval.
"Gee, thanks Dad," she said, jumping out of the car and walking away from him, trying to get her thoughts in order. Danny's little morning interrogation had not exactly caught her off guard but Sara wished that she had a chance to think more about what she was going to say. Not that she had expected to be answering these questions now, or ever actually. Somehow she had been so distracted that she hadn't thought at all about how she was going to introduce Ian into her life, she had been to busy deciding if he was going to be a part of it. She hadn't gotten much further.
Part 4 - Transitions
Ian rose from his warm nest next to Sara's bed, her kiss and the feelings remaining from the dream had him in a daze. She had kissed him and he had not flinched. His thoughts were jumbled as he picked up the blankets and folded them neatly, laying them on Sara's bed. It had been a long time since he had to tend to these simple tasks, not since the military but still it gave him something to do with his hands.
The whole weekend was like a dream and now he had to make his way in the real world again. He hoped that everything would not fade away once they left this place. Wondering what he could do to make up to her for all she had done, he wondered into the kitchen. He had seen her make enough coffee that it should be no real problem for him. He needed to do something for her, and some how this little bit of a domestic chore seemed like the right thing. Besides she was always happier after her first several cups of coffee.
Sara came out dressed for the day ahead to find Ian standing there with a mug of coffee for her. "Thank you," she said, surprised and touched. He was learning fast.
"I should get ready myself," he told her, wanting very much to spend the day with her, knowing that it was impossible. He gave her a smile and went to prepare himself. Cold water would help, he thought. He stood under the shower, focusing his mind, trying to prepare himself for the day ahead. When he emerged he was dressed, calm and more or less ready to face a day of bureaucratic detail. Days spent at the office made him miss Irons in a different way. While he had the training, he never really felt comfortable handling this sort of business. Ian knew that this particular facet of his education had been a mere afterthought, a contingency plan to ensure his father's empire. his legacy.would continue of something should happen, however unforeseen.
Sara was standing by the couch drinking her coffee and looking at the roses he had brought with him the other night. She saw him enter and he was pleased to see a look of happiness cross her face. "Roses, Ian?" she asked.
"A conceit, nothing more, I wanted to do something. Although things did not exactly go as planned." She crossed over to him.
"Oh?" She stepped closer to him, enjoying seeing Ian flustered by her closeness.
"I could not have imagined anything so." he groped blindly, not accustomed to being at a loss for words. He started again. "I was not really expecting you to accept me," he finished, sounding a little lame in his own ears. How could mere words express the hope and despair that had led him here and to her.
Sara watched him reaching for what to say and decided to give him a break. It was way to early for emotional confessions anyway and he was still just getting used to looking her in the eyes. "Ian, let's just leave it for now, Ok? I understand. You want some breakfast? I have to leave soon, but."
"No thank you, I will get something at the office. I need to change anyway." He told her, bringing himself back to the practical and more comfortable. "This is not really appropriate," he indicated the sweater and dress pants he had put on. Sara started to say something only to be interrupted by a knock at the door. Ian's expression went blank and then a cold, dangerous look replaced the more relaxed one he had before. Suddenly Sara remembered that Danny was picking her up today. She put her hand on Ian's arm, to calm him.
"It's only Danny, he's here to pick me up. I completely forgot." He relaxed a little; his stance stiff but he had a guarded expression. She was not sure how the two of them were going to react to each other, Ian was definitely looking a little wary. An uncomfortable thought struck her. "Can he recognize you?"
"No." he said, firmly in a tone she was learning to recognize and except without argument. He strode over to pick up his weapon and slid into it easily as he grabbed his coat and gloves. Sara went and opened the door.
"Took you long enough, partner.hope you have coffee, I was a little slow at home." Danny entered quickly and headed for the kitchen. He stopped suddenly as he registered the tall, black clad figure standing in the middle of the room. This must be Sara's new guy. Danny had met Sara's boyfriends before so the elegant stranger standing there in was a kind of a surprise. She ran to tattooed bad boys and the man moving smoothly through her apartment did not look like he qualified. He stepped forward in an attempt to be friendly. Sara had seemed a little edgy on Friday, but now she seemed to be comfortable with him. Ian had finished getting ready, coat on, gloves in place, and looked like he was about to leave. Sara closed the door and prayed that this went smoothly.
"Hey, you must be Sara's new friend. Danny, Danny Woo," he said holding out a hand. Watching as Ian flowed forward to smoothly, Sara closed her eyes briefly, wishing she had remembered sooner so she could have prepared him for this. And her partner's new found interest in her love life was not something she needed right now. Ian took Danny's hand and shook it briefly.
"Yes, Sara has spoken of you. It is a pleasure to meet you," he said. "If you will both excuse me I need to be going." He walked past Danny to Sara. "Dinner?" he asked, just loud enough to be overheard as he leaned down to give her a very quick kiss.
"Yeah, sure, I'll call," she said, slightly bemused but pleased.
"Please do," he said only his look betraying the urgency of the request. He touched her hand and was gone through the door behind her before she could answer. Probably just as well with Danny here.
"Hey, Pez," Danny called as he grabbed a mug of coffee, getting her attention. "That your date?" He teased her. "A little long for a garden variety date, don't you think?" He was still trying to get a bead on the guy. He moved like a martial artist and there was a sort of dangerous edge under the well-dressed exterior that confused and concerned him. Danny decided to wait though, if he said something to her now she would probably spend the day pissed at him. Most of them never lasted long anyway. He had always hoped that she would find someone, the way he had found Lee, but so far none of them had made much of an impression on her Teflon coated heart. Danny knew that she was afraid to let herself get hurt, but he wished she would let go a little.
"Yeah, well he never does anything by halves," she told him, trying to keep her tone light.
Danny gave her a slightly puzzled look, trying to figure out where he had seen him before. "Have I met him?"
"No, I don't think so, you might have seen him at the station though, he met me there last week," she said covering over the moment quickly. "Don't we have to get to work?"
"O.K." he said, accepting her answer easily. Sara clipped her weapon onto her belt and pulled on her coat. She figured that she would have to put up with his razzing all day about this. Overall it was better than having him ask serious questions about Ian, questions she couldn't answer. She hustled him out the door.
"Hey, Partner, I just thought of something."
"Oh?" she said.
"Mystery boy didn't give me a name." Sara gave an inward sigh of relief.
"Ian, his name is Ian."
"Oh, Ian is it." Danny said suggestively.
Danny kept up the teasing all the way to the house, alternating it with the third degree about Ian. "Where did you meet?" he asked, trying to get some information and figure out what it was about the guy.
"At the Midtown Museum." Strictly accurate if not the entire truth, she figured that it would be enough to keep him off her back.
"Before or after you blew the place up." Sara gave him a look and he flicked his eyes off the road for a moment to give her a wink. "So how long have you known him?"
"Seems like forever," she told him, really wishing he would get this out of his system. The questioning continued until they got to the office. "Listen partner, this is all pretty new, ok? Can you just give me a break for now?" She gave Danny a look and he nodded.
"For now, but if you decide to keep him you will have to bring him over and get Lee's approval.
"Gee, thanks Dad," she said, jumping out of the car and walking away from him, trying to get her thoughts in order. Danny's little morning interrogation had not exactly caught her off guard but Sara wished that she had a chance to think more about what she was going to say. Not that she had expected to be answering these questions now, or ever actually. Somehow she had been so distracted that she hadn't thought at all about how she was going to introduce Ian into her life, she had been to busy deciding if he was going to be a part of it. She hadn't gotten much further.