Dr. Immo returned to his office from the lab, unlocked and opened the
door. He stopped suddenly when he became aware of another presence in the
room. Ian was sitting on the corner of the doctor's desk, calmly flipping
through his own medical file. He looked at the doctor standing there and
placed the file on the desk beside him. He did not rise, however and the
look on his face was entirely too calm.
Immo was surprised and pleased to see him. He had been more worried than he wanted to admit when he had received the call that Ian had left the house. When he had last seen him, Ian was mentally and physically exhausted, worn down by nightmares and the combination of grief and guilt over his father's death. But when he had tried to sedate him, Ian had refused, and when he tried to insist, the boy offered to send him to join Irons. He had left some medication, hoping that the staff would either be able to convince him to take it or somehow slip it into his food. When he disappeared, Immo had assumed he had crawled off to die, one side effect of his training and conditioning leaving him without the normal reticence most people had toward suicide. It had saddened him and he mourned the lose of the boy more than he had thought he would. When he had received the call that Ian was still alive he had been relieved but still concerned about him, now the doctor could see for himself.
"Ian, I am glad to see that you are alive and well. We have been worried. Where have you been? You should not upset people like that."
"I don't see where it is any of your concern, Doctor. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I do, however, need to settle a few things with you."
"I brought you into this world, Ian. You will not speak to me in that fashion. You were raised better than that." The Doctor new he was probably being too harsh with a trained killer facing him, but he fell back into the habit of treating Ian like a boy, in spite of his age. He closed the door behind him and started to turn back towards the desk, but Ian was there before him, pinning him easily against the door with one hand, the rest of his body loose and ready to strike.
"And I can take you out of this world, Doctor," he said coldly. "You are not my father, you will do me the courtesy of not trying to replace him. I am the one who gives you your orders now, and you will grant me the appropriate respect." He released the doctor and returned to his perch before Immo had the chance to recover.
"Excuse me, Ian, or is it Mr. Nottingham now?" Immo said, his nervousness adding a querulous note.
"Ian will do, doctor," he said, his voice still calm with a cold edge that made the older man even more curious, and cautious.
"I did not mean to upset you. I'm afraid that I don't handle change as well as I did when I was younger," he told him, trying to regain his composure, figure out how to treat this new, more confident, Ian. "I was concerned for your well being. I did not mean any disrespect."
"Yes, must see how the lab rat is faring," Ian said bitterly. He knew he was being unfair to the doctor, but being here made him uncomfortable. The doctor had spent plenty of time poking and prodding him, pumping him full of drugs and who knew what else. Being this close to him, even knowing that he had the upper hand was never going to be easy. For too long he had been under the control of others, he was not about to let that happen again. Besides, he needed to be sure of Immo's loyalties.
"You know you were never a lab rat to me," he said, disappointment and little sadness in his voice. "I was your father's doctor, even his friend as much as he had such things, for over 40 years. I always cared for you and did my best for you, but there was only ever so far that Kenneth would allow a challenge. I may not have approved of all that he asked me to do, but if not me, then someone else, someone who cared nothing for you." Immo knew the risk involved in talking to Ian so frankly. The boy.man, he corrected himself, was a trained killer, and at this point he had no idea what Ian was capable of.
The reflection of his words to Sara shocked him. Ian had never thought about the whys of the doctor's actions anymore than it had occurred to him, until recently, to question his father's. He had his answer and he knew it. While the doctor might not be completely trustworthy, he did deserve to be given a chance. Besides, he still needed the answers that Immo had, for himself, and for the hope of a life he was trying to build with Sara.
The Doctor watched Ian as he tried to figure out where to go from here. He knew the boy was probably confused and he didn't blame him. He was not prepared for a world, which would not always have Kenneth Irons in it, and now he had to make his own way.
Ian spoke softly, "Very well Doctor, I will accept that we are not enemies, for now. But if you try to betray me, I will be as forgiving as my Father. You would do well to remember that." He stood up and seated himself in one of the chairs in front of the desk and gestured the doctor to his own, in a motion frighteningly familiar.
"All right, Ian. Now may I ask you where you have been for the past three days?"
"My personal life is my own. It is still not your concern," he said slowly, then continued more softly, a concession to the doctor's evident worry, "I have been staying with a friend." Suddenly Ian's new confidence made sense. There was only one place he could have been. Immo was well aware of Irons' obsession with the homicide detective, and Ian's as well. He had long wondered what would happen when the two actually met, looked like he had his answer. It seemed to have done him some good, at least he was still alive. He wondered how much she had to do with that.
"And how is Det. Pezzini?" he asked, although he could see the answer for himself in the softening of Ian's expression at the mention of her name before his usual emotionless mask reemerged.
"She is also not your concern," he told the older man shortly. While he was more or less willing to concede that the Doctor was not his enemy, still he was not comfortable with the idea of him anywhere near Sara. "What I need are answers about myself, about what you and Irons did to me."
At that moment Ian's cell phone went off, interrupting them. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, with a good idea of whom he would find on the other end.
"Hello," he said, voice carefully neutral as he held up a hand toward the doctor.
"Hey, Nottingham, you ok?" Sara asked, confused by his response.
"Fine, I am in a meeting."
"Ah, sorry. Just wondering when you are getting home, thought I would pick up dinner, considering the day we have both been having. You ok with that? Why don't you call me back when you're finished?"
"No, there is no need, I can pick it up," Ian said, mentally chiding himself for having forgotten to make the arrangements when he saw her. Of course then there would be no need for this phone call, and he would have missed an opportunity to hear her voice. "I will be back around seven o'clock, I think." His words were still careful, but there was an unmistakable warmth to his tone that Sara could hear at the other end.
Sara was not the only one to notice the change. Immo picked up a file at random, trying to act casual, to hide the happiness he felt. Ian was breaking free and the only help he had was also the only person the doctor was completely sure was in no danger from him. He was intrigued by the change, but not intrigued enough to risk it, not after his earlier attempt had been rebuffed so strongly. He was still unsure of her involvement in the events of the last few weeks. Ian's account of Irons' death had been hazy at best, but he was sure Sara Pezzini was involved, and he was also sure that it was she on the other end of the phone. The phone call was ending but Immo continued to stare at the papers before him, giving them a little privacy.
Ian put his phone away and returned to the conversation as if it had never been interrupted. "Now Doctor, I believe that you have some answers for me."
"Hey, partner, time to get rolling," Danny called to her over the papers she was still sorting. How could so much paperwork be generated in such a small amount of time. It seemed like any time they managed to get it cleaned up, it regenerated, leaving them more behind than before. At least it had given her some time to think things over. Dr. Slomack's advice and suggestions were fighting for brain space with the case, Danny, and over it all the thought that she must have been nuts to consider a relationship with a genetically enhanced, mentally conditioned, assassin/ex-stalker, who she had apparently spent several past lives in love with. And he loved her. This problem was not getting any better and now with Danny involved, Sara was even more upset than ever. She knew that the most practical thing to do was to get rid of either the case or Ian, but she was willing to do neither. God, she thought, and I thought last week that I needed to get a life. Talk about being careful what you wish for.
She threw down the file she was working on and grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair. "Sure, partner, drop me off around the corner, I got a few things I need to pick up."
"No problem, Woo's taxi at your service," he said, sarcastically, a smile letting her know that he was only kidding. She needed it, she had been a little edgy since she came back from her mysterious side trip today. But at least it had given him a chance to take care of a little errand of his own. The last thing they needed right now was her finding out that he was running a check on her boyfriend.
Sara took care of her errands quickly and essentially unconsciously, all the while trying to figure out what she was going to do and how. On impulse she got a small gift for Ian. It wasn't much but it would definitely make some things easier. She returned home with plenty of time to kill before Ian and dinner arrived. What she was going to do? She decided to put it aside for the moment and just get her shower, maybe that would help her clear her mind.
Ian left Immo's office in a good mood, many of his fears put to rest. He fingered the slip of paper in his pocket. "Irons was too careful to leave you incapable of continuing in the event of his death. I understand if you wish to pursue your current course, but you should have this just in case, don't deny yourself the option. if you change your mind, give this to Detective Pezzini, she can help you." Immo had written something on a prescription pad and handed the folded paper to him. He was tempted to throw it in the nearest trashcan. Even though he was willing to trust the doctor in a limited way, he still had reservations. He was not prepared to explain any more to Sara than he already had. Even those admissions made him flush with embarrassment, although they had not had the effect of driving Sara from him. He did not want her to see him as any more of a freak than he already knew he was. Ian was amazed that Sara accepted her so easily and he would do anything to make sure that things continued. Thoughts of her made everything else fade for the moment into insignificance. His mood lightened at he considered what he should get her for dinner. He wanted to please her, to amaze her. Ian started to consider and lost in these more pleasant thoughts he continued on.
He stopped by the office briefly, hoping to return to the apartment earlier than his expected seven o'clock, to have more time with Sara. He retrieved the file on Merano that had been finished in his absence. The news was not particularly good. He sighed, of course it could not be simple. The world seemed determined to interfere with them today. With an eye towards at least a good dinner, if not a relaxing evening, he continued with his plan. Any evening with Sara was better than an evening without her, he thought, even if it was not the quite as relaxing as he had planned.
When he arrived, he discovered the front door locked. When Sara did not answer his knock, he reached out, a little concerned to find that she was inside and in no danger. Confused he went around and let himself in the fire escape window. He wondered briefly if Sara had left it unlocked deliberately, but decided she probably simply had not noticed since the last time he had used it. The apartment was quiet, but her jacket was there, and he heard the shower running. He set down dinner and took off his coat and gloves, guessing that she would be a while, and sat on the couch to wait. At least that explained her failure to answer, for a brief moment he had feared that she had changed her mind. That he had gotten it wrong or done something to make her change her mind. It had chilled him much more than the cold winter wind. As he thought about it, he reached up and took the tie out of his hair. Sara had expressed a preference for his hair loose and he would do anything to please her. It was different, this desire to please her, he had always done everything to please Irons, for just those little signs of affection too rarely doled out, priceless in their rarity. Sara was so free with her feelings; she showed what she felt at any given time right on her face. It was exhilarating even though it left him feeling confused most of the time. He sat and enjoyed these pleasant thoughts and letting the day fade into the back of his mind, work almost completely forgotten. That was also a new feeling, and he relished the freedom.
Standing in the shower, Sara was thinking about Ian. Between everything else, she had been thinking about him all day. What was it that made him suddenly so important to her? Knowing that they had been together in past lives was one thing, but what was it that drew her to him now? His physical beauty, his life, which had been pretty strange so far, or maybe the strength and the conviction in him when he spoke about her destiny, their destiny? Some or all of these things, she decided. He had a kind of blind faith that was both compelling and a little unnerving at the same time. Then there was the real challenge, a man who knew so much about so many things but had no real experience of normal life, even simple touch was a challenge. Not that he was not trying to change that. Both times they had kissed, really kissed, there had been a passionate intensity bordering on the explosive. It made Sara's heart beat a little faster to think about it. The warmth and longing in him was almost irresistible but both times he had backed away, hell, practically run. Her talk with the shrink had been interesting, cleared up some of it, but finding a way to work with the advice she had given was a challenge, especially with everything else going on. It had been enough of a challenge to give the woman enough information without her asking too may questions. Now all she had to do was make a workable plan and put it into practice. Ian was trying, and she felt that she should be doing something as well, he was reordering his entire life and that was not a easy task. Nor was it easy for her, caring about someone who was so foreign to her and yet so achingly familiar. All this was getting her nowhere, and she couldn't stand here thinking about it forever.
Immo was surprised and pleased to see him. He had been more worried than he wanted to admit when he had received the call that Ian had left the house. When he had last seen him, Ian was mentally and physically exhausted, worn down by nightmares and the combination of grief and guilt over his father's death. But when he had tried to sedate him, Ian had refused, and when he tried to insist, the boy offered to send him to join Irons. He had left some medication, hoping that the staff would either be able to convince him to take it or somehow slip it into his food. When he disappeared, Immo had assumed he had crawled off to die, one side effect of his training and conditioning leaving him without the normal reticence most people had toward suicide. It had saddened him and he mourned the lose of the boy more than he had thought he would. When he had received the call that Ian was still alive he had been relieved but still concerned about him, now the doctor could see for himself.
"Ian, I am glad to see that you are alive and well. We have been worried. Where have you been? You should not upset people like that."
"I don't see where it is any of your concern, Doctor. I am more than capable of taking care of myself. I do, however, need to settle a few things with you."
"I brought you into this world, Ian. You will not speak to me in that fashion. You were raised better than that." The Doctor new he was probably being too harsh with a trained killer facing him, but he fell back into the habit of treating Ian like a boy, in spite of his age. He closed the door behind him and started to turn back towards the desk, but Ian was there before him, pinning him easily against the door with one hand, the rest of his body loose and ready to strike.
"And I can take you out of this world, Doctor," he said coldly. "You are not my father, you will do me the courtesy of not trying to replace him. I am the one who gives you your orders now, and you will grant me the appropriate respect." He released the doctor and returned to his perch before Immo had the chance to recover.
"Excuse me, Ian, or is it Mr. Nottingham now?" Immo said, his nervousness adding a querulous note.
"Ian will do, doctor," he said, his voice still calm with a cold edge that made the older man even more curious, and cautious.
"I did not mean to upset you. I'm afraid that I don't handle change as well as I did when I was younger," he told him, trying to regain his composure, figure out how to treat this new, more confident, Ian. "I was concerned for your well being. I did not mean any disrespect."
"Yes, must see how the lab rat is faring," Ian said bitterly. He knew he was being unfair to the doctor, but being here made him uncomfortable. The doctor had spent plenty of time poking and prodding him, pumping him full of drugs and who knew what else. Being this close to him, even knowing that he had the upper hand was never going to be easy. For too long he had been under the control of others, he was not about to let that happen again. Besides, he needed to be sure of Immo's loyalties.
"You know you were never a lab rat to me," he said, disappointment and little sadness in his voice. "I was your father's doctor, even his friend as much as he had such things, for over 40 years. I always cared for you and did my best for you, but there was only ever so far that Kenneth would allow a challenge. I may not have approved of all that he asked me to do, but if not me, then someone else, someone who cared nothing for you." Immo knew the risk involved in talking to Ian so frankly. The boy.man, he corrected himself, was a trained killer, and at this point he had no idea what Ian was capable of.
The reflection of his words to Sara shocked him. Ian had never thought about the whys of the doctor's actions anymore than it had occurred to him, until recently, to question his father's. He had his answer and he knew it. While the doctor might not be completely trustworthy, he did deserve to be given a chance. Besides, he still needed the answers that Immo had, for himself, and for the hope of a life he was trying to build with Sara.
The Doctor watched Ian as he tried to figure out where to go from here. He knew the boy was probably confused and he didn't blame him. He was not prepared for a world, which would not always have Kenneth Irons in it, and now he had to make his own way.
Ian spoke softly, "Very well Doctor, I will accept that we are not enemies, for now. But if you try to betray me, I will be as forgiving as my Father. You would do well to remember that." He stood up and seated himself in one of the chairs in front of the desk and gestured the doctor to his own, in a motion frighteningly familiar.
"All right, Ian. Now may I ask you where you have been for the past three days?"
"My personal life is my own. It is still not your concern," he said slowly, then continued more softly, a concession to the doctor's evident worry, "I have been staying with a friend." Suddenly Ian's new confidence made sense. There was only one place he could have been. Immo was well aware of Irons' obsession with the homicide detective, and Ian's as well. He had long wondered what would happen when the two actually met, looked like he had his answer. It seemed to have done him some good, at least he was still alive. He wondered how much she had to do with that.
"And how is Det. Pezzini?" he asked, although he could see the answer for himself in the softening of Ian's expression at the mention of her name before his usual emotionless mask reemerged.
"She is also not your concern," he told the older man shortly. While he was more or less willing to concede that the Doctor was not his enemy, still he was not comfortable with the idea of him anywhere near Sara. "What I need are answers about myself, about what you and Irons did to me."
At that moment Ian's cell phone went off, interrupting them. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, with a good idea of whom he would find on the other end.
"Hello," he said, voice carefully neutral as he held up a hand toward the doctor.
"Hey, Nottingham, you ok?" Sara asked, confused by his response.
"Fine, I am in a meeting."
"Ah, sorry. Just wondering when you are getting home, thought I would pick up dinner, considering the day we have both been having. You ok with that? Why don't you call me back when you're finished?"
"No, there is no need, I can pick it up," Ian said, mentally chiding himself for having forgotten to make the arrangements when he saw her. Of course then there would be no need for this phone call, and he would have missed an opportunity to hear her voice. "I will be back around seven o'clock, I think." His words were still careful, but there was an unmistakable warmth to his tone that Sara could hear at the other end.
Sara was not the only one to notice the change. Immo picked up a file at random, trying to act casual, to hide the happiness he felt. Ian was breaking free and the only help he had was also the only person the doctor was completely sure was in no danger from him. He was intrigued by the change, but not intrigued enough to risk it, not after his earlier attempt had been rebuffed so strongly. He was still unsure of her involvement in the events of the last few weeks. Ian's account of Irons' death had been hazy at best, but he was sure Sara Pezzini was involved, and he was also sure that it was she on the other end of the phone. The phone call was ending but Immo continued to stare at the papers before him, giving them a little privacy.
Ian put his phone away and returned to the conversation as if it had never been interrupted. "Now Doctor, I believe that you have some answers for me."
"Hey, partner, time to get rolling," Danny called to her over the papers she was still sorting. How could so much paperwork be generated in such a small amount of time. It seemed like any time they managed to get it cleaned up, it regenerated, leaving them more behind than before. At least it had given her some time to think things over. Dr. Slomack's advice and suggestions were fighting for brain space with the case, Danny, and over it all the thought that she must have been nuts to consider a relationship with a genetically enhanced, mentally conditioned, assassin/ex-stalker, who she had apparently spent several past lives in love with. And he loved her. This problem was not getting any better and now with Danny involved, Sara was even more upset than ever. She knew that the most practical thing to do was to get rid of either the case or Ian, but she was willing to do neither. God, she thought, and I thought last week that I needed to get a life. Talk about being careful what you wish for.
She threw down the file she was working on and grabbed her jacket off the back of her chair. "Sure, partner, drop me off around the corner, I got a few things I need to pick up."
"No problem, Woo's taxi at your service," he said, sarcastically, a smile letting her know that he was only kidding. She needed it, she had been a little edgy since she came back from her mysterious side trip today. But at least it had given him a chance to take care of a little errand of his own. The last thing they needed right now was her finding out that he was running a check on her boyfriend.
Sara took care of her errands quickly and essentially unconsciously, all the while trying to figure out what she was going to do and how. On impulse she got a small gift for Ian. It wasn't much but it would definitely make some things easier. She returned home with plenty of time to kill before Ian and dinner arrived. What she was going to do? She decided to put it aside for the moment and just get her shower, maybe that would help her clear her mind.
Ian left Immo's office in a good mood, many of his fears put to rest. He fingered the slip of paper in his pocket. "Irons was too careful to leave you incapable of continuing in the event of his death. I understand if you wish to pursue your current course, but you should have this just in case, don't deny yourself the option. if you change your mind, give this to Detective Pezzini, she can help you." Immo had written something on a prescription pad and handed the folded paper to him. He was tempted to throw it in the nearest trashcan. Even though he was willing to trust the doctor in a limited way, he still had reservations. He was not prepared to explain any more to Sara than he already had. Even those admissions made him flush with embarrassment, although they had not had the effect of driving Sara from him. He did not want her to see him as any more of a freak than he already knew he was. Ian was amazed that Sara accepted her so easily and he would do anything to make sure that things continued. Thoughts of her made everything else fade for the moment into insignificance. His mood lightened at he considered what he should get her for dinner. He wanted to please her, to amaze her. Ian started to consider and lost in these more pleasant thoughts he continued on.
He stopped by the office briefly, hoping to return to the apartment earlier than his expected seven o'clock, to have more time with Sara. He retrieved the file on Merano that had been finished in his absence. The news was not particularly good. He sighed, of course it could not be simple. The world seemed determined to interfere with them today. With an eye towards at least a good dinner, if not a relaxing evening, he continued with his plan. Any evening with Sara was better than an evening without her, he thought, even if it was not the quite as relaxing as he had planned.
When he arrived, he discovered the front door locked. When Sara did not answer his knock, he reached out, a little concerned to find that she was inside and in no danger. Confused he went around and let himself in the fire escape window. He wondered briefly if Sara had left it unlocked deliberately, but decided she probably simply had not noticed since the last time he had used it. The apartment was quiet, but her jacket was there, and he heard the shower running. He set down dinner and took off his coat and gloves, guessing that she would be a while, and sat on the couch to wait. At least that explained her failure to answer, for a brief moment he had feared that she had changed her mind. That he had gotten it wrong or done something to make her change her mind. It had chilled him much more than the cold winter wind. As he thought about it, he reached up and took the tie out of his hair. Sara had expressed a preference for his hair loose and he would do anything to please her. It was different, this desire to please her, he had always done everything to please Irons, for just those little signs of affection too rarely doled out, priceless in their rarity. Sara was so free with her feelings; she showed what she felt at any given time right on her face. It was exhilarating even though it left him feeling confused most of the time. He sat and enjoyed these pleasant thoughts and letting the day fade into the back of his mind, work almost completely forgotten. That was also a new feeling, and he relished the freedom.
Standing in the shower, Sara was thinking about Ian. Between everything else, she had been thinking about him all day. What was it that made him suddenly so important to her? Knowing that they had been together in past lives was one thing, but what was it that drew her to him now? His physical beauty, his life, which had been pretty strange so far, or maybe the strength and the conviction in him when he spoke about her destiny, their destiny? Some or all of these things, she decided. He had a kind of blind faith that was both compelling and a little unnerving at the same time. Then there was the real challenge, a man who knew so much about so many things but had no real experience of normal life, even simple touch was a challenge. Not that he was not trying to change that. Both times they had kissed, really kissed, there had been a passionate intensity bordering on the explosive. It made Sara's heart beat a little faster to think about it. The warmth and longing in him was almost irresistible but both times he had backed away, hell, practically run. Her talk with the shrink had been interesting, cleared up some of it, but finding a way to work with the advice she had given was a challenge, especially with everything else going on. It had been enough of a challenge to give the woman enough information without her asking too may questions. Now all she had to do was make a workable plan and put it into practice. Ian was trying, and she felt that she should be doing something as well, he was reordering his entire life and that was not a easy task. Nor was it easy for her, caring about someone who was so foreign to her and yet so achingly familiar. All this was getting her nowhere, and she couldn't stand here thinking about it forever.