The Commissioner walked them to the door, with Harvey bringing up the rear.
It had gone well, better than expected, and Sara was so relieved that she
was amazed she could stand upright on water-weak knees. They shook hands,
almost as if it had been a simple business meeting, instead of one of the
biggest events in the history of the city. But just as Sara was feeling
her own relief, Ian was beginning to tense. "Mr. Nottingham, you will be
here tomorrow afternoon then, to finish this?"
"Of course," he said, absently, "I will have my assistant call you about the time." Already his thoughts were turning with dread to the next big task, and the one even more important in his mind, making a good impression on Sara's foster family. After the information of the day, he would be surprised if Joe Siri did not want to have him throttled for getting Sara involved.
They said their goodbyes, and Joe walked with them to the elevator, waiting for it to close behind them before he said anything. "Sara, how could you not tell me?" he started, torn between anger and amazement. He had had some time to run over things in his mind and now he was not sure whether to thank them for trying to leave him as far out of it as possible, or scream for being left out in the cold.
"Sir, please do not blame Sara, it was my fault. I wanted to wait, to tell the story only once. Also we did not want to put your career in jeopardy if it was believed you had withheld information. If you wish to withdraw your invitation I will understand." The words were quiet, his eyes down cast. While he was nervous about the event, he wanted more than anything to be accepted by Sara's family.
"No," Joe said, the young man's look completely disarming him. "You did what you thought was best, tried to protect everyone. I can't blame you for that."
"Joe, I." Sara started to break in, but he stopped her. She should not have to protect him, that was his job. He started to speak, but the words never got out.
"It's ok, I understand," Joe said, and from the look on his face, Ian believed him. It was a surprise, yes, this acceptance, but somehow he had been granted a second chance, a chance to prove himself to Sara's family.
Joe turned to Sara, giving her a stern look. "But if you ever go out on a ledge like this without letting me in I will have your badge detective. Do you understand me?" The harsh edge in his voice was apparent, but so was the love, the understanding.
Was this how it was supposed to be? Ian asked himself.
"Yes, Sir."
"And as for you, Ian," he said sternly. "If I show up at home without you and with some lame excuse, my wife will never forgive me, so I suggest that the two of you get your car and meet me at home."
The departures left the office empty. In the corner, still unnoticed, the lone figure pulled out his phone again. "Sir, I have some more information."
"Well? Spit it out, I don't have all day."
"The guy I didn't recognize is definitely someone called Nottingham, just as you suspected."
"Yes, and? Were you able to overhear anything?"
"Not much Sir, but I did find out that Nottingham and the Commissioner are meeting together again tomorrow. He is supposed to call and make an appointment."
"Tomorrow, huh? Well we will see. If Irons won't come out willingly, then maybe we can draw him out."
Ian and Sara drove through the streets toward their meeting with Joe and Marie. After the stress of the meeting, Sara was rambling along, telling him about Joe, Marie and their son and daughter in law. "I suppose that they will be there too, along with their little girl, Anna."
"Little girl?" Ian said with a note of rising panic in his voice.
"Yes, little girl, Joe's granddaughter. She just turned four last month and she's a sweet kid. What's the matter, Ian?" she asked, a little concerned. Here was a man who went through Special Forces training, who just went through the third degree with the police commissioner and came out unscathed, and he was worried about a little kid?
Ian tried to find a way to explain it to her, the panic he felt about facing dinner with her entire family, or what amounted to the same thing. He had never been exposed to anything like this. When he was in the military, he and Mobius had once had dinner with Jeff Black's parents.. He pushed the thought away, it was not something he wanted or needed to think about right now. "Sara, I have never been to a family dinner of any kind. With only the two of us, it is hard to even imagine such a thing, and my father's family were all long dead before my birth. I do not wish to do anything to embarrass you." He cast a quick glance over to her and she could see the worry in his eyes. The meeting was at least something that was in the realm of his experience. He had watched his father conduct many meetings, some much more vicious than that little squabble, but a family dinner was beyond him.
"Ian, all you have to do is be polite, eat a lot, which I don't see as a problem, and answer a lot of invasive personal questions," Sara told him calmly. Ian looked at her in complete and unadulterated horror.
"Questions?" he said, his voice gone sharp with terror.
"I'll help you get through, try to field as much of it as I can. But it is part of having a family."
"I do not have a family, not any more," he said, a little sadly.
"Of course you do, you have me. A part of having a family is doing things you'd rather not do."
"That, at least I am familiar with," Ian said, a smile just starting to reappear. "Now, one stop and I believe that I shall be prepared to brave the onslaught."
"Ian, we are still not going into battle."
"So you keep telling me. You have your metaphors, I have mine." Sara rolled her eyes at him and squeezed his arm a little for reassurance.
After making a stop, Sara's directions took them to the Siri's house with a minimum of time and effort. Much sooner than Ian was truly prepared for, the two of them were standing before the front door. "Are you ready?" Sara asked, resting a hand on his arm. Ian held his parcels a little tighter and nodded. She reached up and gave him a gentle kiss before turning to ring the doorbell. They heard the soft echo inside the house and in moments the door flew open to reveal Joe, standing there, ushering them in with a friendly wave of his hand.
"Come in, come in, Marie is in the kitchen," he said. Ian handed him the bottle of wine he had picked up on the way, but held onto the flowers. It would be proper to give them to the lady of the house. The two of them took off their coats and handed them to Joe as he lead them through into the living room. "Have a seat, my son and his wife will be here soon with my granddaughter, but let me go and get Marie." He hurried off through the other door, as they settled down onto the couch. The room was not terribly large, but filled with well-worn furniture and lots of family photographs. It was a cozy room, Ian decided, designed not to impress but to make guests feel at home. He leaned back a little on the couch, trying to relax. Sara sat next to him, the back of her hand just brushing his knee, letting him know she was right there. Ian still held the flowers in his arm, as if they were some kind of shield against the coming conflict.
Sara looked at him, not as dressed up as he had been the night he fell into her life, but the similarities were there, the nervous look, the flowers, the stiff posture. Had it only been a little more than a week? Part of her was concerned that it was moving too fast, but another part was so glad to have him, to be able to feel again without fear, that in itself was a little frightening, and a little amusing. She had never felt so comfortable with someone, had someone that she really felt that she could trust. It was almost funny in its own way. she thought, her tone amused in his mind.
I he replied earnestly, wishing he could join in her amusement, trying to relax, to accept that it was going to be alright. his sense of humor trying to break free from the bonds of fear.
They both looked up at the sound of the door opening. Ian stood immediately, his manners always impeccable, as his father had required. Joe entered, preceding his wife into the room. Marie was on the short side, a friendly looking woman with neat reddish hair and an apron tied over her floral print dress. She moved quickly to Sara, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the check before turning to Ian. "So you are Sara's new young man?" she asked, looking him over. Ian offered her the flowers and took her hand, kissing it formally.
"Yes, Ma'am, I suppose I am. It is good to meet her family, she has told me a great deal about you." Marie blushed at the kiss and the compliments.
"Oh, you are a charmer, Mr. Nottingham," she said with a smile.
"Ian, please ma'am," he said gravely.
"Then you must call me Marie, and please, sit down. There is no need for you to stand around like this. I need to put these in water. Can I get you something to drink?" she inquired.
"A glass of water would be fine, Ma'.Marie," he said with a shy smile.
"Not at all, Joe?"
"I'm fine."
"Good, Sara, will you?"
"Yes, why don't I help you?" she said as she got off the couch, giving him a last smile before the two women disappeared into the kitchen.
"Of course," he said, absently, "I will have my assistant call you about the time." Already his thoughts were turning with dread to the next big task, and the one even more important in his mind, making a good impression on Sara's foster family. After the information of the day, he would be surprised if Joe Siri did not want to have him throttled for getting Sara involved.
They said their goodbyes, and Joe walked with them to the elevator, waiting for it to close behind them before he said anything. "Sara, how could you not tell me?" he started, torn between anger and amazement. He had had some time to run over things in his mind and now he was not sure whether to thank them for trying to leave him as far out of it as possible, or scream for being left out in the cold.
"Sir, please do not blame Sara, it was my fault. I wanted to wait, to tell the story only once. Also we did not want to put your career in jeopardy if it was believed you had withheld information. If you wish to withdraw your invitation I will understand." The words were quiet, his eyes down cast. While he was nervous about the event, he wanted more than anything to be accepted by Sara's family.
"No," Joe said, the young man's look completely disarming him. "You did what you thought was best, tried to protect everyone. I can't blame you for that."
"Joe, I." Sara started to break in, but he stopped her. She should not have to protect him, that was his job. He started to speak, but the words never got out.
"It's ok, I understand," Joe said, and from the look on his face, Ian believed him. It was a surprise, yes, this acceptance, but somehow he had been granted a second chance, a chance to prove himself to Sara's family.
Joe turned to Sara, giving her a stern look. "But if you ever go out on a ledge like this without letting me in I will have your badge detective. Do you understand me?" The harsh edge in his voice was apparent, but so was the love, the understanding.
Was this how it was supposed to be? Ian asked himself.
"Yes, Sir."
"And as for you, Ian," he said sternly. "If I show up at home without you and with some lame excuse, my wife will never forgive me, so I suggest that the two of you get your car and meet me at home."
The departures left the office empty. In the corner, still unnoticed, the lone figure pulled out his phone again. "Sir, I have some more information."
"Well? Spit it out, I don't have all day."
"The guy I didn't recognize is definitely someone called Nottingham, just as you suspected."
"Yes, and? Were you able to overhear anything?"
"Not much Sir, but I did find out that Nottingham and the Commissioner are meeting together again tomorrow. He is supposed to call and make an appointment."
"Tomorrow, huh? Well we will see. If Irons won't come out willingly, then maybe we can draw him out."
Ian and Sara drove through the streets toward their meeting with Joe and Marie. After the stress of the meeting, Sara was rambling along, telling him about Joe, Marie and their son and daughter in law. "I suppose that they will be there too, along with their little girl, Anna."
"Little girl?" Ian said with a note of rising panic in his voice.
"Yes, little girl, Joe's granddaughter. She just turned four last month and she's a sweet kid. What's the matter, Ian?" she asked, a little concerned. Here was a man who went through Special Forces training, who just went through the third degree with the police commissioner and came out unscathed, and he was worried about a little kid?
Ian tried to find a way to explain it to her, the panic he felt about facing dinner with her entire family, or what amounted to the same thing. He had never been exposed to anything like this. When he was in the military, he and Mobius had once had dinner with Jeff Black's parents.. He pushed the thought away, it was not something he wanted or needed to think about right now. "Sara, I have never been to a family dinner of any kind. With only the two of us, it is hard to even imagine such a thing, and my father's family were all long dead before my birth. I do not wish to do anything to embarrass you." He cast a quick glance over to her and she could see the worry in his eyes. The meeting was at least something that was in the realm of his experience. He had watched his father conduct many meetings, some much more vicious than that little squabble, but a family dinner was beyond him.
"Ian, all you have to do is be polite, eat a lot, which I don't see as a problem, and answer a lot of invasive personal questions," Sara told him calmly. Ian looked at her in complete and unadulterated horror.
"Questions?" he said, his voice gone sharp with terror.
"I'll help you get through, try to field as much of it as I can. But it is part of having a family."
"I do not have a family, not any more," he said, a little sadly.
"Of course you do, you have me. A part of having a family is doing things you'd rather not do."
"That, at least I am familiar with," Ian said, a smile just starting to reappear. "Now, one stop and I believe that I shall be prepared to brave the onslaught."
"Ian, we are still not going into battle."
"So you keep telling me. You have your metaphors, I have mine." Sara rolled her eyes at him and squeezed his arm a little for reassurance.
After making a stop, Sara's directions took them to the Siri's house with a minimum of time and effort. Much sooner than Ian was truly prepared for, the two of them were standing before the front door. "Are you ready?" Sara asked, resting a hand on his arm. Ian held his parcels a little tighter and nodded. She reached up and gave him a gentle kiss before turning to ring the doorbell. They heard the soft echo inside the house and in moments the door flew open to reveal Joe, standing there, ushering them in with a friendly wave of his hand.
"Come in, come in, Marie is in the kitchen," he said. Ian handed him the bottle of wine he had picked up on the way, but held onto the flowers. It would be proper to give them to the lady of the house. The two of them took off their coats and handed them to Joe as he lead them through into the living room. "Have a seat, my son and his wife will be here soon with my granddaughter, but let me go and get Marie." He hurried off through the other door, as they settled down onto the couch. The room was not terribly large, but filled with well-worn furniture and lots of family photographs. It was a cozy room, Ian decided, designed not to impress but to make guests feel at home. He leaned back a little on the couch, trying to relax. Sara sat next to him, the back of her hand just brushing his knee, letting him know she was right there. Ian still held the flowers in his arm, as if they were some kind of shield against the coming conflict.
Sara looked at him, not as dressed up as he had been the night he fell into her life, but the similarities were there, the nervous look, the flowers, the stiff posture. Had it only been a little more than a week? Part of her was concerned that it was moving too fast, but another part was so glad to have him, to be able to feel again without fear, that in itself was a little frightening, and a little amusing. She had never felt so comfortable with someone, had someone that she really felt that she could trust. It was almost funny in its own way. she thought, her tone amused in his mind.
I he replied earnestly, wishing he could join in her amusement, trying to relax, to accept that it was going to be alright. his sense of humor trying to break free from the bonds of fear.
They both looked up at the sound of the door opening. Ian stood immediately, his manners always impeccable, as his father had required. Joe entered, preceding his wife into the room. Marie was on the short side, a friendly looking woman with neat reddish hair and an apron tied over her floral print dress. She moved quickly to Sara, giving her a quick hug and a kiss on the check before turning to Ian. "So you are Sara's new young man?" she asked, looking him over. Ian offered her the flowers and took her hand, kissing it formally.
"Yes, Ma'am, I suppose I am. It is good to meet her family, she has told me a great deal about you." Marie blushed at the kiss and the compliments.
"Oh, you are a charmer, Mr. Nottingham," she said with a smile.
"Ian, please ma'am," he said gravely.
"Then you must call me Marie, and please, sit down. There is no need for you to stand around like this. I need to put these in water. Can I get you something to drink?" she inquired.
"A glass of water would be fine, Ma'.Marie," he said with a shy smile.
"Not at all, Joe?"
"I'm fine."
"Good, Sara, will you?"
"Yes, why don't I help you?" she said as she got off the couch, giving him a last smile before the two women disappeared into the kitchen.