Ian stood beside the tub, his eyes firmly locked on her, mind spinning with
emotions and ideas. It had been a long day and he wanted nothing more than
to spend more time with her, exploring their new relationship. Last night
seemed like an eternity away, had filled him with images, and now that the
opportunity had come he was not one to resist. He knelt down next to Sara,
his face close to hers and kissed her gently. "Sara, I have never tried
this before, be kind." His words were serious but his tone was light, she
smiled and nodded, drawing her feet up a bit as he stood and stepped into
the tub with her. As he knelt down at her feet, Sara started to roll over.
Ian stopped her with one gentle hand. He pulled her legs around him,
lifting her hips to slide his knees beneath her. Placing his hands on her
back, Ian slid forward, her lean legs drawn over him resting her weight on
his knees to give him a bit of space in the crowded interior. I need to
remember this when we return to the house, he thought, contemplating the
large bathtubs in a couple of the rooms. The possibilities were mind
boggling, but Ian was more than willing to work through them.
Sara stretched out a bit, feeling his skin against her, the brush of his hands as he ran them over her back. She held her breath for a moment, waiting for the feelings to start, the joining of their two minds, but it did not come, just the warmth of his body. She turned to him in confusion but he merely smiled at her. "Last night you wanted me to stay out of your head," he whispered as he felt her mind brush his. He leaned over her, pressing a kiss on the base of her neck.
Sara growled a little in frustration. "That was last night," she told him. "It's different, I."
"Because you were in control? Do you not trust me?" The teasing note in his voice was distracting. Obviously he was learning a lot faster than she expected. The blatantly seductive tone in his voice she had never heard before causing her thoughts to scatter to the four winds. His fingertips brushed just barely over her skin and she could feel him leaning closer, the warmth of him. She tried to shift, regain control but he just laughed.
Ian had suddenly found a new use for the years of training, the exercises and katas that left him with an almost inhuman flexibility. Thoughts and ideas filled his mind, thoughts of driving her so close to the edge as she had done to him filled him, as he traced his hands over her sides. Touch, butterfly soft and almost imperceptible, making her arch against his hands, instinctively craving more. The power was euphoric, the ability to make her feel the pleasure, the need that he felt, to control that need.
Sara was going insane, her own game turned against her. She knew he was determined to drag this out, to make her crazy with his touch, while she was helpless to really do anything. But oh, what a sweet revenge, she thought. He leaned close to her, brushing his lips over her neck and back. She could feel the soft skin, the raspy brush of his beard, the contrast making each nerve ending stand up and take notice. What was he going to do next? she wondered. She could feel his reactions, his desire brushing against her, so close and so far away. She tried to slide down, to push herself closer to him, to the feeling that was there just beyond her reach. At the same time, the brief lessons he had given her on control, on blocking, trying to organize them, to find a way to break through and feel him. It was so addictive, that feeling, the ability to merge their desire into something, neither one nor the other, but an amalgam of the two, beyond reason or comprehension, only emotion.
Ian was enjoying the feel of her skin, allowing himself to be completely absorbed by the motion of her body, the reactions. He could feel her trying to reach him, her body sliding against him, her mind just outside his, pressure building to fever pitch. The ache that being so close to her had brought now made more insistent by his own resistance. Before he had been at her mercy, now he was at his own, pushing his own discipline to draw out the experience further.
"Ian," her voice sounded strange in her own ears, a strangled cry against the pressure she was feeling. Need was not a new experience, but this kind of overwhelming passion was still new enough to startle her every time. She wanted to do something, to say something to make him understand how she was feeling. Being thrust from the intimacy of their earlier experience back into the realm of the physical, where all you had was body and voice to make your partner understand. Was this what it was like for him? Is this what I did to Ian? The vagrant thoughts roamed through her head as she tried to focus. The effort was rendered moot, when he leaned against her, pressed his chest softly to warm skin, each tiny shift increasing the pressure on already over sensitive nerves. His arms glided up along her, coming to rest outside hers on the lip of the tub, hands caressing her arms gently. She felt his lips against her neck and turned her head in an effort to capture his mouth. He gave in, pressing his lips to hers, expressing his desire, his love with sweet kisses that filled only a little of the ache in her. She shifted again, slid against his heat and captured it inside her.
"Sara," he whispered against her mouth as she felt him slowly release the barriers between them. His feelings poured over her in a flood, bringing sweet pleasure in their wake, shifting, joining, mind and body as resistance lost meaning in the face of love and desire. No longer a contest, a game, they moved together, reaching for something between them that could only be found together.
As the haze passed, Ian eased himself up, away from her. Sara let out a sigh of loss, as he slid further back. He used gentle hands to guide her, as he shifted himself from between her legs, helped her move her leg around him. She turned over and he pulled her close into his arms. They were both trembling a little from the aftermath, and shivering a little from the water gone suddenly cold. Or perhaps not so suddenly, Ian thought, aware that he had lost all sense of time when he had lost himself in Sara. Regretfully, he let go of her and pulled himself slowly from the tub, reaching in after to help her out. Neither of them was too steady on their feet, and he reached for her robe to wrap around her, as he tried to find himself a towel. His questing hand finally pulled one from the towel bar, wrapped it around him. Slowly, leaning together, they made their way into the bedroom, to collapse in a contented pile on the bed, immediately seeking the warmth of one another, arms and legs wrapped close, blankets hastily drawn up against the chill.
Sara smiled at him, snuggling close. There was something indescribably special about him, the delight that he felt in the simple closeness that followed their intimacy. He understood the need to be close, to hold on better than any man she had even known, possibly because of all the years it was denied to him. Somehow, she thought as she drifted off with wrapped around her, I don't think that will ever change. I don't think I want it to change.
In the quiet darkness of the pre-dawn apartment, Ian woke. He almost always rose early, preferring the quiet solitude of the hour as a time to think, to reflect. He had always had a preference for these times, dawn and nightfall, the hours when the shadows could change everything in a heartbeat, the times when the world stood still, balanced on the edge of a knife for just that moment, before becoming either day or night, both and yet neither. Part of him wanted to slip away, out of the bed, out onto the fire escape, to watch the sunrise alone in the quiet, but the rest of him, the new Ian, wanted nothing more than to stay in bed forever, with Sara snuggled safely under his arm.
He gazed down at the woman who had always been such a big part of his life, even before he had met her. In sleep she was for once completely at rest, her hair falling over her face, arm beneath her cheek, half on her side, half on her stomach, back pressed close, head resting in the curve of his shoulder. How he had survived so long without her, he did not know. His life before was like a shadow, colors sharp edged and grey as one day faded into the next. Duty had its place, its comfort and familiarity, but it lacked richness. If before he had been content in his familiar world, he was now happy in the midst of uncertainty and chaos, as long as he had Sara by his side. As if since he had met her everything had become clearer, cleaner. A new world lay open before them both, and both were scared in their own ways. He knew her history, her fear of getting too close, and he had no history at all, only love and destiny. Still he would not trade all the uncertainty of his present position for the security of the past, even the safety of his shadows, if it meant life without Sara.
As the sky began to lighten over the city and still Ian lay in bed. He thought about waking Sara, but while his lady had many wonderful qualities, she was not a morning person. Waking her properly usually required time and coffee, and he had no desire to rise from his comfortable position yet. He watched the light creep slowly through the bare windows, slipping across the floor toward the place where they lay together. He brushed the hair gently back from her face, a sudden desire to watch the morning as it touched her. He slipped back a little farther on the bed, better to observe without interfering. As the light slid across the floor, it slowly illuminated her, highlighting the planes of her face. He watched, as he had so many times before, but this time he was next to her, laying just outside the fingers of dawn as they caressed her, urged him to follow.
Touch, such a simple thing. In the last week he had learned more about touching, about being touched than he had in his entire life. He drew his hand along the shadows of her shoulder, her neck, her face, following their retreat in the face of the on coming day, a remembrance of a time not so long ago when he considered her part of the light and believed that he was forever doomed to shadow.
Sara stirred under the gentle brush of his fingers, rolling toward him as if drawn by gravity. Ian held himself completely still as she rolled over and throw an arm over his neck, sliding her leg over his. Stirred ether by his touch or the intrusion of the sun, she buried her face in his shoulder, murmuring something unintelligible against his skin. Again he began to trace patterns, this time tracing light as it grew brighter, following the tendrils of radiance against her skin.
Sara murmured into the warmth of Ian's shoulder. "Hmm, nice.pillow.way." Her unintelligible words convinced Ian that she was waking up. He smiled, allowing her to wake herself up against him. It was not in him to hurry her any more than was necessary, to do so would not only ruin his opportunity to continue watching the day begin to draw her in, but also risk her anger, her mood.
Sara opened her eyes slightly, face pressed into Ian's shoulder, her mind slowly processing the warmth of his arm around her, his body pressed against her. Slowly she registered the feeling of light on her back; the internal certainty that morning had come. Monday morning. She needed to get up for another day, another round of crime and punishment. She buried her face against Ian, praying for a little more time. Waking up was something she never enjoyed, although she had to admit that waking up with him beside her beat waking up alone any day, even on a Monday.
Vague thoughts, feeling filtered through her sleep-numbed brain as she breathed in the warm scent of his skin. It surrounded her, his presence, his love for her, things that she had given up on, buried to prevent people from getting too close, from being able to hurt her, all flooded back over the last few days. She was still afraid, of giving away a part of herself, of being hurt, rejected, and abandoned as she had been before by situation or death. But with Ian, she felt a bit of hope. Hope, the most frightening thing of all because it meant that her shell had cracked a bit. But he had hope enough for both of them, after everything he had been through; he still had faith in her, in them. If he could find a way to let her in, despite everything, then she could as well. Opening her eyes, she looked up into the face of love and trust. The expression on his face was more than enough to wake her up. Ian leaned closer, kissed her softly with that smile that made her thoughts turn to other things, things that in no way involved getting up and going to work. She pushed them away regretfully, there would always be later.
"Coffee?" she whispered as his warm, reassuring presence made the morning just a touch better before it had even begun. Ian smiled, amused by her practical bent. Few things were more important to her than her coffee. The fact that he rated a kiss first gave him a small thrill. He started to pull away, intending on presenting her with a cup of her favorite life- giving beverage, but at his motion, she tightened her grip, leg snaking around one of his.
"If you wish coffee." he said, making no further effort to move. He was more than content to leave both himself and the choice in her capable hands. Sara sighed regretfully. The internal battle was brief and violent, but in the end practicality and coffee reigned. She allowed her grip to loosen, watching as he pulled slowly away, allowing her hands to graze over his departing form. Ian rose slowly, backing up a few steps, warm brown eyes still locked with hers, causing her to seriously regret her choice. Just as she was considering changing her mind, giving in to the urge to call him back, he picked up his bag and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a hollow finality. Sara took a deep breath and shook her head. When he got out of there, she needed a shower, a cold one.
Sara emerged ready to begin her day, or at least as ready as she was going to get. Ian was already fully dressed for the day, black suit perfectly fitted and impressive. He was talking on his cell phone, tugging at his collar as if it was already beginning to chafe. She smiled a little at the little boy look on his face. It was pretty clear that while he would dress the part and act it if necessary, he was not enjoying himself. I wonder what he will do now, she thought to herself. It's not like he wants to run Vorschlag, he has made that pretty clear. But he is not exactly going to give it away, or let Irons down by selling it or something. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It really wasn't any of her business. Just because they were a couple now didn't mean she had any intention of interfering. It was a decision he would have to make on his own. There was a knock at the door, and she went to open it, pretty sure who was on the other side.
"Hey Sara, where's the coffee?" Danny asked as he passed her on his way into the apartment. He nodded politely to Ian, who gave him a grimace as he continued his phone call. She passed Danny a cup and poured the last of the pot into her own. "This is really good, what happened?" he asked as he took a drink.
"Hey, you don't like it; you don't have to drink it. But you're right, I think Ian's been upgrading my supplies again," she said, directing part of her comment at the back of the black clad figure. He turned and smiled indicating he had heard her but saying nothing, merely continuing to listen to whoever was on the other end of the phone.
Finally, he freed himself from the restraint of his cell and joined them in the kitchen, moving to be closer to Sara. He was still not comfortable touching her in front of others, affection still a new skill, but Sara leaned back against him, a need to be close at some level. It was still shocking, that he had come to rely on her so much. All the years of waiting, of training for this. It was definitely worth it, he thought.
"Well, I guess we'd better hit it," Sara said regretfully, turning to slip her arms around Ian, giving him a kiss before stepping away from him.
"Yeah," Danny said, smiling a little to himself. "Got to go out there and get the bad guys. What about you Ian?"
"Papers and meetings, I am afraid. I don't suppose you could find a use for me?" he said with a pleading look. They both laughed, the thought of Ian hiding out in the office to escape the paperwork was incredibly funny.
"No, afraid not. I just can't see explaining it to the rookie, much less the rest of the squad."
"Not without having to break a few heads," Danny said. Ian gave him a questioning look. "Bad for her rep," he said by way of explanation, ducking as Sara mimed a swing. She gave Ian a final kiss, grabbed her jacket, and led the way out the door.
The trip began in companionable silence. Sara and Danny had known each other for long enough that words were not necessary between them. Danny was still contemplating her new boyfriend. Ian was a nice enough guy, a little quiet, shy even for someone with the training and the skills that he had. The most important thing about him was he made Sara happy. Danny didn't know how long he had waited for it, for her to find someone who was able to keep up with her, stand up to her. It was still a little early to tell but things seemed to be going pretty well. He had definitely never seen her happier.
Sara sat and fiddled with the radio, trying to find something worth listening to. She finally settled on a local classic rock station and leaned back, enjoying the music and the ride, trying not to think about a day full of paperwork. Suddenly Danny leaned forward and turned up the radio, trying to catch something vaguely heard on the news.
The Office of the Commissioner of Police today scheduled a news conference to announce the findings of a recent investigation into allegations of bribery and influence peddling within the police department's upper echelons. While details remain sketchy, Deputy Commissioner Harvey has been quoted as saying that indictments are pending. More news will be available..
Sara turned the volume down, a smile curved on her face. Her partner gave her a suspicious look. "Something you want to tell me, Pez?" he asked as his curiosity got the best of him.
"Not really," she answered.
"Come on, give. You don't go around smiling this early for nothing. What's going on?" Sara sighed a little. Her partner was not one to give up, and what could it hurt to tell him anyway?
"You know the guy that was pushing the investigation, Merano?"
"Yeah?"
"Ian looked into him. Turns out he was dirty, taking money to push certain things into the news, bury others. We turned it all over to the Commissioner. They figure on covering one news story with another."
"Crucified by his own publicity.nice," Danny said, obviously impressed.
"Ian's idea, needed something to get the whole Irons thing off the front page." She tried to keep her tone unconcerned, but Danny knew better.
"When's the announcement?" he asked.
"One week. Then everything changes." Danny could hear the concern and worry in her voice.
"Hey, I'm sure he can handle it. After all he's managed to handle you so far, and that's a lot harder than just dealing with reporters." The joke had the desired affect; she turned to him, ready to rip him apart, when she noticed the twinkle in his eye. "Seriously Sara, I'm sure he'll be all right." Her partner's reassurance, his faith and acceptance of Ian was the comfort she needed. She smiled at him as they pulled into the station parking lot.
"Danny, Thanks." She got out of the car and headed for the doors. "And Danny?" she called out over her shoulder.
"Yeah, Partner?"
"Just for that, you buy the coffee."
Sara stretched out a bit, feeling his skin against her, the brush of his hands as he ran them over her back. She held her breath for a moment, waiting for the feelings to start, the joining of their two minds, but it did not come, just the warmth of his body. She turned to him in confusion but he merely smiled at her. "Last night you wanted me to stay out of your head," he whispered as he felt her mind brush his. He leaned over her, pressing a kiss on the base of her neck.
Sara growled a little in frustration. "That was last night," she told him. "It's different, I."
"Because you were in control? Do you not trust me?" The teasing note in his voice was distracting. Obviously he was learning a lot faster than she expected. The blatantly seductive tone in his voice she had never heard before causing her thoughts to scatter to the four winds. His fingertips brushed just barely over her skin and she could feel him leaning closer, the warmth of him. She tried to shift, regain control but he just laughed.
Ian had suddenly found a new use for the years of training, the exercises and katas that left him with an almost inhuman flexibility. Thoughts and ideas filled his mind, thoughts of driving her so close to the edge as she had done to him filled him, as he traced his hands over her sides. Touch, butterfly soft and almost imperceptible, making her arch against his hands, instinctively craving more. The power was euphoric, the ability to make her feel the pleasure, the need that he felt, to control that need.
Sara was going insane, her own game turned against her. She knew he was determined to drag this out, to make her crazy with his touch, while she was helpless to really do anything. But oh, what a sweet revenge, she thought. He leaned close to her, brushing his lips over her neck and back. She could feel the soft skin, the raspy brush of his beard, the contrast making each nerve ending stand up and take notice. What was he going to do next? she wondered. She could feel his reactions, his desire brushing against her, so close and so far away. She tried to slide down, to push herself closer to him, to the feeling that was there just beyond her reach. At the same time, the brief lessons he had given her on control, on blocking, trying to organize them, to find a way to break through and feel him. It was so addictive, that feeling, the ability to merge their desire into something, neither one nor the other, but an amalgam of the two, beyond reason or comprehension, only emotion.
Ian was enjoying the feel of her skin, allowing himself to be completely absorbed by the motion of her body, the reactions. He could feel her trying to reach him, her body sliding against him, her mind just outside his, pressure building to fever pitch. The ache that being so close to her had brought now made more insistent by his own resistance. Before he had been at her mercy, now he was at his own, pushing his own discipline to draw out the experience further.
"Ian," her voice sounded strange in her own ears, a strangled cry against the pressure she was feeling. Need was not a new experience, but this kind of overwhelming passion was still new enough to startle her every time. She wanted to do something, to say something to make him understand how she was feeling. Being thrust from the intimacy of their earlier experience back into the realm of the physical, where all you had was body and voice to make your partner understand. Was this what it was like for him? Is this what I did to Ian? The vagrant thoughts roamed through her head as she tried to focus. The effort was rendered moot, when he leaned against her, pressed his chest softly to warm skin, each tiny shift increasing the pressure on already over sensitive nerves. His arms glided up along her, coming to rest outside hers on the lip of the tub, hands caressing her arms gently. She felt his lips against her neck and turned her head in an effort to capture his mouth. He gave in, pressing his lips to hers, expressing his desire, his love with sweet kisses that filled only a little of the ache in her. She shifted again, slid against his heat and captured it inside her.
"Sara," he whispered against her mouth as she felt him slowly release the barriers between them. His feelings poured over her in a flood, bringing sweet pleasure in their wake, shifting, joining, mind and body as resistance lost meaning in the face of love and desire. No longer a contest, a game, they moved together, reaching for something between them that could only be found together.
As the haze passed, Ian eased himself up, away from her. Sara let out a sigh of loss, as he slid further back. He used gentle hands to guide her, as he shifted himself from between her legs, helped her move her leg around him. She turned over and he pulled her close into his arms. They were both trembling a little from the aftermath, and shivering a little from the water gone suddenly cold. Or perhaps not so suddenly, Ian thought, aware that he had lost all sense of time when he had lost himself in Sara. Regretfully, he let go of her and pulled himself slowly from the tub, reaching in after to help her out. Neither of them was too steady on their feet, and he reached for her robe to wrap around her, as he tried to find himself a towel. His questing hand finally pulled one from the towel bar, wrapped it around him. Slowly, leaning together, they made their way into the bedroom, to collapse in a contented pile on the bed, immediately seeking the warmth of one another, arms and legs wrapped close, blankets hastily drawn up against the chill.
Sara smiled at him, snuggling close. There was something indescribably special about him, the delight that he felt in the simple closeness that followed their intimacy. He understood the need to be close, to hold on better than any man she had even known, possibly because of all the years it was denied to him. Somehow, she thought as she drifted off with wrapped around her, I don't think that will ever change. I don't think I want it to change.
In the quiet darkness of the pre-dawn apartment, Ian woke. He almost always rose early, preferring the quiet solitude of the hour as a time to think, to reflect. He had always had a preference for these times, dawn and nightfall, the hours when the shadows could change everything in a heartbeat, the times when the world stood still, balanced on the edge of a knife for just that moment, before becoming either day or night, both and yet neither. Part of him wanted to slip away, out of the bed, out onto the fire escape, to watch the sunrise alone in the quiet, but the rest of him, the new Ian, wanted nothing more than to stay in bed forever, with Sara snuggled safely under his arm.
He gazed down at the woman who had always been such a big part of his life, even before he had met her. In sleep she was for once completely at rest, her hair falling over her face, arm beneath her cheek, half on her side, half on her stomach, back pressed close, head resting in the curve of his shoulder. How he had survived so long without her, he did not know. His life before was like a shadow, colors sharp edged and grey as one day faded into the next. Duty had its place, its comfort and familiarity, but it lacked richness. If before he had been content in his familiar world, he was now happy in the midst of uncertainty and chaos, as long as he had Sara by his side. As if since he had met her everything had become clearer, cleaner. A new world lay open before them both, and both were scared in their own ways. He knew her history, her fear of getting too close, and he had no history at all, only love and destiny. Still he would not trade all the uncertainty of his present position for the security of the past, even the safety of his shadows, if it meant life without Sara.
As the sky began to lighten over the city and still Ian lay in bed. He thought about waking Sara, but while his lady had many wonderful qualities, she was not a morning person. Waking her properly usually required time and coffee, and he had no desire to rise from his comfortable position yet. He watched the light creep slowly through the bare windows, slipping across the floor toward the place where they lay together. He brushed the hair gently back from her face, a sudden desire to watch the morning as it touched her. He slipped back a little farther on the bed, better to observe without interfering. As the light slid across the floor, it slowly illuminated her, highlighting the planes of her face. He watched, as he had so many times before, but this time he was next to her, laying just outside the fingers of dawn as they caressed her, urged him to follow.
Touch, such a simple thing. In the last week he had learned more about touching, about being touched than he had in his entire life. He drew his hand along the shadows of her shoulder, her neck, her face, following their retreat in the face of the on coming day, a remembrance of a time not so long ago when he considered her part of the light and believed that he was forever doomed to shadow.
Sara stirred under the gentle brush of his fingers, rolling toward him as if drawn by gravity. Ian held himself completely still as she rolled over and throw an arm over his neck, sliding her leg over his. Stirred ether by his touch or the intrusion of the sun, she buried her face in his shoulder, murmuring something unintelligible against his skin. Again he began to trace patterns, this time tracing light as it grew brighter, following the tendrils of radiance against her skin.
Sara murmured into the warmth of Ian's shoulder. "Hmm, nice.pillow.way." Her unintelligible words convinced Ian that she was waking up. He smiled, allowing her to wake herself up against him. It was not in him to hurry her any more than was necessary, to do so would not only ruin his opportunity to continue watching the day begin to draw her in, but also risk her anger, her mood.
Sara opened her eyes slightly, face pressed into Ian's shoulder, her mind slowly processing the warmth of his arm around her, his body pressed against her. Slowly she registered the feeling of light on her back; the internal certainty that morning had come. Monday morning. She needed to get up for another day, another round of crime and punishment. She buried her face against Ian, praying for a little more time. Waking up was something she never enjoyed, although she had to admit that waking up with him beside her beat waking up alone any day, even on a Monday.
Vague thoughts, feeling filtered through her sleep-numbed brain as she breathed in the warm scent of his skin. It surrounded her, his presence, his love for her, things that she had given up on, buried to prevent people from getting too close, from being able to hurt her, all flooded back over the last few days. She was still afraid, of giving away a part of herself, of being hurt, rejected, and abandoned as she had been before by situation or death. But with Ian, she felt a bit of hope. Hope, the most frightening thing of all because it meant that her shell had cracked a bit. But he had hope enough for both of them, after everything he had been through; he still had faith in her, in them. If he could find a way to let her in, despite everything, then she could as well. Opening her eyes, she looked up into the face of love and trust. The expression on his face was more than enough to wake her up. Ian leaned closer, kissed her softly with that smile that made her thoughts turn to other things, things that in no way involved getting up and going to work. She pushed them away regretfully, there would always be later.
"Coffee?" she whispered as his warm, reassuring presence made the morning just a touch better before it had even begun. Ian smiled, amused by her practical bent. Few things were more important to her than her coffee. The fact that he rated a kiss first gave him a small thrill. He started to pull away, intending on presenting her with a cup of her favorite life- giving beverage, but at his motion, she tightened her grip, leg snaking around one of his.
"If you wish coffee." he said, making no further effort to move. He was more than content to leave both himself and the choice in her capable hands. Sara sighed regretfully. The internal battle was brief and violent, but in the end practicality and coffee reigned. She allowed her grip to loosen, watching as he pulled slowly away, allowing her hands to graze over his departing form. Ian rose slowly, backing up a few steps, warm brown eyes still locked with hers, causing her to seriously regret her choice. Just as she was considering changing her mind, giving in to the urge to call him back, he picked up his bag and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him with a hollow finality. Sara took a deep breath and shook her head. When he got out of there, she needed a shower, a cold one.
Sara emerged ready to begin her day, or at least as ready as she was going to get. Ian was already fully dressed for the day, black suit perfectly fitted and impressive. He was talking on his cell phone, tugging at his collar as if it was already beginning to chafe. She smiled a little at the little boy look on his face. It was pretty clear that while he would dress the part and act it if necessary, he was not enjoying himself. I wonder what he will do now, she thought to herself. It's not like he wants to run Vorschlag, he has made that pretty clear. But he is not exactly going to give it away, or let Irons down by selling it or something. She shook her head to clear her thoughts. It really wasn't any of her business. Just because they were a couple now didn't mean she had any intention of interfering. It was a decision he would have to make on his own. There was a knock at the door, and she went to open it, pretty sure who was on the other side.
"Hey Sara, where's the coffee?" Danny asked as he passed her on his way into the apartment. He nodded politely to Ian, who gave him a grimace as he continued his phone call. She passed Danny a cup and poured the last of the pot into her own. "This is really good, what happened?" he asked as he took a drink.
"Hey, you don't like it; you don't have to drink it. But you're right, I think Ian's been upgrading my supplies again," she said, directing part of her comment at the back of the black clad figure. He turned and smiled indicating he had heard her but saying nothing, merely continuing to listen to whoever was on the other end of the phone.
Finally, he freed himself from the restraint of his cell and joined them in the kitchen, moving to be closer to Sara. He was still not comfortable touching her in front of others, affection still a new skill, but Sara leaned back against him, a need to be close at some level. It was still shocking, that he had come to rely on her so much. All the years of waiting, of training for this. It was definitely worth it, he thought.
"Well, I guess we'd better hit it," Sara said regretfully, turning to slip her arms around Ian, giving him a kiss before stepping away from him.
"Yeah," Danny said, smiling a little to himself. "Got to go out there and get the bad guys. What about you Ian?"
"Papers and meetings, I am afraid. I don't suppose you could find a use for me?" he said with a pleading look. They both laughed, the thought of Ian hiding out in the office to escape the paperwork was incredibly funny.
"No, afraid not. I just can't see explaining it to the rookie, much less the rest of the squad."
"Not without having to break a few heads," Danny said. Ian gave him a questioning look. "Bad for her rep," he said by way of explanation, ducking as Sara mimed a swing. She gave Ian a final kiss, grabbed her jacket, and led the way out the door.
The trip began in companionable silence. Sara and Danny had known each other for long enough that words were not necessary between them. Danny was still contemplating her new boyfriend. Ian was a nice enough guy, a little quiet, shy even for someone with the training and the skills that he had. The most important thing about him was he made Sara happy. Danny didn't know how long he had waited for it, for her to find someone who was able to keep up with her, stand up to her. It was still a little early to tell but things seemed to be going pretty well. He had definitely never seen her happier.
Sara sat and fiddled with the radio, trying to find something worth listening to. She finally settled on a local classic rock station and leaned back, enjoying the music and the ride, trying not to think about a day full of paperwork. Suddenly Danny leaned forward and turned up the radio, trying to catch something vaguely heard on the news.
The Office of the Commissioner of Police today scheduled a news conference to announce the findings of a recent investigation into allegations of bribery and influence peddling within the police department's upper echelons. While details remain sketchy, Deputy Commissioner Harvey has been quoted as saying that indictments are pending. More news will be available..
Sara turned the volume down, a smile curved on her face. Her partner gave her a suspicious look. "Something you want to tell me, Pez?" he asked as his curiosity got the best of him.
"Not really," she answered.
"Come on, give. You don't go around smiling this early for nothing. What's going on?" Sara sighed a little. Her partner was not one to give up, and what could it hurt to tell him anyway?
"You know the guy that was pushing the investigation, Merano?"
"Yeah?"
"Ian looked into him. Turns out he was dirty, taking money to push certain things into the news, bury others. We turned it all over to the Commissioner. They figure on covering one news story with another."
"Crucified by his own publicity.nice," Danny said, obviously impressed.
"Ian's idea, needed something to get the whole Irons thing off the front page." She tried to keep her tone unconcerned, but Danny knew better.
"When's the announcement?" he asked.
"One week. Then everything changes." Danny could hear the concern and worry in her voice.
"Hey, I'm sure he can handle it. After all he's managed to handle you so far, and that's a lot harder than just dealing with reporters." The joke had the desired affect; she turned to him, ready to rip him apart, when she noticed the twinkle in his eye. "Seriously Sara, I'm sure he'll be all right." Her partner's reassurance, his faith and acceptance of Ian was the comfort she needed. She smiled at him as they pulled into the station parking lot.
"Danny, Thanks." She got out of the car and headed for the doors. "And Danny?" she called out over her shoulder.
"Yeah, Partner?"
"Just for that, you buy the coffee."