Hello hello. Welcome back to the twisted world of IrishRaven. Today, we will be wreaking havoc on the population of New York... ::X pulls IrishRaven off stage::

Thanks to everyone who reviewed: msredux (what are *you* thinking? ;P But sure, you can pet Ian's bunny...), Fae Rain (there shall be more Gabriel in the next few chapters, just 'cause you asked so nicely), Mili, Mako- chan Wolf (Hm...more randomness? I think that sounds like a brilliant idea!!! Muahahaha), DKM (Run Jake...run. For you have a very pissed Asian man close to kicking the crap out of you), Eli (I'll make sure Jake and Danny pay you a visit), Sierra Windfire (my muse has a life time supply of duct tape), Riyallan (LoL. Wait...No...tequila is good!!!;P), Jenileigh, LaFemmeLurker, Julia (sorry about that, but I'm glad you liked it!), scooter (gotta love the bunny!), Spin, and of course, Redmayne (Good luck with finals!!!)

Disclaimer: Take a guess. You have a good chance of being right. ;P

Feedback: ::X stays silent, but eye bulges slightly from its socket::

If there are any grammar or spelling mistakes, I am dreadfully sorry. I don't have a beta, and usually don't give these a second glance after I write them. And if I do give them a second glance, it's well after midnight. Heheeeeeee.

Well, onto the story!!

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Chapter X

The Animal Control truck drove past the one-eleventh precinct, screeched to a halt, and backed up. The man (whose name tag read "Bob") stared out in shock. He reached over and fumbled for his radio, trying to comprehend what he was seeing.

"Headquarters, this is Bob on truck five...we have a major situation down at the 111th precinct...I'm requesting back up."

"You want back up, truck five?" a woman's slightly confused voice crackled back. Rarely did anyone need back up on routine rounds.

"Yes. Back up. I can't handle this on my own. Advise the local Zoo that they may have had a break out."

"Roger that, truck five. Calling for back up now."

Bob stepped out of the truck, and started towards the police station, very cautious. He suddenly had the sudden wish he had brought the tranquilizer gun with him. There were monkey everywhere, and if he looked closely, he swore he could see a tiger staring out at him from the second story window.

"Not again," Bob sighed. This was the fourth case of escaped zoo animals that day. But what was odd was...none of the Zoo's in the surrounding areas had reported any missing.

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"Achtzehn, twenty... neunundzwanzig...THIRTY!!!"

Kenneth, opened his eyes and looked around the room. Sara was nowhere to be seen, but that didn't disillusion him. She had to be somewhere in the kitchen, as she had promised.

"Komm auf, come out wherever you are..."

Kenneth heard the jingling of pans, and carefully snuck around the corner of the large metal counter. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he ran right into Ian.

"Hallo, Mr. Ian..."

"What exactly are you doing in here, Mr. Kenni?" Ian asked, looking to his employer, who was crouched down behind a counter.

"Tryin' to find Sara. We're playing hide an' seek."

"Ah," Ian looked to Irons, and he almost seemed...younger. Younger in body, almost. Kenneth didn't seem as tall as Ian had always seen him.

Kenni looked around the kitchen, obviously without a clue as to where Sara was.

"Would you like me to help you to find Sara?"

"Isn't that cheating?"

"I am not completely familiar with the rules and regulations of the game, but I can assume it would be *fair* if I assisted you in this operation."

Kenneth smiled brightly, and led the way, with Ian occasionally directing him down a different row. Ian had known where Sara was since he entered the kitchen, but he figured that he wouldn't spoil the game for Kenneth.

"I see you Sara." Kenneth lied, trying to get her to show herself. Ian watched his employer walk off in search of Sara then turned the other direction, and quietly snuck up on Sara, who was looking the other direction.

"Boo,"

Sara nearly jumped five feet into the air, but Ian swiftly moved the heavy cooking pan from the flight path of her head.

"Ian, what the..." Sara yelled. The sound of a doorbell resounded through the kitchen area, and cut Sara off. Ian just smiled, balancing the frying pan upright in his hand by the handle. Sara couldn't help but smile. He was silent as usual, but somehow managing to be charming in the process. He offered his hand to help Sara up, which she accepted.

"PIZZA!!!" Kenneth exclaimed, running for the door of the staff entrance. Ian caught him by the waist, and pushed him over to Sara.

"I'll get it,"

Kenneth started for the door again, but Sara grabbed his arm. In the process, Iron's hand brushed against the Witchblade, and he suddenly went stiff.

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"Hellooooo?" The pizza boy rang the doorbell again.

He reached out to knock, but the door was suddenly swung open. He was taken aback by the guy who answered the door. Wearing all black, and a long black trench coat. He didn't seem like the pizza ordering sort of guy. Of course, this didn't seem like the kind of place that people would place a pizza order from. His boss almost had a conniption fit when she heard that someone from the Kenneth Irons estate had ordered a pizza. And even worse, he had been late in delivering it. It had taken him a good twenty minutes just to find the right entrance. A brown hair woman came up Mr. Dark Demeanor, and smiled at him before turning to the guy dressed in all black.

"Hey Ian, can I talk to you for a second? The situation with Kenni has...become more complicated.

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"How so?" Ian asked. Sara seemed slightly perturbed about something.

"I don't know exactly what happened..."

"Sara, is the pizza here?" Kenni asked from behind them.

Ian turned to look at his employer, only to see that Irons was slightly shorter that he had been in a long while. A looooooooong while.

"He always wanted to look younger, right?" Sara whispered.

"Cute kid," the pizza guy said, looking at Kenni, "Now does your happy little family want this pizza or what?"

Ian scowled at the pizza guy, which caused the boy to back up a step or so, and took out his wallet. He paid the boy, then shut the door, ignoring the boy's mumbling "you would think a guy living in this kind of place could manage to give a bigger tip". Ian made a mental note to put that pizza place on his bad list.

"Pizzapizzapizza!" Kenni exclaimed, jumping around. He truly looked like a six-year old now. He was a cute little kid, blue eyes and blonde hair, but still wayyyyyyyyy too damn hyperactive.

"What happened?" Ian asked calmly. So calmly, that it was slightly disturbing. He had just given up at being surprised at this sort of thing.

"I just grabbed his arm to keep him from running after you, and." Sara and Ian glanced down at the Witchblade.

Then they both glanced back to the now-smaller Kenneth Irons, who was jumping up and down in an attempt to grab the pizza box from Ian's hand.

"Shame on you, damned artifact."

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**CRASH***

Gabriel glanced around the corner of his shop's hallway, hoping that the crash he had just heard was not another murder attempt. Or more bunnies. He didn't like bunnies.

"Hello?" an oddly familiar voice called out from the shadows.

"Who is it?" Gabriel asked.

"Who are you?"

"I asked you first," Gabriel protested, "If you're here to kill me, don't even think about it. I'll get my killer rabbits after you!"

"Uh...I wasn't planning on killing anyone...just please, don't send the bunnies after me.

Gabriel reached out, and found the light switch, flicking it on, looking in the direction of the voice. What he saw next caught him completely off guard.

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"I likes pizza," Kenni exclaimed, taking another bite of the pizza, sitting on a large phone book so he could reach the table.

Sara reached over and got herself a piece, and looked to Ian, who was standing near the sink of the staff kitchen.

"Want some pizza, Ian?" Sara asked in between chewing.

"No thank you, Sara."

"Are you sure? It's really good," Sara said teasingly, taking another bite out of the pizza.

Ian shook his head again and Sara sighed, turning back to her pizza. Kenneth practically inhaled the rest of his pizza, and looked around the table for more sustenance.

"Ist there Nachtisch?" Kenni asked hopefully, in his odd mix of German and English.

Sara looked to Ian for a translation.

"Dessert."

"Well...I don't know, Kenni. I was told that you got quite hyper last time you had sugar, if I remember correctly."

"Just one chocolate chip cookie?" Kenni begged.

"Okay," Sara sighed, "One cookie,"

Sara glanced to Ian, who in turn disappeared into the kitchen for a few moments before returning with the promised cookie.

Kenni made the cookie disappear in record time, and he yawned.

"I believe it is bedtime for you, young Mr. Kenneth," Sara said.

"But..." Kenni had to pause for another yawn, "I'm not sleepy, Sara."

"Sure you aren't. Come on. Lets get you to bed," Sara said. She reached to take Kenni's hand, but rethought it. She nodded to Ian, trying to convey the message for him to take Kenneth's hand. Ian sighed and took Kenni's hand, and led him out of the kitchen, Sara following behind them.

"I figured it would be better if we kept the little lad away from the Witchblade. He could turn into a leprechaun or something next time."

Ian nodded, and kept walking. He could only imagine what Loki had in mind. He didn't know whether he should be awaiting to see what the odd deity had in mind, or be frightened. But with the voices inside his mind getting louder, he had other things on his mind.

"You're being awfully quite, Ian. Are you all right?"

Ian shook his head no, but kept walking all the same, and Kenni looked up to him. Ian rubbed the back of his head in pain, and Sara hoped that the past Protectors weren't giving him too much trouble.

"Are you Herr Christian or Herr Ian?" inquired the young Kenneth Irons.

"I am..." Ian glanced to Sara, "Herr Ian, of course. For now, at least," he muttered under his breath.

"Oh. Okey," Kenni looked around the hallway, "Are we almost to my room?"

"Yes," Ian said, "Do you need any assistance in getting ready for bed?"

Kenni looked up to Ian.

"Well...Herr Christian usually tells me bedtime stories...until Vater told him to stop. Then Lady Kathlyn showeded up...she told me that Vater thought the stories were childish...but I like the stories."

"Well, after you get all ready for bed; Ian and I will tell you a story, okay Kenni?"

"Okey!"

Ian gave Sara a confused and slightly betrayed look, to which she only shrugged.

They helped Kenneth change into an exceedingly baggy silk nightshirt, (which made them wonder what the hell they were going to do for clothing for him tomorrow), and he got into bed.

"Where's my stuffed Hund?" Kenneth inquired.

"Uh..." Sara began, looking around the room. She wasn't entirely sure of what he was asking for. Ian couldn't help but suppress a smile, and reached under the bed. He came back up with a stuffed plush dog, and handed it to Kenneth. Sara raised her eyebrows in amusement.

"Story!" demanded Kenni, once he had settled into his bed.

"Okay...well..." Sara cleared her throat, "Once upon a time there was a princess, who lived all by herself. She was in charge of her father's kingdom."

"Not this princess was the most beautiful princess throughout all the land. She had silky hair, and beautiful emerald eyes." Ian ignored Sara's prying look, "She was very strong and smart, but she was also very lonely. Thousands of suitors came from near and far to try to win her over, but she would not let any of them into her heart." Ian looked up and locked gazes with Sara as she continued.

"But one day, a mysterious knight came into the kingdom, who caught the princesses attention..." Sara said, keeping her eyes locked with Ian's.

"He was a dark knight, one of mystery and danger. Usually, no one ever noticed him, and he stayed in the shadows. He was under the curse of an evil duke, who kept him from trying to fulfill his true destiny. He watched the beautiful princess from afar, always too afraid to approach her," Ian said mournfully, "And when she finally did notice him, she scorned him, and wanted nothing to do with him. She was unable to let anyone into her heart." Ian said in a mournfully tone, looking away from Sara's intense emerald eyes.

"It doesn't end there, does it?" Kenneth asked, "That's dreadfully sad..."

"Well, eventually, she began to see what a good man he really was. He managed to break the curse that the evil duke put on him, and became the charming and handsome knight he was always meant to be." Sara added quickly, relieved when she saw Ian's golden brown eyes looking up from the floor again.

"And?" asked Kenni.

"Well...they lived happily ever after, of course," Sara said with a smile.

Kenni smiled, and seconds later was out like a light.

"Well, that was oddly easy," Sara said with a shrug, pulling the blankets up to Kenni's chin. She looked at the sleeping child and sighed.

"He looks so innocent."

"Yes. He does," Ian replied, his voice void of any telling emotions. His opinion of his employer was quickly changing, but he refused to let himself grow too sympathetic. The softer he got, the more it hurt when he was stabbed in the back.

Sara got up and started towards the door, and waited for Ian to get out of the room before switching off the lights.

"Where's your rabbit, Ian?"

"I gave it to the kitchen staff to take care of for the time being. I know little when it comes to the caring of small animals."

Silence passed for a few moments, and Sara glanced to the clock on the wall.

9:11

After considering her options for a few moments, she turned to Ian.

"Do you mind if I stay here for tonight? I don't know what kind of surprises dear old Loki has left for me in my apartment, but I don't really want to find out."

"That would be no problem at all...Lady...Sara."

"It's going to take awhile to break that habit, isn't it?" Sara inquired with a laugh.

"Most likely...yes," Ian said. He stopped short in the middle of the hallway, and got a look in his eyes that Sara had come to dread.

"Ian...Ian...oh, please not again..."

**************************************************************************** ************* "Kathyln?"

"No. Sara Pezzini." She replied with a deep and agitated sigh.

"Ah, yes, now I remember. I am a Ghost of Christmas past.wait.no.that wasn't my line." Ian/Christian flashed a bright and incredible handsome smile, "But that's pretty much my job description."

"I was under the impression that your job description was to make my life miserable for the next week."

"No, no. My orders are far more devious than that." Ian/Christian said, "I am to take you on a trip down memory lane, and show you what a pathetic life Ian Nottingham has had.but I don't think he wants you to pity him, so I'm thinking about not doing that. Maybe I'll just take you on a trip of some to your other life times."

"Why?" she asked simply.

"Eh.because I can?" Christian offered.

"That seems to be why most things have been going on lately."

"Shall we go, Lady Sara?" Christian inquired, offering out his hand.

"What the hell," sighed Sara, placing her hand in that of Ian/Christian's.

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I left ya' hanging again, I know. So sorry. But, next chapter...dun dun dun...we go to the movies. ::frolics around happily::.