Howdy do, folks. I apologize for any confusion in last chapter.I hadn't
slept in quite awhile. Quite awhile. Wheeeeeeewwwwwww. I was so happy to
see those reviews. It made my day. I had all this 'critical lens' crap in
English today, and was glad to see you folks are making up for my own
loathing of my writing with the positive comments. Now enough of my
babbling...lets talk about you, my very-much-appreciated reviewers ;P
Much Thanks to: Fae Rain- (I definitely meant popped. Popped. We'll be seeing more of the evil Bill Gates.); Jenileigh- (Careful there...I already dragged poor Eli into this...); Riyallan- (Jake shall be burnt, crispy toast.); Mako-chan Wolf- (::muse steals chocolate:: And sorry about the Los Angeles thing...proof-reading is futile at 3 am.); Jade- (I called them off, you can come out now); Eli- (You're in for some oddness next chapter. Muahahahahaha.); Spin- (They're being poofeded to you soon...is that a word?); Scooter- (Wha? Now I'm even more confuzzled (yes, you heard me. Confuzzled...); Thelma- (you reviewed. All is forgiven.); Julia- (That's exactly what I'm seein' in my mind too. All X-File-ish. Hehe) ~~~~~And of course, thanks to: Nanz- (LOL), Cutty, DKM, Kitsa, Sierra Windfire,.
Disclaimer: It belongs to the Big Moo and those explosive people. I do, one day, plan on taking over TnT, but until then, I can claim no right to Witchblade or its characters. Bummer, ain't it?
Feedback: ::IrishRaven can be heard screaming from her box.::
And now...onto the next new and shiny chapter.
************************************************************************
Chapter XV
Ian carried some of the dished to the kitchen, trying to cut down on the amount of work the kitchen staff would have to do. They had been terrorized enough for one week. He glanced over to Kenni, who was gladly sharing the gummi bears with Sara and Xeire, who at the moment was trying to figure out what exactly they were; and if they were indeed edible. He put the plates by the sink, getting a thankful look from one of the staff members. They weren't paid nearly enough for all the odd crap they had to put up with.
He walked to the back of the kitchen and picked up a package with holes in the side before going back into the dining room. This got a few odd looks from the staff, which he responded to with a smile.
"Hey Kenneth, I have something for you." Ian said, placing the package on a chair.
Kenni got down from his chair and walked over, curious. Sara followed, equally curious as to what Ian was up to.
"Go ahead and open it, Kenni," Ian said, barely able to keep from smiling.
Kenneth went ahead and opened the package, tearing the tape and bow away carefully. He opened the flaps of the box, and opened his eyes in amazement. A small *yip* came from within the box, and Ian reached in to pick up the German Shepard puppy. He handed it carefully to Kenni, who stared at the wriggling creature in awe.
"You...you got him for me? Ein Hund?"
"Her. Ein Hundin." Ian corrected, "And yes, I remembered you said you wanted a German Shepard."
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!! Dankedankedanke!!!" Kenni exclaimed, placing the puppy on the chair and petting it admiringly.
"You will have to help take care of her, you understand?" Ian said, "And she only knows German commands so far, so telling her to do something in English will not work out to well."
"Yes! Of course" Kenni exclaimed to everything Ian had said, watching the puppy frolic on the floor with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
Sara watched as Kenni played with the puppy and smiled. She looked to Ian, who was standing by the kitchen door with his arms folded and a smile on his face.
"Hey Kenni, can you give us a few minutes? You and the puppy go play in the other room for a few minutes."
Ian contentedly watched Kenneth walk into the other room with the puppy scampering in behind him.
"All right, Xeire," Ian said, his cheerful face falling, and the name sounding foreign on his tongue, "Why are you here, and what the fuck else does Loki want?"
Sara raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing Ian curse. It was not something that she heard often, if at all. She could tell that he was beginning to become annoyed. She also had a feeling that it was partly due to the fact her safety had been compromised by this woman, and that he hadn't been there first. She glanced down to the Witchblade, which was still glowing. She rolled up her sleeve, looking at it with glare. It was smiling again.
"I am here to inform you of some evil scheme my father believes is in play, and we must move to stop it." Xeire replied.
"And what exactly would this evil scheme be?" Sara inquired, grabbing a Raisinette from the bowl.
"I don't know!" Xeire exclaimed, then pointed to the Witchblade, "Ask him!"
"I'm as oblivious as the two of you. Loki is not someone who gives *anyone* the full story. Not even me," Xeire muttered, clenching her fists until Sara was sure she had drawn blood, "And if you insist on continuing the questioning, I may unintentionally break something. It's not good when I get overly aggravated."
Ian and Sara exchanged a glance, then looked back to Xeire.
"Not even a clue?" Sara said hopefully.
Xeire just gave her a death look, and closed her eyes. The Raisinette bowl broke, scattering Raisinettes all over the table and onto the floor.
"I have issues with my anger. I used to be quite docile about it until my father got angry at me for...well, nevermind," Xeire sighed, and took two bracelets from her pockets, then put them on her wrists.
Sara watched this with curiosity, but didn't ask, absentmindedly picking one of the strewn Raisinettes from the table and eating it. Sara had her temper under control for the time being. Everything that had been happening was just too weird to get angry at.
"I need to go make a phone call and check up on my ward. In the meanwhile, I suggest you contact one of the Gabriels." Xeire said, walking towards one of the back doors.
Sara and Ian watched her go with intrigued and startled looks.
"Nice family you got," Sara said after Xeire was out of hearing range.
"You can not choose family," Ian pointed out sullenly.
"But friends are the family you choose, Ian. Make more friends." Sara said, "I'm going to go tend to Kenneth, and I'd suggest you do a little eavesdropping in on Xeire's conversation."
"Why, Lady Sara, are you suggesting that I listen in on Xeire's private phone conversation?" Ian asked, pretending to be aghast.
"I'd never condole such action, Ian...but of course, you didn't hear it from me," Sara said with a grin, then walked into the room in which Kenni was playing.
Ian smiled as he watched her go, and disappeared into the kitchen, to find a good spot to listen in on Xeire's conversation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Somewhere in Ireland, in one of its many pubs, a phone rang. A very light brown-haired and dark brown-eyed Irish man picked up the phone, still holding the glass he was cleaning in his other hand.
"Allo?"
"Cole?"
"Hey, Xeire, Iye was beginning to wonder when Iye would hear from you."
"I'm sorry it took so long, Cole, but you know how my father is about these missions."
"No trouble, love. Iye'm just glad ta' hear your voice again."
"Are you doing alright over there?" Xeire inquired worriedly.
"Iye'd be doing better if you were here, Xeire," Cole said, leaning against the counter.
****************************
Back on the Irons estate, Xeire was pacing on the black top outside the staff entrance, occasionally checking to make sure that her call wasn't being traced or otherwise bugged.
"I'll get back as soon as I can, but I have to help the Wielder and my brother over here with quite a lot."
"Ayi...but Iye'll get lonely over here wit'out you."
Xeire smiled, imagining the pout he had on his handsome face.
"I'm sure you'll find something to occupy all that spare time. I have to go, Cole. You stay safe now, you hear?"
"I hear you loud and clear, Xeire. I will, if *you* promise to get back as soon as humanly possible."
"I'll see what I can do. In the meanwhile, I want you to stay out of trouble, and check in with me every day at noon, your time." Xeire replied, "I need to go now."
"Love you, Xeire dearie," Xeire glared at the nickname, and Cole could almost see it, "Or should I go back to calling you 'Super-(dresses-in- black,-quicker -than-shadow,-assassin)-woman'?"
"Goodbye love," Xeire said with a smile.
She hung up the phone, and looked around suspiciously. She thought she had heard something...Xeire shook her head as if to clear it of the thought, and walked back into the mansion.
Hanging out the window above where she had been standing was Ian, smiling to himself. That is, until he slipped and fell to the ground below. He lay there in the dust for a moments, wondering how the hell he had managed that one. He got up and dusted himself off before casting a rueful look up to the sky.
"I hope you don't plan on doing that if I have to catch a bullet," Ian said, only half-kidding. He walked back into the house, wondering what Loki had in for him next. And he knew that if it compromised his protecting the Wielder...he would rip Loki's throat out.
In that second, Ian realized something that had been missing most of his life. He had allowed Irons to dictate his actions, Irons was the one who told him to protect the Wielder at all costs...protect the Wielder...do what Kenneth said...protect...Sara.
But now he would do that, because *he* wanted to. He wanted to protect Sara with his life. He wasn't doing it because Irons wanted him to. He was doing so...of his own free will. He would sacrifice himself before seeing Sara dead.
**************************************************************************** *************
Gabriel sat at his computer, trying to find any clue as to what they would soon be up against. Loki had been all but forthcoming about what the Wielder would be up against. Gabriel didn't really trust this god. Sure, Loki had given him some pretty nifty powers, but Loki was know for his deception. A deity known for causing mischief, mayhem, and being an overall trickster.that's not some one who's hands you would want to put your life in. Gabriel continued his advanced web search (in other words, hacking) getting into the higher and higher security sites.
He paused in his typing, and could hear the distinct "hippity-hop" of a killer. Gabriel spun around quickly in his chair, and the rabbit disappeared in a little puff of smoke. Gabe watched this from across the room, a look of puzzlement coming across his face.
"What do you suppose happens to those rabbits when we poof them?" Gabe asked.
"I haven't really thought about it before." After a moment of thought, Gabriel and Gabe just shrugged and went back to their research.
~*~
A woman was jogging through Central Park on the foggy morning of April 2nd. We'll call this jogger "Sue" for our purposes. She reached a water fountain and took a breather. She looked around, and back to the path, and realized that she wasn't sure which way her car was in all this fog. It was uncharacteristically foggy that morning, all over New York State, except in some distinct areas just outside of the City.
She looked down the path again, and could make out the shape of something coming her way. Sue looked harder, and a rabbit hopped from the fog and continued down the path. She laughed to herself, but then was cut short as she saw something else just inside the fog. It was larger this time, and suddenly, Sue was in the middle of a bunny stampede. The fog cleared, as if just for the little white rabbits. The fog fell back upon Sue and the unsuspecting water fountain as soon as the rabbits had past, and Sue stared after them. A sole, slightly over weight rabbit hopped past a few moments later. With that, Sue made a mad dash for her car. She had considered calling the police, but what would she say?
'Officer! There's a herd of wild, fluffy rabbits on a rampage through Central Park!'
She'd be in the drunk tank before she could say "What's up doc?".
With that, Sue brushed the rabbits off her car, and drove home as quickly as she could, overtaking even the taxi drivers in speed.
~*~
"Sara.the puppy made a puddle."
"Oh.uh." Sara grimaced, "We can let Ian deal with that when he gets back."
Xeire walked into the room, her boots silent on the floor. Sara turned to look at her, and noticed the signs of stress on her face.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said simply, "Ian wants to talk to you. He'll probably be reporting on what he heard during my phone conversation."
"Ooo, stalker man must be losing his edge,"
"He was doing pretty good until he fell from the window and blew his cover."
"Ah," Sara grimaced at the thought, and walked past Xeire and into the dining area. Ian was pacing around in front of the kitchen, and Sara swore she could hear him talking to himself.
"Ian?"
"Sara, hello," Ian said, almost startled that she was there.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine, fine," Ian replied, continuing his pacing.
"Uh.did you get any internal organs on that fall.maybe hit your head a bit too hard?"
Sara walked over to where he was and put a hand out, trying to stop his pacing, seeing that it was beginning to make her sea sick.
Ian looked to her hand resting on his arm, and she could see a look of confusion and apology on his face. That was the *last* thing she saw before she was wrapped in Ian's warm embrace, her lips crushed against his. A part of Sara's mind was screaming to knee Nottingham in the groin, but the rest of her mind and boy silenced that urge as Sara wrapped her arms around Ian. Her hands slid underneath his trench coat around his waist and one hand resting on his back.
Ian pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, his tongue flicking enticingly in her mouth. She tasted amazing.it felt so familiar to his lips. They finally had to pull away, Sara gasping for breath, having been caught off guard by the kiss.
"Hello, Cathain,"
Upon hearing those words, Sara was pulled into a vision; one that was surprisingly short, sweet and to the point.
There were flashes of the Wielder Cathain and her protector, Lorcan fighting against each other in battle, kissing...making love...hiding their love from Conchobar...Lorcan jumping in front of a sword that was meant for Cathain...
Sara was brought to the here and know, feeling Ian/Lorcan's hands resting on her back.
"Uh...as sorry as I am to break this to you, Lorcan, I'm not..."
Lorcan put his hand out to silence her.
"No more talking, love,"
He claimed her mouth again, and pushed her back so that her back was against the wall of the kitchen. Luckily, none of the kitchen staff were there to witness this. Even if they had been there, they'd probably be clapping to see Ian finally getting some. Sara rested her hands on his chest, trying to make the decision whether or not to push him away.
Usually she was much more forceful and decisive when it came to this.but the little voice in her head taunted her. Sara knew she wanted this, but she also didn't want to admit to herself she wanted this...and just as she had resigned herself to return the kiss...Ian stepped away, his head bowed.
"Are you back with us now, Ian?" Sara inquired. He merely nodded in response, ashamed that he not been able to control his actions.
"I am sorry, Lady Sara...I..."
Sara put her hand up to his mouth to silence him.
"I forgive you, on one condition."
"Yes?"
"That I can do something completely random, no questions asked. I figure you at least owe me that."
"And how would that differ from your usual behavior, Sara?"
Sara punched him on the arm. "Cute, Nottingham, cute. Now go in there and help Kenni with his puppy. Apparently it made a puddle on that antique carpet in there."
Sara pulled out her cell phone as she watched Ian disappear into the side room to deal with the little puppy's mess. She dialed the Talismaniac's number, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.
"Come on, answer the phone, Gabriel."
~*~*~
Gabriel finished printing out the files on various groups looking to gain great power, and with enough assets to take that power by force. Neo Nazis, Muslim extremist groups, terrorists, IRA, humane society, Kenneth Irons.the Roman Catholic Church.
The phone rang in the center of the room, and both Gabriels looked up from their work.
"I'll get it!" they cried in unison, both dashing for the phone. Gabe got there first, but Gabriel grabbed it too, and they yanked it back and forth.
"Hey! I want to answer it!" Gabe protested.
"It's my store, *I* get to answer the phone!" said Gabriel.
"It's been my store for a year longer!" Gabe countered.
"Yeah, and you got it trashed! I get to answer the phone!"
"No, I do!"
"Nu-uh
"Uh-huh"
"Nu-uh"
"Uh-huh!"
"Well...I can smite you!"
"Well...well...I can smite you better!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
"Cannotcannotcannotcannot!"
With that, Gabe threw an energy ball at Gabriel, who blocked it and threw it back. Gabe ducked, and it flew right out the window. A second later, a car alarm could be heard in the distance.
"Ooops."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ********************************************************************** ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Cole is not Cole from Charmed. No matter how much I like that character (::fans herself::, I'm struggling to keep this solely a Witchblade fic. Though the temptation to bring some X-Files is getting harder and harder to resist. Conspiracies! Yah! And some odd and pointless line from Mulder. Maybe I will. What do you think of it?
Now, I must say, please excuse the odd seriousness of last chapter. I had to move the plot along a bit. But no fears, plenty of odd and random things to come. Speaking of odd and random...REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!!!!!! ::IrishRaven retreats to her box before X can use force to shove her back in::
Slan agat
-XRaven of the Irish; German-speaking persuasion. ;P
So, how ya' liking the story? And I'm running out of ideas (ahhhhhhhhh!!!) so if there's any random thing you want added, give me a ring. All you gots to do is press the little 'go' button.
Much Thanks to: Fae Rain- (I definitely meant popped. Popped. We'll be seeing more of the evil Bill Gates.); Jenileigh- (Careful there...I already dragged poor Eli into this...); Riyallan- (Jake shall be burnt, crispy toast.); Mako-chan Wolf- (::muse steals chocolate:: And sorry about the Los Angeles thing...proof-reading is futile at 3 am.); Jade- (I called them off, you can come out now); Eli- (You're in for some oddness next chapter. Muahahahahaha.); Spin- (They're being poofeded to you soon...is that a word?); Scooter- (Wha? Now I'm even more confuzzled (yes, you heard me. Confuzzled...); Thelma- (you reviewed. All is forgiven.); Julia- (That's exactly what I'm seein' in my mind too. All X-File-ish. Hehe) ~~~~~And of course, thanks to: Nanz- (LOL), Cutty, DKM, Kitsa, Sierra Windfire,.
Disclaimer: It belongs to the Big Moo and those explosive people. I do, one day, plan on taking over TnT, but until then, I can claim no right to Witchblade or its characters. Bummer, ain't it?
Feedback: ::IrishRaven can be heard screaming from her box.::
And now...onto the next new and shiny chapter.
************************************************************************
Chapter XV
Ian carried some of the dished to the kitchen, trying to cut down on the amount of work the kitchen staff would have to do. They had been terrorized enough for one week. He glanced over to Kenni, who was gladly sharing the gummi bears with Sara and Xeire, who at the moment was trying to figure out what exactly they were; and if they were indeed edible. He put the plates by the sink, getting a thankful look from one of the staff members. They weren't paid nearly enough for all the odd crap they had to put up with.
He walked to the back of the kitchen and picked up a package with holes in the side before going back into the dining room. This got a few odd looks from the staff, which he responded to with a smile.
"Hey Kenneth, I have something for you." Ian said, placing the package on a chair.
Kenni got down from his chair and walked over, curious. Sara followed, equally curious as to what Ian was up to.
"Go ahead and open it, Kenni," Ian said, barely able to keep from smiling.
Kenneth went ahead and opened the package, tearing the tape and bow away carefully. He opened the flaps of the box, and opened his eyes in amazement. A small *yip* came from within the box, and Ian reached in to pick up the German Shepard puppy. He handed it carefully to Kenni, who stared at the wriggling creature in awe.
"You...you got him for me? Ein Hund?"
"Her. Ein Hundin." Ian corrected, "And yes, I remembered you said you wanted a German Shepard."
"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!! Dankedankedanke!!!" Kenni exclaimed, placing the puppy on the chair and petting it admiringly.
"You will have to help take care of her, you understand?" Ian said, "And she only knows German commands so far, so telling her to do something in English will not work out to well."
"Yes! Of course" Kenni exclaimed to everything Ian had said, watching the puppy frolic on the floor with a smile that stretched from ear to ear.
Sara watched as Kenni played with the puppy and smiled. She looked to Ian, who was standing by the kitchen door with his arms folded and a smile on his face.
"Hey Kenni, can you give us a few minutes? You and the puppy go play in the other room for a few minutes."
Ian contentedly watched Kenneth walk into the other room with the puppy scampering in behind him.
"All right, Xeire," Ian said, his cheerful face falling, and the name sounding foreign on his tongue, "Why are you here, and what the fuck else does Loki want?"
Sara raised an eyebrow in surprise upon hearing Ian curse. It was not something that she heard often, if at all. She could tell that he was beginning to become annoyed. She also had a feeling that it was partly due to the fact her safety had been compromised by this woman, and that he hadn't been there first. She glanced down to the Witchblade, which was still glowing. She rolled up her sleeve, looking at it with glare. It was smiling again.
"I am here to inform you of some evil scheme my father believes is in play, and we must move to stop it." Xeire replied.
"And what exactly would this evil scheme be?" Sara inquired, grabbing a Raisinette from the bowl.
"I don't know!" Xeire exclaimed, then pointed to the Witchblade, "Ask him!"
"I'm as oblivious as the two of you. Loki is not someone who gives *anyone* the full story. Not even me," Xeire muttered, clenching her fists until Sara was sure she had drawn blood, "And if you insist on continuing the questioning, I may unintentionally break something. It's not good when I get overly aggravated."
Ian and Sara exchanged a glance, then looked back to Xeire.
"Not even a clue?" Sara said hopefully.
Xeire just gave her a death look, and closed her eyes. The Raisinette bowl broke, scattering Raisinettes all over the table and onto the floor.
"I have issues with my anger. I used to be quite docile about it until my father got angry at me for...well, nevermind," Xeire sighed, and took two bracelets from her pockets, then put them on her wrists.
Sara watched this with curiosity, but didn't ask, absentmindedly picking one of the strewn Raisinettes from the table and eating it. Sara had her temper under control for the time being. Everything that had been happening was just too weird to get angry at.
"I need to go make a phone call and check up on my ward. In the meanwhile, I suggest you contact one of the Gabriels." Xeire said, walking towards one of the back doors.
Sara and Ian watched her go with intrigued and startled looks.
"Nice family you got," Sara said after Xeire was out of hearing range.
"You can not choose family," Ian pointed out sullenly.
"But friends are the family you choose, Ian. Make more friends." Sara said, "I'm going to go tend to Kenneth, and I'd suggest you do a little eavesdropping in on Xeire's conversation."
"Why, Lady Sara, are you suggesting that I listen in on Xeire's private phone conversation?" Ian asked, pretending to be aghast.
"I'd never condole such action, Ian...but of course, you didn't hear it from me," Sara said with a grin, then walked into the room in which Kenni was playing.
Ian smiled as he watched her go, and disappeared into the kitchen, to find a good spot to listen in on Xeire's conversation.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Somewhere in Ireland, in one of its many pubs, a phone rang. A very light brown-haired and dark brown-eyed Irish man picked up the phone, still holding the glass he was cleaning in his other hand.
"Allo?"
"Cole?"
"Hey, Xeire, Iye was beginning to wonder when Iye would hear from you."
"I'm sorry it took so long, Cole, but you know how my father is about these missions."
"No trouble, love. Iye'm just glad ta' hear your voice again."
"Are you doing alright over there?" Xeire inquired worriedly.
"Iye'd be doing better if you were here, Xeire," Cole said, leaning against the counter.
****************************
Back on the Irons estate, Xeire was pacing on the black top outside the staff entrance, occasionally checking to make sure that her call wasn't being traced or otherwise bugged.
"I'll get back as soon as I can, but I have to help the Wielder and my brother over here with quite a lot."
"Ayi...but Iye'll get lonely over here wit'out you."
Xeire smiled, imagining the pout he had on his handsome face.
"I'm sure you'll find something to occupy all that spare time. I have to go, Cole. You stay safe now, you hear?"
"I hear you loud and clear, Xeire. I will, if *you* promise to get back as soon as humanly possible."
"I'll see what I can do. In the meanwhile, I want you to stay out of trouble, and check in with me every day at noon, your time." Xeire replied, "I need to go now."
"Love you, Xeire dearie," Xeire glared at the nickname, and Cole could almost see it, "Or should I go back to calling you 'Super-(dresses-in- black,-quicker -than-shadow,-assassin)-woman'?"
"Goodbye love," Xeire said with a smile.
She hung up the phone, and looked around suspiciously. She thought she had heard something...Xeire shook her head as if to clear it of the thought, and walked back into the mansion.
Hanging out the window above where she had been standing was Ian, smiling to himself. That is, until he slipped and fell to the ground below. He lay there in the dust for a moments, wondering how the hell he had managed that one. He got up and dusted himself off before casting a rueful look up to the sky.
"I hope you don't plan on doing that if I have to catch a bullet," Ian said, only half-kidding. He walked back into the house, wondering what Loki had in for him next. And he knew that if it compromised his protecting the Wielder...he would rip Loki's throat out.
In that second, Ian realized something that had been missing most of his life. He had allowed Irons to dictate his actions, Irons was the one who told him to protect the Wielder at all costs...protect the Wielder...do what Kenneth said...protect...Sara.
But now he would do that, because *he* wanted to. He wanted to protect Sara with his life. He wasn't doing it because Irons wanted him to. He was doing so...of his own free will. He would sacrifice himself before seeing Sara dead.
**************************************************************************** *************
Gabriel sat at his computer, trying to find any clue as to what they would soon be up against. Loki had been all but forthcoming about what the Wielder would be up against. Gabriel didn't really trust this god. Sure, Loki had given him some pretty nifty powers, but Loki was know for his deception. A deity known for causing mischief, mayhem, and being an overall trickster.that's not some one who's hands you would want to put your life in. Gabriel continued his advanced web search (in other words, hacking) getting into the higher and higher security sites.
He paused in his typing, and could hear the distinct "hippity-hop" of a killer. Gabriel spun around quickly in his chair, and the rabbit disappeared in a little puff of smoke. Gabe watched this from across the room, a look of puzzlement coming across his face.
"What do you suppose happens to those rabbits when we poof them?" Gabe asked.
"I haven't really thought about it before." After a moment of thought, Gabriel and Gabe just shrugged and went back to their research.
~*~
A woman was jogging through Central Park on the foggy morning of April 2nd. We'll call this jogger "Sue" for our purposes. She reached a water fountain and took a breather. She looked around, and back to the path, and realized that she wasn't sure which way her car was in all this fog. It was uncharacteristically foggy that morning, all over New York State, except in some distinct areas just outside of the City.
She looked down the path again, and could make out the shape of something coming her way. Sue looked harder, and a rabbit hopped from the fog and continued down the path. She laughed to herself, but then was cut short as she saw something else just inside the fog. It was larger this time, and suddenly, Sue was in the middle of a bunny stampede. The fog cleared, as if just for the little white rabbits. The fog fell back upon Sue and the unsuspecting water fountain as soon as the rabbits had past, and Sue stared after them. A sole, slightly over weight rabbit hopped past a few moments later. With that, Sue made a mad dash for her car. She had considered calling the police, but what would she say?
'Officer! There's a herd of wild, fluffy rabbits on a rampage through Central Park!'
She'd be in the drunk tank before she could say "What's up doc?".
With that, Sue brushed the rabbits off her car, and drove home as quickly as she could, overtaking even the taxi drivers in speed.
~*~
"Sara.the puppy made a puddle."
"Oh.uh." Sara grimaced, "We can let Ian deal with that when he gets back."
Xeire walked into the room, her boots silent on the floor. Sara turned to look at her, and noticed the signs of stress on her face.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she said simply, "Ian wants to talk to you. He'll probably be reporting on what he heard during my phone conversation."
"Ooo, stalker man must be losing his edge,"
"He was doing pretty good until he fell from the window and blew his cover."
"Ah," Sara grimaced at the thought, and walked past Xeire and into the dining area. Ian was pacing around in front of the kitchen, and Sara swore she could hear him talking to himself.
"Ian?"
"Sara, hello," Ian said, almost startled that she was there.
"Are you okay?"
"Fine, fine, fine," Ian replied, continuing his pacing.
"Uh.did you get any internal organs on that fall.maybe hit your head a bit too hard?"
Sara walked over to where he was and put a hand out, trying to stop his pacing, seeing that it was beginning to make her sea sick.
Ian looked to her hand resting on his arm, and she could see a look of confusion and apology on his face. That was the *last* thing she saw before she was wrapped in Ian's warm embrace, her lips crushed against his. A part of Sara's mind was screaming to knee Nottingham in the groin, but the rest of her mind and boy silenced that urge as Sara wrapped her arms around Ian. Her hands slid underneath his trench coat around his waist and one hand resting on his back.
Ian pulled her closer and deepened the kiss, his tongue flicking enticingly in her mouth. She tasted amazing.it felt so familiar to his lips. They finally had to pull away, Sara gasping for breath, having been caught off guard by the kiss.
"Hello, Cathain,"
Upon hearing those words, Sara was pulled into a vision; one that was surprisingly short, sweet and to the point.
There were flashes of the Wielder Cathain and her protector, Lorcan fighting against each other in battle, kissing...making love...hiding their love from Conchobar...Lorcan jumping in front of a sword that was meant for Cathain...
Sara was brought to the here and know, feeling Ian/Lorcan's hands resting on her back.
"Uh...as sorry as I am to break this to you, Lorcan, I'm not..."
Lorcan put his hand out to silence her.
"No more talking, love,"
He claimed her mouth again, and pushed her back so that her back was against the wall of the kitchen. Luckily, none of the kitchen staff were there to witness this. Even if they had been there, they'd probably be clapping to see Ian finally getting some. Sara rested her hands on his chest, trying to make the decision whether or not to push him away.
Usually she was much more forceful and decisive when it came to this.but the little voice in her head taunted her. Sara knew she wanted this, but she also didn't want to admit to herself she wanted this...and just as she had resigned herself to return the kiss...Ian stepped away, his head bowed.
"Are you back with us now, Ian?" Sara inquired. He merely nodded in response, ashamed that he not been able to control his actions.
"I am sorry, Lady Sara...I..."
Sara put her hand up to his mouth to silence him.
"I forgive you, on one condition."
"Yes?"
"That I can do something completely random, no questions asked. I figure you at least owe me that."
"And how would that differ from your usual behavior, Sara?"
Sara punched him on the arm. "Cute, Nottingham, cute. Now go in there and help Kenni with his puppy. Apparently it made a puddle on that antique carpet in there."
Sara pulled out her cell phone as she watched Ian disappear into the side room to deal with the little puppy's mess. She dialed the Talismaniac's number, waiting impatiently for him to pick up.
"Come on, answer the phone, Gabriel."
~*~*~
Gabriel finished printing out the files on various groups looking to gain great power, and with enough assets to take that power by force. Neo Nazis, Muslim extremist groups, terrorists, IRA, humane society, Kenneth Irons.the Roman Catholic Church.
The phone rang in the center of the room, and both Gabriels looked up from their work.
"I'll get it!" they cried in unison, both dashing for the phone. Gabe got there first, but Gabriel grabbed it too, and they yanked it back and forth.
"Hey! I want to answer it!" Gabe protested.
"It's my store, *I* get to answer the phone!" said Gabriel.
"It's been my store for a year longer!" Gabe countered.
"Yeah, and you got it trashed! I get to answer the phone!"
"No, I do!"
"Nu-uh
"Uh-huh"
"Nu-uh"
"Uh-huh!"
"Well...I can smite you!"
"Well...well...I can smite you better!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
"Can not!"
"Can too!"
"Cannotcannotcannotcannot!"
With that, Gabe threw an energy ball at Gabriel, who blocked it and threw it back. Gabe ducked, and it flew right out the window. A second later, a car alarm could be heard in the distance.
"Ooops."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ ********************************************************************** ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: Cole is not Cole from Charmed. No matter how much I like that character (::fans herself::, I'm struggling to keep this solely a Witchblade fic. Though the temptation to bring some X-Files is getting harder and harder to resist. Conspiracies! Yah! And some odd and pointless line from Mulder. Maybe I will. What do you think of it?
Now, I must say, please excuse the odd seriousness of last chapter. I had to move the plot along a bit. But no fears, plenty of odd and random things to come. Speaking of odd and random...REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!!!!!! ::IrishRaven retreats to her box before X can use force to shove her back in::
Slan agat
-XRaven of the Irish; German-speaking persuasion. ;P
So, how ya' liking the story? And I'm running out of ideas (ahhhhhhhhh!!!) so if there's any random thing you want added, give me a ring. All you gots to do is press the little 'go' button.
