Authors Note: Please excuse all spelling, grammar and formatting errors, I'm hoping by chapter 10 I'll have remembered when to double space, and when to hit enter ;p
Disclaimer: The witchblade etc.. belongs to TopCow etc…
Chapter 1: To all things….
Black…all around her, complete darkness. There were horns, in the distance, she could just barely make them out. She shivered violently, not quite able to understand where she was and what she was doing, but she could make out the horns and they seemed to be getting louder. She knew she was wet. From the rain she supposed…and something else. Tears. She had definitely been crying…a river of tears, though she could no longer remember why. There was something else… her eyes…they were closed. Perhaps if she could just open them, she might understand what was happening to her… if she could just will them to… open.
She heard it first, the reality of where she was. The delicate sound of metal scraping against metal, the screech of tires against pavement, the sickening thud of a vehicle slamming into another and another and another. What she saw was headlights, quickly approaching the section of roadway she had seemingly wandered into. And then once again, black.
He awoke suddenly, immediately sitting upright. Something was wrong, he could sense it. As if to confirm his fear, the phone on his nightstand rang.
"Ian…she is in danger…quickly". Irons hung up the phone needing not wait for a reply. Ian's response when it came to the wielder was pretty much predictable. 'Shortly…' Irons thought, lifting back the bed sheet that covered him 'he would have the answer to the source of Sara's danger and the reason for the black and blue marks developing across his side.'
"Is anything broken? Is she alright? Can I see her? A barrage of questions came flustering out of Jake McCarty to the female Doctor attending to Sara.
"Please Detective, I'm going to need you to calm down". Jake ran his hand through his hair, and bit off the curse he wanted to respond with.
"She's going to be fine…physically." The doctor looked through the door at Sara lying in her bed, eyes closed. "She's got some cuts and bruises but it's nothing too serious."
Jake sighed with relief, also turning to watch the resting detective through the glass. "Wait a minute, what do you mean physically?"
The doctor sighed and turned away from the door. "I think we can agree that it's not normal to wander into a busy intersection at 2:30 in the morning…half undressed…in the rain…asleep".
"She's just stressed" Jake muttered. "She's a homicide detective in one of the murder capitals of the world….go figure."
Sympathizing with the detective's defensiveness, the doctor placed her hand on his shoulder. "I understand Detective, but you need to realize that at best, your partner may have a sleeping disorder, a very serious and dangerous one."
"And at worst?" he asked, still gazing into the hospital room.
The doctor paused before answering. "Give her some time, she's a little groggy from the meds and will probably sleep for the next few hours. The Doctor patted Jake's arm again, and then turned away to attend to other patients. Jake checked his watch it was 4:15 the Doc was right, he should let her sleep, he'd grab a coffee, check the status of the others and come back in couple of hours, she'd want to know by then…about the others.
She didn't hear him enter the room, but at once felt his presence. "Sara?" he whispered tentatively, her eyes were closed but he was not sure she was asleep, though her breathing was rhythmic and the room quite silent. She was in fact awake and responded without opening her eyes.
"Go away…Nottingham". He felt his breath sharply intake at the pain in her voice and surprised himself as his too faltered as he spoke.
"You are in pain, my lady…what has happened?"
Also surprised at the tone in Ian's voice Sara's eyes fluttered open, searching his face for proof that his concern was false. Finding none she closed them again and answered. "I…I don't know". "I was getting ready for bed…brushing my teeth I think…after that, it's all a jumble. I think I went to bed."
"You did my lady."
Sara paused at the certainty in his voice. So he'd been watching her again, surprise surprise. 'Old habits die hard I guess'. "And then what?" she asked him, curious to know how long he'd stayed on her fire escape.
"Unfortunately Sara, I left your sill shortly after you had fallen asleep". She sighed and then grimaced at the pain it caused her to do so, watching with fascination as her frown was reflected on Nottingham's face.
"I do not enjoy seeing you in pain Lady Sara."
"Really? she breathed. "Then how about you quit calling me Lady Sara." She grimaced again as she reached for a glass of water.
"As you wish….Sara" Ian replied, and after a short pause urged her to go on.
Sara put down the glass of water, briefly flashing on the car's headlights as it careened towards her. She closed her eyes again, and shook her head. " I don't know how it happened… how I ended up in the middle of the street…causing that accident. She began to cry, and it broke Ian's heart. Not just because it brought him physical pain to see Sara sad, but because he felt ill-equipped to comfort her. He had not a mother to show him how, nor a father that believed it necessary. His phone rang suddenly and he turned away from her to answer it.
"How is she?" Iron's asked impatiently.
"She has sustained minor injuries, various cuts and contusions and a couple of bruised ribs but I believe she will be fine" Ian answered. Irons sighed with relief and then grunted softly at the pain it caused him to do so.
"And to what do we owe this early morning awakening?" Ian turned back to Sara whose meds had started to kick in, she murmured softly, her eyes closed.
"That sir, is still unclear".
Irons restlessly tapped his long fingers on the table in front of him. "Very well then Ian, keep me posted".
Nottingham hung up the phone and turned back to Sara who was almost asleep. He would not be able to get anymore information from her tonight.
"I knew it… Ian…" she muttered suddenly. He felt his breath catch in his throat at the sound of his first name on her lips. "You only..." she continued, "You only came for him".