~*~
Sara stared appalled at the canvas. She tore her eyes away from the image
of Nottingham's unconscious body sprawled on the floor, blood flowing out
of wounds inflicted by Irons. Sara turned her attention to her partner
who's calm yet sad reaction contradicted her stunned expression. As if he
already knew first hand what was going to happen. Sara's mouth began to
move wanting to say something, anything but she couldn't pass the lump in
her throat. She took a deep breath, exhaled and started to speak.
"How." Sara's voice trembled. "How could he do that to him Danny?"
"How could he." Sara's voice trailed off. She pursed her lips together to keep them from trembling, at the same time feeling the tightness of her chest. She closed her eyes only to have the images of Nottingham's beatings replay in her mind. She could sense tears forming ready to roll down her face. When she lifted her hand to bat them away there was nothing.
"Damn it, Nottingham just stood there. He stood there! Getting his ass kicked by that sadistic asshole. How could Nottingham just stand there and take that shit?!" Sara shouted as she pointed at the picture. Her anger echoed in the hall of the museum.
"Come on Pez being a cop you should know."
"Know what Danny?" Sara raised her eyebrow in question.
"Chronic abuse, Pez." Danny stated.
Sara blinked back at Danny's statement. It never accrued to her that Nottingham might actually be an abused victim. She couldn't possible imagine the kind of punishments he must have endured being with Irons. But Sara pushed back the thoughts of him being a victim. Sara recalled what she had seen of Nottingham's fighting ability. The man was a trained assassin, genetically enhanced. The man could catch bullets with his bare hands for crying out loud. How can a guy like that be a victim?
Danny could tell from the way Sara moved there was a war raging on in her mind. Contemplating over what he had said about Nottingham being abused and what she had seen as well. Convincing Sara that Nottingham was a man she could trust was going to take a lot more then just visions from the blade. And that something more my just involve someone's death. Danny hoped that his partner would get the hint before it went too far and too late.
Sara walked over to the canvas. Nottingham's prone form was still in the picture. Raising a hand towards it she let her fingertips lightly graze against the image. The instant her fingers touched the canvas it began to ripple. Distorting the image until nothing but blank darkness replaced the picture. She looked at her fingers. 'Everything I touch is destroyed' Sara thought. And if she wasn't careful she would lose the one person whom she thought was invincible, all because of her. She refused to let that happen. She turned her back against the canvas and faced her partner. Her anger rising as she narrowed her eyes. Looking past Danny's shoulder to the man who stood in front of the glass casing that held the Witchblade.
She walked past Danny and stood on the opposite end of the glass casing, staring at Nottingham in his habitual stance. She let her gaze roam over his strong frame, covered in clothes that really didn't do him any justice. Remembering what she had seen of him before being thrust into this nightmarish of a vision. There was no doubt that Nottingham, in Sara's view, was physically well endowed. She still could picture the sinewy muscles of his arms and shoulders. How the sweat soaked black material of his tank top clung to him, showing off the distinctive curves of his upper body. Shaking her head Sara still could not fathom why a man like him could stay with Irons.
'.Ian Nottingham might be Kenneth Irons' son.'
Sara recalled the surveillance information she had recovered from the disks she took after Persigian and Wolfe were shot. A cold shiver ran down her back at the thought of Irons being Nottingham's father. How could a father do that to a son though? But the information didn't seem right. There was something more going on between those two, she just couldn't pin point it.
"You know less then you think you do, Pez." Danny's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Well Danny way don't you enlighten me then, huh! You seem to have all the answers O wise one." She replied sarcastically.
'You would too if you'd just open your mind and heart' Danny thought but didn't voice his opinion.
Sara's eyes narrowed on Danny when he didn't speak. She could tell he had something to say but he managed to keep it to himself. Pushing the thought aside Sara continued.
"So what is it I don't know?"
"Nottingham is a man you can trust." His statement was short and to the point. Still Danny knew Sara too long and too well. She wasn't going to accept it.
"Trust, Danny?! Trust? How can I trust a guy like Nottingham?! He set us up Danny. He was responsible for your death. And you want me to trust him?"
"Gallo was the one who pulled the trigger and ended my life Sara. Not Nottingham."
"Nottingham didn't exactly help to prevent it either Danny. He refused to help me!"
"He couldn't help you Sara. He was forbidden to interfere."
"You sound like you're trying to defend him. What are you telling me you've forgiven him, Danny?!" Sara's eyebrows shot up in question.
At first Danny hadn't trusted Nottingham either. In time he had forgiven him for his refusal to help because now he understood. Nottingham had been forbidden to interfere and even if he had said yes there was still no way they could have prevented his death. Like the man said.Karma. Being dead had its perks too. The powers that be had given Danny insights and knowledge. And being the 'ghost', as Sara had put it, gave him the opportunity to observe Nottingham, to watch him with Irons. From the knowledge he had gained from his ethereal state he new the man was someone Sara should trust. Now if only his partner was able to forgive and accept.
"How." Sara's voice trembled. "How could he do that to him Danny?"
"How could he." Sara's voice trailed off. She pursed her lips together to keep them from trembling, at the same time feeling the tightness of her chest. She closed her eyes only to have the images of Nottingham's beatings replay in her mind. She could sense tears forming ready to roll down her face. When she lifted her hand to bat them away there was nothing.
"Damn it, Nottingham just stood there. He stood there! Getting his ass kicked by that sadistic asshole. How could Nottingham just stand there and take that shit?!" Sara shouted as she pointed at the picture. Her anger echoed in the hall of the museum.
"Come on Pez being a cop you should know."
"Know what Danny?" Sara raised her eyebrow in question.
"Chronic abuse, Pez." Danny stated.
Sara blinked back at Danny's statement. It never accrued to her that Nottingham might actually be an abused victim. She couldn't possible imagine the kind of punishments he must have endured being with Irons. But Sara pushed back the thoughts of him being a victim. Sara recalled what she had seen of Nottingham's fighting ability. The man was a trained assassin, genetically enhanced. The man could catch bullets with his bare hands for crying out loud. How can a guy like that be a victim?
Danny could tell from the way Sara moved there was a war raging on in her mind. Contemplating over what he had said about Nottingham being abused and what she had seen as well. Convincing Sara that Nottingham was a man she could trust was going to take a lot more then just visions from the blade. And that something more my just involve someone's death. Danny hoped that his partner would get the hint before it went too far and too late.
Sara walked over to the canvas. Nottingham's prone form was still in the picture. Raising a hand towards it she let her fingertips lightly graze against the image. The instant her fingers touched the canvas it began to ripple. Distorting the image until nothing but blank darkness replaced the picture. She looked at her fingers. 'Everything I touch is destroyed' Sara thought. And if she wasn't careful she would lose the one person whom she thought was invincible, all because of her. She refused to let that happen. She turned her back against the canvas and faced her partner. Her anger rising as she narrowed her eyes. Looking past Danny's shoulder to the man who stood in front of the glass casing that held the Witchblade.
She walked past Danny and stood on the opposite end of the glass casing, staring at Nottingham in his habitual stance. She let her gaze roam over his strong frame, covered in clothes that really didn't do him any justice. Remembering what she had seen of him before being thrust into this nightmarish of a vision. There was no doubt that Nottingham, in Sara's view, was physically well endowed. She still could picture the sinewy muscles of his arms and shoulders. How the sweat soaked black material of his tank top clung to him, showing off the distinctive curves of his upper body. Shaking her head Sara still could not fathom why a man like him could stay with Irons.
'.Ian Nottingham might be Kenneth Irons' son.'
Sara recalled the surveillance information she had recovered from the disks she took after Persigian and Wolfe were shot. A cold shiver ran down her back at the thought of Irons being Nottingham's father. How could a father do that to a son though? But the information didn't seem right. There was something more going on between those two, she just couldn't pin point it.
"You know less then you think you do, Pez." Danny's voice broke through her thoughts.
"Well Danny way don't you enlighten me then, huh! You seem to have all the answers O wise one." She replied sarcastically.
'You would too if you'd just open your mind and heart' Danny thought but didn't voice his opinion.
Sara's eyes narrowed on Danny when he didn't speak. She could tell he had something to say but he managed to keep it to himself. Pushing the thought aside Sara continued.
"So what is it I don't know?"
"Nottingham is a man you can trust." His statement was short and to the point. Still Danny knew Sara too long and too well. She wasn't going to accept it.
"Trust, Danny?! Trust? How can I trust a guy like Nottingham?! He set us up Danny. He was responsible for your death. And you want me to trust him?"
"Gallo was the one who pulled the trigger and ended my life Sara. Not Nottingham."
"Nottingham didn't exactly help to prevent it either Danny. He refused to help me!"
"He couldn't help you Sara. He was forbidden to interfere."
"You sound like you're trying to defend him. What are you telling me you've forgiven him, Danny?!" Sara's eyebrows shot up in question.
At first Danny hadn't trusted Nottingham either. In time he had forgiven him for his refusal to help because now he understood. Nottingham had been forbidden to interfere and even if he had said yes there was still no way they could have prevented his death. Like the man said.Karma. Being dead had its perks too. The powers that be had given Danny insights and knowledge. And being the 'ghost', as Sara had put it, gave him the opportunity to observe Nottingham, to watch him with Irons. From the knowledge he had gained from his ethereal state he new the man was someone Sara should trust. Now if only his partner was able to forgive and accept.