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Date Posted: 01:20:58 08/04/02 Sun
Author: Rudy
Subject: Adversaries 4
In reply to: Rudy 's message, "Adversaries" on 10:24:31 07/28/02 Sun

They were laughing as they bounded through the door of her hotel room. Gabriel grabbed Sara around her waist and twirled her around in time to the music playing in his head. He tripped over her feet and they went crashing down together on the plush carpet.

“Gabriel, get off of me,” Sara laughed and then grew serious as he gazed into her emerald eyes.

His stomach felt as if there were a million butterflies inside. The close proximity of their lips caused him to hesitate for an instant. “Sorry,” he said as he swung his body backwards trying to untangle their legs.

He leaned back against the side of the bed and reached out for her hand. She threaded her fingers through his and let out a sigh. He turned his face wistfully towards hers and smiled softly. His head was spinning from the effects of the wine.

“Gabriel, I…” she began.

He shook his head. “Don’t, Sara. I know you’ve been going through a lot these past few weeks. And I’m not going to pretend I understand it all. I know you had conflicting feelings where Nottingham was concerned. I care for you very much, but I don’t want you to do anything that you’re going to regret in the morning. You’re in a vulnerable state right now. I’m not here to take advantage of that,” he said.

“I know you’re not. I’m just a little confused right now. I mean, yeah, I guess there have been times when I’ve thought about you in a different light. I mean, you are kinda cute,” she winked.

He smiled sheepishly and looked down.

“But I can’t seem to get Ian out of my head. When he was alive he drove me crazy. And now that he’s dead he’s still driving me crazy. I close my eyes and see his face. What the hell is up with that? It’s like he’s under my skin and I can’t scratch enough,” she said.

“Sara, it’s perfectly understandable. Because of his and Irons’ connection to the Witchblade it’s no wonder that you’re being affected this way,” he said. “But just remember, he’s dead. He can’t hurt you, physically or emotionally. It will take some time, but life will eventually get back to normal. Whatever normal is,” he added.

She leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his smooth cheek. “You always know just the right thing to say, Gabriel.”

“Yeah, well, it’s a gift,” he grinned.

“Would you mind staying here with me tonight?” she asked. “I really don’t want to be alone.”

Gabriel’s eyes lit up. “Sure, whatever you want.”

They laid together on the king size bed, back-to-back. Sometime during the night she turned over in her sleep and slipped her arm over his chest. His sleepless eyes twinkled as the moonlight streamed through the opened blinds. Maybe someday we’ll have our chance, he thought as he closed his eyes and drifted off into a dreamy sleep.

The hum of the jet engine was just loud enough to hamper his sleep. He leaned back in the chair and stretched his long legs out. The events of the past two days had been emotionally draining. His orders from Irons had been very clear. Sara’s mind was in a fragile state and demanded his forceful push into oblivion. After all, she deserved it. Her insolence towards Irons had to be punished. Not to mention the fact she was responsible for his predecessor’s demise. His appeared calmness did not reflect the fury that was bubbling up inside of him. The weakness that his forebear displayed left a foul taste in his mouth. I am not defective as he was, Ian thought. I know my place. I know my destiny. I will make her pay for her contemptuous disregard. She is my enemy and will be treated as such. He closed his eyes in another attempt of sleep. He needed all the strength he could manage for his mission ahead.

Sara looked down at the sleeping figure in her bed. His tousled dark hair framed his angelic face. She smiled in reflection of the night before. He so wanted me, she thought. But what do I want?

Gabriel yelped as he stretched and opened his eyes.

“Morning, sleepyhead,” she said.

“Hey. What time is it?” he asked.

“Oh, it’s about time for a pot of coffee. You want something from room service?” she asked throwing off the sheets and rising.

She stood there in a tank and boxers. Her many hours in the gym were apparent. Damn, he thought.

“Um, coffee’s good. I’m not really the breakfast type,” he said as he rolled off the bed, his feet hitting the floor.

He stood up and walked towards her. He was shirtless but still wearing his khakis from the night before. He just could not bring himself to remove them before lying down. I’m only human, he thought.

Sara tried to discreetly observe him. A little thin but still very nice, she thought. Her eyes traveled down his body. He blushed under her scrutiny.

“Ok, why don’t we head down to the dining room instead of calling room service? I’ll take a quick shower and get dressed,” she said.

“Yeah, let me head back to my room and I’ll change and join you in about an hour,” he said.

She nodded her head. Great, it’s a date, she thought.

“See ya,” he said as he closed the door.

She stood under the hot spray letting the tension escape from her muscles. She shampooed and soaped up all the while thinking of Gabriel. Stepping out of the shower she grabbed a luxuriously thick towel and dried off. She dressed in a pair of cutoffs and cropped t-shirt. She strapped on her sandals and admired her form in the full length mirror. Not too bad, she thought. She grabbed her one essential accessory from the dresser and placed it on her wrist. Suddenly, she jumped back and fell on the bed as the Witchblade drew her into a vision. She saw Ian. Only it did not feel like Ian. His wicked smile brought a panic to her throat, and then the vision was gone. Jesus Christ! she thought. She stood up shaking. Ok, now I really need some coffee.

He saw them huddled together at the table laughing and talking. The young man reached out and wiped a crumb from the side of her lips. He scanned his shattered memory for any recollection of the man. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but the significance escaped him. Could this be a lover? He studied their faces. Yes, that was a definite possibility. This could prove to be a problem.

“Excuse me, sir, would you like a table?” the young waitress asked.

He flashed her a venomous look and she backed away with fright in her face.

Ian once again turned his attention to the pair at the table. They obviously knew each other very well. He gazed intently upon Sara’s visage. She was as truly beautiful as his predecessor’s memory indicated. He was physically looking at her for the very first time and yet it seemed as though he had done this a thousand times before. All of a sudden he saw her look down at her wrist with wide eyes, and as she began to look up to scan the room he quickly darted out of the dining area.

“What’s wrong, Sara?” Gabriel asked.

She nervously looked over her shoulder. “I don’t know. It’s nothing,” she said unconvincingly.

“Well, what are we going to do today? I guess since it’s December and we’re not in New York, we should hit the beach and play with the dolphins,” he said.

“Or the sharks,” she muttered under her breath.

“What?”

“Sorry, I seem to be in kind of a mood this morning,” she apologized.

“Yeah, that’s really weird because just a few minutes ago you seemed like you were having a good time,” he said.

“I don’t know. I’m nuts. Yeah, let’s hit the beach today,” she said trying to bury her uneasiness.

Her cell phone rang.

“Aw, whadya bring that thing for?” Gabriel groaned.

She shrugged her shoulders and answered it.

“Hello.”

“Hey, Pez! How’s your vacation going?” Jake asked.

“Well, it was going pretty good until now. This better be good, Jake,” she warned.

“I’m really sorry to bother you. Danny didn’t think I should call but I thought you would want to know. We have something on the Nottingham murder case,” he said.

“Pez? Sara? Hello?”

“Yeah, sorry, Jake. What is it?” she asked as her throat tightened.

“Well, there was a discrepancy with the coroner’s report. They had to exhume his body to perform another autopsy. And…” he hesitated.

“And what?”

“Somebody had already dug up his grave. Sara, his head was cut off,” he said.

She froze. Her palms began to sweat. She tried to talk but nothing would come out.

“Sara? Talk to me,” Jake said.

He sat there in silence for a few moments before she regained her voice.

“Ok, so what does this mean? Do you have any leads on who would do this?” she asked.

“No. We’re working on it,” he said.

“So why the hell are you calling me, Jake?” she said raising her voice.

“Because this is one of our cases and I thought because of your connection to Nottingham and this being so strange…”

“Everything about Nottingham was strange,” she interrupted.

“Look, Sara. I thought I was doing the right thing in keeping you informed. I’m sorry if I upset you,” he said.

She softened her voice. “No, I’m sorry. I’m just a little jumpy lately. I’m glad you called. If you find anything else out give me a call,” she said.

“Ok. Try not to think about it and have fun down there. We’ll all be jealous of your tan when you come back,” he added.

“Yeah, my tan, a darker shade of white,” she laughed. “I’ll talk to you later. Thanks, Jake.”

“Sure.”

She hung up the phone and looked over at Gabriel. He looked at her quizzically raising an eyebrow.

“What the hell was that about?” he asked.

“You don’t want to know. Hell, I don’t want to know,” she said. “Come on, we’ve got a date with the beach! Let’s go get our stuff.”

She jumped up and grabbed his arm as they left the hotel restaurant. Gabriel reached out to push the button for the elevator. They crammed their way in.

Ian walked over to the reception desk. His tall frame, all dressed in black, intimidated the clerk. I will need to do some shopping, he thought.

“May I help you?” she asked.

“Yes, I need a room. My old college friend is staying here and I wanted to get one close to hers. Her name is Sara Pezzini,” he said.

“I’m sorry, sir. We can’t give out room numbers of our guests,” she said.

He leaned towards her flashing his brilliant smile. “Oh, you don’t have to give me her room number,” he said seductively. “How about just give me a room that is located on her floor?” he implored her with his persuasive eyes.

“Well, I don’t know…” she hesitated. “I guess I can check and see if there are any available rooms on that floor,” she said tingling all over. “Yes, it looks like there is an empty room on that floor.”

“What floor would that be?” he asked.

“Number eleven.”

His lips turned upwards into a slight grin. “Of course, number eleven.”

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