A Day In the Life - Chapters 1-3 -- Witchblade Karma

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Date Posted: 12:59:39 06/03/02 Mon
Author: moondreamer
Subject: A Day In the Life - Chapters 1-3
In reply to: moondreamer 's message, "A Day in the Life - for the archive" on 12:56:33 06/03/02 Mon

A Day in the Life

Author: moondreamer (moon_dreamer66@yahoo.com)
Rating: PG-13 (language)
Spoilers: really none � AU/relating to Season 1
Pairing: Ian/Sara
Summary: I don�t really have one yet. This is all still kind of floating around in my head and wouldn�t leave me alone until I put it on paper.

Disclaimer: The Witchblade, the movie, the series, the comics and all the characters all belong to Top Cow Productions, Warner Bros., TNT & whoever else has their hand in the cookie jar. Obviously, not me. These are only my fantasies based on their characters that I hope others will enjoy. (But when all the more talented and experienced authors get done with Ian�send him my way�please?)

Chapter One

Sara sat in the chair in her loft and looked around with a puzzled expression. All evening she had felt at loose ends without really knowing why. After a fairly routine day at work she had managed to fend off Jake and come home for some much needed rest and relaxation. Except, it wasn�t working out like she wanted. She had gotten home early, ate a little snack, worked out, showered, even did her hair for God�s sake. And here she sat, in undies and a t-shirt. Alone.

There was no Danny popping in, no Jake bugging her, no Dante crisis to overwhelm her. Even Irons had been occupied with something relating to his mega-empire. With a heavy sigh Sara took a pad of paper and pencil in hand. She started to aimlessly sketch. She let her thoughts wander a bit. Was this something else to do with the Witchblade? She looked down at the Witchblade on her wrist. Nope, amazingly still and silent. She just couldn�t shake this niggling little feeling in the middle of her back. She shook her head in disgust, still trying to pinpoint just what the problem was.

Sara went over several items in her mind, checking them off as she went. Nothing was really outstanding today. It hadn�t been the best day at work, but hadn�t been the worst. Even Jake�s spiky hair hadn�t bothered her today. It had actually been kind of nice to just�coast for a change. But now she was home and she had several items she should be doing. All the things she had planned to do. Laundry for one, with a grimace she went back to her mental list. Polishing shoes? Dishes? She looked around her loft and sighed again. When was the last time she had picked up her place? Jeez, it was a mess. Newspapers were piled up, carry-out containers were practically falling out of the trash, clothes were everywhere. Much less the horrors that awaited if she contemplated cleaning the bathroom. Sweeping up little hair bunnies didn�t seem to grab her attention. What was her problem???

She glanced down at the sketch she had started and dropped the pencil in surprise. Wow! It was Nottingham�Ian. She picked the piece of paper back up and looked at it closely. It was quite detailed. Sara wondered when she had looked at him closely enough to capture all those details. She held it out in front of her and grinned. Actually, it was a pretty good sketch if she did say so. She had managed to sketch his face in just a few lines, but it was definitely him at ease, a faint smile twisting his sensuous lips, his hair just a suggestion of shading, but with a few tendrils escaping from his topknot. And those eyes�.had she put the twinkle and warmth in those eyes with her pencil or was it always there?

�Your problem, Sara, is that you are bored.� Standing up, Sara continued the conversation with herself. �That�s why you are sitting around drawing pictures of the guy who spends his time stalking you.� She walked over to her fridge and gave a laugh as she pinned the sketch to the front with a magnet that was already there. �There you go Ian. Be sure you keep your eye on me.� She wagged a stern finger at the picture and walked back to the couch. She flopped down with yet another heavy sigh and looked up at the ceiling. �I�m bored.� Sara repeated. �Bored, Bored, Bored.� Staring at the ceiling didn�t help � she couldn�t help but notice that it needed a coat of paint.

Rolling over in disgust Sara looked out onto her fire escape. Now that she thought of it, she hadn�t seen Ian in a couple of days. �Where does a stalker go when he�s not busy stalking?� She mused. Wasn�t his job to protect her? Who knew what kind of horrible things she could have gotten into while he had been elsewhere? Where was he? Bolting up from the couch she walked over to her window and looked out. Restlessly she fiddled with the latch. Was he out there looking in on someone else? Somehow she didn�t want to think that. Ian was her stalker. �Whoa, bad sign Pez,� she muttered to herself. �Don�t be getting all possessive on stalker man.�

Seeking relief in action Sara opened the window and climbed out onto her fire escape. It was approaching dusk. The lights of the city were starting to glow. Sara raised her head and let the light breeze blow through her hair. Sitting down she looked out over the city. She could see the many headlights of cars as busy people went about their lives, but the noise was softer, muted. The setting sun lent a dusky hue to the normally dull gray buildings. Looking up she could see clouds overhead touched in shades of pink and purple. �Lets see� what was that saying? Red sky at night�� her voice trailed off into the quiet.

Sitting here, above the world Sara felt the first bit of peace she had felt in days creep into her soul. It was just so calm, so still. Is this what Ian felt as he sat out here and watched her? She looked in towards her loft. Hmmm� she was going to have be more careful. You definitely got a wide-open view of the interior from here. �Note to self�.buy new underwear.� If he was going to see her in her undies she better make sure they were good ones. Whenever she got around to laundry she would have to throw out a few pairs. She closed her eyes and leaned back. If she wanted to she could almost imagine he was here beside her. But, did she want to? Sara�s eyes opened swiftly. What was going on with her? In the last several hours, instead of doing all the things she had planned she had just been thinking of Ian. Drawing Ian. Wondering what it felt like to be Ian. Wondering what it felt like to be Ian watching her walk around in her undies.

�Face it Sara, you miss him.� Danny spoke up from his seat beside her.

�Danny!� Sara exclaimed. �Jeez, you scared me!�

Her ex-partner just looked at her with smile. �Duh, Isn�t that what I�m supposed to do? You are right about one thing though. �

Sara looked up, �Right about what?�

�You definitely need to buy new undies. Let�s face it Sara, if I�ve seen that pair 17 times since I�ve been dead just imagine how many times Ian has seen them.� Unable to keep his face as solemn as his tone he broke into a wide smile and cackled with laughter at the look on her face as she reacted to his words.

Sara reached out to slam her fist into his shoulder only to stop in dismay. �This is so unfair. I definitely need to beat your ass for that comment � and I can�t.�

�Well, I can�t drink coffee so we are square.� Danny cracked back. �So, wanna tell me what you are doing hanging out on the fire escape looking for tall, dark and elusive?�

�I�m not looking for �him. I was just bored and thought I�d come see what the attraction is out here.� Sara informed him regally.

�Sure dude.� Danny replied in his best Jake imitation. �That�s why there is a picture of him on your fridge.�

�God, is nothing safe from you?� Sara erupted. �I was..just doodling. Because I was bored�and I�ve already worked out today�and I didn�t want to deal with Jake...and I put in on the fridge because he�s been nowhere around me�and I miss him. You are right.� Sara let her head hang. �Danny, how did this happen? You are gone, I�m bored and I miss my stalker.� Looking up at Danny she asked �Well, no Asian words of wisdom for me? No flip commentary?� He looked at her in compassionate silence. �Surely there is something you have to say on this?�

�Pez, �Danny sighed. �You just always have to do things the hard way.�

�What?� Sara replied. �What do you mean? I�ve been minding my own business, doing the job, dealing with this Witchblade and he�s the one who�s been allover me and then disappears. I mean, something could have happened to him and I would never know. Who knows what Irons has him doing?� Sara clapped her hand over her face. �Oh crap. Did I just say that?�

Danny just nodded at her. He knew better than to answer that question. �Well, if you are really worried you could always call Irons. He�d just luv a chance to breath down your neck.

�I can�t call Irons and ask him if he�s reassigned my stalker!� Sara exclaimed in a horrified tone. Somehow she knew that if she let Irons know she had any feelings towards Ian it would be a big mistake.

�Why not? Maybe he�s away on business for Irons.� Danny shrugged. �But, remember what I said, you have to do it the hard way. Well, then all I can suggest is that you keep hanging out on your fire escape in your underwear and sooner or later someone will be sure to show up.� With a final laugh at her expense Danny drifted off to wherever he hung out when he wasn�t hanging around her.

Great. Just great. Sara fumed silently. Danny was right again. She missed Ian. These feelings of unease and restlessness that had been plaguing her hadn�t occurred until Ian had stopped hanging around. How could she have gotten used to him in such a short period of time? When did he become such an important part of her life? She had worked with Jake longer than she had known Ian and she certainly didn�t spend her time doodling pictures of him. Giving up on any hope of recapturing her fleeting moments of peace Sara stood up and climbed back into her loft. She paused at the window and looked around the rooftops one final time. Even now, searching for a glimpse of black among the shadows while the Witchblade swirled silently on her wrist.

Chapter 2.

The next morning came way too early for Sara�s tastes. She huddled under her covers. Trying to ignore the alarm one more time. �Damn, Damn, Damn.� She threw the covers back and flounced out of bed. She had not been able to sleep the majority of the night � the conversation she had with Danny just kept replaying in her head. Dammit! If she came out and asked Irons where Ian was it would cause problems. She just knew it. She wasn�t sure how or in what way � but the feeling remained. Somehow she was certain that Ian didn�t tell Irons the whole truth on all of their interactions. A thought that left her even more confused. Was he not totally Irons� creature? Or was he something more? She had tossed and turned over that thought all night and now she had to go face Dante, and see how high Jake�s hair was spiked today. Thank god for coffee makers with auto timers! A cup of coffee in her hand she went and stood under the shower, holding the cup out of the immediate spray. A few sips later she admitted to herself that Jake wasn�t so bad. He just�wasn�t Danny. Now, if only she could do something to get these thoughts of Ian out of her head!

Sara pulled on some clothes, looking around again at the mess. Maybe tonight she would get started on pulling things together here. Maybe taking control of a few minor details in her life would spill over into other areas. Strapping her extra piece on her ankle she grabbed her jacket and helmet and headed out the door. She could give Gabriel a call. The kid was pretty good at what he did. Maybe he could dig up some info on Ian�s whereabouts � or maybe Danny was right and he was away on business for Irons. Maybe she was just thinking about too many maybes. Yet, she had to think something was going on. The wickedly attractive man had been practically attached to her hip for months now. The alternative was that he just didn�t care and was only doing Irons� biding, and she couldn�t believe that. She knew their relationship was more than just about the Witchblade.

The ride to work cleared her mind and Sara was focused and ready when she arrived at the station. Only to have her focus disappear when she found a note from Captain Dante waiting for her. �Jake.� Sara bellowed, looking around for her rookie. He came shambling around the corner with a self- satisfied smile on his face. He gave her the usual once over � up and down with his eyes and then finally settled his glance on her face.

�Yo Pez, whazzup?� He smirked. �I just got a date with the new��

�Whazzup is that Dante wants to see us. Now.� Grabbing him by arm and giving him a quick jerk she dragged him along with her to Dante�s office without giving him a chance to finish his sentence.

Two hours later she found herself sitting in the car with Jake outside the Irons estate. After the requisite 30 minutes of yelling from Dante she and Jake were told that Dante needed them to head out to see Kenneth Irons � he had an �internal problem� he needed taken care of. When she attempted to remind Dante that they were �Homicide� Investigators she once again received his �can you read the nameplate on my desk� speech. Boy, was that one getting old. So here she sat, wondering what the deal was. Jake sat sulkily beside her. He had wanted to brag about his new conquest and Pez was like usual, totally preoccupied. Some days his partner was absolutely no fun.

�Are we going in or what, Pez?� Jake finally asked.

�Yeah, yeah, Jake.� Sara replied distractedly. She was deciding whether or not she was going to ask about Ian. What could she say? Missed my shadow? Gee, no one broke into my place today - where is he? Deciding to play it by ear she opened the door and stepped out of the car and headed towards the entrance doors. She hit the doorbell and waited impatiently. As used to walking in as she was, she didn�t want to show Jake anything she didn�t have to about the Witchblade or her relationship with Irons.

A servant she had not seen before opened the door. Sara couldn�t help the feelings of disappointment that overwhelmed her. Somehow, no matter how irrational, she had hoped to see Ian. �Yes, we are Detectives Pezzini and McCartey � here at Mr. Iron�s request.� Jake followed her in. His head swiveled around to stare at the walls and other furnishings. The last couple of times he had been here he really hadn�t checked out the spread.

�Wow, Pez.� Jake murmured. �What must it be like to be king of the world?�

Sara wasn�t real impressed. Not only had she been through these hallways many times before, she couldn�t help but look for glimpses of her favorite man in black � not art. They were ushered into Irons� study. What Sara mentally called his �throne room�. As usual, the fire was built up and burning hotly. For some reason Sara always pictured this as a hearth in a medieval kitchen, She kept expecting to see buxom women in kerchiefs taking paddles of bread out of it, or a nice goat turning on a spit. Maybe Kenneth Irons turning on a spit? She watched as Jake milled around aimlessly � looking into all the corners while she paced in front of the fire pit. He reached down and picked up a small statuette of a naked woman (go figure, Sara thought) from one of the side tables.

�Careful, Detective McCartey.� Kenneth Irons mellifluous tones startled Jake as he entered the room. �That statuette is 3,000 years old. She�s a little out of your price range, I would believe.�

Jake gingerly set the small figurine down. Sara opened her mouth to greet Irons when Jake opened his. �So, Mr. Irons, where�s your shadow man?� Sara closed her mouth with a snap. She was going to have to be nicer to Jake in the future.

�Ah, yes, you and Ian have a �difficult relationship don�t you Detective?� Sara hid a smile at Iron�s understatement. She wasn�t quite sure what was totally behind Jake and Ian�s conflicts; maybe just an excess of testosterone. But Ian definitely was the superior alpha male over Jake, no matter how hard Jake tried.

�Ian is occupied with other matters at the moment. Which, is why I asked Captain Dante for your assistance.� Irons continued on with his explanation but Sara had stopped listening. She could not believe how Irons had managed not to answer the question! Iron�s non-answer left her just as frustrated as before.

�Don�t you agree Detective Pezzini?� Iron�s voice was smoothly formal as he addressed Sara. Apparently he was also going to be discreet in front of Jake in regards to their relationship. Sara realized she had totally missed the gist of Irons� request.

�But of course, Mr. Irons.� Sara replied slowly. Oh God! What in heck had she agreed to now?

�Excellent Detectives. I�ll expect to see results shortly. Michael will show you out.� With a stately inclination of his head Irons took his leave.

�Hey Sara, that wasn�t so bad was it?� Jake nudged Sara with his elbow as he enthused. �Here I thought we were getting some crap assignment and all Irons wants to do is have run a few background checks on some possible new employees.�

�Uh� Jake,� Sara rolled her eyes as she spoke up. �This is a crap assignment. Irons and Dante could get any of the beat cops who want to make overtime to do that.� Or have Ian do it as he undoubtedly had many times before. At least this would give her a reason to come back out here and look for Ian without really having to make nice with Irons. With a moue of disgust Sara realized that she was acting like a 13 year old with a crush. Trying to figure out how to position herself in the closet proximity to the object of her desire. But, she justified to herself, it wasn�t a crush exactly, she missed Ian and she was worried about him. That�s what friends were for.

They headed back out to their vehicle and had the usual toss-up for the keys. �Can it rookie.� Sara finally snapped at him. �I�m driving.� With a squeal of the tires Sara peeled away and started back to the station, taking her frustrations out on the road ahead of her.

�What�s eating you Pez?� Jake grumbled. �You�ve been a real pain for the last couple of days.� He slumped further down into his seat beside her. �A guy can only wonder, you know, if it�s that time, you know, working with a woman.�

Sara�s hand connected sharply with the back of Jake�s head. �Don�t even start that sexist crap with me rookie!�

�Ow, Sara!� Jake put his hand over his head. �You know, I really take a lot of abuse from you. The least you could do is give me a little filler.�

Sara sighed. �I�m just worried about a friend of mine Jake. I�ve not heard from him in a couple of days. It�s got me a little upset.� Maybe Jake was right. It wasn�t fair to take it out on him. But, sometimes the stuff that came out of his mouth just drover her nuts!

�Oh sure, Pez, like a dude?� Jake looked at her with his wounded �some other guy than me expression� �What�s his name? You never really talk about your life outside of work.�

�Look, Jake, when we get back go ahead and get started on those names Irons gave you. You don�t really need me for that. I�ve got a few errands to run and then I�m going to take some personal time this afternoon.� Sara looked over at Jake and cocked one eyebrow as she both waited on his reply and ignored his question.

Jake started to speak and then looked at the eyebrow. �Fine, Sara.� He sighed. Some things it seemed would never change.

Chapter 3

Sara stood in the doorway of her loft and looked around with a sigh. This was it. Time to dig in and get dirty. She couldn�t avoid it any longer. She was going to have to clean. She would take charge of this apartment. Take charge of her thoughts and hopefully, get back some control in her life. Unbidden, Ian�s smooth, deep and sinfully rich voice came to mind ��forget it�you never had any to begin with.� �Can I do nothing anymore without thinking about that man?� Sara wondered. She looked to the fridge and saw her sketch hanging there. Then before she could catch herself she looked out towards the fire escape. �Focus, Sara, focus.� She told herself firmly.

Tossing her jacket on the back of the couch she plotted her strategy. Where to start? The bathroom? The kitchen? The trash? The piles of clothes that were scattered everywhere? She never knew how this happened. She would clean, have all these great intentions not to let it pile up like this again and then one day she would look up and boom! It would all have just mushroomed around her.

�It�s called real life.� She muttered. She stripped down and climbed into some working clothes. A man�s white shirt with the sleeves rolled up she had found at the Laundromat one night and comfy pair of boxers. �Dressed and ready for action.� Pulling her hair back and up she walked over to her sound system and put on some hard rocking tunes. Reaching down she picked up a quarter from the floor. �Heads wins.� With a toss she found herself destined to start cleaning the bathroom.

An hour later Sara staggered out of the bathroom with yet another pile of dirty towels. �Woah, fumes. What are they putting in those cleaning products nowadays?� Dropping the towels she turned and surveyed the clean bathroom with pride. �Not an smidge of soap scum left.�

�Yeah, that will last about two days.� Danny muttered. He sat comfortably on her couch and looked up at her with yet another grin.

�You know, smart-ass, I could use a little help here.� Sara put her hands on her hips and stared at her erstwhile guardian angel. �Surely you could work some type of magic and gather up all these clothes for me?�

�Sorry, Pez. Nothing tangible.� Danny�s grin widened. But I can tell you where you missed a spot on the bathroom mirror.�

�I did not miss a single spot on the mirror!� Sara stared harder. �What�s up with you? And get off my coat!�

�I just came by to see this miracle in progress. You know you only do this when you have a lot to think about.� Danny folded his arms across his chest as he smiled at her smugly.

�Do what?� Sara replied. �And don�t give me that �I know you so well look� either.�

�Take time off work, jam up the tunes and scour everything in sight like there is no tomorrow. Next thing I know you�ll be pounding Dr. Pepper. (Author�s note: just a token bit of wormie worship) You still buggin on your missing shadow man?� Danny gave her one of Ian�s trademark head down, eyes up glances.

�Well, yeah.� Sara replied, her hard stare turning into a glare.

�And�� Danny prompted.

�And, I agree, you are right, I definitely miss him. I admit it. I�m worried about him. I hope he�s ok. Now will you get off my back?� Sara turned back to the bathroom.

�We�ve already covered that part, Pez!� Danny shook his head. �Let�s see some progression.�

�How did I ever work with you for so long? You are a nag. Worse than that� you are an old lady nag.� Sara turned back around and sat on the couch beside Danny. �What is it you want from me.�

Danny tipped his head back and looked blandly at Sara. �I�d say a little honesty, but I think you need to clean more first.� His voice changing to his �wise Asian master� voice he continued. �The answers that you seek are closer than you believe. Catch ya on the flip.�

Sara looked over at her now empty couch. What was the deal with all the guys in her life being unable to speak in coherent sentences?

Clean more first, huh? Well, ok, maybe it was time to start the laundry piles. With a groan, Sara stood up and went over to the weight bench. Bending over she gingerly picked up the black bra that dangled from the end of the weight bar. �I wondered where this one went.� The only way she had ever found to do this efficiently was to make several piles on the floor. Whites, colors, don�t knows and where in the heck did this come from. Sara whipped through the loft. Prodded on by the direction of her thoughts.

A pair of socks flew into the dark pile. �He stalks me�� a pair of jeans joined them, �He stalks me not�� A t-shirt was next; �He stalks me...� Another pair of socks joined the ever-increasing pile. �He stalks me not�� Sara held up a pair of underwear, remembering her resolve to throw out and buy new. �Alright, I�ll start a trash pile.� She smiled to herself. She really must be hung up on Ian if she was actually contemplating going shopping.

Sara abruptly stopped her sorting. Hung up on Ian? What was going on with her? She had heard of absence making the heart grow fonder but had never really experienced it. Usually she was pretty happy for any and all distance in the majority of her relationships. She sat down next to her leaning towers of laundry. All right, if honesty was what Danny wanted out of her she�d give it a try. The last several days without Ian had definitely caused her to rethink her opinion of him. She had gotten so used to him being around that she felt strangely incomplete without him. That was odd in and of itself. Usually she hated a �clingy� kind of guy. Here was a guy that stayed barely a step behind her all the time and he just made her feel cared for, special. Everytime she had needed him he had showed up. What had he told her? They could be inseparable?

What would her life be like if Ian were no longer around? Sara had gotten a taste of that over the last couple of days and she had to admit she didn�t like it at all. The question was, what was she going to do about it? She never had much patience with the gaming she had seen so many of her female acquaintances participate it. She preferred to face things straight on and openly. This had cost her a few relationships, but in the long run she knew she just couldn�t function any other way. But still, a relationship with Ian Nottingham? What about their jobs? Her job as an office of the law and his job as right hand man to Kenneth Irons didn�t exactly mesh. Where would they live? What about the Witchblade? What chance would they have for any kind of a normal life?

Sara shook her head as she stood once again. Like her life was so normal anyway? Without Ian around to ask this was all just useless speculation anyway. A what-if kind of game she just wouldn�t play. She needed to take some action, discover what she could about Ian�s whereabouts and really sit down and talk with him. Fueled by her resolve she continued to toss her laundry from one pile to another.

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A Day in the Life - Chapters 4-5 (End) -- moondreamer, 13:01:17 06/03/02 Mon