Chapter
39: Falling At Your Feet
“So, that’s the whole story? Van broke up with you then came groveling
back on his hands and knees?” Vicky questioned when Sara finally finished
telling her what had happened in the last few weeks.
“Basically,” Sara answered as she shrugged it off. “I think I’ve
got him whipped!”
Vicky gave her a sly smile. “You little devil you! You’ve got him
eating out the palm of your hand!”
“So, what do you think of him?” Sara asked, changing the subject.
“From what I saw, he is FINE. Nice hair, nice eyes, nice BODY! Mmm…
What I wouldn’t give for a guy like that,” Vicky answered. “He’s pretty
sweet too. Reminds me of that other friend of yours.”
“What other friend?”
“Tall, dark, handsome… I think I referred to him as the pirate.”
“Ohh!” Sara exclaimed when she finally made the connection. “That
was Ian.”
“Oh, so that was Ian? Damn, I guess I should have asked him out when I
had the chance. Billie is so lucky!”
“Not really. He’s got a lot of issues, so she’s got her hands full
at the moment.”
A strange silence fell between them until Vicky finally spoke up again,
“So, what are we gonna do for the rest of the day? It’s almost one.”
Sara could feel her stomach growl and placed her hand over it. “Yeah, I
need some food, desperately! We skipped breakfast this morning. Actually, I
think it’s still on the table!” Sara laughed as she stood up and headed for
the kitchen.
“Hey, you still haven’t given me a tour of the place!” Vicky yelled
from the living room.
“Well, get your ass up and follow me! I’d love to show you around!”
Sara hollered back from the kitchen. Vicky got herself up off the couch and
walked over to see Sara emptying the dishes and placing them in the dishwasher.
“So, this is my kitchen. You’ve already seen the living room. I think all
you’re missing is the office, bedroom, bathroom, and closet.” They made a
quick round of the apartment and stopped in front of the closet where Sara
merely had to open the door for Vicky’s jaw to drop.
“Oh, my GOD!” she whispered in awe when she found all the designer
clothes hanging inside. “You know I’m borrowing all week long, right?”
“Of course!” Sara answered. “Just make sure you return whatever you
wear. This stuff isn’t mine. I’m borrowing it myself. Billie really managed
to hook me up with some great stuff, huh?”
“Hooked you up? Girl! You really are changing!” Vicky said as Sara
closed her closet door and led them out of her room back to the living room.
“Is that a good thing of a bad thing?” Sara questioned, giving her
friend that look of mock confusion.
“I dunno, but it’s pretty interesting. Imagine Danny’s surprise when
he finds out you’ve got blonde hair! He’s gonna die! Add the really girly
look and you’ll send him to an early grave,” Vicky giggled.
“Jeez, Vicky, you really know how to send me back into my shell,” Sara
sarcastically remarked.
“Come on, Pez, I’m not trying to. I’m just saying that this is
really different and I’m still getting used to it, but it’s a good kind of
different. You’ve opened up so much! I’m proud of you.”
“Aw, thanks, Vic.”
“No problem. Just don’t stick your head back in a hole when you come
home to
“
Vicky almost instantly knew that look. Sara was in turmoil about making
that decision. She could see it in her deep green eyes as they stared down at
the floor. “You don’t wanna leave, do you?” Vicky asked.
Sara looked up at her, those expressive eyes going soft almost instantly.
“It’s not that I don’t wanna leave, it’s just the thought of leaving
without Van,” she answered.
“Wow, you’re really in love with him, aren’t you?”
“Like you have no idea,” Sara groaned. She rested her chin on her
hands and looked over at Vicky with that pained look in her eyes. “I don’t
wanna leave him, yet I don’t want him giving up everything and coming back
with me.”
Vicky put a hand on her shoulder. “Have you talked to him about this?”
she asked softly.
“No,” Sara answered miserably. “I keep pushing it off thinking
I’ll have that chat with him before I leave.”
“You need to talk to him about it. You need to know where he stands on
all of this.”
“I know, but how am I supposed to tell him? I’m already finding it
hard to tell myself that some time in the near future I have to go back to
Vicky could see this was killing her friend from the inside. Maybe it was
time to switch subjects. She waited for Sara to say more, but when she remained
silent, Vicky spoke up. “Come on; let’s go take a walk outside. I wanna see
the rest of this place,” she said.
“Alright,” Sara replied, glad for the distraction. She and Vicky
walked out the door and headed downstairs to the gym then the pool.
“Wow, this place is great!” Vicky exclaimed as they strolled the
poolside and sat down at a table near the pool. “This is so much better than
Sara gave her a wry smile as she said, “Can’t forget the weather
either.”
“Oh, God! I know! It’s perfect year round!” Vicky replied as she
looked out across the pool.
Sara smiled as they continued to bask in the mid day sun. It was a perfect
day, almost. If only it wasn’t for that fight or having to think about leaving
this place that put her in a bad mood, but she managed to propel those thoughts
out of her head for the time being and decided to think about it later on
tonight, when she and Van were alone.
“So, you wanna get some lunch?” Sara asked, changing the pace of their
conversation.
“If you’re hungry, sure. I already ate, but I’ll grab a drink or
something,” Vicky replied as the two of them stood up from their seats and
headed to the parking lot where Sara’s Buell sat in one of the parking spaces
just waiting to be used.
“Have I given you a ride on the bike yet?” Sara questioned as she
picked up her helmet and tossed one to Vicky.
“No!” she answered.
“Then get on and let’s go!”
*~*~*
“So, now what happened between you and Sara this morning?” Deaq was
asking Van as they sat in the lounge of the Candy Store waiting for Sara’s
call.
“We got into a fight,” Van answered. “She told me that I somehow
screwed up her life, I got pissed, she got pissed because she said I
misunderstood her, she started crying, then I had to apologize! But you know
what really pissed me off? She had the nerve to bring up Cassidy and Sophia! And
she thinks I still have feelings for Cassidy!”
“Do you?” Deaq seriously asked.
“No!” Van cried. “I’m gonna tell you what I told Sara. Cassidy
means nothing to me. I might have had a thing for her back then, but she’s
gone now, and Sara is in my life. She’s the important one. She’s the one I
love. She’s the one I have the feelings for. Have I told you about the strange
dreams we’ve both been having?” Deaq shook his head, giving Van a confused
look. “Well, I’ve seen things that I can’t explain, but they’re telling
me that Sara and I are meant to be. And as fucked up as this sounds, I’m ready
and willing to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“Okay, Van, now you’re scaring me,” Deaq replied. “Did you just
say you were ready AND willing to spend the rest of your life with her? You’re
actually ready to make a commitment like that? It’s cool if you are, but you
gotta remember, she’ll be leaving for
Van sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. This was the one
conversation he had been trying to avoid for as long as possible, but now that
it had reared its ugly head, there was no getting away from it. “I know,” he
said softly. “I just don’t wanna think about it.”
“Well, you’re gonna have to. You need to decide what you’re gonna do
when she leaves. Do you wanna continue this relationship or do you just wanna be
friends? What do you wanna do, Van?”
“I wanna marry her,” he blurted, not thinking at all until he saw the
shock on Deaq’s face. “I just said that out loud, didn’t I?” Van asked,
feeling like a total idiot, but that was exactly how he felt.
“Now that’s something I NEVER expected to hear from you! Oh, my God!
Van Ray is ready to take a huge step into the real world. This is another day
that’s gonna do down in Candy Store history. Wait until Billie hears about
this!” Deaq exclaimed, laughing. He really didn’t think Van was serious.
“Can’t you be just a little sensitive here and act like my friend?”
Van barked. “I’m telling you the truth. If Sara says or makes reference to
anything even remotely related to marriage, I’ll ask her.”
Deaq’s face went slack. Van was serious, dead serious. If there was ever
a time for Deaq to be scared, it was now. “Are you sure about this?” he
asked.
“As sure as I’ll ever be,” Van answered.
“Just two weeks ago you hated her guts, just last week you admitted that
you love her, and today you’re ready to marry her? Van, I think you should get
your head checked because obviously you’ve gone CRAZY!” Deaq yelled in his
face as he slapped him in the back of the head.
“Ow!” Van yelped. “What was that for?”
“That was for being stupid!” Deaq answered.
“Hey, hey, hey! You haven’t even heard what I have to say!” Van
shouted back.
“Alright, Van, this better be good.”
Van took a deep breath and began. “You know how Ian and Sara are
supposedly connected?” Deaq nodded. “Yeah, well, she and I are connected in
that same way, and it’s all because of this,” Van said as he held up his
right hand and pointed to his ring. Deaq gave him a confused look. “Sara tells
me that it’s some ancient weapon or whatever that is somehow connected to the
Witchblade, and to see if it worked, we kinda tried something that completely
threw us into a whole different world. I saw things, things that nobody would
ever want to see in whole lifetime. I saw Ian die on a battlefield in Sara’s
arms, I saw us get married, and I saw her die in my arms. I don’t know what
any of it means, but I do know that she and I are supposed to be together.”
Deaq was silent in thought for a moment before he answered, “So this is
why you think you’re ready to get married to her?”
“This and a whole lot more,” Van replied. “I have never felt this
way about anyone except for Sara. It’s… It’s…deep. Really, really deep.
I love her so much it hurts. I can’t stand to be away from her.”
Van seemed to go off in his own little world as Deaq tried to take in
everything. His partner and friend was actually telling the truth. He could hear
it in Van’s voice; the boy was head over heels in love, and what he felt for
Sara was pure and true. “Oh, my God! I’ve got a sap for a partner!” Deaq
laughed, easing some of the tension in the room.
“Shut up!” Van growled. “I’m not that sappy!”
“Yes, you are!” Deaq continued to laugh.
“No, I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!”
“No, I’m not!”
“Yes, you are!”
“Alright, fine! I admit I’m a sap! Happy?” Van quickly stopped the
volley before it ended with a fight.
“Yeah,” Deaq replied. “But I still think you’re an idiot.”
*~*~*
With lunch firmly implanted in Sara’s stomach, the girls headed out of
the small diner near the apartment complex and headed down the road to the Candy
Store so Vicky could take a good look at it. After everything she had heard
about the place, she had been dying to see it in its entirety ever since Deaq
gave her a sneak peek that morning.
“So, where are you staying?” Sara asked as they stopped at a red
light.
“I dunno,” Vicky replied. “I was hoping that you’d let me barge in
on you, but seeing that you and Van are so close…”
“Hey, we can be apart for a little while,” Sara interrupted. “Of
course you can stay with me. I’ll have one of the guys take your stuff to the
apartment when we meet up with them today.”
“Sara, you’re a godsend,” Vicky praised as she hugged Sara a little
tighter. “I seriously thought I’d have to go find a hotel and spend every
single penny on that and be unable to enjoy myself while I was here.”
“We can’t have that happen. LA is a great city. You have to check it
out.”
Vicky smiled as the light turned green and Sara took off again down the
road. A few minutes later, they stopped in front of the Candy Store to find that
Van and Deaq were already there, talking in all probability about them. Sara and
Vicky dismounted the bike and walked inside as Sara yelled, “Hey, boys! Where
are you?”
“Upstairs!” Van yelled from the top floor’s theater seats.
“We’ll be right up as soon as I give Vicky a tour!” Sara yelled
back, then started pointing out all the important features of the bottom floor
and showroom to Vicky, including all the cool cars and stuff. She loved seeing
the shock on her friend’s face when she took everything in.
“You get to use this stuff?” Vicky asked in disbelief when she saw the
jewelry in the cage.
“As the motto goes, ‘Everything we seize we keep, everything we keep
we use,’” Sara quoted Billie’s famous line.
“I wanna be a cop!” Vicky whined as they headed up the stairs to the
second floor where Van and Deaq had headed after their little chat so Van could
release some steam and cool off while he thought about everything he had said by
having a one on one session with the punching bag.
“Hey, guys!” Sara said, but one glance over at Van and she stopped
dead in her tracks. ‘Mmmm…’ she thought, admiring his wonderfully chiseled
body and how his muscles worked in unison as he threw several punches at the
helpless bag. Vicky finally pushed her forward, snapping Sara out of her
daydream.
“Yummy,” Vicky whispered into her ear as she passed her. “Now I can
see why you’re so attracted to him.”
Sara punched her in the arm retorting, “Shut up!” as she started to
walk towards Van.
“Hey!” he said, turning around to see her and taking off his gloves.
He walked over to where Sara stood and leaned in to kiss her cheek. “I see you
managed to find us.”
“Yeah, well, Vicky needed to get her stuff. She’s staying with me this
week, but I’ll be around your place almost every night, and maybe sometimes
during the day if you want,” Sara seductively replied as she placed her hands
over his sweaty chest and ran them down over his abdomen until she reached the
hemline of his pants.
Van swallowed hard, his head immediately beginning to spin with all the
possibilities that night would bring. “Please don’t tempt me,” he begged,
grabbing Sara’s wrists and pulling her hands away from his body.
“I won’t,” she whispered, giving him a devilish smile and turning
away.
Van sighed as he watched her go. ‘My, God, that woman is gonna kill me
one of these days with the things she does,’ he thought, grabbing his shirt
and slipping it over his head. He wanted to go home for a quick shower then
return to resume the rest of their free day, but when he heard Sara say
something about going out that day, he knew he was screwed.
“Hey, Vicky, what do you wanna do today? We all have the day off since
Billie and Ian are off in their own little zone,” Sara said as she sat down in
one of the theater seats and looked out over the span of the Candy Store.
“I dunno, what do you suggest?” Vicky replied.
“Deaq, what do you think?” Sara asked her partner.
“Um…” he stuttered, not expecting to get caught up in this
conversation so quickly. “What do you like to do, Vicky?”
“What do I like to do?” she repeated, her head immediately going off
into space. “I dunno, shopping, I guess.”
“
“You’re itching to do some spending, aren’t you?” she asked.
“Maybe,” he replied, sitting down next to her and wrapping his arm
around her shoulders to pull her closer.
“Van, no offense, but you stink!” Sara exclaimed as she pulled away
and pinched her nose with her fingers.
“Hey! I was gonna go home and take a shower until you guys decided to go
out,” he retorted.
“Then go!” she shooed him away.
Van stood up and started to leave, but turned around, remembering that he
didn’t have a car. “I need a ride.”
Sara stood up reluctantly and made her way towards him. “Come on,
Stinky, I’ll take you home,” she offered. “Then maybe you can thank me
when we get there,” Sara added suggestively.
“You mean…” Van trailed off as a smile came to his lips.
“Quickie in the shower,” she whispered. Sara grabbed his hand and
dragged him downstairs to her bike.
“Those two are so horny,” Vicky observed, her eyes rolling.
“Tell me about it. At least you aren’t around them 24/7,” Deaq
replied.
“Point taken.”
*~*~*
It was mid afternoon by the time Billie and Ian had left her apartment.
She had made the suggestion to head to the park and have a quite little picnic
out by the ocean, and he had immediately accepted her offer. Billie had also
insisted on making lunch, shooing Ian out of the apartment to go get ready. He
had been reluctant to leave, but after a little bit of coaxing and a whole lot
of kissing, he was finally gone, leaving Billie to her craft.
Cooking had come second nature to Billie. She might have been one tough
chick, but at least she knew her food. That was one specialty she had learned
during the years she had spent living alone. It had come in handy, especially
when she was down on her luck with money. Even though she didn’t have those
worries any longer, Billie still loved to whip up something on the spur of the
moment. Heck, it was better than takeout.
This afternoon she had chosen to do something quick and simple: a
vegetable chunk salad with saffron chicken and chickpea soup, and chocolate
mousse for dessert. With everything finished and put into separate containers
for easy access, Billie headed out of the kitchen to get ready. She was all set
and done, wearing a pink tank top that tied at the sides, a denim skirt that
went up mid thigh and a pair of white sandals with a picnic basket in hand, the
moment she heard the knock at her front door. Billie was slightly surprised by
what she saw when she opened it.
“I see you’ve been weaned of the all black ensemble,” she remarked,
seeing Ian wearing a pair of dark gray slacks with a striped blue and light gray
short sleeved polo shirt.
“I aim to please you, my Lady,” he replied, taking her free hand and
kissing it.
‘Thank god he ditched the gloves too,’ Billie thought as a smile and
light blush came across her cheeks. Continuing to hold hands, they headed to his
car, where she reluctantly let go and got inside, placing the basket beside her.
They drove for about twenty minutes until they reached the park. Billie grabbed
her stuff and headed straight for her favorite spot, a tree at the edge of the
park that had a beautiful view of the ocean.
“This is beautiful,” Ian said as he came up beside her and glanced
over at what she was staring at.
“It’s my spot,” Billie replied. “I come here whenever cases get
tough or when I just need to calm down. This is the first time I’ve ever
showed it to anyone.”
Ian was beyond honored by the fact that Billie had chosen to show this
place to him. Did he really mean that much to her? He knew the answer to that
question the moment he looked down at her to find the bright smile on her face
and that gleam in her eyes.
Billie put the basket down beneath the tree and grabbed a red and white
checkered blanket from within it, not noticing the first flickers of love in
Ian’s eyes as he gazed at her. She spread the blanket out beneath the tree and
started taking other things out of the basket, like a small AM/FM radio, the
food, and the utensils. Turning on the radio and setting it to an adult
contemporary station to set the mood, she sat down on the blanket and motioned
for Ian to sit down beside her.
Their late lunch had been an easy going and peaceful affair with light
conversation and lots of cuddling. By the time Billie was ready to dish out the
chocolate mousse, she found herself wrapped in Ian’s arms, her back pressed up
against his chest with his chin on her shoulder. And it really didn’t hurt
that her favorite song by Brian McKnight started to play on the radio at that
moment.
It’s
undeniable that we should be together
It’s unbelievable how I used to say that I'd fall never
The basis you need to know if you don't know just how I feel
Then let me show you now that I'm for real
If all things in time, time will reveal
Yeah...
“God, I love this song,” Billie softly whispered as she leaned into
Ian. She closed her eyes, letting her other senses feel him for the time being.
One
- you're like a dream come true
Two - just wanna be with you
Three - Girl it’s plain to see that you're the only one for me, and
Four - repeat steps one to three
Five - make you fall in love with me
If ever I believe my work is done then I start back at one... (Yeah)
Ian held onto her a little tighter. This was a beautiful song, and the
lyrics had captured the moment so perfectly. Billie was his new dream come true,
and at the time, he only wanted to be with her. He only prayed that he could
hold onto this moment for the rest of his life and never let it go. She had done
everything in her power to steer their relationship in the right direction, and
now it was his turn to take the reins.
It's
so incredible the way things work themselves out
And all emotional once you know that it’s all about hey
And undesirable for us to be apart
Never would of made it very far
Cause you know that you got the keys to my heart
Cause...
One
- you're like a dream come true
Two - just wanna be with you
Three - Girl it’s plain to see that you're the only one for me, and
Four - repeat steps one to three
Five - make you fall in love with me
If ever I believe my work is done then I start back at one...
Billie’s head rolled onto his shoulder, her pink lips in range for a
kiss that he wasn’t sure he should take. ‘To hell with inhibitions,’ Ian
thought, going in for the kiss. Billie was surprised at first that he would make
such a bold move, but after getting over the initial shock, she allowed him
access to her mouth to deepen the kiss into something a little more pleasurable.
Say
farewell to the dark night
I
see the coming of the sun
I feel like a little child
Whose life has just begun
You came and breathed new life
Into this lonely heart of mine
You threw out the life line
Just in the nick of time...
Two - just wanna be with you
Three - Girl it’s plain to see that you're the only one for me, and
Four - repeat steps one to three
Five - make you fall in love with me
If ever I believe my work is done then I start back at one...
“Mmm…” Billie moaned lightly as his tongue slipped over hers in one
fluid move. ‘Boy, he’s a quick learner,’ she thought, her hand reaching
behind his head to make it easier for the both of them to hold onto each other.
Their make out session continued even after the song ended.
Ian was the first to break off, finding it hard to think with the amount
of time his brain had been deprived of oxygen. He pulled away from Billie,
panting slightly as she reached up for him once more. She didn’t want to end
that kiss, but she too had to stop for some fresh air. It was then that Ian
heard what seemed to be the thunder of running feet coming their way. His eyes
shot up, looking around to see where the disturbance was coming from and spotted
a man in a gray suit running in their direction. Behind the man was another set
of footsteps that Ian could hear, but was unable to see who they belonged to.
Yet he knew that this wasn’t going to be good for the guy in the gray suit.
Ian stood up to investigate, releasing Billie in the process. She looked
at him strangely, her mouth ready to go off, but was quickly silenced when a
shot rang out. Her instinct told her to duck, but her head told her to grab the
gun she kept strapped to her inner thigh, which was exactly what she did, but
when she looked up at Ian, time seemed to slow. His hands reached out, and
almost out of thin air, he caught the bullet that was intended to hit the man
that ran right past him. Billie gasped, unable to fathom what she had just
witnessed. It was as if Ian had seen the bullet coming and had anticipated the
catch. She stood up, dropping her gun in the process, and ran over to him.
“What the fuck?” were the first three words out of her mouth when he opened his hands to reveal a very bloody bullet along with several gashes to his palms. “How the hell did you do that?” He merely smiled.
A/N: Music: "Back At One" by Brian McKnight