The Report - Part 8

By KatRose

Sara stared at the photograph and looked up at Jake. "So, explain."

"Maybe it would be best not to do this here," he said.

"Here's fine with me," she replied.

"But here has too many ears, Sara," he answered. "Please?"

She looked around and saw that he was right. The conversation they were about to have would have too many people curious with its content. Perhaps elsewhere would be best.

"Fine," she said, "let's go to the library. It's quiet, not too many people around."

"And it's neutral territory," Jake finished.

"Yeah, that too."

Fifteen minutes later they were seated at the table Sara has recently vacated. All the books were still there and Jake's pile of papers was added to the mess. He saw one book opened to a section about Joan and a priest and wondered how much Sara knew and how much she'd guessed. Guess I'm about to find out, he thought to himself.

"So," Sara started again, "explain."

"Hmm, not sure where to start," Jake said.

"Don't make me use an old clich�, Jake," she responded.

"Ok," he sighed, "best to start somewhere in the middle and then you can ask questions if you need better answers."

"Sounds good," Sara answered.

"I grew up wanting to be a priest and a cop. No one could see how I could be both and I ended up going into the seminary right out of high school. Right before ordination I took some time off to surf and think. That's when I won those competitions and ended up getting hurt. I took it as a sign that I needed to make a decision and really do something with my life. I went back to the seminary and talked with Father Bruno about my desire to be more than another parish priest.

"That's when he suggested I enroll in a special program at the Vatican. It was kinda like Internal Affairs to cops. The group was entrusted with keeping track of nuns and priests and their activities when they strayed outside normal Church guidelines. I got so good at it they turned me onto cases that delved into the occult and other issues. That's when I first learned of the Witchblade.

"I don't know the entire history of the Blade, but I do know enough to realize that it's an instrument of extreme power and the Church would like nothing better than to get it back in their possession. The fact that it's not is a source of discomfort for my superiors. They lost it some time ago, they think someone close to Church officials got into the vault and stole it, but didn't know who it was and couldn't find anything from our own sources. That's when I was assigned to work with the FBI.

"Through their resources and cases I was assigned to there, I got close to finding out information regarding the Witchblade. Unfortunately, about that time, another case I was on got out of hand and I was transferred up here to New York. Fortunately, the timing was right for me to witness your acquisition of the Blade and its subsequent use."

Jake paused for a moment to allow the information to sink in. Seeing that Sara wasn't going to say anything until he was done, he trudged forward.

"That's when I realized that perhaps the information I had been given by my superiors wasn't complete or as altruistic as they'd led me to believe. That's when I started looking into what the history of the Blade was beyond what the Vatican files stated. I found a lot of interesting and conflicting information out there, Sara, starting with the fact that it appears I was a part of that history."

Jake turned the Joan book around and pointed to the paragraph referencing the priest. "That's me," he said. "At least I think it is. All I know is that I can see in my own mind a conversation between a priest and Joan where he tried to convince her to return the Witchblade to the Church before they killed her for it. But there's no reference of him, me, in any of the history books, only the ones on mythology and occultism. That's why I got very confused and curious. It's not often you find out you're part of a history that doesn't appear to exist. Do you know what I mean?"

"I do, but I'm more interested in what you know, than telling you what I know," she said. "So, go on." She crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair, indicating that she was closed off from him, but not closed to him.

"Ok, fair enough," he replied. "The more I learned, the more concerned I became about you and about my mission. Actually both of them. What I told you was true, I'd been sent here by the FBI to see what could be done to stop the White Bulls. The fact that you're also looking into it for personal reasons, not to mention the Blade's involvement, just makes things more interesting and more confusing.

"In the meantime, my contact here in New York is trying to convince me to turn you and the Witchblade over to the Vatican for, well, whatever they want you for and to ignore signs that someone close to the Vatican may have been involved with the theft in the first place. She also wants, well wanted, ok, still wants, me to give up whatever personal feelings I have for you in favor of my mission. I just can't. It's not an option for me any more. I know too much and feel too much, and I'm not talking about the sex or the love, I'm talking about this."

Jake took the picture of Elizabeth Bronte and his alter-ego out of the file and handed it to Sara. "This makes no sense in terms of what I used to think of as reality. But I know there's so much more to this than, well, this." He spread his hands to encompass the room and the world that they could see and touch. "I know the dreams I've had aren't dreams, they're memories. I know that the man in this picture isn't me, but he is. I know that I've been a part of your life for more centuries that I could imagine, but I also know that before last night I hadn't ever been so caught up in another person that I felt I couldn't breathe."

He ran his fingers through his hair in a sign of nervousness. Sara wanted to reach out and run her hands through it as well, but sat with her arms still crossed. Wanting to touch him, but not knowing if she could trust what he was saying, in spite of the fact that his words and reactions mirrored what she'd seen with the Witchblade. It was hard, but it needed to be done.

"Sara, are you going to say anything?" Jake asked.

"Not sure, Jake. I've got a funny feeling you're not done with your tale yet. And I want it all before I say anything. I'm also not sure what to make of all this."

"I don't know what else you want to hear," he said.

"How about what's going on between you and Nottingham."

Jake's face fell. He tried to not let it show, but he also knew that giving honest reactions and honest answers was the only way to salvage any of this. Both personally and professionally.

"Nottingham works for Irons," he said.

"I know that," Sara said. "Tell me something I don't know."

"Irons was the one that stole the Witchblade from the Vatican. He's been trying to harness it's power and the women who wield it for years. He even tried to wield it himself, but only managed to harm himself and get infected by a need to possess it."

"And?" she asked.

"And, he's got Nottingham trailing you to get it back. Either with your cooperation and ability to wield it intact, or by itself with you dead."

"Funny, but that's what he says about you," she spat out.

"That's not surprising," he sighed. "Nottingham blindly follows Irons' lead and won't listen to outside opinions about the man. His only other obsession is you, Sara. He wants you for himself, but his own vows prevent that."

"Excuse me?! His vows? What the �?" Sara exclaimed.

"Oh, I see he neglected to share that little detail with you when he was spilling about me, huh?" Jake laughed humorlessly. "Irons raised Nottingham from boyhood to serve only him. He was schooled by tutors and sent to seminary to learn all he could about the Church and how best to serve Irons. Nottingham was assigned to the Church's special investigation unit so he could gain access to the Vatican and its vast vaults of occult information. That's where Nottingham and I met and worked together. That is until Irons' convinced him it was time to take a place at his side.

"There are some in the Order that believe Irons is up to no good and have been keeping tabs on his activities, and those of Nottingham, to find out exactly what that is. Others think Irons can do no wrong and that Nottingham wasn't being disloyal to the Order or the Church by leaving to work with Irons. They saw it only as a son going back to his father when the need arose. I never could believe that. There was always something off about that relationship and how Nottingham could never see beyond Irons words for truth."

Jake shook his head a bit at the thoughts running around inside. He remembered a friend that used to share drinks and companionable moments of silence. He remembered the fight they had when Nottingham left the Order to be by Irons' side. He remembered the feeling of betrayal as a friend and a colleague. He remembered the frustration at trying to talk some sense into a friend that was no more.

Sara saw the emotions play along Jake's face. She wanted to know what he was thinking, but didn't want to at the same time. She'd had enough surprises for the moment.

Jake looked up from his memories and saw Sara staring at him. "Guess you want to know the rest, huh?"

"Sure, why not. Hit me with it."

"Nottingham, Ian, was my friend and sometime roommate in Rome. We shared a lot of things, including, it seems, a love for the same woman. I fell in love with you before I ever met you, Sara and so did Ian. It became a source of contention between us and when he left the Order to follow Irons' it became something more. Irons' wanted Ian to follow you and convince you that he was the only way to salvation, to control, to help. Ian's love for you was so wrapped up in all that, that he saw me not only as competition for your affections, but an enemy that needed to be stopped before I could twist your mind to match my own.

"That's how he saw it. That's one of the last things he said to me before he left Rome. It's one of the last things we argued about. You."

Sara sat in stunned silence. This is not what she expected from this conversation. She figured it would be about power and control. She didn't figure that her affections and heart would be so intrinsicly intwined with it. She brushed her fingers over the carnelian hoping for a sign of life or at least information. Nothing happened.

"So, you're telling me that Nottingham is in love with me, as you are, but he's been true to his vows while you're broken yours? You're trying to convince me that this is all about two little boys trying to one-up each other to get a girl? What do you take me for?" her voice rose as she got up from the table.

A librarian shushed her from across the room and admonished, "The library closes in 15 minutes. You'll need to prepare to leave."

Sara looked at her with light contempt wondering how something so mundane could be happening while her world was falling apart in several directions.

Jake started to gather up their things so they could leave, when Sara put her hand on his. "Leave the books and come with me." She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the stairs and outside. "Where's your car?"

"It's at home. I needed the walk to think and clear my head."

"Good, get on the bike," she said handing him the helmet. "We'll go back to my place to finish this. And only this." She put the emphasis on the last word in case he got his hopes up that something else would happen.

Jake put on the helmet, stuffed his files inside the jacket before zipping it up and got on the bike behind Sara. He fitted himself to her in such a way as to feel her close, but not get slapped for it. He held on tight as she careened through the streets towards her home.

...to be continued