Title: Captivated: Part Thirteen Authors: Brenda & Jo Disclaimer: Never happened. "An unbearable pain A beating in my brain" -- Depeche Mode Harry was bored. For the first time in longer than he could even remember, he was honest-to-Christ bored. He had so much work to do on this new building that he could easily spend the next three months here in Bangkok, but it was bullshit work. He'd faced this problem before, was sure he'd face it again. People unwilling to do their goddamn jobs was something he was used to. What he wasn't used to was the emptiness in his head. Fuck it, he wasn't going to think about it. Harry shoved the papers back on the table, threw his pen down. Karl could go fuck himself and the L.A. Lakers while he was at it. Harry wasn't going to be the one to bend this time. Ah well, at least he was getting to know Orlando a bit better. Their daily calls were all that was saving him from going completely batshit. The kid had a surprisingly quirky sense of humor. And a very dirty mind. He was already in love with both. He glared at the door when he heard knocking from the other side. If it was that stupid, worthless contractor, Harry was going to kill him slowly, then bury the pieces throughout all of Thailand. He rose, stalked to the door, threw it open. "What?" Viggo leaned against the doorframe, blue eyes twinkling in the overhead light. "Nice to see you, too. Do you always greet your visitors in such a charming manner?" "What the fuck are you doing here?" Harry asked, grumpily, turning back to stalk toward the bar. "Run out of people in Los Angeles to torment?" Viggo followed Harry into the room, made himself at home in a chair. "Would you believe I was in the neighborhood?" "No." Even though he was secretly pleased to see a familiar face, he knew this wasn't a social call. He faced Viggo, scowl firmly in place, as he handed the other vampire a snifter of brandy. Viggo inclined his head as he swirled the liquid around the glass. "Didn't think so." He took a sip, watching Harry closely over the rim. "You're in a nastier mood than usual." Harry glanced at the mountain of papers. "You ever try getting anything done in a timely manner in Southeast Asia? It's impossible." Viggo spared the papers a brief glance. "Funny. Young Orlando didn't seem to have that problem in Tokyo." Harry flopped on the sofa next to Viggo. "As much as I would love to debate the aesthetics of Japanese business dealings versus Thai business dealings, I'm sure you're not here for that. Why are you here?" "I don't suppose you're willing to believe that I missed you?" Viggo grinned at Harry's reaction. "Fine. I'm worried about you." "Worried, how?" "Just worried. How are things with Orlando?" "Fine." Harry was afraid to ask where this was going. "Why?" "Just curious. Talked to him much since he spent the night at your house?" Harry fucking knew it. "You talked to him." Viggo smiled, inclined his head. "Briefly." Harry snorted, got up to pour himself a drink. "You know as well as I do that there's no such thing as a brief conversation where you're concerned." "The child needed to talk," Viggo said, his voice laced with amusement. "Who was I to turn him away at the door?" "Gramps, you spend far too much time meddling," Harry stated. "Only when necessary. And Orlando came to me." Harry downed his next drink in one large gulp, then poured another. "Things are going well with us. You have to know that. How could they not be?" "I know things are going well with two-thirds of your little circle." Harry decided to just be amused now, save himself the trouble. "We don't have a circle yet, you know that." "The entire Council is aware of that." Viggo drained his snifter, placed it on the table beside him. "And I know that it can't be easy for either one of you. The silence driving you insane yet?" "Yes." The one word was a low groan as Harry thumped his head on the counter of the bar. Viggo stood and moved to the bar, lifting the bottle of brandy. "Well, you'll be pleased to know that it's driving Karl just as crazy." "Fuck him," Harry mumbled, not lifting his head. "Somehow, I don't think that would go over well with his charming young pet." "What, you fucking him?" Harry chuckled at the image of Viggo having sex with anybody, let alone Karl. "Somehow I think Orlando would be more amused at the thought." "Would this be before or after he got over his jealousy?" Harry lifted his head. "How could he possibly be jealous of you? You don't even like sex anymore." Viggo grinned and leaned against the bar. "He really is a delightful young man. I can already see your influence on him." Harry leaned back. "Influence how?" Viggo gave a melodramatic sigh as he assumed a pained look. "He's lost all respect for my authority. And he's right mouthy now as well." He grinned again. "Not at all the shy, wilting little flower he was at the ceremony and party." "Yeah, well, I get the impression what we saw at the party wasn't the real Orli. He certainly got over his awe pretty goddamn quickly." Thank God. Harry probably would have killed Karl for real, otherwise. Stupid fuck...all of this was his fault. "Yes, he did, didn't he?" Viggo observed Harry through lowered lashes. "He certainly got over his awe of you pretty fast. No thanks to Karl, of course." "Stop it." Viggo gave him a bland look. "Stop what?" "You must think I'm new. Stop. You want to know something, just ask me." Viggo just smiled. "How long are you going to continue blocking him?" He should have known that question was coming. "I don't know." He looked at his friend through haunted eyes. "Maybe forever. This wasn't minor." "Nothing lasts forever," Viggo said gently. "And I'm not trying to imply it was less than it was. You know that. But I don't think any of you have been thinking clearly lately." "800 years is just as good as forever," Harry answered. "And I've been trying to think. But I can't control him, and I certainly can't tell him what to do with his life." "Controlling him is the last thing any of you need. But one would tend to believe that the little pact the two of you made would give you some say so over a certain aspect of his life." "It was a done deal by the time I got back from Hong Kong. He fucking told me about it after the fact." Harry sighed. He wondered when he started feeling so weary. "And it's not that I'm not fond of Orlando...but I don't think Karl thought about how it was going to work with all three of us. And I don't think it's going to." "Why not?" "Besides the fact that I'm not speaking to the old man?" Harry asked, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Because it can't. Can you think of any reason why it would? Two vampires and a mortal pet? It's insane." "You'll speak to Karl again soon enough." Viggo sounded confident, his eyes never leaving Harry's. "As for the other...give me reasons why it won't work." Christ, did Viggo expect Harry to count all of them? They'd be here a month. "Well, let's start with the whole pet/vampire bond. Orli's not supposed to want me, you know that. And he's mortal, with a mortal's possessiveness and jealousy. How long do you think it's going to take before he starts to see me as a threat again? Which one of us would Karl choose, if he had to? I don't want Karl to have to make that choice." Harry squeezed his eyes shut, let out a slow breath. "I won't let him make that choice. Orlando and I will get over each other in time." He'd just have to reverse the claim...and ignored the clenching in his stomach at the thought. Viggo propped his chin on his hand and looked mildly amused. "He's not supposed to want you, true. But he does. And I don't think that he's going to get over you. Or you him, for that matter." "Orlando will get over me. I haven't been in his life that long." "Karl hadn't been in his life long either when the child fell head over heels in love with him. But if you truly feel that way, then let him go." "I already have." Harry paused, grimaced. "Or, at least, I'm trying to. Karl doesn't really need me anymore...and when it came right down to it, he's already made his choice. He made it the second he didn't trust me." "I didn't mean Karl," Viggo said quietly. "You can't keep one without the other. You know that." "I know," Harry replied softly. "And I'm trying there, too. But he's a good kid, and I like him. I'd like to do things the right way with him, show him how things are supposed to work. Give him that, at least." Viggo shook his head, gave Harry a sympathetic look. "Orlando isn't your responsibility at the moment. He's Karl's. If you truly feel like this relationship is doomed from the start, then you have to tell him that. Don't lead the boy along and let him find out later that he's nothing more than a friend to you. That would be almost as devastating as losing Karl." "It couldn't possibly be as devastating. I barely know him." Harry start pacing up and down the carpet. "You really know how to fuck with a guy's mood, you know that?" Viggo leaned against the bar, rested his arms on its surface and watched Harry. "I've never yet heard of a mortal dying of a broken heart or unrequited love. And he'd still have Karl." "Cocksucker." Viggo smirked. "Struck a nerve, did I?" Harry ignored him, continued pacing. Cocksucker. Fucking great word. "Really, it's quite simple. You're fond of Orlando, nothing more. Just tell the boy next time you talk to him that it's over and you're just friends. Turn him back over to Karl, forget them both, and get on with it. Moping isn't your strong suit, you know." "I'm not moping, fuck off." "No, you're just avoiding the truth." Viggo shrugged. "Fair enough. But you owe Orlando the courtesy of being honest with him before he develops any more wild fantasies about the three of you. And since he can get over you so easily..." He paused as Harry's cell phone rang, watching Harry calmly. "Fuck," Harry swore passionately, yanked the phone off the coffee table and flipped it open. "What?" "Um, did I call at a bad time?" Orlando's voice was quiet, hesitant. "Orli." Harry's voiced immediately softened, and his shoulders lost some of their tenseness. Viggo simply settled into the chair at the bar, smiling. Harry didn't notice. "I'm sorry...Vig's here and he's pissed me off again. How's the executive life?" "Viggo's there?" A slight pause. "The executive life's fine. Boring mostly and makes me want to pull my hair out the rest of the time, but otherwise it's not too bad. How're things there?" Harry laughed, dropping into a chair. "Bout the same. I...ah...I'm glad you called, actually." He could do this. It was the right thing to do. "Really?" Orlando was bouncy now, his excitement transferring through the phone line. Harry glanced over at Viggo, who merely saluted him with his glass. All-knowing cocksucker. "Yeah. Look, we need to talk about a few things." He rushed the words. Honestly, the worst battlefield was preferable to this. "Yeah, we do." Orlando laughed, the sound soft and clean. "So what's up?" "I..." Harry closed his eyes, tried to speak. Couldn't do it. "Do you know why Viggo is here?" he asked instead, steadfastly ignoring the soft chuckle from the bar. "Business?" Orlando didn't sound too sure of his answer. "Guess again." "Um...vacation?" Harry couldn't even summon a smile at Orlando's piss poor attempt to be coy. "Are you trying to annoy me?" "No." Orlando's voice was small and quiet. He sighed. "He's there to talk to you." "I know that." Harry spared Viggo a scowl. Viggo simply grinned. "What did you tell him?" "Nothing he didn't already know. Well, almost nothing. I don't think he knew that you're blocking Karl." Ah, well, that explained a lot. "If you had questions, you should have come to...gone to Karl." "We've had this discussion." Orlando sounded distressed. "And the questions I had, Karl couldn't answer any more than you could." "What made you think Viggo had the answers?" Harry was genuinely curious now. "Well, he's got 600 years on you." "Doesn't mean he knows dick about this situation," Harry muttered. "Fine, forget my eternal nightmare over here, we need to talk about...us." Just saying the word made his fingers shake. "Ooookay." Orlando drew the word out, sounding suddenly unsure. "What about us?" There is no us, there is no us. Just say the words. Just do it. Harry opened his mouth...and could not wrap the words around the swelling in his throat. He wasn't strong enough. "Harry?" Harry pinched the bridge of his nose, tried to concentrate. "Harry, what's wrong?" Everything. Harry's life was in fucking shambles, and he had no way to fix it, no way to make it better. "Nothing," he said aloud, wincing at how unconvincing he sounded. "Just...tired." At least that was the truth. "I can sympathize with that." Orlando laughed softly, sounding only slightly strained. "So...what about us? You're not mad because I talked to Viggo, are you?" "No, not really." Harry had completely forgotten Viggo was in the room. "It's...um...I can't..." "Can't what? Harry, what is it?" "I just can't. Look, I'll call you back later, alright? I...uh...I need to..." Harry wondered when his ability to finish sentences had been impaired. "I need to go. I'll call you back." "Oh. Well, I...okay. Sure." Harry could hear the confusion and hurt, and hated himself for it. "You're probably busy so, um...just whenever." "Orli?" He couldn't end it like this, didn't care what it cost him later. "Yeah?" //I miss you, little one.// It was nothing less than the truth, even if he couldn't say it out loud. "I miss you, too." The smile was back in Orlando's voice. "I'll be home the rest of the day, so call when you can." "Alright. Take care of yourself." "You, too." Orlando hesitated for a brief moment. "Bye, Harry." "Bye." Harry flipped the phone shut with shaking fingers, slumped back in his chair. Viggo sat there silently for several minutes. "You couldn't do it." //No.// Harry didn't even have the energy to speak. //Why?// //I don't know.// Harry slid farther into the chair, almost pathetically happy to have someone in his head again, even if it was Gramps. Christ... //I think you do know.// Viggo's mental voice was gentle, soothing. He dragged a chair over in front of Harry and sat in it, gaze never leaving Harry's face. //It's the same reason why young Orlando can't possibly get over you as easily as you'd like to believe.// //I can't be. It took me five years to say it to Karl.// //And you've had 800 years to practice it, so I'd imagine it'd be much easier the second time around.// Viggo's smile was quietly amused. //Remember, you've also claimed for centuries that Karl was the exception and you're not bisexual. How long did it take Orlando to disabuse you of that notion?// //I'm not, he's just...// Harry tried to formulate the thought. //He's Karl's. There's a connection there.// Viggo just smirked. //You're doing good so far.// "Fuck off." Harry's eyes narrowed, even though he didn't move. "You are so enjoying all of this, aren't you? Probably chase ambulances in your spare time." "That's nowhere near as entertaining." Viggo laughed, settled back in his chair. "Why is it so hard to believe that you've let yourself fall in love with Karl's young mortal?" "Because..." Harry stopped. He wasn't about to mention the pact to Viggo. He wasn't in that needy of a mood. "Fuck." Harry flopped his head back on the cushions. "Fucking cocksucking bastard." "If that bothers you so much, I can offer you the same thing I offered Orlando. I can break the claim." "I wouldn't have made the fucking thing if I wanted to break it. And you fully fucking know it." Harry rolled his eyes at Viggo, willed his body to relax. "I'll just have to deal with it." "You'll have to do more than just deal with it." Viggo smiled, stood. "Because Orlando, bless his silly young self, has gone and given his jealous, possessive, mortal heart to not one, but two vampires." Harry peered at Viggo's back as the other vampire walked across the room. "How do you know this?" Viggo stopped at the door, turned, grinned at Harry. "Why don't you ask him yourself? He's quite forthcoming once you know what buttons to push." "Why am I not surprised you're not answering the goddamn question?" Harry asked. But he smiled as he said it. "Have a good flight home. I hope your mission was successful enough to warrant it." "Oh, it was. It was worth it just to find out that I'm the only one, once again, who realizes that all the little pieces of the puzzle fit together nicely. I just wish the rest of you would realize that I'm never wrong." Viggo grinned, winked, and closed the door behind him with a soft click. //Cocksucker.// Harry settled into the chair again, picked up the phone. He had a silly young mortal to reassure. Onto Part Fourteen main Captivated page If you enjoyed this fic, please leave feedback here. Thanks!