"You're a little slow on the uptake these days," Viggo remarked, leaning back in his chair. The Council chambers were completely empty except for the two of them. "New pet sucking out more than just bodily fluids with that mouth of his?" "Crude, even for you. Why are you keeping me here?" "I owed a friend a favor." "Who?" "Your young Orlando." Orlando? What the...? "You've got about thirty seconds to explain." Viggo arched a blond eyebrow, propped his feet on the table. "Orlando asked me to keep you here so he could take care of something." Karl's eyes narrowed. He knew that tone, and it always meant Viggo was about to thoroughly fuck with his head. "Take care of what?" "He's talking to Harry." Karl blinked slowly, breath leaving his body in a short rush. "Are you insane? After what happened last time they were together? Who's with them?" "They're alone, of course." Viggo's reply was amused. "I imagine things are probably progressing quite well, knowing how much like you Harry is." "Harry's not himself," Karl muttered, turning. He needed to get to Harry's. Before anything irreversible happened. Harry had fucking promised they'd talk to Orlando together. He ignored Viggo's laughter as he left the room, and strode to the parking lot. He climbed in the Viper and started driving. Traffic on the 101 North was heinous at any time of day or night, so Karl took side streets to Harry's, unable to shake the feeling of dread coursing through his blood like poison. They shouldn't be alone together. Orlando wasn't ready; Harry was still too raw. This had disaster written all over it. There was so much Karl hadn't told Orlando yet, so much he hadn't explained. He'd thought he'd have more time to ease Orlando into the idea of Harry. Why the fuck was Orlando doing this, what did he hope to gain? A confrontation would only piss Harry off, and Harry's anger was awesome in its brutality. Especially now, when Harry's emotions were so close to the surface. He was liable to strike first, regret later, especially if Orlando challenged him the way he had last time... Karl was two miles away when he heard the whimpers race through his mind. Orlando, whimpering, sounding just like he had in the hallway the night of the party... God, no. //Harry...// No response, only encountered a blank wall. Harry was blocking him, blocking...no. Harry wouldn't hurt Orlando, couldn't hurt him... He heard the whimpers again, ran the next light, narrowly avoiding a collision with a BMW. Didn't even think twice about it. //Harry, please...// Nothing. And Orlando's mind was a jumbled mess Karl couldn't even begin to figure out. Please, please, Harry, don't do anything stupid, don't do anything we'll all regret... Karl was out of the car almost before it stopped in the driveway. He raced up the steps, heart racing in terror as he felt Orlando's choked cries in his mind again. //Harry, stop. Don't hurt him.// It was his only thought. //What the fuck are you talking about?// Karl paid no attention to Harry's shocked question. All he could hear were Orlando's whimpers in his head, and he prayed he wasn't too late. His focus was on Orlando, on his pet, making sure he was safe, unhurt. He burst into the library just as Orlando slid from Harry's lap and stepped back. Then Harry stood, and Karl could see nothing else. //What the fuck do you think you're doing?// Karl didn't wait for an answer, only spared a quick glance to make sure Orlando wasn't seriously hurt before launching himself at Harry. Harry blocked the first blow, but Karl parried, came in low the next go round, knocked Harry into the coffee table. Karl barely heard Orlando's muffled shout, couldn't hear over the roar in his ears, couldn't think past pinning Harry down. His fist connected with Harry's stomach as they rolled off the table and to the floor, trading punches. //That's enough.// Harry sprang up, cut off oxygen to Karl's windpipe with a solid jab, followed with a low kick that sent Karl sprawling back to the carpet in a breathless heap. Harry backed up, stood in front of Orlando. "What the fuck is going on?" "That's what I'd like to know," Karl said, voice raspy as he sucked in air. He ignored the pain to his chest, pushed himself to a sitting position. "What the fuck were you doing?" "What the hell do you think I was doing?" Karl got to his feet, tried to circle around Harry to get to Orlando. He kept his eyes on Harry. "If you've hurt him in any way..." "Hurt him?" Harry reared back as if Karl had punched him again. "You thought..." he paused, throat working, and the look on his face turned Karl's blood to ice. "You stupid, fucking son of a bitch." "Why were you blocking me?" "Because I wanted to talk to him alone!" Harry raked a hand through his hair. "And blocking you was the only goddamn way to do that, the only way to really fix things between us." "You've never blocked me before. What the fuck was I supposed to think?" Karl's eyes shifted to Orlando for a brief second before returning to Harry. He wanted to check Orlando, wanted to reassure himself that Orlando was fine. But to do so would be to take his attention from Harry. And he knew full well that Harry would exploit any perceived weakness. "I've never had a reason important enough to block you." "Then why did he sound so goddamn terrified? What the fuck were you doing to my pet?" "Your pet?" "He's bonded to me," Karl snapped. "Or did you forget that when you --" "Karl, what are you talking about?" Orlando stepped around Harry, stared at Karl in confusion. "Are you hurt?" "I'm fine, but..." "Why do you keep asking him if he's hurt?" Harry pointed to Orlando, eyes flashing. "Does he fucking look hurt to you? Do you really think I would hurt him?" "Because he sounded just like he did in the hallway. Like he was absolutely terrified. Orli, come here." Karl held up one hand, beckoned. And blinked when Orlando didn't immediately move to his side. "Harry wasn't hurting me. He was answering my questions." "But..." Then Karl looked at Orlando. Really looked at him. And looked at Harry. Both of them stood there with shirts open, hair mussed. Then Karl remembered Orlando sliding from Harry's lap as he entered the room. Wide eyes darted from Orlando to Harry. The pieces suddenly tumbled into place with a sickening thud. Fuck... Harry looked at Karl with something beyond betrayal flashing in his eyes. "After everything..." He stopped, closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they were carefully blank. And Karl couldn't sense Harry in his head at all. "You really thought I'd hurt something so precious to you? Something so precious to us?" "I wasn't...it's just...the hallway...Orlando..." Karl tried to explain what he'd felt, reached out to Harry with everything he had. "I'm sorry...I just...the hallway..." "You told me he was just trying to frighten me then. You told me he wouldn't hurt me," Orlando said, then frowned. "But you think he'd --" "No," Karl stated quickly, "I don't think that!" Harry interrupted him with a shake of his head. "Yes, you do. You do think that." Karl opened his mouth to say something, say anything, he had to try... But Harry wasn't finished yet. And the stillness of his tone was worse than a shout. "Over 800 years. I gave you everything. I trusted you with everything. I trusted you with Lauren." Karl flinched from both the tone and the truth in Harry's words. "You told me I could trust him," Orlando said, shifting Karl's focus back to him. "And now you come in here, going on about him hurting me, fighting with him like you're schoolboys at a playground...what the fuck is that?" "I'm sorry. I do trust him. He would never hurt you." "If you really believed that, you wouldn't have run in here begging him not to hurt me," Orlando snapped, taking a step towards Karl. "It wasn't like that..." Karl took a step forward, tried again to explain. "It was exactly like that." "Harry was blocking me, and I didn't know..." "You should have trusted me, you stupid son of a bitch." Harry's voice cut like crystal on Karl's soul. "We have vows, bonds, blood, love between us." Harry took a deep breath, gestured to the door. "You need to leave." "Harry, please..." "Now." The one word was whipcord fast. "Before I throw you out, and we both know I'll do it." Karl fought the urge to throw something. Stupid, stubborn... He knew all too well what Harry was like once he'd made up his mind. There would be no reasoning with him tonight. "Fine. Come on, Orli." Orlando looked at him, and Karl could feel the confusion and rising anger rolling off him in waves. Then Orlando looked up at Harry. "I...." Harry turned to Orlando, and the swift change from warrior to lover was dizzying to watch. He stroked Orlando's cheek, voice soft. "You can stay here, if you like." "If it's okay with you, I'd like to stay for a while longer," Orlando murmured, the expression in his eyes tearing at Karl's heart. "We still have some things to discuss, and I trust you." "I'm not leaving without you." "Are you going to force me?" Harry didn't even spare Karl a glance. "Karl, leave. I won't ask again." A gaping hole opened underneath Karl's feet, threatened to swallow him whole. This wasn't right. None of this made any sense. He felt strangely adrift, lost. He'd had Harry in his head for so long that the loss was staggering, beyond compare, and the look in Orlando's eyes wasn't helping. Pity, anger, love...Karl held tight to the love, tight to the knowledge that he was bound to both of them and they would always be a part of each other, no matter what happened. //Orli, I'm sorry...// Orlando waved off his apology //Are you alright? Harry got in a few nice blows.// Karl had completely forgotten about that. The fight seemed like it had happened so long ago. //I'm fine. We've done much worse to each other.// He took a deep breath, looked at Orlando, pouring all of his love, all of his trust, into his mental voice. //Tell him I'm sorry, then. He's blocking me again. I'll be home when you're ready to come back.// Orlando looked at Karl for a long moment, then nodded and dropped his gaze to the floor. //I'll be home later.// It would have to be enough. //Alright.// Karl risked one last look at Harry, tried to tell him that he did trust him, encountered that fucking wall again. So he said it out loud. "Harry, I'm sorry. Take care of him...he'll run himself ragged if you don't watch him." "He'll be fine. I'll make sure of it." Harry finally gazed at Karl, and his eyes were still like ice, so fucking cold that Karl was sure he'd never be warm again. "Thank you." Karl nodded, looked at Orlando. //I love you.// Orlando nodded, still looking at the floor. //I love you, too.// Karl walked out the door, back to his car, mindlessly staring at the stars that decorated the night sky. What the fuck had he just done? He was worse than an idiot, worse than a fool...and he'd lost them both. No, not lost. Misplaced for a bit, but never lost. Orlando would come home, and Harry... Karl sighed. Harry was going to be considerably more difficult. Fuck. Stupid fuck. Karl was still cursing himself when he started the car and drove back down the hill. * * * The second Karl left the room, Harry slumped back in his chair, drained beyond belief. Christ. Orlando stood in the same spot, looking as if he was unsure whether he wanted to cry or break something. Harry knew just how he felt. "Karl told me to tell you he's sorry." Orlando's words were softly spoken. Harry nodded, sighed, said nothing. What was there to say? Karl was sorry. Like that was supposed to make anything better. To come waltzing in here, accusing him...he couldn't think past that. It hurt too much. Orlando ran his fingers through his hair, looked around, looked everywhere but at the chair where Harry was seated. "I didn't think he'd...well..." Harry nodded. "He thought he was protecting you again. I deserved it. My fault. I'm sorry." Orlando turned to him, frowning. "No, you didn't deserve it. He's told me repeatedly that you won't hurt me, told me I can trust you. But he didn't trust you with me." "This is all very new to him, Orli. It's..." He stopped. Jesus, Harry, listen to yourself. No wonder Dave called you Karl's bitch. "Fuck that. I'm not defending him again." Harry stood, crossed to the bar. He needed a drink. Badly. "Want anything?" Orlando shrugged, dropping into the chair Harry had just vacated. "Whatever you're having is fine." "Didn't figure you were a single malt guy." He poured two drinks, sat on the sofa, eyeing Orlando appraisingly as he handed over the other tumbler. Orlando clinked his glass with Harry's. "I'm expanding my horizons. A lot, apparently." He took a small sip, wrinkled his nose. Harry fought not to smile. "Someone should have told you about us, about our bond," Harry said. Someone should have told Orlando a lot of things...so Harry would. Starting with the most important. "Did he tell you why I wasn't there the night of the ceremony?" "All he told me was that it was personal and that you weren't yourself at the party." He rubbed his fingers on the legs of his jeans, beating a steady rhythm on his thigh. The words came out easier than Harry thought they would. "My daughter died." Orlando stilled, wide eyes full of sympathy. "I didn't know you had a daughter. I'm so sorry." Harry smiled at the condolence, settled back on the plush leather of the sofa. "I'm only telling you this because someone needs to talk to you. Lauren's mother was..." Harry's voice softened, "Exceptional. Rare. Karl was across the world, and I was lonely. We both were. And I was very fond of her, thrilled when she got pregnant, devastated when she died in childbirth. Wouldn't let me save her, wouldn't let me give her the Gift, made me promise not to give it to our daughter." And the promise had killed him when Lauren was dying. "Wanted her to have a...somewhat normal life, considering her lifespan would be much longer than a mortal's. So Karl and I did our best to give her one." Orlando moved to sit beside Harry, placed soft fingers on Harry's arm. "You loved her a lot, didn't you?" "More than anything." Harry squeezed his eyes shut, undone by the sympathy in Orlando's voice, by the soft hand giving comfort. God, it hurt. Harry was sure it always would, but Jesus, it would be nice if it hurt just a tiny bit less. "Anyway, Lauren died the night before the ceremony," he said, eager to finish. "A ripe old 214. And we'd been expecting it...but, you know...it still...and I missed the ceremony, missed meeting you beforehand." "I didn't know." Orlando set his glass on the coffee table, rubbed Harry's shoulder, the gesture comforting. "And then at the party... Harry, I'm sorry about what I said. I didn't... Karl never said anything about it. Dom was the one who told me you weren't going to be there." Harry laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Karl thought he was respecting my privacy. I'm sure everyone did. Wasn't fair to you. I'm not excusing my actions," he said, regret lacing his voice. "I want you to know that. I'm just telling you what my mental state was. I wasn't able to protect Lauren from death. But I could protect Karl from an outside threat." He looked at Orlando, stroked the soft skin of his cheek. "I should have known better. I should have trusted him." Blame, so much of it. All of them had fucked up. Not that knowing it changed anything. Orlando leaned into the touch. "You were reacting to your emotions that night. You scared the hell out of me, but we're past that." He smiled faintly. "Did you honestly think that I was a threat?" Harry smiled again, ran his fingers down to Orlando's neck, collarbone, the slope of his shoulder "No. But I had to make sure. I had to know." "And do you know?" Orlando's hand rested on Harry's thigh, fingers moving idly in small circles. Christ, but that felt good. "Yes." Harry shifted under the touch, dropped his head back, closed his eyes. "Thank you for telling me about Lauren." Slow torture. That's exactly what the hands on him felt like. "Anything else you would like to know?" "Why did you let me stay?" Harry opened one eye, peered at him. "Because you needed to know you had an option. You will always be welcome here." Orlando looked back at Harry, shirt sliding off one shoulder, the gesture unconscious, graceful...and so fucking sexy it made Harry's teeth hurt. "So...if Karl insists on being an ass...I can come here for a little while?" Question and answer time was just about over. If Harry didn't get Orlando naked and panting under him soon, he was going to explode. Harry opened both eyes, slipped Orlando's shirt completely off of him. And sighed inside at the sight of soft skin and taut muscle. "As long as you wish. If that's what you want." Orlando smiled, hands reaching up to push Harry's shirt open. "So everything is about choice, then. None of you will ever make me do anything I don't want to do." "It's not our way." Harry shuddered... Christ, the kid had the softest hands. Orlando smiled, lashes drifting down to hide those remarkable eyes. "And all I have to do is ask? That's it?" "Yes." "That gives me a lot of power, wouldn't you say?" Orlando pulled his legs under him, kneeling beside Harry, pushing his shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. Harry cocked his head and smiled. Bright lad. But of course, Karl would have never claimed a moron. No matter what Viggo implied. "Yes. It does." "And you're trusting me with that power." "Yes." Orlando tilted his head, licked his lips, fingers grazing across Harry's nipple. "And what would you say..." he leaned in, mouth barely touching Harry's ear, igniting the skin, "if I asked you to finish what you started earlier?" Harry groaned. "Thought you'd never fucking ask." His mouth was on Orlando's before he finished the sentence. Onto Part Six
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