FIC: Catalyst (Part Fifty-Three) (Harry Sinclair, Karl Urban, Orlando Bloom, Dave Wenham)
Title: "Catalyst" (Part Fifty-Three)
Authors: Brenda (azewewish) & Jo (idiosyncratic)
Series: Claimed Universe
Notes: Click here for full disclaimers and pairings.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven | Part Twenty-Eight | Part Twenty-Nine | Part Thirty | Part Thirty-One | Part Thirty-Two | Part Thirty-Three | Part Thirty-Four | Part Thirty-Five | Part Thirty-Six | Part Thirty-Seven | Part Thirty-Eight | Part Thirty-Nine | Part Forty | Part Forty-One | Part Forty-Two | Part Forty-Three | Part Forty-Four | Part Forty-Five | Part Forty-Six | Part Forty-Seven | Part Forty-Eight | Part Forty-Nine | Part Fifty | Part Fifty-One | Part Fifty-Two |
Karl sprawled in a chair, legs stretched out in front of him, trying in vain to make himself more comfortable, and watched Harry looking out the window. There was nothing much to see out there, just rain-slicked tarmac and airport equipment. For a long moment, neither of them moved, then Karl pushed out of his seat and moved to stand behind Harry.
"You're quiet," he observed, and slipped a hand beneath heavy hair to knead the back of Harry's neck.
"Just thinking about how quickly time's passed in the last two weeks," Harry replied, with a brief smile.
Quickly wasn't quite the word Karl would have used. Supersonic, perhaps. He still couldn't believe that Liv's plane was on the ground, taxiing closer, rushing them forward to the unmaking ceremony. "Everything's going to be fine," he said, wincing a little at how lame the words sounded.
"I know." Harry slid his arm around Karl's waist, pulled him closer. "But it doesn't stop me from worrying."
"Our bonds will hold him." Karl refused to believe anything else. "Yours, especially."
"Both of us," Harry corrected, sighing in contentment when Karl's fingers found a particularly tight knot of muscle. "He's ours, not mine."
"He is ours," Karl said. "But I think your bonding ceremony proved who he truly belongs to."
Harry snorted softly, turning his head just enough to look at Karl. "Ours."
Karl just chuckled, head coming up as Liv came into sight down the walkway, followed by a bevy of her pretty boys. "Let's see if Liv agrees."
"Karl." There was a warning note in Harry's voice, and Karl just smiled, moving forward to pull Liv into his arms for a warm greeting.
"I know that look," Liv stated, once they parted. The full force of her gaze fell upon him, ethereal and powerful. "What're the two of you arguing about now?"
"Nothing," Harry replied, with another hard look in Karl's direction. He stepped forward to offer a kiss to Liv's cheek. "At least, nothing of import. How was your flight?"
Full lips flirted with a smile. "Diverting enough," Liv replied, and linked her arm with Karl's. "But still too long. And I can see that the two of you took care of at least one problem while I was getting ready to come out here."
"Amazing what actually completing the bonding ceremony will do," Karl mildly stated, ignoring Harry's expression. He patted Liv's arm, and started towards the exit.
Liv nodded. "I'd wondered why his bond with Harry was so weak. That explains everything, so you can stop worrying about him now."
"I wasn't -"
"He'll come through this just fine," she said, as if Harry hadn't spoken at all. Karl found himself fighting to keep a straight face. "You'll have to take care of him as you would a very young child for a while, but he'll survive and be stronger for it."
"How do you know?"
Karl didn't even bother to fight back the laugh as Liv raised an imperious eyebrow at Harry. "Are you questioning me?"
"No, of course not," Harry replied. "I'm...I just..." Seeing Harry so uncharacteristically flustered was fascinating to watch. The only other person that had ever caused him to truly lose his composure had been Lauren.
"He'll be alright," Liv smiled, then tilted her head to study Karl. "Is everyone here? Has Orlando chosen his mortal donors?"
"He has," Karl said, eyes fixed on Liv. There was no way in hell he was going to look at Harry. If he did, he'd start laughing and he wasn't sure he could stop before Harry pounded him into the ground. "And they're all here in the city, ready when we need them."
"Good." She reached back to catch Harry's wrist and pull him into step with them. Karl bit the inside of his cheek. "They're close to him?"
"His best friend, Elijah," Harry said. "Sean's pet, Dom, and Josh have agreed as well. It seems they like the idea of him owing them."
Her bright laughter turned heads as they stepped out of the airport and into the night. "As long as they give willingly."
"They're definitely willing," Harry replied.
"Good." Liv paused as they reached the sleek limo at the busy curb. "And Dave?"
"Also here," Karl told her. "Viggo's delayed implementing his punishment until after the ceremony and the worst is over for Orlando."
"Generous of him."
"Orlando requested it," Karl said, remembering Viggo's expression when Orlando had stood up in the Council chamber and made the request. It was as if he'd been seeking an excuse to delay the inevitable.
Liv smiled. "Unsurprising that Viggo would grant it."
Harry opened the car door. "He loves Orlando as much as the rest of us."
Clear blue eyes focused on Harry, and Karl wasn't shocked to see that Harry only held her gaze for a moment. "Not quite as much as some," Liv countered, another one of those sly little smiles crossing her face.
"True enough," Harry conceded, sliding in after her and taking the seat across from her and Karl. "If Orlando hadn't requested that Dave stay, I think Dave would have been the first to go to his knees to beg Viggo for the right to be here."
"It's good that Dave and Orlando still have fondness between them."
"Oh, it's a little more than fondness," Karl said, taking Liv's hand and studying the elegant rings on her fingers. He was pleased to see that she still wore one that he'd given her a couple of centuries ago. "They'll always have a deep love between them, no matter what the future holds. I think they would have always been lovers, no matter how they'd met."
Harry nodded, slouching in his seat, one arm draped along the back. "They definitely have a connection," he said, a small smile twisting his lips as his eyes unfocused. "I wouldn't be surprised if they found some way around Dave's Silence."
"If anyone can do it..." Karl laughed. He shook his head, remembering the trouble Dave and Orlando had gotten into early in their relationship.
"Your pet is a bit of a troublemaker," Liv said to Harry.
Harry just smiled. "You give him too little credit. Besides," he said, nodding in Karl's direction, "when he misbehaves, he's Karl's."
"I take full responsibility. He makes things interesting."
"As if the two of you haven't been doing just fine on your own in that regard for centuries."
Karl just grinned at Liv's light remark. "We've done alright for ourselves."
"Speak for yourself. I never wanted notoriety."
"You may have never wanted it," Liv said, reaching out to take Harry's hand, "but you achieved it when the two of you managed to bond without you being a pet or either of you having a ceremony. And then you each laid claim to the same pet."
"For which," Karl pointed out, grinning as Harry gave him yet another glare, "we got credit a decade too soon."
"A mere technicality," she said as she gave them both a stern look. Karl wondered what he'd done this time. "I'm surprised Viggo allowed the two of you to drag that innocent boy into this mess."
"Innocent?" Harry choked on the word, and Karl blinked.
"Clearly she doesn't know Orlando."
"She'll figure it out."
"She will also be requiring his presence and that of his mortal donors tomorrow night in my suite," Liv added, with a brilliant smile.
"She will? I mean, you will?" Karl asked, exchanging a startled glance with Harry.
"Of course." Liv smoothed the already pristine line of her skirt. "You really didn't expect I would come here and not explain the ceremony to the parties involved, did you?"
"I, well...no."
"Orlando will be thrilled," Harry said, drily. "I suppose this is an invitation only party?"
"You always were quick on the uptake." Liv folded one of her hands over Harry's clasped ones. "I know you both love him, and have only his best interests and well-being at heart. Which is why it's vital that he be able to share his concerns with someone a little more neutral setting without you two to interrupt."
Harry held Liv's gaze for a long, charged moment, then drew her hand to his lips for a soft kiss. "As ever, madam, I trust your impeccable judgment."
"Then it's settled," she said. Karl saw her fingers clench tight over Harry's before she drew back. "I'll return him to you unharmed."
"There was never any doubt," Harry replied. He smiled, and that smile eased something inside Karl. If Harry could relax, as strong as his bond was with Orlando now, then Karl could (and would) relax.
He settled back in his seat. "So what's on your agenda for this evening, m'lady, seeing as you're not meeting with the children until tomorrow?"
The look Liv gave him was part coquette, part siren. "It's been a very long time since I've been to Los Angeles."
"A century, at least," Karl replied.
"And since I have two such handsome and charming escorts that know the city so well..."
Harry just shook his head with a grin as Karl laughed and gave Liv an affectionate kiss. "Your wish is our command."
(To Be Continued)
Authors: Brenda (azewewish) & Jo (idiosyncratic)
Series: Claimed Universe
Notes: Click here for full disclaimers and pairings.
Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four | Part Five | Part Six | Part Seven | Part Eight | Part Nine | Part Ten | Part Eleven | Part Twelve | Part Thirteen | Part Fourteen | Part Fifteen | Part Sixteen | Part Seventeen | Part Eighteen | Part Nineteen | Part Twenty | Part Twenty-One | Part Twenty-Two | Part Twenty-Three | Part Twenty-Four | Part Twenty-Five | Part Twenty-Six | Part Twenty-Seven | Part Twenty-Eight | Part Twenty-Nine | Part Thirty | Part Thirty-One | Part Thirty-Two | Part Thirty-Three | Part Thirty-Four | Part Thirty-Five | Part Thirty-Six | Part Thirty-Seven | Part Thirty-Eight | Part Thirty-Nine | Part Forty | Part Forty-One | Part Forty-Two | Part Forty-Three | Part Forty-Four | Part Forty-Five | Part Forty-Six | Part Forty-Seven | Part Forty-Eight | Part Forty-Nine | Part Fifty | Part Fifty-One | Part Fifty-Two |
Karl sprawled in a chair, legs stretched out in front of him, trying in vain to make himself more comfortable, and watched Harry looking out the window. There was nothing much to see out there, just rain-slicked tarmac and airport equipment. For a long moment, neither of them moved, then Karl pushed out of his seat and moved to stand behind Harry.
"You're quiet," he observed, and slipped a hand beneath heavy hair to knead the back of Harry's neck.
"Just thinking about how quickly time's passed in the last two weeks," Harry replied, with a brief smile.
Quickly wasn't quite the word Karl would have used. Supersonic, perhaps. He still couldn't believe that Liv's plane was on the ground, taxiing closer, rushing them forward to the unmaking ceremony. "Everything's going to be fine," he said, wincing a little at how lame the words sounded.
"I know." Harry slid his arm around Karl's waist, pulled him closer. "But it doesn't stop me from worrying."
"Our bonds will hold him." Karl refused to believe anything else. "Yours, especially."
"Both of us," Harry corrected, sighing in contentment when Karl's fingers found a particularly tight knot of muscle. "He's ours, not mine."
"He is ours," Karl said. "But I think your bonding ceremony proved who he truly belongs to."
Harry snorted softly, turning his head just enough to look at Karl. "Ours."
Karl just chuckled, head coming up as Liv came into sight down the walkway, followed by a bevy of her pretty boys. "Let's see if Liv agrees."
"Karl." There was a warning note in Harry's voice, and Karl just smiled, moving forward to pull Liv into his arms for a warm greeting.
"I know that look," Liv stated, once they parted. The full force of her gaze fell upon him, ethereal and powerful. "What're the two of you arguing about now?"
"Nothing," Harry replied, with another hard look in Karl's direction. He stepped forward to offer a kiss to Liv's cheek. "At least, nothing of import. How was your flight?"
Full lips flirted with a smile. "Diverting enough," Liv replied, and linked her arm with Karl's. "But still too long. And I can see that the two of you took care of at least one problem while I was getting ready to come out here."
"Amazing what actually completing the bonding ceremony will do," Karl mildly stated, ignoring Harry's expression. He patted Liv's arm, and started towards the exit.
Liv nodded. "I'd wondered why his bond with Harry was so weak. That explains everything, so you can stop worrying about him now."
"I wasn't -"
"He'll come through this just fine," she said, as if Harry hadn't spoken at all. Karl found himself fighting to keep a straight face. "You'll have to take care of him as you would a very young child for a while, but he'll survive and be stronger for it."
"How do you know?"
Karl didn't even bother to fight back the laugh as Liv raised an imperious eyebrow at Harry. "Are you questioning me?"
"No, of course not," Harry replied. "I'm...I just..." Seeing Harry so uncharacteristically flustered was fascinating to watch. The only other person that had ever caused him to truly lose his composure had been Lauren.
"He'll be alright," Liv smiled, then tilted her head to study Karl. "Is everyone here? Has Orlando chosen his mortal donors?"
"He has," Karl said, eyes fixed on Liv. There was no way in hell he was going to look at Harry. If he did, he'd start laughing and he wasn't sure he could stop before Harry pounded him into the ground. "And they're all here in the city, ready when we need them."
"Good." She reached back to catch Harry's wrist and pull him into step with them. Karl bit the inside of his cheek. "They're close to him?"
"His best friend, Elijah," Harry said. "Sean's pet, Dom, and Josh have agreed as well. It seems they like the idea of him owing them."
Her bright laughter turned heads as they stepped out of the airport and into the night. "As long as they give willingly."
"They're definitely willing," Harry replied.
"Good." Liv paused as they reached the sleek limo at the busy curb. "And Dave?"
"Also here," Karl told her. "Viggo's delayed implementing his punishment until after the ceremony and the worst is over for Orlando."
"Generous of him."
"Orlando requested it," Karl said, remembering Viggo's expression when Orlando had stood up in the Council chamber and made the request. It was as if he'd been seeking an excuse to delay the inevitable.
Liv smiled. "Unsurprising that Viggo would grant it."
Harry opened the car door. "He loves Orlando as much as the rest of us."
Clear blue eyes focused on Harry, and Karl wasn't shocked to see that Harry only held her gaze for a moment. "Not quite as much as some," Liv countered, another one of those sly little smiles crossing her face.
"True enough," Harry conceded, sliding in after her and taking the seat across from her and Karl. "If Orlando hadn't requested that Dave stay, I think Dave would have been the first to go to his knees to beg Viggo for the right to be here."
"It's good that Dave and Orlando still have fondness between them."
"Oh, it's a little more than fondness," Karl said, taking Liv's hand and studying the elegant rings on her fingers. He was pleased to see that she still wore one that he'd given her a couple of centuries ago. "They'll always have a deep love between them, no matter what the future holds. I think they would have always been lovers, no matter how they'd met."
Harry nodded, slouching in his seat, one arm draped along the back. "They definitely have a connection," he said, a small smile twisting his lips as his eyes unfocused. "I wouldn't be surprised if they found some way around Dave's Silence."
"If anyone can do it..." Karl laughed. He shook his head, remembering the trouble Dave and Orlando had gotten into early in their relationship.
"Your pet is a bit of a troublemaker," Liv said to Harry.
Harry just smiled. "You give him too little credit. Besides," he said, nodding in Karl's direction, "when he misbehaves, he's Karl's."
"I take full responsibility. He makes things interesting."
"As if the two of you haven't been doing just fine on your own in that regard for centuries."
Karl just grinned at Liv's light remark. "We've done alright for ourselves."
"Speak for yourself. I never wanted notoriety."
"You may have never wanted it," Liv said, reaching out to take Harry's hand, "but you achieved it when the two of you managed to bond without you being a pet or either of you having a ceremony. And then you each laid claim to the same pet."
"For which," Karl pointed out, grinning as Harry gave him yet another glare, "we got credit a decade too soon."
"A mere technicality," she said as she gave them both a stern look. Karl wondered what he'd done this time. "I'm surprised Viggo allowed the two of you to drag that innocent boy into this mess."
"Innocent?" Harry choked on the word, and Karl blinked.
"Clearly she doesn't know Orlando."
"She'll figure it out."
"She will also be requiring his presence and that of his mortal donors tomorrow night in my suite," Liv added, with a brilliant smile.
"She will? I mean, you will?" Karl asked, exchanging a startled glance with Harry.
"Of course." Liv smoothed the already pristine line of her skirt. "You really didn't expect I would come here and not explain the ceremony to the parties involved, did you?"
"I, well...no."
"Orlando will be thrilled," Harry said, drily. "I suppose this is an invitation only party?"
"You always were quick on the uptake." Liv folded one of her hands over Harry's clasped ones. "I know you both love him, and have only his best interests and well-being at heart. Which is why it's vital that he be able to share his concerns with someone a little more neutral setting without you two to interrupt."
Harry held Liv's gaze for a long, charged moment, then drew her hand to his lips for a soft kiss. "As ever, madam, I trust your impeccable judgment."
"Then it's settled," she said. Karl saw her fingers clench tight over Harry's before she drew back. "I'll return him to you unharmed."
"There was never any doubt," Harry replied. He smiled, and that smile eased something inside Karl. If Harry could relax, as strong as his bond was with Orlando now, then Karl could (and would) relax.
He settled back in his seat. "So what's on your agenda for this evening, m'lady, seeing as you're not meeting with the children until tomorrow?"
The look Liv gave him was part coquette, part siren. "It's been a very long time since I've been to Los Angeles."
"A century, at least," Karl replied.
"And since I have two such handsome and charming escorts that know the city so well..."
Harry just shook his head with a grin as Karl laughed and gave Liv an affectionate kiss. "Your wish is our command."
(To Be Continued)