FIC: "Catalyst" (Part Seventeen) (Dave Wenham, Harry Sinclair, Karl Urban, Orlando Bloom)

[azewewish]

Title: "Catalyst" (Part Seventeen)
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 |



"Oh, man..."

Dave pressed a light kiss to his cheek. "Told you."

"From now on," Orlando said, turning in a slow circle, "I am definitely staying with you when I'm in London."

The room was amazing. Computers, flat-screen TVs, monitors, and game systems were everywhere, and one entire wall was covered with shelves. And the shelves were crammed with games. Orlando could gladly spend a few years in there and not get bored. He barely heard the amused chuckle behind him.

"You're welcome any time. We'll even designate a suite of rooms for you," Lawrence said. "Dave tells me you're into games."

"Now there's an understatement," Karl said, but Orlando ignored him.

"I am," he said, nodding and looking up at Lawrence. Really, the man was huge. Orlando didn't think he'd get used to that.

"I've been working on a new system. It's not ready for public release yet, but I think it's ready for the first beta testers..."

"Lij will piss himself with excitement," Orlando grinned, all but bouncing himself. This was like Christmas all over again.

"He's welcome any time," Dave told him.

Karl leaned against Harry's chest with a mock sigh. "We may never see him again."

"House'll be quieter," Harry commented.

"Only for short periods," Viggo said, and the tone of his voice brought Orlando's head around.

Oh, bloody hell.

"I've decided to offer Orlando the position as my assistant."

"So soon?" Karl flashed Dave a questioning look. At Dave's nod, Karl glanced at Orlando. Who didn't know what to tell him.

Harry frowned. "I thought we'd be allowed to speak before Dave's punishment."

"I haven't decided on Dave's punishment yet," Viggo said. "But regardless of what I decide, we all know Dave's time as my assistant has to end."

Dave nodded, reaching up to pat Lawrence's hand as it rested on his shoulder. "Lawrence has already made arrangements," he said, and Orlando could see how much more relaxed he was with Lawrence touching him. "There's a position in his company waiting for me."

"Dave's been a lot of help to me the last couple of years," Lawrence said. He focused on Viggo with such intensity that Orlando found himself standing beside Harry before he realized he was moving. "He'll be a tremendous asset to me in the future. Professionally and personally."

There was no way to miss the look that passed between Harry and Karl. And Orlando knew enough to recognize a challenge when he saw one. Yes, he was definitely going to hide behind Harry. And maybe Karl as well.

"Rest easy, child, I'm not going to sentence him to die," Viggo said quietly enough, but there was a core of steel in his voice that Orlando thought even Josh could hear. "And, as it seems I'm performing an iunctum ceremony between the two of you tonight, you will also get your chance to plead your mate's case before I make my final decision."

Lawrence glanced down at Dave. "You told him?"

"He's my Sire. And I can think of no better witnesses than the people in this room."

"We would be honored to witness the vows," Harry said, after another quick look with Karl.

"Dude, wait, um...don't the bonds with Harry and Karl have to be broken first?" Everyone swiveled their heads to Josh, who just shrugged. "I mean, can't have a marriage if you're not properly divorced, right?"

"I believe you're the only one in the room I haven't met," Dave said, coming forward and smiling. He held out his hand to Josh.

"My fault, I should have said something. Dave, this is Josh Hartnett," Karl said, making the introduction. "He's with me."

"Like the smell of you all over him isn't a dead giveaway," Dave replied, with a wink, then gave his attention back to Josh. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Josh said. "Although, man, I gotta ask if your parties are always this interesting."

"Not all of them. Although there have been a few memorable parties over the years."

"Most of them involving the Eternal Idiots or Monica," Viggo stated, with a grin.

It was a simple comment, but it gave Orlando all the opening he needed. Not that he needed one, precisely, since Karl had told him to ask, but this way he could avoid being nosy. "Harry, love?"

"Yes?"

"Who's Monica?"

"A friend."

Orlando frowned. A friend? Who made Harry get that soft faraway look in his eyes? Who made Karl grin in such a mysterious manner? Who even made Viggo look more amused than usual? "A friend?" he repeated out loud.

"A close friend. She makes her home in Italy, but we meet up from time to time when I'm in Europe on business or she's in L.A."

"A close friend?" Huh. Condescend to him. He completely ignored Karl's laughter - the bastard - and focused on Harry. "Are you fucking with me? A friend? That's all you're going to tell me?"

"Yes. A friend. As in someone whose company I enjoy." Harry just raised an eyebrow. "Do I ask you about how you spend your time or who you spend it with when it's not with me?"

"No," Orlando said, "but if you did, I'd tell you."

"Is he jealous?" Dave asked, looking around the room. It was obvious he didn't expect - or need - an answer.

"Think he'll pick a fight with Harry this time?" Josh asked, glancing at Karl before watching Orlando with avid glee.

"If he tries, Harry will give him a worse beating than I did."

"Orlando -"

"No, you know what, it's fine, whatever," Orlando said, and moved to step away from Harry. "Don't tell me about your special little friend, I don't care. We'll just pretend I didn't ask."

Before the last word faded from hearing, Orlando froze in horror. Had he just...? He risked a quick peek at the others, and found Karl still very amused. Josh was grinning like a fool, Dave was shaking his head in fond exasperation, and Viggo...well, Orlando was used to that particular look from him. And he didn't dare look at Lawrence. Not after that little tirade. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He was a fucking idiot. And worse, Dave was right, he was a jealous idiot. He'd never get the hang of this whole vampire thing.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, not quite meeting Harry's eyes.

"Apology accepted." A gentle finger lifted his chin. "If you are truly interested in meeting her, I can arrange an introduction the next time she's in L.A."

"I don't want to intrude on your personal life," Orlando said, even as his curiosity threatened to rage out of control. He wanted to say yes, accept the offer, even though part of him wondered why he was so interested in this woman who could make Harry smile like that. Gathering the shreds of his dignity, he lifted his chin and looked Harry in the eye. "If you want to introduce me to her, I would be honored, but I won't push the issue."

"I don't mind. She's been curious about meeting you for awhile now."

"She has?"

"She's known about you from the start. And, like most, she never thought either Karl or I would take a pet."

"Mind that you do take some care when you meet her, however," Karl cut in, with a grin. "She can be...well..."

"Demure is not the first word one thinks of upon meeting her," Viggo added, when it was apparent that Karl, for once, was at a loss for words.

"I was going to go with brazen hussy, but that works, too," Karl laughed. "In her line of business, brazen is a virtue."

"What's she do?" Dave asked.

"She owns and runs a design house out of Milan," Harry said.

Brazen? Hussy? Orlando gave Karl a sidelong look, trying to determine if he was joking or not. Harry liked brazen women? It struck him, not for the first time, how much there was about Harry he still had to learn. He tilted his head, looked at Harry. "Is she really? A hussy, I mean?"

"She's Italian," Harry shrugged, like that explained anything.

"Monica..." Josh raised a hand, lowered it. "Um, you said Italian? And a fashion designer? Her last name wouldn't happen to be Bellucci, would it?"

"She is. Your aunt knows her?" Karl asked.

"Oh yeah." Josh let out a low, admiring whistle. "From what little I could get out of my aunt, when she met Monica, I dunno, like a century ago or something, all she would tell me was that there was a good decade that was sort of a haze of sex, drugs and rock & roll."

"That sounds about right," Viggo chuckled.

"Wait a minute. This Monica of yours? Looks like she could be a Botticelli painting brought to life, only with jet-black hair instead of red?" Lawrence asked. When Harry merely nodded, Lawrence let out his own whistle. "Bra, I envy you. We met through friends down in the South Island once and that is a helluva lot of woman."

Harry's smile turned soft. "She's not for the faint of heart, no."

Not for the faint of heart. Well, Orlando was feeling very faint-hearted himself at the moment. He wondered if he could change his mind and back out of this whole meeting. It sounded like this Monica was going to...he didn't know, but he had a good idea, based on the comments bouncing around the room.

But Harry's face when he spoke of her...

"Your pet looks a bit pale there, mate," Lawrence said.

"No, no, I'm good," Orlando said, not looking at Harry and that smile. He couldn't help wondering if Harry was aware of just how revealing it was.

"You'll be fine," Karl said. "She doesn't much pay attention to anyone else when Harry's around, anyway. Sort of like you."

"Well, that's...hey!" Orlando's eyes narrowed. He aimed a punch at Karl's shoulder. "I totally pay attention to other things."

Viggo shook his head. "A room could catch on fire, and you wouldn't notice it if Harry was touching you."

Harry's fingers drifted to Orlando's neck, circled along sensitive skin. "Relax, love, you know they only do it to get a rise out of you."

Orlando tried to agree, but Harry's fingers on his throat were doing things to him. He closed his eyes, swayed towards Harry as his body responded, and he had to swallow a whimper.

"And thank you for proving my point," Viggo added.

"I see what you mean now," Lawrence told Dave, who was just watching Harry and Orlando with a small smile.

"What's that?" Dave asked.

"Them getting it backwards," Lawrence replied, pointing a finger between Karl and Harry.

"Well, we've never been much for doing things the easy way," Karl grinned.

"Easy is boring," Orlando stated.

"I'm going to remind you of that," Harry laughed.

"He'll just deny it," Dave said. "Now, who's ready for dinner?"

Orlando's head popped up, and Josh perked up so fast that Karl wasn't the only one chuckling. "You should know better than to ask about food around the children."

"Well, unlike the rest of you crazy vampires and your slow metabolisms, I need to eat at regular intervals," Josh said.

"Especially if you want to keep up with Karl," Dave laughed.

Josh's answering grin showed off twin dimples. "That's exactly what I told him, too."

"Well, no worries, mate, we've got plenty," Lawrence said, and wrapped a friendly arm around Josh's shoulders as they headed to the dining room. "You've the look of a surfer about you."

"I've done a bit. Take it you're no stranger to the waves."

"Samoan, bra. And I keep trying to talk Dave there into trying it," Lawrence admitted, pulling a sad face that had Orlando fighting back giggles. "He just goes on about being British and how that means he can't surf."

"I'm British," Orlando pointed out, smirking when Dave flashed him a look that quite clearly called him a traitorous bastard. "And I have no problem surfing."

"Yes, well, you've let your SoCal lifestyle affect you," Dave decided.

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Harry commented.

"Clearly, we didn't have him long enough," Karl mock-lamented.

"You tried your best," Orlando said, then patted Dave on the shoulder. "Pity he's just too stubborn. Bet Lawrence'll be able to talk him onto a board eventually, though."

"He thinks I've given up trying. He still hasn't figured out how stubborn I can be."

Karl gave Lawrence a once over. "I think that's a battle Dave is destined to lose."

"We'll do what we can to sway him to our side," Josh told Lawrence, then let out a low whistle when they all walked into the dining room. "Man, this is some spread."

Lawrence shrugged, but Orlando could tell he was pleased. "Just told my chef to make a little bit of everything, appetizer-wise. Figured the less formal, the better."

"Excellent choice, although Karl would disagree," Harry said, with a pat to Lawrence's back.

"I can do informal."

"Which is why you're always insisting I wear a tie."

"That's because I like you in suits," Karl said, and smiled when Orlando rolled his eyes. "And look, there's some beef here, just for you."

"Wanker," Orlando said, in the most superior tone he could manage. He came close to sticking out his tongue, but resisted the urge. Instead, he made a beeline for the stuffed mushrooms and the spanikopita platter.

"There's a story there," Josh said, watching with open amusement as he took a plate.

"There is," Dave said, and just grinned when Orlando gave him a dark look. "See, Harry and Karl here managed to bind themselves to a vegetarian, who then became a vampire."

"So, how does he get around the whole...?" Josh mimed biting on someone's neck.

"That he took to like duck to water," Dave said. "Although, I should say, he does like meat, but only if it's up his -"

Orlando narrowed his eyes. "If you even think about finishing that sentence, it really will be an eternity before I fuck you again."

Dave didn't look at all repentant. "Empty threat."

"I'm just trying to picture Orlando withholding sex," Karl said, and bit into a skewer of chicken satay. "Especially where Dave's involved."

"So what you're really trying to say," Josh said, managing to look completely innocent, "is that Orlando likes meat, but only if it's sausages?"

"Mr. Hartnett," Viggo declared, "I do believe you're going to fit in with this bunch just fine."

"Oh, good, I was worried I would fail the inspection."

"Wouldn't matter anyway, with the way Karl looks at you," Harry said.

Dave snorted. "I imagine Karl's thoroughly inspected him at this point."

Karl just smiled, the expression a trifle smug, and popped a mushroom into his mouth.

"And you lot say I have a smart mouth," Orlando said. He shook his head and dropped into an empty chair. "I'm abdicating and giving Josh that crown."

"There's a crown?" Josh looked suitably impressed. "I hope it's shiny."

"Very shiny," Dave said. "But you're never going to be the queen that Orlando was."

Both of Viggo's eyebrows went up. "Was?"

"Is," Dave amended, and took a long sip of his beer. "I was trying to be nice."

"Don't do me any favors," Orlando muttered, and decided to ignore everyone in favor of eating. When someone dropped into the chair beside him, he looked up, half expecting it to be Harry. Instead, Lawrence was smiling down at him. Good Christ, Orlando couldn't get over how big he was. He thought he could fit both of his shoulders inside of one of Lawrence's.

"They always take the piss out of you like that?" Lawrence asked, gesturing to the group. His own plate was piled high. Body as big as that must take a lot to refuel.

"This is mild, comparatively speaking," Orlando replied. "Dave and Karl are usually much worse once they get rolling. I'm actually surprised Harry isn't right in there with them."

"Long as you give as good as you get, right?"

"Fucking right."

"So...I trust I meet with your approval, then?" At Orlando's inquisitive nod, Lawrence leaned in closer. "I know it may not seem like much comfort, considering things and all, but Dave talked about you quite a lot between his visits back to L.A. and your visits here to London. You're very important to him. Which means you're important to me."

Orlando cocked his head and studied Lawrence. Up close, like this, he wasn't as imposing as when he loomed over a person. Lawrence wasn't someone Orlando would have ever pictured with Dave, but with that open, easy smile, Orlando could see what Dave saw in him. "Do you love him?"

There was no hesitation in the heartfelt reply. "With everything I am."

"Then, as far as I'm concerned then, you can't do anything wrong. Keep him safe, treat him as he deserves, and I'll be honored to call you a friend."

"Ah, good," Lawrence said, and patted Orlando on the knee in a friendly gesture. "I was hoping I wouldn't have to break out the big guns."

"Big guns?" Orlando asked, confused.

"Well, see, it's like I told Dave when I first met him," Lawrence said, and bit into a riblet. "I didn't aim on giving him much choice in falling for me. I'd've done the same with you if you'd resisted my offer of friendship."

"Considering I have a pretty good idea how you got Dave to fall for you," Orlando said, finishing off his last bite of spanikopita, "I think I can safely it wouldn't work on me."

"Oh, I wouldn't have used the same tactics on you."

"And, um, what tactics would you have used?" To be honest, Orlando wasn't exactly sure he wanted to know, but he figured it was best to get it out in the open. Just in case he ever needed advance warning.

"Nope, you never know when they might come in handy," Lawrence grinned, once again showing the whitest teeth Orlando had ever seen. "Besides, I'm betting you'll be around often enough that you'll figure out all of my tricks at some point."

"Only until Viggo decides to follow through on that threat," Orlando pointed out. The mere idea of becoming Viggo's assistant was terrifying. It had been bad enough when he'd only had to avoid disappointing Karl. The idea that he'd be, in some small way, responsible for the Council? Beyond terrifying.

The last riblet stopped halfway to Lawrence's mouth. "You really think it was a threat?"

"With Viggo?" Orlando shook his head. "It was most likely a promise. Just as soon as he can get my name on the payroll."

"So why so nervous, then?" Lawrence asked. "I mean, if you don't want the job, I can't imagine him forcing you into it. Not with your two bodyguards ready to take on the world for you," he added, pointing out Harry and Karl, who were talking with Josh and Dave and Viggo, looking like they were having a great time. Even Harry seemed relaxed, even though Orlando knew this was still hard for him.

"I can't say no," Orlando said, softly, and looked down at his plate. "But it's a little scary, you know? I mean, I managed a clothing boutique when I met Karl, and now I run huge chunks of his empire. Viggo, though...the Council? Fuck, that's something else entirely. The last thing I want to do is disappoint any of them."

"I doubt you could do that." When Orlando looked up, Lawrence's eyes were kind. "I'd say their faith in you is well-placed."

"Thanks," Orlando softly replied, and meant it.

"Feel up to joining the rest of the party now?"

"Suppose we better. Otherwise they'll start to think I'm plotting to run off with you."

Lawrence's laugh caused every head to turn. "You're exactly like Dave described you," he said as they headed back towards the buffet. He piled his plate high again and looked amused when Orlando chose a small assortment of vegetable filled pastries.

"I'm nothing if not predictable. Just ask them," Orlando replied, with a nod towards Harry and Karl, who now stood within easy hearing distance.

"Whatever he's telling you, it's all lies," Karl stated.

"Unless he complimented Karl, in which case, that part's true," Harry added, with a wink for Orlando. //Enjoy your talk?//

//I did. Were you eavesdropping?//

"Actually," Lawrence said, "the things he said about the two of you sounded like the truth."

"Which is probably worse than the lies," Dave added.

"Far worse," Karl agreed.

He looked delighted with the idea, and Orlando couldn't help laughing. He noticed, though, that Harry hadn't answered him yet. Watching Harry from the corner of his eye, Orlando took a few steps closer until his elbow brushed Harry's.

"Well?" he asked, keeping his voice down. "Were you?"

"Maybe a little," Harry said, with an unapologetic look.

"Planning on coming to my rescue if things went south?"

"I trust you to take care of yourself."

The compliment warmed him. When Harry shifted his arm and draped it across Orlando's shoulders, Orlando snuggled in closer. //How much did you hear?//

//Enough.//

Which could mean he heard everything or that he'd only heard a tiny snippet. //Enough meaning?//

//Enough meaning I trust Dave with Lawrence.//

Ah...so that's what it had been about. //You can't protect him forever, either, you know.//

//Watch me.//

//I imagine Lawrence might have something to say about that after the ceremony.// With a soft smile, Orlando leaned up to press a light kiss to Harry's cheek. //He'll be fine. Besides, you'll have your hands full protecting me once I'm mortal again.//

//And I'm certain that Karl will have something to say about that. You're still his, you know. Regardless of what happens with us.//

//I know.// Orlando roamed over their small group, taking in how attentive Dave and Lawrence were with each other, how Karl stayed fairly close to Josh as Viggo talked to him. //But, I think Karl's going to have his hands full with that one for awhile. Josh is far better suited to him than I am.//

//They do seem to mesh.// Soft lips brushed Orlando's hair. //Josh is a little bit like you, got some of me in him...and has more than enough backbone to stand up to Karl's bullshit. But Josh'll never replace you in Karl's heart. I hope you know that.//

//I know.// Orlando tipped his head back so the next kiss landed on his lips. //I don't doubt Karl's love for me or mine for him. Regardless of how all of this changes us, I know my place in his life.//

When their lips parted, Orlando found Karl watching them. He looked relaxed, amused. //Should we leave you two to your privacy?//

(To Be Continued)