FIC: Catalyst (Part Forty-Nine) (Harry Sinclair, Karl Urban, Orlando Bloom, Dave Wenham)
Title: "Catalyst" (Part Forty-Nine)
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 |
Orlando turned from the bar, two champagne glasses in hand, and almost plowed over Dom.
"Excellent, I was just thinking I needed another drink," Dom said, cheeky grin in place as he snagged one of the glasses from Orlando's hand.
"Oi, I was getting that for Harry."
"Think he's busy, mate." Dom pointed across the room, where Harry was in what looked like a pretty deep conversation with Josh's Aunt Kate. "But then, she's a stunner, so who could blame him?"
"You've been here five minutes and you're already trying to stir up trouble?"
"I like keeping people on their toes," Dom replied. "Speaking of, how was the actual ceremony? I take it that it went well, since I don't see either Karl or Josh around."
"Not that I have much experience with them, but yes," Orlando said, as he took another glass from the bartender. "It went well. No one fainted at the sight of blood, Karl was his usual arrogant self, and Josh had Harry trying not to laugh."
"Sounds normal," Dom said, nodding as he continued to watch Harry. "So who's the bird?"
"Josh's Aunt Kate," Orlando replied, easing through the small crowd on his way to Harry. "And she apparently has a bit of a reputation, so..."
Dom nodded sagely. "Ah. One of those."
Orlando wasn't entirely sure he liked the sound of that. "What's that mean?"
"Vampires can be pretty single-minded when they want something or someone," Dom shrugged. "If this one's got her sights set on Harry, then I'd say chances are you're going to be in for a lonely night unless you feel like joining in."
"Joining in?" His eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his head.
"It's past time for you to broaden your horizons, mate," Dom said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Doesn't look like Harry's inclined to say no to her."
Frowning, Orlando looked at Kate and Harry. His eyes narrowed at the proprietary hand resting on Harry's arm. A few steps brought him to Harry's side, and Orlando's eyes flicked from Kate's hand to her face as he handed the glass to Harry and attempted to return the smile Kate turned on him. //Making plans for the evening, love?//
//Possibly.// Harry accepted the glass with a soft kiss to Orlando's cheek, then turned back to Kate. "Kate, may I formally introduce you to Orlando?"
A slender hand took Orlando's. Up close, he could see that her skin was absolutely flawless. Her dark eyes flashed with mirth and her wide smile reminded Orlando of Josh's. "I believe Josh introduced us briefly earlier tonight, but things were understandably rushed." Her voice was smooth, low, carried a hint of some indefinable accent.
"A pleasure to meet you, madam," Orlando said, bending his head to brush his lips across the back of her hand. No way was he going to give anyone a chance to fault his manners. "Josh has spoken highly of you."
"I should hope so," she replied with a bright laugh. "He certainly followed me around often enough when he was younger. And now he's gone and gotten himself hitched to a vampire. The world will end next week, mark my words."
Her naughty wink had Orlando smiling in spite of himself. "I promise not to be surprised. Of course, Viggo's been promising the end of the world for the last eight years, so..."
"Oh, I like this one," Kate said to Harry, eyes on Orlando. "He's rather charming. And quite pretty."
Orlando forced himself to stand his ground. He wasn't ashamed to admit (in private, anyway) that the gleam in those dark depths unnerved him. "Thank you," he managed, certain he had to be blushing. This was ridiculous. He was a vampire, and pet to Harry and Karl. He shouldn't be this discombobulated by the mere idea of an attractive female flirting with him. Or going home with Harry.
Christ, going home with Harry...
"And polite. I like that." Kate leaned up slightly to whisper something in Harry's ear. Orlando tried not to stare at the way her admittedly nice breasts were pressed against Harry's arm. Try as he might, he couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Perhaps another time," Harry said, the words an intimate whisper as he leaned in to brush his lips across hers. Orlando's body automatically tightened in response.
"That is a shame," Kate replied, matching Harry's tone, lips still tantalizingly close to Harry's. When Harry leaned in again, the next kiss wasn't nearly as chaste.
Orlando looked away, but his eyes were drawn back to the two of them. They looked good together, he couldn't deny that. And he realized that this was truly the first time he'd ever seen Harry with a woman in a situation that wasn't purely platonic. The knowledge had him fighting the urge to fidget, to flee if he was honest with himself, but he stood perfectly still and even managed to nod when he saw Viggo glance over.
When they finally parted, Orlando took a deep breath and lifted his chin, forced his fingers to relax on the stem of his glass. "I just came over to give Harry his drink," he said, quietly, hoping he sounded calm, even though he was far from feeling it. "I'm sure the two of you have a lot to catch up on, and I don't want to intrude."
With that, he stepped in and brushed his lips across Harry's jaw. "Besides," he added, with a small smile before stepping back, "someone should see if there's anything the caterers need."
"A gracious host is to be commended," Kate replied, returning the smile. Her lips were slightly bruised from Harry's. "You must allow me to repay your kindness. We should do lunch soon - my treat."
"I...uh...that'd be great," he finally replied, manners winning the war over sheer terror.
"Perfect."
He lifted a hand in farewell, stumbled back a step. "I better, y'know, see to the caterers."
"So you said," Harry replied, and leaned in for a softer kiss. Orlando could taste Kate on him - something dark and mysterious and distinctly female. He forced himself to relax and return the kiss, and even gave Harry a small smile when they parted.
"Kate, it was a pleasure." He was proud of his voice for not wavering. "Harry, I'll, um see you, um...have fun tonight," he finished lamely, and turned, forcing himself to slowly ease his way between small groups of people.
The second he got to the kitchen, he rapped his forehead against the wall, legs going weak. "Fucking fuck."
"Well, you can't be cursing like this because of Karl for once, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's because of Harry."
Orlando whirled around, hand pressed to his chest, and glared at Sean. "Fuck, mate, you scared the piss out of me."
"Sorry." Not that Sean precisely looked it. In fact, he looked positively relaxed. His tie was undone and the top two buttons of his shirt. He'd also shed his jacket, and had his sleeves rolled up to reveal the light dusting of hair on his forearms. "Feel like talking about whatever it is that's got you hiding in the kitchen?"
"Kate wants to take me to lunch." It wasn't precisely what Orlando wanted to talk about, but it felt like the safest topic. Even if his head was all tangled up over the idea of lunch with a woman who looked at him like she already knew what he looked like naked. And approved.
"And this has you cursing?"
"Yes," Orlando said, then shook his head. "No. I don't know. Fuck." He sunk to the floor, thinking that his life wasn't supposed to be this complicated.
"Makes sense," Sean said, sounding as if it did anything but.
"No, it doesn't," Orlando said, raking a hand through his hair. So what if it got mussed? Not like Karl was going to be around to chide him for it. "She's been nothing but pleasant and polite, and I don't have any reason to be scared. Or jealous."
"I don't think I follow," Sean said, cocking his head, forehead wrinkling in a frown. "You're scared of Kate?"
"A little."
"And jealous?"
"A little."
Sean still looked confused. Orlando wasn't sure he blamed him. Hell, he barely got it himself. "Why?"
One shoulder lifted into a shrug. Around them, wait staff was busy bustling to and fro, but this corner of the kitchen was free of traffic. More importantly, no one would think to interrupt them here. "Just..." Orlando sighed. "Just the way she was looking at Harry. The way Harry was looking at her." He couldn't even bring up the kiss.
"Ah, I think I understand." Sean dropped to the floor beside Orlando, and patted his knee. "Is it that she's a beautiful woman who's interested in Harry or is it that you're still having doubts about Harry's commitment to you?"
"Both." Orlando managed a rueful smile, then clasped his hands between his knees. He had to fight the urge to leave the kitchen, leave the house. "I mean, it's not like I'm Harry's first choice. And it's a pretty safe bet that I wouldn't be his second choice if not for Karl."
"If not..." Sean tilted his head and frowned. "You think Harry's with you because of Karl?"
(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 |
Orlando turned from the bar, two champagne glasses in hand, and almost plowed over Dom.
"Excellent, I was just thinking I needed another drink," Dom said, cheeky grin in place as he snagged one of the glasses from Orlando's hand.
"Oi, I was getting that for Harry."
"Think he's busy, mate." Dom pointed across the room, where Harry was in what looked like a pretty deep conversation with Josh's Aunt Kate. "But then, she's a stunner, so who could blame him?"
"You've been here five minutes and you're already trying to stir up trouble?"
"I like keeping people on their toes," Dom replied. "Speaking of, how was the actual ceremony? I take it that it went well, since I don't see either Karl or Josh around."
"Not that I have much experience with them, but yes," Orlando said, as he took another glass from the bartender. "It went well. No one fainted at the sight of blood, Karl was his usual arrogant self, and Josh had Harry trying not to laugh."
"Sounds normal," Dom said, nodding as he continued to watch Harry. "So who's the bird?"
"Josh's Aunt Kate," Orlando replied, easing through the small crowd on his way to Harry. "And she apparently has a bit of a reputation, so..."
Dom nodded sagely. "Ah. One of those."
Orlando wasn't entirely sure he liked the sound of that. "What's that mean?"
"Vampires can be pretty single-minded when they want something or someone," Dom shrugged. "If this one's got her sights set on Harry, then I'd say chances are you're going to be in for a lonely night unless you feel like joining in."
"Joining in?" His eyes felt like they were going to pop out of his head.
"It's past time for you to broaden your horizons, mate," Dom said, clapping him on the shoulder. "Doesn't look like Harry's inclined to say no to her."
Frowning, Orlando looked at Kate and Harry. His eyes narrowed at the proprietary hand resting on Harry's arm. A few steps brought him to Harry's side, and Orlando's eyes flicked from Kate's hand to her face as he handed the glass to Harry and attempted to return the smile Kate turned on him. //Making plans for the evening, love?//
//Possibly.// Harry accepted the glass with a soft kiss to Orlando's cheek, then turned back to Kate. "Kate, may I formally introduce you to Orlando?"
A slender hand took Orlando's. Up close, he could see that her skin was absolutely flawless. Her dark eyes flashed with mirth and her wide smile reminded Orlando of Josh's. "I believe Josh introduced us briefly earlier tonight, but things were understandably rushed." Her voice was smooth, low, carried a hint of some indefinable accent.
"A pleasure to meet you, madam," Orlando said, bending his head to brush his lips across the back of her hand. No way was he going to give anyone a chance to fault his manners. "Josh has spoken highly of you."
"I should hope so," she replied with a bright laugh. "He certainly followed me around often enough when he was younger. And now he's gone and gotten himself hitched to a vampire. The world will end next week, mark my words."
Her naughty wink had Orlando smiling in spite of himself. "I promise not to be surprised. Of course, Viggo's been promising the end of the world for the last eight years, so..."
"Oh, I like this one," Kate said to Harry, eyes on Orlando. "He's rather charming. And quite pretty."
Orlando forced himself to stand his ground. He wasn't ashamed to admit (in private, anyway) that the gleam in those dark depths unnerved him. "Thank you," he managed, certain he had to be blushing. This was ridiculous. He was a vampire, and pet to Harry and Karl. He shouldn't be this discombobulated by the mere idea of an attractive female flirting with him. Or going home with Harry.
Christ, going home with Harry...
"And polite. I like that." Kate leaned up slightly to whisper something in Harry's ear. Orlando tried not to stare at the way her admittedly nice breasts were pressed against Harry's arm. Try as he might, he couldn't make out what she was saying.
"Perhaps another time," Harry said, the words an intimate whisper as he leaned in to brush his lips across hers. Orlando's body automatically tightened in response.
"That is a shame," Kate replied, matching Harry's tone, lips still tantalizingly close to Harry's. When Harry leaned in again, the next kiss wasn't nearly as chaste.
Orlando looked away, but his eyes were drawn back to the two of them. They looked good together, he couldn't deny that. And he realized that this was truly the first time he'd ever seen Harry with a woman in a situation that wasn't purely platonic. The knowledge had him fighting the urge to fidget, to flee if he was honest with himself, but he stood perfectly still and even managed to nod when he saw Viggo glance over.
When they finally parted, Orlando took a deep breath and lifted his chin, forced his fingers to relax on the stem of his glass. "I just came over to give Harry his drink," he said, quietly, hoping he sounded calm, even though he was far from feeling it. "I'm sure the two of you have a lot to catch up on, and I don't want to intrude."
With that, he stepped in and brushed his lips across Harry's jaw. "Besides," he added, with a small smile before stepping back, "someone should see if there's anything the caterers need."
"A gracious host is to be commended," Kate replied, returning the smile. Her lips were slightly bruised from Harry's. "You must allow me to repay your kindness. We should do lunch soon - my treat."
"I...uh...that'd be great," he finally replied, manners winning the war over sheer terror.
"Perfect."
He lifted a hand in farewell, stumbled back a step. "I better, y'know, see to the caterers."
"So you said," Harry replied, and leaned in for a softer kiss. Orlando could taste Kate on him - something dark and mysterious and distinctly female. He forced himself to relax and return the kiss, and even gave Harry a small smile when they parted.
"Kate, it was a pleasure." He was proud of his voice for not wavering. "Harry, I'll, um see you, um...have fun tonight," he finished lamely, and turned, forcing himself to slowly ease his way between small groups of people.
The second he got to the kitchen, he rapped his forehead against the wall, legs going weak. "Fucking fuck."
"Well, you can't be cursing like this because of Karl for once, so I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's because of Harry."
Orlando whirled around, hand pressed to his chest, and glared at Sean. "Fuck, mate, you scared the piss out of me."
"Sorry." Not that Sean precisely looked it. In fact, he looked positively relaxed. His tie was undone and the top two buttons of his shirt. He'd also shed his jacket, and had his sleeves rolled up to reveal the light dusting of hair on his forearms. "Feel like talking about whatever it is that's got you hiding in the kitchen?"
"Kate wants to take me to lunch." It wasn't precisely what Orlando wanted to talk about, but it felt like the safest topic. Even if his head was all tangled up over the idea of lunch with a woman who looked at him like she already knew what he looked like naked. And approved.
"And this has you cursing?"
"Yes," Orlando said, then shook his head. "No. I don't know. Fuck." He sunk to the floor, thinking that his life wasn't supposed to be this complicated.
"Makes sense," Sean said, sounding as if it did anything but.
"No, it doesn't," Orlando said, raking a hand through his hair. So what if it got mussed? Not like Karl was going to be around to chide him for it. "She's been nothing but pleasant and polite, and I don't have any reason to be scared. Or jealous."
"I don't think I follow," Sean said, cocking his head, forehead wrinkling in a frown. "You're scared of Kate?"
"A little."
"And jealous?"
"A little."
Sean still looked confused. Orlando wasn't sure he blamed him. Hell, he barely got it himself. "Why?"
One shoulder lifted into a shrug. Around them, wait staff was busy bustling to and fro, but this corner of the kitchen was free of traffic. More importantly, no one would think to interrupt them here. "Just..." Orlando sighed. "Just the way she was looking at Harry. The way Harry was looking at her." He couldn't even bring up the kiss.
"Ah, I think I understand." Sean dropped to the floor beside Orlando, and patted his knee. "Is it that she's a beautiful woman who's interested in Harry or is it that you're still having doubts about Harry's commitment to you?"
"Both." Orlando managed a rueful smile, then clasped his hands between his knees. He had to fight the urge to leave the kitchen, leave the house. "I mean, it's not like I'm Harry's first choice. And it's a pretty safe bet that I wouldn't be his second choice if not for Karl."
"If not..." Sean tilted his head and frowned. "You think Harry's with you because of Karl?"
(To Be Continued)