CHAPTER FIVE

Carl stood in front of the door to the guest room and began to wonder if maybe he had gone a little overboard. Perhaps he should lose the fruit? After all, it wasn't like this was some kind of romantic gesture. He was bringing the man breakfast because he was too injured to get it himself. He started to head back down stairs and then stopped. This was ridiculous. If he went back down stairs the food would be cold. He'll just bring it all in and act casual about the whole thing.

Having found his resolve, he juggled the tray and opened the door. Van Helsing was sitting propped up on the bed with the blankets covering his lower body. His chest however, was gloriously uncovered and was currently being highlighted by the sun streaming in the window. Carl unconsciously licked his lips at the sight and then mentally gave himself a good hard shake. Stay focused here, Carl. Its bad enough you are carrying in a tray that just screams domestic without getting all gooey-eyed at the sight of a well toned, bare chest.

He forced himself to give a cheery smile and said, "Here you go." He plunked the tray onto Van Helsing's lap and backed away a few steps. "I'll just leave you to eat and then come back for the tray later" He started to turn to leave when a thought occurred to him. He turned back toward Van Helsing and said, "I just realized something. If you are going to stay for a couple of days, you are going to need some things. I could swing by your place and pick stuff up if you like?"

Van Helsing raised an eyebrow at that. That was quite an offer coming from Carl. Especially since he was quite certain that Carl had never set foot in the lower side of town before. It would be quite an education for the rich boy to see how the other half lived. And to be honest, he did need to get a few things if he was going to be away for a couple of days. For starters he needed to check in and he would much prefer to do that via email and that would mean having his laptop. And he had left his crossbow there which was not a big deal when he was only going to be gone a couple of hours but was a much bigger deal if he was gone for a couple of days. He shrugged and decided to let Carl go.

"My keys are in my jacket. I'll need to make you a list of where to find the things I'll need. Most of them are not in plain sight." Van Helsing began to mentally review all of the things he'd want transported to him.

Carl was already pulling a pad of paper from his back pocket. Ideas were always striking him at the oddest of times so he had gotten use to carrying a notebook wherever he went. He handed the pad and pen to Van Helsing who gave him a momentary odd look but took them without comment. Carl blushed a little. He knew he came off as a big geek but he really couldn't help it sometimes.

Van Helsing began to write up a list of instructions while munching on a piece of toast. He paused in his writing to grab the cup of coffee and for the first time really looked at the tray. Carl had gone all out. There was coffee and juice, toast with butter and jelly, the eggs and even some fruit. The only thing missing was a rose in a vase. He looked mockingly over at Carl and was rewarded with a lovely pink blush. Carl fidgeted adorably and Van Helsing couldn't resist teasing him.

"You are quite the little homemaker aren't you? What comes next? Homemade cookies" Carl's blush turned scarlet and he squirmed a bit more. "So tell me, can I expect this treatment every morning? If so I may just have to extend my stay"

Carl wanted the floor to swallow him up. He was looking like the world's biggest idiot in front of the worldly hunter. He tried to recover a bit of his tattered dignity by saying "Keep this attitude up and it will be bread and water for the next couple of days" He rose majestically, and said "I've got a couple of things to tend to so I'll be back in 15 minutes for the list". With that he sailed out of the room without a backwards glance.

Van Helsing just chuckled. He recognized a face saving exit when he saw it. Still, it was rather nice of Carl to go through so much effort. He had clearly had been trying to make sure he brought something he'd like. And he was offering to go to Van Helsing's place to get his stuff. Seeing what happened to Carl the last time he crossed out of his own side of town, that was no small offer. The guy was going out of his way for him so he really should be nicer to him. But somehow he just couldn't resist teasing him. Between the pouts and the blushes, it was just too enjoyable. The man really was endearing in a geeky way.

Van Helsing continued to chuckle and munch as he worked on his list. He wrote out detailed instructions on how to find the various things he had stashed and how best to transport some of the more dangerous items. He was just finishing up when Carl came back in the room.

Carl had spent the last 15 minutes attempting to pull himself together. Clearly he had come off badly with the whole breakfast debacle but he could recover now by being cool, collected and oh so detached. He entered the room casually as if nothing at all had happened earlier. For once he was grateful for all the society parties he had been dragged to that taught him the finer points of coolness in the face of social disgrace. He walked over to the bed and stopped, smiling faintly at the reclining man. Van Helsing gave him a mocking smirk but Carl determinedly ignored it. He nonchalantly moved the tray aside and sat down. "So do you have the list ready" He gazed at the Hunter as if it was really the most incidental of things.

Van Helsing looked at Carl and didn't really like what he saw. Carl had clearly retreated behind some polite mask and had become cold and remote. Van Helsing much preferred the slightly awkward geek he had rescued. He was determined to do what it took to bring him back.

Carl meanwhile continued to look politely at Van Helsing. He could see the wheels turning in the man's head and was beginning to get nervous. He just wanted to get the list and get out of there before he embarrassed himself again. He coughed slightly and said, "Do you need more time to put the list together. I can come back in bit if you like".

Van Helsing had to stifle the urge to smack Carl. Even his voice had taken on a distantly polite tone. He looked at Carl and in a disgruntled voice said, "No, it's done. You'll need to dig a couple of the things out of their hiding places but I've written it all down." He held out the pad of paper to Carl

Carl smiled that small, polite smile and was rewarded by a tightening of Van Helsing's lips. The man definitely didn't like not being in the driver's seat. Carl took the list and read it over quickly. It seemed pretty straightforward. "I'll just take your keys then and get going. You'll be ok until I get back?" Again, the question was asked in the most casual of tones, as if discussing the weather.

Van Helsing definitely wanted to smack Carl now. He smiled tightly back at Carl and said "I've been taking care of myself for years. I think I can handle myself now." He settled back against the headboard in a grumpy pose.

Carl wanted to jump up and down in triumph. He was definitely getting his own back now! But he hid it well and merely said "Then I'll just be going. Feel free to raid the kitchen if you get hungry." He picked up the tray and oh so casually walked from the room. It wasn't until he closed the door behind him that he allowed the look of victorious joy to show. He had finally come through a meeting with Van Helsing completely embarrassment-free. He moved down the hall with a jaunty step. This was going to be a good day.

Van Helsing watched Carl leave with a sour look on his face. He definitely had to do something about this polite, society version of Carl. Deciding that what he would need is some ammunition, he got slowly out of bed. Pulling on his jeans, he walked across the room and opened the door. Standing in the hallway, he tried to decide which would be the best place to start. Looking at the door across from him, he decided that he'd start in Carl's bedroom. He opened the door and walked in. It was clear Carl had still not come back in here since he got home last night. Looking around he made his plan of attack. He walked over to the bureau and began rifling through the drawers. Other then discovering that Carl wore boxers, this didn't yield a whole lot of information. He then looked under the bed but found nothing but a scrap of paper that turned out to be a receipt with a date and phone number written on it. Kneeling by the bed, he frowned. Surely there had to be something good to be found in here.

He headed over to the closet. Opening it, he looked through the clothes. Mostly comfortable button down shirts and khakis. Towards the back he found a number of suits and even a tuxedo. It was clear from their positions that they weren't worn very often. On the floor he found a couple of pairs of dress shoes and several pairs of sneakers. There was even a pair of hiking boots but it was obvious they hadn't been used in a while. Moving on to the shelves, he pulled down boxes which turned out to be full of books and weird bits of metal that were no doubt some of Carl's work. He even found one box full of trade magazines that had clearly been up there for a while. He was beginning to give up hope of finding anything of use when he pulled down a final box that had been shoved in the far back. This box was filled with photos and other mementos. Thinking this might have something of interest he took the box and walked out into the bedroom where he could really examine it.

Van Helsing took the box and sat with it on the bed. He dug out the first photo and saw it was of a classy looking blonde. She was good looking but there was something very cold about her. It reminded him of the way Carl had been behaving earlier. So this was the kind of woman Carl liked? He dug another photo out and this time it was one of the blonde with Carl. They were both in party clothes and had their arms around each other but the pose was formal and Carl looked stiff and uncomfortable. There was another one of two of them and while the clothes were less formal, the coldness was still there. Van Helsing frowned and put the pictures aside. He reached into the box again and pulled out another photo. This time it was of a brunette. While the woman had changed, the same cold glamour remained. There were several photos of this woman but none of them revealed any kind of real affection toward Carl. He dug in again, and came up with another blonde. Carl seemed a bit younger in this photo and his hair was a bit longer. Van Helsing grinned; it wasn't Carl's best look. As he continued to dig in the box, he found more pictures and mementoes from Carl's exes. Each and every one of them had the same highbrow female and a stiff looking Carl. He was about to give up when he pulled out a single photo at the bottom of the box. From the location and what Carl was wearing, this was clearly taken during his college days. What made the photo such a find was Carl's companion in the photo. It was of another man in his twenties and he was standing behind Carl with his arms around him and his chin resting on Carl's shoulder. Carl had slung one arm up around the man's neck and he was grinning happily at the camera. It was clear that the two men were very affectionate toward each other.

Van Helsing looked at the photo for a long time. So, Carl had a boyfriend in his college days. That is certainly interesting. Van Helsing was suddenly feeling a whole lot better but didn't allow himself to think too deeply as to why. Whistling to himself, he packed up the box and put it back in the closet where he found it. He then left the room and headed back to his own. Climbing into bed, he smiled widely. Yep, things were looking up.

Carl had pulled up to Van Helsing's apartment building and couldn't help but look around nervously. He knew he stood out like a sore thumb here and he couldn't help but remember the gargoyle attack of last night. Maybe this hadn't been such a bright idea. Still, he had told Van Helsing he would do this and if he went back empty handed he'd really look like an idiot. So he took a deep breath and got out of the car.

He walked into the building trying to look like he belonged here. He was glad not to run into anyone because he really didn't want to have to explain what he was doing here. He hurried up the stairs to Van Helsing's apartment and let himself in. He closed the door behind him and just stopped and looked. The apartment was small and was dominated by a bed that took up most of the main room. There was a tiny kitchenette and an equally tiny bathroom. Taking a few steps forward, Carl found his curiosity getting the best of him. What harm would it do to poke around a little? He just wanted to learn a little bit more about the man he had staying at his house. Really, it was a security thing.

He started in the kitchen and found a couple of take-out cartons in the fridge and lots of beer. Poking around the cabinets turned up little and it was clear Van Helsing wasn't much of a cook. Moving into the main room, he started on the dresser. Again, not much in there of interest though he now knows that Van Helsing is a boxer man. Trying not to think about Van Helsing in his underwear, he looked through a pile of papers that sat on a small table. Most of it was notes about work and the occasional take away menu. Carl was about to give up in disgust when he noticed a magazine sticking out from under the bed. Kneeling down, he pulled it out and found himself holding a girlie magazine. He looked at it for a moment and then leafed through it. He stopped briefly at the centerfold but found himself strangely unaroused. He set the magazine down and lifted the blanket to see what else might be under there. He found more magazines and dragged them all out to look through. At first it was more girlie magazines but then Carl was surprised to find one with men in it. Digging through the pile, he found several more. So, Van Helsing swings both ways. I would never have thought THAT! Carl sat on the floor feeling stunned.

It was a noise outside that snapped Carl out of his trance. He hastily stuffed the magazines back under the bed and began to gather up the things that Van Helsing had requested. He carefully pulled up the floorboard and recovered the laptop. He looked for a moment into the floor space and decided that when he got back, he talk to Van Helsing about the proper way to store delicate electronic equipment. He then moved to the closet and pulled out several weapons that Van Helsing wanted kept safe. He gently placed these on the bed and crossed them off the list. Carl then went to the bureau and began grabbing enough clothes for a couple of days. Tossing these on the bed, he then went into the bathroom to round up toiletries. Looking at what was there, Carl decided to stop at a drug store on the way home and left everything where he found it. Now he moved on to the last thing on the list.

Van Helsing had left the crossbow in a chair and Carl carefully picked it up. He had been expecting some utilitarian thing but this was actually rather beautiful. It had a ram's head in silver attached to the front of it and the stock was beautifully carved. It had some kind of cartridge that held the arrows that made Carl think of a machine gun and a power source that seemed to drive it. Without conscious thought, Carl sunk down into the chair and began to examine it. It seemed to have a gas powered propulsion system that fires the arrows. This would give it speed but the cartridge mechanism seems a bit clumsy. Bet it jams a lot… Carl pulled himself back from his thoughts. Don't even think about it. You were lucky to survive this morning but I doubt you'd be that lucky if you started monkeying with another one of his weapons.

Deciding that the best bet was to remove the temptation, Carl leapt up from the chair and moved over to the bed. He quickly packed up the weapons in duffel bag he had brought along and placed the bag to one side. He then grabbed a second bag and packed up the clothes he had grabbed for Van Helsing. Taking one last look at the list he made sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Seeing that he hadn't, he picked up the two bags and made his way out of the apartment. He locked the door and made his way back to the car, grateful that it was still there and unharmed. Putting the bags in the back seat, he drove as quickly as he could out of the neighborhood. He didn't relax until he was safely on the highway. Releasing tension that he didn't know he had, he thought back to the magazines he had found under Van Helsing's bed. I never would have guessed that he'd be into guys…