Cliffhanger warning. Wasn't intened but the chapter got long and there it was...
Van Helsing was highly regretting his decision to get back at Carl. Because he had claimed he had stuff to do, he was forced to spend time in his room pretending he was busy. But after checking out the latest reports from HQ and surfing the web for a while he found himself at loose ends and very bored. He had finally resorted to sneaking down into the living room and grabbing a DVD, which he was forced to watch on his laptop so Carl wouldn't find out about it. In hindsight, the momentary satisfaction he got from tweaking Carl was vastly outweighed by the boredom he had suffered for hours afterwards. Had he kept his mouth shut, he probably could have spent those hours hanging out with Carl instead of feeling like a prisoner in his room. He sighed and put the laptop aside. At least it was late enough that he could head down to see Carl and not look like he was searching for something to do.
As expected, he found Carl in the lab. He was at a computer and appeared to be ordering supplies. The man looked up as Van Helsing's presence registered and he said "Is it that time already?"
Van Helsing shook his head. "We've got some time but I thought we could go grab something to eat before we head over to the warehouse." He was trying to appear casual – like he hadn't just spent the last couple of hours bored out of his mind.
Fortunately for him, Carl didn't think anything of his request and merely nodded and said, "Sounds like a good idea. Can't be fainting from hunger, that would definitely be a bad thing." He grinned and began shutting down his computer.
Van Helsing came up behind Carl's chair and began to look at the piles of paper that Carl had been working on. There were scribbled diagrams and notes but he wasn't quite sure of what. He pointed to one of the diagrams and said, "So what are you working on now?"
Carl looked at the page and said, "I've been working on the testing and training range we're going to need. The good news is the contractor who did the work when I needed a laser-testing site is available to do this work so it should go smoothly and quickly. His company does a lot of work like this so they don't require a huge amount of explanation or supervision. Estimate is about 5 days of work but they won't be able to start for another couple of weeks since they are finishing up a job at some other site. But since I haven't got anything I need to test yet, it's not really a problem. Though I have been thinking about the fact that you really should have a distance weapon that will actually take down a gargoyle. The device I made is fine for something like we're doing tonight but you can't carry it around with you on the off chance you encounter a gargoyle. Also, I'd like to get the files on some of the other things you hunt so I can start being proactive in my designing. Its abundantly clear to me that The Order is pretty archaic in their weapons and methods."
Van Helsing couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Carl to already be thinking of problems they hadn't even encountered yet. Smiling he said, "How about we concentrate on one set of monsters at a time? Besides, I'm hungry and if I let you get started, we'll never get out of here."
Carl smiled ruefully and said, "You're probably right. So what is the usual pre-hunt dinner? To be honest, I could really go for a cheeseburger but I will eat pretty much anything since you're the one who's going to be doing the heavy lifting as it were." He got up from his desk and walked over to the counter to grab the device from the counter where he had left it. Having it in hand, he turned to face the Hunter.
Van Helsing shrugged. "Burgers are good. Though we're heading in town for them. I don't even want to know what passes for a hamburger in the upper classes. Do they even have hamburgers?" He knew he was on the edge of actually insulting Carl but after several hours of his own company, he was itching for some kind of stimulation.
Carl gave him a dirty look and said "Not that you would ever see them admit, no. But since its already been established that I don't do the society thing, I think you can safely say that hamburgers exist in my world. Along with French fries, pizza and milkshakes. Anything else you would like to know?" Carl knew his answer was a bit cranky but he hated when Van Helsing brought up his social status. Ok, fine, his family was upper class but Carl had as little to do with them as possible. He had never been happy in that world and had worked very hard to establish his own life away from it all. Though since he was trying to hold the moral high ground while standing in an inherited mansion, his position was just a bit shaky. Still, that was no reason for Van Helsing to rub his nose in it. At least he was willing to share.
Van Helsing could see Carl's sulk and decided that since it wasn't looking like it would turn into the pout he so liked to torture himself with, that he'd let up on the man. "Glad to here it. So how about you get that arse of yours in gear so we can get going?" He said it with a grin to let Carl know he was teasing and not annoyed.
Carl started to walk out of the lab in front of Van Helsing then shot back over his shoulder. "You are always telling me to get my arse in gear. It is feeling very much unloved." He gave one final grin and then was out of the doorway.
Van Helsing growled slightly and grumbled "Oh, believe me, I would just love to show your arse how much I appreciate it." And with that he followed Carl out the lab.
It seemed a given that with both of them going that Van Helsing would drive. While Carl wasn't normally all that thrilled with being the passenger, he knew that Van Helsing's tolerance was even lower then his and it just wasn't worth it – not tonight anyway. He settled into the passenger seat and allowed himself to just relax. To be honest, he was rather glad to see the man. While he had kept himself busy, he would have rather have spent that time with Van Helsing. He would never admit it but he was really nervous. He knew his device would work but he was aware of the fact that there were a number of variables that he hadn't taken into effect when he made his own plans about how tonight was going to go. The fact of the matter was he just didn't have anything he could call upon that could even come close to simulating field experience and he couldn't exactly ask Van Helsing since in theory, he was taking off at the first sign of trouble.
He stared out the window and tried to pull himself out of this endless loop he had spiraled in all afternoon. Things would work out somehow. He was a problem solver. People paid him very well to take care of their problems. He would take care of Van Helsing's – whether the man liked it or not.
They pulled up in front of a pub in the work class side of town. The clientele was mostly blue-collar workers getting a pint and a bite after work. The hostess waved them over and sat them down in a corner booth and left them with a promise that someone would be by to get their drink orders. Carl opened his menu and scanned it hopefully but once again, this was not a place that served milkshakes. Promising himself that he'd make a special trip to get one tomorrow, he resigned himself to cola and checked out the rest of the menu. Just as he thought, he settled on a cheeseburger and fries and put his menu down.
Van Helsing hadn't bothered with the menu. He had been here before and he knew what he wanted. Seeing Carl put down his menu soon after sitting he was rather surprised. He had thought Carl would pour over the menu for a while and maybe even ask the waitress some questions. But he seemed like he had made up his mind. Surprise, surprise.
The waitress came hurrying over and gave Van Helsing a big smile. "Hey gorgeous. It's been a while. I've been missing you terribly." She added a wink and a pout to the statement and Van Helsing just chuckled.
"I'm sorry, Mandy but I've been rather busy. But I find it hard to believe that you could possibly miss me with all the guys who come here every night just to see you." Van Helsing had a wide and slightly seedy grin on his face.
Mandy just let her smile grown more flirtatious and leaned in closer. "Yeah but they're only substitutes for the real thing." Her look was pure invitation.
It was all Carl could do not to leap out of the booth and strangle Mandy. Was this why Van Helsing picked the place, so he could pick up Mandy? It was enough to put Carl off the cheeseburger he had rather been looking forward to. Deciding that action was required before things got worse, he cleared his throat and said sweetly "So, I take it you are something of a regular here Van Helsing?" This drew Mandy's attention away from her current victim and she sized up Carl in a rather predatory way.
Sliding over to Carl's side of the booth she purred, "Well, well, who's your friend, Van Helsing?" Eyes scoped out Carl and apparently liked what they saw because she leaned in a bit closer and said "Seeing as you are new here, I'm gonna make it my job to see that you are well taken care of. Got anything you might be hankering for? " She had maneuvered herself so that Carl had a front row view of her cleavage and he had to swallow hard before he could make any kind of sound come out. Words were out of the question.
Van Helsing had been enjoying Mandy's usual hard sell but when it suddenly switched to Carl he found it a lot less amusing. Carl seemed captivated by Mandy's rather slutty display and he found a possessive spike of jealous running through him. He cleared his throat loudly and growled, "Lay off him, Mandy. Carl isn't your type."
Mandy merely smiled in amusement and said, "On the contrary, he's exactly my type. " She turned back to Carl and said, "I bet you are a real sweet one. At least until you get going then I'm sure you are all kinds of fun. It's always the quiet, shy ones that turn out to be the wild ones. Isn't that right, sugar?" She gave Carl what she was sure was a seductive look and Carl just stammered in embarrassment.
Poor Carl knew he was blushing like an idiot but he couldn't help it. He had been raised to be a gentleman and he always felt lost when confronted by aggressive and unwanted attentions. He hated being rude and hurting someone's feelings but in situations like this, there weren't any other options.
However, as it turned out, a response from him wasn't necessary as Van Helsing came to his rescue. "That's enough, Mandy. The man isn't interested so back off." He glared at the woman who raised an eyebrow in surprise and stepped back a bit from the table.
"Well, excuse me. I was only being friendly. But hey, by all means, let's keep this all business-like, shall we? She grabbed the pad and pen from her pocket and giving the Hunter a hard look said, "So, what would the gentleman like?"
Van Helsing was unimpressed by Mandy's suddenly frosty attitude and said "Burger, medium, skip the veggies. Fries on the side and a draft." He continued to hold her gaze to make sure his point had been made and then looked away to allow her to take Carl's order.
Carl was still blushing at his poor handling of Mandy's come on and so mumbled
"I'd like a cheeseburger, fries and a cola." He gave Mandy a tentative smile but she continued to look at him coolly. He ducked his head and stared at the table.
"Anything else?" she said shortly. At Van Helsing's sharp no, she turned and walked away.
Carl continued to fidget a bit and then finally blurted out "Is she always like that?" He blushed an even brighter red when he heard how panicky he sounded.
Van Helsing gave Carl an exasperated look and said, "Yes. Why, are you interested?" As soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. It made him sound jealous and thinking about Carl's possible positive response was like a knife in the gut. He tried to cover it by looking out over the rest of the restaurant.
Carl just shook his head and said "Oh no! She's a bit… well… aggressive for my taste. She makes me think of a hungry lioness sizing up an antelope for dinner. I doubt there would be anything left of me." He tried to give a half-hearted grin but Van Helsing was still glowering a bit.
A horrible thought suddenly crossed Carl's mind. What if Van Helsing was upset because Carl had pulled Mandy's attention away from him? After all, he may have chosen this place figuring he could make a date with Mandy for after the mission. No doubt she'd be getting off from work by the time they were finished with the gargoyles. That thought didn't make him very happy at all. Carl sighed and went back to studying the table.
Mandy came back over and plunked their glasses down in front of them with little ceremony and no conversation. She swiftly moved back into the crowd where she began to flirt outrageously with a man at another table.
Van Helsing picked up his beer and took a swallow. Carl had picked up his own glass and an awkward silence hung over the table. Knowing that they couldn't go into the mission in this state, Van Helsing put down his glass and decided to broach the topic of what came next.
"So, its about an hour until sunset. I'd like to be in position 10 minutes before so that we can be sure that none of them have left the nest." This wasn't really necessary information but it seemed like as good an icebreaker as any.
Carl looked up from his contemplation of the table and said, "OK, that makes sense. How far away is the nest?"
"Its about 5 minutes from here so we've got a little time to eat before we have to get over there. And I do suggest you eat. When all of this is over, you'll probably be battling a huge adrenaline rush and you'll feel better if you have some food in your system to help counteract it."
Carl nodded and said, "Yeah, I imagine I will be pretty charged up. I know I was the last time I encountered them. Of course this time I'm facing them with a trained Hunter and I know what the hell I'm dealing with. That should help a lot. And I won't be getting strangled in the car on the way home." Deciding that he wanted to lighten the mood a bit, he gave Van Helsing a mock timid look and said, "I'm not going to, am I?"
Remembering back to that strange first night and Carl's disastrous attempt to wake him up, he chuckled and said "No, I only save that for special occasions." He picked up his beer and saluted Carl with it before taking a drink. The dark atmosphere brought on by Mandy had been completely dispersed.
Carl felt himself relaxing as Van Helsing responded to his teasing. He didn't like it when they were at odds and he was glad that Mandy hadn't put a permanent wedge between them. Still, he was hoping that Mandy's sulking would last and Van Helsing wouldn't be hooking up with her after the mission. Casually glancing over to where she was, he saw her all over another patron who was clearly happy to have her attentions. Looks like Mandy will be off the market for tonight. Carl drank from his glass to cover up his smile. No point in gloating over the fact that Van Helsing wouldn't be enjoying the company of a certain bottled blonde slut.
His triumph over Mandy succeeded in distracting Carl from his nervousness and he found himself actually enjoying himself. He was hanging out with Van Helsing, he had junk food on the way and once they dealt with the gargoyles, their partnership would be cemented. All in all, it was a good night.
Van Helsing found himself watching Carl from under his lashes. He was trying to figure out how Carl was doing. The man seemed relaxed and coping but he was about to voluntarily go face monsters that would have most people screaming and running in the opposite direction. Though he personally would be happier if Carl would consider the idea – the running, not the screaming – should things go really bad. But the blond sat there looking like they were doing nothing more then hanging out and getting a bite to eat. It worried him. Carl should be showing at least SOME nervousness. This wasn't a walk in the park after all. Shaking his head he decided that the only thing to do was to ask Carl point blank how he was doing.
Carl was looking around the pub and Van Helsing had to clear his throat to get his attention. Carl smiled and Van Helsing felt a momentary regret that this wasn't an evening of hanging out. He made yet another pledge to himself that he wasn't going to allow anything to happen to Carl – even if Carl refused to cooperate. And since part of that was to make sure that Carl wasn't hiding his fear or nervousness, he broached the subject.
"So I thought I should check in with you and see how you are doing? After all, this isn't actually your normal thing." He winced a bit as he thought that sounded rather lame but then mentally shrugged. Its not like he was use to having to work with someone else in these situations – Carl knew this.
Carl cocked his head thoughtfully and mused, "No, I have to say this is a bit more dangerous then many of the things I do. Though I've had some close calls in my lab that I'd be just as happy not to repeat. Still, we've prepared as much as we can and we've just got to trust that your experience and my design work are enough to do the job. And while I'm less certain about my part in all of this, I'm quite confident in your abilities."
Van Helsing felt warmth steal through him at Carl's simple statement of trust. He couldn't think of a time when anyone had ever trusted him so much and to know that Carl did crumbled the walls around his heart a little more. He swallowed hard, suddenly unable to respond. He lowered his head and allowed his hair to hide his face. He didn't want Carl to know just how much this meant to him.
Carl saw Van Helsing duck his head and felt a surge of compassion for the man who was so clearly unused to someone thinking highly of him. It made him wonder again just what Van Helsing's past was. Surely the Order's lack of appreciation for the Hunter's skills couldn't be the full story behind Van Helsing's damaged self-image. Whatever it was, Carl was determined that he would show the man that he was more then just a highly skilled killer of monsters.
As if to ease the way, Mandy returned with their food. Still sulking, she didn't linger longer then to ask if they needed more drinks. The two men began eating, the silence between them necessary as each processed his own thoughts. It was Van Helsing that finally broke the silence by saying "I want you to know I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe in there." His expression was serious and solemn.
Carl smiled slightly and said, "I know you will. But I don't want you putting yourself in unnecessary danger to do it. I'll take care of myself. You just concentrate on staying out of reach of the gargoyles until my machine can do its thing. I'll be just fine."
The Hunter opened his mouth to speak and Carl stopped him with an upraised hand. "I know. If things get hairy, you want me out of there. I haven't forgotten. Trust me Van Helsing like I trust you." Carl looked Van Helsing directly in the eye, trying to make the man understand that he wasn't doing this alone anymore. He had someone watching his back. Granted, Carl wasn't exactly trained in this sort of thing but he'd make up for his lack of experience by thinking just a little bit faster on his feet. That he was good at.
Van Helsing sighed and looked down at his beer. "I do trust you, Carl. You wouldn't be here if I didn't. But I am worried about you. You've done a lot for me and I'd hate to repay all that by getting you hurt or worse." He fiddled with a napkin, again unwilling to look at Carl in case he could read the depths of his feelings towards him. If Carl got hurt tonight, he'd never forgive himself.
Carl reached over and clasped the hand that was shredding the napkin. Van Helsing looked up at the unexpected contacted and Carl smiled very gently and said, "Nothing's going to happen to me. The machine is going to work and we're both going to come out there nothing more then dirty." Van Helsing still looked unconvinced and Carl knew while he would like to get Van Helsing to believe, only time and a successful outcome would do that. So he switched tactics and said "And, as an added bonus, just think about how ticked off Jinette will be when he finds out you wiped out the entire nest and didn't get so much as a scratch. We'll be able to hear his screams of rage all the way over here." He smiled at Van Helsing coaxingly, willing him to respond.
Van Helsing gave a half-hearted smile and said, "You are probably right." Then looking at his watch he said, "Well, we should probably get going. Might as well get this over with." He pulled out his wallet and dropped enough money on the table to cover the bill.
Carl nodded and said, "Alright then. Let's go kick some gargoyle butt." He rose from the table and followed Van Helsing out of the pub.
Page 9