this chapter is long. Long and somewhat evil. Not my intention but the boys decided to go off on their own and I had to keep up and keep typing.
In an effort to keep himself from going crazy, Carl decided to catch up on paperwork and other stuff that he let pile up. He still had to close out his projects with Carmico and he had emails to fellow tech people that he had gotten behind on. It wasn't the most exciting thing in the world but it did keep him busy and only checking the clock every ten minutes instead of every five. When he had plowed through all of that and Van Helsing still hadn't come back, he decided to clean the lab. Pulling everything out of the various cabinets and drawers, he began the process of trying to actually create some kind of order in all the stuff that accumulated from the many and varied projects that he worked on.
It was in this state of absolute chaos that Van Helsing found him. Van Helsing has spent a very frustrating day of his own. Having decided to kill time by seeing a movie, he found out that early movies are generally kid friendly. So far from seeing something violent enough to distract him from his turbulent thoughts, he was stuck with a happy, "suitable for the family" adventure flick. Needless to say, it did nothing to keep him from thinking about the man he had spent the night with. So after an hour and a half of "family fun" he was more keyed up from before and still in need of some way to fill time. And while a pub would have suited his mood, he needed to have his wits about him when he faced Carl again.
So in the end, he had spent the time doing some patrolling. While nighttime is when the monsters he hunted came out, daytime does give the chance to ask around about anything unusual happening. Van Helsing had a few contacts on the street that would supply him with information for the right price. Problem was the only weirdness they had to give him was leads on the gargoyles he had just dispatched. So it looked like he was going to have even more time on his hands – just what he didn't need!
So, bored and frustrated Van Helsing finally headed home. Stopping only to pick up the promised Chinese takeaway, he soon found himself sitting in the driveway outside of Carl's house. Looking at the house only emphasized the extreme gap between him and Carl. There was just no way they could ever be together.
Sighing bitterly, he scooped up the takeaway and prepared to face the worst. Heading into the house, he wasn't surprised to hear music coming from Carl's lab. When in doubt, you could always find Carl there. What he hadn't been expecting was the complete and utter disaster area the lab had become. There were piles of equipment -both complete and in pieces, - tools, boxes, glass beakers and a bunch of things Van Helsing couldn't even hazard a guess on. Carl was nowhere in sight though the sounds of crashes and bangs gave Van Helsing a pretty good idea which counter he was behind. Putting the takeaway bags down near the door (one of the few open spaces left), he rounded the counter to see Carl sitting on the floor sorting bits of metal cogs and gears into piles.
His hair was sticking up in the spiky mess it seemed to devolve into if left unattended and he has a smudge of dirt across one cheek. From this vantage point, Van Helsing could see that the vast majority of the floor was covered in other piles of things. He could hardly believe that this much stuff could have come out of just the cabinets. Apparently Carl had decided to deal with his frustrations by doing some kind of insane spring-cleaning.
Shaking his head, he couldn't help but smile. There was something appealing about the disheveled and muttering Carl. His moment of affectionate amusement was cut short , however, when Carl looked up and saw him standing there.
Carl had been sorting through an assortment of gears that had been accumulating, when a sound made him look up. He was startled to see Van Helsing and a smiling Van Helsing at that. But then he remembered the exact nature of the last time he had seen Van Helsing and the smile that had been forming drained away as the hurt and disappointment he had been pushing away came rushing back. He looked back down at the gear in his hand and tried to gather his defenses for what had to come next. Deciding that the first thing he needed to do was keep up appearances, he tossed the gear onto the appropriate pile and said "Sorry about the mess. I decided it was time for me to get organized since I'm closing out my work at Carmico and coming on board with you. " He looked up at Van Helsing with what he hoped was a calm, collected expression and said, "I am coming on board with you, right?"
Van Helsing had to push down his sense of hurt at Carl's casual reaction to seeing him, reminding himself that this was exactly what he had expected Carl to do. Last night had only been a bit of fun – a way to let off some tension and stress. He was just going to play it by ear and follow Carl's lead. And since Carl opened up things but asking about the partnership, that would have to be the place to begin. He had to admit though, he'd have been a whole lot happier to have been starting on an easier topic. After all, the partnership was really going to hinge on how Carl planned on playing the "aftermath". But since he demolished the lab to "prepare" for their working partnership, it would appear that he was indicating he wanted to go forward. Van Helsing just wished he would be equally as forthcoming about his wishes regarding their physical relationship.
Taking a page out of Carl's book, he kept his expression cool and said "It worked pretty well for me so I'm game if you are." He could have sworn he saw a flash of hurt in Carl's eyes but it passed so quickly he couldn't be sure. Wishful thinking there…. He leaned carefully against the counter, trying not to topple another pile – this time of notebooks.
Carl had to fight to hang onto his calm expression in the face of Van Helsing's casual comment. So last night worked well for him? Well, that made one of us then. Still, he couldn't let his feelings show if he was going to put his plan into action. Van Helsing had to believe that he was completely ok with everything that happened – this morning included. So plastering on a smile (thank heavens for years of training in the trenches of high society) he said, "Good, then all of this work hasn't gone to waste." Then using the cover of getting up to help him martial his thoughts for the next foray, he got stiffly to his feet. He was thankful that he noticed the smell of Chinese food wafting through the lab as it gave him a safe topic to launch into.
"So, it smells like you brought dinner. What do you say we take it out into the kitchen where there are open surfaces? This project turned out to be quite a bit more involved then I thought it would." He looked ruefully around at the completely trashed lab, blushing slightly.
Van Helsing surveyed the damage and said "Did it ever occur to you to do it one cabinet at a time?" He knew the comment was a sniping but he couldn't seem to help it. The weird tension between the two of them made everything feel awkward and stiff. He was hoping that dinner would ease things between them, as he wasn't sure he could handle things the way they were right now. As it was, he just wanted to get out of the lab and somewhere that had suitable distractions during the awkward bits.
Carl glared at the Hunter for a moment and then closed his eyes and counted silently to ten. Now was not the time to get cranky. Opening them he said as calmly as he could "Its not that simple. I had things sorted by project and since I've just ended my involvement in a number of things by ending my contract with Carmico, I have to restructure the lab." Looking around at the large piles everywhere, he found honesty rearing its head as he added "But I'm thinking perhaps it wasn't a project to start so late in the day." Sighing heavily he said "Let's eat and I'll tackle all of this in the morning. I may have some more ideas as we talk about where to go from here." Carl made his way carefully through the stacks as he headed towards the door.
Where to go from here… that really is the million-dollar question, isn't it? thought Van Helsing as he followed Carl out of the lab. He just wished he had an actual answer to it.
Carl led the way to the kitchen figuring that everything they needed was in there. He grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator figuring that they were all part of "things behaving as normal". Setting them down on the table, he turned to grab plates from the cabinets. Van Helsing set the bags of food down on the table and Carl had to admit, as much as he was dreading spending time with Van Helsing, he was incredibly hungry. He had been so busy distracting himself that he had missed lunch. He plunked plates and silverware down and then took a seat. By this point, Van Helsing had pulled all the cartons out of the bag and Carl's stomach gave a rather audible rumble.
Van Helsing quirked an eyebrow at Carl and said "I take it you didn't stop to grab lunch?" He sat down in the other seat and began opening cartons. He couldn't help but think how normal this was – sitting around the kitchen table eating takeaway. If it weren't for the huge landmine of their recent tumble in the sheets, it would be a great way to spend the evening. He thought back on the evening they had hung out and watched a movie and wished there was someway to get back that easy camaraderie they had shared. He sighed and dumped lo mien on his plate. At this point, he'd be thankful for this evening not to turn into some kind of emotional blowup.
Carl blushed at Van Helsing's comment – he hated it when he embarrassed himself like this. Looking through the various options laid out before him, he remembered the last time they had shared dinner at the house. Of course it had first involved Van Helsing carting him out of the lab… Most people would consider this more cordial way much more civilized but Carl rather missed the playfulness of the other. Suddenly Carl heard himself saying "Well, I guess it was a good thing you weren't home earlier or you'd have been carrying me out of the lab again." Carl dropped his eyes to his plate, horrified by what he had just said. That was definitely not an appropriate comment under the circumstances!
Van Helsing looked at Carl in surprise. That was the last thing he thought Carl would bring up at this time. It would appear he was serious about last night being no big deal to him. But did that mean that he wanted to act like it didn't happen or was he open to it happening again? Van Helsing just couldn't be sure and so he decided to play it cautious. "Yeah, well its just as well because I'm not looking to go anywhere near that backbreaker of a couch. Maybe when the new one arrives…" he trailed off, and threw the ball back in Carl's court.
It was Carl's turn to be startled. Van Helsing's response could almost be suggestive. It was certainly a lot more teasing then he had been expecting. He poked at his dumpling while he tried to decide how to respond. He had been hoping to lead them into a more joking place but he had expected that it would take a lot longer to get Van Helsing to relax his guard. Still nothing ventured, nothing gained.
"Well, the new couch isn't due to be delivered until sometime next week so I guess you'll have to come up with some other way to get me out the lab." Carl picked up his beer and drank from it – the picture of cool and casual. Mentally though he was crossing his fingers that Van Helsing would take the bait and run with it.
Van Helsing ate to cover his tension. What the hell kind of answer was that? It could be interpreted a couple of ways. Damn it – why couldn't the man just give him clear signals so that he knew where he stood? Van Helsing swallowed and then took a swig of his beer to give himself a bit more time. Ok, so Carl wasn't giving anything away. Guess he'd just have to send out another test balloon.
"I suppose I could carry you somewhere else for the time being. When did they say the couch would arrive?" Van Helsing deliberately studied one of the cartons as if trying to decide if he wanted some. He'd be damned if he would be "out cooled" by a geek.
Carl was practically sweating with tension. This was nerve-wracking! He just couldn't tell if Van Helsing was playing along with the joke or trying to make an offer. If Carl wasn't so afraid of what would happen if he startled the Hunter, he would throw himself across the table and wrestle Van Helsing to the floor.
Now what could he say? He could answer the first part and make a "helpful suggestion" but that would be putting it all on the table and that could backfire spectacularly. Or he could answer the second part of the question and continue the banter. While this kept Carl from exposing himself too much, it also meant this would continue to drag on and Carl wasn't sure he could handle the pressure.
Realizing he had to say something quickly or expose himself anyway he blurted out, "Its due next Wednesday. But if I have to be carted anywhere, can I ask that it not be the chair? That's equally as uncomfortable and has the added detraction of being likely to break under me when you dump me on it." There, lets see what you make of that Van Helsing!
Van Helsing almost growled with frustration. How was it that Carl was managing to not quite come out and say anything? Not the chair – what the hell was he supposed to make of that? It could just be banter but it could also be Carl fishing to get carried somewhere else. Somewhere much more enjoyable… But Van Helsing had no way of knowing which one it was. As he looked at Carl from under his lashes, he couldn't get any sense of what the man was thinking. Well, Van Helsing would be damned if he broke first. He could play it just as cool as Carl.
"Fine, not the chair then. Any preferences or should I just put you down on any flat surface?" Ha, try to dodge that one if you can!
Carl found himself flushing as the comment conjured up racy images of Carl and Van Helsing engaging in pleasurable activities on the many flat surfaces in his home. The lab alone …. Carl hauled his mind back from the abyss and tried to think of a suitable comeback.
Meanwhile, Van Helsing was caught in his own trap. The thought of taking Carl on the nearest flat surface had caused his desire for the man to surge back full force. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat and tried to ignore how tight his pants had become.
The moment had stretched out while each man struggled with his thoughts and Carl realized he'd had waited a bit too long to say something. Now anything he said would be taken as thought out. He was scrambling to come up with something non-committal when a phone began to ring.
Van Helsing frowned as his cell phone rang. He had forgotten he had it clipped to his pants. His frown only grew when he saw who was calling him. What the hell did Jinette want at this time of night? Flipping the phone open, he barked "Van Helsing."
Jinette didn't bother with preambles. "What the hell have you been up to, Van Helsing? I just got through reading the report from the clean up crew and there are some major discrepancies. Would you care to tell me about them?" The tone of Jinette's voice made it clear that this was a demand, not a request.
Van Helsing winced. He had forgotten that clean up crews were required to file a report. And it looked like Jinette had definitely spotted something he shouldn't have. And since he was already pissed at Van Helsing for his insubordinate behavior from before, he was now gunning for the Hunter. And Van Helsing had just handed him the perfect weapon. He repressed a sigh and said "I dealt with the problem in the most efficient manner available and with the least amount of possible damage and exposure. I would think that would please you." Not the most diplomatic of responses but he was already on edge from the situation with Carl.
Jinette responded as was expected: he exploded. "No, I am not pleased. The crew tells me that there was evidence of a fight between a man – I'll presume it was you – and several gargoyles. Then they say that the gargoyles clearly left that room to go into another room where they apparently laid down and allowed you to cut off their heads. What the hell happened in there, Van Helsing? And don't lie to me. You did not do this on your own. How the hell did you manage to get the gargoyles down? What did you use on them and where did you get it?" Jinette's accent was getting stronger and stronger as his anger rose as did the volume at which he spoke. "You went outside The Order for help, didn't you? You violated the most basic of all our rules. Damn it Van Helsing, do you have any idea how much damage you have caused? I have put up your screw ups because my predecessor is to blame for having allowed you to slip through the nets and not have you trained when you should have been but cannot be tolerated! Who did you go to and how much does he know? What will it take to buy him his silence? Well, answer me!" yelled Jinette.
Van Helsing felt his own temper rise at Jinette's attack. Snarling back he said "I'd answer if you let me get a word in." Seeing Carl's startled expression, he got up from the chair to put some distance between him and Carl. He couldn't afford to get distracted at this point. Pacing he continued. "Yes, I went outside The Order. I knew I'd need help and since you've made it perfectly clear that I'm not getting any from you, I accepted an offer from an outsider." Jinette began to respond but Van Helsing ruthlessly and loudly cut him off. "Yes, I'm aware that's not what we do but this guy already knew about the gargoyles. They had attached him and I rescued him from them." Van Helsing heard a noise from Carl and turned his shoulder so that he couldn't see the man. Now was not the time to argue semantics with Carl.
Jinette was not impressed. "So because he was aware of them, you thought you'd let a civilian - a completely untrained and unprepared civilian – help out? You know what the procedures are when an non-Order member sees a monster. You deliberately ignored procedure. You think that for some reason you are beyond rules and regulations. Well you are not. You will give me the name of this man you worked with and you will leave the rest to me. And you will get your arse on a plane and present yourself to me for disciplinary action. And believe me, Van Helsing, you had better not delay. You've been protected in the past by people who felt sorry for what happened to you in your childhood but that sympathy may well be exhausted by this latest stunt of yours."
Van Helsing was feeling equal parts anger and protectiveness. He knew how ruthless The Order could get when they thought they were protecting themselves. And while Carl's family name could probably protect him to a point, Van Helsing didn't want to let Jinette and his people anywhere near Carl. Going on the offensive he growled "It will be a cold day in hell before I give you any information. I know what you people are like and I won't let you within a mile of him – is that clearly understood? Don't push me Jinette – I have my limits too."
Jinette screamed "Are you threatening me Van Helsing? Because I would advise against it if I were you. Now you will come to Rome and you tell me what I want to know. Do not think it won't be easy to figure out who this mystery man is. You left your apartment and have been seen driving a very nice car. We will figure out who he is whether you help us or not."
Van Helsing grew cold at Jinette's words. "I won't let you at him Jinette. He helped out when he could have just have easily walked away. You will leave him be." snarled Van Helsing.
Carl was stunned by what he was hearing. It sounded like The Order had somehow figured out his involvement. And from the sounds of what he could hear of the conversation, it sounded like Jinette was not pleased about it. Moreover it looked like he wanted Van Helsing to give him Carl's name and where to reach him. An idea that Van Helsing clearly was willing to fight over. Now the question was whether he was fighting just because he was angry or because he genuinely didn't want The Order to find him. Either way, it didn't seem likely that Van Helsing would be able to make it happen. They hadn't covered their tracks very well since they had counted on The Order's general apathy towards Van Helsing to keep them safe. Since it was clear that The Order was now looking very closely at things, the smartest thing would be for Carl to speak to them and make it clear he had no intentions of telling the world who they were. Especially since if he didn't, Van Helsing was going to go to war with The Order and tough as the Hunter was, Carl knew it wasn't a battle he could win. Getting up he walked over to Van Helsing and said quietly "Give me the phone"
Van Helsing had been about to continue his argument with Jinette when Carl's sudden appearance and quiet statement stopped him dead in his tracks. Was Carl out of his mind? Shaking his head, he covered the phone said "No. I can handle this" He prepared to launch back into the offensive when Carl reached up and grabbed the phone.
"No, you can't." Carl hurried on quickly to forestall Van Helsing's argument. "I appreciate what you are doing but the fact of the matter is that you can't protect me from this. We didn't cover our tracks and it will only be a matter of time before they figure out what's going on. And since we're suppose to be partners in this, I say it's about time we acted like it. I say we go there and we face them down. " Carl's face was the picture of determination.
Van Helsing was torn between admiration and anger. Shaking his head he said "Carl, you don't know what these people are like. You don't just decide to join The Order, they come and find you. They are not going to just let things slide and welcome you with open arms. You don't have to do this – I can keep them from your back. Now give me the phone." He held out his hand for the phone.
Carl wanted to shake the stubborn man before him. Why did he always have to see everything as a battle that he alone could fight? Taking a deep breath to try to calm his own rising anger he said "No Van Helsing, you can't keep them from my back and I don't want you to. I want to get this out in the open so that we don't have to operate with a handicap. If they don't want to accept me then I'll just have to make them. Its not the first time I've had to fight for my position. You forget where I come from. High society is about the most ruthless battleground you can be trained on. Believe me, I can handle Jinette and the rest. Let's just go there and deal with them. No running, no hiding."
"Carl…" Van Helsing began to argue but was stopped by Carl's next action.
Bringing the phone to his ear, he could clearly hear the shrill tone of Jinette snapping out Van Helsing's name. Jinette had apparently caught on that Van Helsing had not been listening. Carl ruthlessly cut across him by barking "Enough. Van Helsing and I are willing to meet you and your superiors to discuss the situation. We will make arrangements and will be available for a negotiation session by tomorrow afternoon. Have a car available to pick us up when we arrive. Details of our flight will be sent via email when it is available. " He hung up the phone without another word and tossed it back to the silent Van Helsing.
Knowing that Van Helsing would not remain silent for long, Carl decided to try and beat a hasty retreat. Giving a grim smile he said "Well, you best go pack while I call my travel agent. Looks like we're going to Rome on the red-eye." He was most of the way to the door when a vise-like grip took his arm. Turning back he found himself looking at an angry and confused Van Helsing.
"Why did you do that? I would have protected you. Why didn't you trust me?" Van Helsing was hurt and angry that Carl hadn't let him do what he had to do.
Carl shook his head and said "It wasn't about trust Van Helsing. I do trust you – with my life as a matter of fact" He gave the last a small smile but it quickly faded in the grim expression on Van Helsing's face. Sighing he continued "Look, I don't want to run away from this. I meant it when I said I wanted to help you. And if that means dealing with Jinette and the rest of The Order, then I'll do it. I'm not afraid of them Van Helsing. I'm not someone they can easily push around. I've got too many connections for that. We've got the upper hand here and I say we take the fight to them. Why let them pick the battleground? If we go to them right now, we have the offensive. All the negotiating power is in our hands. If we wait, then they get a chance to plan out a strategy. " Placing a hand on Van Helsing's shoulder he said "You ask me if I trust you and I do – no question about it. Now I'm asking you to trust me in return. Let me face this with you."
Van Helsing was torn. What Carl was saying made sense. If they went right now, they would have the advantage. But he didn't want Carl to have to face Jinette. The man was a ruthless bastard and he wouldn't hesitate to take Carl apart. He didn't want that to happen. "Carl, this isn't a game. Jinette won't hesitate to hit below the belt. The fact that you helped me out will only make him more eager to take you apart. I can't let you go to Rome with me"
Carl took a deep breath and counted to ten. This man brought being stubborn to a whole new level. Keeping his voice controlled he said "I wasn't asking permission. I AM going with you. As for Jinette, I've dealt with his kind before. They get themselves into a position with a bit of power and then use it to keep anyone from every threatening their little power base. I've been facing them all my life and I know how to take them down. And I'm thinking its just about time someone showed Jinette a taste of his own medicine."
Carl's face had a wolfish grin and Van Helsing hardly recognized the man as the same easygoing geek he had been spending time with. From somewhere deep down came a swell of hope. Maybe they could pull this off. Looking at Carl's determined face, he realized that it didn't matter if he believed they could do it or not. Carl was going to try and the only thing he could do was watch his back and take on anyone who tried to harm him.
Resigning himself to a trip to Headquarters he growled "Fine, let's just get this over with. " He brushed by Carl and headed towards his room to pack.
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