My thanks to everyone's enthusiastic support of this story. As it starts to near its end (and I say start because it seems to keep having just "one more chapter") I am really in awe of how much time and care people put into giving me feedback and telling me what they liked about it. And don't worry, I'm still seeing at least 3-4 more chapters before this arc of the story winds down.And I doubt they'll stay quiet long.They are already showing signs of taking up permenent residence in my life... And big hugs to Kydasam who reminds me to explain Van Helsing's mindset since he's not one to give out information without serious poking with a sharp stick!
It was a number of hours later before Van Helsing could leave MedLab. The physical exam for Hunters was more then just sticking out your tongue and saying "ah". After being poked, prodded and made to show his hand/eye coordination, his mood was less then chipper. The only thing that was keeping him from being absolutely unbearable was that he knew Carl would be waiting for him when he was done. When he had finally been given the ok to go, he was barely able to keep from sprinting out there. He made his way swiftly through the halls, ignoring the looks he got as he passed. He was use to it – the black sheep come home. Normally this would bother him but today his focus was entirely on finding Carl and maybe finally getting a chance to resolve this stand off between them.
When he reached the guest housing, he found a note waiting for him that said that the Caretaker's cottage had been set aside for the two of them. He smiled to himself – that was an unexpected but certainly very welcome surprise. Privacy would be most appreciated should the evening unfold like he was hoping. Might even suggest an early evening – in light of the traveling they had done and all…
Van Helsing's face was a mixture of happiness and calculation.
Having reached the cottage, he let himself in with the key he had been given. The cottage was quiet and he thought that maybe Carl had decided to take a nap. Think of the man all warm and sleep rumpled stirred his already active libido and he decided that it would be a wonderful idea to join Carl in bed.
But a quick check of the bedrooms showed that Carl was nowhere around. After a quick bout of annoyance he began to get worried. What if Jinette had sent someone around to fetch Carl while he had been tied up in MedLab? He tried to tell himself that Carl was merely walking around the grounds but he just didn't believe it. If Carl had gone out, he would have left a note. He knew how much Van Helsing hated being here. How little he trusted the people who worked here. He wouldn't have just wandered off somewhere, would he?
Van Helsing paced the room like a caged animal. Where the hell was Carl? If they were at home, this would be easy as he'd been in his lab but here? Thinking of the lab made him remember that his weapons should have arrived by now. And since the boys in the lab were always eager to start taking apart his things, he would have to check in with them at some point. But first he had to find Carl.
Deciding that the only way he was likely to find the man was to start a search, he grabbed the keys and headed back out the door. A quick inspection of the nearby grounds had him turning up empty handed so he extended out his search until he had reached the main building. He skirted the outside, continuing his search and soon found himself near the doors to the lab. By this point he was extremely frustrated and the sudden reminder that all his weapons were likely in pieces now did not improve his mood in the slightest. And since it was looking like Carl was somewhere in the building, he might as well make a brief detour to rescue his weapons and light a fire under the techs to get them working and ready to go.
So temper at the boiling point, he pushed open the door to the lab only to find the object of his hunt sitting at a work table with the rest of the techs laughing over what appeared to be a complicated engineering joke. Far from being lost or lonely, Carl looked like he had found his long lost family. Van Helsing had an instant stab of jealousy at how happy Carl looked at being with them. It was like Carl didn't even remember he was here with him.
It was Gerald who looked up and saw a thunderous looking Van Helsing standing in the doorway. He gulped nervously and sprang up from his stool, knocking it over in his haste. "Van Helsing. I didn't hear you come in. Have you come to talk about your weapons? We haven't touched them. Well, we have a little but we didn't take anything apart or anything. Just unpacked them. And well looked at the modifications Carl made but he was here for that so that's ok, right? I mean he's your partner and all…" He trailed off as the look on Van Helsing's face only got darker. Gulping he looked to Carl to save them.
Carl, meanwhile, was feeling terribly guilty. He had totally lost track of time and had forgotten he had meant to be back before Van Helsing got done with the doctor. Now Van Helsing was here and looking very unhappy. He bit his lip nervously and then took a quick breath and tried to smile. "Van Helsing, I see you are done with the doctor. Or did you climb out the window again?" His smile faltered as Van Helsing continued to scowl. He swallowed nervously and said "So Gerald came by looking for you about your weapons. I told him you'd be tied up for a while and he asked me if perhaps I could help out instead. I thought I should – seeing as I'll be taking care of them from now on. They also explained to me what some of the other stuff is for. It's given me some great ideas for future modifications. Oh, and we've been cooking up some other stuff as well, haven't we guys?" He looked around at the other techs who were still eyeing Van Helsing with some trepidation. Seeing he would get no help from that quarter, he turned back and said "Anyway, I'm glad you're done. I imagine that is a great weight off your mind."
As Carl talked, Van Helsing fought the urge to shake him. He had been worried about him and the whole time Carl had been having a good time with his fellow geeks. Closing his eyes for a moment to summon some control, he opened them and said a dangerously soft voice, "And a note telling me where you were and that you were ok apparently wasn't that important in comparison to the chance to geek out with new friends?"
Carl looked surprised and then horrified. It never occurred to him that Van Helsing would be that worried about him. OK, he knew the man hated being here at Headquarters but really, it wasn't as bad as Van Helsing had made it out. Besides they had already dealt with Jinette so there was no reason to be concerned about him while they were here at Headquarters. But it was clear from Van Helsing's face that he had been worried and that made Carl feel terrible.
"I'm sorry. You are right, I should have stopped and left a note. I really didn't think I'd be gone that long but that's really no excuse. I should have remembered how uncomfortable this place makes you and made sure you could easily find me. Or better still, had just stayed put and waited for you at the cottage." He looked down as he mumbled "I really am sorry."
Van Helsing wanted to hang onto his anger but he could feel it slipping away at Carl's clear remorse. He shook his head at how easily Carl was getting around him. "I know you are sorry, Carl. And I know that a chance to check out a new lab and hang out with other geeks was nigh on irresistible but you can't just run around here. This isn't DisneyLand you know.
Carl raised his head and said "I know its not DisneyLand. For starters, the architecture is a bit too gothic. But really, I think you are overly worried. Jinette is not going to try anything. He lost and he knows it. The only way for him to save face is to pretend we don't exist. He'll leave us both strictly alone.
Van Helsing looked sullenly at Carl and said "I see. So I'm overreacting because you weren't at the cottage like you said you would be when I got done with my exams. Pardon me, I'll just leave you to your new friends then shall I?" He turned and started to make his way to the door.
Carl winced. He had forgotten he had specifically said he'd be waiting in their quarters when Van Helsing got done. He quickly hurried across the room and caught Van Helsing's arm just as he was about to clear the doorway. "Look, I'm sorry. You are right. I said I'd be there and I flaked and left without even the courtesy of a note. I was wrong and you have every right to be annoyed. Let's just head back there now and I promise I won't leave it again without checking in with you first." He gave Van Helsing a pleading look.
Van Helsing looked down at Carl and then rubbed his eyes wearily with his free hand. Shaking his head he said "Fine, let's just get out of here. We can discuss this more later." He pulled out of Carl's grasp and turned again to leave.
Meanwhile, Gerald had been watching all of this with a huge sense of guilt. This was all his fault! If he hadn't invited Carl here, then Van Helsing wouldn't be this upset. Gathering his courage he called out, "Van Helsing, wait a moment." The Hunter turned and Gerald gulped a moment as that hard stare was leveled squarely at him. Coughing to clear the sudden dryness in his throat he stammered out, "Please don't be angry at Carl. This is really my fault. I asked him to come here. I know how much you resent being held up by our work and I thought that if Carl told us what needed to be done, we might be able to get you in and out faster. I wanted to make your trip here a bit easier since I know how much you hate being here. Not that I blame you or anything… Some folks here treat you pretty bad. Not that you deserve it. You're the best Hunter they've got and they should be treating you like a god instead of jerking you around like they do. That's why I always put a little extra attention into servicing your weapons. And I know that the rest of the guys here do the same. It's not much but it's all we got. We're pretty much treated like the bottom of the barrel too. But we always make sure that whenever we can, we get you the good stuff. Sometimes have to get pretty creative in the documentation but it's worth it to know that we're getting you what you need. It's not right the way you are treated and I know it's not just us in the lab that feel that way." Gerald wound down to a halt and then flushed when he realized just how much he had gone on.
Van Helsing was surprised and a bit confused by Gerald's speech. He was use to people giving him a wide berth and keeping conversations down to the minimum. The techs in the lab especially tended to treat him with kid gloves and tried to get him in and out as quickly as possible. He had always thought it was because they wanted to get rid of him but here was Talbot saying that they did it because believed it was what he wanted from them. And to hear that they had tried to help him out when they could – he didn't quite know what to say to that.
When he first came to Headquarters to train, there had been a great deal of awkwardness. No one knew how to train an adult and especially not one who had more or less grown up on the streets. Hunters were trained to be warriors in the old style. An education in the classics was just as important as fighting skills. Van Helsing had come there with none of that and no desire to acquire it so late in his life. This had created a huge riff between him and his instructors who despaired of turning him into a "true Knight of the Order" Had he not excelled in all areas of weapons use and fighting, the decision might have been made to keep him from the field but he was the finest fighter the Order had seen in generations. And so with great reluctance, he was finally sent out to fulfill his destiny. But Van Helsing knew that they and his fellow Hunters thought he was nothing more then a well trained thug.
And yet here was Talbot saying that he and his fellow techs supported him. Said that there were others as well who also felt the same way. This left him feeling confused and off balance. When he thought everyone felt the same way, it was easy to just keep up his guard and keep himself separate. It was safe… what he was use to doing. He wasn't sure how to respond to what Talbot said.
Carl could see the confusion in Van Helsing's eyes and felt a huge stab of compassion. Clearly the Hunter had never realized that there were people here who be there for him. Carl didn't quite understand why Van Helsing had made the assumption that he was universally disliked but it was clear that much of his experiences with the Order had been colored by it. It made him glad that he had come with Van Helsing since it meant that maybe the man would finally get the kind of support and respect that he deserved. But first he had to help the man to accept it.
Carl moved to stand next to Van Helsing and gave his shoulder a companionable pat. He smiled at Gerald and said, "Well, I'm glad to hear that there are people here who made up their own minds. There will be times I'll need to interface with people here to get information or resources and it will be guys like you that make that go much easier. We'll have to talk later about working out the details. But right now I think Van Helsing and I should probably get out of here for a while. Maybe grab some food?" He addressed the last bit to Van Helsing who was still looking a bit uncertain.
Carl's suggestion felt like a lifeline and Van Helsing grabbed it eagerly. "Sounds like a good idea. Getting poked, prodded and put through my paces always makes me hungry." He started to make for the door and then realized he should say something to the techs.
Feeling terribly awkward and out of his depths he mumbled "Hey, thanks for … well, dealing with my weapons and stuff. And well… taking care of Carl. " He tried to think of more to say but he just felt overwhelmed. He just wasn't use to the idea of having people be on his side.
Still whatever he said was apparently enough because Gerald and his fellow techs all lit up like kids at Christmas time. Gerald was practically bouncing. "Hey, don't worry about it. Was incredible getting to talk to Carl. We've advanced a bunch of projects along thanks to him. We'll have some really good things to show you next time you are here. Stuff you'll really like. You'll be kicking demon ass in real style! Just wish I could see it. Man, you must be so cool in the field. I've seen you in the training ring – man, you are just awesome. Best Hunter the Order has ever had, even if they won't admit it." He looked around at his fellow technicians who all nodded in agreement.
Carl had to stifle a snort at the blush that stained Van Helsing's cheeks. Guy wasn't use to compliments in the first place and this level of hero worship was more then he could handle. And while part of him wanted to stay and see how much Van Helsing would squirm under the attention, the more compassionate part decided to rescue him.
"I'll try to swing by before I leave to finalize some kind of collaboration system between us. In the meantime, I should probably go find this guy some food since I'm sure the doctors didn't provide lunch or anything." With a final smile at the technicians, he grabbed Van Helsing's arm and dragged him out of the lab. He couldn't look at the man though for fear of laughing. He knew Van Helsing was feeling more then a little uncertain and if he thought Carl was laughing at him, he'd only blow up again. Still, the sight of Van Helsing blushing and squirming at Gerald's gushing praise would be amusing him for many days to come.
He dragged the unusually docile Van Helping out of the building and towards their cottage. He figured that from there, he could figure out how to get to some place with good food and better wine. He wanted to get Van Helsing good and loose before he put his plans into action. He fought the smirk that threatened to break free. Poor Van Helsing. He really had no idea what was coming!