Jonathan wasn't expecting all that much when McCullum had initially reached out to him, anticipating that perhaps the man was going to give him a reprieve from being chased around the city, or an offer to fight alongside him from time to time, not to be asked if he would possibly be willing to care for the sick and wounded of Priwen, to take care of his most vulnerable men. On top of the initial pitch he hadn't expected the man to come back with a more concrete proposal, to allow for negotiation just like any other job acceptance. It was strange. Perhaps it had something to do with how the man was now forever changed by the relic, perhaps coming face to face with one of the things touted as the worst fate imaginable had changed his view. Perhaps it had something to do with the sidelong looks that he'd noticed the Irishman giving him lately. The doctor wasn't blind, nor was he stupid, he just hadn't figured that romance was in the cards for him any time soon. Between saving the world and having his own completely turned upside down everything seemed just too busy. Elizabeth had accepted his turning down with grace and he felt that they'd come through the other side stronger than they'd been previously. He took a deep breath of the cold air and let it out slowly. He'd just gotten out of the last session of training the young man to replace him at Pembroke and was ready to close that chapter of his life. If the deal with Geoffrey actually came to fruition he'd be able to help others in the way he wanted but he also wouldn't need to worry about hiding his nature from them. Perhaps he'd even be able to perform some research alongside it all. Elizabeth kept telling him not to press himself, that she'd lived this long without knowing a cure for her condition, and just as long without the knowledge of her carrier status, she could wait some time longer. Initially he hadn't been too sure on that, but now, with himself and the support of Charlotte to back him up and keep her mind from darker matters, he could see that. Still… when he had a problem to solve it itched at the back of his brain until he resolved it, it wasn't something he could really… help. The Ekon took his time with the walk home, there was nothing for him to fear in the dark and there was still a long period until dawn. The cold was unpleasant but it was peaceful in a way that not many things were these days. The pandemonium that had gripped the streets in the peak of the epidemic had simmered down and while he would grow frustrated with the lack of easy meals he was certain that the peace would be a greater boon by far.

For once Avery was in bed when he got back, he managed to be quiet enough upon entering that the older man didn't wake up. That was probably the most miraculous thing that had happened since he'd been turned, that he could sneak back into his own house. When he'd been younger Avery had always been up to find him sneaking back in, no matter how quiet he thought he'd been. Most times he'd only gotten a stern and knowing look, but others he'd certainly been raked over the coals. Either age had caught up with the man or his preternatural abilities let him slip around quieter than before, likely both. He wanted to believe it was both. He paused after slipping into his own room to check that they were both still breathing with his blood sight and allowed the small peace that it granted him to wash over his nerves before turning in for sleep himself.

-Face your Fears-

The following evening found him rising slightly before the sun, which was a new sensation. He'd woken to nightmares in the past but was usually able to return to the death like sleep that his kind was known for fairly easily. But tonight he started awake in a way that he wasn't ready for. It took several moments for him to remember where he was, what he was doing, thinking he was still trying to fight off the Disaster, or worse, back in the trenches. A breath later and the source of his waking happened again, a soft gentle knocking at his door.

"Come in," he managed, trying to wipe the sleep from his eyes, he stifled a yawn just as the door started to open, Avery poking his way in with a small tray of food balanced on one hip.

"You didn't have to bring me anything," Jonathan started, he didn't want to have to explain himself to the butler, but they were fast approaching the point where they were going to have to have a conversation. Perhaps he could get away with not explaining everything, but the older man certainly was suspicious of his activity lately.

"Allow an old man his pleasures Master Jonathan." Avery said, placing the tray gently on the bedside table. He made a face at the sight of the piles of papers and samples that still cluttered his desk from his last sojourn into research but didn't say anything. He'd stopped trying to clean up after Reid's research spots the same way he didn't touch Evelynn's paints, no matter how much the clutter clearly bothered him.

"I'll be fine, you needn't fuss." the doctor said, running a hand through his hair to try and get it into some semblance of order.

"I've hardly seen you eat anything since you've returned from the front, if your tastes have changed I'm certain that I can whip something up." Avery said, pressing now and oh how Jonathan wished it were so simple. He would love to enjoy any of the butler's cooking once more, but attempting to consume food was one that was far more trouble than it was worth.

"It's far more complicated than that, but I assure you, I'm fine," Jonathan tried to wave him off but the older man continued to pin him down with his stare. It had been a long time since he'd been shorter than the butler but the man had filled in the role of his absent father for so long that he felt like Avery was towering over him in that moment. It held for several long breaths before the doctor slumped back against his pillows again, rubbing a hand into his eyes.

"I… I can't, Avery it's more than I'm willing to break with, especially right now. I will tell you, I promise, but I can't be ambushed with it." He kept his fingers pressed into his eyes as he spoke, not trusting himself not to drop his glamour and let it all spill from his lips at a simple stern glare.

"If not now, then when Master Jonathan? I won't be around forever, and I would hate for an admittance to follow you long after I am gone."

Reid sighed and looked up at the man who suddenly appeared as old as he knew him to be, like the world suddenly weighed heavily on his bones.

"Tonight, or rather tomorrow morning for you, I'll stay up until you wake, and I'll explain everything then, tonight I have something I need to sort out with a friend."

Avery nodded then, nudging the tray a little further onto the table and then pausing.

"That gruff young man you spoke to some time back?"

"The very same," Jonathan chuckled, wondering how Geoffrey would take to that description.

"Do be careful, I don't want you getting involved in anything too untoward." Avery said, smoothing the wrinkles from his shirt and holding himself upright, as though he were thinking of saying something else but deciding better of it.

"It's nothing I can't handle, trust me."

"Hmm…" was the only response he received but the butler didn't press the issue.

-Face your Fears-

Jonathan wondered how long he might have to wait for Geoffrey to show up, he was in the designated location that they'd spoken about when they'd negotiated the contract but that was no certainty that the other man had been able to convince the remaining captains of the deal. Still he'd like to think that the Irishman would tell him even if their tentative contract had fallen through. Another five minutes passed as he waited out in the cold and he wondered if perhaps the hunter had been found out by his fellows and taken out of the picture. That was a sobering thought, and Reid wasn't certain how to feel about the way it made his insides twist. Maybe there was something to those sideways glances McCullum had been sharing with him. Not that it would do any good if the other man was dead. More dead.

The doctor was shaken from his thoughts by the hunter materializing out of the shadows in a way that was impressive even to the more experienced Ekon.

"Evening," he tilted his head and waited for Geoffrey to join him on the pier. McCullum grunted in response, one of the easiest ways to tell that there was something bothering the man. "I take it I was correct in leaving off the 'good' portion of that?" the doctor teased, he couldn't help it, the other man was so easy to aggravate. Geoffrey glared at him before sighing.

"Aye, that was a fair assessment. Lads've been a shit handful for the past week and trying to get all the other captains on board has been a right headache."

"And?" Jonathan was too curious to not know, was he going to be looking for somewhere else to help the ill of the city? Would Dorothea let him assist her? Likely not, she hadn't been too appreciative last time when he'd barged in.

"They're willing to give you a trial period. They don't much care for the concept, but they know that we're up to our eyeballs in injuries most times and that you're a steady hand. None of them could come up with a good reason to toss you out, so for the next three weeks, you keep your fangs to yourself, you've got yourself a deal." McCullum held out his hand to the doctor who shook it, still surprised at how warm Geoffrey was when compared to most other Ekons.

"I look forward to it."

"Ha! Don't say anything until you've met the bastards." Geoffrey said as he led them both down to the warehouse that Jonathan was going to rework into a makeshift med bay. It wouldn't be as good as a fully staffed and stocked hospital but the doctor had worked with less for longer and was certain he could make it function just as good, if not better than what the Guard currently had at their headquarters.

There were six people that he could pick out as McCullum opened the door, Lloyd and Hodge were familiar to him, the other four were not. And Hodge was the only one who wasn't watching him with open suspicion and two of them actively sneered as he introduced himself. They all knew who he was, and one of them he was certain he'd patched up at Pembroke at least twice, but that didn't seem to stop the scorn with which they viewed him. Mullins, Graves, Adkins, and Holt were the ones in the room that he hadn't met, Matthews and Peck were out on some of the patrols. According to Geoffrey there were several others who were likely worth introducing him to, but they'd wait until he got the initial folks out of the way before they started flooding him with names.

"Yeah like he's going to be payin' any attention to our names." Graves grumbled, she likely intended it to be under her breath but quickly realized that that wasn't feasible with an Ekon in the room, two but she didn't seem to know that. Jonathan didn't say anything, instead let the glare in Goeffrey's eyes speak for itself and instead went on as though he hadn't heard anything. It wasn't as though he expected the whole thing to be easy, or even for the people to immediately tolerate him, they'd been taught to hate his kind and it wasn't going to be easy for them to not think about the devastation that vampires in general had wrought on most of them personally.

-Face your Fears-

All in all things were looking up, it would give him a place to work through his research, he would be able to continue to contribute to the community, and he'd be able to continue to work with McCullum, which was something that he didn't think that he'd be saying that he was looking forward to even a short time ago. The warehouse could use some work, but it was a good starting point. He was working toward a better relationship with his remaining family and building on his new and old friendships. Life was looking up.

Suffice to say he was surprised when Geoffrey cornered him before he could leave for the evening, looking more than a little nervous.

"What can I help you with McCullum?" he asked, turning away from where he was organizing medical tools.

"I…" the guard looked to the ceiling and then met his eyes, the burning blue of them burning deeper into his soul than Jonathan wanted to admit. "Would you care to join me on a hunt in a few nights?"

Reid blinked. "Is there a particular reason?"

"Ah, no… I… it simply seemed a reasonable thing to ask, as a friend." the end was tacked on so quickly that for a brief moment Jonathan was certain that he had missed it.

"Geoffrey are you saying that you actually consider us friends?" he couldn't help but tease the other man, especially when he could see that the other Ekon's heart was racing compared to its usual slow beat.

"Only if you want to, you don't have to come, just figured that with everything that's happened that I should face my fears instead of pretending they don't exist. So, a hunt? Tomorrow?"

Jonathan grinned, fangs and all. "It would be my pleasure."