Title: Catalyst: Part Nineteen Authors: Brenda & Jo Disclaimer: Never happened. Josh watched, impressed, as Orlando downed what had to be his fifth drink. They had only been in the pub a short while, but Orlando had a standing order with the bar, and the server just kept bringing new drinks every time their glasses were empty. If Josh was counting correctly, Orlando was three and a half drinks ahead of him. And still very clear-eyed and sober. "Just how much does it take to get a vampire drunk, anyway?" Orlando just raised a glass in salute. "That's what we're finding out." "For him, not nearly as much," Viggo shrugged. "Me, on the other hand..." "My aunt says that the longer you live, the more your metabolism slows down?" "Sort of." But Josh could tell Viggo was impressed with his knowledge. "It's a very gradual process. And I'm much more interested in knowing why Orlando would want to get drunk." Orlando pulled such an innocent look that even Josh was suspicious, and he barely knew the dude. "Because I haven't been drunk in ten years?" Orlando said, finishing the drink in his hand and smiling at the server as she set another one in front of him. "Try again." "Do I really need to answer when you so obviously already know what I'm going to say, Gramps?" Orlando stopped, blinked, then frowned. "I won't be able to call you that for long, will I?" "Gramps?" Josh asked. "Blame Harry for that one," Viggo said, then turned his attention back to Orlando. "And getting drunk won't help you with Harry and Karl. If you'd like I can smooth things out for you, in your head." "That is seriously tripped out," Josh stated, still marveling over the fact that he was out drinking with the head of the Council. His aunt was going to have a fit when she found out. He couldn't wait to tell her all about it. "Smooth out how?" "Just to soften up some of the feedback from earlier," Viggo said, still watching him. "Make it a little easier for you to sleep tonight." Orlando's laugh was short and mirthless. "You think I'm going to sleep tonight?" He rubbed his eyes, shook his head. "Do your worst." Josh watched, drink forgotten, in fascinated silence as Viggo tipped Orlando's chin, then stared deep into his eyes for a few long moments. Neither of them so much as blinked, which was just odd. When Viggo finally let go of Orlando and leaned back, Orlando shook his head out, as if to clear it. "Better?" "I, um..." Orlando held tight to the edge of the table with one hand. "Maybe? Gimme a minute for the room to stop spinning." "Is he okay?" Josh asked, reaching out to steady Orlando. He frowned when Orlando's free hand came up to close around his wrist, pulling it from his shoulder. "Don't," Orlando said, voice strained, eyes half-lidded as he focused on Viggo. "I can smell you." "I, uh, wait...what?" Perplexed, and more than a little concerned, Josh looked to Viggo for some sort of guidance. Karl – not to mention Harry – would kill him if anything happened to Orlando on his watch. Once again, Viggo cupped Orlando's chin. "Have you fed recently, child?" Fed...oh, man. Oh, man. Josh had heard tales about blood-comas, and this was so not a good thing. "I can, um, I mean, if you need to...here," he said, surprising himself by holding out his wrist. Whatever Orlando needed. "Four days..." Orlando's nostrils flared. He bared his teeth, and Josh could see razor sharp fangs fully extended. The sight sent a shiver up his spine, followed by another as long fingers curled gently around his forearm. "Josh," Orlando said, and his normally smooth voice was much closer to a growl, "I need you to offer..." Offer...? Oh, right. Josh licked his lips, unable to tear his gaze from Orlando's. "Whatever you need, I offer it freely." "Thank you for this gift," Orlando whispered, then sank his fangs into the soft skin of Josh's inner wrist. This was absolutely nothing like Karl biting him during sex. When Karl had bitten him, it had been visceral, like the best orgasm he'd ever have, like finding God and all of the mysteries in the universe, all wrapped for him in a shiny bow. Orlando biting him was like having the bottom dropped out of his world and being taken for the wildest ride of his life with no brakes, no safety belt, and no warning. His brain shut down as he was reduced to pure sensation. He could feel the pounding of his blood, the pulse of it over Orlando's tongue, the steady, slow beat of Orlando's heart. Dimly, he was aware that his skin was puckered with goosebumps and his breath was coming in erratic bursts, and that Viggo was quietly watching them both, but nothing else seemed to matter. Then Viggo leaned forward, hand gentle as it came to rest on Orlando's head. "Orlando," he murmured, fingers stroking through dark curls, "that's enough." The next second, Josh could feel Orlando's fangs slipping out of his wrist with agonizing slowness, and then a hard shudder ripped through him as Orlando's soft tongue swirled over the wounds to seal them. When Orlando released him, Josh pulled back, eyes wide, and cradled his wrist to his chest. He was surprised there was no pain. "Thank you," Orlando said, leaning back with his eyes closed, a faint flush coloring his skin. "You're...uh...yeah." Fuck, he felt light-headed. Almost drunk, but not woozy. A glass filled with orange juice appeared in front of him, and he stared blearily down at it in confusion. "Drink," Viggo said softly, and closed his fingers around the glass. It was easier to obey than to argue. "You should have stopped me." Draining the orange juice in two long swallows, Josh managed to focus on Orlando. The intensity in those dark eyes was a little freaky, given how easy-going and spastic he'd found Orlando to be most of the time. Viggo just smiled that little, odd smile. "Call it an experiment." "Experiment?" Orlando snorted. "You let me feed from Karl's pet and you call it an experiment..." He trailed off and his eyes went wide. "Oh, bloody buggering hell! You let me –" "I did." "He's going to kill me!" Viggo's snort of laughter was dismissive. "He's not going to do any such thing. You were feeding from him, not fucking him, and even if you were to fuck him, he still wouldn't hurt you." "Hold on, um." Josh set the glass down, feeling marginally more human. "What the hell is going on? What're you two talking about?" "Just making sure your bond with Karl was a true one." Clearly, he was still feeling the after-effects of Orlando's fangs or something, because what Viggo was saying made absolutely no sense. "What?" "Dave and Orlando, despite both of them being pets, managed to somehow find each other sexually attractive and to fall in love," Viggo explained. "Hold on, you're saying you thought that he –" Josh pointed at Orlando "– and I were, might have...?" The entire notion was absurd. Sure, Orlando was good-looking, but, much like with Harry, Orlando did nothing for him. "I've learned not to count anything out where the three of them are concerned. Saves me a lot of headaches that way." "Probably a good idea," Josh conceded, reluctantly. From everything he'd been told, he was certain Harry and Karl and Orlando had caused more than their fair share of headaches. "But I...Karl..." "Exactly," Orlando said, with a frown. "And I'll have you know, contrary to popular belief, I don't fuck everything that moves. Just Harry and Karl. And Dave." "And your companion," Viggo replied. As Josh watched, Orlando's eyes grew wide and his mouth dropped open. "How did you...?" "What, you think I couldn't smell the mortal on you?" "That's a downright invasion of my privacy, that is," Orlando grumbled, and slouched in his seat, arms crossed. "And a little bit scary," Josh added. "Guess there aren't too many secrets with you guys." "Not where Orlando is concerned," Viggo replied. "He's in a unique position as pet to Harry and Karl. There are those who would try to use that for their own ends." "And since you can't trust Harry and Karl to be impartial where he's concerned, you keep an eye on him?" Josh surmised. It did make a certain amount of sense. "Exactly," Viggo said, smiling at Josh like he was a star pupil. It was a little disconcerting. "Don't worry, I'll be keeping a close eye on you as well. For the same reason." "You realize that really doesn't reassure me," Josh said, drily, and ignored Orlando's muffled snickers. "It's not supposed to." "So, um, won't it just be worse if you actually make him your assistant?" Josh asked, trying to sort out the pieces in his head. He wasn't having much luck. "I mean, if you don't want people to use his position as their pet to an advantage, how much worse will it be with him as their pet and your right-hand man, so to speak?" "I'll be able to keep a closer eye on him, in fact. And to have a hand in grooming him appropriately." "For?" Orlando asked, looking at Viggo suspiciously. "For such a bright lad..." Viggo shook his head sadly. "To possibly join the Council one day, of course." Orlando's jaw dropped. Josh couldn't help it; he laughed. And his laughter continued in the face of the sour look Orlando gave him. "You want me," Orlando said, pointing to himself and looking skeptical, "on the Council?" "In the future, it's a possibility, yes." "But...why?" "Child, you have a knack for getting to the heart of negotiations that I haven't seen in a long time. And with very little training." The confusion shifted to suspicion again. Josh could practically see the wheels spinning in Orlando's head. "Meaning?" "Meaning," Viggo said, all patience now, "that you reunited Harry and Karl and that's something not many people could have managed." "Now, that sounds like a story," Josh said, leaning forward. This was turning out to be the most fascinating night of his life. "Oh, it definitely is," Viggo smiled, signaling for another round of drinks. "But, to tell it, you'll have to have a little of the history of Harry and Karl." "I'm all ears." In fact, Josh couldn't think of any place he'd rather be. "The main thing you need to know is that two of them have been inseparable and living inside the other's head for close to nine centuries. They have a bond that is unique and unexplainable. In fact, I honestly believe that if one were to die, the other would follow in a matter of days." Wow. Josh had known whatever they had was intense, but this was something far beyond what he expected. He refocused as Viggo continued. "But what you also need to know is that none of us are joking when we say Orlando should have been Harry's first." "So tell me," Josh said, still a little confused by that. "Why would it matter if Harry claimed him first or if Karl did? It should still be the same, right?" "Not at all," Viggo replied. "Given that it shouldn't even be possible for two vampires to claim one pet, I think we've already established that what Harry and Karl have is unprecedented, and that would allow for certain instances to occur, such as what happened with Orlando. Now," Viggo continued, still looking at Josh, "I want you to imagine meeting Harry first, and how you might have felt at the time." "Scared to death?" Josh promptly joked, and grinned when Orlando smothered a laugh. "Sounds about right." Josh frowned. "I can't," he finally said, after he'd given it some real thought. "I mean, Harry's a really good-looking guy and sex on wheels and all, but I always understood that the mortal had the right to refuse the claim." "They do." "I dunno, man. I really can't imagine myself being bonded to Harry and not Karl. I mean, yeah, sure, they're a lot alike in ways, but they're also completely different." "Exactly," Viggo said, looking pleased again. "But if you had been claimed by Harry, he'd have had first claim on you, regardless of what might have happened when you and Karl met." "Ah, okay, I think I see what you mean, then," Josh replied, testing each word to get a feel for it in his own head. "Because Karl claimed Orlando first, his is the alpha claim?" "Yes." "See, that's just what I told you a few days ago," Josh said to Orlando. "I knew it had something to do with that." "Harry's claim on Orlando should have been the alpha one, to use your words," Viggo said. "But, because Karl does have the larger claim, the Sire/fledgling bond between Harry and Orlando could boost them to where they rightfully should have been." For a long moment, Orlando just sat there and looked at Viggo. Viggo looked back, and neither blinked. Josh had the impression they were discussing something private, but the silence dragged on so long that he started to get concerned. When Orlando spoke again, his voice was soft and troubled. "Does Karl know this yet?" "No," Viggo answered, just as seriously. "I wanted to give you the option first before I brought it up with him." "Brought what up?" Josh wanted to know. It wasn't being nosy, he told himself. If it affected Karl, it affected him, simple as that. "Lessening Karl and Orlando's bond when and if Harry is able to give the Gift to Orlando," Viggo said quietly. Josh was certain he was gaping like a fish. "You can do that?" "In theory? Yes," Viggo said. "It's a matter of blocking his bond with Karl before Harry begins, and keeping it blocked until Orlando wakes. I honestly don't know if it will work, though. We're working with a lot of what ifs here." "Would Liv know?" Viggo shrugged. "Perhaps. Like I said earlier, these are things that have never been done before, to my knowledge, and tampering with a situation that, by our understanding, should have never been possible in the first place." "I can't make that decision alone," Orlando said. "I need to discuss it with Karl." "I expect nothing less." "This is seriously f'd up shit." Josh shook his head. All of this talk of breaking bonds and lessening bonds and turning vampires back into mortals then back into vampires and shared pets... No wonder Orlando wanted to get plowed tonight. It was beginning to sound like a great idea to Josh, as well. "You guys lead really interesting lives, I'll say that." "And now you're in the middle of it," Viggo grinned. "My aunt is going to have a field day with this." Josh let out a low chuckle. "She always did warn me about getting mixed up with vampires." "With good reason. Your aunt wasn't always a model citizen." "Somehow I'm not surprised. She's always been the family eccentric." "You'll definitely fit in just fine," Orlando said, with a slightly lopsided smile. If Josh didn't know better, he'd say Orlando was drunk. How many more drinks had he downed while they'd been talking? "We're all more than a little bit nuts. Helps to keep from going completely crazy." "I guess that's one way of putting it," Josh mused, and was completely surprised when Orlando started patting his hand. "Vig..." Orlando stopped. "Think you're gonna have to help me. Back to the hotel." "Don't worry." Viggo was clearly struggling not to laugh. "I'll make sure you get back to them safely." "Provided they even come back tonight," Josh added, finally just giving in to the inevitable and putting his hand over Orlando's. It had to be better than the constant petting. "You think they won't?" Josh shrugged at Viggo's question. "I can't, um, exactly, uh, how do I put this...I don't feel Karl in my head right now." "Ah." Viggo's face cleared. "He's blocking you. I wouldn't take it personally. Chances are, he doesn't want to overwhelm your bond with the depth of the emotions running through him." "Huh," was all Josh said for a moment. He could feel Orlando's fingers twitching beneath his hand. "Guess I didn't think of that." "He just needs some time alone with Harry." Smiling at them both, Viggo nodded towards Orlando. "And I'm pleasantly surprised at this one picking up on that and getting the two of you away for a while." "Be okay," Orlando mumbled. "You'll see. They'll be there when we get back. Just, y'know...didn't expect to, um, sleep alone." "I'd ask if sleeping alone is a problem for you, but the answer's pretty obvious," Josh grinned, then surprised himself by adding, "and if you want, you can cuddle with me. We can kick back with some EastEnders and more vodka." "Was planning on sleepin' on the sofa," Orlando said, then peered at Josh in a way that had Josh fighting back laughter. Man, when drunk hit a vampire, it didn't fuck around. "You mean it?" "Yeah, sure. You don't hog the covers, do you?" Orlando managed to look indignant. "No!" "Then it's a deal," Josh said, and solemnly shook Orlando's hand. "On that note," Viggo laughed, "I think it's time I escorted you back to your hotel. I still have some phone calls to make." "Nighttime," Orlando pointed out, helpfully. "Not in Tokyo," Viggo replied, with a wink to Josh. A warm glow spread through him at the thought that he and the head of the Council were now sharing inside jokes. His aunt Kate was seriously going to be green with envy. Onto Part Twenty main Catalyst page If you enjoyed this fic, please leave feedback here. Thanks!