| Title: Cherished Authors: Jo & Brenda Series: Claimed Pairings: Karl Urban/Orlando Bloom/Harry Sinclair Rating: NC17 Summary: Vampires and pets and sex, oh my. Yeah, it's an AU. Disclaimer: As far as we know, vampires don't exist. Cha. Author's Notes: *Brenda points to Jo* It was all her fault. I just went along with it. *Jo points back at Brenda* Her Karl had designs on my Orli. She liked the idea so we let them play. This is what happened. *mwah* *Brenda & Jo look around, then whisper* But it's really *all* Harry's fault and if he says otherwise, it's a lie! For the other 1/2 of the Quartet. *mwah*
"Only by ten minutes," Sylvia protested, flashing him a winsome smile. "I got caught in traffic." "You always get caught in traffic," Orlando laughed. He waved his hand to shoo her away. "Just go sign in and then turn on the music." He turned his attention back to the paperwork on the counter. He tried to concentrate, but his mind kept drifting back to the previous night, and Karl. "Don't drool on the papers, boss," Sylvia chirped as she went past, a handful of new outfits draped over her arm. "Oh, for -- " Orlando pushed the papers under the desk. No way he was going to get any work done. He needed to talk to someone. He picked up the phone, cradling the receiver between his ear and shoulder as he dialed. He absently tapped his thigh, keeping time with the techno-beat that filled the store. One ring, two, then a click followed by something that sounded like a very obscene and nearly unintelligible greeting. "Wake up, Lijah," Orlando crooned. "Almost 10:00, mate." There was silence, followed by a muffled thump and a string of curses. "Orli, where the hell have you been? Do you realize that no one's seen or heard from you since you left the damn club with Fang Boy?" Elijah was yelling. Loudly. Orlando held the phone in his lap, waited for his friend to wind down. "Of course you realize that since you didn't bother to fuckin' call anyone! You asshole! I thought you were dead! I certainly hope he was worth scaring me half to fuckin' death!" "Oh, he was. His name is Karl, and I've been at his house since -- " "Don't you think you could have at least called? Or doesn't he have a phone?" "I'm sorry. I just...I didn't think." "S'okay, man. As long as you're okay." A pause, and Orlando heard the muted squeaks of Elijah's bed shifting. "You are okay, aren't you?" "Yeah, I'm fine." Orlando paused, grinned as he remembered the taste of Karl's kiss. "Better than fine. I'm bloody great. Better than I've ever been in my life." "Really? That's cool. So you finally got what you wanted, huh? You got to fuck a vampire." "Well, no, I didn't." "You...didn't?" Surprise in Elijah's voice. Orlando looked up and smiled as a customer crossed his line of vision. "Then what -- " "We talked some. In the limo. It was incredible. He has his own limo. It was so amazing. And his house! It's in the Hills and it was so...so..." "Orli, you're babbling," Elijah said, laughing. "Oh, right. Sorry, mate." Orlando glanced around to see if anyone had noticed, but Sylvia was still in the window and the blond -- the only customer -- was now on the other side of the store. "So all you did was talk?" "Well, no," Orlando replied. He played with the seam on his jeans, thankful that he always kept a change of clothing in the back for emergencies. "He kissed me, too. It was the most incredible kiss. Melted my brain." "Wasn't sure you had one to melt," the voice on other end of the line teased. "Okay, you talked and kissed. That's it?" "If you'd shut up, I'd tell you what you bleedin' want to know!" Orlando heard what sounded suspiciously like a snort of laughter and looked around quickly. Huh. Odd. He quietly explained the previous night's events, blushing the whole time. "I'm beautiful to him," he finished. And that was the best miracle of all. "I saw myself through his eyes, and he thinks I'm beautiful. He thinks I'm perfect." "You are beautiful, you dork." Elijah's next question was quiet, curious. "Did you know what was going to happen?" "No, but -- " "Why'd you leave with him, then? He could've killed you." "He obviously didn't kill me." Orlando watched Sylvia approach the customer for a second time, only to be waved away. A browser then. "He won't ever hurt me." "You don't know that." "I do." "How?" "I...I just do. I can't explain it." "You didn't know that when you left the club with him, idiot," Elijah pointed out. "So why'd you do it?" "It felt right." "Felt -- " "No, it was right. I don't know why, but when I saw him, I knew that I had to leave with him. I looked into his eyes...and God, Lij. He's what I've been waiting for my entire life." "Orli..." The rest of what Elijah said was lost as Orlando looked up. The customer had moved to the counter, and an open, friendly face -- square jaw, slightly pugged nose, knowing grey eyes -- watched Orlando intently. When he saw that he had Orlando's full attention, he smiled and nodded, spiky blond hair shifting with the movement. "Gotta go. Got a customer. I'll be at the apartment this afternoon to pick up some clothes. We'll talk then." Orlando hurriedly hung up the phone and slid from the counter. Sauntering around the register, he put on his most charming smile. "Is there something I can help you with?" "Yeah, I was wondering if you had this," he gestured at a silk shirt without taking his eyes from Orlando's, "in dark green. It's for my Lord." Lord? Had he said...Orlando stared in surprise. The other man winked. Oh God. He had said...Orlando placed one hand on the counter to steady himself. "My name's Dominic, but you can call me Dom. All my friends do. And I'm hoping we can be friends since we've got so much in common now. Is there somewhere we can talk in private?" *** Dom followed Orlando into his office, looking around. Orlando leaned against the desk and inclined his head towards an empty chair. Now that he was in the familiar surroundings of his office, he seemed to have regained some of his composure. "Have a seat." "Thanks." Dom dropped into the chair, hands folded low over his stomach. "You're not sitting." Orlando shrugged, didn't move. "I'm used to standing while I'm here. If I sit down, I'll find a dozen things that need my attention yesterday." "I understand completely." Boy, did he ever. "So, how's the eternal idiot treating you?" Dom watched with amusement as Orlando's eyes went blank. "Eternal idiot? I don't..." "Sorry. Karl." "Oh." Orlando watched Dom for several minutes. Dom calmly returned the look, waiting. "Good. Great actually." "Glad to hear it. Settling into your new role, then?" "I...yeah, I guess so. Not sure exactly what my role is just yet." "That stupid, motherfuck..." Dom paused, tried to calm down. Karl would sticking him with the job of explaining everything. Would serve the fucker right if Dom talked about Harry. "Has Karl talked to you?" "A little." Orlando flushed, bent his head. His fingers found a pen, fidgeted with it nervously. "How do you know about..." "About, what? You?" Dom leaned back again and watched him for a moment, waited for the nod. "He came by the house last night to tell us." Orlando's brow wrinkled in confusion. "I see. And who is 'us'?" "Me and Sean and Vig. Sean's my...uh...I'm his pet. Vig's the head of the Council." "Ah." There was another long silence. "Council?" "I'm going to kill him," Dom swore. "The ruling Council? They make all the laws in the vampire world and deal directly with the mortal one. Vig's the head. Karl is just below him in rank...and he didn't tell you a fucking thing about this, did he?" Dom finished, noting Orlando's wide eyes. "Maybe I'd better sit down." Dom waited until Orlando had moved around the desk and sank into his chair. "Feel better?" Orlando nodded. "Karl's on the Council? He, um, never mentioned that." Dom settled himself a little more in the uncomfortable chair. He was going to be here for awhile. "Okay, listen up. 13 members on the Council," he explained. "Vig's the head -- Karl, Sean and Harry are just under him. Consider them the Quartet of Doom, and you've just about got it. They pretty much run the Council, and they're best friends...well, except for Vig. He's just an old busybody who knows every bloody thing." "Busybody?" Orlando's eyes narrowed slightly. "Who's Harry?" "He's...um...he's..." Fuck, he shouldn't have said anything. "I, uh, guess you could say he's Karl's best friend." As well as a few thousand other things, but he wasn't about to risk both Karl's and Sean's considerable wrath by saying anything else. "Oh." Orlando contemplated that for a moment, his brows knitting over the bridge of his nose. Dom smiled. Orlando was taking it all very well so far. "Okay. Well, I...I guess I'll meet him soon." "Yeah." Dom could not wait to witness that event. "Um, you got any questions for me?" he asked, changing the subject before he let anything else slip. "Karl wanted me to look in on you, make sure you were cool." "I am, thanks." Pink suffused Orlando's cheeks, and he looked down with a shy smile. Dom knew how he felt. He remembered the first time he realized that Sean cared about him, was protecting him and looking out for his well-being even when he wasn't physically there "I don't suppose you could, y'know, tell me what exactly my 'role' is, could you?" Orlando asked, raising his head and looking at Dom with such a mixture of hope and uncertainty that something inside Dom reacted instinctively. Maybe, he thought, he had finally found a friend who was truly his equal. A kindred spirit. "Why the fuck am I not surprised he didn't say anything?" Dom answered with a grin, relieved when the other man gave him an answering smile. "He thinks everyone's Harry and should just know, dumb ass that he is." Dom leaned forward, braced his elbows on his knees, grey eyes intent. "Orli, you're going to be his pet now. You do know what that is, right?" "Kinda...not really. I really didn't know what to expect past getting chosen. Karl isn't...he's not quite like I expected." "You crawled into a limo with a vampire, and you didn't know what was going on?" Dom was amazed. Orlando had been clueless as to his fate, yet he had deliberately chosen this path. Very few mortals of Dom's acquaintance would do that. "Jesus, no wonder Karl claimed you. Fucking fearless, mate. I'm impressed." "Yeah, well..." Orlando shrugged. "I knew he wasn't going to hurt me." Dom shook his head, laughing softly. "Now you sound like me with Sean." "It's true," Orlando said, and his tone made Dom smile. "It was like...like I couldn't let him leave without me, and even though I didn't know what would happen, I knew he would never hurt me." Oh, Karl, you made the right decision in choosing this one. The two of you are perfect for each other. Dom couldn't wait to see what Harry made of him. "Well, let me be brief then. A pet is a permanent mortal companion to a vampire. An equal, someone who takes care of daily activities a vampire can't, someone who loves unconditionally, someone who stands and fights, someone who thinks... Friend, lover, mate, all rolled into one person." Which, come to think of it, was what Karl had in Harry. Why was Karl doing this anyway? Besides the fact that Orlando was incredibly beautiful and fearless. Not like Harry was exactly hard on the eyes or lacking in balls. "And that's what I am? Karl never said anything..." Dom chuckled softly at Orlando's confusion. "Well, technically, you're not yet. You still need to go through the binding ceremony." "Okay, to ask a really stupid question...binding ceremony?" Orlando looked lost again. Dom sighed. Figured. Karl never told anyone dick. "Do me a big favor and hit Karl for me when you see him tonight? The binding ceremony is that...like a wedding, only with blood." Wide eyes met his statement. Dom suppressed the urge to laugh. Poor thing really did have no fucking clue. "Blood? Oh, right...he's going to bite me?" "Yeah. But, don't worry, he'll only take a bit of blood," Dom said, hastening to reassure the other man. "Then you cut him and drink from him, complete the bond." "I have to...cut...." Orlando looked a bit pale. Dom didn't blame him. It was quite a lot to take in. "You're not going to faint on me, are you?" Orlando shook his head, cheeks still a bit white. "No, no." Dom watched in silent amusement as Orlando composed himself. "I just...guess I didn't expect that." "Yeah, I remember when Sean handed me the knife," Dom replied, anxious to put a smile on Orlando's face. "I was terrified. Karl and Harry, the dumb fucks, just stood there and laughed at me." "Oh, that'll do wonders for my self-confidence." Orlando sighed. "He didn't mention any of this." "Of course he didn't. This is Karl. You'll get used to it." He grin at the hopeful look that crossed Orlando's exotic features. Kid was lost already. "Can I give you a bit of advice, though?" Orlando hesitantly nodded. "Advice would be appreciated right now." Dom took a deep breath. He couldn't tell Orlando about Harry, but he could make sure Orlando knew what Karl needed. "Ask him questions. Take a bit of control. He's been with..." Harry, he was about to say, stopped himself. "He's not used to dealing with mortals," Dom modified. "Just me, and I've known him too long. He chose you for your fearlessness. Use that to your advantage." "Oh. So you, ah, you've known Karl for a while?" "Oh, yeah. Almost 82 years." Dom suppressed the urge to laugh when Orlando's eyes attempted to pop out of his head. "I met him when Sean claimed me and we bonded." "82..." Orlando's voice was weak. He blinked rapidly. "You don't look...." "I'm actually 107, but I look the same as I did when I was 25, when I bonded myself to Sean. It's one of the benefits of being a pet. Long life." Dom waited, allowed Orlando to digest the information. "Whoa." "Yeah, whoa." Orlando's gaze was intent as if focused on Dom. "Um, about the other, the um...control thing. I...I'll try. He's a bit...overwhelming." "Yeah, well, they all are, at first. You'll get used to them, though." Dom paused, tilting his head, considering his next words. "And, if you ever want to talk, or rant, or anything, just give me a call." Dom quickly scribbled a phone number across a notepad on the desk. "Anytime. I mean that. Cause I like you...and I think you'll be good for Karl." "I hope so. I want to make him happy." Orlando's voice, barely above a whisper, was unsteady. "And thank you." "Sure. We pets have to stick together against them. Otherwise they'll run around thinking they know every bloody thing," Dom winked. A tiny, self-conscious smile curved Orlando's mouth. "Can't let them do that, can we?" "Now you're starting to get it." Orlando still looked a bit dazed. Dom decided it was time to wrap things up. Orlando had enough to think about, and Dom couldn't wait to tell Sean all about this meeting. Yes, Karl had indeed chosen well. Only question was -- what would Harry make of this new addition? "Right, so, you'll call if you need anything, yes? And I'll see you later." "Yeah, sure. I'll give you a call." "And don't forget to hit Karl for me," Dom reminded him, when he stood. "I'll um, I'll pass that along." Liar. Dom only grinned at Orlando's thinly veiled reluctance. He shook Orlando's hand, walked toward the door. "Bye." "Bye." Dom walked out of the office, leaving a very thoughtful and slightly overwhelmed young man behind him. |