Karl seeks to make amends with Lija and Orlando

[karlofpalace.livejournal.com]

Elijah poured another cup of coffee and walked around the desk and sat down. He took a sip and shuffled in the drawer for a bottle of aspirin.

Karl rested his head against the wall. He shut his eyes, than took a deep breath. Standing up, he walked into Lija's office. "Hey Lij."

Elijah looked up, squinting slightly. "Oh hey Karl. How're you? Want some coffee?"

"Yeah, thanks." Karl looked harder at his friend. "Lij? You okay? Everything alright?"

Elijah stood up and walked to the coffee pot, pouring Karl a cup. He handed it to him and then flapped his hand dismissively. "Yeah, shit, I'm fine. What's up? If you're looking for Harry he hasn't been in yet this morning." Elijah moved back and sat down.

"Yeah, I don't suppose it would be." Karl sat slowly in the chair across from Lija. "Lij, I gotta tell you something. Not sure when Harry will be in today. He probably will, just..."

Elijah looked at Karl, studying him. "Fuck man, what now?" He asked in a shaky voice and grabbed his coffee.

"I uh....I kinda beat the hell out of him yesterday." Karl stared down at his coffee.

"What'd he do to piss you off?"

"What else, he tried to help me."

"He hasn't learned that that shit'll get you killed." Elijah huffed out and looked down at his desk, spreading his hand flat on the surface, sliding his fingers back and forth. He sat as if mesmerized. "What happened?" He asked finally.

Karl rolled his cup between his hands, looking off. "He....he went to see someone. A doctor. For me. To help me with....that thing I told you and Viggo about."

"Yeah, so why'd you hit him?"

"He didn't tell me he was going to. Did it behind my back." Karl shrugged. "I lost it and took it out on him."

"Harry does like to save the day doesn't he?" Elijah sighed, lips pursed. "Are ya'll okay?"

"I am. Harry's not so much. I don't know what I thought I was going to do. I had him down on the ground, just swinging at him. He had every right to just haul back and level me right there."

"He wouldn't do that. He's too honorable. No, I mean are ya'll okay? Did you two make up?"

"Yeah, we did. Kissed, hugged the whole thing." Karl finally took a drink of the coffee. "I'm going to do it. See that doctor he went to. I'm scared as fuck, but I'm going to do it."

Elijah looked at Karl for a moment and then nodded. "That's good. You need to get better. If Harry trusts this guy, you know that you can. It'll be okay, Karl. You've got people that care about you and will support you."

"I'm scared of it not working. Of being the same or worse off after going thru it. Than what do I do?"

"It'll work." Elijah said and took a sip of coffee. "Just don't rush it or get pissed if it isn't over night. It took a while to get fucked up, it isn't gonna fix in a day. Karl, you're the strongest, toughest - and I don't mean like - physical - but you know - you're tough. You'll be okay."

A non smile smile appeared. "How long does it take to unfuck up fifteen years? To fade out all the shit and training and pain and fear and-" He covered his eyes, biting his lip.

Elijah lifted his hand to reach out to Karl, and then curled his fingers in, letting it hover in the air. Slowly he pulled it back. "I'm sorry Karl." He stood up and walked to the coffee machine, pouring another cup. His hand shook slightly when he placed the pot back on the burner. Without turning he finally said, "I'm glad you two made up and I'm glad you're going." His voice was quiet.

"Lija. Can I-" Karl looked up. "Please can you come over here?"

Elijah walked and leaned against the desk. He put his hand on Karl's shoulder. "It'll be okay."

Karl lifted his hand to touch Lija's cheek. "I should have told you forever ago."

Elijah lifted his shoulder and shrugged it in a slow roll. "It's no big deal. As long as you're going to be okay - that's what matters." He moved his head marginally, pulling away.

Karl frowned. "Lija? What's wrong?" He stood up, setting his cup on the desk and putting his hands on Lija's shoulders.

"Nothing." Elijah said, looking at Karl, gaze never wavering. Finally he moved to hug the other man. "I'm glad you're getting help."

Karl hugged him back. "If he works for me, I want you to see him too." He whispered.

Elijah stiffened and moved away. He smiled at Karl, a tight line on his lips. "Yeah sure Karl, we'll see. Want more coffee?"

"Lija, I mean it. Please? I want both of us to get better than we are."

"Okay Karl, okay." Elijah said impatiently. "It'll be fine."

"You've known me all these years, Lij. You're allowed to tell me I'm a selfish bastard you know."

Elijah laughed. "Fuck Karl, you're the least selfish bastard I know."

Karl shook his head. "No I'm not. How often have we gotten together? When was the last time before...before that we had talked? Just us, just about nothing. I love you, Lija and I feel like I haven't done enough to show you that."

"It's no big deal Karl, really. Forget it." Elijah moved and sat. "I know where you live, I could have called you."

"I could have called you, too. I should have." Karl followed Lija with his eyes.

Elijah took a breath and sipped his coffee.

"Elijah... that better be the first pot of the day," a voice came from the doorway.

Karl kept his eyes on Lija. "Morning Harry."

"Karl's here and he drinks coffee Harry, two against one rule."

"Morning, Puppy," Harry said, pushing off the door frame and coming into the room. "It's still disgusting."

Elijah looked at Karl and cocked an eyebrow, then he turned to Harry and sputtered coffee. "Jesus fuck Karl, way to go man."

Karl looked over at Harry, wincing as he saw his face. "Fuck." He sighed, sitting back down.

"Yeah, it's always been my dream to walk into rooms and have people grimace at the sight of my face," Harry said dryly. "Orange juice, brat?"

Elijah waved his hand toward the refrigerator. "As always Harry, fully stocked."

Karl flinched at Harry's words. "How you feeling? What Orlando say?"

Elijah watched Harry walk, slow and deliberate movements. "Geesh Harry, runners never got you that bad."

"Karl, I'm fine. You've seen me worse than this," Harry assured him, heading for the fridge. "He took it pretty well, on the whole. He's not going to be coming after you or any shite like that, so don't worry. And he put disgusting shite on my lip to keep it from getting infected." Harry turned to Elijah, grinning a little. "Never one that you saw, Elijah, because I had Karl at that point. Before Karl, I got tuned once or twice."

"Cool." Elijah said and opened his desk drawer and got two more aspirin, taking them, he held the bottle up. "Want?"

"I remember, the first one after I joined up. That wasn't pretty." Karl ran his hand thru his hair.

"No thanks, Elijah. I've voluntarily taken my quota of painkillers for the next three years at least," Harry said, taking another drink. "Yeah, you looked pretty strange with that bald spot where your hair got pulled out. And you thought I was mad for keeping mine short."

"I made sure it never happened again though."

"Yeah, you did. And Elijah, I tried a lot harder against the runners too."

"Uh huh." Elijah got up and poured more coffee. "So you two are okay, right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

Karl looked at Harry, than nodded. "He was helping. Not his fault I'm so thickheaded."

"Take a hell of a lot more than me letting Karl beat the snot out of me to make me and Karl not okay," Harry smiled back.

"Let?" Elijah asked looking at Karl.

"I told you he could have hauled off and laid me out to get me off him. He did...something...worse..." Karl closed his eyes, a small shiver going thru him.

"What's worse?"

"I felt him. What he went thru with me being messed up. What Viggo would go thru if I didn't do this?"

Elijah nodded and moved to sit back down.

"I didn't want to. But it worked, so..." Harry shrugged. "We're good, Elijah. And it was worth a few little bruises."

"Good." Elijah said, head pounding, he was considering taking more aspirin.

Karl frowned again as he looked at Lija, than looked down. "I should go. Sorry Harry." He got up and walked to the door before turning. "Sorry, Lija." With that he left.

Elijah frowned at the door and sighed.

Harry sighed in echo. "He'll be okay, Elijah. Okay, obviously, I need you to cancel any face to face meetings for the next few days, schedule them for later in the week. That okay?"

Elijah nodded and pulled his calendar toward him, mumbling. "Two weeks maybe."

"It's not that bad!" Harry called back, opening the door to his office.

"Uh huh." Elijah rolled his eyes and reached for more aspirin.

~~~~~~~

Karl took a deep breath, than walked toward Orlando. He kept a wary eye on his bodyguard. "Um, Orlando? Can I talk to you?"

Orlando looked up at Karl and smiled. "Sure." He cast a glance over his shoulder at Tyler and nodded at the big man, who turned and stood against a wall, arms folded.

"I ah-it's about Harry. I want to say I'm sorry for what I did to him. He- I-" Karl shrugged, looking down.

"Hey, you don't need to apologize for anything." Orlando said. "There's really nothing to apologize for."

"I'm just. Fuck Orlando. I didn't mean to go off on him like that. I just-what happened...This thing I thought was gone isn’t and he was trying to help me with it and I just blew up at him. I saw how he looked when he left, I can imagine how it was when he got home."

"Hey, the only thing that was wrong was the fact he ruined a bag of frozen peas," Orlando explained with a grin. "He told me what happened, and looking at it from my angle; I've no right to be mad at either of you. And I'm not."

"I just felt I should say sorry. For doing that to him. Again." Karl smiled. "Thanks for letting me talk. Harry's lucky to have you."

"Like I said nothing to be sorry for. And besides, if anything, I owe you." Orlando grinned cheekily. "I got him with the antiseptic."

Karl stared, than laughed. "Oh man he hates that!"

"He wasn't too happy, yeah." Orlando grinned.

"Oh, and congratulations on your new little sister." Karl held his hand out. "Have to find Craig and Marton and tell them the same."

Orlando shook his hand and grinned. "Thanks."

"I can't wait to see the pictures of her. And...I know it was Marton, but thanks about having Sinclair in her name."

"Tell him that. She's gorgeous. I can't wait 'til she's older though, then I can teach her how to use her looks to be really, really evil." Orlando laughed. "And how to blow raspberries at Craig."

Karl laughed. "So, like another of your other sister with the pranks?"

"Oh yes. Worse, hopefully. Well, the raspberries are only pure revenge."

"I can't wait to see that. And I'm sure Harry will be telling me all about it and showing the current pictures to everyone. I still can't believe he's doing the daycare for the Carnival."

"I offered to let him help me with the absailing tower, but noooo." Orlando shook his head.

"No, I don't think he would. Hey, you have to tell me. Did you see him after he helped the bi-rth mother? How green was he?"

"Green. Or, you know, that could've just been the stuff he was wearing when he came home. But it was really funny. I would've loved to have seen the look on his face..."

"Oh, I wish that driver had a camera. And stuff on him..." Karl shuddered. "Okay maybe not. She's not still around, is she? The bi-rth mother?"

"I haven't seen her yet." Orlando shrugged. "So I can't say."

"Oh, okay. Well, I should let you go. Thanks for listening again. I'll see you around sometime. Do you ride? My horse has been working out the boundaries of the forest."

"I hate to say it, but horses are the only things that scare the crap out of me." Orlando smiled sheepishly.

"Really? Oh, well, I'll buy you coffee some time, how bout that?"

"Awesome."

Karl smiled. "It's a date then. Thanks, Orlando. I'll be seeing you around."