Solo performance

Summary: Mean Bean, revengeful Karl and caring Eric. I suck with summaries! Please read!
Disclaimer: Chocolate cake and cookies to the person that finds out that this is true!


26. Safety first!


“Cheers!” Orli said and lifted his glass. “To us...”

Lorna smiled at the handsome man sitting on the opposite side of the table, their eyes meeting over the rims of their glasses. “Thank you again for the invitation,” Lorna breathed and reached across the table to take Orlando’s hand into hers. “It’s a beautiful night!”

“And you’re a beautiful woman,” Orlando replied in a low voice, bringing Lorna’s fingers to his lips to kiss them. White teeth flashed as Orli grinned. “You don’t have to blush, Lorna.” He laughed softly.

“Maybe I’m just not used to so much attention...” Lorna said, taking another sip of red wine. “Well, you deserve it...”

Lorna chuckled. “So you’re planning to spend the evening with passig compliments back and forth?”

“I can’t help myself!” Orli exclaimed and lifted his up his hands in defeat. “What do you want to talk about? Name it! Your wish is my command...”

“Let me think...” Lorna put her index-finger to her full lips in a gesture that mesmerized Orlando. “OK... I think I know. If you had one wish...for yourself! I do not mean feeding infants in Africa or finding a medicine that heals AIDS. What would you want?”

“For myself?” Orli scratched his head. “I already have achieved so many of my dreams. And that has taught me one thing: You can’t buy happiness with being rich or famous.” He shrugged his shoulders. “Happiness, that’s what I want. I don’t need to be rich or famous if I am happy.” Orli laughed a little nervously. “It sounds stupid saying that, I know...”

“No.” Lorna shook her head. “I understand. And it doesn’t sound stupid at all.”

“Thank you,” Orli breathed, letting his fingers brush over Lorna’s.


~*~


“What’s that sound?” Craig asked Marton when he entered the kitchen. “Did you hear that?”

Marton shrugged his shoulders, vanishing behind his newspaper again. “I don’t know. Maybe it was the wind...”

“No.” Craig shook his head. “Trust me, I know wind and that was definitely something else!” He pulled the curtain to the side a little to take a look into the garden. “Marton! Somebody’s out there!”

“Hmm?” Marton cocked his eybrows and looked at his lover over the rim of his reading glasses. “What did you say, love?”

“Somebody’s out there!” Craig hissed, drawing the curtains shut.

“Who?” Marton put the newspaper on the table and stood up.

“Well, I don’t know who is there, Marton,” Craig whispered. “I just saw that somebody was there.”

Marton sighed. “Let me see...” He glanced through the curtains. “Craig, that’s Karl...”

“Karl?” Craig frowned. “What the fuck is he doing in our garden?”

“I don’t know,” Marton growled, walking into their living room to have a better view at the garden. “But I sure as hell don’t like it...” He observed Karl who was pacing angrily in front of their house. “Craig...is that a tent he’s setting up?”

“Yeah.” Craig buried his face in his hands. “He’s not planning to camp out there, is he?”

“How am I supposed to know?” Marton ducked his head when Karl looked into their direction. “Can you read what he’s written on that poster next to the tent?”

“I know you’re there,” Craig read aloud. “Come out, you bastards and let me kill you...” He stared at Marton, blue eyes wide with fear. “He wouldn’t do that, would he? I mean it was just a harmless prank!”

“Don’t worry, we’re safe!” Marton whispered soothingly after scooping the smaller man into his strong arms. “He’s out there and we’re in here plus he doesn’t have a weapon!”

“I wouldn’t say that too loud,” Craig mumbled into Marton’s chest and pointed at the window. “Marty, he’s in the tool shed. There’s an axe in there...”

And really, moments later Karl left the tool shed with said axe in his hands.

“That’s enough,” Marton grumbled, gently pushing Craig to the side. “I’m going to talk to him!”

“No!” Craig wrapped his arms around Marton. “I don’t want you to go! Please!”

Marton sighed in defeat, not struggling as he didn’t really want to bring Karl to his senses. Pissed Karl was bad enough. But pissed Karl with axe? No, thanks! “Then I’ll call Harry. Maybe he can help us...”


~*~


Harry was lying on the bed, taking a small nap as the phone rang. “Sinclair,” he yawned, holding the back of his hand in front of his face.

“Harry?” he heard Marton’s voice ask. “Do you know where Karl is?”

“Karl?” Harry scratched his head and looked around in the room. “Yeah, ...um...he wanted to do some shopping, I think. Why are you asking?”

“No, Craig I’m doing this!” Harry heard Marton curse, who was obviously struggling with the smaller man. “Harry? You still there? Um...well apparently Karl is not shopping cause he’s tenting in our garden and...Craig!”

The other man ripped the hearer from Marton’s hands. “Harry?” he squealed. “Karl has an axe! And he wants to kill us!”

“He does what?” Harry shot up from his lying position. “Craig, Marton, stay where you are! I’ll be there in a minute!” Disconnecting the call Harry jumped up and dressed as quickly as he could when suddenly the door was opened and Hunter entered the room.

“Harry?” he asked quietly, almost shily and normally Harry would’ve thought of that as strange, but now he barely had the time to think, let alone listen. “Do you have some time? I...”

Time? Harry shook his head. “Sorry, darling, not now! Your dad is just trying to kill Craig and Marton! I have to save them.”

“...I wanted to talk to you...” Hunter continued in a quiet voice, but Harry had already left the room.


~*~


“Here we are...” Orli breathed as he stopped the car in front of Beanie’s house, not really knowing what he was supposed to say.

“Yeah...” Lorna unfastened her seatbelt. “I enjoyed the evening very much.”

Orli nodded. “Um...I’ll walk you to the door.” He got out of the car to open Lorna’s door.

“Thank you,” she smiled shily and took his arm. They walked to the door in silence.

“So...” Orli took Lorna’s hand into his, kissing the soft skin tenderly before he leant closer, letting his lips brush over Lorna’s. “Sorry,” he whispered after pulling back, blushing a little. “But you look so beautiful under the moonlight and...”

“Shhh...” Lorna put her index-finger on his lips. “You don’t have to apologize,” she said in a low voice, pulling back the finger.

Orli shivered under the caress, wanting to lean in for a second kiss as suddenly the door flew open and Lorna was ripped from his arms.

“Viggo!” Beanie yelled. “Take her inside! And we,” he pointed at Orli. “We both have a talk...”

“Dad!” Lorna called in an outraged voice. “That’s so embarassing! I’m not twelve anymore!” She stomped her feet, trying to fight Viggo who was holding her arms gently, but firmly.

“Go inside Lorna!” Beanie commanded. “You earning your own money or being 27 doesn’t change the fact that I am your father!” He pulled at Orlando’s arm, dragging the younger man into the direction of the garden. “And you...you come with me.”


~*~


Orli shifted nervously on his chair, Beanie sitting on the opposite side of the table.

Beanie cocked his eyebrows and cleared his throat before he started to speak. “So, Orlando... You’re dating my daughter...” It didn’t sound like a question and it wasn’t meant as a question. Orlando knew that.

“Yes, Sir,” Orlando nodded shily, feeling the ridiculous urge to jump up and run away. //That’s just Beanie// he told himself. But Beanie could be scary at times. Especially at this very moment Beanie was very scary in Orli’s opinion. His eyebrows were drawn up, his lips were pressed together to a thin line and he was staring down at Orli sternly.

“You are my friend, Orlando,” Beanie continued. “And as a friend I trust you and don’t doubt your motives, but...” Beanie moved forward and grabbed Orli by his collar. “...but as a father I won’t hesitate a single minute to come and wrap you around a tree, elf-boy, if you don’t act towards Lorna as the perfect gentleman,” Beanie growled in a dangerously low voice, looking even more frightening than before. “Understood?”

Orli coughed and rubbed his throat when Beanie finally let go of him. “Understood,” he confirmed in a low voice. “Can we now be friends again? I mean you’re pretty scary when you go into protective-father-mode...”


~*~


“Eric!” Dave giggled almost hysterically, trying to free himself from the other man’s grasp. “Don’t! I told you I was ticklish!” Dave tried to kick Eric, but failed as the other man was sitting on his legs.

“I like it when you laugh...” Eric decided, finally having pity with Dave and letting go of the other Aussie. “Your smile makes your face shine a thousand times brighter than the sun.”

Dave snorted, sounding a little breathless. “You don’t have to tickle me to see me smile, you know?”

“No?” Eric frowned, lying down on his side next to Dave. “Should’ve told me that before, Roo!” he grinned, poking Dave into his ribs. “You’re a bit skinny, Roo,” he mused aloud. “Come! I’m taking you out!”

“Skinny?” Dave shook his head. “You’re just saying that because you can’t have enough of me...” He stretched lazily, a smug grin showing on his face when Eric nodded. “Sorry,” he yawned. “But I think that I’m still too tired to go out. Why not order room service? Plus it’s a little more private here...” he purred, biting his index-finger.

Eric looked amused. “Are you trying to seduce me, Roo?” he asked in a warm voice.

“Don’t know,” Dave shrugged his shoulders. “Is it working?”

Laughing, Eric shook his head. “You’re too cute for your own good,” he replied. “But I have decided to take this slow like the perfect gentleman would.”

Dave pouted. “Damn. You nice boys are no fun.” Sighing Dave rolled to his side to face Eric. “And the kiss? What was that about? It was not exactly chaste if I recall it correctly... I did feel tongue!”

“I slipped,” Eric admitted. “But you needed it.”

“Yeah,” Dave admitted. “But you wanted it...”

Eric nodded very slowly. “There are so many things I want to do to you, Roo...” he growled in a low voice that made Dave shiver in anticipation. “But not before you are ready...”

“Isn’t that on me to decide when I’m ready?” Dave asked, sounding amused and touched at the same time by Eric’s open concern about him.

“Not in this case, Roo,” Eric grinned and moved a little closer. “But I think you need love and a great deal of cuddling...and food,” Eric added when suddenly Dave’s stomach growled angrily. “Let’s get you something to fill your empty stomach and then we’ll see about the rest...”

TBC...

Will Harry be able to save Craig and Marton? What does Hunter want to talk about? Will Beanie have to kill Orli and will Dave get what he so obviously wants? Wait and see...cause I won’t tell... *muahahaaa!* I love being the omniscient writer of this!!

Did you enjoy this chapter? Then please leave me a short comment! Thanks for reading!