Julian doesn't know much about demons, but
he has a talent for killing. Connor can appreciate that. He
just wishes that Julian would turn on the central heating a little more
often. His cellphone is ringing, and it's in his jacket,
which is all the way across the bedroom. The floor is going
to be like ice.
He says as much to Julian. "Don't be such an American,"
Julian says. "And put the kettle on while you're up."
The floor is like ice, and by the time he gets to his jacket the phone
has stopped ringing. Once downstairs, he ignores the electric
kettle and starts the coffeemaker which is his one contribution to the
household; he listens to the message while it drips, and wonders
whether he should go up and tell Julian the bad news.
"You look grim," Julian says, when he finally makes it
downstairs. Fully clothed, Connor notes, and wearing a
sweater. The need to wear sweaters indoors is one of the
things Connor dislikes about Oxford.
"My father wants to visit," he says. "My real father."
"Ah," Julian says. "The vampire."
Connor supposes that one of the benefits of having met Julian while
fighting zombies in the Westgate Centre parking garage is that they got
all the weirdness out of the way early on. "The vampire," he
says.
"And the problem is?"
Connor stares out the kitchen window into the tiny garden, but he can
still hear Julian moving around behind him. "I needn't be
here," Julian offers. "You can always pretend that you live in college."
"It's not that,"
Connor
says. "It's not you."
"We could have him killed," Julian says. "Vampires aren't
terribly difficult."
"I think we've already been through that phase in our relationship."
"Do you think he's a threat to you?"
Connor shrugs. "He's OK. He has a soul."
"If you're not trying to kill him, and he's not trying to kill you,
what's the difficulty?" Julian, Connor sometimes thinks, has
a refreshingly simple view of human relationships. "We'll
take him out to dinner at... Can we take him out to dinner?"
Connor rolls his eyes, and then turns around because the expression is
wasted while he has his back to Julian. "He'll start bossing
me around," he says. "Just wait. It'll be the end
of the world or something, and he'll be telling me to go hide somewhere
safe."
"Or you could take him to deal with that nest of Hrothmarl demons up in
Headington Quarry." Julian pauses, as if in
thought. "Perhaps I will be out of town when he visits."
"I was thinking of going up to Headington Quarry tonight."
"I have a business engagement. In Marseilles."
Julian doesn't sound at all sorry.
"Liar."
"You know that I'm not averse to killing. It's the slime that
bothers me."
Connor shrugs. "Fine. Whatever. He'll be
here next week. Thursday. You won't be in
Marseilles then, will you?"
"You aren't seriously planning to introduce me to your father."
"Why not?"
"Connor."
"There won't be any slime," he points out. "And he can't
object to your job." He waits until Julian starts to smile;
the coffee is ready now and the sun is warm, falling through the window
on his back.
end
All recognizable characters and elements are the property of their respective creators; for Alias, JJ Abrams, Bad Robot and ABC, and for AtS Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy and WB. I make no claim to ownership of or profit from previously copyrighted materials. Original elements are my own.