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Need. Hunt. Find?	By : JackAndAHat Category: Individual Celebrities > Liam Neeson Views: 1261 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I do not know the celebrity I am writing about. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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The thrice bedevilled blasted son of a traitorous piece of technology that called itself a coffee machine was on the blink once again. Gabriel had switched it off and back on again, twice for good measure and for the fact that while he was kneeling down poking the socket he couldn’t be stood up and smacking the damned thing.

Unfortunately that didn’t seem to be doing much, and nor did finally giving in and landing a sharp smack on the shining metal. The loud ringing noise was rather satisfying, but all that it produced was a small dent in the casing and a pathetic looking stream of black gunge trickling onto the drip tray.

He looked up, finally admitting to himself that the coffee machine was beyond the help of anyone short of a man with a blow torch, and that it was probably best to give up and call a priest for the funeral. The chances of him getting help from the other occupants in the room were at best slightly higher than him being discovered as long lost French royalty and put on the throne in Paris.

Sad though the truth was it seemed that ignoring them simply wasn’t going to work any time soon, be it within his lifetime or theirs even with that being so long as that would be for himself and Liam. He sighed, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded across his chest, eyes fixed on the combatants.

Half way across the broad room Oded leaned down over Liam’s desk with his hands flat upon the scarred wood as he spoke low and slow, every word sounding like it was dragged from him despite sheer force of will. The force showed in the lines of his body too, muscles showing taut underneath the dark silk of his shirt where it lay flat across his back, the stillness almost picture perfect.

Gabriel doubted he would ever truly fear Oded, he knew him far too well for that, but there were times like this he was reminded just how much strength his human lover held within him. Not simply his power, though Gabriel could all but see the air crackle just above dark skin. It was the way he carried himself, the sure knowledge that whatever happened he would emerge victorious.

But here it could well be that such faith was more than a little misplaced. For all that he had his reasons to be Liam wasn’t one to get violent but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be riled up, brought to anger if the mood or situation took him right.

The memory of Oded pressed to the window, the air singing as the glass melted around his hands and he gasped for air whilst Liam pressed an arm to his throat was all too fresh in Gabriel’s mind and his eyes moved against his will to the window. The glass was still marked with tiny ripples, imperfections in the sheet that Oded hadn’t quite put back right when things had calmed later, still too high on stolen energy and summoned fear. That had been a wicked night, more than a little stress piling up until something had had to give and in the end it had been tempers worn already thin through overwork.

Right now Liam just looked up at Oded, his own hands on the desk between Oded’s as though he would push himself to his feet any minute right into the space Oded stood.

“We cannot afford to keep turning down work.” He stated quietly, the words as tight as Oded’s had been with a growl underneath them fit to raise the hairs on your neck even if you were used to him. “We might not be hurting for cash but there’s the name to think of, people only remember for so long and you know that.” He spoke as though he had an errant student in front of him, one who had perfected their lessons then promptly forgotten them at the most convenient moment.

“I know it’s not our usual kind of job but did we not say when we started this that we would help our own? That the whole reason for the enterprise was to give some kind of safe haven to those the police would turn a blind eye to being harmed? And you’ve seen it yourself Oded, don’t tell me you haven’t.” The younger man held his silence through the speech, shaking his head as Liam finished.

“We did not begin this to meddle in the affairs of the heart.” He countered with a glance over to Gabriel as though seeking support. It made Gabriel wince to see and he took a step forward, leaning down on the back of the arm chair in front of him. This earned him a sharp look up from the chair’s occupant before Naveen went back to holding the newspaper in front of his face, his feet tucked under him like a little kid. Any other time Gabriel would have said reading the paper, but no-one could spend that long on one page, especially not in a trashy red top like that and Naveen had never really gone in for those anyway. It was just an excuse to watch the fight without admitting curiosity or needing to be getting too close to the action.

A strange one, that lad. For all that he would snap and give out at them he couldn’t ever seem to leave without good cause to. It made sense in its own funny way, that he’d not want to be on his own or at least not want to be away from unfamiliar peaces, but Gabriel couldn’t quite get his head around the desire to be so close to so much anger, not when every word of it must have been cutting through him.

There was enough tension in the room to make Gabriel want to come out with bad analogies about butter knives and yet the only sign Naveen showed was a whitening of his knuckles where he gripped the edges of the newspaper just a little too tight to pretend to be truly relaxed.

“Gentlemen.” Gabriel offered from his stance behind the chair, tilting his head in consideration. If they started a fist fight then to hell with the both of them but he was fetching the hose and treating them like a pair of dogs scrapping in the street. For now at least things seemed to still be at least vaguely civilised.

Oded had been spoiling for an argument since the call had come through and Liam had moved with the phone to stand in the hallway away from the three of them. That was rare enough in itself, but Gabriel could tell that there was something the werewolf was holding back and fully intended to find out later on just what it was. It didn’t work to have secrets around here, not for long at least. Not that it hadn’t been tried before of course, but it just wasn’t something that could happen.

Unfortunately it seemed that speaking would get him no more than a cursory glance sideways. Liam smacked his hand down on the desk, enough to shiver the wood, but Oded didn’t flinch even as Liam rose finally to his feet, uncurling to his full height and forcing Oded to look up. Funny how someone could look so regal even when another seemed to be trying to force him backwards, but that was how it seemed from where Gabriel watched.

“Who is the boss here, Oded?” Liam asked, his voice gone lethal soft, and Gabriel shook his head to himself again, hands tightening on the back of the chair and biting into the black leather. They needed to get this out now before it festered, and it wouldn’t do much good to intervene like he was someone’s father, sending both of them to their bedrooms to think over what they’d done. Pleasant through the thought may well be. “Unless you know of a better one then we need to take this case, and I don’t see that there is a reason why we should not.”

“I am not disputing your leadership, Liam, nor have I ever. You know this as well as I do, the case is not ours to take.” Oded frowned as though considering something, witching Liam through narrowed eyes.

“That sounds like you’re arguing to me, lad.” Liam shot back “Jesus Christ, how do you expect us to keep going if we turn down everyone who comes to our doorstep just because they don’t meet your morals?” This was just getting very silly now. They were going around in circles, and Liam seemed as though he would tell them nothing more about the call, nor give an inch on the matter.

"And there it is, There is my objection.” Oded insisted his dark eyes meeting the hard blue gaze without hesitation. “This one has not come to our doorstep. A voice through a telephone line, how well can you judge a man from that, even you? He may be one of our own but his case is not. And you do not even know that much yet, he may simply be just an unskilled man who has found us by no more than chance.”

“He needs help. Did we or did we not start this to help people?” Liam turned away from Oded and began to pace across the bare floorboards, moving almost soundlessly as he made his way half across the room and then back again as though he’d thought better of it. “I can’t understand why you’ll not give at least that much.” The words were distorted into a low growl as he spoke, pure frustration in the statement, and with that Gabriel pushed himself up fast, moving around the chair with enough speed to finally get their attention off each other and onto him. This had to stop right now before someone lost their temper and the seriousness of the situation escalated above sulks and hurt feelings.

“Gentlemen, if you’re going to kill each other, could you not be doing it on the carpet I’ve just this morning vacuumed, hmm?” It was a stupid thing to say but it seemed as though it could work, if only by startling them back into themselves and breaking the cycle. It was always this way, that one would start and the other seemed to feed off the anger.

The thought made him pause and he looked up to Oded, frowning. It didn’t seem likely that he would twist Liam that way, not on purpose, but it could be known to happen and it wouldn’t surprise Gabriel in the least if it had. His lover gave no indication of such an attempt though, and simply frowned in confusion at the scrutiny.

The rustle of paper from behind Gabriel indicated some activity at last and he turned in time to see Naveen folding the paper back down in half and setting it aside before standing.

“If you need me then you know where I sleep.” He said quietly before making his way out of the room. He wasn’t usually sociable but this was strange even for him, and Gabriel noted Liam’s eyes following the younger man as he left the room. With a sigh Gabriel turned back to the matter in hand. The rest could be dealt with later.

“Look, you’ve both your arguments and I know that. But must we be at each other’s throats all the time?” There was a soft chuckle from Liam at the inadvertent pun and without looking around Gabriel smacked him on the arm. Finally, Oded shook his head, dark eyes meeting Liam's, and he reached out and laid a hand upon his friend's shoulder.

"I mean no insult, you know this. Meet with him, speak with him, and tell me what you will. But you will be disappointed, I am sure of it." And just like that, the tension was gone. Gabriel tilted his head, looking at Oded's hand on Liam, looking at how it had slid down to find bare skin. Interesting, very interesting. Unethical as high hell, but interesting none the less. It took Liam a minute to notice it too and he shook his head like a damp dog but didn't throw the hand aside at least.

"I've asked you not to do that, you know." He rebuked but the tone was mild, almost amused now. That was a better sign at least, and removed some of the urge from Gabriel to knock the fool pair of them out and wait from a distance for them both to come to their senses or wake up, whichever happened first.

"I know. If it helps, I did not force the anger upon you but I know that I was its cause. I believe that it is only right that I should then take it from you." Liam huffed at that, and put his own arm on Oded's shoulder, half-hugging him.

"You bloody bastard." he commented without rancour. "You always bloody could talk circles... yeah, i'll meet with him, and we’ll talk it out first. I'll find out why he called on us especially. He knew who we were; he wasn't just looking on some phone book or an agency listing. He knew of us by name, knew us. So something isn't right here, and i'll be damned if I will just turn him flat away I just... well Jesus, the guy sounded desperate, you know?" Oded smiled and shook his head, giving Liam's shoulder another squeeze and stepping back.

"I know, my friend, just as I know how soft your heart is for all that you might profess it to be otherwise. I will see you soon; I believe that dinner requires my attention." And with that, he simply wandered away, slow graceful steps as though everything was resolved. Funny but in a way it was.

“Well, that was... bracing." Gabriel announced as the door closed behind Oded. His eyes were drawn back over to the god forsaken coffee machine almost against his will, and he looked up to find Liam smirking at him.

“Anyone would think it was coffee that your body ran on.” He remarked. He’d known from the off what Liam was, of course, and there had never been a problem to make jokes about it, no more than it had been a problem for Liam to tease him over his entirely unused degree in history or his obsession with coffee. Come his own rather less expected change, the jokes had been a sign that all was finally right in the world, that vampire or no there were still friends who would have him. Now, he just folded his arms and schooled his face into a perfect mask of offence.

“It is. You know that. Can we be getting a new one please?” he asked with great enthusiasm. It was only half feigned, he’d never quite trusted a man who could happily go without coffee, and as for one who didn’t like it at all, he wasn’t sure he could have endured their company. For his part Liam rolled his eyes, though Gabriel knew that given a few days he would start to feel the effects.

“Aye, we can have a new one, soon. I’ll arrange for it later, we’ve been needing a new one for a while.” Then he settled back into the chair beside the desk, looking up at Gabriel. All sorts of meaning but no words, none spoken aloud at any right. Gabriel leant a hip against the desk and nodded.

“I’ll talk with him.” He agreed. No sense in not doing, not when perhaps he could get the truth from both of them. The thought crossed his mind for a minute to involve Naveen in this but Liam would never stand for that even if the lad would agree to it. Instead, he watched Liam intently as he asked his next question. “Will you be having Naveen here when you see the newest client? Could save you time on knowing whether or not he’s inclined to give up the truth.”

“No.” There is was, just a bit too fast and just a little too sharp. Wasn’t as though Gabriel could make it happen or as though he would even try for it and yet for some reason now Liam seemed to feel that it was necessary to counter the idea with so much force.

Could be a problem if it went much further like this. He’d seen a few times already where Liam seemed to shelter Naveen though work was still being done. Oded was right about Liam’s soft heart, though Gabriel wondered how much was contributed to by his thick head. The desire to simply lock them both in a room and tell them to have at it was growing by the day and he gave it good consideration now as he watched Liam. “What?” Liam asked, folding his arms once more.

“Nothing, nothing.” Gabriel insisted with a shake of his head, hiding his smile to himself. The smile faded a little around the edges as the wave of tiredness that practice had held back continued to press at his barriers. It didn’t seem so long since he had sat at the table for a good sized lunch but he knew full well that wasn’t the meal his body was urging him towards. Later, he promised himself, it could wait until later.

“If you’ve something to say then come out with it.” Liam protested, then frowned at Gabriel. “How are you keeping?” he asked and Gabriel found himself the subject of far more scrutiny than he was expecting. Sometimes it was like working with your father, or an oversized mother hen.

“I’ll live.” He argued and waved away the concerns. “It’ll be dealt with later.” That wasn’t something he wanted to discuss, not even with a friend so close as Liam. “So what can you tell me about this lad we’ll be meeting?” he asked, smiling as Liam raised his eyebrows at the “we”. “Come on, did you think I’d let you keep all the excitement for yourself?”

“I think he’s one of my own.” Liam confessed quietly. That gave Gabriel pause and he tapped his fingers against the edge of the desk.

“Family, or just kind?” he asked gently, tilting his head as Liam looked down. If it was family Liam wasn’t like to have given them the time of day but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be needing help, just not the kind that he was used to asking for.

“Kind.” Liam answered tensely, the earlier joking over the coffee machine poured away like it had never been. “I’m not hundred percent sure, can’t be over the phone but what the lad said was enough, you know, and it was the way he said it.” Once again Liam shook his head, this time pushing back his hair with a sharp gesture.

“And you felt sorry for him.” Gabriel guessed. It made sense, after all. So many of them stuck with their family, their pack, and anyone who broke away usually had a damned good reason. It must be a lonely life, to know that you should have your people around you and yet be so far from them. Liam had them but still he slept alone and that didn’t seem right. Who knew what situation this lad was in? “Are you going to share his trouble or have I to wait until tomorrow?” No pressure now just the offer of an ear to listen without judgement.

“His lover, it seemed, he was…one of yours.” Very delicately put, but Gabriel took no offence. Enough had prejudice against his kind, and for all that is was a disease it seemed to unite them if only in how they were seen. Some tried to hide it, some wore it proudly, but even for those who wanted to do no more than carry on their day to day lives, it meant whispers behind hands and questions and the closing of doors that had once been held open for them.

The old ways might have been dead and buried but people had long memories and prejudice could be handed down from father to son and onwards. It troubled him sometimes to wonder how Liam would have reacted if they’d not met before he was turned, but it meant nothing now. What had happened had happened.

“Family trouble, they don’t approve of the two being together?” he asked carefully. So many people who claimed to be without prejudice suddenly developed such dislikes when their dear daughter or son brought someone home. Strange, that, it was getting better but not fast enough. Those who were truly tolerant were few and far between and it wouldn’t surprise Gabriel at all to hear that the lad’s family were threatening to do something permanent. They’d done a few protection jobs before but not quite like this.

“Family weren’t mentioned, I’d lay money down that he’s without a pack.” Liam didn’t seem to be trying to disguise the hurt in his voice at the thought of that and Gabriel brushed a hand against his arm, squeezing once before sitting back. That was as much acknowledgement as would be given. Liam wouldn’t take kindly to more, but it seemed to help to know that the offer was there.

“He’s been…mistreated, though he wasn’t giving so many details.” At this Gabriel raised his eyebrows. Domestic abuse wasn’t exactly their field of speciality, but he could see why the lad wouldn’t want to be going to the ordinary police. They still didn’t take too kindly to mixed couples and like as not he’d be told he’d called it down on his own head and sent away at best hope.

“Do you think there is something we can do for him? At the least I suppose we can find somewhere to send him on to.” Gabriel offered. Liam gave a slow blink as he seemed to process this and Gabriel watching the emotions cross his eyes, the desire to protect at all costs, that instinct, warring with the need for caution and common sense. “We’ll see, alright? Leave it until morning, until we’ve met him face to face. It might not be what you are thinking, he might just have need of a sympathetic property lawyer and think we’d have a list. Which, need I remind you, we do, and so we can help him.”

For a moment longer Liam stared off into the distance then shook his head as though to clear it, standing up and smiling.

“Aye, you’re right as usual. We’ll deal with this in the morning. Come on - best to be seeing if he’s massacred enough dinner for the rest of us. At least he’s taking out his sulking on the vegetables and not us.”
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