The Apprenticeship of Julian St. Albans (9 page)

Julian laughed wickedly. “And now he’s off to
find consolation in Armistead’s arms.”

“Just for that,” said Lapointe, making a
note on the map before rolling it up, “you’re treating me to lunch.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Julian. They waited
for her to seal it into a tube as evidence, then she locked her office and they
gathered Thomas and Geoff on their way out.

“What did I do to deserve lunch?” asked
Geoff on their way down.

“You were were on our side against
Fischer,” said Julian. “All anti-jerkfaces get to come to
lunch.”

Thomas laughed. “I won’t complain, I am so
tired of doing paperwork.”

“Are you still working on the Jefferson
case?” asked Lapointe.

“Ugh, yes, it’s endless,” said Thomas,
and they complained cheerfully about departmental forms all the way to the
cafe.

“Back so soon?” said the waitress, eyeing
up Geoff and Thomas, “And you brought friends.”

“We couldn’t stay away,” said Julian.
Alex stayed quiet, with the faintly embarrassed look he always got when she
flirted.

“Well, what can I get for you, since you’ve
brought your whole harem?” she asked Julian teasingly. The two of them got
along quite well, especially since Julian understood her crush on Alex
completely.

“I’d like tea and water, please,” he
said, “and we’re having lunch this time, what’s the soup?”

“Chicken and dumpling, it’s really good
today,” she said. “You’ll want that and half a BLT?”

“Yep,” said Julian happily. One advantage
of coming with well-liked regulars was that she learned his preferences right
off the bat. “Thanks,” he added, remembering at the last minute not
to treat her like a house-brownie.

“Will do,” she said, making a note and
moving on, getting everyone’s orders. They all ate here often enough no one
even looked at a menu, and soon enough she left to get their drinks with a
cheery wink to Agent MacLean, who blushed.

“You’re worse than Alex,” teased
Murielle.

“At least I have an excuse for not knowing how
to talk to women,” said Alex.

Thomas harrumphed. “It’s not that I can’t talk
to them, I just never know how not to offend them.”

“It’s not that hard,” said Geoff.
“Though in her case I’m not sure Jones would forgive you if you got her
number when he hasn’t yet.”

“She wants to make sure he’s not a cad who
won’t ever call,” said Julian. “Besides, men appreciate it more when
they have to work for it.”

“You were worth the effort,” said Alex,
and Julian gave him a sweet kiss as a reward.

MacLean groaned. “That’s just unfair, you’re
setting a bad example!”

“It only works if you mean it,” said
Julian smugly.

The waitress returned with their drinks, and they
got to the business of adding yet more caffeine into their day. They talked
about more mundane things, which came back around to the case and Fischer’s
behaviour. Julian got to hear the full story of how Alex met him, which did
account for some of his animosity, and they decided the rest must be Fischer’s
general dislike of magic.

“It won’t get him out of his physical,”
said Geoff, nibbling at the last of his fries. “Nor you two. You could
even come down now, I haven’t got any appointments until four,” he coaxed.

“Will it be very complicated?” asked
Julian. He had a feeling Alex wanted to dive back into his research now that he
was allowed, but Julian rather liked Geoff and wouldn’t mind a bit longer in
his company. Even if he had seen Alex naked first.

“It won’t, I just want to check him
over,” said Geoff, turning his attention to Julian. “Fifteen minutes
for each of them, then another ten correlating their readings, and I’ll even
make that herbal tea you like.”

“Just think,” said Julian to Murielle,
“you’d be completely unavailable to Fischer for almost a whole extra
hour.”

“Oh, he’s good,” she said to Alex, then
turned to Geoff. “Yes, all right, fine, I will if Alex will.”

Geoff gave Alex an expectant look.

“Yes, yes, fine,” Alex gave in, putting
his hands up in surrender.

“Excellent. I’ll remember to recruit you
sooner next time,” said Geoff, giving Julian a wink.

Julian winked right back. “It’s in my best
interests to make sure he’s functioning at peak performance,” he said
slyly.

That started another round of teasing that lasted
until the check was paid, and they were back in the Agency lobby. MacLean left
them at the elevators, taking his coffee back upstairs to continue his
paperwork, while the rest of them headed down to the infirmary.

Julian was allowed to stay in the room for Alex’s
physical, though they left Murielle alone with the doctor, sitting in Geoff’s
office sipping tea instead. Then Murielle emerged and Geoff sat in front of his
computer poking at things while the three of them talked more about the other
leads in the murder.

Now that Fischer was being pointed away from Alex,
they hoped to make more progress on the many other names they’d gotten from
Mary Margaret’s records, with their other three clover buyers at the top of the
list.

“I’m still most curious about man who failed
to pick up his lilies,” said Alex. He was about to say more when his phone
rang. She gestured for him to answer, and his voice was warm as he picked up.
“Father Stephen, how are you?”

The conversation was brief, confirming Sunday
morning to go redo the wards and blessings on the nursery before he passed the
phone to Julian. “Oh, um, hello,” said Julian shyly. He still felt
shy around the priest, though he’d never been anything but kind.

“Julian, my boy, how are you?” asked
Father Stephen, and Julian could hear the smile in his voice.

Julian couldn’t help but smile back. “I’m
good, Alex is taking care of me. And, well, it wasn’t me that was hurt.”

“We’re grateful for that,” said Master
Stephen. “I’d like you to come back for another purification, if you can
convince Alex. I think it would do you a world of good.”

“Oh, um, of course, should we try to come
before Sunday?” said Julian. They could maybe make it over this afternoon,
though it might be hard to drag Alex away if he got an idea he wanted to
pursue.

“No, come on Sunday, you can meet me at the
Temple and we’ll all go through, then we’ll head over together while we’re at
peace,” said Stephen.

“Oh! All right, I’ll make sure. Is nine
okay?” said Julian.

“That’s perfect, and now I have one other
favour to ask,” said Father Stephen. “You’ve got a pot with lucky
clover that are healthy, don’t you?”

“Our window box is about to overrun
itself,” said Julian. “I was thinking of using some of the offshoots
for your garden, sir.”

“That’s very kind of you,” said Stephen,
sounding surprised. “Well, if you could bring one… Actually, if you
bring two, that will be better. We’ll plant one here in the land we’ve cleared
for your luck garden, and then take one to the nursery to re-start her lucky
clover patch. If you’re amenable?”

“Oh, yes, I’d love to. I have some little pots
I can use to transport them, I don’t need anything special, do I?” asked
Julian, feeling proud that he could do something extra to help.

“I’m certain you’ve already made those plants
very special just by caring for them as you have,” said Stephen.
“Thank you. If Alex is all done with me, then, I’ll let you go and attend
to my duties here.”

Alex gestured that he was done when Julian made
motions, and he grinned. “He’s done, thank you, Father. We’ll see you
Sunday, bright and early.”

“If anyone can drag Alex out of bed on a
Sunday morning, it’s you,” said Father Stephen. “See you then.”

They hung up, and Julian handed Alex back his phone.
“I get to bring some of my clover to help with your blessings,” he
said proudly.

“And drag me out of bed early on Sunday, I
heard?” he asked, curious.

Julian chuckled. “Father Stephen would like us
all to go through purification together, and then I get to plant some clover in
the new luck garden before we go to the nursery,” he explained.
“That’s okay, right?”

“Right,” said Alex. “Especially if
he thinks it’ll be good for you.” He squeezed Julian’s hand.

“So no getting drunk at MacLean’s,” said
Lapointe innocently. “Though I’ve heard the process is good for
hangovers.”

Julian snickered. “And no staying up until
1am, either, I suppose.”

“Well, none of you should be doing that,
anyway,” said Geoff, turning back to them. “Murielle, you have not
been using your ointment, and your shoulder is stiffening up a little.”

“Guilty as charged,” she said with a
sigh. “I suppose the prescription for that is actually using the
ointment?”

“And physical therapy, if it isn’t better
after a month of steady use,” said Geoff sternly. “I’m going to come
find you, I’ve already put it in my calendar.”

Alex snickered, and Geoff rounded on him. “And
you have been doing something to get your magic all out of whack again.”

“I have not!” protested Alex.

“He has been using his ointment, though,”
said Julian, wanting him to get at least a few brownie points.

“What else have you been doing?” asked
Geoff, and then he and Alex got into a long discussion about Alex’s various
magical projects.

“It’s not me, is it?” asked Julian in a
small voice.

“No,” said both of them, in unison, which
made everyone laugh.

“No, he’s been teaching you sensing and that’s
still at his usual levels,” said Geoff, once they settled back down.
“I’m going to see if Dr. Chesterfield can see you, this is really his area
of expertise,” said Geoff.

Alex sighed. “I was really getting used to
life without medicinal potions,” he said glumly.

“At least the tea is good,” said Julian,
pouring himself another cup.

They discussed about possible causes for Alex’s
symptoms, but in the end they decided to wait for the appointment with Dr.
Chesterfield, which Geoff helpfully called and scheduled for them for next
week. “He says it’s still okay to help with the greenhouse,” said
Geoff, hanging up.

“Oh, good,” said Julian, though he was
still a little worried.
 

Alex looked relieved. “So it’s not really bad
like last time?” Julian remembered how restless he’d been after a few days
of enforced rest.

“It’s not, but it’s still worth looking
into,” assured Geoff. “Now go on, investigate your murder,” he
said, checking the clock. “I’ve got some of that endless paperwork to do
before my four o’clock.”

Julian thanked him again for the tea, and they made
their way back upstairs after reassurances that they’d all see each other at
MacLean’s tomorrow.

CHAPTER 6

“My phone’s about out of battery, can I use
yours?” asked Alex, once they were settled into Lapointe’s office.

“Oh, sure,” said Julian, handing it over.
He took a moment to appreciate the casual trust in their relationship with
small things like their phone passwords and shared spaces. “Should I get
coffee?”

“You’re an angel,” said Lapointe.
“You know which mug’s mine?”

“Yep,” said Julian. “I’m not
stealing Smedley’s for Alex, though.” He got up and wandered off, coming
back to find that Jones would be at their disposal on Sunday and Alex was still
willing to trade kisses for coffee.

Lapointe got hers for a simple thanks, however.

Alex was smart enough not to protest.

They worked for a while, Julian helping with his
recollection of this or that customer while they correlated the data and
followed up. Once Lapointe started her rounds of calling people to ask about
their business, however, Alex declared himself superfluous and took Julian back
home. They decided to go out again, skipping the posh places in favour of more
Indian at Padma’s. Julian always loved the food and the way everyone welcomed
them like they were family. The associations from their date didn’t hurt,
either.

“Our flower beds have never been
healthier,” said Padma by way of greeting, and this time it was Julian she
went for first. “You’re a doll.”

“And so I’m thrown over once again for my
boyfriend,” said Alex, getting a kiss on the cheek for his trouble.

“You haven’t been half so useful,” teased
Padma, leading them to a perfectly normal table off in a corner, rather than
the fancy private room they’d used the first time Alex brought him here.
“Our plants were in a terrible state before your Julian tended to
them.”

“You just had depleted soil,” said Julian
shyly. “Alex did help a little.”

“I’m not sure carrying the fertiliser bags
counts,” said Alex, holding Julian’s chair for him. “But it’s good to
know you appreciate me, anyway.”

“I wouldn’t even know I was good at this
without you,” said Julian. They shared a kiss, then Alex sat.

Padma grinned. “For that bit of sweetness, I’m
going to bring you two a special meal.” She left without letting them even
look at their menus.

“Ooh, she does like you,” said Alex.
“I’ve never gotten a special meal here like that before.”

“You’re too commanding on your own,” said
Julian, giving him a ticklish poke in the side. “No one would dare tell
Alex Benedict what to eat.”

Alex harrumphed, but he was too cheerful to pretend
at offence. “Padma would dare anything she liked, I should think.”

“She has now, so enjoy being spoiled,”
said Julian, then he paused and added, “Well, spoiled more.”

“You’re just as spoiled,” said Alex.
 

They spent their meal like that, alternately
teasing and commenting on the food, which turned out to be amazing. Their tea
arrived first with a plate of pakoras that were different than the usual, a mix
of small chunks of the mild paneer cheese and some sort of green vegetable,
rather than one or the other. Padma came by to ask how they liked them, and
admitted they were testing them as a future menu item, but the extra work would
mean they’d cost more than either type alone.

Next there was a new curry, one that was as hot as
anything else they served, along with lassis for both of them. The chef came
out to talk about those, and he sent out a treat of assorted Tandoori in
thanks. There were little side items that showed up here and there, as well,
raita and dal and a few others Julian wasn’t sure of, but everything was
delicious, enough so that he was almost too full for dessert.

“Let’s go check on the flowers, that’ll burn a
few calories for us,” suggested Alex.
 

They told Padma what they were up to, and she
laughingly promised she’d never think they’d try to leave without paying. The
night was pleasantly cool after the heat of the day, and they walked all around
the restaurant, Alex helping him listen in on the various plants and even
feeding him a little power to help one of the trees that was fighting off an
infestation.
 

They were along the side with the dumpsters, which
didn’t used to have much in the way of vegetation. There were flower beds that
ran around the whole building, but these had been neglected, and Julian had
brought in a bunch of mixed wildflower seeds. Alex had actually found a pair of
jeans, which Julian had been amused to see were black, and they’d refreshed the
soil and scattered the seeds. The resulting plants were just now going to seed
themselves, the flowers having served their purpose. Julian came over to
encourage those seeds to make more flowers in the spring, his attention focused
on the joyful little plants.

Julian was surprised to hear Alex shouting his
name, and he stood and turned, which meant the blow connected with his shoulder
instead of his head. There was a zap of magic and the smell of ozone, and
Julian heard swearing. He ignored his attacker and ran to Alex, grateful for
the amulet Alex had made him, which hadn’t done anything more than improve his
dexterity before this — he’d avoided a few little cuts and burns with
last-minute dodges that Alex assured him were normal, but nothing like this.

“Fucking mages,” said the figure, and
Julian turned his attention to the man while Alex brandished his wand cane. He
was average in height, with thinning blond hair and a weaselly sort of face
which was twisted in anger. He’d dropped his weapon, a length of pipe, and was
cradling his hand to his chest.

James and Jacques had given them both a few lessons
in self defence, but they’d not had time for more than the basics, so Julian
practiced the better part of valour and got out his phone, tugging Alex toward
the front. The man swore again and went pelting off toward a dark row of
storefronts, while Julian called the police.

Alex didn’t relax until they were back inside, with
Julian talking to the emergency operator while Alex told Padma what had
happened.

“Muggers, pah!” she said, irritated
rather than horrified. “This neighbourhood never used to have such
problems. Well, you just sit and have your dessert, we’ll bring the officers
over when they arrive.”

Julian gave her a grateful smile, and assured the
operator that they were fine, and they’d stay at the restaurant until someone
arrived, at which point he was allowed to hang up. Fresh tea was brought, and a
sweet he’d never seen before along with little dishes of frozen kulfi, and a
plate of sticky jalebi. “Rose kulfi, pistachio peda, and cardamom syrup
for the jalebi,” said Padma proudly.

“Ooh, new sugar,” said Alex, going
straight for the peda.

Julian laughed, feeling the shaky post-adrenaline
hit him, along with the ache in his shoulder. “He really meant to knock me
out,” said Julian, rolling his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” asked Alex, sweet
forgotten in his concern.

“I’ll be fine, but you’re going to put some of
that bruise cream on for me later,” said Julian, rotating his arm to be
sure he was telling the truth.

“I promise to spoil you extra rotten,”
said Alex, putting action to words by feeding the little morsel he was holding
to Julian instead.

“Mmm, oh, this is good!” said Julian,
tasting sweet milk and nutty pistachios in the soft treat. “You have to
try one.” He picked up another to feed to Alex, and then they both fell
to, eating their various treats quite as though they hadn’t just had a huge
meal.

Partway through the cops arrived and took Julian
and Alex’s statements, getting served tea and a plate of snacks of their own
compliments of the house. Padma stopped by to lament the decline in the area’s
safety, and Julian made sure to mention he’d been a witness on another case
recently. Alex added that Agent Lapointe might want a copy of the report.

“If you’d be kind enough to send it
over,” added it Julian, “please.”

The female officer blushed. “Yes, of
course,” she said, writing down the info.

Alex didn’t roll his eyes, but Julian thought that
was because he couldn’t have done it without one of the cops seeing him. There
was a little more paperwork after that, and Alex and Julian both signed their
reports.

“You’ve been very professional with me,”
said Julian, as they all stood and shook hands. “Do you know Officer,
um…” He tried to recall the big man’s name from the nursery murder.
“Tiny?”

They both laughed. “Yeah, we know Tiny. We’ll
tell him he made an impression,” said the other officer, whose name last
name was unpronounceable and had insisted they call him Bob. His partner,
Officer Gupta, was a tiny Indian woman who gave Julian the impression that she
would have had their mugger in cuffs in about five seconds and never broken a
sweat.

“And thank you again for the treat,” she
said, gesturing to the table, where not a single crumb had been left uneaten.

“Thank Padma, she’s the one who sent them
over,” said Julian.

“We will,” said Bob. They left, pausing
to talk to the owner, who insisted on giving them a little to-go box of peda
that she’d already had prepared.

Julian sat back down with a whoosh of breath.
“That was more excitement this year than I was hoping for.”

Alex came around to rub gently over his shoulders,
mindful of the fresh bruise. “I’m sorry it was you that got hurt,” he
said.

“Don’t be silly,” said Julian, kissing
one long-fingered hand. “Your amulet saved me,” said Julian, patting
the warm metal under his shirt.

“I’ll have to look it over when we get home,
once I’ve tucked you in bed,” said Alex. “It might need some repair
after that discharge, that was more energy than I expected it to have.”

“Maybe it’s like Horace, and it got a little
more from all the time I spend with you?” said Julian.

“Maybe,” said Alex, shrugging. “I’ll
look when we’re home.”

Padma came over and informed them they wouldn’t be
allowed to pay after their ordeal, and that their cab had arrived. Alex
insisted on leaving a tip for the waiter, at least, and they left with thanks
and a few extra treats for home.

The cab ride was quiet, Julian mostly concentrating
on being in mostly one piece and safe with his Alex, and it wasn’t until they
got upstairs to change that he felt calm enough to complain.

“That’s going to hurt for days,” lamented
Julian, looking at the giant purple bruise in the mirror.

“I’m so sorry, love,” said Alex. He
gently spread bruise potion over the mark, and Julian shivered with the tingle
of magic. “Why don’t you have a bath, and then we can put more of this on
after?”

“All right,” said Julian, bending to
start the water. “I take it you’ll be busy in your lab?”

Alex looked sheepish. “Well…”

“Go on, but I want Horace to keep me
company,” said Julian. He pressed a kiss to Alex’s mouth, then handed off
the amulet, which was looking slightly scorched. “I find myself very
interested in the continued function of this particular trinket.”

Alex laughed. “All right, you’ll be safe
enough in here, the bedroom wards are almost as good as the work room ones
now.”

“I know,” said Julian, stripping off and
getting in the tub. He lay back against the tub gingerly, but the potion had
taken the edge off the pain, and he had high hopes that a couple of paracetamol
would dull the rest enough to sleep.

Alex stole another kiss and left, and a few moments
later Horace flew in and settled on the edge of the tub next to Julian.
“You’re rust-proof, you know,” teased Julian, when the little bird
studiously avoided being splashed.

Horace chirped, then carefully hopped over to
Julian’s unbruised shoulder to preen at his hair. Julian was constantly
surprised by how natural Horace acted, and he couldn’t help but be thankful to
a younger Alex for spending so much time and care on Horace’s construction.
Julian made a show of drying his hand before stroking the little metal bird,
and Horace responded with a series of cheerful little chirps.

Julian told Horace about his day, and this time he
‘listened’ as carefully as he could while Horace chirped back, trying to use
that sense he used on plants to feel the things Alex heard off the construct.
He thought he could feel concern and warm affection, but he couldn’t be sure he
wasn’t just projecting his own hopes instead of feeling what was really there.
He definitely felt the plants around them, their green aliveness showing an
appreciation for the humidity, and for the daylight-spell Alex had constructed
to make sure they didn’t starve in the windowless room.

“At least you’re safe,” said Julian,
kissing Horace’s head before gently coaxing him back onto the tub’s edge. He
still remembered the sight of Horace’s crumpled body, and he was determined not
to let that happen again. “I’m going to wash now, go on.”