He didn't know what kind of reaction he had expected from his friends - congratulations, perhaps. Choruses of good luck, best wishes and the like. He had received all of those, of course. But it was the snort of laughter, followed by the questioning of his sanity that caught him off guard. And the fact that it came from the most unlikely of sources, twin voices - the hard English accent rolling its way around the letters mixed with the high-pitched twang one gets from being raised in middle America - belonging to his two friends voted most likely to never settle down with a female, he was more than a little confused.

"What is that supposed to mean?" he asked, the indignation heavy in his voice. Another chuckle, another giggle, followed by the sounds that could only indicate the man-boys on the other end of the line had fallen over in a fit of laughter. It was the giggly voice that recovered first. "I know that I don't speak the Queen's English," Elijah said between snorts, "but I still thought that 'crazy' meant the same thing on either side of the ocean!"

"Daft," he heard Dom say, the word ending on a higher note than necessary. "The Queen would say he was daft!" The sound of a loud, smacking kiss echoed through the phone as he heard Elijah thanking his lover for the grammar lesson. "Yeah, Orli…are you daft?"

For a brief moment, he thought of disconnecting the call, sending Sean a lovely email thanking him for the Thanksgiving dinner invitation, but so sorry, I can't attend. Anything to avoid the looks he knew he would get from Dom and Elijah. Instead he sighed heavily into the phone, contemplating their question for the briefest moment. Perhaps he was daft.

As the conversation on the other end dissolved into sounds that no one outside their bedroom should hear, Orlando bade his friends goodbye, promising he would see them soon. He dialed one more number, smiling at the reaction to his voice on the other end, and accepted the hospitality extended to celebrate a traditional American holiday among friends. With that task crossed off his list, he shut off his cell phone and laid back on the bed, his mind wandering as he drifted off to sleep.



A magazine lay open on the bed next to him, the stunning blonde staring back at him when he awoke. The mere sight of her should cause butterflies in his stomach, right? The sound of her voice, the smile on the glossy page, the mention of her name should cause a cacophony of emotions in him. All he did was sigh. It was the right thing to do, the proper thing.

His mum had bubbled over with joy when they called to tell her. His sister had cried. And her family…all smiles, pats on the back and welcome to the family. So, if it was so right, so proper, why did the sound of it ring so hollow in his ears? "My fiancé," he said aloud. "My future wife." It's what all red-blooded boys dreamed of, no? Growing up and finding a mate, someone to grace his arm and make him one of the beautiful people.

In the back of his mind, voice echoed - a voice long forgotten. Or was it? "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever laid eyes on." He had blushed, then agreed that Legolas was indeed a thing of beauty. It was the voice that corrected him, told him it was not the character he was embodying that captured that ethereal beauty, but him, the man inside the elf.

That voice…the one that had comforted him on so many dark nights. Soothed him when he was in pain. Laughed when he told a joke. Reassured him of his talent when he was feeling clumsy and awkward. Whispered goodnight to him as warm hands tucked him into bed after another drunken night. And it was that voice, that lovely, raspy, weathered voice that spoke of his beauty, his charm, his intoxicating essence as it carried him to the brink of insanity and pulled him back again.

He looked at the picture again, noticing the way the light gleamed off the diamond on her left hand. The diamond he had bought for her after she painstakingly poured through every jewelry store in Los Angeles, searching for the perfect stone. He could recall her friends as the oohed and aahed over it. "What a rock!" That was the general consensus. He had bought her a rock.

Something solid, strong, indestructible. Much like their love should have been. But nothing was indestructible, was it? Even the Titanic fell victim to an iceberg. He smiled slightly at the analogy. That's what they had called her, his fans. They had both read the fan forums, where legions of young ladies had called her the ice queen. Her friends had defended her, of course. Gave her the usual spiel about the world being full of jealous people.

And yet, as he looked through the photos of them at her film premier, he noticed the look on her face. One picture in particular caught his eye - she was standing behind him, not aware that the camera was on them. Her expression was blank, hard - cold even. It was the look one got when they wanted to be anywhere else other than their current location. And yet a moment later, when the camera was directly on them, she had snuggled against him, holding on for dear life.

He sighed again. Daft. That was the perfect description of him, and he was beginning to think she had known that all along. He closed the magazine and tossed it into the wastebasket next to the bed. He needed to talk to her, but not now. He had a plane to catch, friends to see…and a life to sort out.

~*~



Even from the corner of the street you could feel the warmth emanating from Sean's house. It was his way - his family's way - to make anyone who walked through the door feel welcome. He heard the laughter inside long before he reached up and rang the bell. Standing on the front steps, he took a deep breath, collecting his thoughts, enjoying his last moment of solitude before entering into the fray.

The sounds from inside grew louder after he rang the bell, and louder still when the door was thrown open and he was drawn into the hobbit's embrace. He was soon enveloped in a group hug, surrounded by four of the men he had spent the better part of two years with. Elijah and Dom were bouncing as usual. Billy and Sean, the elder statesmen of the Shire stood back, surveying him with the keen eyes of those who understood the rigors of time.

Christine slid up behind Sean and studied him for a moment before stepping forward and giving him a hug of her own. "You look like hell, Viggo." It was her standard greeting to him, and he had to agree with her. These days, hell was an improvement to how he felt. He pulled back smiling as he was assaulted by the shortest members of the household. Henry would join them shortly, he said as he followed the girls into the family room.

He inventoried the room as a cold beer was placed in his hand. Everything was exactly the same as the last time he had visited, save for the artwork behind the couch. A painting he had sent Sean and Christine for their last anniversary. As far as he could tell, there was only one thing missing from their celebration. One person. Elijah smiled at him across the room, a silent nod letting him know that yes, Orlando would be there.

The butterflies in his stomach took flight once again as he contemplated their meeting. He had no idea what he would say, do, feel, think. He knew what he wanted to do, but he also knew those days were over. Orlando had made his choice, a fact very evident by the recent rumors floating around about his engagement to Kate. He eased into a conversation with the other guests, the usual small talk about family, career, and the joys of just being alive.

Dom was animatedly telling a story, relating some silly incident that happened in Hawaii when the doorbell rang. Viggo froze momentarily as Christine called out from the kitchen for someone to answer it. He was sitting closest to the door so he slowly eased up, listening to the creak of his bones as he walked toward the front of the house.

He could see through the frosted glass surrounding the door. From the silhouette there, he could tell it wasn't his son. Tall, lean, the faint outline of curls. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and gazed into the face that had haunted his dreams for months. Having lost the ability to form a coherent sentence, he spoke one word before pulling the young man into his arms…"Orlando."

~*~



Breathe, mate. Just breathe. He had to keep telling himself that as he was crushed to the broad chest he had spent so many nights exploring under the starry skies of New Zealand. His mind screamed to step back, turn, run. But his body - his treacherous, traitorous body - melded into the arms around him and his head came to rest on a strong, broad shoulder.

Time stood still. The world around them ceased to exist and the only truth either man knew was the feel of the body pressed to them. Nothing else mattered. The months of being apart, the thoughts, the feelings they had for each other became their entire focus. Orlando raised his head and looked deep into the blue eyes that had once held what he thought was the secrets of the universe, the meaning of life.

Chocolate. Steaming hot chocolate, warming your soul on a cold winter's day. That's what Orli's eyes had reminded him of, both then and now. There was so much he wanted to say to him, but words weren't necessary. Their eyes said it all. All the love, all the understanding…the comfort that comes with knowing someone as well as you know yourself.

Their intimate little world came crashing down a moment later as Henry bounded through the open door, grabbing both of them in a bear hug. Soon the entire group was standing in the entryway, hugs all around. They each made their way back to the inner folds of the house, the hosts returning to the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the meal, their guests taking their places in the family room.

Orlando sat on the sofa, Dom and Elijah beside him. Billy pulled a chair over from the counter and grabbed the remote, finding a football game to watch. Henry was sprawled on the floor, Sean's little girls crawling over him as they begged him to play Go Fish. Viggo slipped back into the recliner, stealing glimpses at Orlando out of the corner of his eye.

He looked tired, ragged, but even through the stress, one thing shined. Nothing, not even death itself, Viggo ventured to think, could take away the beauty of the young man who had captured his heart, refusing to let it go. He wanted to talk to him alone, but that wouldn't be possible here. Maybe later…

His thoughts were interrupted as Sean came out of the kitchen and announced that dinner was ready. One by one, they made their way to the table to enjoy the meal so lovingly prepared, celebrating the holiday with the ones they loved…some more than others. The conversation flowed easily as plates were filled over and over again. An hour later, each of them was pushing away from the table, complimenting Christine and Sean on their efforts.

The table was cleared, looking like an assembly line from dining room to kitchen. Leftovers were put away and Christine surveyed the damage. With his lopsided grin, Viggo offered to wash the dishes. As he picked up a dishrag, he looked around, his eyes searching for volunteers. The room emptied out quickly, except for one person.

The warm, soapy water slid over his hands as he washed the plates before running them under the spray of the faucet. Orlando stood next to him, taking the dishes from him and wiping them dry. For a long time, they didn't speak, just worked side by side. A long sigh escaped Orlando's lips and Viggo turned to him, concern evident on his features.

"You want to talk about it?" he asked softly. Orlando shook his head, looking everywhere but Viggo's eyes. Viggo shrugged, returning to the task at hand. A crash from the other room, followed by loud laughter made him shake his head slightly, a smile creasing the corners of his mouth. "I can finish up here," he said softly, glancing at Orlando. "Go on and catch up with everyone."

Orlando shook his head slowly, placing his hand lightly on Viggo's arm. "I don't want to be in there with them," he said, his voice choking a bit. "I want to be here…with you." Viggo nodded, then turned to look at Orlando. Soft, tender lips pressed against his and he gasped, a mixture of surprise and desire. He didn't even have to think about what he was doing as his arms circled the slender waist of the man he loved and he pulled him into a tight embrace.

The closeness of their bodies left nothing to the imagination as the kiss deepened. When lack of oxygen became an issue, they broke apart and just stared at each other. Viggo reached up and brushed a stray curl off Orlando's forehead. Orlando's hand drifted lower, brushing over the soft cotton of his shirt, moving to softly cup the bulge in Viggo's jeans.

A question passed over Viggo's face. "What about…" he began to ask and Orlando shook his head. "I can't do it," he said quietly. I can't be with her any more, not knowing whether it's because of her love for me, or her love of the limelight." A single tear escaped his eye, rolling down his cheek.

"I can't go on like this any more. I can't sleep. I can't breathe. I can't even think any more. I've only known love once in my life, and that was with you." Viggo closed his eyes and pressed his forehead to Orlando's, breathing in the scent he had grown to know and love. "I don't want to talk. I don't want to think. Can't I just be kissing you right now? Can't you just be holding me? Can't we…?"

His words were cut off by the crushing weight of Viggo's lips against his, hands caressing his body, pulling him close, closer still. A giggle from the doorway caused them to jump away from each other. Dom smiled as he entered the room, heading for the refrigerator and the cold beer it contained.

A blush crept over Orlando's face as Dom just stared at him, a knowing smile on his face. Elijah bounced in moments later, looking from Dom to Orlando to Viggo before pumping a fist in the air, smiling. He raced to Dom and threw himself into his lover's arms, kissing his cheek before grabbing a beer for himself. They quickly retreated, leaving Viggo and Orlando alone again.

Henry called out to his father that he had to leave. Reluctantly, Viggo left to see his son out with Orlando following him. They settled back into the family room, watching television with the rest of them. Viggo smiled as he saw Orlando absentmindedly running a finger over his kiss-swollen lips.

The afternoon turned to dusk and Billy stood, regretfully announcing his departure. Dom and Elijah followed shortly after. A glance passed between Orlando and Viggo as both of them said their goodbyes. Outside, both men climbed into their cars and headed out toward the highway, one following the other.

Neither knew what awaited them at the end of the road they were traveling, but they were willing to travel the road nonetheless. The ringing of his cellphone caused Orlando to jump. Reaching for it, he quickly said hello. A cacophony of giggles greeted him. "I don't care how many times you and Viggo screw each other tonight, you're still daft!" Elijah's words echoed in his brain as Orlando realized something. Sometimes, being caught between a rock and a hard place wasn't such a bad thing after all.

~fini~