Author: Lostiawen

E-mail: changeling@planetx.org

Rated: NC-17

Pairing: VM/OB

Summary: Orli copes with Viggo´s absence. 

Archive: Please ask.

Feedback: Yes, please.

Warnings: AU, romance, sap, some angst, creepiness. 

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, none of this really happened.  The author is not associated with or is implying anything about the sexual preferences or the lives of the people depicted within. 

Author´s Notes: Dedicated to those who have lost a loved one. 

Thanks to Linda, whose chatty Orli in "Pure Love" and "Infinite Love" was such an inspiration for my Orli.  *mwah*

Thanks to Elizabeth for her wicked sense of humor and for kick-starting my Atti muse.  *mwah*, sweetie!

Posted June 30, 2003

It´s been almost a half a year since I said goodbye to Viggo, and I´ve not done much. 

I couldn´t bear to get rid of my old bed, so I had my new bed moved into storage, and had my old one moved back into my flat. I put the linens that we slept on in the closet. I can´t wash them, not when they´re the only remnants I have of his scent. 

I had his painting framed, pretty much depleting almost all of my spare cash. After I dealt with it and the bed, there was nothing left to occupy my time, and doubts started to gnaw at me. 

I hear the familiar questions in my head. Will Viggo actually get reincarnated? How does one assure that? It´s not like just anyone can fill out a request form and wait for the next baby to be born. Shit, will he _ever_ be able to rejoin me? 

All of these questions have eaten away at me, causing me to fade into this zombie-like haze where all I do is go to class, come home to take care of housework, and then just sit around aimlessly, just like I´m doing right now. Fuck, I miss him so much. I just feel so lost now without him, and empty. I feel so listless, and I very rarely go out. 

Well, with one exception. A month after Viggo left, I actually managed to pry myself out of the flat and go to a birthday party for my friend Joanne. She introduced me to a bloke named Andre Schneider, and we clicked incredibly well. 

Atti and I talked to each other almost daily afterward and we grew quite close. Still, I would get moody in the middle of our conversations, but Atti was generous enough to let things be. 

Unfortunately, he´s now go a bug up his arse about the fact that I haven´t been out, and he´s been nagging me with increasing frequency. I´ve been begging off, because frankly, I just don´t want to do anything. 

Okay, enough whinging, Orli. Think about something else...something happier. I sweep my eyes over my portrait, just as the afternoon sun strikes the glass, dazzling me with the reflection. I touch it and smile. This makes me think of Viggo´s camera from my previous life, bloody flash was always too bright...

Viggo´s camera clicks and spots leap before my eyes as he takes another picture. It´s beautiful outside, and I really don´t want to stay in and be blinded. Besides, didn´t the Greeks worship the sun? When he stops for a second to adjust the lens, I try to plead my case. 

"Viggo, can´t we take this outside?" 

He frowns at me, "The light´s not right, Orlando." 

Looking at him mischievously, I walk over to the kitchen and grab a bottle of olive oil. 

"Orlando..." he says warningly. 

I then slink out the back door, shedding Paris´ toga as I go. 

"Orlando, get back here!" 

I go out into the yard, and stretch provocatively out on the grass in a patch of sunlight. I pour some of the olive oil onto my body and start slowly rubbing it into my chest and stomach. Soon, the afternoon rays are gleaming softly over my skin. 

I turn my head and purr, "Any complaints about the lighting now, old man?" 

Viggo licks his lips and puts down the camera, before lowering himself onto my body. "No." 

My fingers caress the cool glass as I come back to the present. So many memories of him... 

The phone rings, jolting me out of my reverie. I automatically pick it up without thinking. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey, OB, it´s Atti." 

Shit. 

"What´re you up to?" 

"Um, nothing."  Please Atti, leave me alone. 

"And that´s your fucking problem." 

"I´m all right, Atti, really." 

"No, you´re not. I´m going to pop by to check on you, and you´d better open the door for me, or I´ll break it down." 

Hmm, need an excuse..." I´m just about to go to the grocer´s."

"Well, then, you can let me in. I´m standing right outside of your door on my cell phone." 

"What?" 

"I´m tired of you hiding, Orlando. Open the fucking door." 

Shit. Atti can be a real pain sometimes. I´m kind of slow, but I wind up opening it. He barges in with a bottle of vodka. 

"Here. A peace offering. Figured it would keep you from throwing me out," he says. 

"You guessed right." 

I grab two glasses and get some ice out of the fridge, before I pour a shot for each of us. Atti picks up his glass before he wanders over to study my portrait. 

"So this is it?"  he asks. I nod. I had opened up to Atti easily, and had told him about Viggo and what he meant to me. I had to tap dance around a few details, though, which made me feel pretty grotty. One of which was telling Atti that Viggo died, which in a way was true. 

Atti whistles. "Nice."  I quickly down my shot and start to pour another. 

"Thanks, mate." 

"He must think a lot of you since he overexaggerated the size of your cock," he adds. 

Typical Atti. Figures. "Cunt. That´s a life-sized depiction. And how would you know?" 

Atti grins and says, "I have it on good authority from your two gross of ex-shagging partners." 

I groan and flop onto the couch. "Emphasis on the ex. There´s only one man for me, now." 

"And both of your hands." 

"Why do I put up with you?" 

"Because I´m too stubborn a bastard to leave you alone and let you wallow." 

Fuck. Well, I don´t have a good comeback, so I grab my glass and start sipping at the vodka. I toy with my pendant, watching as a drop of moisture falls onto the stone from my glass...

Water crashes around us as Viggo thrusts into me on a raft in the dream world, stroking my sweet spot. I moan loudly, "Oh god...more...Viggo..." I love having him inside of me, just letting myself go until all that exists in the world is the feel of his cock inside of me. 

"I´m close..." he pants, as he grabs my twitching erection. I scream as I come, and he follows seconds later. He holds himself above me until his body stops shaking and then he gently rolls to the side, being careful of my back. I snuggle up to him and he kisses me tenderly. 

"I love you," he says. 

"And I love you."  I say, trying not to think about the fact that we only have a few more days together. A raindrop falls from the sky, striking my pendant and beading on the surface. Soon more follow, and beads stick over our bodies and hair without getting us wet. 

"Why is it raining?"  I ask Viggo archly. 

His face lights up with that dazzling smile of his, and I feel an ache inside of my heart. God, will I be able to say goodbye to that beautiful face? "I decided to randomize the weather patterns a bit. Thought it would be a nice change." 

I push on the drop. It kind of bows in and sticks a bit to my finger, and it has a weird gelatinous quality. "Ugh, it feels like snot." 

"Are you criticizing my rain?" 

I pretend to think for a bit. "Yes," I reply cheekily as I try to splash some water on him. The wave freezes in mid-splash. It then turns around and washes over me instead. Viggo chuckles. 

"Twat!"  I say as I tip the raft, sending us tumbling into the ocean. As we sink below the surface, surrounded by its comforting warmth, we wrap ourselves around each other and passionately kiss...

"Or-lando!" 

Atti´s voice jolts me back. "Sorry, Atti, just lost in thought about him." 

Atti sets down his glass. "All right, I´m getting tired of this."  He walks over to my wardrobe and starts rifling through it. 

"What the fuck?" 

"You´ve been locking yourself in this flat since Viggo died and all you´ve done is mope."  He comes back with my helmet and jacket and tosses them at me. "If I drag your lazy arse to the pub, you start drifting off into your little dreamland. Well, fuck that. We´re going out on a little motorbike trip. Now." 

"There´s not enough room for both of us, you daft cunt." 

"I came here on my own bike." 

"You don´t have a proper jacket."  I say, hoping that Atti will let me go. 

No such luck. "It´s on my bike, along with my helmet." 

"I´m still not going."  I yelp as Atti suddenly grabs my wrist and drags me to my feet. 

"I´m not taking no for an answer." 

"Fine," I grind out. Fuck, he´s a stubborn bastard. I put on my helmet and jacket. 

I´m still grumbling when I start my bike, but I stop when Atti immediately tears out of the car park. 

I flip him off and follow, trying to keep up with him. It´s not very easy, because he´s doesn´t care if I get stuck behind a light or if a bloody car is in my way. 

Somehow, I manage to stay with him. The city eventually gives way to the countryside, and Atti immediately guns up the first hill he sees. Crazy wanker. Well, if he wants to play it this way...

I rev my bike and zip past him, easily jumping over to the next hill. He tries to pass me up, but I don´t let him. Soon, he´s the one trying to follow me, and I feel a familiar buzz going through my body.  Sod it all, he was right, I did need this. Needed to feel the adrenaline rush again, needed to feel alive. 

I pull my helmet off and inhale the air. Cool, crisp...I let out my first laugh in a long time. Oh god, how I missed this. 

Atti pulls up next to me and grins. 

"Thank you," I say solemnly. 

He claps me on the shoulder. "Welcome back to the land of the living, OB. Now do me a favor and make sure it stays that way." 

"Well, there´s a party tonight that I was going to blow off..."

"I´m going to pick you up and make sure you go," Atti says firmly. "What time should I be by?" 

"A couple of hours." 

"Deal." 

We drive back, and Atti splits off when he gets near his place. As I pull up to my flat, a dog comes running up to me. 

"Hullo, luv, aren´t you a pretty one?"  I say as I pet her. 

She´s a cute mutt: short-furred, white, and with a small black patch over one eye. She wags her tail furiously and licks my hands. I don´t see a collar, and she looks like she´s been starving. 

"Come on up for a bit. I can feed you." 

She follows me up to my flat without any hesitation. I give her some scraps, but it´s not enough. Hmmm. I can´t just let her go hungry like this. I pop down to the grocer´s and buy some food for her.  She barks happily when I return and she devours the smallish portion I give her. She looks up at me with soulful eyes. 

"Sorry, luv. I don´t want to stress your stomach. Wait a bit, and I´ll give you some more later."  She tries it again, silly girl. 

God, who would abandon such a lovable dog? I try ringing my neighbors, but none of them own her or have seen her around before. I persist, but no dice. Trying to figure out where she comes from takes longer than I thought, and before I know it, Atti´s pounding on my door again. 

I whip open the door. "I´m sorry, Atti, I lost track of time." 

Atti looks at the dog and says, "I see you have a new addition." 

"She´s a stray. I´m just feeding her." 

Atti gives me that smug grin of his and says, "You may as well name her. I think she´s here to stay." 

"Oh, shut up."  Prig, he knows me too well. 

"Well, at least get ready for the party." 

Damn, Atti can be pushy. "And I suppose you´ll stay here until I go?" 

"As long as your alcohol supply lasts." 

I hurry up and change. Atti sniggers when he sees me. 

"It´s a good thing you´re not on the market, OB." 

"Why?" 

He shakes his head as he looks at my shirt. "You´re wearing a striped, neon yellow shirt with ruffles. The only blokes you´re going to attract are the ones into clown sex." 

"Fuck off, Atti. I´ll have you know that I look smashing in it."  I bend down and pet the dog´s head, "What do you think, luv?" 

She barks happily and jumps up and down. 

"For that, my dear, you get a treat," I say as I feed her a dog biscuit. "You´re overruled, mate." 

He rolls his eyes. "Orlando, dogs are colorblind and only think with their stomachs. She probably fancies it because it looks tasty." 

"Huh? Are you implying that this amazing shirt resembles dog food?" 

"No, I´m saying that it looks like a dazzlingly bright cat turd." 

"Sod off," I grouse at him. 

"Come on, you cunt, let´s go." 

He drags me off and the party is in full swing. God, I missed this so much...

"Orli! I haven´t seen you in ages!"  I get a big hug from Elizabeth, who´s another friend that I´ve ignored. Shit, I really need to reconnect with all of my mates. 

"Yeah, I decided to rejoin the human race." 

"Well, it´s a good thing you did, sweetie. You´ve probably been ignoring the local gossip, haven´t you?" 

"What´s up?" 

"The casting people from Lord of the Rings are holding auditions in May. They´ve exhausted the pool of established actors, so they´re opening it up to drama students now." 

"Shit, that´s fantastic!" 

"Isn´t it?"  Her mobile phone rings. "Damn. Could you excuse me for a bit?" 

"Sure." 

As she leaves, I turn over this recent tidbit in my head. Fuck, Lord of the Rings. Looks like Viggo was right, and I was wrong to doubt that he would return. So far, he´s predicted that all would be well with my back, and now, the auditions. I couldn´t ask for a clearer sign from him. 

***

I spend all of my time before the auditions start by knocking back the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy and trying to get more information on which parts are available. If I want to have a snowball´s chance in hell of getting in, I need to go for a lesser part. After a lot of research, I decide that Faramir is the best possibility. 

Unfortunately, the cold reading almost throws me completely off. I had prepared for a very heroic role, but their version of Faramir is a lot more shady. Fortunately, I´m able to draw on the bitterness and anger from my past and put it into the performance. However, I get the standard, "Don´t call us, we´ll call you." 

I go back to my flat, and I hear a happy bark as I put the key in the lock. "Hullo, Maude. Daddy´s home," I say as I open the door and she launches herself into my arms. 

Yes, Atti was right. No one claimed the dog, so she´s mine now. I sometimes wonder if Viggo sent her to keep me company. I´ll have to ask him when he comes back. 

A couple of weeks go by, and Fiona tells me that I should be getting a call soon. When I come back from class, there´s a message on my machine. 

My hands are shaking when I press play. "Orlando, it´s Amy MacLean from the Lord of the Rings production team. I´d like to thank you for your time. You had a good reading, but we´ve decided to go with another actor for Faramir." 

Shitshitshit! 

"However, Peter was wondering if you had some free time to come in to read for Legolas. If you´re interested, give me a call." 

What??? Wait, did I hear that right? Rewind...listen... oh shit, I _did_ hear that right. Fuck, Legolas is one of the major characters...and they want me to read for him? How in the _hell_ do I relate to an elven prince? 

Hit the books, Orli...let´s see...what in the fuck does an elf sound like? Tolkien says their voices are musical... okay, that part doesn´t sound so hard...I can alter my accent so that my voice sounds more liquid, but how do I get behind a character that is immortal? Gah, there´s no way I can research for this part. Think...wait, I have it. I just only hope that it works. 

I call Amy, and set up an appointment for tomorrow. I may as well go diving in. 

I try not to shake too much as I walk into the audition the next day. Oh shit, Peter Jackson´s here. In person. Okay Orli, breathe...don´t blow it. They haven´t cast Legolas yet; you have to convince them that you´re perfect for it. 

As I do my reading, I draw on what I remember about Viggo and magnify it. I remain calm, cool, collected, and fiercely loyal to the Fellowship. I try to let my body language speak louder than my words. I let the little things pass by me because they just aren´t important in the big picture. 

I try to make my movements as graceful as I can, which is actually the hardest part. My klutziness really rears its ugly head when I´m nervous, so I deliberately slow my steps down to make sure that I don´t trip. I also try to remain still a lot, just to minimize the chance that I´ll fall all over myself. 

I leave the audition, hoping that I did well. No one has said anything, but I catch Peter´s eye on the way out, and he looks immensely pleased. 

***

I finish packing my last bag. Fifteen months. Fifteen months in New Zealand. Working with people like Sir Ian McKellen and Sir Ian Holm. I can´t sodding believe it. And I´m in a major role. Me, the snot-nosed drama school student. Holy fucking shit. 

I look at the Orlando stone in my hand. I kiss it softly, saying, "You´ll always be with me, love," before I let it rest against my chest again. I make a vow then and there to start living my life fully in New Zealand. I told Viggo that I´ve gained a new perspective, and it´s time to put my money where my mouth is. 

Just as I finish that thought, I hear pounding on the door. Must be Atti coming by to pick me up. 

"So, ready to bid this shitty place goodbye?"  he says as I open the door. 

I nod dumbly. 

"Do you have everything? Keys, money, passport, extra condoms?" 

God, what if I crash and burn? Shit, did Atti ask me something? "Yeah," I say automatically. 

"Hel-lo, you wanker. You´re not paying attention." 

"I´m sorry, Atti. I´m just jittery about this role. It´s so big. And..." I twist my hands and fidget. 

Atti sits down and looks steadily at me. "You´ll knock them dead." 

"But..."

"And Joanne will take good care of Maude." 

"Well..."

"And I told you that I would take good care of your painting." 

"I´m sorry, Atti, I just can´t help worrying about everything. I´m leaving so much behind..." I say. 

"OB, Joanne will look after Maude like she´s her firstborn child. And I swear that I´ll be extra careful with your portrait," he pauses to grin at me. "After all, I can´t let prime wanking material like that get damaged." 

"Atti!" 

"Just kidding."  He grins at me, "Time to go, you daft cunt. We´ve got to meet Sam and your Mum at the airport." 

The drive is uneventful, but I get a bit teary as I say goodbye to Mum, Sam, and Atti. I already said goodbye to my mates at the blow-out party they threw last night, but the full impact just doesn´t really hit me until now. I suddenly feel very alone. 

God, I hope I meet up with my co-star. Fiona mentioned that I may run into Billy Boyd at Heathrow, but I don´t see any indication of him. 

I feel twitchy as I change my pounds for New Zealand dollars. So much riding on this role...

"Excuse me," a voice with a Scottish accent says behind me, "are you an elf? You look like an elf. Is your name Orlando?" 

I turn to face the speaker. He´s a short bloke, but he has a very open and friendly face. His blue eyes are twinkling with amusement, and I know that we´re going to get along spectacularly. 

"Billy!"  I exclaim, hugging him. My worries immediately melts away. 

He claps me on the back. "I´m glad I found you, Orlando. This will make the trip go a wee bit faster." 

"So am I, Billy," I say, grinning until my face feels like it´s going to split open. "And call me Orli, it´s not as much of a mouthful." 

As our plane takes off, I find out that it´s Billy´s birthday, so I order champagne for him. 

Billy and I get along smashingly. If even half the cast is as nice as Billy, I´m going to enjoy this project immensely. 

I lean back and sigh, "Fifteen months in New Zealand, can you believe it? I´ve never been away from home for so long before." 

"It is quite a long haul. I´m leaving my Gran behind, and I´m going to miss her terribly." 

"I´m leaving my mum and my sister Sam. I really wish that I could´ve brought Maude with me." 

"Your girlfriend?" 

"My dog."  I say as I smile. Billy notices that I´m toying with my pendant. 

"That´s an interesting necklace, Orli. Where´d you get it?" 

Uh oh. This could get awkward. I can´t really tell him that I got it from Viggo, because then I´ll have to explain that he´s dead. Not really a good thing to bring up in casual conversation. Shit, what should I do? 

Fortunately, the flight attendant comes by at that moment with more champagne. After she serves us, I quickly change the topic. Billy just goes with it, so we yap about lighter things for the rest of the trip. 

After we land, Megan, one of Peter´s assistants, comes by to meet us. "We´re having a dinner tonight so that you can get to know some of the cast," she says. 

"Fantastic!"  I say. 

"Sounds great," Billy adds. 

She says, "Let me show you to your houses, first, so that you´ll have time to get settled in before dinner."  We get our luggage and she leads us over to a limo. 

I get dropped off at a lovely little rental by the sea. Shit, it´s beautiful out here. I can´t believe I never took the time out to appreciate it all. 

After I unpack my bags, I just sit on the deck and take it all in. I inhale the salt air, and just let things be. I feel completely at peace now. 

I check my watch. Time to get ready for dinner. I shower, change, and put on one of my more conservative shirts. 

Megan comes by to collect me. Billy´s already in the car, and we chat some more on the way to the restaurant. My palms feel clammy as I walk in. God, I hope I make a good first impression. 

Of course, I make a complete prat of myself by tripping over my own feet when I get close to the table, and I fall flat on my arse. I brace myself for the inevitable sniggers. 

"Whoa! Are you okay, man?"  A voice above me says instead. Huh? I look up and it belongs to a very young bloke with really, really blue eyes. He extends a hand to help me up. 

"Yeah, only my pride wounded."  I say as I grab it and haul myself to my feet. "Orlando Bloom." 

"Elijah Wood."  Fuck, I had to do that right in front of the star of the film. Argh. 

"Sean Astin," the bloke next to Elijah says, extending his hand. He notices me fidgeting. "Don´t worry about it. After all, the hobbits are going to be wearing enormous feet, and I´m sure that we´ll be tripping over ourselves every day." 

I smile at Sean. Something about him is just very friendly and reassuring. 

I get introduced to Dominic Monaghan and Stuart Townsend. Apparently, the cast has been arriving in little groups, so I´ll meet everyone else over the next few days. 

After a bit, I settle down once I notice that no one makes any comments about the fact that I´ve been a git, and we warm up to each other completely. Eventually, we all start talking about our respective homes. 

"Sean, your wife was willing to pack up and sod off here with your daughter? God, she must love you," Dominic comments. 

"Yeah, I´m a very lucky man." 

Stuart says, "I don´t think my girlfriend would appreciate moving all the way here. What about you, Orlando?" 

I quickly get up. "Excuse me, Stuart, I have to use the gents." 

I actually slip out the back and light a fag. I´m sure that these are a great bunch of people, but I can´t really blurt out "I had a boyfriend and he´s dead now", after just meeting them, can I? 

Just then, Stuart comes out the back. "Thought I´d find you here, Orlando. I wanted to apologize. Didn´t mean to make you uncomfortable." 

"Don´t worry about it, man," I say as I pat his shoulder. Uh oh. He´s tensing up slightly. Wonder why? 

I let it slide, and we go back in and have a nice dinner. I can´t wait for tomorrow, because I start weapons training. This is so fantastic that I can´t even begin to describe it. 

The next several weeks just feel like a dream: sword practice, archery practice, movement training, costume fittings, hanging out with the hobbits and Stuart, enjoying New Zealand during our off-hours. God, I feel like there´s so much to enjoy, and I want to experience it all. 

Elijah is amazed at my boundless energy, but I always give a secretive smile when he asks me where I get it from. Not that he´d really believe me, anyway. 

The hobbits and I bond rather closely, and they become my second family. In fact, Peter and Fran become more like relatives than employers. In this atmosphere, I have no trouble telling them what I can about Viggo. 

I don´t really bond as well to Sean Bean or John, but I´m sure that I´ll get to know them better eventually. 

I just wish that I could get close to Stuart. After all, we´re going to be working together a lot. He´s rather tense and jumpy around me, and I eventually figure out the problem. He wants to shag me, but I don´t think he´s even acknowledged to himself that he´s attracted to men. 

As a result, we wind up not becoming as close as I would like. I really try as subtly as I can to point out to Stuart that I´m not interested in anyone right now, but I don´t think he quite gets it. I keep trying, hoping that he´ll surprise me one day and drop the sexual tension he feels around me. 

Speaking of surprises, I found one on my doorstep some time after I arrived: a cardboard cylinder sent overseas by Atti. 

It looked like he had sent me a poster, and I had sincerely hoped that it wasn´t some explicit porn thing he picked out to embarrass me. 

Well, I was completely wrong. I don´t know how he did it, but he sent me a reproduction of my painting. 

I mounted it on the wall across from my bed, so that I could see it easily every night. So now, whenever it´s time for me to retire, I climb under the sheets and look at it fondly, letting memories of my last night with Viggo lull me to sleep. 

***

This should be interesting, we get fitted for wigs today. God, is _anyone_ going to be wearing their own hair? 

Anyway, I´m kind of shifting in my chair as they start shaving my curls down. After they´ve cut it a bit short, a blond wig gets plopped on my head. Blond??? 

Diana, my make-up and hair person, sees my expression and says, "You´ll be wearing blue contacts, too, Orlando." 

Fuck, I´m going to be unrecognizable. Talk about losing yourself in a role...

"Now, Orlando, we´re going to have to raise your hairline so the wig will fit. I´ll try to cut back as little as possible." 

"All right."  While she´s trimming, I see someone coming in...oh shit, it´s Liv Tyler. In the flesh. Crap. Liv Fucking Tyler, a bloody 100 percent Hollywood star. Don´t stare Orli, don´t stare...

She smiles at me. "Cool! We´ve got another elf in here. I´m..."

"Liv Tyler. You don´t need any intro for me, luv, I´ve seen all of your movies."  Shit! Did I just interrupt her? Shitshithshit, I am _such_ a stupid git. 

"Thank you," she says, looking vaguely embarrassed. "And you´re..."

Work, tongue, work. "Orlando Bloom." 

She laughs as she gets in her chair. "That´s a cute name." 

"Um, thanks."  Argh. Come on, Orli, you´re going to be working with her, try to say something meaningful. 

Diana has finished taking back my hairline. "So, what do you think?" 

I blurt out, "I dunno, what do you think, Liv?"  Fuck, now she´s going to think I´m hitting on her or something. 

She smiles mischievously and giggles. "I think it would look cuter if you got a mohawk."  That small girly giggle completely takes me by surprise and makes my nerves calm down. Wow, she´s not treating me like I´m less than human. If the rest of the big name stars are like this, I´m going to have a fantastic time. 

"Orlando, is this fine, or do you actually want to cut it that way?"  Diana asks again. Oh right...ugh, I´m not too crazy about mohawks. I´m sure Liv suggested it as a joke, but, hmmm. This is a start of a new life for me, so why not sacrifice my hair as a symbolic gesture? 

"Sure. Take it back, Diana."  Diana shakes her head, but starts the clippers. 

Liv shrieks, "Orlando, I was just kidding!" 

I smile at her, "And it was a fantastic idea. By the way, call me Orli." 

"All right, Orli." 

That night, I go clubbing with Dom, Elijah, Billy, and Stuart. The hobbits make fun of my new haircut, but Stuart is surprisingly quiet. After a while, Dom, ´Lij, and Billy decide to dance and go on the pull, leaving me and Stuart at the bar. 

Stuart whistles. "Boy, there´s a lot of temptation here," he says, looking over at a crowd of women. 

I follow his eye. "Not for me, Stuart. Never been interested in birds, and no one can replace Viggo."  He looks at me with an unreadable expression. Is he bothered or relieved? 

"Still in mourning?"  he asks. I nod. Since Stuart´s been a bit distant, I haven´t really talked about Viggo with him; all he knows is that we were in love and that Viggo died somewhat recently. 

"How long has it been since he passed away?" 

"Almost a year and a half," I reply. 

"Tell me about him, Orli," he says, patting my hand. This is probably the first real physical contact we´ve had. 

I smile before I start talking. I´m so glad that Stuart is finally easing up around me that everything comes pouring out in a bit of a rush. 

After I´m done, Stuart hugs me and says softly, "He sounded like a great bloke. I´m sorry that I´ll never get to meet him." 

"Never say never, mate," I reply. 

***

It´s been another week, and Stuart and I get along fantastically now. My talking about Viggo seems to have banished whatever attraction he had for me. 

I bounce into the make-up trailer today because the hobbits, Aragorn, and myself will be in full costume for the first time. Stuart has a later call, so I probably won´t see him until after we´re done. 

Diana starts my transformation promptly. I squirm as she applies the glue to my ears. How can something be cold and itchy at the same time? As she blends it, I refuse to look at myself in the mirror, worried that the final result will make me look like a demented Vulcan or something worse. 

After she finishes with the ears, she plops on my wig, and then applies about a hundred layers of pale make-up to disguise my olive skin. 

"All right, Orlando, just pop in your contacts, and we´ll be done," Diana says. 

Bugger, I hate my contacts. I´m glad I got a lesson earlier, because I just couldn´t bring myself to touch my eye at first. I grit my teeth and slip them in. Once they´re seated correctly, I hold my breath. Okay, Orli, time to look in the mirror. Hope I don´t look too stupid... Christ, that´s amazing. Is that me? 

"Come on love, off to costuming." 

Right, costuming. Stuart and the hobbits agreed to meet me after we´re done so that we can all laugh at how ridiculous we look. 

Unfortunately, there´s a little hitch up with my costume, so I´m the last to arrive. ´Lij is flopping his ridiculous feet around and playing with the large toes, making everyone snigger. 

Dom sees me and wolf whistles. "Now _that´s_ what I call a hot elf tart." 

´Lij says, "Hot elf tart? Sounds like a dessert." 

"Hey, I´d eat it," Dom replies. I stick my tongue out at him. 

Billy adds, "We should hijack Orli after work. I bet we can make some good money on the side flogging him on street corners." 

I cheekily reply, "My rate´s pretty high, mate. I can suck a watermelon dry." 

Elijah rolls his eyes and says, "Do I really want to know?" 

"Hey, I had to research for my rentboy role somehow." 

Sean groans, "Too much information!" 

Everyone else is still making catcalls, so I turn around and ponce around a bit, overexaggerating the elven glide and adding a generous waggle to my hips. I then look over my shoulder and give them a saucy wink. 

Dom says, "Damn, Orli. It´s too bad those leggings aren´t tighter, you have a cracking arse. We´d corner the female market if you could show it off." 

"Good point, Dom. I´ll tell Ngila to tighten them up. What do you think, Stu?"  I ask, looking at him. Oh shit, I do _not_ like that very hungry look in his eyes. 

"I think..." he purrs as he creeps closer to me. Fuck, he´s twining an arm around my waist and he´s leaning forward to whisper in my ear. 

"...that Aragorn has the obviously superior arse."  He finishes, cackling with glee. 

"Wanker!"  I say, trying to grab him, but he scrambles away quickly. I start chasing him around, but one of the make-up people sees us and shrieks out, "MIND THE WIGS!" 

We stop cold. Damn. Stuart and the hobbits are laughing until they´re red in the face. 

I draw myself up. "This insult will not go uncontested. We shall see who has the better arse, Aragorn, son of Arathorn," I loftily say in my Legolas voice. 

"And how do you propose to do that? Where can we seek out an impartial judge?"  Stuart replies in his Aragorn voice. 

"It is simple, Aragorn. We shall stand side-by-side and moon the camera. The hobbits can then poll the cast and crew." 

Stuart grins and drops his accent, "You´re on, Orli. A hundred dollars says that I win." 

"Deal." 

Elijah, Dom, and Billy whoop in approval. 

Sean moans, "Peter´s going to kill us." 

***
It took a bit of timing, because we had to figure out how to undo the laces on our costumes, but we pulled it off quite nicely. We got a nice round of appreciative yells from the female crew members and from some of the male ones. 

Surprisingly, Peter actually didn´t have much of a reaction. He did remind us that we were on a tight schedule, but that was it. Of course, his nonchalant attitude really discouraged Stuart and myself from any more on-camera antics, because we felt immensely guilty. 

By the way, neither of us won the bet. It was an even split down the middle, although I think Liv only voted for Stuart because she has to kiss him. 

Everything´s going smoothly until about one and half weeks into filming. Stuart´s girlfriend dumped him pretty messily, so the hobbits and I take him to a pub so that he can drown his sorrows. He gets extremely pissed, and I volunteer to drive him home because we live close to each other. 

After I pull up into his driveway, and drag him out of the car, I have to prop him up because he can´t properly stand. I wind up slinging one of his arms across my shoulders and walking him to his door. 

"Stu, I need your keys." 

"Fuck..." he fumbles for his keys and can´t seem to find them. 

I grumble and reach into his pocket, finding them with minimal groping. I open the door and haul him inside, getting his sotted arse up into the bedroom. 

As I´m holding him next to the bed, trying to get his jacket off, he sways and slurs, "Orli..."

"What is it?" 

"She hates me. Damnit. Am I a bad person?" 

"No, you´re not. In fact, I think you´re wonderful," I reassure him as I hug him close. 

"Thanks, Orli. You´re my besht friend...And I really fancy you..." Uh oh. Shit! He´s trying to kiss me. 

"Stuart, you´re monged." 

"Jest a little kiss."  He sways against me heavily, and I lose my balance, causing us to fall back on the bed. 

Stuart wraps his arms around my neck and starts trying to press his lips against mine. Bugger, he´s rolled on top of me and he´s grinding his crotch against mine. Better stop this _now_. 

"Stuart! Fuck, I´m not interested."  I yell as I push him off. 

He looks hurt. "How can you say that? Yer the firsht man I´ve ever wanted." 

Oh no, I was hoping that something like this wouldn´t happen. "Stuart, I´m not ready for anyone new, remember?"  I remind him. 

"But Orli...I love you," he says reaching for me. I jump off the bed quickly. 

Shit. "Stuart, you don´t mean that." 

"Yesh I do...please don´t dump me, too, Orli." 

Oh god..."Stuart..." I say gently, "I´m still in love with Viggo. I love you as a friend, but I can´t..."

"Fuck you, Orli!" 

"Stuart, please..."

He tries to stand up and focus on me. Suddenly, he turns green and moans, "Oh shit, I´m going to be sick..."

I hustle him over to the toilet and hold his hair back while he prays to the porcelain god. He´s pretty out of it afterward, so I pull his shoes and socks off and get him into the bed. 

"We´ll talk in the morning," I say softly as I leave. 

I have no such luck, because Stuart spends the morning hiding from me. It takes a while, but I finally corner him before we start filming. "Stuart, about last night..."

"I don´t remember a thing, Orli. And I really don´t want to hear about anything I might have done," he says, a little too tensely. It´s obvious that he doesn´t want to talk about it, so I let it drop. 

We get onto the set, and he winds up blowing his lines and missing his marks continually. On the eighth take at the Prancing Pony, he blows it again, and he goes into a loud tirade about how everyone´s fucking up. 

Before it can get too ugly, Peter says mildly, "Fifteen minute break, everyone."  Stuart storms off to his trailer. 

I rush up to Peter. "Peter, I need to talk to you, now. In private." 

"All right," he says. 

I take him aside and say, "Don´t be too harsh on Stuart, please? He´s taking this break up really hard. Especially, um..."

Shit, can´t tell him what happened last night. "Especially because he and his girlfriend didn´t really part on the best of terms. She broke up with him by voice mail."  Which is true. That´s part of the reason why he got so pissed in the first place. 

Peter looks at me sympathetically. "I´m sorry to hear that. All right, Orlando, I´ll give him some space. I´m glad that you´re looking out for him." 

"He´ll be fine after a few days," I say. 

Unfortunately, he´s not. Stuart was pretty disturbed by his pass at me, and it just eats at him. He doesn´t want to get anywhere near me, because it just gets too uncomfortable and awkward for him. And if he´s forced to be with me for a scene, he gets really snarky with me after the camera stops rolling. 

I´m stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to give him some breathing room, but I also want to talk things out with him. I wind up leaving him alone, which proves to be a big mistake. 

Stuart winds up taking his frustrations out on Peter, bitching at him about the constant rewrites, Aragorn´s lines, you name it. When he´s not bitching at Peter, he´s being stroppy to everyone else. I´m not really completely sure why he´s acting this way; I think he´s got more issues besides me lurking inside of him. Either way, he refuses to talk about it with anyone. 

We try to weather it, but eventually the bitching turns pretty abusive. After about a week of this, Peter has had enough, and tries to take Stuart aside to have a word with him. It erupts into a major row, and Stuart is fired. 

Fuck, now who are we going to get to play Aragorn? 

***

Peter gets immediately on the phone, but he maintains the utmost secrecy. Guess he doesn´t want anyone to be jumping the gun and spreading gossip to the local rags. 

Two days later, I hear that our new Aragorn has been signed, but no one will tell me who. I try bribes, cajoling, and puppy dog eyes, but no one will spit it out. 

I corral ´Lij on the way out of costuming. "Alright, I´m getting tired of this. Who´s going to be the new Aragorn?" 

"No one´s told me shit, Orli. Peter and Fran´s lips are completely fucking sealed. All I´ve heard is that they´re bringing him onto the set late tomorrow afternoon to film Weathertop." 

"Well, I guess we´ll meet him then." 

"Yeah. I wonder who it is?" 

"Someone as mad as I am, I hope. I need a bungee jumping partner." 

´Lij rolls his eyes. 

We spend another long day, and it´s an exhausting one. I hit the pubs with the hobbits for a bit and then I stay up to read until it´s about 3 or 4am. I have a late call, so I figure that now is a good time to catch up on other people´s theories about reincarnation and the afterlife. There´s some interesting stuff here. Some of it´s completely wrong, but it is interesting. 

Anyway, I go to sleep, haul my arse out of bed late in the morning, and drag myself off to make-up. After I´m done getting into all of my Legolas gear, Fran approaches me. 

"Orli, could you just wait here a bit? I want you to and the hobbits to be the first people to meet our new Aragorn." 

"Sure."  God, the anticipation is killing me. 

"I´ll go fetch him," Fran says before leaving. 

The hobbits soon join me. "So, heard anything about our new co-star?"  I ask them. 

"Nothing. Wonder why Fran and Peter are being so secretive," Dom says. 

"There they are," Billy says, looking past my shoulder. "Shit! He really looks the part." 

I turn around and freeze. It can´t be...but there´s no mistaking those chiseled features. 

Peter and Fran are grinning as they say, "We´d like to introduce all of you to our new Aragorn, Viggo Mortensen." 

I hear the hobbits whooping in disbelief. My body goes into complete autopilot. I fling myself around Viggo´s neck and kiss him. Oh god, I´ve missed him so much...

Wait...he´s not responding. I pull away and I look into his green-grey eyes. Green-grey, not the deep blue that I´m used to seeing. 

And there´s no affection in those depths. In fact, there´s no recognition there at all. 

-----
end part 8

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