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Chapter One

Lou took her boarding pass out and handed it to the stewardess, watching the woman’s smile, wondering how long it would take for her face to crack from all that make up and smiling. She shuddered and moved on down the ramp. She was met with an almost identical stewardess with bright magenta lipstick. The woman looked her up and down and snatched a bored look at her boarding pass. Lou smiled inwardly as the woman’s expression changed to a courteous smile, and she directed Lou to the Business class area. Lou took her pass and rolled her eyes as she looked for her seat number.

She sat down; she was in the window seat next to a woman who was busy telling her son off in the seat behind her. He was bouncing a ball off the seat and Lou noticed the young man next to him looked as if he was inches away from shoving the kid’s ball in his mouth. His eye was twitching.

"Jared, if you miss behave then I will not take you to daddy’s for the weekend!" She said in an upper class voice that clearly told Lou that she had no control over the child.

She sighed. 16 hours of this was going to be hell. "This must be God testing me," she thought.

The plane took off and the kid was quiet, obviously enjoying the sickening lurches that the weather was giving to the plane.

Lou settled back and lost herself in her thoughts for a while. She noticed that people were glancing at her strangely. Well she was used to that. She didn’t exactly look the type to be travelling Business class. She looked very economy. She looked down at herself. Faded jeans with a rip in the knee; a white singlet; an army jacket; lots of bracelets and necklaces; big hoop earrings; dirty white sneakers; her black curly hair un-brushed and yanked back into a messy ponytail; and a green diamond pierced nose. Not exactly a sight that you would normally see in Business class.

‘Oh, screw it! Everyone deserves to fly expensive once in a while!’ she thought to herself. The only reason she wasn’t in economy was because she used her flying points to go up a class.

She was pulled back to reality when she felt her chair pull back. She looked up and saw that the young man behind her had pulled himself up with it. She turned to see his face listen to what he was saying.

"Listen," He said to the woman with the child, "Do you want to swap seats with me so that you can sit next to your son?"

"No that’s all right, you don’t have to--" She said looking him up and down.

"No! It’s fine, I’m happy to." He cut her off and jumped up before she could argue. He stood patiently waiting in the aisle.

The woman hesitated for a moment, and then gathered up her things. She pushed her way out and sat down next to the child, glowering at the young man. He smiled innocently, and then turned his attention to Lou. She blinked at him for a few seconds then realised that he was waiting for her to move. "Oh! I’m sorry. I was off in another world." She stuttered fumbling with her seat belt.

"Actually...don’t worry about it." He said and took hold of the baggage compartment above, lifted himself and promptly swung into his seat. She just gaped. He looked at her and said, "My way was more fun."

"Uh huh." Was all that Lou could think to say. She ignored the disapproving looks they were receiving and focused on him. He was English, tall with dark brown everything. He was wearing a white shirt with a green jumper over it, and jeans. His hair was styled to a peak, which only made him seem crazier. But there was no denying that he was good looking.

"I’m Orli." He held out his hand.

"Lou." She said, taking it.

"Lou…is that short for Louise?" He asked.

"Yeah,"

"One point to me then."

She smiled at this, and asked, " Is Orli short for anything?"

"Yup. Orlando."

"That’s a nice name. Orlando. I like it. Where are you heading? New Zealand of course, but why?"

"I…um….I have a job there. I’m not sure exactly what I’m doing though."

Lou immediately knew he was holding something of the truth back, but she didn’t press it.

"So what do you do for a living?" He asked, obviously trying to change the subject.

"Well, at the moment, I’m working as a make up artist, for special effects."

His eyebrows shot up at this.

"That’s a cool occupation."

"Well, I like it. It won't get me far though."

They chatted on late into the night before they finally went to sleep.

At some time in the night, Lou woke to see the sun rise above the clouds through the small inadequate window. It was a beautiful sight and bathed half of Orlando’s face in an orange-crimson light. His face was peaceful and angelic while he slept. She was reminded of a nightdress her friend had owned when they were younger. It had a picture of a child-like angel asleep on a cloud, with the words ‘ANGEL WHEN SHE SLEEPS’ written on the front. She smiled at this memory and thought that this was exactly how he was. She looked again at his face and noticed that he had very long, dark eyelashes. She let her eyes wander and she noticed that he was very tanned and had large, graceful hands. Seeing that he was still asleep, she slowly raised her hand next to his. His fingers were long and slender, brown and his nails were paler, and short. They had an out-doorsy look.

She suddenly thought about how they would feel on her skin; on her neck; on her back; on her hips. She snatched her hand back and looked away, wanting the thought out of her mind. She looked back at his face and got the shock of her life. Instead of the restful face she expected to find, she looked strait into his eyes, and he was watching her. How long had he been watching her?!

He blinked and smiled.

Suddenly the plane began to lurch violently. Orlando threw his arm across Lou, supporting her, while supporting himself against the seat in front. Lou held on to his arm as she stared wildly around the cabin.

The seatbelt sign came on and the moment passed. The captain apologised for the lack of warning and that there was no more turbulence. Other passengers were all talking at once and Lou realised that she still clung to Orli’s arm. She grudgingly let go.

"Nothing like a plane crash to wake you up in the morning." He said. "At least we can get off this flying death trap soon." He nodded towards the screen up front. There was a computer-generated map of New Zealand, with them nearing Wellington.

"Ooh!" He leaned over Lou to look out the window. His hand was on her knee, and Lou looked out the window, completely still, trying to look like she hadn’t noticed.

"You can see the mountains if you look closely." He said, looking at her. "Come on, look!" He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her down next to him. Their faces were almost touching and she silently thanked the person who had designed these windows to be so small.

"God, I hope we’re not going to land in that!" He said pointing to the mountains. She laughed, "We’re not so primitive that we don’t have an airport. Look we’re descending." She was speaking to stop herself from focusing on his closeness. She could feel his breathing, his chest expanding against her. She had an incredible urge to giggle. But the moment passed and they were pulled back by the voice of a stewardess. "We will be landing in a few moments, can you please put your seat in the upright position?" She asked, smiling so hard it could have caused tears.

They began to land, and as usual, Lou felt her fear of flying rise up again. The tensed up, but felt a warm hand on her arm. She turned to look at her new travelling companion. He was looking concerned and she shook her head. "I’m not good with the landing and taking off bit." She explained. He nodded and held her hand. She closed her eyes and held her breath. She barely noticed the plane landing.

"It’s over." He whispered in her ear. She opened her eyes and let go of his hand. "Thanks."

"For what?" He started to get up, reaching into the storage above. He pulled down her things and then his.

"You ok getting to where you need to go? I can drive you?" She asked hopefully.

"No, I’m actually being picked up. My boss is sending someone." He sounded distant, and troubled.

"Oh, right. Well, it was nice meeting you Orlando. You made my plane trip an enjoyable one." She hesitated and put out her hand. He took it and looked into her eyes. Instead of shaking her hand, he pulled her to him. They had a short, but warm hug.

"Bye, Lou."

"Bye."

She walked away, but kept looking back. He was leaning against his suitcase, with his arms crossed, watching her leave. What she couldn’t see was the conflict in his face.

She stood on the threshold of the big doors to the airport and turned back to look at him once more. Still watching her. She looked down into her palm. There was her name and phone number written on a serviette from the plane. She wanted to drop it right here and forget about it. But she wanted to run back to him and give it to him. But she knew that if he had wanted it he would have asked. She looked down again and let it slip from her fingers. She watched it flutter to the ground then turned away and left him behind.

 

Chapter Two

<O:P

Months passed. Orlando had finished his training. Everyone was ready to start filming.

When the day came to start, his first couple of scenes involved him speaking the Elven language. He arrived in the costume department and was dressed to be Legolas. He was then taken to make up. Kerryn, the woman who did his make up, kept blabbing on about how she wasn’t happy with her wage and how she intended to leave, and her assistant would have to take over. Orlando found it hard to concentrate on what the woman was saying. She had been on like this for weeks now. She was rough, yanking his face around and pulling his ears, and he quite regularly heard his neck crack while in her ‘care.’ He silently hoped she would hurry up and leave.

He had been pulled out of bed at 5 AM, an ungodly hour to him and dragged onto the set for his first day as Legolas. He had been up half the night learning his lines, half of which still made no sense to him. So he just nodded and pretended to listen to her complaining.

That night he fell into bed with his prosthetic ears still on. He was exhausted. He had lines buzzing around his head, and half of them he still didn’t understand. But he was satisfied. This was the job for him!

* * * * *

He dragged himself into make up one morning a week later, and sat down and prepared himself for the painful process of becoming Legolas. He looked to his left and saw that Billy Boyd was still there.

"What are you still here for?" He asked him. "Aren’t you meant to be with the other hobbits?"

"Slept in. Now she can’t find the right type of glue." He laughed. He kicked out and the Hobbit foot flipped off. It flew across the room and landed with a wet squelch near the door.

They both burst out laughing.

"Can you get it for me? I’m not allowed to get up yet." Billy asked, stifling his laughter.

Orlando got up, stumbling with the giggles, and started towards the foot. But before he could get it, a woman stepped in with Kerryn behind her. She had her head turned away, talking to Kerryn, and he moved to stop her. But before he could utter a warning, she slipped on the foot, and fell backwards towards the door. Kerryn was knocked backwards, down the short flight of stairs, to the ground. The woman caught herself on the doorframe, saving herself from a similar fall. She turned and looked down at her.

"Oh god…" They ran down the four or so stairs, with Billy hopping after them.

She was sitting up with a dazed look on her face. But aside from being a bit shocked, there seemed to be nothing else wrong with her.

"I’ve had it! I’ve had it! I’m sick of it! I’m sick of everything here!" She was ranting on, making a list of everything that she disliked about the place.

He pulled her to her feet but she dropped down again, wailing about her ankle.

He turned to the other woman, "I think her leg is-"

He stopped dead. He gaped. She gaped and stared right back.

"It’s you!" They both said at the same time.

"What are you doing here?!" He asked.

"Me?! What about you?!" She exclaimed.

A loud groan brought them back to the present. They looked down at the injured woman.

"We’d better-"

"Yeah, I’ll take her left side." She said, moving around to lift the woman to her good foot. He followed her lead and got under Kerryn’s right arm.

Lou called back to Billy. "You wait inside. Don’t get your feet dirty. We won’t be long."

"Um….right." Billy said, uncertainly. He turned and went inside.

"What happened?" Lou asked, as they neared the first aid room.

"Billy accidentally kicked his Hobbit foot off. You slipped on it." He replied.

"What the hell have you two done to my make up artist?!" They heard a loud, male voice booming. They turned and saw two men coming out of a building and hurrying towards them.

"She fell out of the make up unit, Mr Perez." Lou told them

"Fell out….how the hell do you fall out of a building?!" He snapped back at her.

"It wasn’t her fault! She slipped on Pippin’s prosthetic foot and fell backwards, which knocked Kerryn back out the door. And for your information, it is quite easy to fall out of a building, I’ve done it myself, maybe you should try it." He was glowering at the man, while Lou was almost choking.

‘Does he have any idea who he was talking to?’ She thought.

The man had turned his attention to Orlando, but instead of anger, he was calm and serious. He and the other man took Kerryn away.

"Louise, you finish doing Mr Boyd and Mr Bloom’s make up. They’ll need them on set soon." The other man called back. She frowned at him as he left.

"What did he mean? Who is Mr Bloom?" She asked Orlando, their first chance to talk.

"I am."

"What? Why do you need make up?" She asked.

"Because I’m Legolas."

She stopped walking and stared at him.

"You…you’re one of the actors?!" She stammered.

He nodded. "And let me guess, you are one of the make up people."

She nodded.

"I must have missed you so many times. I’ve been here for weeks, doing Billy and Dominic’s make up. I knew that Kerryn was doing Legolas, but I always finish the hobbits before you even get in. I knew someone called Orlando was playing Legolas, but I never put two and two together. We must have been missing each other by about half an hour every morning!"

"Wow, this is like Sliding doors. You know the bit where she opens the door and he’s just standing there?" He said, enthusiastically.

"I never saw that movie. So are you really an actor? What else have you been in? I’ve never seen you before. Well, except for the plane of course."

"Well this is really my first big thing. I was in an episode of Midsummer murders and I was a rent boy in the movie Wilde. That’s about it."

Lou’s mind was reeling. If only she had kept in touch with him!

"What did you mean before, when you said it was easy to fall out of a building?"

"Oh. Well once I was trying to get onto a friends roof and I slipped and fell. I woke up in hospital and the doctors said I would never walk again, but a few weeks later I walked out on crutches!" He finished triumphantly.

"How far did you fall?" She asked

"About three stories."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Wow. A miracle story."

They arrived at the make up unit. She sat him down and went to finish Billy’s feet.

He listened to them chatter together for a while.

"You two knew each other did you?" Billy asked Orlando.

"Yeah, we met on the plane here."

"But we I had no idea that he was here. And he had no idea I was here." Lou said.

"Well, you should have paid more attention to me when I was speaking. Dominic and I are always yapperin’ about our make up artist. ‘she’s so funny, she’s so pretty." He mimicked himself. "I always thought you’d like her and I was always at you to meet her." He continued.

"Yeah, I did listen. I just never found the time to come and meet her." Orlando replied.

"Well I bet you wish you had. That’s you done Billy. I’ll probably see you on set if Kerryn can’t come. If not then tomorrow."

She turned to Orlando. "Now. Your turn." She said holding up a pair of scissors, menacingly. They both burst out laughing.

They talked while she did his ears and wig. He was amazed that it was possible to have it done so gently. He said so and received a blank look. "Never mind. Kerryn was always so rough. She used to wrench my head around and try to break my neck." He said.

She laughed. "That’s because she didn’t like you."

"What? Why?" He asked.

"Well, she said you ruined Aragorn’s wig." She was smiling.

"That is a direct lie! We had a scuffle, nothing more. And I didn’t ruin it. I just tore it a bit. He called me a prissy Elf! Well, I guess he only did it because I called him human scum, but that’s not the point!" She stared at him for a moment, thinking he was serious. Then they both burst out laughing and only calmed down when the make up supervisor showed up to tell her that she was needed to replace Kerryn on the set.

"Ok. Thanks. We shouldn’t take much longer." She said to the man, still smiling.

The man hesitated, then shook his head and left, grumbling about ‘kids these days’.

 

Chapter Three

<O:P

They had to travel to a national park, which half a day away. There they were doing a scene in Rivendell and the national park offered the perfect location, it was getting there that was most inconvenient.

Lou struggled along the track through the forest holding about fifteen to many make-up cases perched dangerously on her hips and under her arms. She was concentrating so hard on not tripping over the massive roots that littered the forest floor that she didn’t see the massive branch that was hanging directly in front of her until she hit it.

She ran right into it and three seconds later she was on the ground, make-up cases lying discarded around her.

" When they called me duck footed in school, I didn’t catch on, when my mother nick-named me daisy, I didn’t catch on, but when I almost necked myself on an out of proportion branch, in the middle of a deserted forest in the wilderness, I caught on. I am the clumsiest cults to ever stumble the earth." She muttered under her breath trying to rub her tailbone and pick things up at the same time.

" Well, I don’t know about that, but I would try to avoid ball room dancing. Those shoes the girls wear…. need I say more?"

Before she could even register who it was Legolas was squatting beside her picking things up as well. Well, it wasn’t really Legolas was it? But Orli dressed as the attractive archer.

" Manks." Said Lou through a mouth of glue brushes she had just uncovered from the place her butt had fallen.

She went about replacing all the disturbed bits and pieces whilst Orli sat beside her on the track with a hand full of foundation cases clutched in his had. She stopped and looked up at him, raising her eyebrow.

" Thanks for helping." She said sarcastically snatching the cases from his hand and flashing him a smile, really, of all the times she could have chosen to try and strangle herself on a tree branch, this had to be the worst.

" Oh that’s alright. Actually, I’m not much into helping… it’s more entertaining to sit her watching you try to recover all your little tit bits." He reached down and pulled something from her hair. " Let alone remove all the little tit bits from your hair…" He trailed off and offered his hand to show her what he had removed from her hair. A fat brown spider sat petrified in his palm, looking like it was reading to throw in the bucket.

Lou shot up like a bullet and gaping like a goldfish backed away from the spider. " Tha…that was in my, my hair. Oh my god." She said pulling her hands through her long curly hair trying to find any other little ‘surprises’. All clear. Curse my mother for being Irish…damn curly hair.

" What, it’s just a spider." Orli said pegging it into the forest around them.

" Just? JUST?! Gross…oh gross! I hate spiders, hairy little creepy crawlies, good for nothing little monsters designed to do nothing more than scare me out of my wits where ever I go. And what do they need all those legs for anyway?! I tell you what. CRAWLING ACROSS YOUR FACE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT!" said Lou picking up the rest of her packs and replacing them on her hips. She looked forlornly down at the three cases left sitting on the ground.

" Here, let me. So much for my theory on not helping." Orli said bending down to pick said cases and continuing down the path beside Lou.

" Thanks…I can kinda see what Kerryn was talking about when she said it wasn’t worth the money." Said Lou smiling at Orli, she couldn’t help but feel slightly embarrassed for being such a mondo psychopath in front of him, after all how was he to know she hated spiders like the pope hated the charmed sisters.

" You’re not thinking of leaving are you. Then you miss out on all the fun." Orli said smiling.

" Pish. What fun would that be? Waking at four in the morning to stick feet on midgets?" She said, stepping over another root.

" Don’t be so hard on the gig, the best is yet to come." He said in a singsong Frank Sinatra voice. "And any way, who said I was talking about the movie?" he breathed in her ear.

They had reached the filming location, a beautiful clearing in the forest, flitting with elves and cameramen alike. Orli placed the cases on a near-by table and winking, backed away from her towards Viggo Mortersen who was standing near the base of a massive tree thrashing a sword around towards Sean Bean who was mock-fighting him off with a umbrella.

" What’s that 'spose to mean?!" Lou yelled at Orli’s retreating back. " Could he be referring to the great dirty rain clouds gathering over head? Or maybe the fact that I’m freezing cold."

She sighed heavily and started to unpack her boxes of make-up. Talking to herself was becoming an all too familiar habit.

They spent the rest of the day filming, and continued long into the night. Lou was worked off her feet with ears loosening themselves, feet being touched up, faces being painted, twisted, re-coloured in every way. She didn’t see Orli until the filming was finished and she was sitting on her table rubbing her feet contemplating the walk back through the forest, and the mounting rain clouds over head.

" Hey. Are you going to walk back?"

She looked up to see Orlando casually leaning against the table next to her. She couldn’t help thinking it wasn’t just elves who could move quietly. Or maybe she was just really easy to sneak up on.

" Yeah…no other way of getting back, the Rangers came by the tell us we couldn’t use the road any more, apparently something got misplaced and now the whole system is in a ruck-us." She said smiling and putting her shoes and socks back on.

" I’ll walk with you."

" I thought you didn’t help people?" Lou said sarcastically. She mentally checked herself, she wasn’t usually such a bitch, it was just the day had been so busy.

" Well, I’m in a generous mood. Plus the prospect over seeing you chuck another fit at the idea of a spider in your hair is a major factor." He said picking up four of the cases sitting on the table.

Lou blushed and getting up off the table began to follow him. The track through the forest was almost empty now, everyone else was either behind them packing things up, and most of the other actors had walked into town to have a drink. The twisting walkway was lit with little lights so that no one would follow Lou’s example and cripple themselves. Lou paused for a second to note how girl friendly the light was. Just my luck, I need all the help I can get.

The two walked off into the forest talking softly and laughing.

***

Billy and Domonic sat in the bushes just off the track waiting for someone to walk past. They had been waiting a long time now, and no one had come.

" Lets go into town with the others Dom, come and have a nice post-Rivendell drink? This is boring, and I’m getting a sore foot." Said Billy massaging his foot and going to get up.

" No! Look, there's someone coming." Said Domonic pulling his Hobbit-friend back to the ground.

Two people were coming up the track towards them talking and laughing. They positioned themselves to jump out of the bushes and scare them half to death. Billy’s face twisted into a sadistic smile when he saw who it was.

***

" Yeah, so I spent most of my high school years being tossed between my mother in Wellington and my father in Sydney. I’m not complaining, it was great to get a break from my mum, she’s a force unto herself." Said Lou smiling at the memory of her mother fretting at the airport the first time Lou was going to be sent to her father’s for a month. She had looked like she was going to have kittens.

Orli laughed at the thought of a pint sized Lou guiding herself through the international terminal alone. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, she was beautiful, not pretty, because he could see she didn’t wear make-up, and her face wasn’t what he would classically call pretty, but there was something about her that made him not notice when she stopped talking, and walking, and stood staring back at him.

" What? Have I got something on my face?" said Lou looking worried.

Before her knew what he was doing Orlando had dropped Lou’s cases and was kissing her. Before Lou knew what she was doing, she was kissing him back. She couldn’t help thinking as she ran her fingers through his gluey mohawk that it would be hard to find all the bit and pieces from her cases which lay on the ground in this light. But she didn’t seem to care. Everything was muted, all the world didn’t matter, only that Orli was kissing her. But then, like a light being switched on in her head, she realised what this meant. It was like waking up. Lou remembered where she was, what she was doing, and for that matter, what she shouldn’t be doing.

Lou forced herself away from Orli.

" What?" He said innocently.

" Nothing. We shouldn’t be doing this. Not here, not now." She said stepping back, the further she was from that temptation the better.

Orli’s face changed from confusion to a sly smile." Well, if not here and now, then when and were?" he said moving to take her hand.

Lou fought to stay away from his out stretched hand. Keep it cool Lou. You don’t need to ruin this job. That was all it took, the thought of losing her fabulous job for making a stupid mistake was enough to keep her going.

" We shouldn’t be doing this." She repeated firmly.

Orli’s face was a billboard of Disappointment. " I can do what I want. And who I want for that matter." He said moving towards hers.

" Orli. You know the rules. No personal…" She broke off shaking her head.

Orli looked angry, but at the same time understanding. " I’m my own boss Lou. Come on. It’s alright." He offered his hand.

" We won’t do this." Lou said. The hardest thing she ever did was to pick up all her cases and walk away. Orli stood staring at her in silent disbelief the whole time. " I won’t do this." She muttered to herself.

Orli stood dumbly on the spot, his hand still reached out to where Lou had been. He felt stupid, really stupid. " I’m my own boss!" He yelled after Lou, kicking the dirt as he turned and walked away.

Billy and Dom sat in the bushes in disbelieving silence.

" Hows does that drink sound now?" said Billy turning to get up in a hurry, following Orlando down the track that lead to the road.

" Damn good compared to that sob-saga." Muttered Dom walking after his friend.

***

Chapter Four

<O:P

Lou arrived back from filming a week after her and Orli’s ‘run in’ feeling like she had been walking on stilts all day. She moved slowly and methodically through all her normal paces, repacking make-up and checking supplies, having a hot bath, brushing out her hair and finally getting into bed. She lay in thought until late that night. Thinking about everything, as one does, before they drop into slumber. She thought about her mother. Sitting alone in her mansion on Wellington, waiting for her daughter to call. She thought about her father, sitting in his villa in Spain, waiting for his wife to call and check up on him (He was on a ‘business trip ‘ with his mistress, and his second wife always called to make sure he wasn’t up to any mischief.)

Lou knew those two people like the back of her hand. Looking at the clock she could roughly know what time it was where they were, thus she was able to calculate their exact moves. She knew their lives so well, their personalities. She sighed. She thought of the other person who had been increasingly on her mind the last few nights, one she didn’t know so well. She could imagine Orli sitting in his room practicing lines. See the smile he drew across his face (and hers) when they spoke. She could see the look in his eyes when he looked at her. But the one thing she remembered best was his lips. She had appreciated them from the beginning when she first met him, being a make-up artist came with its talents. But his lips had never been so beautiful as when they had been on her, under the twinkling little lights of the forest track. She had felt his hands on her back, her arms, her waist, felt her hands on the back of his neck, through what was left of his hair. His mouth had felt like fire, and hers like ice. Every single thing about him was amazing, and she had thrown it all away.

Don’t be stupid Lou, it can never happen. It’s rules. Maybe if you were somewhere else, or you were someone else, but this is not the time or place.

As much as she tried to convince herself, she still ended up with tears in her eyes at the idea that he went to someone else to get his make-up done in the morning, and that it was always someone else’s job to touch-up the elf’s make-up. She longed to touch his face, as she had before that stupid kiss.

No, it couldn’t ever be like that again. She thought to herself. Even if I…He wouldn’t any more…he’s made that clear. Clear as crystal.

*

Orli lay in bed that night with his hands behind his head counting the tiles on the ceiling. An annoying habit he had picked up ever since he had taken this unit. He sighed deeply. Same number of tiles as last night, and the night before…and before that…

He looked at the phone on the bedside table. He could call Lou, she would still be awake. Surely He had punished her enough.

" No…it’s not my place to say sorry…she made it very clear that her feelings for me didn’t go beyond Platonic." He said to the ceiling. No she didn’t you flaming fool! She only said that we shouldn’t, and she’s right. But you never cared before about that, why start now?

" She doesn’t want to. Without to people, being in love with someone is nothing more than an infatuation." He said quietly. Because you are in love with her, aren’t you. Stupid bloody fool. But there’s no denying it. Call her…you know she feels the same. The way she looks at you. The way she kissed you…

It all comes back to that stupid kiss. She had made a fool of him. But surely he could still talk to her? " Not now, not after you made her life hell, being such a baby, getting up early so you didn’t have to get your make-up done by her, asking for other people on set…" But no matter what he said Orli felt the same, tomorrow he would seek out Lou, and say what was in his heart. She would just have to listen.

***

Waking up at three in the morning Lou drove her cheap rental car packed with make-up to the site. They were filming the forging of the Fellowship today, Orlando would most certainly be there. Lou’s heart wretched inside her.

Arriving at the lot she unlocked the make-up van and set about her job. The first to come in where the Hobbits, and after she had finished Elijah, Dom, Sean, and was doing Billy, she was right into the flow.

By her fourth patient she was covered in fake hair, Billy had been demonstrating a dance he had learnt down at the local the night before when he knocked over a case of fake hair for Hobbit feet.

" So what did you do last night Lou?" he said sitting back down to let his feet dry.

" Nothing, as usual. Slept like a…well, actually I didn’t sleep to well." She said, her face flushing.

" Trouble in paradise?" Billy said questioningly.

" What do you mean?"

" Well, it’s pretty plain to see that Lou’an’Orli has become well…..Lou, and far, far away in a different part of the scene, Orli. People are starting to call you two by your proper names. So I can only assume there has been a disagreement?"

" Well…we kissed."

Billy played mock surprise.

After telling him the whole story Lou felt an enormous weight of her shoulders.

" You know as well as I do that it wouldn’t be smart for us to form a relationship." She looked down at his hair prosthetic feet, but even they couldn’t make her smile as they usually did.

" I hate to break it to you blossom, but short of waking up in each other’s beds, your dating. Everyone knows how you two feel about each other. If you haven’t gotten in trouble yet, then you won’t for making it official." He said quietly. Billy got up and moved out of the van.

Lou sighed. Well, her work here was done for the day, she was about to walk over to the dwarf van when she heard someone knock on the door.

" I’m coming, just have to clean up a bit, where am I going today?" She said, thinking it was Clarence the stage master who would usually tell her where she would be stationed.

At the silence Lou turned to see Orli sitting in the make-up chair.

" Umm…hey." He said slowly.

" Hi. Wha...what are you doing here?’ She said surprised.

Run! Run! Run! She wouldn’t say that if she wanted you here…Orli thought madly. But he stood his ground.

" I was hoping you might do my make-up. I can’t feel my scalp from John tugging it around, I think I’ve had all I can take." He said smiling weakly.

Lou only nodded and pulled a chair close to his, taking out his wig and ears.

They sat in silence for half an hour before Orli worked up the courage to say anything. " Where have you been this last week? I’ve barely seen you." He said, knowing the answer very well

" I’ve been around. Somehow I always seem to get put somewhere you aren’t. Funny that." She said half bitter, half happy.

Orli just nodded and pulled another weak smile. " That’s weird."

Lou had stopped her work, and moving through the cramped van she positioned herself on the vanity in front of Orli, between his knees and the mirror. "How long are you going to avoid me and send me away from you, just because I won’t…do what you want?" She said seriously, surprised at her own braveness.

" I don’t mean to…" He began, but she waved his answer away.

" Then don’t. What happened between us…I’ve been thinking…but that’s not the point, the point is that I regret freaking on you. And I don’t think it’s fair that we can’t even be around each other. I’m sick of feeling like you hate me, when I know you don’t. Grow up Orlando. Don’t make me suffer any more." Lou said

He had only really picked up half of what she had said, the only thing he had clearly heard was her saying she had been thinking, but she seemed to shake the thought from her heard as soon as she had said it. He was angry, that was good, at least it was an emotion compared to what he had been feeling the last few days every time he glimpsed Lou on set. But he wasn’t about to forgive so easily.

" Let's talk about suffering." He said sitting up in his chair, She was intimidating sitting higher than him. " You think I don’t suffer when I see you around? I walk past you, and you don’t even see me. It drives me mad! All I want to do, is take hold of you, and lock myself up, never let you go, and I suppose I think sooner or later you’ll love me like I do…you." He finished lamely, unhappy with what he had said. Did I say too much? Was that mushy love, or scary stalker?

Lou felt a lump rise in her throat when she had heard Orli’s last sentence. He loved her. Inside her mind was screaming for her to just jump him right there, and she seriously considered locking the van door, but it wasn’t that easy. I’m over the rules…but that isn’t the point. What is the point then? That he loves you? That he made you suffer? SO WHAT YOU IDIOT! KISS HIM!

Orli’s chair almost tipped backwards with the force of Lou propelling herself at him. He pulled her down to straddle him.

Lou’s arms were around his neck, and her hands in his wig, His hands were on her back, in her long hair, her arms, any part of her was a searing heat on his skin.

Outside the van Billy and Dom removed their ears from the door.

" Surely there is a censor for things like this?" Dom said as they stared at the door dumbfounded.

" Yes, us leaving." Billy said pulling his friend away. They walked towards the set talking about the two.

" Kids today. First they’re friends, then they’re kissing, then it’s like the cold war…and now this. Wonder what it will be like tomorrow?" Dom said.

" I’d say it would be the same." Billy said.

***

The news that Lou’an’Orli were once again Lou’an’Orli, but more so, seemed to reach all ears on and off the set, though still no one seemed to know.

Lou felt stupid for being so stubborn about her and Orli following the rules.

After all, people had their wives on the set? Why can’t I have my boyfriend?

She sighed at the thought. He was her boyfriend. The night before he had slept come over, and they had played cards until two hours before she had to leave for work, then they had collapsed onto her bed, and slept together without even realising. It had been the first time she had woken up to see him in the morning, and even though he was about as charming as a troll ( though she was about the same) she still got butterflies in her stomach when she though about waking up next to him.

Lou was walking casually through the supermarket looking for detergent and toothpaste. She stopped in front of the dental hygiene section. Lou selected some whitening toothpaste, thinking I need all the help I can get. She paused in front of the toothbrush display. Well…Lou thought to herself. If Orli is going to be sleeping over He’ll want to be able to brush his teeth. She selected a Scooby-Doo toothbrush, thinking what a laugh it would cause, and moved on to the check out.

*

Orli sat in the cafe near his unit thinking about the rain clouds. They had come fast from the south, and the massive threatening masses had grown steadily until the down pour was nearly at their door step. He silently cursed the New Zealand weather, today the entire cast had time off, and He was taking Lou on their first official date. He grinned broadly as he saw her walking down the street towards the cafe where they were meant to meet.

She was wearing baggy black trousers, her favourite army boots, and a white shirt deeply cut in a v at the front. Her hair was half done up in a loose bun, the rest flowing down her back like a raven wave. Even though it was freezing cold she wasn’t wearing a jacket, but she still radiated a warmth that he knew all to well, and was only just beginning to enjoy. Glancing down at his wrist to check the time he noticed how pallid his ‘tan’ had become lately, but Lou still remained brown.

Lou was just walking past Orli sitting at his table, having not noticed him, when he grabbed her hand. " Hello precious." He said in a mock Gollum voice.

" Hey!" Lou said planting a quick kiss on his cheek and sitting down, still holding his hand.

" Guess what?" She said quickly, leaning towards him.

" You’re freezing cold and instead of spending the day outside you want to curl up in bed with me and discuss the problems of the world?" He said raising a dark eye brow.

Lou grimaced and winked. He’s so funny. She thought to herself. " No. Close, but we do have a lovely consolation prize!" She said whipping the tooth brush out of her bag.

Orli stared at it non-plused. " It’s a Scooby Doo toothbrush. I like my idea better." He said flatly as Lou put the tooth brush in his hand.

" Yes it is. Now you don’t have to get up at two in the morning to go back home before you go on set. This is the ultimate sign of commitment, a toothbrush is a girl’s way of saying ‘My bathroom is you’re bathroom’ but heed the warning label, don’t you go snooping through my medicine cabinet." She said mockingly wagging a finger at Orli as he burst into laughter.

Lou sighed, watching Orli laugh was like a dream, his laughter touched all her body, making her reconsider his idea about staying home. That, and she was a little nervous about where he was going to take her. She had heard a horrible rumour from Billy that Orli had bought tickets to go skydiving. Please god let the weather by bad, let it be anything but skydiving.

***

 

Chapter Five

<O:P

The sky was a gloomy shade of shale grey. Lou had tried to insist that she drive to where ever they were going, but Orlando had not relented. He was driving fast down a country road far from where they were staying. Lou had a growing sense of suspicion, she had never been into this area, and it was un-nerving driving with Orli, he drove like a three fingered blind man.

" So, are you sure you don’t want to tell me where we are going?" Lou said slowly.

Orli only turned, patting her knee and smiled.

" Watch the road please." She said quickly. She didn’t usually backseat drive, but he was going awfully fast.

" Yes Mum.’ Orli said laughing.

He pulled into another dirt road. This was getting more and more worrying.

Lou was looking out the window into the sky, hoping she would see some sign of what they were heading towards.

" Put this on please." Orli said throwing her a kind of bandanna.

Lou obliged, figuring that it would only do her more damage to fret and worry about where they were going.

Orli kept driving, overhead Lou thought she heard a plane buzzing, and her grip on Orli’s tightened. Somewhere in the distance she thought she heard water running, very fast, very rough. But it didn’t mean anything; it was the plane that worried her.

Finally the car stopped, she heard Orli’s door open, someone running around the car, and then open her door. Orli pulled her out gently guiding her across the gravel to a stop.

" Open your eyes now." He said whipping the blind fold off her face.

Lou’s heart skipped a beat. Lodged in the ground in front of her was a sign reading:

Roy’s rapids.

A journey through another world.

" What do you think?" Orli said excited. He was jumping up and down like a little kid beside her.

" I think you’re crazy. But you’ll have fun." She said. There was no way she was white water rapiding, not in this weather, not ever for that matter.

He looked sadly at her. " What do you mean I’ll have fun. You’ll have to. We’ll go together." He said quickly. Lou was almost swept along by his excitement. But the thought of plunging down a freezing cold waterfall quickly quelled any romantic images of her and Orli. No, white water rafting was a definite no no. Up high on the list with spider farming. It was totally out of the question.

" I’m not going white water rafting with you Orli. No way in hell will you get me into one of those little dinky death traps." Said Lou pointing to one of the state of the art inflatable duckies sitting on the shore beside a little wooden hut.

Orli grabbed her hands and pulled her towards the hut, smiling. For some reason she couldn’t seem to make her feet turn away from him.

" Fine. I’ll remember that. But this isn’t white water rafting. It’s black." He said opening the door to what looked like the office.

" Is that anything like a black run in the snow? Because if it is…then it’s not better. And you can’t make me." Lou crossed her arms like a child and stood her ground. Orli was talking to a small middle-aged man behind a counter who Lou took to be Ray.

" It’s perfectly safe." Orli said turning back to her.

Come on.

*

Despite her refusal Lou still ended up standing on front of the raft in a wet suit waiting for Orli to emerge from the men’s change room. Lou kicked at the ground bitterly. How did she get roped into these things? And why did she always attract men who were dangerous, further more, put her life in danger. All her thoughts where forgotten as Orli came bounding towards her with child-like enthusiasm. He too was wearing a red wet suit, and Lou couldn’t help noting that although she had seen Labyrinth, and had never been able to take David Bowie seriously since, Orli in a wet suit seemed to…fit. She rolled her eyes as he clipped himself into a life jacket and offering her one edged backwards towards the boat, like he was luring her to the water.

" Fine. But if anything goes wrong. I’m never going to forgive you." She said as he clipped the jacket around her and grabbing her hand pulled her into the boat.

Orli paddled them down the stream behind Ray’s boat, leading them into the caves. There were two other boats with people in them behind them, but as per usual Orli didn’t notice anyone but Lou, sitting beside him cross-legged biting her lip and clutching his arm for dear life.

He patted her hand affectionately. " Lou, this isn’t quite the crisis you make it out to be." He said as they entered the caves. The last thing he saw was Lou shuffling closer to him and shaking her head with a solemn expression on her beautiful face.

Orli smiled, even though he couldn’t see her, he could feel her breath, and smell that fragrance about her that always made him crazy. Seeing her standing next to the boat as he came out of the change room Orli realised his real motives behind taking her rafting. It was a chance for them to be close, which he loved, and for him to be the hero, plus she looked amazing in a wet suite.

" This isn’t so bad. I don’t mind this." Lou said softly to herself. It wasn’t though. It was just very dark. Ever now and again she could see Orli’s teeth flash in a smile, and following that beacon she gave him a kiss.

" At least it wasn’t skydiving." She said to him.

Orli’s face furrowed in a frown. " What’s wrong with sky diving?" He said, just as they reached a small ledge in the flow of water that let them down quickly like a step.

From the first boat Ray yelled back that it was time for them all to turn on their lights. With this Ray himself turned a nob on his helmet and a small but powerful light came on. The others all followed suit quickly.

The water was getting faster now, an every few seconds Lou thought she saw a light as if at the end of a tunnel. She could hear the increased pressure of the water now roaring along beneath the duckie.

" Ok, just ahead is what they call the devil’s arch, and then we come into the real fun.’ Ray yelled back.

Orli smiled and paddled a little harder. Lou frowned and grabbed hold of Orli’s arm.

" The water level is very high right now, from the rain, it’s a little more dangerous than usual, but also a lot more fun for you folks." He said

Lou worried her face into an intense frown and looked towards Orli. " What does he mean a little more dangerous? And what is that sound?" But she soon found out.

After a few seconds the narrow tunnel they had been following for about half an hour widened into a massive cavern. Devils’ arch. The water ran much to fast for Lou’s liking through this part of the cave, and it seemed to dip and curve at every angel in the middle of their coarse.

Orli laughed and steered them through the arch and out into the light of day. He was paddling hard from the moment they exited the cave, and couldn’t help noting that this water was the hardest to control he had ever experienced.

" I hate you." Lou yelled over the roar of the water as they tipped down another little waterfall that led them into a complicated maze of aquatic obstacles. Orli was to busy keeping the boat up to notice what she was saying. He just smiled and winked.

Why is the water so high? Isn’t this a little more than unsafe? Lou thought to herself

" Ok Folks, just steer to the left, there’s a rock coming up in the river that would unsettle a wild boar." Ray said over the roaring water.

Lou saw the rock coming, it was a glazed looking black hippo in her mind, she could see it moving closer and closer, and Orli didn’t seem to have heard Ray saying it was there.

" Orli!’ Lou said, grabbing his arm to force him to the left. At that moment Lou felt like everything moved in slow motion. She saw Orli’s hand slip from the paddle and the paddle fall with an almost silent slosh into the river, and she saw them pulled towards the rock by an invisible rift caused by the mammoth stone.

They bumped along for three seconds, Orli reaching around to grip the paddle, Lou only looking forward in silent horror as they moved within inches of the rock. Two milli-seconds before they could hit it She pushed out her hand and hit the rock, she felt the duckie whack against her arm and felt the bone break in her left arm. Lou felt the flimsy boat buckle with the action of her arm twisting against the rock, which flung the boat sideways against the rock, capsizing the entire craft.

Lou was pulled into the water by her trapped arm, and she only noticed the cold for an instant before her head hit the rock, and then there was nothing but warm darkness.

*

Orli was sitting with his head in his hands when Mr Perez arrived at the hospital. It had been two hours since he had sat in Ray’s Rapids office and called an ambulance with Lou cradled in his arms. He kept seeing the same thing playing over and over in his mind. Lou’s beautiful twisted into a pained gasp, Lou being pulled from the boat into the water, and hearing the sickening thud of her head against the rock over the roar of the water. He sat silently cursing himself for being so stupid and believing Ray about the water being safe. He had seen it. He had seen the water, known it was much too high, but he had still gone. Thought it would be fun with Lou.

It all kept playing in his head, over and over and over until he couldn’t handle it any more and he found himself wishing she had never met him.

Lou lay in the hospital bed unconscious. She looked normal, but she had that sickly hospital shine to her skin, and she looked a little paler. Looking through the glass window at her, he could see her left arm cast in plaster. Mr Perez listening to the doctor, telling him what Orli kept hearing in his head.

" She’s not in a critical condition. She’s a very resilient girl. Her system shut down from the cold an inch of a second before she hit, and so the impact didn’t have a full effect on her skull. If she had of been conscious when she hit…well, I can’t say what would have happened. The important thing is that the worst that can come from this is a broken arm. Thank your lucky stars that Mr Bloom got to her when he did though." Said the doctor giving a grateful glance at Orli plastered to the window.

Mr Perez looked up at Orli and said a silent thank you to the doctor. He got up and walked outside just as Peter Jackson arrived at Lou’s door.

" How is she Perez?" Peter said.

" She’s fine. Broken arm." Said Perez. He seemed tired. Filming such an important movie was taking the life out of him and he felt an amazing relief that Louise wasn’t worse off.

Peter turned to Orli. " Orlando. Please tell me again how, and why you two were rafting in this weather." Peter said indicating with a sweep of his hand the rain that had started to pour the second they reached the hospital.

" We…I invited Lou rafting. And it was fine. The guy, he said it would be fine…" Orli trailed off. He didn’t like the look on Jackson’s face. Or Perez’s for that matter.

" This is going to cost some money Orli. It’s pulling us away from filming. I was busy today. I don’t need hassles like this. What were you doing dating someone on set?" He said quietly.

Orli stared at Lou in her bed. He knew what was coming. He wished she were awake so he could apologise.

" Loathed as I am to say this Orli, because I love you both dearly. One of you has to go. I can’t have hassles like this." Peter said half to himself, half to the gaunt actor looking forlornly into the hospital room.

" It can’t be you Orli. It’s out of the question." Peter trailed off. " I think we both know the only other answer is for Louise…"

" No! She didn’t want this to happen." Orli said. He sounded so lame.

" Well obviously she didn’t." Perez interjected.

" No, you don’t understand. She didn’t want to see me, and I convinced her, don’t take her job from her because I’m an arsehole." Orli said sadly to Peter. But he could see that he had already made up his mind. " Can’t we just…not see each other? I’ll use someone else. She’ll make-up other people." Orli said desperately.

" No Orlando. This is how it must be. You’re lucky I’m not taking legal action. Ok? It’s all in the contract." Peter said turning and walking away. Perez followed him.

*

Orli sat slumped in the driver seat of Lou’s beaten up rental. Lou was opening the door to her motel and walking towards the car, opening the car door.

" Thanks for coming to pick me up." She said quietly. She tried to pull the belt down, but couldn’t with her arm. After a minute Orli reached over and pulled it down for her. Lou could feel his breath he was so close, but it didn’t bring back happy memories of their time together. It brought back the pain of seeing Perez sitting next to her bed saying she was going home to Australia. She clicked the belt in and turned towards the window. Orli sat in silence for a second before turning the ignition and driving away from the motel in the direction of the airport.

" I’m sorry Lou…" he started but she cut him off.

" No." she said quietly. " This the way it has to be."

They sat in silence until the airport came into view.

Pulling into the loading area that said ‘International in brightly-lit letters Orli put Lou’s bag onto a trolley and wheeled it into the airport.

He waited while Lou collected her ticket, and come walking towards where he was sitting, beside the big windows that showed the planes. His heart stopped in his chest when he saw her walking towards him. She looked thinner and paler than when he had first seen her, also in an airport. But so much had happened. Back then she had been full of excitement, as had he. Like someone had switched off a little button in her, that light had gone out. Back then there had been attraction from the beginning, now…after all that had happened, there seemed to be nothing.

Lou sat beside him in a chair and fiddled with a little piece of plaster that was coming off her cast.

" What are you going to do now?" He said after a few minutes.

" Well. They offered to pay for me to go to Sydney, with Dad. But I decided I’m going to go stay with some friends in London for a while. There’s a job there…not that it’s any of your business." She said loftily. She had been like this since she had woken up in the hospital.

Again there was silence between the two. Orli felt tears prick his eyes.

" Can I call you there." He choked out. Why does this have to be so hard?

" I don’t think that’s wise Orlando." She said simply.

Her words stung as the speaker over head announced that those boarding flight 297 to London must alight now. She always called him Orlando when she was angry with him. Standing Lou walked towards the boarding doors. Orli grabbed her hand.

" Don’t leave like this. Stay here with me." He said quietly.

She pulled her hand from his and turned to walk towards the boarding gate without a word.

" Lou." Orli called.

She turned around to look at him while the attendant checked her ticket.

" I love you." He said.

Lou just looked at him like she was made of stone. And turned.

She continued walking towards the door, down the tunnel.

Orli wiped at his eyes and turning walked back towards the exit. This isn’t the end.

*

Inside the plane Lou sat in her seat. Huge, ravenous sobs shook her so badly. When she hadn’t cried from Orli saying he loved her, she thought her heart had turned to stone. How could she not respond to the pleading in his eyes? He had never looked at her like that.

But she didn’t seem the old Orli any more. All she saw was that rock, like a glazed black hippo looming towards her. And an amazing pain. She just wasn’t sure if it was from her arm. Or her heart.

Lou lowered her head in tears as the plane took off.