Back To The Start

---

"S-hit."

At the sound of Iris' muttered curse, Hero looked up from her preoccupation with her wet jeans. "What?" she asked. That served to jolt Iris from the last thing she expected to see upon their return to the hotel, but the one thing she was secretly hoping for. She abruptly turned around and started, "Wait, I think I…" But she didn't have to. Hero already saw the obvious, judging from her widening eyes. Her right hand immediately rose to cover her mouth, slightly open with surprise.

"Hero…" Iris began again but she stopped when she saw Hero's eyes abruptly narrow, and she turned back again to face the men. Atti was rising from his seat with an apologetic look in his eyes, and Dom was walking towards them. Lij was bent down whispering something to Orli who instantly straightened up in his seat, eyes still closed.

Oh. My. God. The words were eventually drowned by the growing roar in Hero's head. Dom was coming towards them. Atti was looking at her with that look in his eyes and that galvanized her into action. How dare he look at me like that?!? she thought, her temper slowly rising to the surface as she instantly took in the scene unfolding in front of her. What the hell are they doing here? How did they find us? How did he find me?!? Her heart leapt as her eyes raked on Orli's form and she struggled to keep it under her burgeoning anger. Which was no match for the hug Dom enveloped her in that very second. "How are you?" he whispered in her ear and she shut her eyes as the tears threatened to spill again. It was unfair. They were his friends. Why the hell are they so nice? How can a complete jerk have friends like these? And worse, they had become her friends too, whether she or Orli liked it or not. "I'm good," she whispered back, gripping the cloth of Dom's coat by his arm. She opened her eyes and saw that Atti was standing right behind Dom while Lij and Orli were standing a few meters away, still by the couches. Orli had both his hands in his pockets while Lij was scratching the side of his head, both not looking at them as Hero noticed Iris making her way towards the pair. Dom let her go just then and moved sideways for Atti, who stood there just staring at her for a few minutes.

S-hit, Atti thought as he took in Hero's shining eyes. She was obviously trying hard not to break down and cry. F-uck that OB, he cursed. It didn't really bother him that much when Orli told him what happened: it was pretty clear-cut, and in his male mind, everything was simply a misunderstanding that two people clearly very much in love, however they wished to hide it, would be able to fix. Apparently something was missing in the facts, judging from the look of hurt in Hero's eyes that moment. She was biting her lip so hard, Atti thought it was going to start bleeding. "I'm so sorry," he whispered. "God, I'm sorry."

She couldn't stop a single tear from falling, and she desperately fought for control. She couldn't say anything, really. It was Atti right in front of her, but it could have been Orli with everything that she was feeling then. He was his best friend anyway, so that probably was justified. And when he said those next few words in that tone, she just couldn't take it anymore. Her face crumpled slightly and she shook her head, still biting her lip. She grasped his right hand in her left, squeezed it, before she rushed to the elevators.

When Orli saw her rush by them, he closed his eyes as his fist and jaw clenched simultaneously. Iris was giving Lij a piece of her mind, in a hush of course, but still quite a dressing down. She was turning red as she furiously whispered something to Lij, who turned his head away in exasperation as he crossed his arms. She ran a hand through her hair and then with a sigh, hurriedly followed Hero, barely glancing at Orli, who didn't really care at that point as he slumped back on the couch.

Atti and Dom silently strode back to where their two other companions were. "F-uck this," Lij was muttering, his head grasped in his hands as he flopped down on the couch as well. "You got that right," Atti conceded, following suit. All three of them were rammed in one of the couches now, each lost in his own thoughts. Dom rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and then spoke up. "You hurt her pretty bad, mate."

"I thought we already cleared that up before we left London," Orli replied in a defeated tone.

"Christ, OB, you should've seen her eyes," Atti said in a low tone. "It hurt. It hurt here," he concluded, laying a palm on his heart.

Orli threw a sullen look at his best friend. "You always had a flair for the dramatic," he commented. But he knew what Atti meant. The minute she stepped into the lobby, he almost doubled up in pain as the impact of seeing her again enveloped him. As he realized the true gravity of the situation. Only one of them wasn't really thinking about Hero then. "S-hit, she's really going to kill me," Lij was muttering. "I knew it. Godd-amn, f-uck it all." They sat in silence for another ten minutes before Dom spoke again. "Well," he began. "Things didn't quite turn out the way I expected them to be."

"At least this was one possible scenario I contemplated on," Orli replied numbly. "I just didn't think it'd still be this difficult. How long am I supposed to wait anyway? I thought the last few days were enough," he continued in a confused tone.

"Maybe you overshot," Lij answered sympathetically, getting up. "With women, who knows? Come on, no use lounging here like idiots. Let's book ourselves a room. We're in Italy. At least we'd get to enjoy it for a while."


When Iris finally caught up with Hero, she was lying facedown on her bed, her head buried in her mound of pillows, her shoulders rocking with silent sobs. Iris bit her lip as guilt suffused her. This wasn't supposed to happen, she thought. He was supposed to kneel right in front of her and beg for her forgiveness, and she was supposed to smile that sweet smile, and they were supposed to kiss that slow sweet kiss, and live happily ever after, dammit! She frowned. Trust Elijah Wood to spoil everything. It was all clear in her mind. The minute she told Lij where they were going, she already had an itinerary: a few days of the sights and sounds of Italy and Hero would realize how much she missed Orli. Then Orli will arrive with a romantic declaration enough to move Hero's aching heart, then the much awaited reconciliation scene. Right in the middle of the Colosseum, probably. Or in front of the Trevi, that always seemed to work in the movies. She even tossed two extra coins in the fountain for that. The fact that she knew the details of what happened only added an item to the plan: strangle Orli, and as soon as he was on the verge of fainting, make him drop on his knees and then face Hero for the proper delivery of the apology. Guess she overdid the coins, judging from the way things turned out. She lay down beside Hero and hugged her from behind. "Sshhh," she whispered. "It's going to be okay." There was no other sound but stifled sobs for a while before Hero muttered something Iris couldn't understand. "What?" she asked gently, bringing her head closer to the side of her best friend's face.

A nasal "You told him, didn't you?" was what she heard. There was no note of accusation in that voice, but it didn't make Iris feel any better. She bit her lip before whispering, "Yeah." Then, "I'm sorry."

Hero wasn't sobbing now. She was so tired of crying, which left her nothing but a bloated face, a runny nose, a throbbing headache and an aching heart. This was exactly what she was avoiding when she was planning to come here. And here she was, first day in Rome, and he was here. Life couldn't get any more obvious than that.

"Hero?" Iris said worriedly when she didn't say anything.

"Hmm?"

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to book the next flight back to San Francisco?"

Hero's shoulders started shaking, and Iris looked on in panic, thinking she just commenced another one of those sobbing fits. "Oh shut up," was Hero's amused reply, whose shoulders were in fact shaking with repressed laughter. Iris never failed to make her laugh sometimes, even if she wasn't even trying. Hero turned around to face the other girl who, despite the slight smile on her face at the comment she elicited, still had those wrinkles on her forehead. "I should've known," Hero said.

"You should've known what?"

"You just couldn't keep your big mouth shut." Iris opened said mouth to argue in her defense but Hero continued, "No, I should've known that when it comes to Elijah, you just couldn't keep your big mouth shut…"

"Hey!"

"And that booger couldn't keep his shut either."

"Don't worry, next time I see him, I'll shut it up for him."

"Sealed with a kiss, eh?" Hero replied jokingly, trying to lighten the mood and succeeded as Iris snorted in turn. "More like a punch, if I get my way," was the sullen reply. They paused before Iris continued, "It has to count for something, right?"

"What's that?" Hero, although keeping both eyes trained on the similarly dark ones of her friend, wasn't really there. All she could think of was Orli being in the same city, in the same place as she was. She was back where she started. He doesn't even play fair, she thought tiredly, recalling the looks on both Dom and Atti's faces. At least she wasn't subjected to the sight of Elijah's huge blue eyes.

"I said, it has to count for something, him coming here. Right?"

Should it? was her mind's tentative reply. She didn't know what to think anymore. A few days ago, she wanted him to go after her, and then she decided he'd better leave her alone or else, then another yearning for him to come after her. She was getting tired of this flip-flopping. Should it, really? "Hmm," she began. "I don't know." Iris frowned at that. "I honestly don't know."



"Give her time," Atti was saying, his long form stretched out on his bed as Orli tiredly trudged to the bathroom. They were rooming together; Dom and Lij were in the room a few doors from theirs. "Not too long though, but a bit of time."

"Is it so hard for her to imagine that I'd actually come after her?" was Orli's frustrated reply as he stripped down for a shower. "What, am I supposed to just let her go? Or does she want me to perpetually chase her around the world?"

Atti grinned despite the tension. "It was your idea, OB," he reminded his best friend. Orli sighed before turning on the hot water. He stood motionless for long minutes. Yes, it was your idea, he told himself as yet another voice in his head replied, but why the bloody hell did she have to come all the way to bloody Rome? He closed his eyes. Women are all the same. They all run, he thought bitterly, and expect us to run after them. He opened his eyes to stare at the bathroom tiles. And I always do. I bloody f-ucking always do. He snapped out of his reverie when the water started to get cold, and he rushed through his shower. He stepped out of the bathroom not feeling any better than when he went in. Atti was sitting cross-legged on his bed, browsing through the room service menu. At that moment, there was a knock on their door and Dom called out from the other side, "It's just us." Orli ignored them as he proceeded to towel his wet hair, still wearing his clothes from earlier. None of them brought spare clothes: Orli didn't really care then, what mattered was that they got to the airport as soon as possible, and the three others didn't want to leave him alone for even a second for fear of him flying off to Rome alone.

Atti gave him a dubious look and stood up to open the door himself. He was met by a sober Dom with his hands in his pockets, Lij leaning against the wall beside the door. Atti went back to his bed without a word, the two other males trailing behind him, with Lij closing the door behind him. The newcomers threw themselves on the other bed without a word. "Get off my bed," was the instant grunt from Orli who was standing right beside it. "It's not like you were using it," Dom muttered, but he slightly rolled aside to make room for Orli, who opted to sit on the carpet instead. All four friends basked in silence for a few seconds before Atti spoke up, head still bent over the menu. "So what do you want to eat? They have risotto, a lot of various kinds of soup and broth, abbacchio, artichokes alla giudia, saltimbocca, porchetta…" No one replied so he looked up frowningly. "Hey!"

"What?" was Elijah's grumble. "I can't f-ucking believe you're thinking of food right now. Hell, I can't even understand what you were saying."

"About you being ignorant in the ways of Italy, much to learn, you have, my young apprentice," Atti kidded, which elicited a mock-glare from Lij. "Don't mock the Force." Atti laughed as he continued, "And anyway, what do you want me to do? Mope, like the rest of you are doing? That's not going to get Hero back."

"Maybe if I starve myself to death," was Orli's half-joking reply which didn't warrant a single bark of laughter.

"So now what?" asked Dom, trying to change the topic before it got too brooding. "We're here, we have a room…"

"We have a maximum of two days before I have to go back to Berlin for those f-ucking rehearsals which never seem to end," Atti declared. "So you better get your brains working while I order us some food. I want a well-thought out plan before the food arrives." The others didn't have the nerve to counteract his order.


Plan A: To be carried out by Elijah. Ring Iris, pacify Iris, and get their itinerary was scrawled on a piece of hotel stationery close to an hour later.

"Why the hell do I have to be the f-ucking sacrificial lamb?!?" Lij cried out frustratedly. Atti pinned a look on him. "Is there any other person in this room who is closer to Iris than you are?" "No!" was the chorus of three male voices, minus Lij's. "So you better start earning your keep, Wood, before we decide to send you back to LA with no clue to what'll be happening from this end," Atti continued ominously. Since he put it that way, Lij couldn't do anything but shrug in resignation.


It was late. Hero was sleeping peacefully in her bed, burrowed under the covers, vague traces of tears still on her face. Iris was sitting up on her bed reading a romance novel. She couldn't sleep. She wanted to kill Elijah Wood and Orlando Bloom for their rotten timing, oh, and throw in André Schneider and Dominic Monaghan in the mix while she was at it. She wanted to lock up Orli and Hero in a room and throw away the key, she wanted to cry at the sight of her best friend breaking down, and cry with her as well. Or she just wanted to go home and get away from all of this. Damn Lij for his big mouth. Damn Orli for being such a horny bastard. Damn Hero for being a stubborn idiot. Damn her for protecting her iron-gilded heart. Damn the two of them for loving each other and not admitting it. Oh, and did I already say damn Lij for his big mouth? Well, I'm saying it again. Damn, damn, damn Lij for his big f-ucking mouth. Just then, there was a knock on the door. Startled, she frowned at the door. She slowly stood up with a nagging feeling in her heart. She slightly opened the door. No one was there. Heart thudding, she opened it wider, and Lij spoke up from the side. "Hi." A strangled cry came out of her throat before she realized who it was. "Dammit!" she cursed, closing the door behind her so as not to wake Hero. "What the hell do you think you're doing, scaring me like that?!?"

"Sorry."

"You better be. What are you doing here?" she asked, her frown deepening as she took in his pallor. She crossed her arms over her chest as she waited for his reply.

S-hit. She scared him. This woman who was inches shorter than he was scared him. Especially because she was positively bristling in anger at that moment. "Have you eaten?" he choked out.

She raised an eyebrow. That was the last thing she expected from him. She nodded, then asked, "Have you?" He shrugged, then his eyes strayed to the door. "Is she…?"

"Asleep? Yes." He nodded. Then Iris asked, "How about him?" One corner of his mouth turned up. "Doubt it." Then, "He hasn't slept properly for days now." They stood in silence for a few minutes before Lij continued, "I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to screw things up." She just nodded, then suddenly had the insane urge to giggle. "What?" he asked, noting the look on her face.

"I just thought…I mean, look at us. Listen to us. It's like we were the ones who were having romantic troubles, for chrissakes!" Lij laughed at that. "You should hear Atti, marching around like a godforsaken general, barking out orders. I want a well-thought out plan before the food arrives," he mimicked.

"Plan? What plan?"

Oops. Lij fought the urge to kick himself. He wasn't cut out for this whole espionage thing. Looking at Iris just made him forget. He started justifying his actions. Are we on the same team? Of course we are! We both want them back together, right?. "Have you forgiven me yet? For bringing Orli here?"

She waved a hand at him. "Yeah, yeah. The plan?" she asked impatiently.


Plan B: All planning to be carried out by Andre or Dominic, the only sane people in the group. Elijah is a major pansy with a big mouth. He will just sit with Orlando and wait until he is needed.

"You f-ucking told her?!?"

It was early in the morning of Day Two in Rome for the Guevarra party, nearly so for the Bloom party, and already Atti was feeling the stress in the form of a throbbing headache. He couldn't recall ever having a headache this bad, and it wasn't even directly about his life, for the love of Elton John. They stayed up as late as they could last night, plotting for the Great Big Reconciliation, as they started calling it, much to Orli's irritation. He tackled the mission like he was possessed; it just felt so right. Figures there would be a crimp in the grand scheme of things. A crimp in the form of Elijah Wood's big farting mouth. What a blab, he thought with disgust and a certain degree of amusement as he took in Lij's passably apologetic façade.

"It just came out, Atti, I swear!" Lij spent the rest of his waking hours last night rationalizing about why his mouth just plain ran away with him when he went to see Iris last night. "She was glaring at me, and I couldn't risk bungling Plan A…"

"So you blurted out the entire map of strategies instead? Figures," Atti shot back, rolling his eyes. They were eating breakfast in the hotel restaurant, hoping for a glimpse of the girls. Orli was sitting quietly in his corner, a newspaper on hand, occasionally sipping his coffee as Dom munched on his food. Lij quelled the urge to give the pompous German a kick on the shins and said instead, "Look, I said I was sorry, alright? And it did help us in the long run. I did get their itinerary. Well, sort of," he amended. Atti merely glared at him as he resumed eating.

"Stop it," Orli finally spoke up, still not looking up from what he was reading. "If you keep on bickering like this, you better go back to London or to wherever it is you all crawled out from. I'm trying to think." Both Lij and Atti gave a snort of laughter, with the latter being the braver one as he replied, "You're trying to think. That's good. That's a huge improvement." That dragged two dark brown eyes from the parade of printed words to rest glaringly on Atti's face. Dom spoke up to intervene. "Alright, enough of that. What are we going to do next?"


Iris woke up to the sound of loud knocking. She rolled over and groaned, burying her face into her pillow to block out the insistent knocking, which apparently had no intention of going away. She struggled to sit up, frowningly patting for her mobile to check the time. What the— It was almost ten o'clock in the morning. Why the hell didn't my alarm go off? She distinctly remembered setting her cellphone's alarm for seven o' cl… Ohhh, she thought as she noticed the piece of paper underneath her phone. Another series of knocks had her staggering out from the bed to the door, breezing through what was written on the paper by her bedside. It was a message from Hero: Morning. Out to sketch. Will be somewhere around the Forum area. Sorry I turned off your alarm, you looked like you could use more sleep. Will probably be back after lunch. Iris frowned deeper as she reached the door. There goes our plan for going sketching together, she thought as she peeked through the peephole. No one was there. Temper rising at being roused by violent knocking only to discover her best friend left her to go out on her own, she opened the door and was surprised to be met by the sight of a bouquet of daisies lying on the carpet in front of the door. Her eyes flew to both sides of the hallway and saw two forms with their hands in their pockets, walking away looking dejected. "Hey!" she called out, recognizing them as Lij and Orli as she bent down to pick up the bouquet. They hurriedly turned around, Lij's eyes lighting up when they rested on her. "Hey," he replied, walking towards Iris, with Orli staying where he was, eyeing Iris warily. "What's this?" she asked, stifling a yawn as she slightly shook the flowers in her hand.

Lij shuffled his feet, looking at Orli for a second before he turned back to Iris and asked, "Is Hero there?"

She shook her head. "She got up early. Went off alone."

Lij frowned. "To where?"

Iris raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything but "I'm not sure. She said she's out sketching."

At that, Orli started walking to where the pair was standing. "'Morning," he began tentatively. It was his first word to her since arriving in Rome. Iris merely looked at him with her dark brown eyes, lips pursed. She stood like that for a long time before saying, "You hurt her, Orli."

He looked down. "I know."

"Why did you do it?"

Why did he do it? For the life of him, he couldn't even really remember. It seemed preposterous now, the one event that might have hammered the final nail to his coffin, and he couldn't even really remember. As he was thinking about it, Lij spoke up, "Er, Iris…"

"What?"

"Maybe we can all go inside…?" A number of people who emerged from a nearby room a few seconds ago were staring at them and whispering excitedly to themselves. Iris bit her lip as she thought about it, then muttered, "Ah, what the hell," as she went back in to the room, with the two following her in, Orli closing the door behind him and then leaning against it. Iris made her way to the bathroom, leaving the door open, where a few splashing sounds were heard, and a few seconds after, a muffled voice called out, "So I gather you're here to apologize?" directing the question to no one in particular.

Lij, who was seated on Iris' unmade bed, completely by coincidence of course, looked at Orli, who was shifting uncomfortably on his feet. "Uh, yeah," Lij called out. Orli, on the other hand, kept silent. His stomach was in knots mainly because of what he was seeing in the hotel room, mementos of Hero he recognized which were scattered here and there, plus a hint of her scent emanating from the open door of the bathroom. A short while later, Iris emerged from the bathroom and sat on the chair in front of their dresser, both eyes intently trained on Orli. Inside she was torn up: the sight of Orli elicited both sympathy and anger. It was clear that he was in some sort of inner turmoil, and her heart went out to him, but she was also Hero's best friend, and he did hurt her very much. She sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. She just didn't know what to think anymore. She took one last look straight into Orli's eyes and decided. "She needs more time," she said gently. There was no doubt she was talking to Orli this time. "How much more?" he asked in a distant voice.

She shrugged. "I don't know. A few minutes? A few days? Weeks? Years? Who knows?" she concluded philosophically, and immediately felt guilty when she saw Orli's shoulders sag. "Listen," she began again, straightening up. "Leave the flowers here and take a walk around the city. Think about it for a while." Then, rising up again with the flowers on hand, deciding to put them in water, she started walking to the bathroom again and continued over her shoulder, "You might wanna check out the Il Vittoriano by the Piazza Venezia or the Forum. You might see something you'll like." Orli looked at Lij with a raised eyebrow, and was only met with a shrug. "I think she just gave you a hint, man," Lij said in a hushed tone. At that, Orli immediately turned around to open the door. "You want me to go with you?" Lij asked. Orli shook his head. "I think I'd better do this alone." And then he left.

When Iris emerged from the bathroom once more, she wasn't surprised that Orli was nowhere to be found. Lij, for his part, had already made himself comfortable on her bed, his full length laid out, hands tucked under his head. He looked at her, a smile on his face and said, "Seeing as you just sent my supposed lunch partner on a wild goose chase, care to have lunch with me?"

Iris glared at him. "Sometimes your charm just leaves much to be desired, Wood," she said, unsuccessfully shoving him off her bed. "Get up," she ordered when he made no move to rise. "Unless you want to make the bed instead." He instantly rolled off but instead of walking a discreet distance away, he helped her fix her bed. "So where do you want to eat?" he asked as he tucked the ends of the bedsheet on his side.

"I never said I was having lunch with you."

"It would have to be somewhere far from here. If Hero found out you somehow lured Orli to where she was, you're dead," Lij continued pleasantly as if she never even spoke up. That got him a violent pillow smack on the face. "Doesn't matter," she replied, her tone as pleasant as his'. "Just scouring the Forum would take him the entire morning, if not the whole day."


Heart thudding, he rushed through the hotel's revolving doors to the street. He broke to a full run, making for the direction of the corner of the street leading to the Via Corso, Rome's main thoroughfare. Looking around, he saw a place renting out motorcycles and immediately got one. He zoomed to the Piazza Venezia, keeping one eyes out for the vicious traffic and another one out for Hero, which was especially hard considering a large number of raven-haired people milling around the streets. A number of tourists and locals alike recognized him, but he didn't stop to wave or sign the autographs they were asking for. A few brave ones even followed him to where he was going, but he didn't care. He stopped in a safe corner of the piazza by the Il Vittoriano, breathing heavily. His eyes scoped out the area for a few minutes. Iris said something about her sketching. She must be somewhere sketch-worthy. He made his way to all the forms erected at the piazza, finding a number of individuals painting, but there was no sign of her. Frustration welled up inside him, but he decidedly went on to the Forum. This is madness, he thought, noting the minor crowd still following him. At least they weren't doing anything alarming, like overtaking him and grabbing on to his clothes or something. He turned back to take in the imposing entrance to the Forum. Alright Bloom, if she's there, what are you going to do? He ignored the voice in his head, increasing his strides.


Hours later, he returned to the hotel with a dull headache and no Hero in tow. He didn't find her. He had no idea the bloody Forum was that big. He scoured the entire area and not one strand of her hair in sight. Maybe this was exactly what Iris had in mind, he thought darkly, then wincing as his slightly sunburnt skin brushed against one of the plants in the lobby. Send Orlando on a wild goose chase around the city as apt punishment for being an A-rated a-hole. He went straight to his room only to find that Atti wasn't there. No surprise at that. He couldn't expect his friends to lock themselves up in their hotel rooms and wait for him while he went traipsing about in Rome now, could he? No message either. He looked at his watch. It was almost five. He dialed Atti in his mobile. "OB?" came his best friend's voice. "Did you find her? We tried calling you earlier. Did you turn off your mobile?"

"No. Maybe the signal's f-ucked up or something. I was in the Forum most of the time."

"The Forum? So did you find her?"

"No, I did not," he replied sourly. "I got a sunburn though." Atti laughed at that. "So where are you guys?"

"Well, I'm at this nice looking bar…"

"Where?"

"It's a bar, OB. My kind of bar, if you know what I mean. It's called the Edoard II. But if you want to come, no worries."

"No, I think I'll pass," he replied smilingly. "Any idea where Dom and Lij are?"

"Lij is probably out with Iris. I haven't seen him since the two of you left this morning. Dom went out on his own. Probably picking up bella bambinas," he kidded.

Orli fought a wave of loneliness. "Right," he said, trying to laugh but it came out a little strained. Atti noticed. "Do you want me to go there and pick you up? We can go somewhere else."

"No," Orli replied vehemently. The fact that he was miserable didn't mean that his friends should be too. And anyway, tomorrow would probably be Atti's last day in Rome, what with those new sets of bloody rehearsals and all. "I think I'll just go down and pick up something from the restaurant and then probably catch a bit of early sleep."

"You're sure?"

"Absolutely." Then they hung up. Orli flopped on his bed. A whole day wasted. He didn't even notice the sights. He was too busy looking for her. Where the hell is she?

---

Contrary to what Atti had relayed, Lij was not with Iris but with Dom, whom he went to meet thirty minutes ago as soon as Iris got a call from Hero saying that she was back in the hotel very late that afternoon. She sounded pleasant enough, which could mean that (a) the Great Big Reconciliation was underway or (b) Orli never found her. Either way, Iris hurried back to the hotel to pump Hero with the details. At the moment, they were dressing up for dinner out, with Hero buttoning up her dress as Iris was saying, "We should go there tomorrow. It's so beautiful," referring to the Vatican Gardens where she and Lij spent most of the day. Hero smiled, replying, "And you should see the Villa Borghese too. I completely lost track of time when I was there. If I still went on to the Forum area, I would probably be back here tomorrow," she concluded laughingly.

"I thought you were planning to go to the Il Vittoriano?" Iris asked innocently.

"Yeah, I thought so too. But then I decided to walk the entire length of Corso. Think I was distracted by some of the figures on the way and took a wrong turn and ended up somewhere which was definitely not Il Vittoriano. Then this old man saw my sketchpad and pointed me to the Villa Borghese," she said as she put on some lip gloss.

They were still talking about the sights to see in Rome when they were seated in one of the restaurants near the hotel some minutes later. "I don't think there's time to visit Milan or Florence," Hero was saying sadly as they waited for their orders. "We still have to go to the Basilica tomorrow." She shook her head. "Three days just isn't enough to digest Rome." They decided that they had to leave day after tomorrow, given that Iris was still AWOL and Hero did promise Mrs. P that she would be gone for only three days max, well, approximately three days max. And of course, there's the fact that he's here, was Hero's fleeting thought before Iris spoke up in a grudging tone, "Even a lifetime isn't enough. Oh, how I wish I was born an Italian!"

Hero laughed. "Then you wouldn't dream of coming to Italy like it was heaven on earth but instead look for your adventures elsewhere, like in the Philippines for instance." Iris' nose crinkled at that but then her eyes turned slightly misty. "I miss home though," Iris whispered.

"Yeah. Home," Hero echoed. She didn't tell her family she was off to Rome. She didn't want to explain something she was still having trouble understanding. The melancholia returned full force. And to her consternation, the piping music in the restaurant finally registered.
       
I still get lost in your eyes
And it seems that I can't live a day without you
       
"I cannot believe this," Hero muttered. The version of the Jann Arden sappy piping music in this side of the world was a Michelle Branch song. A sodding Michelle Branch song that made her think. "Why can't they just abolish these kinds of songs, huh?" she said, not talking to anyone in particular as she started fiddling with her table napkin. Iris was giving her a look. "Something bothering you?" she asked a bit shrewdly.

Closing my eyes and you chase my thoughts away
To a place where I am blinded by the light, but it's not right

No reply. Hero looked like she was listening to what this guitar-toting mama was wailing about. Better jar her out of this, Iris thought, thinking of a really good, safe subject to breach. But something about the air in Rome made her blurt out, "Did you notice the flowers on the dresser?" She honestly thought Hero would have said something about it while they were dressing up, but nothing. Not even a sigh upon recognizing only her most favorite flower in the world. "What?" Hero looked up, a slightly glazed look on her eyes. "What flowers?"

"The daisies? Hello, they were on the dresser!"

"Daisies? There were daisies on the dresser? Are you sure? Where'd they come from?"

"They were for you. Or…" she instinctively stopped herself, but decided to go ahead anyway. "Orli brought them for you this morning."

And it hurts to want everything
And nothing at the same time
I want what's yours and I want what's mine
I want you but I'm not giving in this time

Hero bit her lip. "He came by?" Iris nodded. They remained silent as their food was served. "He came by this morning with Lij," Iris said. "He was looking for you." Hero looked down as she started eating to disguise the confusion in her eyes. "What did he want?" she asked in what she thought was an impersonal enough tone. Iris rolled her eyes. "What do you think? He wants to apologize, of course."

"Umhmm." Right. As if a bouquet of daisies was going to make it all better, she thought sadly. "Don't you mmhmm me, you," Iris growled. "He went looking for you too, I think. Probably spent the entire day walking around the Forum."

Hero's eyes flew to Iris' face. "You told him where I was going to be?"

Iris scoffed as if she was just given a supreme insult. "Of course not! How could you say that?" Hero gave her a look. "I just gave him a clue, is all. Not my fault he was smart enough to get it."

"Well, he wasn't smart enough. He didn't find me."

"You weren't where you were supposed to anyway, so it doesn't really matter."

Hero gave her a cryptic smile. "Guess the fates were against it then," she said philosophically before spooning in a bit of her food to her mouth.

"Are you mocking me?"

"No, of course not. Why would you think that?" Hero said innocently, mimicking Iris' earlier tone. The latter sighed. "Hero, why can't you just talk to him? Why can't you just forgive him? I understand where you're coming from, but you should see him these days. Really see him, with friend's eyes. He's suffering."

"And I'm not?"

"I'm not saying that. It's just…it was just this one time, you know. And you didn't really see him kiss Jo, or make out or whatever."

"Right. He was probably teaching her wrestling," was Hero's sarcastic reply.

"Maybe!" Iris sighed. "The point is, you haven't let him say anything. Maybe there really is a logical explanation to all this."

Hero chewed her food thoughtfully. It was long seconds before she began again. "Yeah, maybe. But looking at everything that's happened so far…I mean, it's not just the Jo incident. Well, the Jo incidents," she amended, recalling that exposé during the Samoa shooting, for one. "It's not so much the fact that he kissed Jo, or that they made out…"

"If they even did," Iris interrupted.

"If they even did," Hero conceded with a slight nod. "It's me realizing that he could actually do this…"

"'Course he could. He's a male," Iris interrupted again, earning a look from Hero. "Sorry."

"As I was saying, it's the fact that he could do this, that he did this, has been doing this for the past few years, and I can't handle it. What if he does it again and again in the future when he's not supposed to?"

"What are you saying?"

Hero blushed a little as she continued, "Well, we're moving in the realm of the completely hypothetical, alright? What if…what if he and I got married…" Iris smiled but didn't interrupt this time. "…and of course, he'd probably still be an actor then. Where will we live? I don't want a really big house, you know. What about the kids?"

"What about them?"

"He won't always be there. And then there's the press…" Iris' brow furrowed. "See?" Hero said. "Even in my fantasy, it doesn't work out right."

"Maybe you're taking this a step too far, Hero."

"And I shouldn't? Am I asking for too much?"

"Look, let me put it this way. If I was a guy, let's say in my twenties, and I have a twenty-two year old girlfriend whom I love very much, of course." Hero snorted. "And who has forced me into early celibacy. Oh, and let's add the fact that I'm a really famous actor, and I'm one of the most gorgeous men in the world, I'm at the height of my career…"

"I get the picture, Iris."

"Maybe it's too early, you know? To be asking for the world? The fairy tale?"

Hero bit her lip and met her best friend's eyes. "You really think so?" she asked seriously.

Iris sighed. "I don't know what to think. I really don't. And I'm not you, I'm not him, I don't know how you guys feel, so it doesn't really matter what I think. Maybe you are right. Maybe you should ask for the fairy tale."


Plan C: Beg.

"That's it? Beg? What sort of a plan is that?" Orli asked frustratedly early the next morning. Atti shrugged as Dom replied jokingly, "You have to admit, the succinctness of it is mindboggling."

"Whatever," Lij said. "Anyway, they're going to the Vatican for the whole day. We could follow them then."

"We have been reduced to a pathetic bunch of stalkers," Atti commented dryly. Lij went on, "They're probably eating out as well. Iris will call me later to tell me where they'll be. So it's your call, Bloom."

Dom mock-saluted to Orli. "Aye, aye cap'n. We await your orders." The other two followed suit till they were lined up smartly, all facing Orli. He glared at them for a few moments then shook his head laughingly. "No, we'll just spend the rest of the day going to where you want to go. I'll talk to Hero later. After her dinner probably, when she's more pleasant. Hopefully."

"Where we want to go?" Dom asked, a shrewd glint in his eyes. "I reckon there are at least two people here who want to go to the Vatican too."

"Sod off," was Lij and Orli's simultaneous reply.


"Dude, wait a sec. I think I left my gloves at the restaurant."

"Gloves? What gloves?" Hero asked, but Iris was already rushing away. Shrugging, she looked around for someplace to hang around. They just finished dinner and decided to walk back to the hotel. The Trevi was only a short walk away so she made her way there, the long skirt she was wearing flapping around her legs, her white flip-flops slapping against the cobblestones. She slightly shivered as she neared the fountain, the slight breeze coming from its waters brushing against her skin. She drew her jean jacket closer to her body. Stopping a short distance from the fountain, her arms crossed by her chest, she silently watched the various people around the fountain, some noisily throwing coins, others as silent as she was, calmly tossing a coin or two. She took in the sight of an old woman looking at the spotlighted statue. She's praying for someone, she thought as the woman pressed a kiss against the fist that was holding a coin and threw it to the water. Her eyes traveled through the throng. A child tugging the end of her father's shirt, babbling in Italian as she pointed to the fountain. A couple of tourists, smiling for the camera as they simultaneously tossed their coins in. A couple smiling at each other, oblivious to the people milling around them. Hero's eyes focused on them. They both had their arms around each other's waist, the girl saying something as they looked into each others' eyes. She felt something tug at her heart and the threat of tears start again, but she couldn't look away. The guy suddenly brushed a thumb against the girl's cheek and kissed the tip of her nose. A sudden memory flashed through Hero's eyes, of being in a hotel corridor with Orli, of her kissing him on the nose, of him asking for more… She closed her eyes as an errant tear slid down her cheek, with her gently brushing it away.

A few meters away, Atti, Lij, Dom and Orli were frantically looking around for Hero. "She's around here somewhere," Lij said as he craned his neck. Iris just called him up thirty minutes ago, telling him where they were and that she was leaving Hero with a logical excuse for a few minutes. "Tell Orli he better not screw this up," was the scowling conclusion before she hung up. Just then, Orli froze. All three of his companions instantly knew he had found her. "There she is," he murmured, his eyes trained on a solitary figure by the Trevi fountain. Atti groaned. "Of all places, she had to park herself by the Trevi. Why couldn't they have taken a stroll down the Spanish Steps? At least there'd be less people there, relatively."

"Stop grumbling," Dom admonished Atti as he looked at Orli. "Are you ready?"

"No."

"You have to do this, Orli. This is her last day here," Lij stated.

"And mine," Atti added.

"I know."

"She's different here in Rome. She's less…guarded," Dom said.

"I know, Dom." Orli took a deep breath and then started walking towards Hero.

"Good luck," his three companions whispered simultaneously.

Heart thudding, he forced one foot in front of the other, keeping Hero in sight. She was unaware of him, intently staring at something by the fountain. A slight breeze blew, brushing her skirt around her calves. It seemed strange, but her hair seemed longer as the wind lifted it from her face. He drew nearer. He could see her profile now. At this point, he didn't know which was better: her not seeing him till he got to where she was, or her noticing him making his way towards her and bolting.

She suddenly had the feeling that Orli was around.

"Ro."



And there he was, standing right behind her. Her eyes widened. She hasn't seen him since that unforgettable day at the hotel lobby. Her starved eyes took in his form. He looked thinner, if that was possible. And haggard-looking. But even as her heart went out to him, she hardened her jaw and cloaked her eyes.

He noticed the change that came to her. He sensed it was there, everything she felt for him, the tenderness and the anger, all bottled up under that veneer of calm. It would have irritated him as it usually did, but it didn't. He missed her. He missed everything about her. He struggled to keep his hands to his sides, to stay rooted where he was.

She turned back to look at the fountain as her chin quivered, the threat of tears closer than ever. Taking a deep breath, she said in a soft voice, "Hello, Orlando." Even his whole name was too much as she felt a wave of feeling threaten to overcome her. How she wished she could just turn around and hug him, feel him hug her, kiss her, whisper that everything would be okay. But it's not okay, she thought sadly.

She called me Orlando. Not Orli. Orlando. That's never good, he thought, biting his bottom lip. She still had her back turned to him. Alright, she'd said hello back. Now what? How are you? No. Enjoying Rome? No! He let his gaze stray to the fountain. What he managed to get out was "It's beautiful."

She sneaked a peek at him to ascertain what he meant. He was looking at the Trevi. "Yes, it is. Rome is."

You are, came the immediate thought on his head. A particularly strong gust of wind blew. Orli closed his eyes as he inhaled Hero's scent. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to get it out. "I miss you," he whispered.

At his words, she gasped, and the tears started running down her face. No one paid any attention to them.



He knew she was crying. She still hadn't said anything. He didn't know if that was a good sign or not, but he couldn't do anything about it anymore. It was out in the open. Might as well finish it. "I miss the sound of your voice, the sound of your laugh," he began again tentatively. "I miss those times spent in front of the telly watching those godforsaken political reports on BBC or those hilarious cartoons, or even those numerous romantic sappy films you couldn't seem to get enough of." Each word drilled to her heart. "I miss those few times when I wake up beside you and you're still asleep…and then you slowly wake up, and then you open one eye first. Then you see me and you smile that slow smile and…" He stopped as memories swamped him, welling up his throat.

The tears flowed more freely. Oh, how she remembered those. But they weren't all she remembered either. She waited for him to say more. To say something else. She wasn't really sure what it was, but she was waiting for him to say it.

"I just…" he continued, then stopped himself. No need for explanations right now, just say it. Say it. "I'm…I'm sorry."

That's not it, came the unheralded thought. Hero frowned. She just realized she wasn't really waiting for an apology now. She had already forgiven him.

That's enough, he told himself. He'd already said too much, and she hasn't said anything else but Hello Orlando. He was so nervous, he could taste bile. His palms were sweaty. I want you back Hero, please. But he didn't say anything more. Nothing except, "Won't you please say something?" that is.

She sniffed, not caring if he knew she was crying. What was clear in her mind was that he didn't say that one thing she was waiting for. He was supposed to say I love you. Heart sinking, she wiped her tears away and looked up to the starlit sky. They were beautiful glowing dots. She had no idea which constellations she was staring at, Iris was so much better at this. She still didn't face him. She took a deep breath and then whispered, "I'm sorry too."

She's saying sorry? That should be good, right? But he felt a shiver up his spine at her tone. "For what?"

She looked down to her hands, her arms still clasped to her chest. She focused on her silver ring. He gave it to her not too long ago. It meant something special, that much she was sure. But she didn't know if it was enough anymore. "It's just…" she began hesitantly. "I…Well…"

Say it. No, don't say it. Christ, let me get through this.

"I can't…I don't think I can do this anymore."

His eyes widened. At that moment all other sounds around him disappeared like he was underwater. The panic started. There it is. She's really leaving me.

Now that she had said it, everything suddenly made sense, in a warped, twisted way. She heard him say, "What?" It sounded like it he was choking. She definitely couldn't face him now. She tried to sound rational, to be rational. "The…the thing with you…with you and Jo…" There. She said it. "You and Jo…it doesn't matter anymore. I'm trying to look at the big picture here, and I really think it makes sense."

What the hell is she saying?!? He was screaming in his head now. He clenched his jaw. She was leaving him. She was trying to act like a saint, but she was leaving him. She was making it sound so logical, her leaving him. "What do you mean it makes sense?" he asked in a low voice, trying valiantly to sound patient.

He's angry. She brought up a hand and started biting her thumbnail. "I've been trying not to think about this for some time now, but…these last few weeks, I can't help but think about it. And since coming here, its…clearer." I can't believe I'm saying this. I can't believe I'm letting him go. It was so hard. But she was too scared. She just couldn't take another blind leap anymore, not knowing if he was thinking of taking one himself. "I…I don't think I'm cut out for your life, for your dreams…for you."

WHAT?!? He wanted to strangle her. "I can't believe you're saying this." He started fidgeting, raking his hair back with both hands, and then putting them in his pockets as he stared at the sky. As much as he would want to walk away, he needed to hear this, whatever it is she was going to say.

"Problem is, it's what I feel," she whispered. "And I've never lied to you. Not intentionally. And I don't intend to start now."

"Face me, then. Look me in the eye and tell me you want out." He was killing himself, but he had to look at her. He had to know if she really meant it, or if it was one of her psi-wars or punishments for him.

Tell me you love me. Please stop me. But he didn't say anything more. She didn't turn around as she continued, "You and I are just two very different people."

"Stop that."

"I have to say it, Orli."



Don't say my name! Godd-ammit, don't say anything! "Can we do this somewhere else?" he muttered, conscious of the milling people who didn't even give them a second glance, the shades of darkness disguising them and the looks on their faces. She didn't play fair. She had to do this in front of the Trevi. She had to do this in Rome. It was like a knife in the gut.

She recognized the desperation in his voice, and it was almost too much for her. Focus. Focus. You have to do this now, before the hurt gets worse. "We're just too…different. I like being home, you like being away…"

"I do not like being away!" S-hit. Calm down. "I don't like being away," he repeated in a calmer voice. "I just can't help it if work…" Stop it. Do something! "Ro…"

Please don't call me that, she inwardly pleaded. "Well, there is the fact that you love the sea and the sky and falling, and I'm afraid of them all," she replied thoughtfully. "Attention is what feeds you, and…I'm not sure I like the type of attention I've been getting from the world right now."

He let out his breath in a hiss. "You're making me sound like some shallow attention-craving insurance hazard," he said. He couldn't help himself. He had to see her. He took the last few steps to stand in front of her. She was avoiding his eyes. He raised her chin to look directly into hers, and the shock of touching her skin once again jarred him into whispering, "Is that how you see me? Is that all I am to you?"

No! she inwardly screamed. She couldn't let him think that. She shook her head. "Of course not." Now that he moved from where he was, a number of people started recognizing him, their attention called by the rising tension. Two female teenagers had the needed gumption to tentatively approach him and ask for his autograph. He wanted to scream at them. F-uck, can't you see my life is crumbling right in front of me? Who bloody cares about my f-ucking autograph? But all he did was shake his head and mumble, "Some other time."

Hero's eyes followed the disappointed forms of the two girls walking away. It was ironic: he just turned them down for her, but it felt like he was doing it to her all the same. "The thing is, you're a famous actor and I'm…" She didn't know what else to say. For the life of her, she couldn't say she was a nobody, because that has got to be the most pathetic thing she'd probably ever say about herself, and even now, just to get him to understand, she couldn't say it. What? I'm at the top of the hit list of hundreds of your female fans? I'm the bane of your agent's existence? I'm the distraction you don't need? "I'm just me," she finished lamely.

His eyes blazed with temper. "You are not just you! You are you. And I'm me. And I'm in love with you!"



A collective gasp was heard from the nearby eavesdroppers, but Orli didn't hear it anymore. There was a distinct ringing in his ears now. But Hero heard it. The entire impact of where they were and what she was doing right then all came to her. It was the wrong place, the wrong time, and yet it was just right. As much as she wanted to be rational, she just couldn't. She had to admit it, she was plain irrational. And selfish. She was ending it all just because he never admitted he loved her the exact same way she loved him, even more, if it was at all possible. The kind of love that made them grow old together, buried beside each other. The fairy tale.

But she did love him, and she couldn't bear to embarrass him in front of all these people. So she took a heartwrenching chance and instinctively hugged him. He was so shocked, he couldn't do anything for a few seconds, then brought his hands around her waist and brought her closer to him, closing his eyes and breathing in the scent of her hair. What is she doing? Is everything going to be alright? was the confused question of his mangled brain. At that point, the onlookers were cheering, thinking that the argument was finally over, and they started dispersing with small smiles on their faces.

She started crying again as she felt his arms tighten around her. She almost couldn't bear it. You have to do it, Hero. You have to let go. Another voice in her head screamed, but he said it! He said he was in love with you! Isn't that enough? Why do you have to hurt him so much? Why do you have to let him beg for it? Her shoulders were shaking. He whispered in her ear, "It's okay, baby. I'm here."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…"

"It's alright…"

"No, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I can't do this anymore."

"What? What are you saying now? For the love of God, Hero, what do you want me to do? I've already said everything I can."

I've already said everything I can. "I just…I think we lost something on the way, something important. Or…" Or maybe it was never there at all.

"What more do you want do you want me to say?" he asked in a pleading tone. "Do you want me to kneel, is that it?"

"No!" She shook her head. She was having trouble breathing. Everything was closing in on her.

"Then what?"

"You don't need me."

"What?!? Of course I need you! Isn't that what I'm saying?"

"It's Rome. It's just Rome," she whispered cryptically. She took a deep breath. "You don't love me."

"What?" What the f-uck is she saying? "I love you! How many times do you want me to scream it?"

"No, you don't. At least you don't love me the way I love you." He glared at her to distract himself from just breaking down and crying in front of her as she continued, "Have you ever even thought of us getting married?" His eyes narrowed at that. She continued, "Having kids? Making a mess in the kitchen as we struggle to feed them with those disgusting mush they call baby food? Sending them to school together?" He let her go, not meeting her eyes then, but she kept on going. "Being alone in our house the second they leave for college? Our hair turning white as we sit on our rocking chairs in our porch, holding hands as we look at the stars?" She was crying openly now, her voice breaking, looking at him with glimmering eyes, trying to seek the answer in his tumultuous ones as she asked him, "Do you ever think about those things? Do you ever see me with you long years from now?"

He was falling. Everything she said seemed to have pushed him over a brink. He felt the rush of vertigo and he shakingly walked to the railings to steady himself. She followed him, taking in everything he was doing then, the look on his face. Everything served to validate what she was thinking. He struggled to say something. "I…I do love you." He still hadn't answered her questions, but it didn't matter. In a way he already had. And she had already decided.



"I love you, too," she whispered. Maybe even too much. "But we live in the real world where most people live, and the fact is, I can't really live in your life, and you really can't live in mine. We can't send our kids to school together because you'd probably be shooting in Paris while I'm home with them. You can't bring me along every time because I just can't stand it, and I'd probably ruin everything for you. I probably can't take you home with me without looking like a warped version of a pathetically disguised Michael Jackson because Fiona would say it would be a big security and publicity risk." She leaned against the railing right beside him, looking at the lighted statues in the fountain. "Would you rather give it a go and then wake up one morning and realize that you don't love me, or that I don't love you anymore?" She waited for him to say yes. Oh yes, I'll risk it. I'd rather risk it than let you go. But he never did. He looked like he was lost. And she couldn't help him without losing herself too. She slightly turned to face him and brought a hand to rest against his cheek. There was an initial jerk before she could feel the muscles of his face tensing under her palm. He finally spoke up. "So what you're saying is…you're…are you giving me an ultimatum?"

Her eyes widened.

He met her eyes. His' were almost black now, unreadable. "Are you asking for my commitment? My word that I will stay with you no matter what? Is this a situation where I should just say yes, and then everything will be fine? Is that it?" He knew he should've kept his mouth shut as soon as he saw Hero's expression then. She took her hand back and then replied, "I don't expect you to understand this right now." He just doesn't get the point.

"You're telling me?" He was angry, oh yes he was. It was like he was sinking in quick sand and couldn't do anything about it. "Aren't you being unfair? You're giving me all sorts of choices to make, but your mind's already made up, isn't it?"

"You think this isn't hard for me, too?" she asked, her temper starting to rise as well. She tried to get it under control. "Fine. If you want to talk about this some more…"

"No."

"We can keep doing this…this extended vacation from each other…"

"Extended vacation," he mimicked, spewing the words out like poison. He looked at the water and shook his head. He was hurting. He was hurting so bad. "No, let's make it a clean break." There, he'd said it. Once upon a time, Iris told him that with Hero, the tricky part was knowing when to beg. He just didn't know if he was willing to beg anymore.

She felt every fiber of her being crumble at that. "I don't want it to end like this," she whispered even as she felt a giant fist clench her heart.

"How do you want it to end then? Tell me. You might have thought of that as well, you seem to have thought of everything so far."

She took a deep intake of breath at that. He's hurting. We're both hurting. "I…I just want you to remember I do love you."

He closed his eyes. "Don't say it anymore. Just…just walk away. It'll be easier."

She looked at his profile, silently willing him to look at her one last time. She was torn. One last kiss? Walk away? She clenched her teeth to keep from crying, but the tears were starting to fall again.

Just then, he said, "Wait."

Her heart leapt for yet another time. Keep me here, Orli. Give me a reason not to go.

"I just want to ask you something." She nodded slightly. "What made you decide this? I never thought you were the quitting kind," he said bitterly.

"It was the laughter, Orli. We don't laugh anymore. At least, not when we're with each other."

He didn't say anything to that. She was slipping further and further away, but he was tired of chasing her. He was tired.

She didn't want to say goodbye. Not like this. Not saying another word, she turned and walked away.

He instantly turned to look at her retreating form. He felt a strong pain in his chest, and the tears that had been threatening to fall since he walked to Trevi long minutes ago finally spilled over, but he forced himself to stop. No more. No more crying. I've had enough tears for one lifetime. This will be the last. He hoped deep in his heart that she'd turn back, but she never did.

---

Chapter Twenty Nine
Fanfic Main Page
Dreaming of You