Title: Unrequited? Author: Juniper Rating: R Pairing: V/O Warning: Angst, some implied het content, death (miscarriage - not character death) Summary: Ten years is a hell of a long time. Archive: LoM, Aniron, OEAM, VOLA – anywhere else, just let me know Feedback: jenjuniper77@yahoo.com Beta: No one but myself to blame for this mess. Disclaimer: As usual, I have no way of proving that this happened anywhere except in my mind. I do not know Mr. Bloom or Mr. Mortensen or any of the characters portrayed in this story. Do not try this at home. 2013 Orlando shivered as he pressed his forehead against the cool glass of the airplane window. Pulling his coat tighter around his slim shoulders, he closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Ten years… Relationships had begun and ended during this time. Careers had been made and broken during this time. People had changed during this time. Ten years is a hell of a long time. Maybe too long. Orlando released a tired sigh as he fell into contemplation of the past. February 2004 Orlando smiled at Kate as she carried on about her recent movie. She was a sweet girl. It was one of the reasons he loved her. She had an excitement that he used to feel – before he had hit the big time with the movie roles he had been offered. She reminded him of how he used to be back when he first went to New Zealand. His thoughts took a melancholy turn as he remembered New Zealand. Days spent filming in beautiful locations with beautiful people. Nights spent deepening friendships. He was sorry that it had all finally come to an end with the release of the last film of the trilogy in December. He tuned in just as Kate finished her sentence. “ - invite your friends: Elijah – Dom – Billy – that Viggo guy.” He shook his head slightly and asked, “I’m sorry, Love. What did you say?” If Kate noticed the faraway look in his eyes, she never said anything about it. *-*-* The proposal had been a media blitz, as hard as he had tried to keep it private. The paparazzi had managed to catch a shot of him sliding the ring on her finger and of the exuberant kiss she had given him immediately thereafter. Helicopters swarmed the skies above the attempted quite of the private ceremony in a friend’s backyard in England. Websites around the world published copies of the hospital admission papers when Kate had fallen on the set of her latest film. Everyone knew that there was supposed to have been a little Bloom on the way, but that chance had been ripped from them with the fall. Jaded eyes were not surprised when the marriage fell apart after four years. The divorce was amicable, but the publicity was not. It was tabloid fodder heaven. Orlando Bloom at 36 was a different man than Orlando Bloom at 27. He had loved. He had lost. Careerwise – Orlando was at a standstill. For the first few years of his marriage things were great. Role after role was offered to him. There was a variety that many stars never achieved. After the divorce, Orlando became even more private than before. The once open man had become a recluse. It was an extreme bout of nostalgia that had prompted him to accept Peter’s invitation to return to New Zealand for a reunion of the cast on the ten-year anniversary of the release of the last film of the trilogy. As the flight attendant’s voice broke through his dream haze asking him to fasten his safety belt, Orlando began to regret his decision to come back. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The coolness of the terminal quickly gave way to the heat and humidity of mid-summer in New Zealand. Orlando quickly spotted the driver that had been sent for him, placing his bags in the trunk of the car before jumping into the backseat. The driver glanced at him through the rear-view mirror. “Welcome back Mr. Bloom.” Orlando’s eyes shot up at the sound of the familiar voice. “Viggo!” Viggo suppressed a smile as he half-turned in the seat. “Get your ass up front Elf Boy. I ain’t no chauffer.” Orlando felt the beginnings of his first real grin in ages begin to grace his face as he climbed out of the backseat and settled into the front. Turning to face Viggo, Orlando threw his arms around the older man, squeezing him tightly. “God Viggo – you don’t know how glad I am to see you…so much has happened…” Viggo returned the hug, rubbing Orlando’s back as he replied, “I know Orlando…I know.” Orlando’s eyes were suspiciously damp as he pulled out of the embrace to face forward in the seat. Pulling his safety belt over his hips, he practically bounced as he gripped the dashboard. “Let’s go, Viggo.” Listening to his friend’s chuckle, Orlando began to believe that maybe he had made the right choice in returning to New Zealand. See part 1 for details…still rated R, could increase to NC-17 eventually Part 2 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Peter smiled at everyone, joining conversations here and there as he made his way around the room. Everyone had shown up for the reunion. It still amazed him how well he had cast his movies. The Hobbits still all seemed Hobbit like, in appearance and actions. Sean Astin’s family had expanded to include one more child, a son. Dom and Billy and Elijah were all still single and all still very much friends. Ian seemed wiser and more Gandalf-like now than he had 14 years ago when filming started. John Rhys-Davies still held court over the buffet, expounding the virtues of pheasant over duck. Sean Bean and Viggo Mortensen aged truthfully and well, carrying the nobility of their characters with them. But Orlando – his poor Orlando – that was a different story. From what he could glean from the cast grapevine and the media, the boy had experienced a lot of grief during his short lifetime. If he had taken on as many qualities of his character as the other actors had, he would surely have died of grief by now. The same innate grace was present in the movements of the man, but the eyes were darker now. A change that Peter didn’t understand. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Viggo watched as Orlando fumbled in his pants pocket while watching Liv and her husband, Roy. He saw the flash of pain in the younger man’s eyes as he quickly shook his head no when Liv offered baby Sara to him. He saw the controlled tremble in the man’s shoulders as Orlando walked through the sliding glass door and out into the darkness of the deck. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Several minutes later, Viggo made his way around the house, approaching the deck from the beach. Climbing up the steps, he saw Orlando sitting on the end of a lounge chair, turning an object over and over in his hands. “What have you got there?” Viggo reached toward Orlando’s hands, surprised when Orlando jerked his hands away. Things were quite as Viggo backed away and seated himself a few steps down toward the beach. Hearing footsteps on the wooden flooring of the deck, Viggo cursed himself for scaring Orlando back inside. He turned as he heard the footsteps coming down the stairs behind him. Orlando sat beside him on the wide steps. Opening his hand, he held the object out. “It was supposed to make it all better…it was supposed to change things.” Viggo winced as he saw the object in Orlando’s hands. A small pink baby sock. A sock that had been worn from years of handling. He didn’t know what to say, so he sat there quietly. He was rewarded when Orlando began to speak. “We married for the wrong reasons. She was young and exciting. She reminded me of myself while I was in New Zealand. I thought I loved her – and in some ways I did – as much as I could considering…” His voice cracked and he trailed off as he looked out at the ocean, trying to regain his composure. “Considering that I was in love with someone else. God – this makes me sound like the most unimaginable bastard alive. I married her because she was safe. I married her because it was what was expected of me. I married her because she was a female.” Viggo changed his focus from the sock in Orlando’s palm to the younger man’s profile as he stared into the ocean. As he watched, Orlando’s throat worked and he began to speak again. “I was fooling myself. I was fooling her. We even managed to fool everyone else. We were the new power couple for a while. I managed to control my feelings for this other person – for the most part, and we got along fine…for a short time. When we found out she was pregnant, I vowed to myself that I would overcome the attraction, that I would focus on her and the baby – that we would be a family. Ha.” Orlando’s mouth drew up into a cynical grin. Viggo draped his arm over Orlando’s shoulder and pulled him closer, offering any support he could offer. He hated to see such a wonderful, sweet man in such turmoil. “With the baby gone – so were all chances of a pretence at happiness. We were divorced two months later. The pressure of losing that little girl was the final blow on the weakened bonds of our marriage.” Orlando grew quite. Viggo continued to hug Orlando, rubbing his shoulder through the thin material of his t-shirt. “I’m sorry Orlando – I had no idea.” Orlando stiffened in his arms and stood, walking down the remaining steps to stand on the sand of the beach. He stood there for several moments before turning to face Viggo who still sat on the steps. “I know you had no idea Viggo. You had no idea then and you have no idea now. Do you ever wonder why I wanted to hold on to my days in New Zealand so much? Have you ever considered why they were the best days of my life?” Orlando’s hands flew in the air, punctuating his sentences as he talked. “It was you Viggo – it was all about you. It’s still all about you.” Orlando turned and stalked off down the beach. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ See part 1 for disclaimers. Part 3 Two days later found the cast on a tour bus – a tour bus for god’s sake – exploring some of the locations they had filmed at all those years ago. As the bus traveled down the rough one-lane road toward the Edoras set, most of the cast sat toward the front of the bus, chattering excitedly about revisiting the sites. Viggo glanced over his shoulder to find the exception to the rule. Orlando sat in the back of the bus all by himself. His knees were pulled up to rest against the seatback in front of him. One elbow rested on his knee, his chin in his hand. He was staring silently out of the window. He had been avoiding Viggo since the night of the party. “Viggo?” Viggo turned his head as Sean called his name. “Yeah?” Sean gave him a measuring look as he asked, “Is something bothering Orlando?” “How should I know, Sean?” Viggo questioned. “I just figured he had said something to you. He always looked up to you.” Sean glanced at the scenery that passed by behind Viggo’s head. “It was no secret that he always had a crush on you.” That caught Viggo’s attention. “No secret… no secret…well – why the fuck didn’t anyone tell me?” Viggo ran his hand through his hair, causing the short strands to stand straight up. Sean smirked. “It was pretty obvious Vig. Remember the kiss at Cannes? The hugs and kisses at the premieres? Ringing any bells?” “But – he did that with everyone – didn’t he? I mean, Dom laid a big one on him later that night in L.A. when ‘King’ premiered.” Viggo tried to justify himself. “Viggo, Viggo, Viggo…did you ever wonder why Orlando proposed to Kate so soon after the premiere?” Sean leaned in closer, lowering his voice for privacy. At Viggo’s nod, Sean continued, “Dom told me later that it was because things hadn’t changed. You treated him no different then than you had all along.” Viggo turned to glance out the window. “Oh.” Sean turned to his window also, deciding to give the other man time to think. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ After Edoras, everyone piled back into the bus, moving to their previous spots. The sun had completed its descent into the darkening sky. They had spent most of the day at the site, exploring the buildings that had remained from filming. Lunch had been served in the Golden Hall, and in a scene eerily reminiscent of ‘Return of the King’, Viggo had walked out into the fading light to find Orlando standing at the edge of the wall, staring off into the distance. Allowing Orlando the distance, he stood in the shadows of a column and watched as the younger man stood there monitoring the plunge of the sun behind the mountain range. Viggo glanced around the bus now, noticing that most everyone was asleep. From where he sat, he couldn’t see if Orlando was resting or not. Deciding to take a chance, he stood from his seat, stretching and turning toward the back of the bus. He made his way quietly past sleeping Hobbits, a grumbling wizard and a snoring dwarf. Arriving at the back of the bus, he lowered himself carefully into the seat next to Orlando. Orlando sat with his head leaning against the back of the seat. His eyes were closed and his breathing was even, but Viggo could feel his body tense as the seat creaked under his added weight. Viggo sat, facing forward. Several miles passed before he turned his head toward Orlando. His voice came out in a hoarse whisper. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” Only a quick intake of breath betrayed that Orlando had heard him. “I honestly never knew that you felt that way for me.” Viggo watched as a tear escaped from the corner of Orlando’s eye and slid down the angled cheekbones to hang on the delicate jawbone. Viggo’s eyes held on the tear, watching as the pulse underneath the smooth skin beat erratically. “I wish I had known. Maybe I could have saved you some heartache over the years.” Viggo could see the dark head lower and the gleam of passing headlights reflect in the now open eyes as they turned toward him. “What are you going to do about it?” A weary voice whispered back. Viggo raised his hand up to catch the tear that threatened to fall. Bringing his face closer to Orlando, he sighed across Orlando’s lips. “I want to love you…” a small peck broke the sentence. “If you’ll let me…” He paused, his face a hair’s breadth from Orlando’s. Obsidian eyes searched for safe harbor in the storm of Viggo’s eyes. Seeing the look in Orlando’s eyes, Viggo leaned forward, intending to resume the kiss. At the last instant, Orlando turned his head, avoiding the kiss. Instead of warm lips, his mouth pressed against soft brown curls as he heard Orlando’s question in the dark. “What if it’s too late?” He wrapped his arms around the now shaking shoulders and held Orlando tightly, all of the way back to the hotel. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ “I’m telling you…he’s a different person…” Elijah protested as Liv looked at him sternly. “He’s still our friend. Deep down inside, there’s still some of the Orlando we knew and loved. You guys aren’t giving him a chance.” Liv was upset with the behavior of the Hobbits. Maybe it came from having a child of her own, but she could understand Orlando’s feelings. “But Liv…OW!” Elijah was interrupted by a kick in the shin as Orlando walked back out into Peter’s backyard. Several sets of curious eyes followed him as he moved toward the hammock that had been set up in the sand nearby. Sending the Hobbits off, Liv moved toward Orlando, bringing the car carrier with Sara with her. “Scoot over Orli.” Liv motioned with her hands as Orlando carefully moved in the hammock. She laid down beside him, settling in. One arm dangled over the edge of the hammock, lightly rocking the carrier in which her baby slept. Several minutes passed in companionable silence before Orlando turned his head to face her. “Are you happy, Liv?” His eyes were serious as they took in the sight of her sparkling eyes and the glow of her cheeks. She smiled at him. “Unashamedly so Orli. It’s so much better than I ever thought it would be.” Seeing his eyes darken, she ventured in a low voice, “What about you? Are you happy?” Orlando’s gaze moved to the sky again, watching the clouds go by. “I don’t know if I deserve to be happy.” He felt her warm hand squeeze his. “I always wanted a child Liv. When Kate was pregnant, I knew that even if things didn’t work with her, I would still have the love of my daughter.” His voice broke slightly on the last word. “But I can’t even have that.” “Oh Orli…” Liv’s voice sounded teary, but Orlando refused to look at her. “LIV – phone. It’s Roy!” Someone shouted from inside. She clambered from the hammock, and walked toward the house. “Orli – watch Sara for me, okay?” “Liv – I don’t think…” Orlando was talking to himself and baby Sara, because Liv had already entered the house. He turned carefully in the hammock, angling himself so he could look through the weave at the sleeping baby. She really was beautiful. She had a head of wispy dark hair and a porcelain complexion that matched that of her mother. As he watched, the blue eyes fluttered open and the face began to scrunch up. “Oh no baby – don’t cry – I can’t do this on my own…” Orlando tried to talk Sara out of crying, but talk is a virtue completely wasted when dealing with a three-month old baby. He pulled himself out of the hammock and tried to rock the carrier to quite the baby. The crying only increased. Resigning himself to some Orli/Baby contact, he carefully unlatched the safety straps and picked the baby up, holding her straight out from him. Being out of her seat calmed the baby somewhat, but the awkward position she was held in prevented her from being comfortable. Orlando gazed worriedly at the red-faced baby he held at arms length. He needed some help fast. “Somebody – I need help.” A few seconds later, over the crying of the baby, “HELP!” Glancing around and seeing no one, he delicately pulled the baby closer to him, laying her against his chest where she could hear his heartbeat. Tightening his arms around her, he swayed back and forth slowly, rubbing her back and whispering softly in the small shell of her ear. Sara quieted quickly, and in a moment or two she was gurgling happily in his arms. Five minutes later found her asleep again. Orlando looked down at the sleeping baby resting against him – and for the first time in over five years, he cried tears of happiness. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Liv was standing at the back window of Peter’s house, watching the scene unfold. When Orlando had called for help, Viggo had jumped up and started to run out of the house, but Liv had grabbed him before he could leave. “Watch Viggo.” Viggo watched as Orlando pulled the squirming red baby against his chest and began to sway. He heard the silence as the baby calmed and eventually fell asleep. He saw the tremors when Orlando began to cry. He also saw the smile as Orlando sat down in a lounge chair, leaning back to let the baby sleep peacefully on his chest. He looked back at Liv to see her smiling sweetly at him. “He just needs time, Viggo. But – he needs you too. Don’t give up on him so easily.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ TBC See part 1 for disclaimers Part 4 Some things never change. Take, for instance, Hobbits. No matter the age, they still have the same propensity for drunken merriment. Viggo watched from across the reserved room as the Hobbits replayed all of their old drinking games. The only thing missing was the presence of the Elf. Glancing around the room, Viggo still saw no sign of Orlando. There were a few missing tonight though. Liv and Roy had not arrived and Sean Bean was out visiting with Dave Wenham. Viggo lowered his gaze to his cup of coffee. He tapped his spoon against his cup as he contemplated leaving. Maybe he’d go find Orlando. He stood from the table and made his excuses to everyone. As he walked through the entryway, he met Liv and Roy, minus Sara. “Hey Liv, Roy. Where’s Sara tonight?” Liv smiled at Viggo. “Oh – we managed to round up a babysitter. We thought we’d pop in here for a while before we head out to a movie.” Liv placed her hand on Viggo’s arm. “We’ll be gone for at least three hours.” She winked at Viggo. “Where are you going Viggo?” Viggo flushed a little. “Uhh…well…I thought I might try to find Orlando…” His voice trailed off as he glanced away. “Just a sec Viggo.” Liv removed her hand from Viggo’s arm and began to dig in her purse. She pulled out a key card and pressed it into Viggo’s hand. “Check room 1244 first.” Viggo’s eyes met hers as he smiled. “Thanks Liv.” Liv let Royston pull her into the reserved room as she mouthed, “Good luck!” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Orlando sat on the loveseat in Liv and Roy’s suite, holding Sara on his lap. Seeing Sara had been hard for Orlando at first. Little girls always reminded him of what he almost had. He had tried to distance himself from her, but Liv had not let him do it. She had insisted that he spend time with her each day. She had become a bright point in his life. He smiled as he studied her sleeping face. It was ironic. He couldn’t have imagined that ten years ago Liv would have even trusted him to hold her baby, much less keep her for several hours. He was preparing to rise and place Sara in her bassinet when he heard a snick and a quiet rattle of the doorknob. Glancing toward the door, he saw Viggo’s head peek into the room. “Orlando…” “Ssshhhhh….she’s asleep…” Orlando interrupted him, motioning him into the room. He carried Sara to the bassinet, pressing a soft kiss to her dark hair before laying her down. He tucked the blanket around her, sensing that Viggo had come to stand beside him. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?” Viggo’s mouth curled into a grin. “She’s like her mother. She couldn’t be anything but beautiful.” Orlando smirked. “Yeah. You’re right.” He walked to the loveseat and sat back down. “So Viggo – what are you doing tonight?” Viggo moved to the loveseat and sat down beside Orlando. “Well – I hoped I could keep you company…remember some old times…” Orlando’s eyes lit up. “Viggo – they’re running a ‘Rings’ marathon on TV. Let’s watch it.” “Okay – if that’s how you want to spend your evening.” Viggo reached for the remote and flipped the television on. Orlando went to the mini- refrigerator and got them both a soda before settling into the corner of the loveseat for the movie. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Orlando sat up quickly, turning towards Viggo as the movie ended. “Let’s hunt some Orc! That line always fired me up.” He grinned at Viggo, opening his mouth to make another comment as a knock sounded on the door to the suite. Viggo rose and crossed to the door, looking though the peephole before opening it. “Liv, Roy, you have perfect timing. We just finished watching ‘Fellowship’.” Liv walked to the bassinet to check on Sara as Roy stood with the two men. “Thanks for watching Sara, Orlando. I haven’t been able to get Liv to go out without yet. It was nice to have a night alone with her.” Orlando smiled as he replied, “Thank you for letting me keep her. I really enjoy spending time with her.” Liv picked Sara up out of the bassinet and moved to hug Orlando. “Any time Orli. Any time.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Orlando and Viggo stood in the hallway outside Liv’s suite. Viggo was reluctant to leave Orlando after they had spent most of the evening together. Taking a chance, he asked, “You want to watch the rest of the movies?” Orlando looked at him with a measuring gleam in his eyes for a moment before answering. “Your room or mine?” Viggo said, “I’m down at the end of this hall. Where are you?” Thinking for a moment, Orlando said, “I’m up a floor, same floor as the Hobbits. Let’s go to your room.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Viggo grinned as he watched Legolas skid down the trunk of the Mumakil. He glanced at Orlando to see if the younger man had any comments to make about filming that scene. The only comment Orlando made was a soft snuffling snore as his head lolled onto Viggo’s shoulder. Viggo chuckled at the aura of innocence that Orlando still emitted. As the movie neared the end, Viggo gently shook Orlando’s shoulder. “Orlando – wake up for a moment – you’re going to miss the coronation scene.” A groggy Orlando raised his head for a moment. “What? Oh – the coronation.” He straightened a little, but remained leaning against Viggo. On screen, Aragorn walked through the crowd, approaching the Elves. Viggo whispered, “I always thought that Aragorn chose the wrong Elf. You were beautiful in that scene.” An amused chuckle vibrated through Orlando’s body. “I was so in love with you at that time. I wanted to be Liv as you kissed her. I wanted to know what it would be like for your passion to sweep me up in a kiss like that.” Viggo half turned toward Orlando. “…would you….still?” Each word brought his head a little closer to Orlando’s. Orlando’s eyes focused on Viggo’s lips as they formed the question. He angled his head and lightly nipped Viggo’s chin, the tip of his tongue tasting the cleft that resided there. Pulling back, dark eyes blazing, “Does that answer your question?” Viggo continued to study those eyes as he placed his hands on Orlando’s neck. One hand slid up to cup Orlando’s jaw while the other hand slid around to twine into the dark curls of his hair. Viggo lowered his head, pressing his lips against Orlando’s. Soft lips parted immediately and he opened his mouth, pushing his head even closer to the younger man’s. A questing tongue touched his teeth as Orlando deepened the kiss. Viggo wrapped his tongue around Orlando’s, stroking rhythmically to an internal beat. Arms wrapped lightly around his body as Orlando moved closer to him. Viggo lowered his hands to Orlando’s hips, turning in the seat and pulling Orlando to rest on his lap. Orlando broke the kiss with a gasp as his legs settled on each side of Viggo’s hips, bringing their groins into contact. He braced his hands on Viggo’s shoulders and leaned back to look into Viggo’s eyes. Viggo’s hand rose to rest a thumb against kiss-reddened lips. Their eyes remained locked as the tip of Orlando’s tongue darted out to touch the pad of Viggo’s thumb. Growing bolder, Orlando sucked Viggo’s thumb into his mouth, wrapping his tongue around the digit as he closed his eyes. Viggo’s groin tightened from the combined assault of watching Orlando and feeling the wet suction on his thumb. His hips bucked as Orlando bit the flesh of his thumb. Orlando whimpered as Viggo dragged his thumb across the ridge of Orlando’s teeth and down, pulling the corner of Orlando’s mouth down. The thumb left a wet trail down Orlando’s chin and down his neck. Viggo flattened his palm on the side of Orlando’s neck and pulled it down into the vee of Orlando’s shirt, sliding it sideways to feel the pounding heart that worked beneath the smooth skin and muscle of Orlando’s chest. He brushed the still damp thumb over a hard nipple as he whispered, “Is this what you want, Orlando?” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ TBC See part 1 for disclaimers Part 5 Orlando looked down into Viggo’s eyes. He knew that Viggo could feel the racing of his heartbeat under the palm of his hand. He knew that it betrayed how frightened he was. He also knew that Viggo thought he was frightened for a completely different reason than was the case. Viggo thought he was frightened because of where this night might take them physically. In truth, he was afraid of where this night might lead him emotionally. He knew how easy it would be to hang all of his hopes on Viggo. What he didn’t know is how far he might fall if Viggo left him behind when New Zealand was over. He truthfully didn’t know if he could survive another blow to his heart. Viggo watched the indecision flit across Orlando’s face as he waited for an answer. Tears began to flow from Orlando’s eyes as he tried to speak. “Vig…wha…do you…I can’t…” Sobs interrupted his attempts. Viggo pulled the younger man against him, burying Orlando’s face against his neck and rocking him soothingly. “Sshh….Orlando – you don’t have to do anything for me. Just do what you want…you have to work on your own happiness now Orlando. Forget everyone else for once and focus on yourself.” Viggo held the younger man as the muffled sobs shook the thin body. His hands ran continually through the soft curls of Orlando’s hair and down the shaking back. Eventually the quiet heaving lessened to a steady tremble. Orlando pulled his head back a little to look up at Viggo’s face, cracking a small smile. “Viggo – I don’t mean to sound like a little old spinster – but what are your intentions?” Viggo smiled at Orlando’s joke, but realized the seriousness of the question. He pulled Orlando closer and answered as honestly as he could. “I don’t really know what will happen Orlando. For my part – I’m in it for the long haul. Anything that is in my power to give to you – to do for you – to be for you – I’m willing to do it.” Orlando’s breath rushed over Viggo’s throat as he released a relieved sigh. “You said you wanted to love me – if I would let you…” Viggo lowered his chin to plant a kiss on Orlando’s forehead. “I meant it Orlando.” Orlando snuggled closer to Viggo’s body. “I want you to love me Viggo…because I still love you.” Orlando pulled himself up off of Viggo’s lap before beginning to unbutton his shirt. As the last button popped free, he turned to walk towards Viggo’s bed. Reaching the edge of the bed, he unbuckled his trousers, sliding them down over his lean hips before perching on the edge of the bed. Dark eyes met Viggo’s from across the room. “Sleep with me tonight Viggo.” Viggo stood and undressed, crossing the room and climbing into bed behind Orlando before the younger man could change his mind. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Liv woke up at three in the morning to feed Sara. Deciding to trust her instinct, she dialed Orlando’s room. No one answered. Testing her theory, she dialed Viggo’s room. After the sixth ring, a sleepy voice answered. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ The ringing of the phone cut through Orlando’s sleep. He rolled over to face Viggo. Snuggling into Viggo’s chest, he mumbled “Viggo – phone.” The phone kept ringing and Viggo didn’t wake up. Orlando opened an eye to search for the phone. “Viggo --- answer the damn phone…” “Please….Orlan…” Viggo’s answer was cut off as he fell back asleep. Orlando reached across Viggo to grab the phone, answering in mid-ring. “Hello?” A soft voice on the other end of the line whispered, “Orlando?” Orlando scooted up to set against the headboard of the bed. “Liv? Is that you? Is everything okay?” Thoughts of an ill Sara crossed his mind as he tried to wake up a little more. Liv answered, “I’m sorry Orlando…go back to sleep…I just wanted to check and see if you were okay.” Orlando smiled sleepily as he replied. “For the first time in a long while Liv, I believe things are going to be great.” He heard a soft “yesss….” And a chuckle before Liv whispered into the phone, “Goodnight sweetie. Give Viggo a kiss for me.” Orlando answered, “I will first thing in the morning. Good night, Love.” He leaned over Viggo once more to return the phone to its cradle. “Mmmmm…..Orlando?” Viggo grumbled as Orlando leaned over him. “Yes Viggo?” Orlando lowered himself to make full contact with Viggo’s body as he moved back to lie beside him again. “Who ‘s it?” The deep, sleep-roughened voice rumbled through his body as his chest rubbed against Viggo’s. The feeling shot straight to his groin, making his arousal grow. Settling facing Viggo, he wrapped his arms around the older man and pressed his groin against Viggo’s hip. He gasped at the intensity of the feeling of his erection so close to Viggo’s warm skin created. “Aahh…just Liv.” In his sleep, Viggo pulled him tighter. The friction of his arousal on Viggo’s hip was nearly driving him crazy and he needed some skin-to-skin contact. He pressed a moist, open- mouthed kiss against Viggo’s shoulder as he lightly began to thrust against Viggo. The warmth of the kiss and the feeling of Orlando’s body against his managed to wake Viggo up. “Orlando – what are you doing?” Orlando froze. “I’m sorry Viggo…I got carried away. I didn’t think…” Viggo cut him off with a kiss. “I’m not mad Orlando. I’d just prefer to be awake at times like these.” He pressed his mouth against Orlando’s again and lowered his hand to Orlando’s hip. As their kiss deepened, Viggo’s hand dipped under the waistband of Orlando’s boxers and encircled the younger man’s erection. Orlando broke the kiss with a groan. “God Viggo – it’s been so long…” Viggo pulled away slightly. “Orlando – are you saying you haven’t…” Orlando interrupted. “Viggo – I haven’t been with anyone since Kate…I haven’t wanted to be with anyone until now…” Viggo hushed him with another kiss. “We’ll take it slow Orlando. One day…or night… at a time.” He wrapped his fingers around the silky flesh under Orlando’s boxers, squeezing and pulling in a rhythm that Orlando couldn’t resist. Viggo watched as Orlando tilted his head back, sweet moans and whimpers spilling from his open lips. Viggo took advantage, latching his mouth onto Orlando’s throat, relishing the sounds that vibrated the Adam’s apple he was worshiping. Orlando’s hands scrabbled for purchase on Viggo’s sides before grabbing the waistband of Viggo’s boxers. He pushed them down as far as he could reach and pulled himself as close to Viggo as he could. Reaching down between them, Orlando pulled Viggo’s hands off of him and laced their fingers together before wrapping their entwined hands around both of their erections. Viggo groaned against Orlando’s throat at the first tentative touch of Orlando’s hands on his flesh. Both men stroked and squeezed each other as their breathing quickened. Feeling Orlando tense as a keening cry escaped his throat, Viggo felt a flood of warmth against his groin. The tenseness of the body against his and the sight and sound of Orlando losing control was enough to push him over the edge and he came with a long moan. Both men lay there for long moments, breathing slowing to normal, trading kisses anywhere they could reach. Eventually, Viggo got up and went to the bathroom, washing himself and dampening a cloth for Orlando. He walked back to the bedroom, finding Orlando asleep in the middle of the bed. Wiping the stickiness off of Orlando, he turned and tossed the used cloth back into the bathroom. Raising the covers, he climbed back into bed beside Orlando, fluffing his pillow once before settling under the covers. As he fell asleep, he whispered, “I love you Orlando.” ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ TBC See part 1 for disclaimers Part 6 Warmth surrounded Orlando as he surfaced from the land of dreams. He had had some dream last night. He had dreamed that he and Viggo had shared a bed, kissing and caressing each other into a sweet, much needed release. It almost felt like it had actually happened. He opened his eyes to find himself alone in the bed. It must have been a dream after all. Funny – he felt more fulfilled than he had in years. More fulfilled than he had ever felt – in fact. Glancing around the room, he recognized the standard issue hotel room that most of the cast had been given. A grin split his face when he recognized a familiar voice singing off-key in the shower. He rose from bed and headed toward the bathroom, opening the door quietly and tiptoeing to the shower. Sliding his boxers down and kicking them across the room, he slid the shower door open and snuck inside behind Viggo – who still sang loudly in the echoing space of the shower. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Viggo nearly jumped out of his skin when a wet tongue swiped up his spine before a hot mouth attached to the base of his neck and a pair of arms slid around his waist, pulling him up against an aroused body. The mouth let go of his neck with an audible pop before taking an earlobe in. Teeth nibbled lightly for a moment before a low voice spoke breathily into his ear. “I woke this morning thinking last night was a dream…” The tongue traced his jaw line as he turned his head toward Orlando. “Then I heard this god-awful singing. I knew then that it was reality. In my dreams, you sing much better than this.” Orlando sniggered in Viggo’s ear before he whipped around. “God-awful singing, huh?” Orlando collapsed laughing on the bench of the shower. “Viggo – you should have seen your face…it was priceless.” He continued to laugh, closing his eyes as Viggo glared playfully at him. A cold squirt of liquid in the middle of his chest stopped his laughter. He opened his eyes and looked down to see green shower gel sliding down to puddle in his navel. He raised his eyes to see a smirking Viggo aiming a bottle at him. “You wouldn’t…” Viggo’s smirk widened into a grin. “Oh, wouldn’t I?” He squeezed the bottle again, another glob of shower gel hitting Orlando on the side of his head. Viggo doubled over with laughter as he watched the thick substance drip off of a glowering Orlando’s ear. “Well….don’t say I didn’t warn you…” Orlando stood up and tackled Viggo against the opposite wall. Viggo tried to grab hold of Orlando to get the upper hand, but the shower gel had created suds, turning Orlando into a slippery eel. Viggo’s hands slid across Orlando’s shoulders and he couldn’t get a grip anywhere. “AAH! Foiled by my own weapon!” Orlando’s giggles started again and before long Viggo had managed to maneuver him against the shower wall. “Aha…now I’ve got you just where I want you…” Sparkling dark eyes met his as an aroused voice asked, “What will you do with me now that you have me?” Viggo turned Orlando around, pushing him under the fall of water from the showerhead. Using the shower gel that still streaked Orlando’s body, he tenderly washed the still toned body, taking his time to discover things that he had only wondered about. Orlando’s stomach was hard muscles under silky skin. Those brown nipples tasted sweet and musky at the same time. The wiry hairs under Orlando’s arms and surrounding his arousal were soft and tickled his nose. Orlando was ticklish underneath his ribcage. If Orlando was this glorious at 36, he was pretty sure that Orlando at 22, 24 or 26 would have killed him. The water ran cold before the exploration ended. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Liv smiled knowingly at Peter, poking a sharp finger into his abundant belly before whispering, “I told ya so.” Peter turned to see what Liv was talking about and his respect for her grew by degrees. By all means, the girl should have been positively gloating. Orlando and Viggo were entering the hotel restaurant where the rest of the cast had gathered for breakfast. Perhaps he should amend that statement to say Orlando and Viggo were entering the restaurant together. Because they were together. Anyone with half a brain and even less of a heart could see that. Orlando walked one step in front of Viggo. Viggo kept his arm loosely around Orlando’s shoulders, one hand protectively clasped where neck and shoulder join. The shy withdrawn Orlando that everyone had gotten used to at this reunion had reverted back to the outgoing, talkative Orlando that everyone remembered from more than ten years ago. The quiet, unassuming Viggo had become open and carefree. The love that he felt for Orlando that had been but a shadow and suggestion in his mind ten years ago now shone freely in his eyes. As he watched, Orlando reached his hand back to Viggo, who dropped his hand from Orlando’s shoulder to twine his fingers with those of the younger man. Both men readily accepted congratulations and ‘I knew it’ s from every one. Peter smiled as he leaned back in his chair and sipped at his orange juice. Finally – better late than never. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ EPILOGUE Orlando was awoken from a deep sleep by a sound from the next room. A slight frown marred his face as he realized that his bed was empty. It had been empty a lot lately when he woke up in the middle of the night. He stood from the bed and pulled his robe on, slipping his feet into his slippers. He moved quietly to the next room to see what had made the noise. Leaning against the doorway, he struggled not to chuckle as he watched his lover fight with the tabs on a fresh diaper. He walked up to Viggo, sliding his arms around his waist from behind. “Need some help, Love?” Viggo groaned as he realized they had woke Orlando…again. “Sorry sweetheart. We didn’t want to wake you up again. We tried being really quite,” he lifted the freshly diapered and clothed baby to his chest, “didn’t we Maddy?” He turned with the baby in his arms, right into the open arms of his spouse. “We were working on your birthday present, angel. It’s supposed to be a surprise.” Orlando affected an offended look. “Well…since I’m not wanted here, I believe I’ll go spend some quality time on my own.” Viggo grinned as his lover huffed out of the room, saying to Madelaine just loud enough that Orlando could hear, “I’ll pay for that later sweetie…daddy doesn’t forget too easily.” Orlando crawled back into his warm bed, thinking over the past few years as he tried to fall back to sleep. *-*-* He had had a moment of panic when it came time to pack for their return trips to the States from New Zealand. In fact, he almost cried in relief when two days before they left, Viggo had asked him if it was okay if he changed Orlando’s return ticket to Idaho instead of California. The apartment in L.A. had been sold and all of his possessions had been moved, along with his heart, to a ranch in Idaho. Every now and then there was a reporter that asked, “Whatever happened to that promising young actor, Orlando Bloom?” But – for the most part, life went by, a day…or a night…at a time. Two years ago, he had mentioned a baby to Viggo. With a little convincing, and a whole lot of help from Samantha, they now had Madelaine. Orlando would turn 40 in very few days, and for the first time in his life, he had everything he could possibly ask for. He fell asleep with a contented smile on his face. The End