"It seats two hundred, an intimate number. All the decor is original, and the chandeliers you are standing under can operate on electricity, or candle light." said Bruce. He twirled around, indicating with a wide sweep of his arms the expansive hall in which Lou and Orli stood.

Lou was nodding enthusiastically, smiling at Bruce. "Yes, but it's a little...drafty." She said.

Bruce frowned and stopped twirling. " Darling, you'll be hard pressed to find a Manor House in all of England that isn't drafty." He said, clasping his hands sympathetically and nodding his head.

Orli rolled his eyes. He had known Bruce since they had gone to elementary school together, before Bruce had discovered his alternative sexuality. Orli didn't understand how Bruce could have changed so much. Last time he had been to see Bruce, he had been a tentative, masculine architect, trying to come to grips with the fact that he was gay. Then the career change had come, from architect to interior designer, and the new Bruce had been born; feminine, organising weddings...it was almost laughable.

"What do you think, Orli?" Lou said doubtfully as she turned to Orli, putting her arms around his waist.

Orli sniffed and frowned at the cavernous room around him. Lou was right, it was drafty. "It is rather drafty Bruce." He said lethargically. Enthusiasm for organising weddings was not a passion Orli shared with Bruce, even if it was his wedding. Orli had tried to get excited about the ceremony, but the more he wanted to match Lou's excitement, the less he felt he could.

Bruce waved Orli's comment away, and taking Lou by the hand, he pulled her away from Orli, taking her by the shoulder and leading her towards the entrance hall. He wanted to get her away from Orli's bad influence, this house was perfect for the wedding, and the commission he received would be criminally high. "What does Orlando know? Lou, this place is perfect for you..." But they were to far away for Orli to hear the rest of their conversation.

Taking one last look at the hall around him, Orli dug his hands into his pockets to avoid the draft and walked briskly out to meet Lou at the car. Bruce was leaning inside the window where Lou sat in the drivers seat. He was waving his hands energetically, and every few seconds he would either burst into uproarious laughter at something Lou said, or would turn around and sketch his hands through the air to illustrate some detail of the house that may have escaped Lou's attention the first five times he said it. Seeing his time was up, Bruce turned to hug Orli goodbye. He pulled away from his friend, and smiling said "I'm so glad you've found someone nice Orli. Don't let this one go, she's a keeper." He shrugged intimately and turned on his heel, heading for his own car.

Orli smiled fondly at Bruce wiggling his way across the gravel car park, and got into the car. They drove the whole way back to Orli's Kent flat in silence, and it was only one they were inside and making coffee that Lou said what had been on her mind since they had arrived at Forbes Manor.

"Do you care at all?" She said. She was leaning against the bench and staring at Orli.

He turned to face her. "About what?" He frowned.

"About this wedding. I mean, do you care even the tiniest little bit." She said angrily.

Orli was shocked by her hurt tone and the tears in her eyes. Putting down his mug, he tried to take Lou's hand, but she jolted away at his touch.

"Of coarse I care, Lou." He said slowly.

"Then you do a damn good job of acting like you don't." Lou said, turning on her heel she walked away from Orli's shocked expression.

Orli followed her into the bedroom. Lou was lying stomach down on the bed, her face buried in a pillow. Orli stood awkwardly in the door way, trying to think of something to say, but Lou beat him to it.

She sat up, eyes red from crying and stared him Orli levelly. "Have you changed your mind Orlando?" She asked quietly. It had been a question Lou had wanted to ask since she had first arrived in England to meet Orli's family. In all the time they had spent organising their nuptuals, Orli had never once shown more than a skerrick of interest.

Orli sat down on the edge of the bed and ignored Lou's protests as he took her in his arms. He wiped away her tears tenderly with his thumb and laid her head on his shoulder. " That's not possible for me. You're my everything, and nothing can change that."

"Then what is it? I've been trying to get you interested in this Orli, but it's like hitting my head against a brick wall. And now we're leaving for Spain tonight-" She glanced at the clock on the bedside table "- in three hours no less, and I feel like the past two months have been a total waste of time. I feel like...like I'm the only one who cares about this wedding." She finished bravely. He tried to protest, but Lou waved his words away. She got up off the bed and began riffling through the closet, making sure there was nothing she'd missed when she'd packed this morning. "You don't care, you're family doesn't care, my family doesn't care...so where does that leave me? It takes two people to get married, Orlando. And I've been working so hard on this, I left work in San Fransisco early so I could come here and arrange this before you started filming in Spain, and I put up with meeting your mother, and nothing could convince me that was worth it-"

"Hey! That's not fair! You think my mother was bad? What about your Dad, eih? What was up with that. The first - and might I add, last- time I ever met the man, and he looks at me like I'm some sort of...of homeless leech, attached to his precious only child. He treated me like I was some sub-sentient being not worthy to breath the same air as you." Orli said, standing up, Lou could say whatever she liked about his shortcomings, but she would have to leave his mother out of it.

Lou turned to face off with Orli, like an old western. "My father? No Orli, that's different. At least he called you by your name. All I got from your mother was 'Laura', 'Lauren', and at one point, she called me 'Lerleen'." Lou shouted, disgusted at the memory of the first time she had been forced to have dinner with Orli's family. It had been something she was looking forward to, but after she openly asked Orli's mother what the matter was, and Orli's mother had openly replied that her problem was 'Lerleen', Lou had grabbed her coat and fled in tears. And she'd spent the last two months from the point alternating screaming matches with the woman about the colour of her bridesmaid dresses, with angry phone calls from her, ringing Lou to ask angrily why she wasn't taking care of Orli properly. " It amazes me, Orlando, how that woman can involve herself in so many things that are NONE OF HER BUSINESS!" She shouted.

"At least my mother is taking an interest at all!" Orli replied hotly before he could stop himself. The mood of the room changed instantly from open hostility, to quiet rage.

Lou nodded silently and turned back towards the wardrobe. Orli thought about trying to say sorry, but knew it was no use. He had violated the cardinal rule of life with Lou; never mention her mother's lack of interest in her life. Orli had known for a long time now that Lou's relationship with her mother was a deep sore spot, something she rued every day of her life. Orli moved towards Lou, pressing his body against her back, he tried to wrap his arms around her waist.
Lou only threw off his arms, and without casting another glance in his direction, she threw back the covers of the bed, and climbed into it, pulling the blankets up over her head.

Orli sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his hand along the line of Lou's leg. "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry Lou."

"Don't touch me Bloom, just leave me alone!" came the angry, yet muffled by blankets and tears voice of Lou.

Orli winced at Lou's calling him 'Bloom', it was the most angry name she could give him, the next step up from 'Orlando'. Sighing, he walked out of the room towards the lounge room. He hugged a cushion against his chest and sighed dejectedly again. It's going to be a long night...

*

Lou and Orli had collected their luggage, and where waiting outside the airport for a taxi to stop, when a familiar voice called out Orli's name.

Orli turned around to see a tall, smiling man walking towards them. "Sean!" Orli yelled, moving forwards to embrace his friend. "I was expecting to see you, but I thought you were already here!" Orli said, leading Sean over to where Lou was standing with the bags.

"I just got here, on the last flight from L.A." Sean said heartedly, looking past Orli's smiling face to where Lou was standing, arms crossed, trying to pretend she wasn't listening to the interplay between Orli and Sean.

"Huh, isn't that a blast. Well, it's great to see you, it's been, what...six months?" Orli mused, finally noticing Sean smiling, not at Orli, but over his shoulder. Orli turned around to see what, or who, Sean was smiling at. He wasn't surprised to see it was Lou, even when she looked as sour as a lime, she was still beautiful.

Orli cleared his throat and said. "Sean, you remember Lou. Lou, this is Sean."

Lou smiled and stepped forward to shake hands with Sean. "Nice to see you again. I didn't really get to know you on the set of Rings." She said, flashing Sean her brightest smile.

Sean beamed back, continuing to shake Lou's hand, when finally the penny dropped. He pulled his hand back and looked from Orli to Lou and back again. "I thought you guys were just friends? Remember, Lou'N'Orli?" He said suspisciously. While a naturally intelligent man, Sean was also a trusting character, and when Billy and Dom had told him the stolen kisses between Lou'N'Orli on set were just shared among friends, he had naturally believed them. Oh yes, he was trusting, just a little too trusting.

"You must have missed the memo, sorry Sean. A new introduction, Sean, this is Lou, my fiancee." Orli took the opportunity of Lou's forced politeness to pull her towards him, ringing his arm around her waist.

Lou laughed and glared at Orli, who just grimaced back at her. "Har har har. That's a matter of opinion." She forced out through gritted teeth.

Sean laughed and rubbed his chin. "Orli, you little sneak, you didn't tell me you were getting hitched!" Sean said. "Congratulations!"

Orli thanked Sean loudly, Lou just smiled half heartedly and untangled herself from Orli's clingy grip, moving towards the taxi that had just pulled into the curb.
She talked to the driver, handing him the directions to the house she and Orli were to be renting while filming, while Sean and Orli loaded all their luggage into the boot of the taxi.
They piled into the taxi, Lou drawing the short straw and sitting in the middle. The conversation soon turned to when Sean, Orli, and Lou had last filmed together on Lord of the Rings. Orli sat in silence, his arm around Lou as she and Sean talked about how they could have been working on the same project for so long a time and not become proper friends. They both agreed it was strange, as Lou kept in touch with all the Hobbits, and Sean made an effort to at least e-mail the entire Fellowship with a 'hello' every now and again.

"I suppose it was always someone else doing the human make-up." Lou mused. She ignored Orli's hand stroking her shoulder tenderly, turning her body towards Sean's in the cramped space of the back seat.

"I suppose that's the way it was." Sean said. " I can't really remember the name of the woman who was doing my make-up...I think her name was Kerry? Keryl?" He said, stroking his chin.

"Kerryn." Lou prompted.

"Yes! That's the one." Sean said, rubbing his head. "I remember she was really violent with my head..." He laughed.

Lou smiled and nodded, remembering the violent nature of Kerryn's wig applications.
"Kerryn, that dear woman." Lou said wistfully, if not a little sarcastically. "I suppose I'll make an effort to get to know you better Sean, I feel like I missed out on something not being proper friends with you all this time." she said, and she meant it. In the short amount of time they'd been talking Lou had gleaned the idea that Sean was definitely a person she could be friends with, he seemed like the kind of wholesome, down to earth funny man personality that Lou could find in all of her friends. And now that Orli was filming Troy with Sean, and Lou wasn't working, she would have plenty of time to work on getting to know the missing member of the Fellowship.

"I hope so. I've heard so much about you, from the Hobbits, and Gandalf. I suppose on the Rings Orli just wanted you to himself." Sean joked.

The presence of Orli's hand on Lou's thigh filtered through Lou's barriers for a second, and she felt her anger build a-new. She gave a hasty answer and quickly changed the topic to something else, and soon enough they had pulled up outside a white stucco villa settled among what seemed to be a small vineyard. Ironically, it was like something out of a movie. The kind of romantic setting that inspired great professions of love, great practices of lust.

Lou was only to happy to escape Orli's presence as she went to explore the property, leaving Sean and Orli to carry the bags into the house. Lou strolled through the long lines of apple and orange trees, content being by herself, when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She turned to find Orli standing a few feet away, fists dug deep into his pockets and a queer expression on his face. A mix between shame, angst, and lust.
Lou felt her resolve soften at the sight of Orli looking so obviously regretful of the harsh words spoken between them, and the hours they had spent in steely silence on the trip from England to Spain seemed to melt into a different existence. "This place is really beautiful, Orlando. What made you choose it?" She said, turning and continuing her path through the trees. All through the orchard the newly arrived dusk was spreading it's fingers through the leaves of the trees, passing a soft breeze along the ground, ruffling fallen leaves and blowing in Lou's hair and against her cheek.

"I thought it would be romantic. 'Coarse, that was before you dis-owned me." He said jokingly, kicking the dirt, but Lou could sense the hurt beneath the sarcasm, as was the way between two people so ensnared within each other.

Lou sighed and pulled Orli's hand from his pocket, entwining her fingers with his. "I'm sorry I said that. I'm sorry I said a lot of things...but you just made me so mad..." she said, feeling a soft reminder of her anger flare up inside her.

Orli stopped walking, pulling Lou closer. He stared deep into her eyes, tracing the bare skin of her neck with his fingers. "I think we both said a lot of things we didn't mean." he said quietly.

Lou wrapped her arms about Orli, resting her head against his chest. "You're forgiven." She closed her eyes with a secret smile.

"But wait a second, I never said I was sorr-"

"I know, but you're forgiven." Lou kissed Orli.
It seemed as though Lou's anger had reached over a space of weeks, but as the night unfolded in the trees around them, Lou felt a wave of lust for Orli rush up as she pulled his shirt from the band of his jeans, pushing him against the trunk of the closest orange tree. Orli helped Lou pull his shirt over his head, groaning softly as she ran her fingers along the smooth skin of his chest. As he kissed her, Orli pulled Lou down onto the soft ground beneath the trees.

Orli slowly rolled Lou's shirt up, taking an hour to unbutton Lou's jeans, planting kisses on her moon-bathed naked skin after each button. Orli removed Lou's shirt as though in slow motion, enjoying the way the moonlight through the leaves carved ghostly patterns on Lou's bare stomach. He kissed her softly while trying to remove her bra, but after trying for what seemed like an hour Lou gave an exasperated sigh and pulled away.

"Some sex god you are, you can't even un-do a bra. Have I taught you nothing?" Lou said softly, guiding Orli's hands through the clasp on her back.

Orli smiled wickedly. " Maybe not. You'll have to give me the lesson over again."

*

It seemed like a lifetime to Lou since she and Orli had arrived in Spain. She'd spent the first month and a half exploring further into the country around her and Orli's temporary home. Orli had launched right into filming, and while Lou visited him every day, she had still felt at a loss. She'd complained one day to Orli about having nothing to do, and to Orli's utter horror, the next day Lou had decided to have another crack at planning the wedding internationally. Orli had spent the week rationing himself between playing Paris, midnight strolls with Lou through the orchards, and trying, with all his might, to be excited about their prenuptual plans. But as hard as he tried, Lou still noticed the absence of natural enthusiasm. She'd toned down the planning a little, spending her time getting to know Sean, who she was fast becoming very good friends with. It was Sean who had had the idea for Orli to invite Lou for a detailed tour of the set. So, trying to pull her away from the planning, Orli had told Lou to come and spend an entire day with him on set. She'd reluctantly agreed, not realising the surprise that was in store for her.

Orli was sitting in one of the make-up chairs, reading through his script changes with one of the directors, a make-up artist fluttered around him, trying to tame his long hair so it would fit under his wig. Lou was leaning against the wall half heartedly listening to Orli running through his lines, while at the same time observing the make-up artists technique. It reminded her of the skill-challenged students she had taught when she was living in London while separated from Orli.

She wandered over to get a closer look, leaning in over the artist's shoulder she pointed at Orli's ear and said "This wig is too small for his head. See the way it buckles around his ears."

The artist stopped working at the nape of Orli's neck and took a closer look at Orli's ear. The Director silently observed Lou's lecture.

"I've no other wig for him right now. He ripped the last one-" Sheepish smile from Orli. "- and we can't wait until they find a new one." replied the artist, wondering what this strange woman could know about wigs. "I've no other way to make it fit." added the artist defensively.

"If you shaved his head it would fit perfectly." Lou said.

"Shaved his head?" the artist asked with curiosity.

"Shaved my head?" Orli asked worried. His hand flew up to his half-wigged hair and stroked it affectionately. "Lou, don't give her any ideas, I'm just getting over the last time you shaved my head."

"Stop playing Adonis, Orli. It's the shave, or feel like you're wearing a cap to tight for the rest of the day." Lou said.

Just then the Director piped up. "Who are you?" He said.

"I'm with him." Lou smiled, pointing at Orli, who waved happily.

"Yes, but what knowledge have you of wigs?" the Director said, as the artist nodded in agreement.

"Oh. I'm a make-up artist. I met Orli while working on 'Lord of the Rings' as an artist. As you can imagine, there was a lot of call for wigs." Lou stated matter-of-factly. Orli nodded enthusiastically and the make-up artist swore as Orli's wig worked it self free from the glue because of his movement.

The director stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Really? What did you say your name was?"

"Lou..."

"I remember someone mentioning you were staying with Orli here. You worked on Charmed a few months back, yes? 'Lord of the Rings'...how interesting. Orli didn't tell us." He murmured, inspiration struck him, and he knew what to say next. "Are you working right now?" He said suddenly.

"Why?"

"We've a make-up artist whose visa has run out, so we're one person down. Could you take the position?"

Orli beamed and nodded his encouragement, but Lou was sceptical. "I don't know....I'd have to think about it..." It would mean putting the wedding arrangements on hold, but the idea of working with Orli again was almost too good to be true.

"It's a supervisional position, high wages." coaxed the director "It would be great for us if you filled it - otherwise we'd have to pay for someone to be flown out, and on such short notice..."

The forgotten make-up artist mentally threw daggers at Lou. She had been hoping to fill the position as a convenient promotion.

"Come on Lou, you know you want to." Orli threw in. He smiled at the memory of the fun he and Lou had had working together, first on 'Lord of the Rings', and then on 'Ned Kelly'.

"Maybe..." Lou said unsurely.

The director stood up and collected his things. "Come into my office and we'll talk further." He pushed Lou towards the exit of the caravan.

Orli frowned and hesitated to say something. "But John, I thought we were going to go through the script?-"

John waved Orli's protest off, exiting the caravan. "Later, Orlando. Run in through with Bean, or Bana." he trailed off, leading Lou across the car park towards his own caravan.

And within the hour Lou had been assigned a caravan, off loaded with boxes of hand-me-down make-up from the visa-less previous occupant, and was setting up a case to take onto the set with her to perform the inevitable repairs that movie make-up always needs.
She barely saw Orli all day, only a few times glimpsing him wandering around aimlessly, muttering the script under his breath, or mock-sword fighting with Eric Bana. Lou had to skip lunch to apply a bloody cut to Brad Pitt's arm, and it was only when she headed back to her caravan that evening to begin removing people's wigs that she saw Orli. He was twirling around in a spinning chair while waiting for Lou to remove his wig.
"What are you doing Paris?" Lou said, coming to lean against the open door of the caravan. She laughed at Orli as he stopped spinning and shook his head to remove the dizzy feeling.

"Spinning." He said, grinning up at her. He moved to close the door, and pulled Lou onto his lap. Orli held Lou's face between his hands and kissed her gently, he was thinking of all the times they'd spent locked in Lou's trailer on the set of Rings'... Lou was reminded of the familiar chemical-and-dirt smell of the make-up on Orli's skin.

She pulled Orli's arms from around her waist and stood up, beginning to set out the tools she would need to remove his wig. She removed the wig in record time, due to the fact that the nameless make-up artist had completely shaven Orli's head, down to the shortest setting. He was as bald as a baby's bottom, and Lou couldn't help but laugh as she ran her hand over his army-like hair cut.

"Don't laugh. It's not funny." He said sulkily as Lou began wiping away the simulated dirt, and real dirt, from his face.

"I think it is. Serves you right for having a big head." Lou cackled.

"You didn't like my hair long, did you?" He accused. "I grew it long for you, you always used to complain that my mohawk was ugly. There's no pleasing you." He said as Lou finished up by rubbing cream over Orli's face. She smiled tenderly, she wouldn't do that to anyone else, but she didn't want Orli's skin going crackly from the constant use of make-up.

"I loved your hair long. But be serious Orli. In the end you looked like Jonathon Creek. It was a little too much." She laughed as Orli got up. He was still wearing his armour, and looked like a total weirdo, a mix between Paris, G.I Joe, and a Ken doll with his waxy skin.

"I don't believe you." He said with a mock pout. "Did it really look like Jonathon Creek's?" He asked cautiously just as Sean came through the door of the caravan.

"Yes, it did." Sean said, taking in Orli's shaved head for the first time. Poor sap. "Paul from wardrobe wants you to go give him your costume, he said if you rip the cape, like you did the last one, he'll slaughter you."

"Blah, blah, blah." Orli muttered as he kissed Lou quickly and exited the caravan.

Sean sat down in the now empty chair and grinned at Lou. "De-Troy me Lou-Lou." He said.

Lou smiled and began the tasking of removing Sean's wig and make-up.
They chatted about the film, about what had been going on all day, and how amazing it was that Lou had been offered such an extraordinary job under such strange conditions. Sean joked about Lou sabotaging the visa of the previous make-up artist, just like she pushed Kerryn down the stairs of the caravan to get her job on Rings. It was a warm shock to Lou to notice how fond she was of Sean, over their time in Spain they'd grown together nicely, finding they had much more in common than Sean's slightly sick sense of humour, mimicked in Lou's down right off centre jokes.
While Orli had been away on days filming in his major role, Sean had led Lou through the country side, giving her an ill-educated tour from the back of a pamphlet he'd found in the bathroom of the airport. They'd got lost seven times, almost bitten by some sort of hybrid rattle snake/iguana thing, and had been chased by a wild dog after Sean had tried to take photos of it's supposedly cute puppies. Orli had begrudged them the relationship at first, Lou could see it, how he coveted her company. Often he would make in-jokes in Sean's presence that only himself and Lou would understand, and Lou would silently slap the satisfied smile from Orli's face, which only appeared when Lou had to explain to a confused Sean the punch line of the joke.
Then he'd gone through a phase of blatant jealously, going to the trouble of writing sarcastic little notes on Lou's calendar, scheduling nights out with her. And finally, he had accept the relationship and he'd grown into a pattern. He knew that Lou had the attention span of a wet mop, and with Sean to entertain her, she would stay away from the wedding planning, and stick to enjoying the beautiful area they were staying in. In the end Orli had even invited Sean to forgo his shabby little shack and come to stay with them in the villa. So the three of them had found a comfortable rut, Orli would film, leaving Sean and Lou to prosper in mischief, and when Orli came back each night, they would play cards and drink, before Sean went to bed, leaving Orli to elaborate on the idea behind him choosing their romantic little cottage.

"Lou?" Sean said, swivelling around in his chair to check if Lou was still alive.

She was sitting on the edge of the built in vanity, staring into space contemplating the past two months. "What?!" She said, coming back to reality.

"Did you hear what I said? Or did the distance between here and Zero-space muffle my voice?" Sean said sarcastically. He ran his hand through his hair and got up to leave, satisfied that every bit of glue and make-up had been removed from his head.

"Negatory Bean-bot. Request repeat." Lou said in a computer-like voice.

Sean rolled his eyes at her lame joke, leaning against the door way. "Helen has arrived."

"Really? I thought she wasn't due for another few weeks." Lou said, beginning to pack up her things to leave. Outside the day was melting into night, and Lou could feel the comfort of a soft chair calling her from the villa. She was definitely not used to this kind of work. To many days lying around in the sun on the little beach down from the villa with a beer in her hand. "What's she like?" She said. Lou turned off the lights of the caravan and locked the door behind her and Sean. They walked away from the make-up lot towards where the costume pavilion was.

"German. Thick accent. I thought they were going to try and get someone local." Sean said, weaving his way through the racks of clothing towards the change rooms.

Lou sat down on the ground outside the cubicle and waited for Sean to change, handing him his street clothes when he reached out from behind the curtain to beckon for them. "What does she look like?" Lou asked when Sean had finally emerged fully dressed.

"Just you're average goddess. Are you still having the party tonight?" Sean said sarcastically with a shrug of his shoulders.

Lou scoffed and accepted his hand as he pulled her up. They wandered out of the pavilion in search of Orli. "I wouldn't call it a party, it's more a......spattering of a few friends. And by a few friends....I mean, you, me, and Orli is hardly a 'few'. Why? Do you think we should invite her?" Lou said.

Sean smiled strangely, his eyes twinkling as he tried to remain calm when he answered. "It might be nice for her to get to know some of the crew."

Lou narrowed her eyes at him shrewdly. "You don't have a�a crush, on this girl, do you Bean?" She accused, taking Sean by the shoulders, staring him shrewdly in the eyes. "You do. I can see it in your puppy-dog eyes."

"She's married, actually!" he said. His words were measured with offense, but after a moment he grinned childishly and punched Lou lightly in the arm. "Though it took me a while to find that out."

"I would have paid good money to see your face!" Orli said from over Sean's shoulder. Lou laughed, then stopped abruptly as she noticed the prettiest girl she had ever seen standing beside Orli. She had to be Helen.
Sean was right, she was a goddess, all long legs and pale skin, pouting lips and thoughtful eyes smouldering between thick dark lashes. She had short blonde hair, and as she smiled Lou was blinded by a row of pearly white enamel. Helen must have been a few years older than Lou, she had little laugh lines at the corners of her eyes, though Lou was certain it was only her who would notice, being a make-up artist, and mostly a jealous woman. She suddenly felt glaringly conscious of her own ragged clothing, spattered with moulding jelly and hair from a wrestle she and Orli had had in her caravan, not to mention her carelessly knotted hair piled on top of her head, suspended via the handy presence of a paintbrush. Lou's mental picture of herself was torture as she silently compare every single detail of her body to this woman's.

"Hey gorgeous." Orli said, he jumped to Lou's side like a magnet and slipped his arms around her, he nuzzled her cheek and kissed her quickly. Lou's immediate response to waking from her Helen-admiring stupor was to clamp onto Orli for dear life. She was suddenly - though not unexpectedly, considering the man in question - confronted with the idea of Orli finding Helen more attractive. Lou knew deep down inside that if Orli could call Lou gorgeous when she looked like she knew she did - a bomb site, then she had nothing to worry about. But this girl before her...and had it been Lou's imagination, or had she actually seemed crest-fallen when Orli kissed Lou?

All through Lou's mental wandering Orli had been chatting happily, introducing Lou to Diane, as Helen seemed to be named in Troy-less reality. He had also mentioned that Diane would be staying in the villa until she could find a place of her own, as she'd arrived on such short notice and didn't know the area that well. Lou was shocked stupid when Orli mentioned this, all in a continuous stream of words, following the suggestion that Diane would enjoy a quiet night in with Lou, himself, and Sean for company.

Lou mutely nodded her assent, tried to hold back the tears as they all walked towards the car park. Orli was happily chirping away about the verbal beating Paul had offered for the minute rip in Orli's cape.

"...I swear, Paul is the dictator of the costume pavilion. He runs a totalitarian government from his little office, aided by the iron fist of the sewing machine, and the brute force of the sewing pin." Orli said dramatically. He climbed into the driver's seat of his and Lou's jeep, and soon enough they were travelling down the familiar road home.

Lou had been quiet since they had left the set, and having now run out of conversation, Orli noticed how quiet she was for the first time. "Is something wrong, Lou?" He said, watching the road and Lou's response at the same time.

"No. And yes." She said quietly, feeling all a tither. "I don't know. Wait, yes I do know. No." She said firmly, but not really sure what answer she had just given.

Orli frowned and said "Was that a 'no'?" Lou nodded. "Ah, so it's Diane?" He asked, finally pulling into the dirt road which led to their villa. Just ahead, through the spray of dust cloud and night sky Orli could see Sean's car, and within it the silouhette of Sean in the driver's seat and Diane in the passenger.

"How did you know?" Lou said miserably, feeling wretched for making Orli think that she didn't trust him with Diane.

Orli laughed, and turning the final corner onto the gravel turning circle, he turned off the ignition and turned to Lou. He stroked her cheek with the ball of his thumb, rubbing her thigh as he stared at her, possessing an expression of utter adoration. Lou couldn't help but feel greatly calmed by the love she saw within Orli's eyes. "Because I'm not as stupid as you think." He stated. "I know women, but more importantly, I know you. There were bitchiness glittering in your eyes just then when you met Diane." He said fondly.

Lou frowned and wondered where this lecture was going. "I'm going to pretend that I didn't hear that last bit." She said, jumping out of the car and walking towards the open front door.

Orli ran around the car and grabbed Lou's hand, pulling her into his embrace. "You know I didn't mean it that way." He dismissed Lou's confused expression, tilting her chin up towards his face so her eyes would meet his. "The only thing that matters to me is you. You're smile, your hands, you voice, everything about you sets me on fire. If you're thinking I could even find her attractive, you're wrong-"

"But Orli-" Lou tried to reason with him, but he shook his head and placed a finger against her lips.

"No Lou. If you're thinking I could even find her attractive, you're wrong, the passion you put inside me can't be put there by anyone else. I'm so full up with you, if I even look at another woman, I think I would cease to exist." He paused, bending to meet Lou's eyes "I would implode. Like those people in India." He stated his case so plainly Lou felt like crying.

She released her fear, sending it up into the night sky, and wrapped her arms around Orli tightly, she buried her face in his neck, kissing Orli's slightly salty skin softly. "Thankyou." She said finally, as they parted. They turned -still holding hands- and walked into the house, pulling the massive wooden doors closed behind them.

"Thank you?" Orli queried. "What ever for?"

"You set me on fire too, and for putting out my jealousy."

"Well I love you, that's all there is in me; You. And plus, I really couldn't find her attractive." Orli repeated as they followed the sound of Sean's laughter coming from the kitchen; the drinking had obviously started.

"Why? Such adamance." Lou said, she was still curious to know how Orli could so convincingly deny thinking Diane was even pretty.

"Because she's married." He said whispered as they rounded the corner into the kitchen.

Lou stopped, pulling hard on Orli's hand. "One day I'll be a married woman, will you find me unattractive?" She said, but Orli was already moving away from her towards the sound of laughing in the kitchen.
And for the second time that night Lou found herself quietly observing Diane in all her gorgeous grace..

*

Lou ripped the last month from her calandar, she couldn't believe it had already been almost five months, and in only three more weeks she and Orli would be packing up their belongings and leaving their lives in Spain, Lou thought looking at all the little squares filled with notes. Sean's birthday, dinner with directors...all sorts of inane little reminders Lou had written, but more often they were from Orli and Sean, personal assaults that they waged on each other via Lou's calandar Orli gets his collagen implants refilled today, or Sean comes out of recovery from the partial labotomy...Lou shook her head at the thought of how childish they could be. Over the last few months the three had been inseparable. Lou and Sean had become so close that Sean would tenderly call Lou 'Sis', where Lou would affectionately call Sean 'Big Bro'.
Lou hadn't had friend as close as Sean in a long time, and it was exactly what she needed - as Billy had put it in his last e-mail- someone who she could tell anything to, at anytime. And Lou had come to learn that she could discuss anything with Sean, because he was older than Lou he was more mature than Orli, and Lou was more than a little ashamed of the fact that many of the things Lou couldn't tell Orli, she could happily tell Sean. It wasn't that she didn't trust Orli...he was just so impulsive sometimes that Lou felt guilty tying him down with her worries, especially when it came to the wedding. She'd hinted so many times that she would have liked to continue planning, or that she would like Orli to take a more active part in the preparations. But he never did anything. The number of times Lou had been gripped with worry and called Sean for counsel....especially lately with Orli spending so much time with Diane.
It wasn't that Lou didn't trust Diane, what threat did she serve, when she was married? It seemed some how illegal for Lou to mistrust Diane, when one day she might find herself in the same situation. Afterall, they were both women, and both living lives that potentially seperated them from their husbands for long periods of time�
It was just that Orli and Diane spent so much time together...sometimes Lou wondered if he would rather spend time with Diane than with her, but then Orli would take her in his arms, kiss her tenderly and whisper sweet nothings in her ear, and nothing seemed to matter except concentrating on the beating of Orli's heart, or the smell of his skin.
Lou took one last look at the calendar and frowned, and barely noticing the line of red dots starting two days ago, she crumpled the piece of paper into the waste basket and locking the caravan behind her, she left the set for the night. Orli was sitting on the bonnet of the car waiting for her, talking and laughing with Diane.

"Hullo Beauty." Orli said, jumping down from his perch to kiss Lou.

She smiled and hugged him before moving to unlock the car. "Hello Beast." She quipped, dodging Orli as he tried to slap her.

"Did you have fun today?" Orli said when they were out on the road.

"Yeah. Priam fell of his freakin' horse again, that won points for entertainment value, but having to listen to him complain about what a pain in his arse the horse was for the rest of the day lost point. And I realised today that we've only got a month left to film. Back to planning and being civilians, right?" Lou said in amazement.

Orli smiled and squeezed her hand. He could tell Lou would miss Spain, that was the way Lou worked, she developed a love for a set, and remained connected to it forever more. But he was not looking forward to returning to England and Lou's wedding plans. He had been trying so hard to be supportive, but no matter what he did they both got the feeling that the only person who really cared about what colour the flower arrangements were, was Lou.
"And then off to New Zeland though. Christ though it'll be nice to see all the Fellowship again, I'm a little sick of the sight of Bean every day." Orli joked, trying to change the subject. Beneath his hand Orli felt Lou's hand tighten. It will be nice to see the Fellowship again....like a family reunion. He quickly told himself.

"Are you very close with Orli's friends Lou?" Diane said from the back, trying to get involved in the conversation.

Lou and Orli both laughed and Orli turned around to answer Diane. "You could say that. Lou talks to those stupid Hobbits more than I do! It got to the point that they spoke to her all the time when she left me, and never told me they knew where she was the whole time!" Orli said lightly, recalling the beating he had given Dom and Billy when they had accidentally let slip that they had been keeping in contact with Lou without telling him.

Diane's attention piqued. "You left Orli?" She asked Lou in her heavy accent.

"Yeah." Lou said. She still remembered those horrible months after she had been kicked from the 'Rings', and the only thing that really made her feel better was that she'd travelled half way around the globe to escape Orli, only to end up in his arms again, where she had stayed ever since.

"Why? What happened?" Diane asked.

"Orli broke my arm." Lou said quickly, turning into the dirt road leading to the house. She was happy to see the end of the journey, and Diane's annoying questions. She was equally joyous to see Sean's rental parked in the driveway.

"Only a little!" Orli said in his defence, wincing at the mental picture he got of Lou in the hospital, though it was much easier to think of such things than it had once been. He got out of the car and followed the two women into the house. Diane waited for him, obviously keen to hear more, while Lou made an obvious effort to hear less.

"And then what happened?" Diane said.

Orli patted her arm softly and said "Maybe later Diane, it's not something Lou likes to talk about." but he couldn't help but feel slightly perturbed by Diane's interest into Lou'N'Orli's affairs.

"If you say so." Diane said to herself as Orli moved off to talk to Sean and Lou. She stood regarding the three friends in front of her for a moment before taking a seat. There was Lou, whom had never been anything but nice to her, but who Diane felt a strange sort of animosity towards. There was Sean, whom she got along with like a house on fire, but who was nothing more than a friend.
And then there was Orli. Fabulous Orli, Wonderful Orli. Orli who had accepted her into his life so freely, and gave his whole to her as a friend. He reminded her strangely of Guillaume, something about the kindness in Orli's eyes and voice matched so well with Guillaume, that only the other day Diane had had to stop herself from actually confusing Orli with her husband.
But lately something was wrong with the relationship between Orli and Diane, something inside when she was with Orli made things tense. Diane knew Orli and Lou didn't notice it, but she did, and it bugged her. And try as she might, there was one secret in her life that she couldn't keep for much longer; She liked Orli. Even letting herself think it was like being unmarried and single again, looking for love, and finding it with a man who could fulfil her every desire. That was exactly how she had felt about Guillaume in the beginning�and while she still loved her husband, sometimes she wondered if meeting Orli under such unlikely conditions wasn't a sign. A cosmic billboard telling her she had run to the arms of the wrong man�

*

Outside her bedroom an old olive tree was scratching it's nobly branches against the glass panes of the window, but inside Lou had been tossing and turning all night, and now she woke with a start, expecting to see the night sky had melted into light, but as she looked at the clock she realised that they had only been in bed for three hours. She rolled over, and immediately Orli's arms accepted her into their embrace. Lou smiled as she noticed he was still fast asleep- his embrace was a reflex, an instinct so strong that not even Orli's deep slumber, and deeper snoring could disturb. Lou was content to lay still for a few minutes, feeling Orli's warm arms around her, his breath on the skin of her neck as he rested his chin on her shoulder, but after fifteen minutes she began to feel restless. Something was bugging her in the back of her mind...something she had forgotten to do, something to do with the calendar. And then like a bolt of lightning it struck her.
How could I have forgotten?! She thought it panic, already forming a plan to cope with what her forgetfulness meant. Lou carefully tried to peel Orli's arm from about her waist, but he just tightened his grip and pulled Lou further into his arms. After Orli had settled himself, Lou tried again.

"What's wrong?" came Orli's croaky-with-sleep-depravation voice. He released Lou, and she rolled over to look at him. Orli could tell she was worried about something as she stroke his face with feathery light strokes, running her fingers over his lips, his cheeks, gently lulling him back to sleep.

"Nothing. Go back to sleep, Baby." She whispered, kissing his eyes closed. Once Lou was satisfied that he was back to sleep, she peeled back the covers of the bed, only to have Orli's hand reach out to her.

"Where are you going?" He said, still half asleep. He opened his eyes just enough to see Lou standing before him in the pale moon light, naked and beautiful.

"I can't sleep." She said, trying to pull Orli's fingers from around her wrist.

"But I can't sleep without you here." He said, tugging on Lou's wrist to bring her back to the bed.

Lou stood for a moment, but the look in Orli's eye convinced her that it could wait until morning. She climbed back into bed, back into Orli's arms and his warm, encompassing presence.

He wrapped his arms around Lou and kissed her face softly, trying to get her to go back to sleep, she seemed so tense. "Are you sure there is nothing wrong?" He asked again, running his finger tips along the line of Lou's side.

She sighed with the calming effect of Orli's touch. "It's nothing. I'm sure it's nothing." She said, more to herself than to Orli.

Orli could tell his touch was lulling Lou back to sleep "You're sure?" He chanced to say.

"Hmm...." Lou said, before finally turning onto her side and wrapping her arms around Orli's middle, falling from the waking world into a strange world of comatose adventures. Nightmarish beasts haunted Lou's sleep for the rest of the night. She didn't wake again until the bright lights of morning were glowing through the windows.

Orli felt Lou tossing and turning against him for the rest of the night.

*

"Good morning?" Sean said as Lou came out from the bathroom. She looked rather pale. "What's the matter Sis?" He said, handing her a Garfield mug filled with orange juice.

"Nothing, nothing. Just feeling a little off." She said hastily, before taking her orange juice into the bedroom to get dressed for work. There was no point saying anything until she'd checked her facts.

*

Exactly five hours and fifty two minutes later Lou found herself in the last cubicle of the men's & women's bathroom on set with all the evidence laid out in front of her on the floor. Lou's head was spinning, she felt like she couldn't breath. All the world seemed to become dim as she slipped onto the floor of the cubicle, tears welling up in her eyes, clutching the last month from her calendar in her shaking hands, staring through her tears at it's cryptic little messages. Lou couldn't believe this was happening to her. She opened her eyes to stare wildly all around her, as her breath quickened and black spots scudded before her eyes. The last thing she remembered was the dripping of the tap, or her tears, before she passed out on the hostile, cold tiles of the floor beside the toilet...

*

"Lou? Lou?" called a soft voice. Lou felt a slight tap on her cheek as she came around with a start. Sean was crouching before her still in costume, with a look of startling anxiety on his face. "Oh, thank god you woke up." He said. Lou noticed she was out of the cubicle, Sean had perched her on the edge of the sink. Through the open door of the cubicle Lou could see her possessions still scattered about on the floor.

Lou leant back against the cool surface of the mirror, only to start at the pain in the back of her skull. She sat gripping the back of her head, it was throbbing. She wondered for a second why it would be throbbing, and then remembered passing out...and what she had discovered moments before that. "What happened?" She asked, rubbing her head. I must have hit my head when I fell. "I just came in to use the John and I saw your feet under the door. I called to you, but you didn't answer...so I forced the lock. I think I should be the one asking you what happened, Sis?" He said unsurely as Lou began to cry anew. " What happened? Is it Orli?" He said quietly, putting his arm around her shoulder.

"Ask me." Lou sobbed, covering her face with her hands.

"What happened?" Sean said. He could see Lou was on the verge of a complete meltdown. He'd never seen her so obviously upset before.

Lou choked out a sob and shook her head. " I'm late." I'm pregnant.

***

A Chance Meeting Home