So this was it. After tonight, there would be no more premieres to attend together, no more dates on the calendar marked and circled a year ahead of time in anticipation of seeing one another. It was over. And it was both a happy and sad occasion. I'll miss these guys, no question about that. Sure, we'll stay friends, get together, hang out. But people always drift apart. It's inevitable. And when there is nothing really left to bring us together, nothing to connect us… Well, I don't really want to think about that.

Being involved in 'Lord of the Rings' has been an experience I never thought I would be lucky enough to be a part of. It's the greatest thing that ever happened to me. But its seriously time to move on. I won't miss the press junkets. I won't miss the amount of fantasy scripts that keep getting sent my way, trying to typecast me.

I flashed a smile at some photographer who asked me to, glancing over at the fans huddled along the sides of the carpet. I kept trying to get away from the reporter, who was spitting the standard questions at me, so that I could go over and say hi and sign some autographs, but my publicity agent was hovering over my shoulder, keeping me there. That's something else I wouldn't miss. I wanted to stick with smaller films for awhile, ones that wouldn't include media frenzies.

"Lij!"

Oh! There was an excuse. I slipped away from my agent and the reporter, both of whom called out to me, but I ignored them, throwing myself against Billy as he ran up the carpet.

"Where have you been all my life, blue eyes?" He asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"In S'blomie's bed," I replied easily, laughing at the crushed expression on his face.
"Speaking of S'Blomie - "

"Not here yet."

"I see the reporters are."

I followed Billy's gaze to the pack of vultures that were hovering along the side lines, near the entrance of the theatre - well, everywhere actually. They had Liv cornered - had her cornered for the past twenty minutes. Somehow Ian had already ducked past them and was enjoying a drink in the lobby. Knowing Peter, he would wait until the last possible minute to appear, so they wouldn't have time to get but a few words from him.

"Think I could sneak past them for a wee drinkie?" He asked thoughtfully.

"I'd like to see you try."

"Hmm. Sounds like a challenge. Watch this."

Billy moved over to the sidelines, shaking hands with fans, taking the occasional picture, signing autographs, accepting kiss after kiss - the flirt. He meandered his way down the line, getting lost in the crush of hands from time to time. He was almost at the door. Damn, I was beginning to think he had made it. But just as he reached out to grab the handle, Entertainment Tonight swooped down on him. I laughed at the expression on his face, turning just in time to see Sean and Christine stroll up the walk, amid another shout of welcomes from the crowd.

"Frodo, my dear friend." Sean hugged and kissed me. "You look lonely."

"What? Because I don't have a reporter attached at the hip?"

"Busy is it?"

"You could say that," I replied, really wanting a cigarette but I had long ago made a promise to myself not to get caught smoking on film. "I thought the other premieres were bad. This just gets crazier and crazier."

"Its almost over," Sean said, patting my back.

"I know." I forced a smile. "And I can't decide if I'm happy or sad by that."

He hugged me again, took Christine's hand and bravely dived into the foray. I was already missing him. Maybe I should get inside, have a drink, listen to some philosophical words spouted by Ian and whatnot. He could always make a person feel better. I turned, ready to do just that, when the sudden chanting from the crowd caused me to stop and grin.
"Orli! Orli! Orli!"

Shaking my head, I turned to see Orli emerge from the recently arrived limousine, flashing a grin at photographers and fans alike, then reach his hand in and help Torrie out. She whispered something in his ear that made him laugh and he kissed her before slipping his arm around her waist and starting forward. Bam! Reporter number one. I grinned, watching as Orli took it all in stride, his publicity agent running up to his side, saying something to him, while he continued to try to answer the reporter and nod a reply to his agent. My gaze flickered to Torrie who was attempting to pull away from his side where he held her, her eyes rolling heavenwards every few moments. I giggled. She looked miserable.

Without a doubt Orli received the worst of it since 'Rings' had first debuted. The sudden fame that washed over him was almost overwhelming. I'm glad it wasn't me, actually. I think New Line had prepared at first for it to be me, being that Frodo is like the star and all of the series, but it didn't happen that way. Torrie once joked that the entire marketing department must have been fired after 'Fellowship' came out and they had to start over again, this time with the main focus revolving around Legolas. They even tried to get Peter to shoot new scenes, adding Legolas into them. Thank God Peter put his foot down on that. I tried to suggest that they make a Legolas Hobbit, just insert him into the group. He didn't need any lines or anything. He could just stand there and look sexy. Orli gave me a wedgie just for saying it.

I grinned when Torrie finally ducked under Orli's arm and shot up the carpet toward me, leaving him alone with the reporter. He flashed her a disgruntled expression before his agent grabbed his arm and turned him to the next interview. I reached out for Torrie as she approached and gave her a big hug.

"That was close, huh?" I asked, kissing her cheek.

"Unbelievably so."

"Guess you didn't convince him to leave you home?"

She rolled her eyes. "Hardly. I even tried the old 'they need me at work' bit. He didn't budge. I did bring my pager though in the hopes that Scott will call me, saying there's an emergency."

I laughed. "You're awful! Orli likes having you here with him."

"I know," she sighed. "And the first one was fun, but must there be so many? I think when the Japanese premiere takes place, I am going to be certain to be off filming in like the Red Sea or something."

"You're a freak," I told her.

"Thank you for noticing."

We both returned our attention to Orli who was on his third interview. I was glad I had gotten mine out of the way early. Now I could just stand and watch everyone else. Orli was carefully inching his way over to the line of fans and I think his agent knew it because she tried to pull him back up the carpet, but he side-stepped her tug and turned to the first group, immediately deluged with books and paper and posters to be signed. He continued talking to the reporter for another moment before turning his full attention to the fans, where it remained until the reporter got the hint and wandered off.

I cast a sideways glance at Torrie, whose gaze never strayed far from Orli. She had a soft smile on her face as she watched him and I found myself recalling a conversation with her on a similar occasion when I had asked her what she thought of when she looked at him. "Love" she had replied quietly. "Beyond the sex object and daredevil and talent, I just see love. That's what Orli is to me. Pure and simple. Love." I think her reply encapsulated their relationship. Oh, I'm not saying it was all roses and chocolates and shit like that. This was Orli and Torrie after all and I swear there was a noise ordnance put around their house that they frequently violated with their arguments. But the fights never lasted and usually ended in days of making up where you wouldn't see hide nor hair of them.

The morning after the two most stubborn and thick-headed people I have ever met finally admitted to each other - instead of everyone but! - that they were in love, I found Orli on the set, dressed as Legolas, sitting in one of the assistant's chairs, waiting for the shooting to begin. His gaze was kind of far away and there was this permanent smile plastered on his face. I couldn't help but tease him.

"Take it you got some last night," I commented, dropping into a chair beside him, kicking out my Hobbit feet.

He flashed me this completely Legolas expression, you know the kind that is supposed to whither you in your shoes. Except I wasn't wearing any. "You can hardly refer to what happened between myself and Torrie as 'getting some'."

"Oh shit." I rolled my eyes. "Let me guess. The ground shook, the heavens fell and all of that crap, right?"

Orli gave me this kind of sheepish smile that was well… Okay I may be a guy and all but damn if it wasn't downright adorable.

"Something like that, yeah," he replied and then he got up and walked away. Damn Elf.

They've been attached at the hip ever since. Orli even appeared in one of 'The Vast Blue' specials. Of course, I had asked if that was the one about the dangers of what might be caught at sea - namely something as frightening as Orli. I got another wedgie for my trouble.

Orli finally broke away from the fans and hurried over to us before his agent or another member of the press could catch him. The moment he reached us, his hand slipped into Torrie's - almost an unconscious thing really.

"Hey Lij!" He pulled me over to him and hugged me and planted a wet kiss right on my mouth. Bastard.

I wiped my hand across my mouth. "Orli, not in public, man."

"Yes, hon," Torrie added. "We'll take the cute little Hobbit home with us tonight and then you can have your way with him."

"Ooh. Can't wait." Orli grinned with a raise of an eyebrow at me.

"You both scare me," I told them with a smile.

"What scares me is another damn question about when I'm going to put up a website," Orli countered with a dramatic shudder. "Let's get inside before I have another reporter ask me about Elves."

Orli grabbed my hand and pulled me and Torrie forward with him and we darted through photographers and reporters and some fan that dashed under the barricade and threw herself at Orli's waist to hang on for dear life. Torrie made some comment that she should have thought of that, while security came and carried the girl away and we thankfully made it through the doors to find Ian and Billy applauding us. We grabbed some drinks and stood and chatted while Dom and then Viggo finally arrived and had to suffer through their share of the interviews before joining us. Eventually Orli and I were standing off to the side, nibbling on some hors d'oeuvres, while Torrie had disappeared with Christine, most likely a girly trip to the restroom or something.

"How's Sean?" I asked. "Isn't he coming to this one?"

Orli shook his head, taking a sip of his tea. He hadn't touched alcohol since the wreck. I was so proud of him. God, I sound like a father. "He said the London premiere was enough. He was taking his daughter's on a trip this week anyway."

I nodded. Torrie, Sean and Orli were all good friends, as if the past had just simply been put behind them and they moved on with their lives, like things were suddenly placed in the right order or something. It had taken Sean awhile I think to get over it all, but he hadn't placed any blame anywhere like he could have. Torrie had assured me that Sean got back into the dating game fairly quickly and I couldn't help but wonder if that hadn't been a note of jealousy perhaps in her voice when she'd said it. Being who I was, I couldn't allow the absurdity of the entire situation to go without comment. I mean, since the beginning I had watched Torrie be a complete fool, pining away after Orli and refusing to say anything to him, no matter how much I encouraged it. Do you have any idea how close my head came to exploding when I saw Orli sitting there in front of the TV, making goo-goo eyes at Torrie?! I mean, talk about a fucking shot in the arm. Hadn't seen that one coming. Guess I was too close to the situation or something but damn.

My gaze turned to Orli and I watched him for a moment while his eyes roamed the room. I had the feeling he was looking for Torrie, waiting for her. We hadn't really had the chance to talk lately, every time we were together it seemed we were surrounded by press and whatnot.

"Are you happy, Orli?" I asked.

He smiled brightly without meeting my gaze. "Is that what this is? Happiness? I thought it was closer to euphoria."

I grinned. "You aren't going to become a poet or anything on me, are you?"

Orli laughed. "Shit. I couldn't deal with Torrie's laughter." He glanced over at me. "You know, women are really tough on the ego."

"Amen to that." I finished off my wine, following Orli's gaze to Torrie who had stopped to talk with Billy and Dom.

"Next month she is starting shooting on a month-long segment on sharks," Orli commented.

I frowned. Usually Orli doesn't bring something up unless it means something. "Oh?" I asked, waiting for more information.

"One entire show will be on Great Whites."

I grimaced. "She isn't going to be like trying to swim with any or anything is she?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I… I haven't asked. I don't want to know, actually."

I looked at him, really looked at him. "You're scared shitless, aren't you?"

He nodded, his eyes following her around the room.

"So ask her not to do it," I suggested.

Orli shook his head. "I can't do that, Lij." He turned to me and smiled. "We don't interfere in what the other enjoys doing. You know that. Its her job. As much as I'm sure she doesn't like the idea of me acting out sex scenes with my co-stars, she certainly isn't telling me to stop."

"Acting isn't going to get you killed." I regretted those words the moment I said them because Orli kind of paled. "I mean, not that she is. These things are always set up very carefully and all and I'm sure they'll take every precaution and not put her in danger and I'm really not helping, am I?"

He gave me a small smile. "S'okay. You're not saying anything I haven't already thought of."

The conversation ended abruptly as Torrie slid up beside Orli and he wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close for a quick kiss. I watched them silently, knowing that for the moment they didn't even realize I was there. They were lost in each other and it was kind of a cool thing to be on the outside of and watch. You don't get to experience things like that often, like you can actually see the love shared by two people. Just for a moment.

A chill ran over me and I frowned, looking away from them towards the theatre where people were beginning to gather. I wished Orli would tell Torrie he was a little afraid for her. I think if she knew, she wouldn't do anything stupid. Maybe I would have to tell her later, when Orli wasn't nearby. He'd probably club me for it later but it would be worth it.

I think we've been holding secrets from each other for much too long as it is.