Chapter Ten
Author: Tabi a.k.a. FearisHowIFall
Part 10:
Orlando rolled over in his bed and tried to focus his sleep bleary eyes. After being away from his own bed for nearly three weeks it felt nice to come home and sleep in the familiarity of his own room for a few hours. The cast had returned the day before and immediately had to get back to work again. He had gotten off earlier in the day though and decided to come home and catch up on some much needed rest. The others wouldn�t be home until late since they were filming Shire scenes. Looking over at the clock he determined if he got up and showered now he could get to the bar just before it opened. Justice would get him in and maybe they could talk a little bit before the crowds took over her attention.
In the almost three weeks he and the others had been gone they had managed to talk on the phone a few minutes every few days, but that just wasn�t the same as talking to her face to face. He missed her animation and excitement. He also missed the way her green eyes flashed with amusement at one of his jokes or challenged him when they would talk world politics. As he got to know her it was obvious that when it came to their politics they were about as incompatible as you could be, but instead of being a deterrent he found himself loving the fact that they could just sit and debate. They never felt that they had to give into one another or agree just for the sake of getting along. He loved the fact that they could have so much fun and spontaneity one moment with her and the next they could lose themselves in deep conversation on anything from literature and the arts to the state of the world. They only thing they didn�t talk about was her past. He�d tried many times but she would laugh it off or change the subject. From what he could gather from the little she or Elijah said she grew up spoiled but dominated by the men in her life. Sighing he rolled out of bed and stumbled into the shower.
The shower was warm and refreshing and helped to wake him up. His muscles were still a bit sore from all of the extra training had been put through lately. Getting out of the shower and drying off he started getting dressed. He couldn�t deny that he was excited to see Justice after being away from seeing her. He also couldn�t help but wonder if she ever got excited about seeing him. It was obvious when they were together that she was excited to see all of them, especially Elijah but if she was more excited to see him than the others she never showed it.
After grabbing his wallet and sliding it into the back pocket of his low hanging jeans he was walking out the door when the phone rang. Anyone of importance would have called his cell he thought as he began walking towards the front door allowing the phones placed variously across the house to keep ringing. After the third ring it occurred to him that he had turned his cell off before falling asleep to keep from being bothered. Trudging over to the phone in the kitchen he picked up the receiver and answered. A smile replaced his grimace when he heard the sorely missed voice of his mother.
Forty-five minutes later Orlando said goodbye to his mother on the other line and looked down to his watch. It was after eight now. The bar would be starting to fill up on a Thursday night. Grabbing his keys he went out to his jeep and cranked it up determined to at least go and see her even if they couldn�t talk during her shift. The drive to the bar only took 20 minutes and Orlando noticed a line starting to line up outside as he pulled into the parking lot. Jogging up to the door he went to the bouncer who was letting people in.
�Back of the line,� the tall slightly built man told Orlando as he walked up to the entrance of the bar.
�Is Justice on clock tonight?� Orlando questioned.
�Hang on,� the bouncer instructed as he leaned in the door to talk to the cashier who was behind the counter. Looking back at Orlando he looked the guy over. �Why are you asking about Justice?�
�I�m a friend of hers.�
�A friend? Well friend, she�s not here. She called in sick tonight.� The bouncer replied and turned back to his duties.
�Thanks mate,� he replied quickly as he walked back towards his jeep. Pulling out his cell phone he dialed her house number and listened as the line rang and rang to no answer, not even that of an answering machine. After cranking the engine and starting to reverse out of the parking lot he made his way towards her house. Dialing her cell phone he was surprised when it went straight to voice mail. Without leaving a message he hung up and drove quickly to her house. Pulling into the driveway he found her car parked there and not a light on in the house. He jogged up to the door and rang the doorbell and waited for an answer, after several knocks and rings of the bell she still hadn�t answered. He thought briefly that maybe she had gone out on a date and that filled him with a raging surge of jealousy. After taking a deep breath he walked over to the living room window and peeked in. With only a candle burning for light he was just able to make out the shape of a body there on the couch. Orlando tried to control the shaking of his hands as the adrenaline started pumping through his body. Was she hurt? Going back over to the door he retrieved the key that she had hidden for him and the others to use if they came over and she wasn�t home. None of them had to use it yet, but he was glad it was there. Inserting the key he found the door already unlocked, and panic spread through him. Opening it as silently as possible he walked into the dark house. His ears automatically picked up the sounds of crying and whimpering coming from the living room where Justice was. Without thought as to if someone was still in the house he ran over to her. She was curled up on her side with her knees drawn up as tightly as she could manage to her chest and tears were streaming down her face. Her eyes were closed and her face was drawn in a grimace. In the silence of the house he could hear the sounds of faint music playing from the headphones she was wearing.
Knowing she wouldn�t hear him he reached out and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her eyes immediately popped open and she sat up with her hands curling into fists until she realized who it was. Taking off her headphones she looked him over. The candlelight bouncing off of his smooth skin. The golden glow of the light reflecting in his amber eyes making them gleam like jewels.
�You scared the fuck out of me Orlando. Don�t you know how to knock or ring a bell?� She immediately felt bad for the tone of her voice but she couldn�t keep the edge out. She laid back down as another stab of pain shot through her taking her breath away.
�I did knock and ring and I called both of your lines. When I found the door unlocked I thought maybe someone had broken in and hurt you. I was going to surprise you at work tonight and they told me you called in sick. What�s wrong?�
�Nothing. I�m fine. Maybe we can get together tomorrow night at work?� she tried to brush him off. He really needed to leave. She was hurting and really didn�t want to have him there.
�You don�t look fine. You look pale and you�ve been crying. Tell me what�s wrong. I can help you, Jus.� He lowered his voice at the end to a concerned whisper.
�Guys aren�t suppose to care when girls start crying, it happens all the time. Just go home. I�m fine, I don�t need your help,� she argued. Another intense wave of pain flowed over her and she tightened her legs back up to her chest as far as she could, that seemed to help her control some of it. She really needed Orlando to leave, she didn�t want him knowing what was wrong.
�You�re not fine. Women may cry but I don�t think you usually do and I do care. Let me help you,� he tried to reason with her. The look on her face and the fact that she was pulling her legs up tight and clutching her stomach led him to think he knew what the problem was.
�You can�t. Please leave, Orli.� Her soulful green eyes tried to convey to him that he really didn�t want to know what was going on with her.
�Dammit Jus, shut the hell up. You don�t have to be strong all the fucking time. If you are fucking hurting then let me help you. Don�t be stubborn, not right now,� He finally got fed up with her. It was about time she learned that he could be just as stubborn as she could. She might not feel the same but he knew that his feelings were turning to be more than just friendship and attraction. Better she learn now that he could get his way too.
�Look Bloom I really appreciate you being concerned and all but you don�t want to know what�s going on. So just go away.�
�Oh so now you�re going to be pissed at me, huh Matthews,� he stressed the use of her last name. �I�m not stupid, I grew up with two women. You don�t think I�ve had to deal with my fair share of PMT. Now shut up and let me help you, damn stubborn woman.�
Justice just looked at him glaring down at her. His face was set in a hard determined look but his eyes showed that he was very much concerned for her.
�Fine. Stay if you want. I�m going to try to get some sleep.�
�Do you have take anything for this?� he asked her.
�No. This only happens when I�m stressed out. I usually use acetaminophen, like Tylenol, but I�m out right now.�
�Well then I�m going to pop out now and get you some things. I�ll be right back and I�m going to lock the door behind me. I�ll use the spare key to get back in. And don�t think that you and I aren�t going to have a talk about you leaving doors unlocked,� he told her with a hard look and then with a soft kiss to her forehead he got up and walked out of the house. Justice lay on the couch watching him go before putting her head phones back on and returning to listening to her music. The continual waves of pain in her abdomen and back made the tears flow harder as she became more sensitive to the pain with the passing minutes. She was almost asleep when she felt her headphones removed and a pair of arms finding their way under her body by her upper back and under her knees. Orlando�s scent filled her nose bringing back the feelings of security that being around him always gave her. The movement of her body made her whimper unconsciously. In addition to the cramps she was fighting a huge headache.
�I know baby, I�m just moving you to your room,� he murmured and placed a feather light kiss on her forehead as he carried her down the hallway and laid her down on her bed. The sheets were cold against her body, making her sigh with contentment. �I�ll be right back. I�m going to go get that pain reliever I got you and some warm tea should help as well.�
�Okay,� she tried make her voice as even as possible. She�d already been a big enough pansy in front of him. Orlando left the room and went back to the kitchen where he found the kettle and began boiling the water. He started working on the few dishes she had in the sink while he waited for the water to finish boiling. Once the whistling began he filled two mugs and dropped in a few bags of chamomile and jasmine tea that he found in her cabinets. Along with the pain reliever and a gift that he found her he made his way back to the room. As he got near he could hear her crying softly, he could tell that when she heard him coming back down the hall to sniffled and tried to act as if she hadn�t been crying. He�d intentionally left the room dark for her knowing that she might want to keep in the dark like she was on the couch with only a candle burning. As he passed by the bathroom he flicked on the light switch and closed the door most of the way so that the room was only bathed in a very dim partial light. She remained turned over on her side facing away from the bathroom curled into a tight ball.
�I�ve brought you some tea and Tylenol,� he said with a tenderness foreign to Justice, as he set the things down on the night stand on the opposite side of the bed. He set the gift he found for her on the floor. He walked around the bed and kneeled down in front of her. Her cheeks were still glistening from her tears but her eyes were clear and bright no other sign of her pain or tears remained. He�d never seen anyone who could hide the fact that they had been crying so well.
�You don�t have to hide your tears from me love,� he softly told her as he let his thumb run over her cheek bone feeling the coldness of her skin. Her response was to close her eyes and begin trying to sit up. He immediately tried to help her but she dodged his help. Dejectedly he walked over to the opposite side and crawled onto the bed next to her. When she was sitting up he handed her the mug of golden liquid and three Tylenol from the bottle. She immediately took the pills and drank half of the liquid.
�Thank you. You don�t have to stay with me, I�m sure you had better plans than watching me piss and moan like a baby.�
�Spending as much time with you as I could were my plans for the night. At least here I don�t have to share you with any other guys.�
�Trust me, the way I feel right now there will be no �other guys� for quite some time. I appreciate it but seriously you can go home.�
�Stop being stubborn,� he told her. �I brought you a present, but I don�t think you�ve earned it. All you�ve done is bitch at me, you haven�t told me hi or how much you missed me,� he pouted. She smiled at the way his lips puffed out. How was it possible she was in mind numbing pain and he still made her want to kiss him senseless.
�You�re right. I�m sorry Orli. I�ve been a bitch. You know I�ve missed you. I�m very glad that you are back and that you wanted to come to my work and see me tonight,� she explained and leaned over to give him a deep kiss on the lips, the pain momentarily forgotten as he leaned towards he more making it more comfortable for her and kissed her just as deeply. His tongue dipped into her mouth to taste her. She had to give him that, he could kiss like no one else.
�Now that�s a welcome. I hope you like him,� he told her as he leaned back over the bed and retrieved her gift. When he was at the store he had seen it and it looked so soft. He handed over the deep mocha covered stuffed bear and was happy to see the smile on her face.
She looked at him and couldn�t help but feel so touched by the gift. She had been nothing but snotty to him when all he was trying to do was be nice and help her and yet he still got her such a sweet gift. The bear was a deep brown reminding her of the color of Orlando�s own mohawked hair and the button eyes were a lighter brown. Just like Orlando�s again. The material was soft and squishy, perfect for cuddling.
�He�s so cute,� she cooed and looked to Orlando. �Thank you. It�s a fantastic gift. You know he kinda looks like you. I think I will call him OB.� He watched as she hugged it close to her body.
�You aren�t planning on kicking me out of your bed now are you? Don�t know if I could live with the rejection,� he teased.
�As cute as he is, he just isn�t quite the same as snuggling up to a warm male body,� she teased and then took a deep breath as a sharp piercing cramp rolled over her body. He immediately noticed the tensing of her body and dulling of her eyes.
�Baby you need to relax, if you tense it�ll just hurt more. Do you have a hot water bottle he asked watching as she shook her head. �Okay then, just lay down.� She did as he told her to do and she immediately curled up on her side with her back to him. She didn�t want him to see her face. He got off the bed and stripped down to his boxers then climbed back under the covers. Coming up behind her he spooned her, he could feel the tense muscles of her back. �Justice, relax baby. Move your legs down just a little bit love,� he instructed her.
�No, this helps the pain,� she responded quietly.
�I know. I promise this will help too.� She did as he asked, pulling her legs down slightly. �Since you don�t have a heating pad I�m going to lay my hand over your stomach and let the heat of my body try to ease the pain. Please, baby, just trust me,� he pleaded as he put his right arm under her pillow to cradle her head. With his left hand he splayed it over her taut stomach. Above his hand he could feel the soft material of the bear brush against his skin with each of her breaths. She was breathing quickly trying to control her reactions to the pain. �Don�t force it, just relax and let the pain start to calm. I'm not going anywhere.� His soft voice was the last sound heard in the room for over half an hour. With his head laying over her shoulder he would brush the occasional comforting kiss over her cheek when he could feel her tense with another cramp.
�Is it always this bad?� he finally asked into the quiet room, his voice only a whisper.
�No. Only when I�m stressed out,� she whispered back to him and then they both fell silent until she broke it again a few minutes later. �I�m sorry for being such a pansy. I know that cramps really aren�t all that bad and that women deal with them everyday. I�m well I�m just sorry you had to see me like this. I promise I don�t usually act like this. I�m usually much stronger than this with a higher pain tolerance.�
�Justice you are one of the last people I�d ever call a pansy. You�d probably kick my arse if I did,� he tried to joke and he felt her cheeks pull up with her smile. �Why would you think that I�d be bothered by this?�
�It�s just that women have always dealt with this kind of shit. I�m not any different, why should I carry on this way the few times that it happens to me? Jake used to get so mad at me. He was right there�s no need for me to carry on like a baby. It�s just sometimes it when it gets really bad its like my muscles get sore and then the pain just gets worse and worse. I just hate it when I do the whole girly thing and get all weepy and have to make a man feel like they have to take care of me. That�s not what I mean to do. I would never think that I had to have a guy take care of me, especially over something like fuckin� cramps.� When she finished he pulled her closer to his body.
�Well I can tell you that I think its great that every once in awhile you give me the opportunity to care for you instead of the other way around. I don�t think you�re being a baby and I don�t think that cramps are a little thing, even if it is a normal thing for some women. I�ve seen my mum and sister go through some bad days with them.� They were both silent for a moment. �Who�s Jake?� he couldn�t resist asking. This was the second reference she had made to him.
�Oh he�s my ex. I broke up with him right before I moved here. I met him through my friend Cami when I first moved to Dallas. We went out until my freshman year of college,� she told him.
�That�s a long relationship.�
�A little too long now that I look back at it. Don�t know why I ever thought I loved him.�
�How�d it end?� he asked as he rubbed his hand gently over her stomach.
�Bad. I sent him to the hospital with a broken nose and bruised ribs. There are a lot of things I can tolerate. I can stand being yelled at and put down even, but no one hits me.�
�He hit you?�
�Once. We got into a fight and he punched me in the face. We ended up in a huge fist fight right there in his best friends living room. Less than six months later I was preparing to move here.�
�I can�t ever imagine hitting a woman.�
�Well neither did he, but that�s what some drugs can do to you.� She couldn�t believe she was talking about this with Orlando. She hadn�t even told Lij about Jake.
�He was a drug user?�
�Well he didn�t start out that way. He was a Junior when I moved to Dallas and met him. Mr. Hot shot of the school. All State Football god. It started out just being steroid use. At that time the schools weren�t making the students take the drug tests. If those weren�t bad enough he started doing a few lines of cocaine on the weekends when we�d go to parties. As the years went by he started branching out and experimenting more and more. They finally started taking over his life, altering his moods, he was angry all the time and I caught most of it. The steroids starting causing other problems that just made him more and more mad. After graduating her went on to play football at one of the Universities around Dallas, SMU. He was going play football and start on his law degree. What he didn�t count on was the football team spot checking for drug use. Before season began he was already kicked off the team. Well things just went down hill from there. Anyways. I don�t know why I�m telling you all of this. It�s all the past and it doesn�t matter. Not like it was love or anything,� she finished and they laid there. Orlando was in thought, he could tell that she was leaving out parts of the story. Whoever this Jake guy was it sounded like he didn�t deserve a girl like Justice.
�Have you ever been in love Jus?�
�Nah. I don�t think I�m the loving kind. Some people are just meant to find their one and only, settle down, be blissfully happy with good careers and then become even happier when they start popping out a few pups. Others just find people they are attracted to that they can kill time with until the next person comes along, eventually finding that one person that they don�t mind existing with for the rest of their lives.�
�What group do you fit in, love?� he asked her wanting to know what she thought of herself. He knew what group he fit in.
�Neither. I�m the kind that doesn�t get to find love or lifelong companionship. And thank goodness for that. I�d never wish putting up with my shit on anyone else.� She chuckled wryly to herself. �What about you Bloom?�
�Me? I�m in the first group. I know that I have someone out there that fits me and we�ll meet fall in love and have the house, the dog, the kids, the whole package and we�ll be happy and everyone will be jealous.�
�That�s so sappy,� she told him but in the dark he couldn�t see the tear that trailed down her cheek to land on the pillow silently. �As sappy as it is. I know you�ll have all that. You Orlando Bloom lead a charmed life. Nothing and no one will hold you back, I can see it now. I�ll be sitting at home on my couch a few years from now and I�ll see you at those awards shows getting trophy after trophy for your work. Give it five years and Orlando Bloom will be a household name. Women will be throwing their panties at you and screaming your name as you walk those red carpets. Orli the superstar, you�re gonna be big,� she giggled and smiled. �Have you always wanted to act?�
�Yes, well besides wanting to be Batman or Superman when I was six,� he told her and they both smiled. �It�s always been my dream.�
�Good for you Orli, living your dream.�
�What about you? What is your dream when you grow up?�
�I�ve still got some growing up to do after all. I don�t know. I don�t really have one. Not one that can happen anyways. I�ll just continuing waitressing for a few more years and maybe take some classes along the way but there�s really not anything that I�ll ever be able to do.� She sighed.
�Well even if it might not seem like it right now, I�m sure that one day you�ll be able to make it happen. C�mon what�s your dream job. If you could do absolutely anything in the world what would it be.�
�It�s stupid, Jake was right about it too. Its not even attainable. But if I could do absolutely anything in the world regardless of money. I feel so stupid telling you this,� she sighed out.
�Hey I just told you that I wanted to be a super hero, tell me your dreams Justice,� he urged.
�Fine. I�d want to own my own ranch. I love to breed ranch horses have cattle to raise and sell the whole nine yards. Either that or be a Equine Vet, but I�d prefer to ranch. How silly is that? It�d take way too much money to ever do. Regardless though one of these days I�ll move way out into the country and have a few horses of my own and a dog. I miss having a few dogs running around.�
�I think that�s a great dream to have. I can see you doing that. Where would you have it?�
�Since I�ll never step foot back in Texas again I think I�d like to have it in Kentucky or Montana.� She shifted in his arms to face him and he looked down at her.
�So you�d only live in the States?� He wasn�t sure why he thought he wanted to know the answer to that but he did.
�Well I�ve never been anywhere else but here and I just don�t think I�ll stay here for many more years. It�s beautiful here but something just tells me that this isn�t home. I don�t know. I guess if I ever got to travel around I might find somewhere that I�d love even more. What about you? When you become all rich and famous where do you want to live?� she asked as she held the bear, OB, between them and played with his yellow bow-tie. The feel of his warm hand rubbing over her back soothingly was putting her to sleep.
�I don�t know, but I think home will always be in England. I�m sure when it�s all said and done I�ll settle down close to home. I�d hate to be too far away from my mum and Sam. I�d miss them so much. I miss them now. Do you miss your family?� he asked and waited to see what she would say.
�Don�t want to talk about them, I want to sleep. You�re so warm,� she murmured drowsily. �Thank you. I forgot how nice it is to have someone care for me.�
He dropped a kiss on the top of her head and heard her sigh. He knew she meant that she liked having someone take care of her. He wished she could understood just how much she really was cared for. Her even breath across his chest let him know that she had finally found peace enough from the pain to be able to rest. Gathering her closer he sighed and closed his eyes.
Disclaimer: No infringement intended. I am in no way associated with any real person in this fiction. I promise to return all of the actors bathed, fed, and unharmed when I am done.
Authors Note: I apologize for any errors that I make concerning the filming of the movie. You�ll notice that I have tweaked a few things about the characters that I did not know or for reasons of making the story flow. If any of you are big music fans you might notice in some of the chapters that I have made reference or used music that was not currently released at that time, just play along. There is a reason for it.
Dedication and my Thanks: I�d like to thank my beta�s FourLeaf Clover and Madame Marigold for all their patient help. These two put up with so much from me, thank you so much! I�d also like to thank SueJo for ALL of her help. Thank you guys so much.