When the guys arrived back home it was already starting to get light outside and Billy, still very mad at the earlier fight, ushered the hung-over lads inside.
�In, now.� he shortly exclaimed and waited until everyone had dropped down on the sofa of Elijah�s house before continuing with �I haven�t got a clue what possesed you to get into a fight like that. If I hadn�t been there they would have surely kicked your arse. Do you actually use your brains once in a while?�
No answer and Billy sighed deeply.
�Obviously not.�
�Bill�you�re not angry with me, are you? After all I spent all night chatting with you.� Dominic gently asked and the Scot obviously seemed to consider that fact seriously. Then he shrugged and replied �I guess not. Those other three are a whole different story however. They even refuse to talk. Hmm, let�s see what we can do about that.�
He picked up the phone and dailed a number.
�Bill�what exactly are you doing?� Dom asked and his mate shrugged a few times.
�I�m calling the girls.�
�No! You can�t do that!� Orlando who had returned to the world of the living again shouted in shock and Lij nodded in agreement. �They will kill us!�
�Good cuz that means I don�t have to do it myself.� Billy simply replied before rolling his eyes and then smiling gently when he heard one of the girls on the other end.
�Hi Daphne. I�m sorry to call this early but this is important�erm, that�s how you could put it yes�no, they are not hurt, unfortunately�fine, see you in a few�bye.�
Four pairs of pleading eyes were staring at the oldest man in the room, who just grinned evily and told them �They are coming.�
Exactly three minutes later two girls were standing inside the livingroom, both of them with crossed arms and killer-looks on their faces.
�So Billy, can you tell us what happened at that club?� Dee asked in the nicest voice she could muster up and the Scot coughed slightly.
�Well, it was like this. Me and Dom were just having a drink when these three idiots came running our way, telling us that Atti had kissed some guy.�
Billy paused for a second to throw a dirty glance towards his mates on the couch before picking up the story again.
�The problem however was that this guy didn�t want to kiss and also had a few very strong male friends who loved to kick a few arses. Anyway, we left as soon as possible but they followed us outside with only one thing on their minds. These fools here were too drunk to even fight an old granny and so I had to help them again. It�s really starting to annoy me, you know. I always must save them out of these bloody positions, like I�m their bloody father.�
Daphne nodded at the story, then looked down at Orli with a frown.
�Is this true?�
He looked up and whispered �Erm�I�m �fraid so. It wasn�t my fault though, it was Atti.�
�You could have stopped him. After all it�s your best friend.�
Andre cleared his throat and cut in with �Don�t talk about me like I�m not here. Besides, I still believe he fancied me. He made the first move to look at me and I just followed.�
�Right. And I�m Cinderella.� Dom sarcastically stated, a sentence that stole a strange look from Billy.
�You say that often, you know. Want to talk about something?�
�Nah, it�s just that my Dad forced me to read all those fairytales when I was younger. It left some sort of obsession behind.�
�So I noticed.�
�Lads, can we please return to the actual problem? Which is you getting into trouble, like always?� Dee spoke and Daphne glared at her and muttered �Look who�s talking.�
�Shut up.�
�I�m sorry, okay. I won�t do it again. It was stupid and foolish but it will never happen again, honest.� Elijah exclaimed while looking at Dee, who nodded slowly.
�Fine then. I�m just not willing to pay your bail or stitch your wounds when something happens next time, alright?�
�Alright. Kiss then?�
As soon as their lips met Dom shouted desperately �Bucket! I need a bucket!� but he was painfully ignored.
�I�m sorry. I won�t do it again and it was foolish and blah blah.� Orlando said in his best Elijah immitation before getting up and wrapping his arms around Daphne�s waist. �Kiss?�
�No! You don�t mean a thing from what you�re saying and I know for a fact that you will get into trouble again.� Daphne stated while wiggling out of the embrace and Orlando shook his head and said frustrated �But so will Lij!�
�So? If Dee�s stupid enough to fall for that, let her. I won�t.�
�I heard that you know!� Dee said hotly but Daph just ignored that and pointed at Orli.
�You need to make up for it, boy. Let your imagination work and I�ll consider it.�
�But that�s so mean!�
�That�s life. For now I�m going back home to clean�erm, I mean to go to bed again. Come on, Dee.�
Daphne grabbed her best mate, who was still kinda tangled up with Lij, by the hand and dragged her back outside again.
�Will you eventually get used to those girls?� Atti softly asked Dominic, who violently shook his head and replied �Not in a million years.�
And that�s how the night officially ended and the new day started�
Dom had as usually sneaked inside the girls� house again when nobody had noticed it and was now clearing the fridge of�erm�food.
�Dominic Monaghan. Now I know why our food keeps disappearing.� A female voice suddenly filtered in and Dom dropped the slice of cold pizza he had been eating back into the box.
�I�m completely innocent!� the Brit replied in shock while turning around as fast as possible and facing none other than Tamara. She smiled sweetly and shook her head.
�Yeah, right. It doesn�t matter you�re here though. In fact it�s really good cuz I wanted to speak to you anyway.�
�Oh, about what?� the actor asked and Tam beamed happily �I have found you the perfect boyfriend!�
�Excuse me?� Dom replied in shock and the girl grinned even wider.
�Oh come on Dom, you don�t have to be ashamed to be gay, you know. It�s perfectly fine. You could have just told me the truth though, but it�s fine.�
�Tam, you don�t understand. I�m��
But she just waved a finger in Dominic�s face and cut him off with �Yeah, I know it�s none of my business to find you a boyfriend but some help is always good. His name�s Anthony, he�s 26 and he�s very handsome. He works as a photographer too and he lives only a few blocks away. What do you say to that?�
�I�m�I�m dumbstruck.�
�Oh, that�ll go. At least make sure it�s gone before tonight. It would totally spoil your date if you were all quiet and shy.� Tamara rambled on and therefore missed the scared expression on Dom�s face.
�Tonight!? A date tonight!? But Tam, I don�t like men!�
�You don�t like men? And you�re gay? How�s that possible?� Tamara asked and Dominic couldn�t help but roll his eyes.
�I�m not gay.�
�But�but you said you didn�t want a girlfriend.�
�I never said I was gay. I�m just not looking for a girlfriend right now. I like being single at the moment, that�s all.�
Tamara blushed furiously at her mistake but Dom only laughed and exclaimed �No need to be ashamed. You only meant to do good.�
�Yeah�now I have to cancel your date however. Anthony won�t be pleased after me bragging about you like mad.�
The word �bragging� combined with Tam�s smile was making Dom slightly dizzy and kinda�erm�excited to say the least and it took him all he had to shrug the feeling off.
�Thanks for caring Tam but I�m fine like this. And for Anthony, you can always ask Atti to date him.�
�That�s true. Well, see you later again�and please leave at least some food for us girls tonight?�
�I will. See ya around.�
�Well, that bloody fool.� Daphne stated more to herself than anyone else when entering the girls house later that afternoon.
�Who�s a fool?� Dee asked while dropping the magazine she was reading back on the table and looking up at her mate.
�Dom is. He did drink alcohol last night when he was out with the lads. You can blackmail that boy all you want to, he just won�t listen.�
�But didn�t you say he could drink some?� the older girl asked and Daphne nodded.
�Yeah, I did but he drank the amount that would turn a normal human being into a sick piece of wobbly jello.�
�So, what do you wanna do now? We can hardly follow him everywhere he goes, can we?�
�Well, I do have a plan. We do have to get into Lij�s house at night though, preferably without him nor Dom nor Billy noticing.�
Dee shrugged and replied �Well, that�s not a problem. I can spend the night there and open up for you at, let�s say, four o�clock. Nobody would notice.�
�Great.�
�Talking about boyfriends though, what�s going on between Orli and you? Did he try to make up already?� Dee asked with a smirk and Daphne stuck out her tongue.
�He tried, yes.�
�And..?�
�And what?�
�Did you forgive him?�
�Of course I did. I wasn�t angry with him to begin with. It was just some wonderful stuff to bribe him with.�
Dee laughed loudly at that and shook her head.
�Anyway� Daph changed the subject �Let me introduce you to my �let�s-save-Dom� plan.�
In the middle of the night�
An unsatisfied little moan escaped Elijah�s lips when Dee untangled herself from his naked frame and sat up on the side of the bed. She immediately held her breath and kept perfectly still until he had turned himself onto his stomach and hid his head in the pillows with a deep sigh. When she was sure the coast was clear she put on a robe and tip-toed downstairs to open up the frontdoor. Daphne looked like she had been awake all night already and that was probably even the truth, and Dee let her in with a gesture. The two girls got back up again but not before throwing a worried glance towards the couch were Billy was snoring loudly.
Once they had made it upstairs again the oldest one of the girls looked at her mate and asked �Where are the blankets?�
Daph shoved one in Dee�s hands, who immediately totally covered herself up with the piece of fabric. Daphne did the same and once they were both satisfied with the results they opened up the door to Dom�s room. The poor lad was obviously dreaming as he moved around quite a bit, and Dee coughed loudly. The sound had no effect on the actor however and Daphne whispered �Dominic.�
Nothing happened and Dee finally decided it was time for harder messurements.
�Dominic Monaghan.� she stated in a deep loud voice and the Brit sat up straight in bed right away.
�Huh, what�s happening?� he gently asked before noticing the two white spirits at the side of his bed and he held his breath.
�We are the Ghosts of Booze and we are here to take you to hell.� one of them spoke and Dom�s face turned into a sickening white colour.
�To hell? But�but what have I done?�
�You have been drinking too much, Dominic. You have been warned but crossed a line when you didn�t listen to those two very smart and wise and pretty and�ouch!�female friends of yours. You are doomed.�
�Am I gonna die then?� Dom asked in a small voice and the second ghost explained �We can give people another chance but in your case it seems very hopeless.�
�Why? I will do anything, just don�t let me die!�
The girls almost laughed at Dom�s anxiety but stayed in their role with much affort.
�You must give up the booze, young Dominic. Give up the booze and live. Continue your life as it is now and we will be back.�
�I will quit. I promise!�
�Fine then. Remember what we said and it will all be fine again.�
With those words the spirits wanted to walk out of the door again when it opened from the other side and Lij stood in the entrance.
�What is going on here?� he asked in half annoyance, half boredom while eyeing the �ghosts��Dee, Daph, why are you in Dom�s room with blankets covering you?�
With a deep sigh the girls pulled the material from their heads and Daphne shot back �Why do you have to spoil everything again, Eye-lijah?�
Lij wisely decided to ignore that comment and wanted to repeat his question when Dom cut him off with �Bloody hell, it were you!�
Dee nodded sheepishly and Dom crawled back from his spot against the headboard to the middle of the bed.
�I should seriously hurt you for this, you know. Waking me up in the middle of the night pretending to kill me!�
�We�re sorry. We only did it for your own good.� Daphne hurriedly said while yanking the blanket from Dee�s hands again and walking towards the door, quite clearly trying to make a fast disappearance. That plan failed however when Elijah closed the door in front of her and leaned against it while saying �Once again, what the fuck is going on here? It�s not very healthy to find two girls in your house in the middle of the night wearing sheets.�
Wendy almost snickered at that but she recognized her boyfriend�s �don�t mess with me� glare and stared at her toes instead.
�We tried to help Dom with his huge consumation of alcohol. Every time you see a pic of him at a party he is drinking or holding a drink and before some cruel people make up horrible stories about him, me and Daphne tried to warn him to cut down on the booze.�
�And you seriously thought this was going to work?� Lij asked doubtfully and Daphne exclaimed �It was working perfectly fine until you found us. The lad was scared half to death.�
�I was not!� Dominic protested but before another argument could occure, Lij held up his hands and replied �Okay, I know enough. Daph, I think it�s time for you to go home again. Dom, shut up and go back to sleep. And you young lady, who�s the next person you gonna let into my house in the middle of the frigging night?�
Dee shrugged and responded with �That�s a surprise.�
�A surprise I don�t want to get, for sure. Well, let�s end this party again, shall we? I wanna go back to sleep.�
With a few small but very effective movements Elijah was able to usher Daphne out of the apartment, clear Dom�s room of unneeded blankets and such, turn of the lights and hide himself and Dee under the warmth of the sheets of his own bed again to�uhm�lecture her (yes, that was it!LOL)