Come Away With Me

“I’m sorry,” she blurted out as soon as he opened the door wearing just boxers and a white t-shirt; his face shown surprise at her sudden visit, but his eyes were warm and welcoming. “I didn’t know where else to go.” She gesticulated meekly, at a loss for something to say, with no idea how to explain everything.

“What happened?” He asked gently, noticing her blood shot eyes rimmed with tears. She was shaking all over as if she’d just run a mile, but he had heard the muffler of her old pick-up truck approaching the house just before she’d rung the doorbell.

She tucked her hair behind her ears and looked up at him, “Is Billy here?”

“No, he’s filming in Spain. Why, did he tell you he‘d be here?”

She shook her head quickly, “No, I just didn’t know where he was.”

Dom took a step forward and tipped her chin up with his index finger, “What’s wrong?” She dissolved into a new onslaught of tears which prompted him to pull her into the house and shut the door behind her. He engulfed her in a hug, which she fell into; soon her breathing returned to normal and her heart rate lowered considerably. The adrenaline she’d been rushing around on for the last two hours was slowly coming to an end, leaving her body trembling and tired.

Sniffing, she pulled away from him, out of his arms and collapsed against the closed door, shaking her head. “I didn’t think---I honestly didn’t think he’d ever break up with me.”

“Elijah broke up with you?” Dom repeated, narrowing his eyes in confusion. “Why?”

She shrugged her slender shoulders and wiped at her nose; he took a step into the kitchen and came back with a box of tissues. She thanked him and then sighed, “I don’t know why.”

“He must have given you some sort of reason,” Dom said, gently taking her wrist and leading her into the living room; the television was on MTV, but he flicked it off as soon as they entered. “It seemed like you two would be together for a while. At least that’s the impression I got when I saw him a of couple weeks ago.”

She dropped onto the sofa, the box of tissues sliding around on her lap as she blew her nose. “He flew in last night, and this morning he told me he wanted to break up. I was really happy to see him, you know, because he doesn’t often just fly in without telling me first.”

He nodded, at a loss for words. Finally he came up with the only thing he could think of, “I’m really sorry, Jane,” Dom put a tender hand on her arm as he sat closely beside her on the couch.

Jane shook her head again, “It doesn’t matter. I just…I’m just kind of confused about it because I…” her voice trailed off and she looked at him as if she’d been about to make a large confession, but thought better of it. “Do you have Billy’s number in Spain?”

He ignored her question, “Because you loved him?” His voice was soft, quiet, soothing; exactly the thing she needed. It was clear to her now, why she’d left the apartment she’d been sharing with Elijah when he had been in town, and driven in this direction, to this house, to this person.

Nodding, she blew her nose again, then sighed and leaned her head back. “I feel stupid for not realizing something was wrong.”

“Maybe nothing was. Maybe it’s just Elijah being…Elijah.”

Jane looked at him for a moment, considering this. “No, Elijah doesn’t make decisions like that so rashly. It must have been bugging him for awhile.”

“What, you?”

“Yeah, maybe I was getting on his nerves.”

Dom chuckled lightly, “I doubt it.”

She looked at him quickly, and then turned away, “What makes you say that?”

Dom leaned back and raked a hand through his hair, “He seemed to really like you. He said so, at least. To be perfectly honest, I’m as shocked as you are.”

“But you’re like his best friend. He never said anything to you?”

“No,” Dom replied quietly. “Nothing. When he talked about you, it was always good things.”

Jane stood up to throw away the used tissues; when she came back, she was chewing on her fingernail in a very Elijah-like fashion. Dom couldn’t help but laugh quietly at how alike they were, and then he thought maybe they were too alike, and Elijah had gotten bored, but he didn’t voice this revelation.

“He must have met someone else, then,” Jane said, wiping her eyes.

Dom stood up slowly, “Jane…”

“I’ve gotta go. I probably shouldn’t be here, since you’re…you know…his friend. Not mine.”

“We’re friends,” Dom replied sternly. “For God’s sake, Jane, I introduced you two. I knew you before he did. When Billy said to me, ‘Dom, I have to go take a leak, watch my little sister, will you?’ I took that seriously. Don’t just completely change how you’ve always been around me because Elijah broke up with you.”

A slow smile hit her lips, “I love how Billy calls me his little sister. I used to tell him not to, because it confused my other friends.” Jane buried her head in her hands. “I wish he was here.”

“Well,” Dom cleared his throat; he’d been friends with Jane since he had been friends with Billy, but had never been sure of how to handle her if she should get overly emotional. Billy said it only happened once a month at the most, and Dom had always said he’d much rather not be around to see it. Normally Jane was a strong person, an opinionated person, passionate about her views; Dom had always respected her, and she was quite unlike any other girl he‘d ever known. “I’m here,” he put a hand on her back and gently rubbed, looking around the room for some sort of clue about what to do next. A “How to Handle Jane” book would have been appropriate, but Billy hadn’t published it yet.

“My head is spinning,” she muttered quietly. “I think I might be on sensory overload.”

“You know what’s good for that?” Dom asked; Jane looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. “A vacation is always the best way to clear your head.”

Jane smiled slightly, a ghost of the old grin he was used to seeing on her. “Yeah, but unlike you, some people don’t have large salaries from blockbuster movies.”

“I don’t,” Dom replied seriously, “I just use what money I have wisely.”

She rolled her eyes and began walking towards the door, “I’ve got to go about finding a place to live and stuff, so I may as well get started now while I’m pissed at him…because in a couple hours I’ll be missing him instead and I’ll be in another fit of tears. Which will not help the packing.”

He strolled past her and put a hand on the door so she couldn’t open it, “Listen,” he said quietly, as if he had just cooked up a really good plan. “The house in NZ is completely abandoned right now. Sean’s spending time with his family, Elijah’s supposed to be filming, Billy, as I said, is in Spain…and I think Orlando might be in Iceland, but I can’t be sure of that. In any case, the house is empty, so why don’t you and I just go hang out there for a week? It’d be fun. I was going to go in a couple weeks anyway, by myself, and we all know it’s not as fun to get really pissed if you’re by yourself.”

“Yeah,” Jane agreed, laughing. “It’s more fun getting drunk when someone can drive you home.”

“Exactly,” he smiled at her. “So what do you say? Doesn’t a week in New Zealand sound like heaven to you right about now?”

“I have to admit that it does. I really miss that place.”

“So you could pack up all your stuff and leave it in the apartment, and find a place to stay when we get back. You could even stay here for a couple days if you want.”

“Dom, I don’t want to impose on you.”

“You won’t be. I could do with some female companionship. I’m bored.”

She really laughed this time, “Alright. I have got some money saved up. And if I don’t have to pay for a hotel, it should be okay.”

“No need for a hotel at all,” Dom smiled. “You can stay in Billy’s room because I think he actually cleaned up, and/or made his bed last time.”

I still feel the same though everything has changed
The pain it cost now I feel lost inside of my own name
But I keep running, I am running
I keep living for the day that I’m with you
That I’m with you

“It seems bigger than I remember it,” Jane stated, setting down her luggage in the living room of the hobbit house.

“That’s probably because last time you were here, so were twenty other people.” Dom chuckled and kicked the door closed before setting his bags on the nearby couch.

“Oh, yeah,” Jane grinned. “That was good times.”

Dom nodded, “Yeah. So we should probably go shopping right now, before you pass out from exhaustion and can’t give me a hand lugging all the food inside.”

Jane stuck her tongue out at him, “Fine. Just let me change out of my plane clothes. I feel gross.” She plucked at her t-shirt, making a face; Dom nodded and watched as she hauled her bags out of the room. He could hear her pulling them down the hall to where Billy’s bedroom was located, and then the slam of the door once she’d, presumably, gotten the bags inside without much trouble. He would have offered help, but she was something of a feminist, and would have gone off on him about how she can do things for herself, without the help of a ‘big, strong man’ like himself.

He figured since it had been a twelve hour flight, he may as well change as well so he hauled his luggage upstairs to his own bedroom. It was when he was turning the shower head on (just so he could jump in quickly and wash off the plane grime) that he heard voices mingling downstairs. He threw a towel around his lower body and began descending the stairs.

“What are you doing here?” Jane was saying, sounding rather frazzled; Dom could see her standing with her back to him, her hands on her hips. He assumed the visitor didn’t go by the name of Billy, or else she’d have been throwing her arms around his neck and yelling in joy rather than tapping her foot against the rug in aggravation.

Dom jumped down the last step and made his way into the living room, where two other people were congregated. “ELIJAH?”

Elijah, Jane and an unknown girl turned towards him; Elijah’s eyes bugged out of their sockets, Jane’s eyebrows rose and the unknown just smiled. “Elijah,” Dom repeated, more calmly. “What are you doing here?”

“I was just asking him that,” Jane replied, walking towards Dom, looking a bit lost and freaked out. He gave her a reassuring half-smile and then turned his attention back to Elijah.

He looked a tad on the livid side, to say the least. “More importantly, what are YOU two doing here? Together.”

Dom was about to respond, but Jane cut him off, “We asked you first.”

Elijah sighed heavily, rolling his eyes. “I came for a vacation. To get away from things. To clear my head.”

“I see,” Jane retorted hotly. “And does she help to clear your head?”

Dom snorted and then covered it up by coughing. Elijah turned towards the girl who was standing awkwardly behind him. “This is Effoie. She’s helping me get over my fear of heights so I can take advantage of the Extreme Sports Capital of the World. She doesn‘t speak much English, as she‘s French, but they say she‘s the best hypnotist in the business.”

“So that’s what they’re calling it these days,” Jane scoffed; Dom tugged on her elbow, and shook his head at her. She pulled out of his grasp, scowling at him.

Elijah ignored this newest jab and took a step towards them. “What are you two doing here? With Dom in a towel, no less.”

“I was about to get in the shower, and it was the quickest bit of clothing substance I could find, alright?” Dom blew out a long breath, “Nothing’s going on here, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“No, I’d never think that,” Elijah replied crisply. “Not with you here in an empty house together, looking guilty, and in a compromising position.”

“How’s that?” Jane cut in. “I was downstairs changing and Dom was UPSTAIRS, a full floor away from me, for God’s sake.” She jabbed her finger towards him, “And for another thing, you broke up with ME! So you can’t go around dictating who I do and don’t sleep with!”

Dom coughed, “We’re not sleeping together. For the record.”

Elijah sneered; Jane ignored Dom, staring directly at Elijah, a look of pure venom on her once innocent face. “Don’t feed me bullshit about her being a hypnotist,” Jane continued, pointing a finger at Elijah, and then at Eoffie, who looked a bit taken aback. “You never had any need to do any extreme sport besides surfing, before.”

“Before is the operative word,” Elijah replied blandly. “Maybe I felt like I was missing out on something.”

Because this was a rather plausible explanation, Jane felt herself deflate and then the familiar feeling of ‘foolitis,’ as she called it, flowed back at her in an overwhelming wave. She had never been that great at not jumping to conclusions, or thinking things through before she said them, and that had always been the biggest difference between she and Elijah. Now she slumped onto the sofa, feeling ridiculous.

Dom put a hand on her shoulder, “We were just headed out. Why don’t you two get back to what you were…doing…and we’ll continue on our way.”

“That’s a fantastic idea, Dominic,” Elijah retorted, turning on his heal and walking towards the kitchen; Eoffie walked briskly behind him, her face contorted in confusion. “We can conduct this holiday as if neither of us know the other is there.”

The past has left its stain and now I feel the shame
I’ll seize the day if you take away the chains of yesterday
But I keep running, I am running
I keep living for the day that I’m with you
And I am waiting, I am waiting
I keep waiting for the day that I’m with you

“He is SUCH a fucking BASTARD!” Jane hissed, pulling the door to the jeep closed and huffing out a long, aggravated breath.

“I hate to interrupt your tirade, because I know you’ll soon make a list of exactly what makes him a fucking bastard, but you’re in the driver’s seat. And I know you don‘t want to drive while you’re in one of your tempers. You get rage blackouts. And they scare me.”

“Bloody hell,” she muttered, sliding into the other seat. “I’ve spent way too much time in the states.”

“I do it, too. Well, I did,” Dom turned the ignition on and backed out of the paved driveway. “When I first moved to LA, and then went back to England for Christmas, I was all turned round.”

“It’d be much easier if everybody just drove on the same side of the road everywhere,” she stated, looking out the window as the sky darkened around them. “And, while we’re at it, they should also have toilet water flush the same way. It freaks me out.”

Dom chuckled quietly as he turned into the parking lot of a large grocery store with a looming neon sign. The two of them got out and began walking towards the building, when Jane asked, “Do you mind if I make a list for you? Of what makes him a fucking bastard?”

“Not at all,” Dom replied lightly, pulling a shopping cart from its fellows and steering it into the shop. Jane followed closely behind him; she grabbed a basket and slung it over her arm. Dom took it from her, set it back where it had been, and continued on, “You can put your stuff in here. I‘ll take care of it.”

“That’s lovely of you and all, but I won’t have you buying me food as well as giving me shelter.” She paused, watching him as he looked severely at her. “Okay, fine. Thank you.” Another pause. “How can she hypnotize him if she doesn’t speak English?”

“He said much English,” Dom stated, plopping a bag of chips into the cart, and casting her a cursory glance. “I’m sure she knows enough to…er…get the job done.”

Jane rolled her eyes, “I won’t go over the connotations of that statement.” A box of cereal found its way beside the bag of chips. “You think he’s telling the truth?”

Dom shrugged, throwing some oranges into a plastic baggie. “I wouldn’t know, would I.”

Jane took the bag from him, twisted it closed, and set it gently into the cart. “No, I suppose not. Unless you’re keeping something from me.”

“I don’t keep anything from you,” Dom scoffed, grabbing some apples; Jane held out a bag for them, and he carefully dropped them inside. “I would think that you’d know that by now. After being acquainted with me for about four years.” He turned completely around to face her, holding some grapefruit. “Dude. I even told you about that time Elijah and I peed in the fountain!”

Jane deposited the grapefruit into their own bag, “Dude, do not say ‘dude’. And you told everybody that story. Even the press.” She put her hands on top of his and steered the cart towards the vegetables.

“Good point.” Dom pointed to the lettuce. “Salad?” She nodded, and picked up all components of a salad he could possibly want. “Does it bother you?”

“What, salad? No, I’m rather fond of it in general.” Jane tugged on the cart, and inevitably Dom himself, and pulled them over to the frozen food section.

“No, Elijah having some girl there.”

Jane turned back to face him, a frozen bag of broccoli clutched in one hand. “It bothers me that he’s here. Not that he’s here with some girl.” She set the bag down, and continued on down the aisle. “Truth is, things have been bad between us for a while. I just hadn’t realized until I saw him tonight.”

“I hate broccoli.” He inhaled slowly, “If it helps, I don’t think they’re together like you think they are.”

“I don’t think they’re anything.” She put a tv dinner into the cart. “Broccoli is good for you; you should eat more of it.”

Dom charged on into the next aisle, Jane at his heels; he threw a few boxes of cookies on top of all the healthy foods. “You sound like Orlando. Do you like popcorn?”

“Who doesn’t like popcorn, I wonder.” She dropped a couple of different boxes of it into the cart.

He made a face, “Do you like it from the microwave, or from scratch?”

“Do you shuck your own corn, cut it off the cob, and then fry it?” A huge grin spread across her face; this was the Jane he knew, the one who challenged him, and made fun, and just had fun in general.

Dom almost laughed, but treated this subject as a serious one, instead. “No, I buy the kernels; the ones that come outside of these microwave-able containers.” He held up a jar of corn kernels. “This, for example.”

“Perhaps you can teach me how you ‘make popcorn from scratch’, then.”

“It would be my pleasure. Drinks, next, I think.” He pulled the cart from her grasp and walked briskly into the next aisle. “We can get totally sloshed and make fun of Elijah at high volumes.” Jane laughed, a truly care-free laugh.

When she stopped, he turned his back to her, pretending to check something on the shelf. “So, this isn’t ruining your holiday, I hope.” Dom carefully set some random bottles into the cart; Jane watched, fascinated.

“No, I trust your opinions on liquor.”

Dom flashed her a quick smile, “I mean the Elijah thing. Him being here and being a bastard, and everything.”

“Nope.” Jane sighed happily. “He is a bastard. I am better off without him.”

Dom nodded, smiling slightly. “Right on. Girl power, and all of that.” He laughed, holding up two different bottles. “Do you like Scotch?”

A new day the sun is shining
Seems like I’m closer to finding
That life is more than what we hide
No way that I am turning
As long as the sun is burning
Now it seems that all I want is you

Jane was giggling crazily by the time all the groceries were put away; she and Dom had dug out the bottles of alcohol first thing and sucked down a hefty amount while they unpacked everything. Elijah was no where in sight, something that made Jane visibly relax, and likewise Dom. They were free to do what they came to do, relax and enjoy each other’s company. Without the dark cloud of Elijah looming over them. It was obvious from the way she told Dom about her axed relationship that she was getting over Elijah; maybe slowly, yes, but still getting over and looking brightly towards the day when she could safely say that she didn’t care what he did anymore.

They made a salad together, bickering like an old married couple; Dom threw some steaks on, and they talked of plans for the week while they cooked. It was all very comfortable, and simple.

“You are a master chef,” Jane complimented, digging into her meal as if she hadn’t eaten for days; in actuality, she had only not eaten for about fourteen hours, but still.

“Why, thank you. You don’t do half bad, yourself.” Dom grinned at her over his wine glass. “I’ll have you know that I threw out your frozen package of broccoli.”

Jane shook her head, laughing, “You dolt.”

“I am sorry, love, but it was taking up too much room in the freezer.”

There was the sound of a door slamming, and footsteps pounding down the hallway then, which made the both of them stare at each other like deer caught in headlights. “Hi,” Elijah greeted, walking into the kitchen and heading for the refrigerator.

“Hello,” Jane replied crisply, looking down at her food instead of at him.

Elijah pulled a bottled water from the depths of the fridge, took a long gulp, and then took a deep breath. “I just wanted you to know that I’m leaving tonight. I’m just here to pack. I’m going to stay at Eoffie’s, and catch a flight tomorrow. I’ve gotta get back to filming anyway, now that I have achieved my goal.”

Jane set her silverware down, “Yes, why did you leave the set?”

“I told you why,” Elijah retorted, setting his water down on the counter. His voice softened, “Well, no, maybe I didn’t. I have to bungee jump in the movie, and I thought it’d be cool if I actually did it myself instead of a stunt man. Happy, now?”

“Yes, very,” Jane plastered on a fake smile and returned to her food.

Elijah took a step towards her; Dom watched like a hawk, waiting for its pray to make just one wrong move before he would pounce on it. Elijah set a hand on Jane’s shoulder, and she shrugged it off. “I’m really sorry if I hurt you, Jane.”

Jane snorted. “Whatever.”

“Well, I never meant to. I just need to be on my own.”

“I know that. It’s fine. I’m over it. Seriously.”

“I always hated when you talked in such short sentences.” Elijah shrugged, mumbled something into Dom’s ear, and then left the room.

Dom, clearly at a loss to say, was surprised when Jane spoke the first words. “Did you buy and dessert?”

“I think there’s some freezer burnt ice cream in there if you really want something…but we could just make some popcorn, from scratch, and watch a film.”

Jane looked up, smiling broadly. “Yeah. I’d really like that.”

They joked around with each other as Dom explained the finer art of popping your own popcorn without the assistance of an electronic device. Jane insisted that for that to be true, they’d have to build a fire and pop the corn over that, which Dom said was impossible as the house wasn’t equipped for such antics. He went on to say that there were no matches, anyway, which would make building a fire unachievable. Jane disagreed, saying that if they had a magnifying glass and some sun, they’d be good to go. As it was nighttime, Dom explained, this would also be a fruitless act of labor.

As they settled down to watch a movie, Elijah popped his head into the room. “I’m leaving now, but I just wanted to tell you guys to have a good time.” He waved. “Bye.”

Jane and Dom called, “Goodbye” at the same time, and then leaned against each other, clinking their wine glasses together in a silent toast.

I still feel the same though everything has changed
The pain it cost now I feel lost inside of my own name
But I keep running, I am running
I keep living for the day that I’m with you
And I am waiting, I am waiting
I keep waiting for the day that I’m with you
That I’m with you

The sun was shining onto his eyes when he squinted them open; he blinked several times, sighed, and was attempting to get up when he heard a low grunt beside him. This woke him up quicker than caffeine coursing intravenously through his system.

“Good morning,” Jane mumbled, snuggling up to him.

Dom relaxed against the bed, a smile spreading across his lips. “Morning, love.”

He felt her smile against his chest, “Do we have to get up?”

“Not just yet,” Dom laughed thickly.

“That was good times last night,” Jane stated, sitting up a little to look him in the eye.

He took a deep breath. “I was worried you’d wake up and scream that this was a mistake. When, actually, I think it was the furthest thing from a mistake I’ve ever made.”

Jane leaned up to kiss his cheek, laughing as her skin came in contact with his early morning stubble. “I didn’t consider it a mistake last night; I am agreeing with myself this morning.”

Dom chuckled, “Fantastic, then. I’ll make you breakfast.” When he didn’t move, she giggled slightly, and he relaxed against her once more, sighing in contentment. “I honestly didn’t think you’d remember a thing that went on.”

“I wasn’t that drunk,” Jane enthused, tracing a finger down Dom’s chest.

Dom dropped a kiss at the top of her head, smiling fondly, “Yes, you were.”

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