The next morning brought a banging that sounded as if construction was happening directly outside their door, though it wasn’t. As the knocking continued, it got louder and louder, finally reaching the sound of a large boulder being thrust against the door time and again.

“What the bloody hell,” Dom muttered, pulling a shirt on over his boxers and shuffling to the door.

Liberty consulted his watch on the bedside table and groaned, “It’s quarter to six. In the MORNING.”

Dom was scratching his head when he pulled the door opening, revealing Billy who was still pounding heavily on the wooden door, creating an echoing in the silent corridor.

“Billy. What ARE you doing?”

“Pounding,” Billy answered obviously. “You guys up? Good.”

Liberty rolled over in bed, groaning again, and pulled the covers up over her head.

“Mooooooooooorning, Liberty!” Billy called cheerfully, dropping into a chair beside the bed.

She replied by muttering something incoherent. “Right on,” Dom affirmed.

“How did you understand her?”

“I didn’t. I guessed she was saying something terribly rude. Which I, naturally, agreed with.” He slid back into bed, though sitting up and looking at Billy as if he were a very unwelcome puppy who had dome something terribly disgusting on the doorstep. Dom yawned, “What do you want?”

“You’re very snappish,” Billy said, sounding like an eager psychologist. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Just sleep,” Liberty retorted, pulling a pillow over her head.

Billy looked sourly at the pile of blankets which was Liberty, “I forgot she’s not so cheery in the morning.”

“And you HAVE woken her up enough to know,” Dom laughed. “I’m surprised she even speaks to you.”

“Yes, well,” Billy said briskly, clapping his hands together. “We have much to speak about.”

“Like?” Dom asked, yawning again. “I need coffee, so you’d better make this relatively quick before Liberty decides she’s going to plummet you to death with pillows.”

Billy was not afraid of an attack of pillows, and his face showed this, “Like Orlando and Raya’s honeymoon. Do you know where they’ve gone?”

“No,” Dom replied stonily, his face stoic.

“Well, Elizabeth told me---”

“Are you having relations with her?” Dom cut in curiously.

“No, I am not having relationships with this woman. Stick to the subject at hand.” He sighed dramatically. “The Blooms have gone on vacation to Canada.”

“Canada?” Dom echoed. “Whatever for?”

“I don’t know,” Billy answered, as if this were obvious. “I’m just repeating what I’ve been told.”

“What does it matter, anyway?” Liberty mumbled beneath the covers.

“We’ll want to pay them a visit, won’t we?”

“Not so much,” Liberty replied, slowly sitting up in bed and resting her head tiredly on Dom’s shoulder. He patted her head, yawning. “Why would we want to crash a honeymoon? Do you know what goes on there?”

“In Canada? Drinking, I guess. Maple syrup. Hockey. What else is there?”

“There’s probably er…trees. And sugar I think,” Dom commented, sliding slightly down back into the covers.

“No,” Liberty sighed exasperated. “On HONEYMOONS.”

Billy nodded, “Oh, right. Sex, of course.”

“Right,” Liberty said slowly. “And why would you want to interrupt such things?”

“For fun, obviously. God, haven’t you ever crashed a friend’s honeymoon?”

“No way,” she laughed. “Have you?”

“Not yet, but there’s a first time for everything.”

“You’ll have that same view, I’m sure, after Orlando kills you with one of his arrows.”

“The CG type?” Billy replied humorously. “I’d like to see him try. Poncy elf.”

Dom laughed; Liberty yawned loudly, “Why have you woken us up at the crack of dawn?”

“So we can go as soon as possible. They’ve already got a head start on us.”

“How do you know Elizabeth gave you the right place?” Dom questioned and Liberty nodded in agreement.

“She’s smitten with me. Rather besotted. So of course she would not wrong me.”

Dom looked doubtful, “She might. If Raya asked her to.”

“I’ve gathered she and Raya are not the best of friends.”

Liberty narrowed her eyes at him, “Elizabeth and Raya are very close. They both told me so, while Elizabeth and I were bonding over corsets.”

“You were…what? Bonding over corsets?” Billy asked, sounding intrigued.

“Never mind,” Liberty remarked, sliding her legs out from under the covers and making to get out of bed.

“You are clothed, right?” Billy asked, turning away from the bed.

“Yes,” Liberty laughed, then paused. “I think so, anyway.”

“Did you let her drink?” Billy demanded of Dom, who shook his head, looking scared.

Liberty threw her head back and laughed before jumping from the bed and padding into the bathroom. Before she got into the shower, she yelled, “I won’t be a part of this expedition to ruin Raya and Orlando’s honeymoon.”

“I’m with her. I don’t think it’s a good idea. Raya already hates me.”

“Dominic,” Billy talked as if he were speaking with a very small child who had just learned English. “If they didn’t want us there, they wouldn’t have told us where they were going.”

“They didn’t tell us. Elizabeth did.”

“That, my friend, is a minute detail. Billy Boyd is not concerned with details.” He stood up and stretched, “I expect you packed and ready and down in the lobby in an hour. We have a plane to catch in three. See you.”

Dom, looking stricken, sat on the bed staring at the wall, wondering what the hell he was about to get himself into.

*

“I don’t really want to go to Canada,” Liberty said, yawning as she hauled her bag onto the elevator. She was holding a dry cleaning hanger in the other hand which held her “beloved” corseted dress.

“I’m not sure there are many people who consider it a big draw for holidays, but I’m pretty sure their tourist intake is fair. Especially on Prince Edward Island. My grandparents love it there in the summers.” Dom was hauling his own suitcase as well as a Styrofoam doggie-bag style thing that held some wedding cake Raya’s father had given him after they had both consumed over five pieces and, hence, bonded over being huge cake-lovers.

“I have seen pictures, it looks like a nice place. It’s just kind of…random…for a honeymoon, you know? Don’t people usually go to Hawaii or somewhere?” Liberty leaned against the opposite walls, repressing yawns.

“New Zealand, but they’ve been there,” Dom hit the lobby button and the elevator descended. “Florida is more retirement than honeymoon. Em, New York. Been there. Caribbean?”

“Possibility. Mexico?” Liberty suggested as the elevator dinged and opened.

Dom made a face and motioned for her to go out before him. “Bad water. Spain?”

“Neither speaks Spanish, do they?” Liberty asked, waiting for him to exit.

“I dunno. What about Africa?”

“Can’t see Raya in Africa, to be honest. Iceland?”

“I can see her there,” Dom remarked dryly.

“Iceland’s not icy. Greenland is. It’s the opposite. I believe it’s ‘Greenland is covered in ice and Iceland is very nice’ or something.”

“Do you watch the Mighty Ducks after I’ve fallen asleep?” Dom questioned, grinning.

“I would never,” Liberty replied, smiling back. “What about Italy?”

“The land of love,” Dom said, nodding. “I’d pick there. I don’t know WHAT they were thinking. Being somewhere warm would be nicer for a honeymoon, I’d think.”

“Yeah,” Liberty agreed. “You’re right. What about India?”

“Raya’s from there,” Dom stated thoughtfully. “It would seem to make sense, I suppose.”

“There’s Billy, waving at us frantically from the front doors.”

Dom sighed as they walked up to him.

Billy was bouncing up and down, “I’ve checked you out already, so we’re all set to go. I’ve invited some...er...people to come with us.”

Liberty and Dom exchanged glances, “Who?” they asked simultaneously.

Billy didn’t have to answer, however, because Elizabeth and Elijah were walking up to them, carrying an overly large black bag between them which suggested that Elizabeth was just like her sister fashion-wise. Elijah, wearing a black band t-shirt and faded jeans had his own bag slung over one shoulder and Elizabeth clutched a small purse in her free hand. She was “dressed down” (or as dressed down as they’d ever seen her, because before they’d only ever seen her in the wedding corset) today in a long dark denim skirt and white peasant blouse.

“Hey,” she breathed, walking up to them and smiling. “I can’t go to…emm…Canada with you to see Raya and Orlando. I’ve just gotten a call from America. I’ve got to get back, apparently my novel is about to be published!”

“You’re a writer?” Liberty questioned, but Billy drowned out her words when he yelled, “But I thought you were going to come with us!”

“I was,” she said, sounding apologetic. “But this is really important, Billy. This is my future we’re talking about.”

Billy pouted, “Yes. I understand.”

“I’ll call you when I get there and get settled back to my life.” She gave Billy a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m really sorry, Billy. Maybe I can come back and see you after, you know, I’ve gotten things squared away.”

“I didn’t know she lived in America,” Liberty said to Dom in an undertone; he shrugged.

“Yeah,” Billy replied sadly. “Maybe. I’ll give you a call.”

Elizabeth smiled at him once more and bustled out of the lobby, dragging her huge suitcase along behind her.

“Well, that sucks,” Billy said the second she was gone.

“I’m sorry,” Liberty said, putting a friendly hand on his hunched shoulder. “I could tell you liked her.”

Billy shrugged, “Nah. We were just having fun.”

Elijah cleared his throat, “The, er, plane is in an hour. Perhaps we should go?”

“Oh, yes! The plane!” Billy clapped his hands together and ran from the building with Elijah, Liberty and Dom at his heels. He looked excited…maybe a little too excited.

Liberty wondered what he had up his sleeve, but was too afraid to ask.

*

Elijah, Liberty and Dom were seated together on the plane with Elijah in the window seat because he preferred it. Billy was across the aisle with an empty seat beside him which he kept glancing at every so often, looking sad.

“Where in Canada are we going, anyway?” Liberty yawned, resting her head on Dom’s shoulder. She had been basically sleep walking throughout the airport, just following them and allowing them to lead her wherever they were going. She obviously hadn’t gotten enough caffeine into her veins.

“Toronto,” Elijah answered; he turned away from the window to look at her. “I have a guidebook. Do you want to have a look?”

Liberty sat up eagerly, “Yeah! I wanna see what this place is all about.”

As Elijah dug around in his bag for the book, Dom said, “Do you realize you rhymed, Elijah? You’re like Dr. Suess. Only you’re Dr. Wood.”

“Is it very touristy?” Liberty asked, thumbing through the book Elijah provided while the two boys glared at each other.

“I’m filming there in a bit,” Elijah said. “I think it’s touristy, I haven’t had the chance to fully read the entire book yet.”

Liberty nodded and continued to thumb through the thick book while Dom looked over her shoulder; Elijah closed his eyes and lay his head back.

“Wood’s not sleeping is he?” Billy yelled from his seat.

“I’m just resting my eyes,” Elijah retorted, not opening his eyes.

“You sound like an old man.”

“You’re always calling me that. Think of something else. You’re far more clever than this.”

Billy raised an eyebrow, sat back in his seat and thought. An hour later, he spoke again, breaking the silence the other three had kept, as the three of them had dozed off.

“What if the honeymoon isn’t REALLY in Canada?” Billy questioned, staring at them.

Liberty opened one eye to look at him, “Did you think to call one of their cells?”

“I’m sure they haven’t left them on,” Billy responded.

Dom, Elijah and Liberty all opened their eyes and turned to look at him simultaneously; he shrunk back in his seat, looking afraid. Liberty leaned forward, “Have you ever known Raya to turn her cell phone off unless instructed to do so by an airline official or hospital operative?”

“No,” Billy answered slowly. “But what’s that got to do with anything?”

“She’s always got it on in case there’s an emergency at home, right?” Liberty said, looking at the boys for confirmation, though none of them seemed to have the slightest idea what she was talking about. She sighed, “Well, okay, you know how she was the spokesperson for her dad’s insurance company? Spencer European Insurance?”

Billy made a sound that could have either been in the affirmative or just a random sound; Dom and Elijah exchanged glances over the top of Liberty’s head.

“Don’t any of you ever speak to her?” Liberty asked. “Anyway. I’m sure she’s got it on. If you insist upon doing a wild goose chase, at LEAST call to see what country they’re in.” She sighed and sat back in her seat, opening a magazine and flipping idly through it.

Dom shrugged at Billy, “You might as well try.”

Billy nodded and pulled out his cell phone, dialing numbers he hadn’t in quite sometime. A voice came over the line after the fourth ring and Billy opened his mouth to say hello when he realized it was just a recording. The phone had only clicked into voicemail. Billy, feeling dejected, flipped his phone closed and rested his head against the back of the seat. “We could call her dad. He was a jolly nice fellow.”

“He gave me some cake to take home,” Dom commented and hit Elijah when he laughed at him. “He was a nice bloke. Yeah, give him a ring.”

“Wait till we land,” Elijah suggested, pointing to the seatbelt light which had just been turned on. They were about to begin their descent. “Then call him.” He buckled up and then helped Liberty with hers while Dom stowed their things away.

Billy took a deep breath, “You know. Orlando was the first person I met when we started shooting. I’m his…er…closest friend in the world, at least pertaining to Lord of the Rings. You’d have thought he’d have told me where he was going. And Raya---well…” he trailed off, biting a fingernail.

“It never occurred to you they might want privacy on such a vacation?” Liberty asked him, smiling a little.

“Libs, I don’t know of what you speak. What is this ‘privacy’? Is it French?”

“It probably is,” Dom remarked sourly, making a face. “Raya sprayed me in the face with her French hairspray once. It bloody stung. It was like my eyes were going to become unstuck and fall free from my eye sockets. My eyes, to this day, won’t swivel all around.”

“My eyes don’t swivel all around either,” Elijah laughed. “Since they’re NOT SUPPOSED TO.”

“Whyever not?” Dom asked pleasantly. “I would like to see through the back of my head to see any enemies that approach.”

“Your only enemy is Raya, and she’ll always approach you from the front, as is her custom,” Billy stated evenly. “If she’s approaching from the front, it’s easier to spray the hairspray in your eyes. Or mace. Whichever is handy.”