“You’re in India,” Sean pronounced dully. “Orly told me he was headed to an African safari.”

“No, no,” Christine was saying in the background. “Sahara Desert safari, that’s what Viggo said. Orly told US he was going to Africa to visit tribesman.”

“He’s been having quite a go at us, I’d say,” Dom mused, stretching his arms over his head. Liberty had just called Sean and Christine from their hotel in India, where they’d been for four days looking for the newlyweds. They were on speakerphone.

“What kind of wildlife is in the Sahara Desert?” Sean wondered. “Where’s Elijah? He’ll know.”

Liberty groaned, “He’s in the bathroom, but that’s not the point. They told everyone a completely different place. Do you suppose they told even ONE person the correct place?”

Sean chuckled, “I would hope so as eventually they’d run out of places on the earth to be.”

“That’s not true. There are more places on this earth than people Orlando knows.” Elijah had just come out of the bathroom, wiping his hands on a towel, which he threw at Billy; Billy snorted and straightened up in his chair, he’d been snoring moments before.

“We’ve looked everywhere,” Liberty complained, laying back and resting her head on Dom’s chest. He idly began running his fingers through her long hair. “Every hotel in this place. Elijah’s feet are blistered to all hell, Billy’s walking stick has been dulled into dust and Dom---Well, Dom’s very tired at night and it has taken quite a toll on our relationship.”

Elijah gave her an exasperated look and stuck his fingers in his ears, singing to himself; Billy giggled and Dom chortled.

“Have you checked the hotel you’re staying at?” Sean inquired; they heard Christine say, “Oh good idea!”

Liberty sat up, looking at Dom and then at Billy and Elijah. “Oh my God,” she said, half laughing. “Thanks, Sean! Bye! See you when we get back!” She randomly hit the off button and jumped from the bed. “I’m going to run down to reception and ask---”

Dom sat up, “Love, you might want to think of all the aliases Orlando and Raya could have used before you do that.”

“Oh bugger,” Liberty muttered, biting on the end of her fingernail.

Billy shook his head, “Nah. Just ask at the desk what room has ordered the most room service. If I know OB…and I do…they’ll have ordered for every meal. They won’t have left the room. Trust me.”

*

“I’ve made a decision,” Liberty said as she and Dom walked hand and hand down the hallway towards Raya and Orlando’s supposed room. It had taken her several moments and lots of flirting for the man at the desk to give her any information, but there was definitely a newlywed couple in the honeymoon suite and they had ordered room service for at least six meals. “I think that once this mission is over, I’ll head back to Michigan to tie up the odds and ends…you know, end my lease on the apartment, fill out all the forms so I can transfer, quit my job, tell my family, etc…”

“And then you’ll move in with me?” Dom asked hopefully; he stopped walking to look at her, Elijah and Billy continued on ahead. Liberty nodded happily, smiling broadly. He pulled her into a bone-crushing hug that she didn’t mind in the least. “I mean, I know I’m only twenty and we’ve only been dating for, like, a year and a half…but I’m so in love with you that time doesn’t matter to me.”

“Nor to me, though I’m older and ready to settle down.”

“I’m pretty sure I’m ready to settle down,” Liberty replied, sighing contentedly as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “But you won’t ask me to marry you for a bit, right? Because I’m not quite ready for marriage…even though I’d like to marry you. I’d like to be out of college first, if that’s cool.”

“Anything’s cool with me, Love. As long as we’re together.” He leaned into what promised to be a really nice make-out session, but Billy’s voice up ahead stopped him.

“Stop with all the PDA, will you? We have important things to do!” He stuck his hands on his hips and Elijah nodded in agreement. Liberty and Dom, exchanging happy glances, made their way up to them.

Billy tapped on the door to room 1093 feeling sure that the couple inside would answer, as it was nearly lunch time and they could have just ordered room service. Sure enough, after a few moments, Orlando came to the door barefoot wearing just a white cotton robe and a cheeky grin. It faded when he saw who stood outside his door. “Orly!” Billy cried, pushing past him into the room. “So LOVELY to see you. I’m so glad you told us where you were going so we could come and see you!”

Raya was sitting on the bed in a matching robe with her hair tumbling down her shoulders; she looked up when Billy entered and her mouth dropped open in a very un-Rayalike fashion. “BILLY!?” Dom, Elijah and Liberty came into view and she shrieked in surprise. “What are you doing here? On our honeymoon?”

“I’d like to know that too,” Orlando replied, running a hand through his messy locks and closing the door to the suite. “I’m sure you found us by asking Anaka, though Raya assured me you wouldn’t sink so low. Apparently she was wrong, which only happens once a year, if, so I won’t hold it against her.”

Raya gave him a look which he returned before sitting beside you on the bed. “So, I reiterate. What are you doing here?”

“Crashing your honeymoon,” Billy said, sitting at a table by the bed. “Is that chocolate?” He grabbed a piece of chocolate from a box on the table and tossed it into his mouth. Dom and Liberty sat together in a big overstuffed chair and Elijah took another seat at the table.

“Make yourselves comfortable,” Raya said composedly taking Orlando’s hand. “I was about to call you.”

“Why?” Billy blurted out and received a contemptuous look from Liberty.

“We’ve had some news,” Orlando answered, glancing at his wife.

“Did someone die?” Elijah asked, setting down the piece of chocolate he had been about to eat.

“Maybe I should say what I came here to say first. Because if I don’t, I might feel bad afterwards, bringing up something so frivolous after someone’s died.” He waited for someone to object, but no one did. “I would like to request you name your first child after me. Boy or girl.”

Raya’s eyebrows rose into her hairline and Orlando’s mouth dropped open, forming a perfect ’o’ until he yelled, “How in the bleeding hell did you KNOW!?”

“Know what?” Billy asked innocently.

“I’m pregnant,” Raya replied stoically.

Liberty’s mouth fell open and she looked at Dom for confirmation that she was hearing properly. Dom’s face was full of shock, his mouth open much like Orlando’s.

“Already?” Dom asked, opening and closing his mouth like a fish. “You move fast, Bloom.” Orlando threw a nasty look in his direction, Raya just smirked.

“Brilliant!” Billy hollered at last. “You can name it Billy!”

“Isn’t your given name William?” Raya questioned curiously.

Billy made a face that neither confirmed nor denied this accusation.

“So,” Liberty said after a few moments. “Congratulations. When’d you find out?”

“Yesterday,” Orlando explained. “We weren’t going to tell for a month, but since you’re here---”

“When are you due?” Liberty asked.

“I’m only a week pregnant. December.” Raya replied, her smile growing larger by the second. “Near the release of The Two Towers, which is quite ironic.”

“Why’s it ironic?” Elijah conjectured. “Or do you mean that being only a week pregnant, it’s ironic, considering you’ve been on your honeymoon for eight days, which is a day longer than a week?”

Orlando cleared his throat and jumped from the bed, “So. Em, you’ve done what you came here to do. You’ll be leaving now, right?”

Everyone looked at Billy, who nodded solemnly. “Yes. We shall leave you to enjoy the last few days of your honeymoon in peace.”

“I don’t think I’ll see you when you return to England,” Liberty said as they all got up to cross to the door. “I’m going back to Michigan.”

Raya shot an evil look in Dom’s direction and he ducked down behind Liberty. “Don’t hide behind your woman, Monaghan,” Orlando muttered, hauling him up by the collar.

Liberty interjected, so there wouldn‘t be a fight, “I’m moving in with Dom, after I’ve gotten everything settled at home. You’ll get to London before I do.”

“We’ll see you when you get there, then. Will you be in New Zealand for TTT pick-up’s? Because I was thinking a really wonderful day of retail therapy would be wonderfully lovely.” Raya beamed at her, and Liberty couldn’t help but smile.

“TTT pick-up’s are…when?”

“Next month,” Elijah said, opening up the door and stepping out into the hall. Billy picked up something from the table by the door and examined it interestedly.

“I should be back by then,” Liberty replied, glancing at Dom for his opinion, but he only nodded vigorously.

“Lovely!” Raya said, flinging her arms around Liberty in a hug that caught her off balance, not because of the gesture itself but because Raya was showing so much emotion towards her. “We’ll set something up.” She released her and eyed Billy nervously. “What have you got there?”

“It’s chocolate icing,” Billy said, turning around to face them all; he held it up to them. “What have you got chocolate icing for?”

“Erm, cravings,” Raya answered quickly.

“I didn’t realize you could get cravings so quickly,” Liberty commented, but got Raya’s elbow in her stomach and retracted her statement with a meek, “Never mind.” Dom looked clearly put out at this and ushered Liberty from the room with an irritated backwards glance at Raya, who shrugged.

Billy nodded doubtfully, set it down, and went out the door. “I hope it’s not for kinky Orlando, the baby making powerhouse.”

“Oh God,” Dom moaned. “I’m never going to get these terribly ugly mental images out of my head.”

“Can I be the Godfather?” Billy asked, looking hopeful and excited.

Raya smiled at him, “Sure.”

This prompted Billy to begin skipping around the hallway singing a made up song. After several bad notes and even worse rhymes, he stopped and looked at the beaming couple. “What does a Godfather do? Does he turn into a big black dog like Sirius? Or does he teach the kid the ways of the world? Like sex talks? Will I get to give your child sex talks?"

Orlando and Raya yelled, “NO!” simultaneously and so loudly that Billy fell back against the opposite wall. After he’d righted himself, he put his chin high and pranced off to the elevators.

*

The next morning brought great sunshine and a busy airport; Liberty would be taking a plane back to the states, with Elijah, and Billy and Dom were headed in the direction of London. Dom had wanted to go with Liberty, but she’d told him that she’d rather close up her old life by herself. He had understood.

The plane would take Liberty and Elijah to New York, where there would be connecting flights to Los Angeles (for Elijah) and Michigan (for Liberty). They all had to their own things now, much to their distaste.

“At least it’s only for a month,” Liberty muttered, pulling away from Dom’s hug and wiping her eyes. Elijah and Billy were standing back, allowing them their space.

“I’ll call you every other day at 4pm on the dot. And you can call me every other other day.”

“I’m confused already.”

Dom chuckled, “It’ll be fine. A month isn’t so long when you think about it. Plus, after that we have pick-up’s to look forward to and then a ton of premieres in a bunch of different countries to which you get to buy really lovely expensive dresses and Raya will get you all dolled up like a movie star.”

Liberty nodded, smiling wanly. “I do want to miss the flight, but I can’t.” Dom pulled her into another hug, released her, kissed her hard on the lips and then walked away looking tearful himself. Billy hugged her next, said goodbye, and then jogged to catch up with Dom.

Elijah walked up and put a consoling hand on her shoulder, “You gonna be okay?”

“Sure,” she shrugged, a little smile on her lips. “It’s not like we haven’t been apart before.”

“This is true.”

“But it seems different this time, somehow.” She picked up her bag and waved a nonchalant hand around her face. “I’m just being paranoid.”

She spent the plane ride sleeping fitfully, and then when they landed she said another tearful goodbye to Elijah. She knew she probably wouldn’t even talk to him while they were apart, which made her sadder than she thought she’d be.

The small thought that sustained her for the voyage home was that she’d soon see her family and old friends again. Though she dreaded having to tell them that she was moving to another country, she wasn’t sure how Alexia would take it. Alexia had expressed her happiness for Liberty when she’d been told of her relationship with Dom, but that didn’t make missing her any easier.

Her mother, she knew, would probably be tearful, but their relationship wasn’t as good as it had been years before. Her stepfather would grunt and leave the room, as he always did when he sensed women being emotional. Never having to see him didn’t make her upset in the least, though she knew he came with the package and if she wanted to spend time with her mom, she’d have to put up with his presence.

Liberty realized as she picked up her baggage in Michigan that she hadn’t seen her older brother Ezra in longer than she cared to count. She decided to go and see him first; as she sat in the taxi on the way to his apartment, she couldn’t help feeling a little jittery with nerves and repressed excitement.

The apartment Ezra lived in was in one of the better parts of town, conveniently on campus. He lived with his friend, Tucker, whom Liberty had never liked very much; he’d always leered at her when they’d been in the same room and he made her uncomfortable. The newest edition to the bachelor pad was a quiet boy named Shane who didn’t speak much, but played his music loudly. He’d been friends with Ezra ever since they were freshman in High School and Liberty had always thought very highly of him; he was intelligent, but not annoyingly so and he was polite, but still a typical college boy.

Liberty’s old apartment was across the street, which made her decision to visit Ezra that much more predictable. Alexia lived there now, and had taken in a roommate by the name of Kate, who, as Liberty understood it, had the hots for Ezra, which made Liberty both amused and surprised. Her friends, or friends in law as Kate was, had never expressed interest in her brother before.

Ezra was out of school now, but still wanted to live on campus; this didn’t surprise Liberty in the least. He worked for a blooming PR firm and was doing very well for himself. So well, in fact, that Liberty suspected he’d move to New York and a penthouse soon right under her nose.

It was seven in the evening when she knocked on their door. She figured he’d be home from work by now, but she wasn’t sure if he’d be out or not.

He answered the door, a tall man with unruly dark chocolate colored hair, wearing black dress pants, a white button up shirt that had the top unbuttons undone and no socks or shoes. She dropped her bags immediately and threw her arms around his neck, catching him off guard.

“LIBERTY!? What are you doing home?”

Liberty pulled away, smiling largely up at him. “I’m here to tie all my loose ends, Ez. I’m moving in with my boyfriend. In London.”

»Chapter 8