Virgin Territory(Author�s Notes: Denotes entries in Elijah�s diary � denotes Elijah�s thoughts)Part 3 - Fire and Water The light was shining in through the window. Dom had forgotten to pull the drapes. The sun reached Elijah's face, and he woke up. Fuck! I'm late! he panicked, and leapt out of bed. He looked around him. Where was he? He remembered lying beside Orli, on the floor in Dom's apartment...Dom's?...was he still there? He went out into the hallway, and opened the other bedroom door. Dom lay on the bed, naked, and fast asleep. His body, shadowed in the half light of the drawn blinds, shimmered bronze. Elijah drew in a deep breath....beautiful! His body is beautiful! Elijah backed out silently, and closed the door, very carefully, behind him. He went into the kitchen and made some coffee. He looked at the clock - ten after six. He sighed, picked up his mug and took it back to his room. He sat there, silently, until Dom came to wake him at seven thirty. Will I ever survive it?, he wondered, as he joked with Dom over breakfast. Fuck! I'd better! Or my part in this film will be a bloody total disaster! Plenty to tell my diary tonight, anyway! "Come on, you tossers!", Orli yelled to Dom, who was buckling a safety vest onto Elijah. "The water's getting cold!" Dom laughed, and dragged Elijah towards the raft. The water was running high, that morning, but the sun was shining, and it was a warm, pleasant day. Elijah shivered. There were two reasons for that. Firstly, the water was cold - very cold - and secondly, Dom had held his hand whilst he got onto the raft. There were six of them on it. Apart from the intrepid three, there were two guys from technical, and one cameraman, complete with camera, who was intent on recording the events of the day for posterity. Shit! Elijah panicked; I'd better make sure no hot, lustful looks go Dom's way! I don't want some idiots from visuals laughing over pictures of me staring at Dom like he's a cream cheese bagel! God, I could do with one right now! I was so busy trying to look normal this morning, when Dom was preparing breakfast dressed only in those sexy sweat pants, that I forgot to fucking eat! The mooring was cast off, and down the river they went. "Isn't this fantastic?", one of the lads - Dave - shouted above the sounds of the water. Elijah nodded. Orli and Dom were trying to talk to each other over the crashing of the water. Elijah was waving to Billy, who was sitting on the hood of the car, further downstream, with a box of sandwiches and hot coffee - having second breakfast, the lucky bastard! - at his side. The last glimpse Elijah had of Billy was of him getting into the vehicle, to follow them downstream to the pick-up point about two miles along. Elijah thought he'd be glad of the coffee by then, if Bill had left any! Dom wobbled his way over to where Elijah clung to the seat. The raft was heaving in the water, and Elijah felt none too safe, It reminded him of the waters of Bruinin - unpredictable, wild, treacherous - at least, to the Nazgul!. At least that's what it said in the script. The reality must've been a bit more mundane. Luckily Elijah hadn't had to be there - the water in New Zealand was fucking cold! River water was, at least! Dom had reached him, and was just starting to ask how he was doing, when a freak wave crashed in, and dragged Elijah off the raft into the torrent. The last thing he heard was Dom's anguished scream - "Lighe! LIGHE!", before the darkness took him. Orli struggled over. "What?..." "Lighe!", screamed Dom, incapable of saying anything else. He collapsed, sobbing, into Orli's shaking arms. Of Elijah, there was no sign. They couldn't stop the raft. A man in the safety boat following them waved and pointed. Dom didn't stop to think - he jumped into the water, and swam to where the man was indicating. The pull was tremendous, but Dom was a good swimmer, and strong.He reached the sodden bundle, and grabbed it. Elijah was like a rag doll in his arms. Dom caught hold of the rope being thrown out to him, and it pulled them into the vessel. Willing hands lifted them over the side, and for a few minutes Dom struggled to get his breath. He could see two men working on his friend, muttering to each other in urgent tones. He crawled over to where Elijah lay. He was blue, and silent, and still. Not an eyelash moved. They were giving him mouth to mouth. There was a gash on his head that was leaking blood all over his face and neck. Dom stared in horror. No! One of the men leaned back, and sighed in relief. "He's breathing, anyway, mate!" Dom sat down by Elijah's head, and pulled him into his lap, despite instructions from the first aider to leave him where he was. Dom sat there, and held his friend, until they reached the shore, where Billy was waiting. They had radio'ed for an ambulance, which control said would take about half an hour to get there. Billy, and Orli, when he arrived, sat beside Dom, who still held Elijah in his arms, unwilling to give him up to one of the others. "He should be lying in the recovery position, mate!", grumbled one of the first aiders. "He's still unconscious, you know!" Dom sent a glance his way that made the man shiver. "Shut the fuck up, will you?", Billy urged, frowning at the man, and pulling him to one side, whispered in his ear. Orli put his hand on Dom's shoulder. "He'll be fine, man - don't..." His voice tailed off. Orli felt guilty. He'd suggested the rafting in the first place - none of this would have happened... Dom didn't take his eyes off the inanimate form resting in his arms. "I should have taken better care of him", he whispered, bending to drop a kiss on Elijah's bloodstained brow. He tasted the blood. The tears began to flow from his eyes, and ran down his cheeks in streams. *** There was a loud buzzing in Elijah's ears. Some fucker's left the window open - there are bloody *bees* in here!, he thought. He tried to open his eyes, but they wouldn't budge. He thought he could hear someone sobbing, nearby. No! It's probably the air conditioning, or something! It's hot! I'm dying for a pee! I must...oh, fuck it! He drifted off again into a land where it was always summer - where Dom held his hand, and kissed his cheek, and told him he loved him more than... ...Elijah opened his eyes. At least the bloody bees had gone - thank god! He could sense someone sitting by his side. Where was he? Oh, shit - the raft! He'd fallen off! He tried to sit up, and groaned as streaks of lightning passed before his eyes. Fuck- that hurt! A face materialized in front of him. Billy! "Hello, you daft bugger!", Billy said, kissing him soundly. "Nice to see you again!" "Where am I?", Elijah asked, looking around the hospital room , bemused. "Well, you're not in fucking Rivendell being doctored by Elrond - that's for sure! Hello, baby!" Orli, said, grinning from the doorway. Elijah found he didn't mind the "baby" one bit. "I'll fetch him!", Orli said to Billy, and on this mysterious remark, he vanished. Elijah closed his eyes, again. The light hurt. He must have slept, because when he opened them again, a big, bluff doctor had hold of his wrist, and was asking him how he felt. Elijah told him he'd never felt better. The doctor laughed, patted his hand, said - "you'll do!", and left. He sensed, rather than felt, a slight movement by the bed. He turned his head, groaning at the pain shooting through it, and saw Dom asleep in the chair at his side. He looks so tired!, Elijah fretted, worrying about the man he...loved. Loved? When did love enter the equation? Fuck me! *Do* I love him? I thought it was Lust - not pure, and never simple! Elijah felt too weak to pursue the matter further. He noticed that Dom had a tight grip on his other hand. Elijah felt...safe. He drifted off, again, but this time, he was smiling. |