SERENDIPITY

Chapter Four - Words Of Wisdom And Insanity

"Darling you look wonderful, only you and your uncle can get off a plane after almost two days and look so beautifully," Robbie commented as he took Megan into a bear hug.

"Hello Robbie," Megan replied and placed a kiss onto the man's cheek. "How are you ... and how is Uncle Ian?"

"Smashing, now that you are here. Ian's been in a foul mood for the last couple of days, he had the whole sets tied in a panty knot. But you know how he gets when he is looking forward to something - namely you, my dear - and time passes so excrutiatingly slowly," Robbie said, waving a rose coloured kerchief at her.

Megan had to bite down a laugh. She loved Robbie dearly, especially because of his air of soubrainity.

After they had boarded the convertible, Megan settled back in the deep leather seat with a sigh.

"Now you have to tell me all about your trip, Honey. Met any delectable young men?"

"Robbie," Megan said mock-threateningly.

"Ahhh, no quick encounter in the plane's bathroom facilities, I take it?" Robbie shot her a grin when Megan gaped at him.

"Robbie, I better ignore that comment," Meg chided with a laugh but she blushed nontheless.

"Oh why not, my dearie? If I were you any tall, blonde, blue-eyed man would have been my victim."

'You got the tall bit right but apart from that ...' Megan thought but tried her best to push back Orli's face into the back of her mind. For a moment she imagined she could still hear Orli's voice whispering her name so near to her ear. She shivered when a particular sexy memory invaded her mind and she fought hard to suppress it, but Robbie, ever the observant man, had noticed.

"Ahh, so you are not as dead as your dear mama wants us to believe," Robbie wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Of course not. I appreciate beauty wherever I encounter it," Megan shot back and settled deeper into the seat.

'Definitely', she told herself silently and couldn't stop herself touching her lips. Immediately she remembered last night. She could still feel Orli's hands and lips on her, her body, her face, the soft brush of his lips on her own.

With a sigh, she closed her eyes for a moment.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Robbie inquired after a while and Megan looked up.

"Just thinking," she replied and creased her nose. 'I really should stop thinking about him, she told herself. 'After all it had been just a one night stand, I'll never see him again and no one's the wiser.'

They drove on in silence and when they had reached the house, Megan was more than grateful to get out of the car and take a good long shower.

Megan had managed quite well to keep her mind occupied with other things instead of dwelling on Orli. For the last two days she had explored the house or had gotten pampered by Robbie. But at nights all she could do was think about him.

'Him' had become the acronym for Orli. She was determined never to mention or even think his name again and yet alone in bed, all she could do or think of was what her tired mind conjured up were images of him and her, as they had made love.

Meg knew that it had been understood by both that it had been a one time thing, and yet, she had felt at the time being as if it had been more. But the disappointment still stung deeply and she tried to persuade herself that she could not possibly fall for a cheater.

'Just file it away under experience,' she told herself again and again and somehow she seemed to succeed to shake off the memories over time but not just yet.

She was on her way to explore the house some more when she heard the soft but boisterous voice of her uncle coming from the entrance hall and with a laugh she ran up to him. She stopped short when she saw a tall old man with grey beard and hair and a pointy wizard's hat on top.

"Uncle Ian?" she asked and doubted she could trust her eyes.

"Ah ... young lady, come on over and be a soft balm to old sore eyes," Ian McKellen called forth and embraced his niece in a bear hug after she had flung herself at him.

"I had to rush over when Robbie told me on the cell you had arrived. I'm so glad you are here, lass," Ian breathed softly and hugged her close.

"It is so good to see you, Uncle Ian," Meg said and lovingly pulled at one strand of his beard, laughing when her uncle exhaled a small 'ouch'.

"I think after those 18 months there is no skin left what with those make-up artists glueing all that stuff on my face."

Meg laughed. "It looks like a dead ferret has died on your face, but you surely do look the part."

"Indeed, don't I?" Ian asked and rose to all of his 6 feet 1, his robes wavering threateningly about him and Meg hid her smile behind her face.

"Ah, lass, I knew why I love you so much, I love that little giggling sound you make," Ian said and frowned when he saw the pained expression on his niece's face. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Uncle Ian ... nothing. I just ... I guess the jet lag is catching up on me." She smiled at him and drew him over to the sofa. They chatted happily with each other, Megan laughed at the anecdotes her uncle had to share with her from the set.

It had been three hours when Ian stood up and told her he was going to get rid of the costume and they would meet up later in an restaurant to celebrate her arrival.

Orli was mad. Hell, he was more than mad ... he was freaking, hopping mad. For the third time in as many months another woman had just upped and left him. It had been two days since he had awakened to a cold bed and an empty hotel room only to make a complete moron out of himself by phoning the concierge to inquire where Megan had gone.

"Megan who?" the concierge had asked and Orli had frowned. 'Megan who indeed?!' He didn't even know her fucking surname and he had realized how pointless it was to ask about her whereabouts. All during the plane trip from Sydney to Auckland he had tried to dismiss her, dismiss the night they had spent together but try as he might he couldn't.

'Damn, that was the best sex I ever had!' he thought and his jaw set. 'Damn that woman to hell and back.'

A sharp tug at his ear brought him back out of his raving reverie.

"Fuck, Ken, be careful, I might need that ear in the future," Orli growled and yanked his head around to glare at the head make-up artist.

"Well I wouldn't have to be yanking, if you'd stop frowning and clenching your jaw," Ken snapped back and brushed off some imagined lints on his designer jacket.

With a sigh that sounded more like a groan, Orli leant back in the chair and closed his eyes. "Just be a bit more careful, man," he growled.

"Oh, is the Elf prissy again?" a cheerful voice inquired from the door and Orli cracked one eye open to look at the perpertrator.

"Fuck off, Lij," he snapped, but the young man in the door just touched his chest in a dramatic way and his blue eyes, if it was possible, grew even wider in mock horror.

"What? I'm shocked by you, Master Legolas," Elijah Wood crooned, deliberately pronouncing Orli's character's name Legless instead of Orli's and Peter Jackson's preferred British version of Le-go-las.

"Lij, do me a favour and piss off," Orli growled again, not in the mood for Elijah's banter.

Ignoring his friend's demand, Elijah hopped into the second chair in the make-up pit, he stretched out his legs showing off his prosthetic hairy feet. His hands were fiddling with a rolled up newspaper.

"So, what's up Orli? You missed a great feast of laughter, wine and women last night," Lij inquired and Orli just gave off a snort.

"I'm off women," he growled.

Elijah chuckled beside him and leant over. "You know Orlando, for someone who was babbling about the best mind boggling sex he ever had on the night you got back, you do sound like you're lying."

Orli groaned when he remembered the night two days ago. He had come back to his condo and the news of his arrival had already made the round and Dom, Billy and Lij had come over, with beer and wine. They had gotten conveniently inibriated to the point where he had told them about Megan and their night together in his drunken stupor.

'Shit I really should get off booze as well as women,' Orli thought as he remembered the night when he had spilled the beans.

"Guess who?!" Billy drawled, when Orli opened the door, with a shrug he snatched one of the beer bottles out of his hand and downed a fair amount of the content before he turned back into his living room and left the door open. With a look of surprise, the three friends looked at each other before they followed him in.

"What's up, Orli?" Dominic inquired after they had all thrown themselves in various chairs and the big sofa.

Orli shrugged and peeled off the label off his beer bottle.

"Hey, com' on," Billy's brogue accent ringing strong in the room. "If I didn'a know better yae are pinin' away for a lass."

Orli shot him a dirty look, and emptied the beer bottle in one large gulp. "Billy, do me a favour and never mention women again. They just leave you over again and again."

Elijah exchanged a look with Dominic, then moved closer and leant forward.

"Hey, Orlando, you know that these things happen. Jo ...," he frowned and looked helplessly at Dom and Billy. "Jo is gone, but there are other women ... nicer ones."

Orli gave of a snort and glared at him. "Every woman is like the next and this is not about Jo ... this is about Meg ...Jeesh," he got up and rubbed his thumb over his lower lip. "We had the best mind buggling sex in the goddamn' world and then she just upped and left ... as if it didn't mean anything. She just left me ... for fucking sake, I don't even know her fucking name!"

Dom looked puzzled, then shot Billy and Elijah a questioning gaze but both men shrugged.

"Umm... Orli, don't you mean Joanne?"

"And who the hell is Meg?" Dom asked.

Orli swayed a bit when he turned to face his friends. He had not eaten anything since last night, the night when he and Meg had dinner and the beers he had consumed showed their effect on his system.

"Fuck!" he exclaimed and threw the empty bottle against the wall where it shattered into a million pieces. Elijah went up to his taller friend and ushered him back towards the sofa.

"Okay, tell us what happened, and chronologically. Did you meet this Meg in London?"

"No!" Orli exclaimed and rubbed his eyes tiredly, jumping to his feet he started to pace, his hands shoved deeply into the back pockets of his jeans. Pacing back and forth in front of his friends Orli related how he had met Megan, leaving out the more juicy bits. When he came to their night together, his voice trailed away and he came to rest in front of the panorama window. Digging into his pockets for his packet of cigarettes, he lit one and stared outside.

"Ar' we gettin'a to the juicy bits no'?" Billy asked.

"Hey, you can't get more juicy than 'we had the best mind buggling sex in the goddamn' world'," Dominic replied gibly and chuckled when Orli shot him a withering glance.

"Your words, not mine, Orli-Man," Dom retorted.

Elijah's voice brought him back to the present.

"You know I have been thinking," the actor said. "We have at least a Christian name, so we can throw a bit of weight around and ask the airline for the list of passengers on your flight. If you still have the ticket we'll even give them the seat number."

"No!" Orli exclaimed and yanked forward, ignoring the groan from Ken behind him or the burning sensation on his left ear.

"Well, I was only trying to help, mate," Lij said and shrugged. "You are insufferable like this. I mean what is it with this chick? So you two had a great time together, no big deal, you fucked each other's brain out..." his voice trailed away when he saw Orlando's death glare directed at him.

"One more word, Lij and I swear I wash your dirty mouth with soap," Orli said and closed his eyes briefly. 'Shit, I'm really losing it!' he thought. 'It was just a one night stand right? Right??'

"Oh dear," Lij exclaimed softly beside him, and Orli heard the rustle of paper.

"Ohh, Elfboy has made the tabloids again," he heard Ken's voice snicker behind him and Orli sat up straight almost ripping the newspaper out of Elijah's hands.

There on the second page was an article on him, with accompanying photos, and two showed him and Meg clearly. The head line was juicy and he groaned inwardly.

ELF JOINING THE MILE HIGH CLUB

He recognized one of the photos as the one the photographer had made on the plane. He had to admit it looked more than a bit suggestive, with Meg half sprawled over him and he having his hand on her ...

'Oh shit', he thought. 'Did I really have my hand on her ass? That surely looks as if we are making out in the middle of the goddamn' plane.'

The other was showing him and Meg leaving the airport. He had his arm around her shoulders and they were laughing at each other. The line beneath read Bloomin' love?

"You know, I love this line," Lij pointed to the caption underneath the one of Meg and Orli kissing. "Elven Prince with his hands full while en route to paradise."

Orli just stared at the picture then groaned and closed his eyes. 'This is not happening,' he thought. 'I'll count to ten, open my eyes ... and nothing of this ever happened. It isn't real!'

He did just that, but nothing had changed. 'Why can't anything be simple for a change?'

After Ken had finished with him and he left his Elven persona inside the make-up trailer, Orli sat down in front of the trailer waiting for Elijah. The sun was still glaring from a cloudless sky and Orli patted his back pack for his sunnies.

Viggo Mortensen passed by, grinning at Orli and tipped his head with a newspaper that looked suspiciously like the one Lij had shown him earlier.

"Way to go, Loverboy," Viggo said as he slumped beside Orli, slapping the younger man's leg with the paper.

"Vig, do me a favour and get lost," Orli muttered, putting his sun glasses over his eyes. He really didn't feel up to some friendly banter about his love life.

"Ahhhhh, my cuntless friend, what ails you?"

Orli laughed all of a sudden and shook his head. 'Trust Viggo to nail it on the head!'

"Viggo, I really don't think ..." Orli's voice trailed off when he saw that Mortensen was scrutinizing the two photos in the paper, clucking his tongue. "Shit, is everyone only interested in whom I shag, or what?"

"Oh come on, Orlandooooooo," Viggo whined, his blue eyes bright with mirth. "You really don't think we would leave you well alone after this?" He held up the paper.

"Besides, your love life seems to be so much more interesting," Mortensen giggled and Orli shook his head.

'If I'll ever get offered a part in a high-profile project again, I'll decline it. These guys are all insane.'

"Hey, come on, man," Viggo said and clasped one arm around the younger man's shoulders. "You are young, you should enjoy it ... when you get as old as me ... ahhh ... getting some will be the more difficult. Especially as with such a lovely woman as this one," he slapped his hand against the photo.

"Oh Viggo, I love it when you get so wistful," someone from behind chirped in and both men drew apart and looked up at Elijah who stood on the step behind them.

"And here I thought I was the only love in your life," Lij harumphed and shook his head.

All three men grinned goofily and Orli moved to the side to give Lij space to sit down between him and Vig.

"Ian called," Lij commented putting his cell phone into the already bulging pocket of his cargo pants. "His niece has arrived and he wants to throw a huge party on Friday night."

"Never knew Ian had a niece," Vig commented.

"Well, Ian has a sister apparently, and he loves his niece to bits. Anyway, he said that we are all invited, the whole enchilada, he's paying."