Solo performance

Title: Solo performance
Chapter Title: Sons and daughters
Characters: Billy Boyd, David Wenham, Dom Monaghan, Elijah Wood, Harry Sinclair, Karl Urban, Orlando Bloom, Sean Bean, Viggo Mortensen, -Other-
Genres: Angst
Rating: G-PG.13
Warnings:
Summary: It’s still Beanie’s birthday. And everybody’s got a story to tell...
Disclaimer: Unfortunately all these gorgeous men belong to themselves and not to me. Bugger.

Notes: Please remember that I changed some of the ages to fit my story line! Most of the cast members’ kids are older than they should be in 2010. Sean and Viggo are some years younger than they really are, because I needed the 50th birthday! Viggo’s 51 in this.
Everybody else is as old as they are supposed to be in 2010!


21. Sons and daughters


“Hello?” Lorna answered her phone, a happy smile appearing on her lips as she heard who was on the other end of the line. “Brian, hi...”

“Who’s Brian?” Henry asked Molly after Lorna had left the room. He sipped on his cup of coffee.

“The guy Lorna’s in love with,” Molly mumbled quietly, looking down at the wooden table in front of her. “Look, Henry, I really wanted to tell you, but...” Molly let her arms fall down in defeat as her friend simply shook his head.

“It’s okay,” Henry said, smiling bravely at Molly. “She didn’t want me five years ago, why should it be different now?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders. “I’m getting used to the idea of not going to be with her...it just will take some time...”

Molly nodded softly and got up to take Henry into her arms. “I’m so sorry...” she whispered, tiptoeing to kiss Henry’s cheek.

In the same moment the door opened and Viggo entered the kitchen. “Is everything ready?” he asked, pulling up his eyebrows when he saw Henry and Molly hugging each other. “Sean will be here in the next two minutes!”

Quickly Henry and Molly drove apart and Viggo lightened the candles on the kitchen table. “There he is!” Viggo hissed after hearing a noise on the other side of the kitchen door and when Sean finally entered the kitchen his whole family was standing in a row in front of him, singing “Happy Birthday”.


~*~


“Hunter?” Karl knocked at the door of his son’s hotel room again. “Are you ready? We’ll have to leave soon!” He frowned when the door was finally opened. “You surely don’t want to go like that?” he asked, pointing at his son’s jeans and t-shirt.

Hunter simply shrugged his shoulders and walked back into the bathroom to put some more gel into his spiked up hair. “What’s wrong with my clothes, Karl?” he asked, using his father’s first name as usually.

“Nothing really,” Karl replied with a small smile, sitting down on the edge of the bathtub. “I just had hoped that you would at least wear a button-down shirt of some sort... It’s Sean’s 50th birthday!”

“Okay, okay...” Hunter lifted his arms up in defeat, pulling his t-shirt over his head.

Karl pulled up his eyebrows in surprise when his son turned around to face him. “When did you get the tatto?” he asked. “I didn’t know about that...”

Hunter pulled his jeans a little further down his hips so that his father could see the whole tattoo that was placed over his hipbone. “That was Simon’s birthday present to me,” he grinned, putting a red shirt on. “Better?” he turned around in front of Karl.

“Hmmh...” Karl stood up. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he wanted to know as the left the bathroom.

“About the tattoo?” Hunter shrugged his shoulders. “Jesus, Karl! I’m 18! I didn’t think it would interest you!”

Karl sighed. “I always tend to forget that you’re no child anymore. What does it tell of my age to have a grown-up son?” He scratched his head. “May be not that much... I was 20, barely older that you are now when you were born...”

“Scary thought, eh?” Hunter grinned. “You could possibly become a granddad...”

“No,” Karl smiled, shaking his head. “Somehow I doubt that...” he replied, his smile broadening when he saw his son blush. “What I wanted to say was...I don’t want you to tell me things, because I want to control you, but because I’m interested in your life. I wouldn’t have told my parents, but I think it’s different with us.” He sighed. “You’re my son, Hunter, but most important is that I think you’re my friend, too...”

Hunter pulled up his brows, putting a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Jeez, Karl, calm down! Don’t go all sentimental on me, ‘k? I just didn’t tell you about the tat, cause I thought you weren’t into tattoos and I didn’t want to argue with you!”

“OK...” Karl laughed and hugged his son close to his chest. “Love you, Hunter.”

“Love you, too,” Hunter replied, returning the hug. “Dad,” he added after a while with a small smirk. “OK, Karl, you coming now? We’ll be late!”

“Sure,” Karl said, running into Harry when he left the room. “Jesus, you scared me!” he gasped when Harry put his arms around him and kissed him softly on the cheek.

“How do I look, mum?” Hunter asked Harry, turning around on his heels.

“Ravishing as always!” Harry laughed and let go of his lover. “You know that I hate it when you call me mum, right?” Harry asked in a low voice, pulling up his brows in question.

“Sure, mum,” Hunter smiled warmly at the tall man and gave him a small peck on the cheek.


~*~


“Sean!”

Beanie laughed heartily when he found himself buried under a pile of Hobbits. “Jesus, lads!” he chuckled. “Don‘t give the old man a heart-attack on his birthday!”

Elijah smiled innocently, looking at Sean from blue eyes. “You know that we would never do that, Sean!” he assured the older man and then reached out his arms to give Sean a hug. “Happy birthday, Beanie!”

After Billy had congratulated Sean as well, Dom almost shily walked forward and hugged Beanie softly. “My best wishes, Sean,” he breathed and then pulled back, his grey eyes searching for Billy’s to support him.

Beanie frowned in concern. No cheeky grin? No stupid jokes? Dom didn’t behave in a normal way... “What’s wrong with you boyfriend?” Sean asked Billy after pulling the Scotsman to the side, using the chance as Dom was just chatting with Viggo.

“Dommie’s been having quite serious problems with his health lately...” Billy sighed, scratching his head with his right hand. “One day he just damn near passed out on me on the red carpet and when he went to the doctor’s he got the diagnosis that he’s diabetic...”

Sean nodded. “Yeah, my cousin’s diabetic, too. I know that problem...”

“Well, Billy continued quickly. “The medication has been quite hard for him, because he’s feeling sick and very tired most of the times.” Thoughtfully Billy turned his head into Dom’s direction, a far away expression settling in his green eyes. “It’s been very frustrating for Dom and he’s not taking it too well, so...please don’t ask him about it.”

“I won’t,” Beanie promised and walked closer to the little group that had gathered around Viggo, joining into the conversation.


~*~


“I will get us something to drink,” Dave said to his daughter, looking back at her from over his shoulder. He was happy to see that she obviously got along with the two Seans’ daughters Ali and Evie very well. All three of them had been relieved to see that there were younger party guests than their parents and their friends and very soon they had found out that they shared some interests.

“Jesus fuck!” Dave cried out in surprise when he suddenly ran into somebody, feeling his feet loose contact with the ground. At least the impact hadn’t been too hard as he had fallen on the other person... Carefully Dave opened his eyes. “Not again!” he groaned when he saw whom he had knocked to the ground.

“Roo!” the other man exclaimed happily. “I didn’t know that you’re such a direct person,” he chuckled, looking up at Dave who was lying on top of him. He put his arms around Dave’s shoulders, nearly purring when he spoke again. “Cut the foreplay and come straight to business, I like that...”

Fuck, fuck, FUCK! Dave felt himself blushing. “You know that it isn’t like that,” he ground out between teeth, trying to stand up, but the other man was holding him closely trapped in his arms.

“...says the man lying on top,” the stranger grinned, giving his hips a tentative thrust upwards before he let Dave free.

“Eric? Dave? You two okay?” they suddenly heard Orlando’s concerned voice next to them.

“Never been better, lil’ brother!” the dark haired man, now identified as Eric, called, and got up after Dave had rolled from him. “May I give you a hand, Roo?” he asked Dave politely and pulled the perplexed man up.

“Thank you, ERIC,” Dave replied, stressing the name. He felt the urge to hit himself. He should’ve known who the man was from the very beginning. Of course he had heard of Eric Bana. How couldn’t he have, being a part of the Australian movie industry himself. They just never had met. Eric had been with Sean on Troy, playing Hector the big brother of Paris or Orlando in that case. Dave chuckled softly. This was really too hilarious. “Nice to stumble across you again,” Dave said to the huge man in front of him, feeling himself really smile at Eric for the first time.

A cheeky grin appeared on Eric’s lips. “No problem, Roo. I somehow enjoy playing your pillow every now and then...”


~*~


“Hey, elf-boy! Where’s your beautiful girlfriend?”

Orlando had known that the question would inevitably come. He shot Viggo a fake grin. “She’s at home. She didn’t feel too well today and so I decided to come alone.”

It was a lie and Orli hoped that he was good enough an actor to make Viggo believe him.

The older man seemed to believe him. “Send her my greetings then!” he said and walked off to get himself a beer.

Orlando sighed in relief. Viggo was sometimes too perceptive. He seemed to have these little antennae on his head that told him whenever something was wrong. Not so today. The truth was that Kate had left Orli after years of being together with him. Left him for another man.

*Flashback*

“You know, Orlando, the problem is that John understands me. He just instinctively knows what I need and I finally feel at home with him.”

Orlando swallowed the bitter lump that was forming in his throat. “And I do not or what are you trying to tell me?”

Kate sighed heavily. “I don’t think I need to tell you that it is no longer as it used to be between us. The gap between us is not going to close again. I can feel it whenever I talk to you...”

“So this is the end?” Orli asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yes,” Kate replied. “This is the end.”

*End Flashback*

He just needed some time for himself, Orli thought as he walked on his own through Sean’s and Viggo’s huge garden, searching for a little more secluded area. After a while he stepped behind a group of trees, surprised that a young woman was already sitting there. “Oh, sorry,” he mumbled, turning to walk away. “I didn’t want to disturb you...”

“Orli? Is that you?” the woman suddenly asked and Orlando turned, lifting his head to look at the beautiful blond woman who had gotten up to stand in front of him.

“Do I know you?” Orli frowned, something in her face so strikingly familiar.

The woman grinned, tugging at her dress in a nervous gesture. “I’m Lorna Bean,” she replied, laughing when Orlando’s eyes widened incredously as he realised who he was talking to.

“Jesus Christ!” he exclaimed, stepping forward to embrace Lorna warmly. “The last time I saw you, sweetie, you were what? 16? 17 years old?” He held Lorna at arm’s length to take a closer look at her. “You...” he stammered nervously. “You look beautiful!”

Long black lashes fell shut upon grey eyes as Lorna blushed. “Thank you,” she whispered with a shy smile. “You’re not too bad looking either...”

They laughed. “Umm...” Orli looked down at his feet. “I think I’m going to leave you alone now,” he mumbled. “You didn’t look like you wanted company.”

“No, please stay!” Lorna replied hastily. “I...I don’t mind sharing my solitude with you. Please sit down. You were clearly trying toget away as well.”

“Yes,” Orli confessed, sitting down next to Lorna. “What drove you away?” he asked, having remarked the sadness in her eyes.

“Oh...” Lorna blushed. “Well, there’s that guy I’ve been in love with for ages and...” She picked a flower and started playing with it. “Today he called me and... I always thought he liked me, too, and just was too shy to say anything, but well... He called me and invited me to his wedding.”

“Ouch.” Orli grimaced, knowing exactly what Lorna felt like. “Then I guess it’s my turn to tell you my story now.” Orli shut his eyes, his stomach painfully cramping when he thought of Kate. “My girlfriend left me some days ago. We had been together for years...” He shrugged his shoulders, laughing bitterly. “We make a great pair, the two of us.” He gestured at himself and Lorna, taking her hand into his. “Welcome to the Lonely-Hearts-Club!”


Tbc...

Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Thanks!