One pair of Red shoes: Missing

Somehow it almost seemed like someone didn’t want me
to post that chapter.

First my brothers Internet made trouble. Than my saved
mails disappeared and then the drive where the story was
saved stopped working.

Title: Onir oir of red shoes: Missing

Author: Strange Music

Chapter 3

He was so deep in his thoughts that he didn't realise
they had arrived, till Billy opened his door. Leaning
forward beside him, the worry was back in his friend's
face, his hand clasping his shoulder.

"You with me again?"

He hadn’t realized that Billy had been talking to him, not
surprising really, as he had been lost in his thoughts.

"I’m all right," he replied with a conviction that he
knew sounded wrong to both of them, and before Billy
could reply anything else, he had gotten out of the car
and was walking to the flat.

He knew that he could use the time it would take
Billy to close the car and climb the three floors
to himself.

Getting the key from behind the plant on the
windowsill, he didn't realise what he had done until
he heard Billy clear his throat behind him.

Taking the keys out of his hand, Billy brushed by him.

"I swear if I ever get an ulcer you will have 15%
share of it," he snorted.

Following Billy inside he closed the door behind him.
The flat looked the same as he remembered it. Just a
few things in different places and pictures from the
production where he was missing. The clothes strewn on
the couch were as familiar as his own .

"You’re sharing with Orlando again?"

"Yes. He said that he didn't want to stay with his mother. But
don't worry, he said that he won't be home for the next
few hours, if not days, if I heard correctly from his
phone call." But suddenly he stopped to look up at
Dom. "How did you know that these were Orli's
clothing?"

Holding up a rather flamboyant shirt, he said, "Because this one
would suit you so well. I can almost see you wearing
it."

"Give it to me before it s mys my cornea." Packing
everything on the second bed in the next room,
he motioned Dom to sit on the now free couch, while he stepped
out to the kitchen to make some tea for the two of
them. All thoughts of lunch had been forgotten, as
neither of them was sure if he was really going to be
able to eat anything.

But after a few seconds of idle sitting, Dom was up and
helping Billy in the small kin, pn, preparing the
teabags and the cups while Billy tcarecare of the
rest. It was when he took the spoons out of the
drawer that he looked up, and found the older man
looking at him with a rather wide-eyed expression.

It was only then that he realised what he had done,
in a flat that he had never been too. At least in the
eyes of his friend.

"First the key, now the cups. What did you do, Dom?
Visit Orlando while I was gone?" he was joking but
there was something in his eyes that spoke of puzzlement.

"Lucky guess?" he tried while he shrugged.

"If that was a lucky guess then you will *lucky guess*
for me the numbers of next week’s lottery." Putting the
water in the cups, he put just the right amount of
sugar in Dominic's. This however was explained by the time
they surely had spent together as friends.

As he set the cup on the table, his eyes fell on the
picture that had stood there. The fact that he
remembered the day it had been taken did little for
his sanity. As the fact that the last time he had seen
it he had been on the picture too did little for his
calmness.

But it was great to remember for a moment, and to see
that not everything had been a figment of his
imagination.

The day of the fair eating way too many sweets with
Elijah, Billy, Orlando and Sean. Budding up with
Alexandra to sneak up on her Daddy and scaring him
when he wasn't looking. Catching kisses from Elijah
till his lover told him to get his own ice if he was
so hungry for it. Showing him hours later that the
ice cream hadn't been the sweet thing that he had been
after. Driving home to their flat feeling sick to his
stomach but never being happier.

Now the place near Elijah was empty, and Ali was held
up by her father instead of standing in front of him.

"That was a great day!" he didn't look up when he
heard Billy voice. “Ali's 2nd birthday. She wanted to
go to the fair and Sean took us all along. I even shot
a teddy for her on the first try."

Dom couldn't hold back the snort. He still remembered
the 25 minutes that they had stood and waited till
the Scot had finally proudly arrived with the price.
They had teased him for the next 2 hours with bad
Braveheart jokes.

"Only if it takes you almost an hour for 3 shots. I’m
sure that the lady just gave you the teddy because
otherwise you would have spent the rest of the
afternoon there. I knew that Elijah and Sean were
ready to bribe her be the the only thingt wet we would
see of that fair would be this shooting gallery. But
since Ali was so happy when you gave her that blue
dog you were forgiven for any cold feet."

"It was a green Cat."

"No, it was a blue dog. Otherwise all those Blue Peter
jokes that were made all afternoon would have
made no sense at all."

There was a long silence, but he was
still too wrapped up in the picture to notice iteeineeing it made it all worse. Especially seeing Elijah
like that.

"You’re right...it was a blue dog, and Alexandra
called him Peter because he reminded her of her Uncle
Peter."

He couldn't stop the laughter that the next memory
brought. A very confused Peter Jackson being presented
with his namesake. "It was lucky that he’s a father himself.
Who knows what punishment he might have given us
otherwise for the joke. He might have left us on the
tree for a lot longer than just a few hours."

Placing the picture back on the table he looked back
at Billy who was staring at him with the strangest
expression he had seen in long time.

"You’re right. It was a blue dog. And she did call
him Peter. A fact that PJ took with good humour
despite our teasing."

The smile that had started on his face about being
right about the dog quickly disappeared when he looked
back at the picture and realised that it had been
taken at a time where the dog had long ago wandered
back into the large bag that Sean had carried.

"And now we’ll sit down and you will tell me how you
know that much about a trip that you never were part
of."

Well who knows...maybe padded cells were not as bad as
they always said they were.

He looked at Billy with what he hoped was a cheeky
expression. "Maybe I should really try and guess next
week’s lottery. After all, they say that it's three in
a row."

Sitting down on the couch, he picked up his cup with
both hands, for the first few moment trying to look
anywhere but at Billy's inquiring eyes.

"Dominic. Look, I know that something is wrong with
you. I know that you were all right 3 days ago. So I
know that something’s happened in between. But there’s
*nothing* that could explain your recollection of
a trip that you never attended, and
remembering facts that I’d forgotten. "

"So give. Did you and Orlando decide to play a joke on
the old man?"

Oh yes, it was a joke. Most definitely. Just that it
wasn't Billy that the joke had been played on, and it
had stopped being funny long ago.

"This is no joke."

"When…What is that supposed to mean? Talking about NZ
as if you had been there?"

Well like, they said: sanity was highly overrated.

Putting his cup down, he made sure that his expression
was serious when he looked directly at Billy.

"What would you say if I toou tou that I played Merry
in ‘Lord of the Rings’?"

"I would say that it most certainly wasn't our movie.
Because I would have certainly appreciated a partner
that didn't come late every day, and sober only every
third. I would have remembered a partner that didn’t look
down at me as if we weren't the same class of human.
And I most certainly would have remembered a partner
that had had a least the slightest sense of humour."

"But what if I said that I have more memories of
filming ‘Lord of the Rings' than of any scene or
episode of 'Shawcross PI' or 'Cover my eyes'?"

Billy didn't break eye contact but also didn't say
anything.

"What would you say if I told you that I woke up three days ago
and my whole life was suddenly upside down?"

"I would say you’re insane." Shaking his head, Billy
said those words for the first time without joking.

It was as straight forward and direct as only a friend could
say those words. "And frankly I would agree with you,
were it not for the fact that I remember it all so
clearly. Almost everyday down there in New Zealand. I
remember celebrating Orlando's 23rd Birthday. Or the
fact that it was cold as hell when we filmed the scene
at the house of healing. And in between breaks, you
would come under my blanket to warm up. I remember
that I got a cold and didn't have to act sick because
I was already looking miserable enough. I remember
that Elijah tried to cook his first soup for me that
day. And that I loved it even when there was too much
salt in it. After all, they say that only a cook in
love uses too much salt. I remember going surfing with
Viggo. I remember how your flat and those of the
others looked like. I even remember the tattoo and
where they are.”

The last was enough to make Billy put down his cup
hard. But he barely looked at the spld ted tea on the
table.

"How the hell did you know about the tattoo? We never
told anybody outside the fellowship about it." He
could see Billy's brows close together and his mind
starting to work.

"I know it because in my memory I had one on my
shoulder. The same one as you and Sean have on your
foot. Or Elijah on his Belly. Or Orlando on his arm.
Tell me I am crazy. Tell me I need professional help.
I would not even think to disagree with you. But that
do't c't change the fact I can answer any question
that you may ask me about a life that I shouldn't
remember, and a project that I wasn’t a part of."

"Why are you telling me this?" It was an honest
question. But he had to think for a while before he
was able to answer it.

"Why am I telling you this? Because I feel like I’m
going insane, and it seems that no matter which reality
I’m in, you, my friend, is the only constant. That no
matter if I was ever with you in New Zealand or not, you
apparently were destined to become my friend."

"What happened when Orlando called Karl to a man to
man swordfight?"

It was hours later that Billy stopped asking him
questions. By then he had answered all but those that
included him correctly.

Leaning back in his chair Billy looked at him with a
tired gaze.

"And since you’re so clever, can you tell me what the
hell I”m supposed to do? Believe you and point myself
as crazy as you seemed to be. Or accept my own
memories that tell me that there’s no real proof that
you’re telling the truth."

"How about being my friend and question neither?" He
smiled at Billy "Well, besides the fact of your sanity,
which has always been questionable." He didn't have
time to hide from the pillow that came flying.

~*~*~*~

Brushing over his shirt for the last time, Billy kept
mumbling at the mirror.

"I can't believe I agreed to take you along. Must have
been my age showing.”

Dom couldn't hide his smile watching the other man.

"Well, you did have me promise about 65 times that I
wouldn't say anything about my memories of the
project. So it will just be a nice afternoon barbeque
party with friends that don't remember me." It isn't
as if that had never happened before in his life. Just
never before with quite as many people at the same
time.

"You can't blame a man for taking care of his sanity."
The ringing of the telephone stopped the friendly banter. And
Dominic took up the keys to go to the car without
waiting for Billy. The last he heard was "That's
great...really!" while the smile spread brightly on
Billy's face.

He had sat down inside the car when Billy finally came
down as well.

"Who was that?"

"Just Orlando calling me with news. Seems like
almost the whole lot made it here." Putting on his
seatbelt, he turned to Dominic one last time. "And,
Dom..."

"I’ll keep my mouth shut. And now get your eyes on
the road or my memories will be the last of your
worries."

Laughing aloud, Billy turned back to the road.

"As you wish."

~*~*~*~

Despite his assurances, Dom felt worry creeping up on
him. Besides talking about his memories Billy had
asked him about as many times if he really wanted to
attend the party. And he had always replied that he would
do just fine. That it was enough to see the people. That he would
manage the fact that he was a stranger to people that
he had called friends.

Not that Billy had really looked as if he had believed
him. But his attempts at convincing him had apparently
been enough to show him how badly Dom wanted to go
there.

And now that they were coming closer and closer to the
party, he started to think that maybe it might not have
been such a great idea.

Now that it was too late to turn back, he might
as well close his eyes and go through with it. And
hope that his mouth wouldn't get the better of him.

~*~*~*~

Standing at the entrance, he saw Billy look over to
him.

"I swear, Billy, if you ask me one more time to
remember what I say, the first impression that they’ll
get about me will be seeing me strangle their
colleague."

Billy smiled but shook his head. "Actually, I was going
to ask you if you were all right. You did turn pale
during the last few minutes."

"Ever been scared of something that you still wanted
to go through?"

Laying his hand on Dom's shoulder, Billy started to
steer them both to the door.

"All the time, my friend."

To be continued….

Hope you still enjoy the story!

Thank you again Tinuviel! I hope that the story is still catching. Not much longer till the conclusion!

Due to timetrouble the next part will be posted between Friday and Saturday this week. I applologize for the delay