When You Come Back Down

AUTHOR: Fainpathe Elanesse
TITLE: When You Come Back Down
PAIRING: Orlando Bloom/Alex Band
RATING: NC17 – boytouching! Squeeeee!
WARNING: language, m/m relationships, ridiculous plotline. Ye be warned! Oh, and ANGST AHOY!
Also, this fic has Orli as a bit of a bastard really, but his heart’s in the right place. But, just in case, if you don’t like bastard!Orli, STOP READING NOW
DISCLAIMER: I'm an impoverished student who's making no money from this, honest! This obviously never happened, alas, alack. If it did, and they were mine, they'd spend a lot more time in Scotland. In my bed. Naked. Ahem. ON WITH THE FIC!!
FEEDBACK: Is my raison d’etre, my mojo, the fires that stoke the pit of hell from whence come my ideas. How can I know I’m crap if you guys don’t tell me?

A/N: For the purposes of this fic, Alex is from Manchester, and is not famous, although he is in a band. :D Ok, so he’s kinda an OMC, but physically, he’s exactly right for the character. Same singing voice, same looks, but with a Mancunian accent!

The title is a Nickel Creek song – an awesome bluegrass/country band. Go listen! Now, now I tell you!

All quotes, when I realise they’re not my own wit and genius :D shall be footnoted, and credit given where due. If I miss one, tell me!

Also, this fic has Orli as a bit of a bastard really, but his heart’s in the right place. But, just in case, if you don’t like bastard!Orli, STOP READING NOW

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO MY REVIEWERS: Dreamcatcher217, Legyviel, and MustIBeAMalfoy at Adult Fanfiction.net and Eshanna, Joann and Grace at 6 degrees of Orliation. You guys rule!

SORRY THIS HAS TAKEN SO LONG – end-of-term deadlines have crept up on me, and added writer’s block has not helped! On top of that, my PSU in my computer died, so this chappie was trapped inside, and, bloody-minded as I am, I refused to rewrite it. I’ll try and be more regular in my updates, I promise! Summer holidays mean lots of time to write! Yay! Woo! Dontcha just love university holidays? FOUR MONTHS!!! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Go see TROY! RIGHT NOW! Not only does it have Orli-bear nekked (TREASURE TRAIL! TREASURE TRAIL! Damn that bed…) it has Brad Pitt’s arse, Eric Bana looking oh-so fuckable, and excellent acting from Peter O’Toole, Brian Cox et al. And, of course, the Beanmeister. It’s Boromir! SQUEEE!!!! HI BOROMIR!!!!

“Blah” denotes speech, ‘blah’ denotes thought, ~~~~~~ denotes passage of time and *blah* is emphasis. There ya go!

Warning: There are many many references in this chapter, so you may just wanna leave them to the end. Also, HOMOPHOBIC LANGUAGE. I don’t agree with it but it’s necessary for the story, ok?

Chapter 7: In Which The Title Has Meaning
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
One Week Later…

“You coming out tonight then?” Dom poked his head round the front door, waiting for Orli to shower before they left for the set that day. Alex looked up, distracted, from the lyrics he’d been busy scribbling away at.

“Hmm? Nah, no cash, mate, sorry.”

“I’ll lend you some babe, it’s ok.” Orlando kissed the top of Alex’s head on his way past, and Alex could see the usual half-serious ‘ew, boytouching!’ expression cross Dom’s face. Orli grabbed an apple from the hall table, before smiling at Alex and sticking his tongue out at Dom, and both men left, arguing good-naturedly as always.

Alex felt guilty about living off Orli’s wages, and as a result – as well as their discussion last week – had got a job in a local bar, Brava(1). The owner, James, was good-tempered, and very glad of the help, what with all those connected with Rings descending on Wellington like the proverbial plague of locusts – with the benefit of wallets.

Alex had quickly become popular with staff and customers alike, although he was yet to receive his first pay packet, and had spent his tips already. In fact, he was due to be working that night, so the fact that he was skint was a moot point. He decided to call the bar, and see if they wanted any help today, since he was quickly becoming bored of a life of leisure. He’d just nail this last verse first…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That night…

Alex had been working for a couple of hours when the hobbits turned up, filthy humans and a couple of elves in tow. Orli leaned over the bar for a kiss, but Dom’s arm prevented him, and the hobbit jokingly gestured to the ‘no molesting the bar staff’ sign above Alex’s head. The blonde rolled his eyes, before mouthing Orli’s inevitable response behind his back.

“You can’t molest the willing, now, can you?” Orli smirked at Dom, before turning back to his lover and giving him a quick peck on the cheek.

“It’s open mike night tonight babe – you gonna grace us with a song?”

“Only if you make it worth my while, angel, these lips don’t work for free you know…”Alex grinned cheekily at Orli, before sauntering down the bar to serve someone else, a suggestive sway in his hips. He left behind him two very shocked Brits.

“You’ve rubbed off on him mate – he’s gone all…gay!” Dom said, struggling for a better description. “He didn’t used to be all innuendo-y, he used to like football, and beer! One night with you, and he’s gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide!” (2) Orli just stared at his lover’s back - or more accurately, just below it - drooling at that delectable behind in his tight black work jeans.

The two men rejoined their table, a secluded booth in the corner, before joining Beanie’s argument with Billy that all Scots were kinky sheep shaggers.

“Even your food’s kinky. Deep-fried mars bars, I mean, honestly!”(3) Dom shook his head before returning his attention to his pint.

“Hey, you think we should sign Alex up for this open mike thing that’s on later?” Dom turned to Orli, one eyebrow raised.

“You sure about that, mate? He’ll kill you if he finds out. Or withhold certain privileges, which’d be much worse for you, I’d imagine!”

“What privileges?” Lij asked blithely, having just caught the end of the conversation. Dom just looked at him, until finally the penny dropped. At the young American’s blushing face, Dom snorted into his pint, and Orli merely smirked and winked at the poor boy.

“Nah, seriously, I think we should! I’ve never managed to persuade Alex to sing in front of a big group of people. I know he’s mucked around on the guitar when we’ve been there, but you guys don’t know how good he is.” Orli positively glowed with pride. He’d heard Alex singing when the blonde man thought that no one else was around, and his voice was amazing.

It didn’t sound as if it was coming from the slight young man at all, and the sound of it made Orli’s insides melt. But he had yet to see him sing or play properly in front of a group. Just then, a woman walked past with a clipboard, signing up those that were interested for the open mike night, and before Dom had a chance to stop him, Orli had put down Alex’s name.

“Just give me warning when his name’s going to be called out, alright mate? I want a chance to hide before the fireworks start!” He looked disbelievingly at the brunette, thinking that this was bound to end in tears. Alex was shy about his music, and while he had played covers and little ditties when sitting around with the others at night, he’d refused to play any of his own music. And tonight had a No Covers policy. Dom sat back and waiting for the inevitable eruption when Alex realised his ‘angel’ had put him down to sing.

Alex’s endearment for Orli still amused Dom to no end. While it was true, in a strictly hetero appreciative way, that Orli was a very attractive man, and did have an ethereal glow about him, especially in his Legolas costume, the man’s personality was anything but angelic. This was the man who’d come up with the idea to put a whole salmon in the back of Beanie’s car, although Dom had been blamed for the incident – rather unfairly, he thought! After all, all he’d done was actually put the fish in the car…Dom shook his head and laughed at the memory of Beanie’s perplexed face, and repeated questions of ‘what the fuck is making my car smell so bad? I’ve tried cleaning it, nothing fucking works!’.

Alex saw only the good in Orli, and while his mischievous side was definitely NOT on the ethereal plane, his looks and the manner with which he carried himself as Legolas certainly was. Dom remembered seeing Orli turn around from watching the sun rise, in costume, and the sun just made his hair glow, giving the young man an aura of liquid gold.

Dom’s attention was quickly drawn back to the present as the young woman with the clipboard climbed up onto the small stage and cleared her throat to get the attention of the audience. She quickly announced the first act, a duo of women whose set could only be described as angry-girl-music-of-the-indie-rock persuasion(4). Their few songs went mostly unnoticed, and they were greeted by reserved applause when finished.

The next three acts followed in a similar manner, and the fellowship continued their conversations, Liv begging a lift home from Orli, and Dom and Billy persisting in their England/Scotland argument. The argument was starting to get ugly, with Beanie and Dom gradually beating Billy down, when an announcement on stage caught their attention.

“Round of applause for David Shaw(5), ladies and gentlemen! Ok, our next act is our very own Alex Band, bartendere ere at the club. Alex? Get up here, honey!” She gestured over to the bar, where Alex was standing with a look of sheer horror on his face. He gestured enthusiastically, waving his arms back and forth, and shaking his head.

“Uh-uh, no way!” He glanced over to the Fellowships table, only to see Orli trying vainly to hide behind Liv’s skirt as she screamed, and Dom pointed at Orli, protesting his innocence. Alex glared at his lover, before being dragged up on stage by his fellow bartenders.

“But I don’t have a gui…ok, never mind.” A guitar was thrust into Alex’s hand as he spoke, and the blonde sat down on a stool, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to sing. “Um…ok, I guess I don’t have a choice about this one, right? Dom, Orli, you’re both dead men.” Alex grinned to show that he wasn’t entirely serious, before strumming a few chords on his guitar while he thought of what song to sing. Finally he decided, and the bar quickly became silent as Alex began to sing.

“Is it love tonight
When everyone's dreaming
Of a better life
In this world divided by fear
We've gotta believe that
There's a reason we're here
Yeah, there's a reason we're here.”

Whilst people had resumed their conversations almost as soon as the other acts had started, there was hardly a noise in the bar as the quiet strums of Alex’s guitar and his voice drifted through the room.

“Cause these are the days worth living
these are the years we're given
And these are the moments
these are the times
Let's make the best out of our lives”

Orli looked round the table at his friends, and smiled at their identical looks of amazement. Vig and Beanie had heard Alex sing casually, but the rest had never heard him, and never like this. The emotion Alex conveyed was overpowering, and it was hard to believe that the voice was coming from the young man. His throaty vocals seemed a world away from his normal speaking voice, and the Fellowship looked on, enthralled.

“We can't go on
Thinking it's wrong
To speak our minds
I've gotta let out what's inside

Is it love tonight
When everyone's dreaming
Can we get it right?
Yeah, well can we get it right?

Cause these are the days worth living
These are the years we're given
And these are the moments
These are the times
Let's make the best out of our lives
Even if hope was shattered
I know it wouldn't matter
Because these are the moments
These are the times
Let's make the best out of our lives” (6)

As Alex finished, there was a moment of silence before vigorous clapping broke out. He got up to leave the stage, but was forced back down by Jane, the woman who’d been announcing the acts.

“Oh no you don’t! That’s the best result we’ve had yet! You’re playing more songs, mister, or I’ll set Mary on you!” Mary was the scary-beyond-all-reason mother-in-law of the bar’s owner, and Alex had no wish to tangle with her. He resignedly sat down, and proceeded to play three more songs, all to an enraptured audience. Finally, he announced that this would be his last song. His fingers were raw and aching, and he was sure his throat would be the same tomorrow.

“Ok, um…I wrote this song this morning, so please forgive me if I cock it up a bit, alright? This is for…ah fuck it, you know who you are.” He grinned nervously in the direction of Orli’s table, unable to see his lover, but sure that he was watching. Alex was terrified about singing the song, but he wanted Orli to know how he felt, know his fears and dreams. He couldn’t convey them through talking, but when he sang, he felt truly free.

“You got to leave me now, you got to go alone
You got to chase a dream, one that's all your own
Before it slips away
When you're flying high, take my heart along
I'll be the harmony to every lonely song
That you learn to play”

Once again, the bar was completely silent, and the fellowship all sat watching Orli’s reaction to the song Alex had written just for him.

“When you're soaring' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down

I'll keep looking' up, awaiting' your return
My greatest fear will be that you will crash and burn
And I won't feel youre
e
I'll be the other hand that always holds the line
Connecting in between your sweet heart and mine
I'm strung out on that wire”

Alex was baring his heart for the entire world to see, and Orli couldn’t believe that this wonderful, gentle, talented man was really in love with him.

“And I'll be on the other end,
To hear you when you call
Angel, you were born to fly,
If you get too high
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll catch you when you fall

Your memory's the sunshine every new day brings
I know the sky is calling
Angel, let me help you with your wings

When you're soaring' through the air
I'll be your solid ground
Take every chance you dare
I'll still be there
When you come back down
Take every chance you dare,
I'll still be there
When you come back down
When you come back down”(7)

Once again, Alex finished the song, and he almost ran off the stage, glad to escape. He walked across the club, heart in his throat, oblivious to all the compliments from the other patrons, and the women trying to attract his attention. His eyes were fixed upon the far table, where Orli was waiting for him. As he approached the table, he was enveloped in a Hobbit sandwich, all of them spouting variants on ‘dude, why didn’t you tell us you could sing? That was so cool!’.

He smiled and responded absent-mindedly, his gaze locked on Orli’s, who looked as if he was about to burst into tears, and smiled back. Alex disentangled himself from the hobbits, and moved over to his lover.

“So…”

“So…”

Both men laughed, before Orli gestured for Alex to continue.

“Um…did you like the song? I mean, I’m still working on it, I only wrote it this morning, and mmmmpfff!” Orli grabbed Alex by the back of the neck and kissed him very thoroughly. The men broke apart, although Orli still had his hand round at the back of Alex’s head.

“I loved it.” He smiled tenderly at the nervous man, then gently kissed him again, reaffirming how much he loved the other man. They were about to sit down when two large men approached the table.

“You wrote that song for him?” The larger of the two men glared down at Alex. Alex stood up, trying to make his slight frame bigger.

“Yeah, I did, why?” The other man cracked his knuckles before replying.

“Cuz we don’t like poofters, that’s why. You don’t belong here.” He stepped closer to the group, looming over them threateningly. Alex called over to James at the bar.

“Are these guys good customers?”

“Nah, mate, never seen ‘em before!”

“Oh good. Now, what was that you called me?”

“You heard me, a poofter.” Alex gritted his teeth at the comment, and attempted to punch the larger man. His hand impacted with the man’s chest, with apparently no effect.

“You really shouldn’t have done that mate.” The pseudo-gorilla grabbed Alex by the neck, and slammed him into the wall. Immediately, Orli, Sean B, Viggo and the hobbits surrounded the men.

“Oh, no, I really think he should. In fact, why stop there?” Viggo quickly decked the smaller of the men, and the hobbits jumped on the other, with Lij actually biting the Neanderthal’s ear. Bouncers jumped in to stop the trouble, and were all ready to eject the Fellowship, until it was explained to them what had happened. The two men – by now unconscious – were thrown out of the back door into the dumpster outside to wake up much the worse for wear in the morning.

As soon as the thugs had been taken care of, Orli rushed over to Alex, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.

“Are you ok babes?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, really angel. Having slight difficulty breathing right now though…” Alex rasped, held in a crushing grip by his lover. Orli swiftly released him, before lifting Alex’s head back, examining his throat, and the angry red marks thare lre left there. He stroked the marks gently, before tenderly kissing each one. It was a subdued party that sat down in the booth once more, and the Fellowship broke up shortly after, each going their separate ways ~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC…

A/N: Ok, so I was reading a really long fic the other day, and by the time I got to the footnotes, I’d forgotten what it was it referred to. Now, this isn’t nearly as long, but just in case (and for those ou whu who have the memory of a goldfish – and I know I have…) from now on I’m going to put the quote in, followed by the explanation. Enjoy!
Um, also, Orli calling everyone ‘babes’ is the evil influence of my friend from uni, Laura. I picked it up from her, and now I’m passing it on to Orli.
P.S. – Just watched the extras on the extended TTT dvd, and found Elijah doing an impression of Orli complaining about his cracked rib. And I quote: “Oh babes, oh babes, I can’t ride the ‘orse, oh babes, it ‘urts” So looks like I was right after all! Yay! Ta Laura! *snuggles Laura* you can be Mrs Depp this week :D


(1) “a job in a local bar, Brava” - This is an actual club in Wellington, frequented by Elijah Wood and Liv Tyler while filming. I have no idea what the owner’s name is, so if any Wellingtonians could enlighten me, that’d be great.

(2) “Gayer than a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide!” - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman, Good Omens.

(3) “Deep-fried mars bars, I mean, honestly!” - Yes, we do make these, but the only people who eat them are gullible tourists, bless them! The idea for this argument, and indeed the mars bar comment, came from the fic ‘Sabotage’ by Calico, which used to be on the site ‘Beyond the Fellowship’, but I believe can be found now at Pretty Boy Kittens, http://tentative.net/sascha/pbk/

(4) “angry-girl-music-of-the-indie-rock persuasion” - This description, is from possibly the best fil film ever, 10 Things I Hate About You. It is, of course, used to describe Kat’s taste in music. Or ‘chicks who can’t play their instruments’, if you’re Patrick. Ah, Heath Ledger…ahem. Sorry, carry on.

(5) Davhaw haw is the character played by Viggo in A Perfect Murder. OK, so he’s a conman/artist in the film, but I needed a random person to put in there! It was either that or Johnny Depp, but I need him for later…I have sequel plans! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

(6) “Our Lives” by, of course, The Calling. New single! Go buy!

(7) The song that started this whole thing off, “When you come back down” by Nickel Creek, an awesome, awesome country-bluegrass band. Go buy their album, downlit, it, whatever. You must own this song, and their cover of the Robert Burns’ poem “Sweet Afton”. If you want to hear the song, here’s a link to Amazon, where you can listen to a sample and indeed, buy the album! Which you need to do :P http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004NK9T/qid=106186578/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-2104692-9019862