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fellowshippers2005-03-21 11:54 am
ex-salwood.livejournal.com) wrote in fellowshippers2005-03-21 11:54 am
The Wedding 5/?
Title: The Wedding 5/?
Author: Salogel42
Pairing: dom/lij
Rating: 15
Warning: Little bit of swearing
Summary: Dom and Lij prepare to leave for the airport.
Archive: All chapters of The Wedding can be found here
Author’s note: This is the sequel to World Trip. There are characters from World Trip in this story and also flashbacks to certains events. World Trip can be found here
Disclaimer: Absolutely not true!
The Wedding
Chapter 5 – Leaving for the Airport
Elijah was sitting at the table, checking the contents of the envelope Mal had given him after the wedding reception yesterday, when he heard a knock at the door.
He answered it to find Mal standing there.
“Hey, Mal… morning… come in.” Elijah smiled as he welcomed Mal into the room.
“Dom’s in the shower…” Elijah indicated to the bathroom. “He won’t be long.”
Mal nodded as he watched Elijah gather up passports, flight tickets and hotel reservations for his honeymoon, and drop them back into the envelope.
“Is everything in order?” Mal asked.
“Of course,” Elijah grinned at him. “And I’m ready… but Dom’s not…. which isn’t so unusual.” Elijah chuckled. “Want me to help you take the suits down to the car?”
“No, no…” Mal waved his hand. “Billy and I will see to that later.”
“Cool… Mom will be expecting you. She and Hannah are staying on at the house for a few more days.”
Mal nodded. He didn’t think he had ever seen Elijah look so relaxed and happy. The past few weeks had been more than a little hectic. A holiday would do him and Dominic the world of good.
“Umm… Elijah?” Mal spoke a little hesitantly.
“Yes, Mal?” Elijah looked at him.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of putting together a list of places for you to see… you know… to visit…” Mal withdraw a piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
“Rome and Florence.” Mal looked wistfully at his neat handwriting. “First place I went to, Elijah … … after… after…”
“I know,” Elijah whispered. “You told me…”
“Anyway…” Mal stood a little straighter and pulled himself together as he handed Elijah his list. “Here…”
“That’s great Mal, thank you.” Elijah took Mal into a hug. “And thank you for everything.”
“My pleasure, Elijah… my pleasure…” Mal patted Elijah on the back before breaking contact.
Elijah walked over to the coffee table. “Coffee?” He asked Mal as he poured himself a cup from the silver coffee pot.
“No thank you…” Mal declined, preferring tea anyway. “I’ll have something to drink when we join Billy for breakfast. He’s waiting downstairs in the restaurant.”
“Yeah… breakfast…” Elijah looked at his watch and was just about to call Dominic and tell him to get a move on, when the bathroom door opened and out he stepped, in a cloud of steam, towel drying his hair, and totally naked.
“Hey, Mal!” Dominic grinned when he saw Mal.
“Dom,” Mal acknowledged Dominic.
Elijah looked over his shoulder at Dominic and laughed.
“Mal… excuse Dom. Can’t take him anywhere!”
“What?” Dominic stood there in the nude, with his hair awry, looking totally bemused, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Elijah snorted, and Mal just smiled.
*
Elijah picked up one of the newspapers in the hotel foyer and glanced over it while Dominic finalised payment and check-out with the hotel receptionist.
“Dominic and yourself made the news,” Mal informed him.
“We did?” Elijah opened the paper and flicked through the pages.
“Page seven, I think. Near the bottom…”
“Fucking taxi-drivers…” Dominic murmured as he peered over Elijah shoulder and looked at the small print.
“Fuck you’re right. Here it is…” Elijah folded the newspaper and turned to Dominic. They both read it; it was only a small article.
Hobbit Friendship Ends With A Ring.
Dominic groaned at the cheesy headline. It didn’t say much just that they were both married at Hamilton Gardens the day before at a small private ceremony.
“Ah well… it’s not like it’s a big secret or anything… is it?” Dominic picked up his travel bag and hoisted it over his shoulder. “Don’t care if the whole fucking world knows…not me!!!” He gave Elijah a big grin. “Ready to go, baby?” Dominic looked through the glass doors at Billy waiting for them by the car.
“Yeah… I’ll be right there. I just need to speak to Mal for a second….”
“Cool…” Dominic nodded, as he picked up their cases and made his way outside.
“Now…” Elijah turned to Mal. “You’ve got my cell number… in case you need me.”
Mal smiled. “Elijah it’s your honeymoon, I wouldn’t dream of calling you.”
“But you have got the number, haven’t you? If there are any problems at all, Mal, call me. I mean it. Dom won’t mind…”
Mal went to protest again, but Elijah held up his hand.
“The first assignment of cds arrives next week… the second batch, the week after.”
“I have the schedule, Elijah …”
“I know… I know you do… but the builders need to finish first. They should be in on Monday to finish the soundproofing, and if they don’t turn up, you call them, Mal. You get onto them. I want the shop opened this side of Christmas, not next.”
“It’s all in hand, Elijah… don’t you worry. You and Dom just enjoy yourselves… you both deserve it…”
Elijah looked at Mal, forty-three years his senior, and now, one of his closest friends. It never ceased to amaze Elijah how things ultimately turned out. On waking in the morning nobody knew what lay ahead… where the day’s events would lead them - he had learnt that lesson himself, the hard way. So, when Mal turned up on his doorstep just two months ago… it had been totally unexpected and something Elijah could never have foreseen, not in a million years.
***
A beautiful spring day was coming to an end, and Elijah was exhausted as well as starving. He looked around the living room at his handy work, and groaned. It still looked as if he hadn’t done a thing!
They had been in their new house in Cambridge, for a few days. Six weeks had passed since Dominic had returned from LA, and all their belongings had only just been delivered, the day before.
Boxes and containers were everywhere. They hadn’t yet made a final decision on where their new furniture was to be placed … it really was chaotic, and somewhere behind all the cardboard boxes and piles of stuff in the hallway was a doorway to the kitchen and a cooker that Elijah just couldn’t be bothered to get to.
So he had called Dominic earlier and begged him to pick up a pizza on his way home from work, and now he found himself clock watching as his stomach grumbled in protest. If it hadn’t been impossible to open the French windows – impossible because of the impenetrable wall of boxes in front of them - Elijah knew he could have quite happily sat on the grass outside in the warm sunshine, and fallen into an exhausted, but albeit hungry, sleep.
The telephone rang, and he placed his box cutter down and grabbed the receiver. It was the real estate agent, finalising ownership of the premises he had bought last month. Finding their house and renting it had been easy… buying his shop however had not been so easy. In terms of paperwork, legalities, funding and a shitload of other stuff, it had turned into a minefield of paperwork …talk about throwing himself in at the deep end. But he had finally got there, and by the close of business at the end of the coming week, the shop… his shop would be his own - lock, stock and barrel!
Elijah hung up the phone. Everything was certainly happening at once. Shop, house… … wedding…
Wedding… Elijah smiled as he perched himself on the edge of a container.
“By the end of the year,” Dominic had said to him. “Let’s get married before the year is out, get married, go away, and then be back for our first Christmas here in our new home.”
They hadn’t wasted any time booking a date, and were lucky to get one before Christmas, with summer weddings being very popular.
And during the few short weeks that they continued to live in Peter’s guesthouse, while awaiting their shipment to arrive from LA, Elijah spent the time in between shopping for furniture and furnishings and visiting the real estate agent, organising their wedding invitations.
There weren’t many… they both agreed that they wanted a small wedding. Just family, and a few friends.
“And once Bills is back from filming, I’ll ask him to be my best man…” Dominic had announced. “He won’t fucking believe it!”
Elijah had smiled at Dominic’s statement… No one but Billy could be Dominic’s best man.
“How about you, Lij? Who’s going to be your best man?”
Elijah didn’t know. “I don’t think I’ll be having one, Dom,” he said. “I’ve grown apart from everyone this past year by keeping myself to myself… I don’t have anyone close anymore, not really close…”
Elijah saw the look of regret on Dominic’s face.
“But it doesn’t matter, Dom. Really. I’m marrying you, and that’s what counts.”
Dominic had taken Elijah into his arms then and hugged him tightly. “Well... I’m sure Billy can be there, for both of us.”
Those weeks had past in a flash. Where had all the time gone? Elijah looked at his watch yet again. It was no good, he was going to have take it on… he was going to have to battle his way into the kitchen to find something to eat, he was that fucking hungry.
Then the doorbell rang.
“Please have left work early, Dom!” Elijah made his way around scattered boxes and shimmied past one large one into the hallway to answer the door.
When he opened the door he was expecting to see Dominic standing there with a large pizza box resting in his hands, but instead he saw an old man, and he wondered what the fuck the old guy was going to try and sell him.
Then it clicked.
“My fucking God…Mal…?”
“Elijah…” Mal nodded. He looked incredibly self-conscious, and nervous. “I wasn’t sure if I had the right address, this was the third on my list.”
“Fucking hell… MAL!” Elijah broke into the biggest grin. “My God, man… come in… come in… “ Elijah stood to one side.
Mal cautiously stepped into the house and into the chaos of Elijah’s home.
“Oh… I’m sorry, Elijah. I can see you are very busy.” Mal looked at all the boxes.
“God, fuck… no…!” Elijah continued to stare at Mal in astonishment. “This is just so fucking unbelievable!” Elijah knew he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “This is just fucking awesome, wait till Dom sees you, he’ll be home soon.”
Elijah led Mal into the living room. “Excuse the mess….” He cleared a chair for Mal to sit on. “We’ve only just moved in.”
“Yes…. I can see that…” Mal watched Elijah clear another chair, and once he had taken a seat opposite him, Mal wasted no time in asking the question that had been on his lips from the moment Elijah opened the front door. The question that had led him half way around the world seeking an answer.
“How are you, Elijah?” Mal hadn’t failed to notice the walking cane by the front door and Elijah’s slight limp. “I had heard that you were seriously ill.”
“You did…?” Elijah was surprised and quite taken back by that statement, and not really wanting to answer, he got to his feet and quickly changed the subject.
“I’m sorry Mal, I’m a bad host… would you like some coffee?” Elijah walked over to a small table, which held a coffee pot. “No… no… it’s tea isn’t it? Dam... tea is in the kitchen… and it’s a sort of no go area in there, right now.”
Mal smiled. “Coffee will be fine, Elijah.”
“Great…” Elijah busied himself pouring two cups of black liquid. “So what brings you here, to New Zealand?” He asked, still ignoring Mal’s earlier question. He handed Mal his drink, and re-took his seat.
“And how did you find us? And where are the others? God, they’re not here too are they?” Elijah beamed. “You have to fill me in on everything, Mal! All of it.”
So Mal did. As he sipped his hot drink he regaled to Elijah what had transpired since he and Dominic had left the tour party to sail to Australia at the end of July last year.
“We continued on in Africa,” he said. “Until the end of December, and then we flew to South America. We spent four months there…”
“Leaping from high canyons, no doubt?” Elijah laughed.
Mal smiled. “No… not me… I just tag along. I do the surfing every once in a while, but really the group were just company for me, in a non-committal sort of way…”
“…and Annie…?” Elijah suddenly remembered the wonderful lady who had grown so attached to him during their month in South Africa. “How is she?”
“Annie? The Sisters?” Mal nodded. “She’s doing fine, Elijah. They both are, and she never takes off your necklace. She is forever telling us that Frodo gave it to her as a farewell present.”
Elijah felt moved by Mal’s statement. Their trip through South Africa had been so long ago, and during their time there they had met some amazing characters, but like a lot of memories of their world trip, Elijah had pushed them away, it was hard to remember the good times without remembering the bad.
“Annie was beautiful.” Elijah sighed. “I would love to see her again… I would love to see all of them again. Are they here with you? They’re not parked in a coach outside are they?”
Mal shook his head and laughed gently at that thought. “No…no… Dom gave me your address before you left us. He said if I was ever in California that I should look you up… so I did.”
“California…? You went to the States?”
“We finished in South America, and then flew to the east coast of North America. We slowly made our way west. We reached California last month.”
“You just missed us then… well, Dom anyway. He had to go back there for a little while.”
Mal nodded. “Turned up at your address, and spoke at great length with a neighbour of yours. He told me you had only just emigrated to New Zealand. He told me that you had been seriously ill, Elijah … he said you almost died… and that you moved to New Zealand to recover.”
“He told you that? Wow…”
“So…” Mal continued. “Come the end of August, only two weeks ago, the group were arranging their next destination. I decided not to go with them. I thought I would come here. I have never visited New Zealand before; it is all completely new to me. And… if the truth be known, I wanted to see if I could locate you and Dominic, see how you were both faring after your ordeal. Your neighbour painted a very bleak picture.”
“Yeah… well…” Elijah nodded slowly, and placed his cup on the floor. “It was tough there for a while, Mal. Especially on Dom…”
Elijah looked at Mal for a moment before making a decision, then he rolled up his shirtsleeve. “I was stung, Mal… by a jelly fish… around about this time last year. Just walked into the sea for a swim.” Elijah showed Mal his left hand. “It stung my leg too…” Elijah touched his left thigh.
Mal grimaced at the hideous scarring.
“Thankfully I can’t remember the attack, but all sorts of complications arose from it…” Elijah went quiet. “But I’m still here.”
Then he smiled. “And I’m well… and I’m improving all the time, and what happened last year is now a fading memory. We have a new life now…Dom and I…” Elijah waved at the boxes scattered around the room. “Kinda hectic at the moment though, what with the shop, and our wedding to plan.”
“Your wedding?” Mal’s eyebrows rose.
Elijah couldn’t help grinning. “Yeah. Dom asked me to marry him… I’m still trying to take it all in. It’s like, if I pinch myself, will I wake up and discover it’s all a dream? But I know it’s not. It’s kinda great isn’t it?”
“I think that’s wonderful, Elijah… I really do.”
“Yes, it is. It’s what I’ve always wanted…” Elijah’s eyes were downcast.
Mal looked at the young man sitting in front of him… almost the same age as he was when tragedy struck his life just over forty years ago.
“Today’ society is much more tolerant and accepting, Elijah. When I was your age it was a major taboo… same sex relationships, I mean. I am very happy for you. Happy for you both.”
“Thank you…” Elijah looked up at Mal, remembering when Dominic told him of his tragic past. “That means a lot.”
They both fell silent for a while… then Elijah got to his feet. A car had pulled into the drive! “Dom’s home!” He grinned at Mal. “Wait till he fucking sees you!”
Elijah went to let Dominic in.
“Hi, baby…” Dominic placed the pizza on the floor and took Elijah into his arms and kissed him. “Hmmmm you taste really good…I’ve missed you today.” He kissed him again.
“Dom…” Elijah giggled as he wriggled out of his embrace. “We have a visitor.”
“We do…?” Dominic picked up the pizza box and followed Elijah into the living room.
Mal was already on his feet, waiting to greet him.
Dominic stopped in his tracks. His mouth fell open. Elijah took the box off him, grinning as he did so.
“Mal…!” Dominic didn’t think he had ever been so surprised to see anyone in his entire life! “Jesus Christ… Mal!” Dominic quickly covered the distance between them and took Mal into a warm embrace. “My God, mate… how are you doing? It’s fucking great to see you again… fucking great.”
“Likewise, Dom,” Mal nodded. “Likewise.”
*
Mal became a frequent visitor to their home, and even more so, to Elijah’s shop. In fact he became a godsend. Once Elijah had the keys to the premises the real work began. What to do, how to do it… and where to start! It was quite daunting… but ultimately, very exciting.
When he wasn’t working Dominic also leant a hand. The premises had to be gutted first before any refurbishment could take place; several weeks went by before everything was ready for the building work to commence. And that was when Mal really stepped in.
Despite his sixty-eight years, Mal was extremely fit and healthy, probably more so than he was, Elijah often thought. And in his youth Mal had trained as a carpenter. His knowledge and expertise were second to none.
During the weeks of building work preparation, Elijah and Mal spent a lot of time together, and it was Mal’s stories of his adventures in different countries that gradually encouraged Elijah to recall and talk about his own world trip with Dominic.
Since he had left hospital ten months ago Elijah had showed no interest in looking at any of the photographs they had taken on their journey around the world the previous year. He couldn’t bring himself to read his journal, either. Although he was a lot happier with his life now, and felt more or less like his old self again, he had built up a barrier… a brick wall. Any recollection or memory of their holiday ultimately led to that beach in Townsville… and the horrific events that followed when he almost died. And those were the events that he could remember most vividly.
But Mal had visited some of the places that Elijah and Dominic had seen… and before he knew it, Elijah was joining in… and eventually it dawned on him, that he was beginning to remember the good, with the bad staying locked up behind that wall.
It was late one afternoon while sitting on stools, in the shop, surrounded by wood shavings and sawdust drinking coffee and tea that Elijah asked the question that had been on his mind for a while.
“Mal… where did you meet him? Your boyfriend… was it in the army, or did you know him before?”
Mal looked at Elijah for a long time before answering. He took in Elijah’s altered appearance from when he first met him over a year ago. Slimmer, paler, slightly more fragile looking, with his long hair tied back… but he also had an aura to him… an aura of someone who had found a peace within himself.
Inner peace…. Something Mal had longed for… but knew he would never achieve.
“In the army…” Mal began. “Before I joined up I worked for my father – he ran his own business, it’s where I learned all this…” Mal waved to the carpentry tools and the work he had been undertaking.
“But I wanted to see the world, Elijah… and foolishly I joined the army to do so. Only ever saw England and Aden. But yes, that’s where I met him.”
Elijah looked at Mal, and could see it still hurt, after all these years.
“From the moment I saw him, I fell in love, and he with me,” Mal continued. “It was as simple as that. Simple, but not easy… far from easy. In those days homosexuality was a court martial offence. Maybe it still is, I really don’t know.”
Elijah shifted uncomfortably on his seat… how loving someone could be a crime was something he had never been able to comprehend; it was obvious that Mal had suffered greatly.
“He was two years younger than me. Had his whole life in front of him… we both did. We were going to do so much, Elijah… once we were out of the army… so much…see the world… live life to the full…”
Elijah felt his throat tighten a little. Then he asked. “What was his name, Mal… you speak so much of him, but you never say his name?”
Mal surprised Elijah by quickly getting to his feet. “Shall we get on, Elijah?” he asked. “We can finish this job by this evening…”
“Oh… ok… ” Elijah thought that the conversation was over. Then Mal turned to him… his face was stricken.
“I have not spoken his name since the night he was killed, Elijah.” Mal walked a little way from Elijah, and ran his fingers along the newly erected wooden shelves.
“It was the last thing I said to him… I called out his name when I saw the missile attack. It was just a bright spark in the distance heading for our post. I had been talking to one of the other lads in a land rover some distance away so I wasn’t beside him like I should have been. It wasn’t often than we landed on duty together.
Then he was gone. I shouted his name… but it was too late. If I’d warned him a split second earlier he would have survived. There was nothing left … we’d been talking just minutes before… planning our future… planning our life. Then… then there was nothing… …he was gone.”
Mal turned to look at Elijah and could see tears filling his eyes.
“So… the answer, Elijah, is no… I don’t say his name. You see if I do… that means I’ve accepted his death… it means that I have forgiven myself…”
“But it wasn’t your fault…” Elijah couldn’t help answering, fighting like mad not to cry in front of his friend.
“Maybe… maybe…” Mal bent down to pick up a tool, and then he looked at Elijah, and tried putting some reassurance in his voice. “Who knows Elijah… maybe one day I’ll say it, but then again, maybe I never will. But if I do…” Mal paused. “If I do… then I know I will finally be able to move on…”
Elijah nodded and swallowed hard… his heart was breaking for this man in front of him. “Mal…” he finally said, his voice a little wobbly. “Mal… would you be my best man?”
***
Hamilton airport. As busy as ever, and a very long flight ahead of them. Billy and Mal entered the terminal with Elijah and Dominic. They booked in, deposited their luggage and then went to one of the cafes.
While Elijah and Mal were at the counter Dominic and Billy found a table. They hadn’t been seated for more than two minutes when a stranger came up to Dominic and congratulated him on his wedding. Dominic blushed and shook the man’s hand while muttering a thank you.
“It’s big news here,” Billy winked at Dominic. “A Hobbit wedding and all that!”
“Aw, shut up, Bills…” Dominic laughed and then looked around for Elijah.
“Well it is, but it’s just as well it didn’t make the front page…”
“Yeah… just as well…” Dominic nodded as he noticed someone else gesticulating at him with the thumbs up sign!
Billy laughed! “Well pal… it won’t be news in Italy…”
“No, thank fuck!”
“And why Italy, anyway? You never did tell me. Going to be cold there this time of year.”
“Elijah didn’t want to go anywhere hot, Bills. Didn’t want any beach holiday… nothing like that.”
“Yeah… “ Billy picked up the table menu and fiddled with it. “Yeah… I can understand that.”
“Mal’s been to Italy… Mal’s been everywhere… he got Elijah interested in travelling again… I had almost resigned myself to spending our honeymoon at some of our old haunts on the South Island. But Italy sounds cool. We never went there last year, and anywhere Elijah wants to go is fine by me. He’s actually quite excited about it, which is great, Bills. You know, after everything.”
Billy placed a reassuring hand over Dominic’s. “Yeah… it’s great to see him back to his old self again.”
Dominic nodded… and then looked over at Elijah again. He was making his way to them with a laden tray.
*
The airport tannoy system announced the last call for their flight to Sydney.
“Suppose we had better get going.” Dominic looked at his watch. “ I’ll call you when I get back, Bills. You take care, mate, ok? And thanks… thanks for everything.”
“Hey… no problem…” Billy took Dominic into a hug, and when they pulled apart he looked at Elijah… “And you….” he grinned at him. “Have fun… and that’s an order!”
Elijah laughed. “Thanks, Billy…” He took Billy into hug, and then whispered in his ear. “Thanks for being there for Dom… when I wasn’t.”
“Get away with you…” Billy hugged Elijah a little tighter! “You just take care, Lij…”
“I will…” Elijah pulled back, and then looked over at Mal, who was standing slightly apart from them all.
“Mal…” he said as we walked over to him. “Mal…” A sudden wave of emotion took him by surprise. “Mal…”
Mal just took him into an embrace. “You take care, Elijah. You just take care.” Mal looked over Elijah’s shoulder at Dominic. Dominic who had been so close to being in the same lonely position that he was in now. “Both of you… both of you take care…” Then he stepped back….
“Dom…” Mal’s voice was thick and quiet; tears were beginning to blur his vision.
Dominic stepped forward and accepted a hug, and it was an emotional tight hug. He knew Mal was crying.
“Both of you…” Mal said as he stood opposite the two men. He reached out and took a hand each. Dominic looked at Elijah and then back at Mal.
“Both of you have come to mean a great deal to me… and I just wish… I just wish…he…he…”
Elijah held his breath. He thought he knew what was coming.
“I just wish… my… my…” Mal paused and looked directly at Elijah. “I just wish my Cameron… could have met both of you…”
“Oh, Mal…” Elijah took Mal into his arms again.
Mal held Elijah tightly. “He would have loved you two… he was the most wonderful man.”
Billy looked at Dominic, and could see he was fighting to keep his own tears at bay.
He stepped in. “Hey, Mal…” Billy put a comforting arm around Mal’s shoulders, and then looked at Dominic and Elijah. “You two better get going,” he said. “Or you’ll miss your flight. I’ll take care of Mal.”
Elijah and Dominic were hesitant to leave. And when Mal saw this he suddenly stood tall and wiped his eyes.
He looked at them both… and then nodded.
Dominic took Elijah’s hand, and squeezed it tight. “Come on, baby…”
They turned and made their way into departures, and before they went through the security checks, Elijah looked back one more time.
Mal was waving at him, and he was smiling.
tbc
Author: Salogel42
Pairing: dom/lij
Rating: 15
Warning: Little bit of swearing
Summary: Dom and Lij prepare to leave for the airport.
Archive: All chapters of The Wedding can be found here
Author’s note: This is the sequel to World Trip. There are characters from World Trip in this story and also flashbacks to certains events. World Trip can be found here
Disclaimer: Absolutely not true!
The Wedding
Chapter 5 – Leaving for the Airport
Elijah was sitting at the table, checking the contents of the envelope Mal had given him after the wedding reception yesterday, when he heard a knock at the door.
He answered it to find Mal standing there.
“Hey, Mal… morning… come in.” Elijah smiled as he welcomed Mal into the room.
“Dom’s in the shower…” Elijah indicated to the bathroom. “He won’t be long.”
Mal nodded as he watched Elijah gather up passports, flight tickets and hotel reservations for his honeymoon, and drop them back into the envelope.
“Is everything in order?” Mal asked.
“Of course,” Elijah grinned at him. “And I’m ready… but Dom’s not…. which isn’t so unusual.” Elijah chuckled. “Want me to help you take the suits down to the car?”
“No, no…” Mal waved his hand. “Billy and I will see to that later.”
“Cool… Mom will be expecting you. She and Hannah are staying on at the house for a few more days.”
Mal nodded. He didn’t think he had ever seen Elijah look so relaxed and happy. The past few weeks had been more than a little hectic. A holiday would do him and Dominic the world of good.
“Umm… Elijah?” Mal spoke a little hesitantly.
“Yes, Mal?” Elijah looked at him.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I took the liberty of putting together a list of places for you to see… you know… to visit…” Mal withdraw a piece of paper from his jacket pocket.
“Rome and Florence.” Mal looked wistfully at his neat handwriting. “First place I went to, Elijah … … after… after…”
“I know,” Elijah whispered. “You told me…”
“Anyway…” Mal stood a little straighter and pulled himself together as he handed Elijah his list. “Here…”
“That’s great Mal, thank you.” Elijah took Mal into a hug. “And thank you for everything.”
“My pleasure, Elijah… my pleasure…” Mal patted Elijah on the back before breaking contact.
Elijah walked over to the coffee table. “Coffee?” He asked Mal as he poured himself a cup from the silver coffee pot.
“No thank you…” Mal declined, preferring tea anyway. “I’ll have something to drink when we join Billy for breakfast. He’s waiting downstairs in the restaurant.”
“Yeah… breakfast…” Elijah looked at his watch and was just about to call Dominic and tell him to get a move on, when the bathroom door opened and out he stepped, in a cloud of steam, towel drying his hair, and totally naked.
“Hey, Mal!” Dominic grinned when he saw Mal.
“Dom,” Mal acknowledged Dominic.
Elijah looked over his shoulder at Dominic and laughed.
“Mal… excuse Dom. Can’t take him anywhere!”
“What?” Dominic stood there in the nude, with his hair awry, looking totally bemused, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Elijah snorted, and Mal just smiled.
*
Elijah picked up one of the newspapers in the hotel foyer and glanced over it while Dominic finalised payment and check-out with the hotel receptionist.
“Dominic and yourself made the news,” Mal informed him.
“We did?” Elijah opened the paper and flicked through the pages.
“Page seven, I think. Near the bottom…”
“Fucking taxi-drivers…” Dominic murmured as he peered over Elijah shoulder and looked at the small print.
“Fuck you’re right. Here it is…” Elijah folded the newspaper and turned to Dominic. They both read it; it was only a small article.
Hobbit Friendship Ends With A Ring.
Dominic groaned at the cheesy headline. It didn’t say much just that they were both married at Hamilton Gardens the day before at a small private ceremony.
“Ah well… it’s not like it’s a big secret or anything… is it?” Dominic picked up his travel bag and hoisted it over his shoulder. “Don’t care if the whole fucking world knows…not me!!!” He gave Elijah a big grin. “Ready to go, baby?” Dominic looked through the glass doors at Billy waiting for them by the car.
“Yeah… I’ll be right there. I just need to speak to Mal for a second….”
“Cool…” Dominic nodded, as he picked up their cases and made his way outside.
“Now…” Elijah turned to Mal. “You’ve got my cell number… in case you need me.”
Mal smiled. “Elijah it’s your honeymoon, I wouldn’t dream of calling you.”
“But you have got the number, haven’t you? If there are any problems at all, Mal, call me. I mean it. Dom won’t mind…”
Mal went to protest again, but Elijah held up his hand.
“The first assignment of cds arrives next week… the second batch, the week after.”
“I have the schedule, Elijah …”
“I know… I know you do… but the builders need to finish first. They should be in on Monday to finish the soundproofing, and if they don’t turn up, you call them, Mal. You get onto them. I want the shop opened this side of Christmas, not next.”
“It’s all in hand, Elijah… don’t you worry. You and Dom just enjoy yourselves… you both deserve it…”
Elijah looked at Mal, forty-three years his senior, and now, one of his closest friends. It never ceased to amaze Elijah how things ultimately turned out. On waking in the morning nobody knew what lay ahead… where the day’s events would lead them - he had learnt that lesson himself, the hard way. So, when Mal turned up on his doorstep just two months ago… it had been totally unexpected and something Elijah could never have foreseen, not in a million years.
***
A beautiful spring day was coming to an end, and Elijah was exhausted as well as starving. He looked around the living room at his handy work, and groaned. It still looked as if he hadn’t done a thing!
They had been in their new house in Cambridge, for a few days. Six weeks had passed since Dominic had returned from LA, and all their belongings had only just been delivered, the day before.
Boxes and containers were everywhere. They hadn’t yet made a final decision on where their new furniture was to be placed … it really was chaotic, and somewhere behind all the cardboard boxes and piles of stuff in the hallway was a doorway to the kitchen and a cooker that Elijah just couldn’t be bothered to get to.
So he had called Dominic earlier and begged him to pick up a pizza on his way home from work, and now he found himself clock watching as his stomach grumbled in protest. If it hadn’t been impossible to open the French windows – impossible because of the impenetrable wall of boxes in front of them - Elijah knew he could have quite happily sat on the grass outside in the warm sunshine, and fallen into an exhausted, but albeit hungry, sleep.
The telephone rang, and he placed his box cutter down and grabbed the receiver. It was the real estate agent, finalising ownership of the premises he had bought last month. Finding their house and renting it had been easy… buying his shop however had not been so easy. In terms of paperwork, legalities, funding and a shitload of other stuff, it had turned into a minefield of paperwork …talk about throwing himself in at the deep end. But he had finally got there, and by the close of business at the end of the coming week, the shop… his shop would be his own - lock, stock and barrel!
Elijah hung up the phone. Everything was certainly happening at once. Shop, house… … wedding…
Wedding… Elijah smiled as he perched himself on the edge of a container.
“By the end of the year,” Dominic had said to him. “Let’s get married before the year is out, get married, go away, and then be back for our first Christmas here in our new home.”
They hadn’t wasted any time booking a date, and were lucky to get one before Christmas, with summer weddings being very popular.
And during the few short weeks that they continued to live in Peter’s guesthouse, while awaiting their shipment to arrive from LA, Elijah spent the time in between shopping for furniture and furnishings and visiting the real estate agent, organising their wedding invitations.
There weren’t many… they both agreed that they wanted a small wedding. Just family, and a few friends.
“And once Bills is back from filming, I’ll ask him to be my best man…” Dominic had announced. “He won’t fucking believe it!”
Elijah had smiled at Dominic’s statement… No one but Billy could be Dominic’s best man.
“How about you, Lij? Who’s going to be your best man?”
Elijah didn’t know. “I don’t think I’ll be having one, Dom,” he said. “I’ve grown apart from everyone this past year by keeping myself to myself… I don’t have anyone close anymore, not really close…”
Elijah saw the look of regret on Dominic’s face.
“But it doesn’t matter, Dom. Really. I’m marrying you, and that’s what counts.”
Dominic had taken Elijah into his arms then and hugged him tightly. “Well... I’m sure Billy can be there, for both of us.”
Those weeks had past in a flash. Where had all the time gone? Elijah looked at his watch yet again. It was no good, he was going to have take it on… he was going to have to battle his way into the kitchen to find something to eat, he was that fucking hungry.
Then the doorbell rang.
“Please have left work early, Dom!” Elijah made his way around scattered boxes and shimmied past one large one into the hallway to answer the door.
When he opened the door he was expecting to see Dominic standing there with a large pizza box resting in his hands, but instead he saw an old man, and he wondered what the fuck the old guy was going to try and sell him.
Then it clicked.
“My fucking God…Mal…?”
“Elijah…” Mal nodded. He looked incredibly self-conscious, and nervous. “I wasn’t sure if I had the right address, this was the third on my list.”
“Fucking hell… MAL!” Elijah broke into the biggest grin. “My God, man… come in… come in… “ Elijah stood to one side.
Mal cautiously stepped into the house and into the chaos of Elijah’s home.
“Oh… I’m sorry, Elijah. I can see you are very busy.” Mal looked at all the boxes.
“God, fuck… no…!” Elijah continued to stare at Mal in astonishment. “This is just so fucking unbelievable!” Elijah knew he was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “This is just fucking awesome, wait till Dom sees you, he’ll be home soon.”
Elijah led Mal into the living room. “Excuse the mess….” He cleared a chair for Mal to sit on. “We’ve only just moved in.”
“Yes…. I can see that…” Mal watched Elijah clear another chair, and once he had taken a seat opposite him, Mal wasted no time in asking the question that had been on his lips from the moment Elijah opened the front door. The question that had led him half way around the world seeking an answer.
“How are you, Elijah?” Mal hadn’t failed to notice the walking cane by the front door and Elijah’s slight limp. “I had heard that you were seriously ill.”
“You did…?” Elijah was surprised and quite taken back by that statement, and not really wanting to answer, he got to his feet and quickly changed the subject.
“I’m sorry Mal, I’m a bad host… would you like some coffee?” Elijah walked over to a small table, which held a coffee pot. “No… no… it’s tea isn’t it? Dam... tea is in the kitchen… and it’s a sort of no go area in there, right now.”
Mal smiled. “Coffee will be fine, Elijah.”
“Great…” Elijah busied himself pouring two cups of black liquid. “So what brings you here, to New Zealand?” He asked, still ignoring Mal’s earlier question. He handed Mal his drink, and re-took his seat.
“And how did you find us? And where are the others? God, they’re not here too are they?” Elijah beamed. “You have to fill me in on everything, Mal! All of it.”
So Mal did. As he sipped his hot drink he regaled to Elijah what had transpired since he and Dominic had left the tour party to sail to Australia at the end of July last year.
“We continued on in Africa,” he said. “Until the end of December, and then we flew to South America. We spent four months there…”
“Leaping from high canyons, no doubt?” Elijah laughed.
Mal smiled. “No… not me… I just tag along. I do the surfing every once in a while, but really the group were just company for me, in a non-committal sort of way…”
“…and Annie…?” Elijah suddenly remembered the wonderful lady who had grown so attached to him during their month in South Africa. “How is she?”
“Annie? The Sisters?” Mal nodded. “She’s doing fine, Elijah. They both are, and she never takes off your necklace. She is forever telling us that Frodo gave it to her as a farewell present.”
Elijah felt moved by Mal’s statement. Their trip through South Africa had been so long ago, and during their time there they had met some amazing characters, but like a lot of memories of their world trip, Elijah had pushed them away, it was hard to remember the good times without remembering the bad.
“Annie was beautiful.” Elijah sighed. “I would love to see her again… I would love to see all of them again. Are they here with you? They’re not parked in a coach outside are they?”
Mal shook his head and laughed gently at that thought. “No…no… Dom gave me your address before you left us. He said if I was ever in California that I should look you up… so I did.”
“California…? You went to the States?”
“We finished in South America, and then flew to the east coast of North America. We slowly made our way west. We reached California last month.”
“You just missed us then… well, Dom anyway. He had to go back there for a little while.”
Mal nodded. “Turned up at your address, and spoke at great length with a neighbour of yours. He told me you had only just emigrated to New Zealand. He told me that you had been seriously ill, Elijah … he said you almost died… and that you moved to New Zealand to recover.”
“He told you that? Wow…”
“So…” Mal continued. “Come the end of August, only two weeks ago, the group were arranging their next destination. I decided not to go with them. I thought I would come here. I have never visited New Zealand before; it is all completely new to me. And… if the truth be known, I wanted to see if I could locate you and Dominic, see how you were both faring after your ordeal. Your neighbour painted a very bleak picture.”
“Yeah… well…” Elijah nodded slowly, and placed his cup on the floor. “It was tough there for a while, Mal. Especially on Dom…”
Elijah looked at Mal for a moment before making a decision, then he rolled up his shirtsleeve. “I was stung, Mal… by a jelly fish… around about this time last year. Just walked into the sea for a swim.” Elijah showed Mal his left hand. “It stung my leg too…” Elijah touched his left thigh.
Mal grimaced at the hideous scarring.
“Thankfully I can’t remember the attack, but all sorts of complications arose from it…” Elijah went quiet. “But I’m still here.”
Then he smiled. “And I’m well… and I’m improving all the time, and what happened last year is now a fading memory. We have a new life now…Dom and I…” Elijah waved at the boxes scattered around the room. “Kinda hectic at the moment though, what with the shop, and our wedding to plan.”
“Your wedding?” Mal’s eyebrows rose.
Elijah couldn’t help grinning. “Yeah. Dom asked me to marry him… I’m still trying to take it all in. It’s like, if I pinch myself, will I wake up and discover it’s all a dream? But I know it’s not. It’s kinda great isn’t it?”
“I think that’s wonderful, Elijah… I really do.”
“Yes, it is. It’s what I’ve always wanted…” Elijah’s eyes were downcast.
Mal looked at the young man sitting in front of him… almost the same age as he was when tragedy struck his life just over forty years ago.
“Today’ society is much more tolerant and accepting, Elijah. When I was your age it was a major taboo… same sex relationships, I mean. I am very happy for you. Happy for you both.”
“Thank you…” Elijah looked up at Mal, remembering when Dominic told him of his tragic past. “That means a lot.”
They both fell silent for a while… then Elijah got to his feet. A car had pulled into the drive! “Dom’s home!” He grinned at Mal. “Wait till he fucking sees you!”
Elijah went to let Dominic in.
“Hi, baby…” Dominic placed the pizza on the floor and took Elijah into his arms and kissed him. “Hmmmm you taste really good…I’ve missed you today.” He kissed him again.
“Dom…” Elijah giggled as he wriggled out of his embrace. “We have a visitor.”
“We do…?” Dominic picked up the pizza box and followed Elijah into the living room.
Mal was already on his feet, waiting to greet him.
Dominic stopped in his tracks. His mouth fell open. Elijah took the box off him, grinning as he did so.
“Mal…!” Dominic didn’t think he had ever been so surprised to see anyone in his entire life! “Jesus Christ… Mal!” Dominic quickly covered the distance between them and took Mal into a warm embrace. “My God, mate… how are you doing? It’s fucking great to see you again… fucking great.”
“Likewise, Dom,” Mal nodded. “Likewise.”
*
Mal became a frequent visitor to their home, and even more so, to Elijah’s shop. In fact he became a godsend. Once Elijah had the keys to the premises the real work began. What to do, how to do it… and where to start! It was quite daunting… but ultimately, very exciting.
When he wasn’t working Dominic also leant a hand. The premises had to be gutted first before any refurbishment could take place; several weeks went by before everything was ready for the building work to commence. And that was when Mal really stepped in.
Despite his sixty-eight years, Mal was extremely fit and healthy, probably more so than he was, Elijah often thought. And in his youth Mal had trained as a carpenter. His knowledge and expertise were second to none.
During the weeks of building work preparation, Elijah and Mal spent a lot of time together, and it was Mal’s stories of his adventures in different countries that gradually encouraged Elijah to recall and talk about his own world trip with Dominic.
Since he had left hospital ten months ago Elijah had showed no interest in looking at any of the photographs they had taken on their journey around the world the previous year. He couldn’t bring himself to read his journal, either. Although he was a lot happier with his life now, and felt more or less like his old self again, he had built up a barrier… a brick wall. Any recollection or memory of their holiday ultimately led to that beach in Townsville… and the horrific events that followed when he almost died. And those were the events that he could remember most vividly.
But Mal had visited some of the places that Elijah and Dominic had seen… and before he knew it, Elijah was joining in… and eventually it dawned on him, that he was beginning to remember the good, with the bad staying locked up behind that wall.
It was late one afternoon while sitting on stools, in the shop, surrounded by wood shavings and sawdust drinking coffee and tea that Elijah asked the question that had been on his mind for a while.
“Mal… where did you meet him? Your boyfriend… was it in the army, or did you know him before?”
Mal looked at Elijah for a long time before answering. He took in Elijah’s altered appearance from when he first met him over a year ago. Slimmer, paler, slightly more fragile looking, with his long hair tied back… but he also had an aura to him… an aura of someone who had found a peace within himself.
Inner peace…. Something Mal had longed for… but knew he would never achieve.
“In the army…” Mal began. “Before I joined up I worked for my father – he ran his own business, it’s where I learned all this…” Mal waved to the carpentry tools and the work he had been undertaking.
“But I wanted to see the world, Elijah… and foolishly I joined the army to do so. Only ever saw England and Aden. But yes, that’s where I met him.”
Elijah looked at Mal, and could see it still hurt, after all these years.
“From the moment I saw him, I fell in love, and he with me,” Mal continued. “It was as simple as that. Simple, but not easy… far from easy. In those days homosexuality was a court martial offence. Maybe it still is, I really don’t know.”
Elijah shifted uncomfortably on his seat… how loving someone could be a crime was something he had never been able to comprehend; it was obvious that Mal had suffered greatly.
“He was two years younger than me. Had his whole life in front of him… we both did. We were going to do so much, Elijah… once we were out of the army… so much…see the world… live life to the full…”
Elijah felt his throat tighten a little. Then he asked. “What was his name, Mal… you speak so much of him, but you never say his name?”
Mal surprised Elijah by quickly getting to his feet. “Shall we get on, Elijah?” he asked. “We can finish this job by this evening…”
“Oh… ok… ” Elijah thought that the conversation was over. Then Mal turned to him… his face was stricken.
“I have not spoken his name since the night he was killed, Elijah.” Mal walked a little way from Elijah, and ran his fingers along the newly erected wooden shelves.
“It was the last thing I said to him… I called out his name when I saw the missile attack. It was just a bright spark in the distance heading for our post. I had been talking to one of the other lads in a land rover some distance away so I wasn’t beside him like I should have been. It wasn’t often than we landed on duty together.
Then he was gone. I shouted his name… but it was too late. If I’d warned him a split second earlier he would have survived. There was nothing left … we’d been talking just minutes before… planning our future… planning our life. Then… then there was nothing… …he was gone.”
Mal turned to look at Elijah and could see tears filling his eyes.
“So… the answer, Elijah, is no… I don’t say his name. You see if I do… that means I’ve accepted his death… it means that I have forgiven myself…”
“But it wasn’t your fault…” Elijah couldn’t help answering, fighting like mad not to cry in front of his friend.
“Maybe… maybe…” Mal bent down to pick up a tool, and then he looked at Elijah, and tried putting some reassurance in his voice. “Who knows Elijah… maybe one day I’ll say it, but then again, maybe I never will. But if I do…” Mal paused. “If I do… then I know I will finally be able to move on…”
Elijah nodded and swallowed hard… his heart was breaking for this man in front of him. “Mal…” he finally said, his voice a little wobbly. “Mal… would you be my best man?”
***
Hamilton airport. As busy as ever, and a very long flight ahead of them. Billy and Mal entered the terminal with Elijah and Dominic. They booked in, deposited their luggage and then went to one of the cafes.
While Elijah and Mal were at the counter Dominic and Billy found a table. They hadn’t been seated for more than two minutes when a stranger came up to Dominic and congratulated him on his wedding. Dominic blushed and shook the man’s hand while muttering a thank you.
“It’s big news here,” Billy winked at Dominic. “A Hobbit wedding and all that!”
“Aw, shut up, Bills…” Dominic laughed and then looked around for Elijah.
“Well it is, but it’s just as well it didn’t make the front page…”
“Yeah… just as well…” Dominic nodded as he noticed someone else gesticulating at him with the thumbs up sign!
Billy laughed! “Well pal… it won’t be news in Italy…”
“No, thank fuck!”
“And why Italy, anyway? You never did tell me. Going to be cold there this time of year.”
“Elijah didn’t want to go anywhere hot, Bills. Didn’t want any beach holiday… nothing like that.”
“Yeah… “ Billy picked up the table menu and fiddled with it. “Yeah… I can understand that.”
“Mal’s been to Italy… Mal’s been everywhere… he got Elijah interested in travelling again… I had almost resigned myself to spending our honeymoon at some of our old haunts on the South Island. But Italy sounds cool. We never went there last year, and anywhere Elijah wants to go is fine by me. He’s actually quite excited about it, which is great, Bills. You know, after everything.”
Billy placed a reassuring hand over Dominic’s. “Yeah… it’s great to see him back to his old self again.”
Dominic nodded… and then looked over at Elijah again. He was making his way to them with a laden tray.
*
The airport tannoy system announced the last call for their flight to Sydney.
“Suppose we had better get going.” Dominic looked at his watch. “ I’ll call you when I get back, Bills. You take care, mate, ok? And thanks… thanks for everything.”
“Hey… no problem…” Billy took Dominic into a hug, and when they pulled apart he looked at Elijah… “And you….” he grinned at him. “Have fun… and that’s an order!”
Elijah laughed. “Thanks, Billy…” He took Billy into hug, and then whispered in his ear. “Thanks for being there for Dom… when I wasn’t.”
“Get away with you…” Billy hugged Elijah a little tighter! “You just take care, Lij…”
“I will…” Elijah pulled back, and then looked over at Mal, who was standing slightly apart from them all.
“Mal…” he said as we walked over to him. “Mal…” A sudden wave of emotion took him by surprise. “Mal…”
Mal just took him into an embrace. “You take care, Elijah. You just take care.” Mal looked over Elijah’s shoulder at Dominic. Dominic who had been so close to being in the same lonely position that he was in now. “Both of you… both of you take care…” Then he stepped back….
“Dom…” Mal’s voice was thick and quiet; tears were beginning to blur his vision.
Dominic stepped forward and accepted a hug, and it was an emotional tight hug. He knew Mal was crying.
“Both of you…” Mal said as he stood opposite the two men. He reached out and took a hand each. Dominic looked at Elijah and then back at Mal.
“Both of you have come to mean a great deal to me… and I just wish… I just wish…he…he…”
Elijah held his breath. He thought he knew what was coming.
“I just wish… my… my…” Mal paused and looked directly at Elijah. “I just wish my Cameron… could have met both of you…”
“Oh, Mal…” Elijah took Mal into his arms again.
Mal held Elijah tightly. “He would have loved you two… he was the most wonderful man.”
Billy looked at Dominic, and could see he was fighting to keep his own tears at bay.
He stepped in. “Hey, Mal…” Billy put a comforting arm around Mal’s shoulders, and then looked at Dominic and Elijah. “You two better get going,” he said. “Or you’ll miss your flight. I’ll take care of Mal.”
Elijah and Dominic were hesitant to leave. And when Mal saw this he suddenly stood tall and wiped his eyes.
He looked at them both… and then nodded.
Dominic took Elijah’s hand, and squeezed it tight. “Come on, baby…”
They turned and made their way into departures, and before they went through the security checks, Elijah looked back one more time.
Mal was waving at him, and he was smiling.
tbc
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What a mental picture *sigh*
You got me crying again, Sal (don't worry, not as bad as last time ;-) ) so somehow you always find a way to pull at my heartstrings.
More beautiful with every chapter.
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Thank you!
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Also lovely was a vision of a naked Dom fresh out of his shower.
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As soon as I knew I was writing The Wedding I knew that I would bring Mal back into the story... I felt his character had a lot more to give.
World Trip took a long time to write, and the research was extensive, but now as I come to the honeymoon part of The Wedding, I am wishing that Dom and Lij had a longer holiday, visiting more places... I guess I just don't want their story to end!