The roar of the crowd was deafening. People screaming, girls crying, his name, Elijah’s name, Viggo’s name called out from the crowd. Thousands had shown up. Fans, friends, family, press, everyone was here. And why wouldn’t they be? It was the end, the last premiere, the last time the whole cast would be together as one. Sure, there would be reshoots for the DVD, but they wouldn’t all be there at the same time. There were schedules to work around. Orlando was a big star now, Elijah had a load of movies in the works and Viggo was now the next big action superstar. The fellowship was breaking. They would all go their separate ways. They’d exchange the obligatory “I’ll keep in touch” and no one would. No one ever did.
He looked up the red carpet. Liv was signing autographs for a fan, David and Sean were having a conversation, laughing, Billy was giving an interview to some local news station.
Billy.
The Scottish lilt turned into a laugh, eyes crinkling merrily. Those little lines marred the soft skin that he himself so loved to touch. And he felt it, the first pull of loss. Billy would be gone soon too. He was off to Los Angeles to film some movie and he would be almost a world away in England. And it saddened him. He didn’t want those sweat-soaked nights and whispered words to disappear without a trace. He didn’t want to miss the grumble of Billy’s chest as he spoke those words of love in German. Stolen moments, so precious and soon to be just memories.
Dazed, he walked down the red carpet, bypassing journalists and photographers stopping only to chat with fans. They were the important ones right now. This night was for them. He pushed aside the urge to run to Billy and steal him away and plastered the smile on his face.
If there was one thing he hated most in this world, it was watching himself onscreen. Your face projected to fifty times its regular size was a little creepy. But Billy’s face . . . it was just as beautiful onscreen as it was in person. He doubted many people even knew that, but it was the truth.
He watched with sad eyes as Faramir rode across the screen, courageous, honorable, emitting every emotion he, himself felt he lacked. And then it the scene changed and Pippin was there, singing.
“Home is behind, the world ahead
and there are many paths to tread”
The world was ahead of him and he couldn’t go home anymore. So much had changed. He had changed. Billy had changed.
“Through shadow, to the edge of night
until the stars are all alight”
Shadow was what was taking him over and he gripped the armrest with all his might.
“Mist and shadow, cloud and shade”
“Dom, are you all right?” Billy laid his hand over his and he could feel some of the fear draining away.
“All shall fade, all shall fade”
It was fading now, four years of his life, the world he lived in was now behind him. And a new chapter was beginning. It scared him. A lone tear snaked its way down his cheek but he didn’t stop it. It wasn’t the first and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.