Not So Fairy-Tale

Part One: Behind The Eyes

 

            "And they lived happily ever after," Elijah read.  He was babysitting the Astin girls while Christine and Sean were out.  He peered out from behind the massive book.  They were asleep.

            "Happily ever after," he chuckled, "doesn't exist.”  He looked down at his hand.  It was covered in scars.  Scars not only from something material, but also from memories.

            He sat back in the chair and sighed.  He closed his eyes.  He felt his eyes stinging as a single tear fell from his eyes, landing on the word 'happily' of the book.  He looked down at the book as the tear made that spot wet.  The ink began to spread until the word 'happily' was just an ink blob.

            "And they lived ever after," he smiled bitterly, "that's more like it.”  He leaned back in the chair and fell asleep.

 

 

*************************************

 

            He remembered the first time he saw Viggo.  He had never seen anyone quite like that before.  Elijah was admittedly gay, so he was used to finding guys sexy.  But Viggo.  Viggo was beyond sexy.  He was...incredible.  He had amazing eyes.  His voice set Elijah on fire.  His heart would completely stop when Viggo looked at him, or said his name.  Said his name...Elijah loved when Viggo said his name.  Viggo could say 'shit' and it would sound like poetry.  When he said "Elijah”, it made him feel like he was the only person in Viggo's life at that moment.  And during those moments, Elijah wanted to throw up and scream at the same time.  Viggo had the most amazing body.  Elijah wanted to explore it so badly.  Elijah would have to sit on his hands whenever Viggo sat next to him, so he wouldn't do something he'd regret.  And he smelled good.  Hell, he smelled heavenly.  Elijah just wanted to inhale all of him-

 

************************************

 

            Elijah opened his eyes.  He moaned.  Damn dream gave him a fucking erection.  He stood up to go to the bathroom.  Each step filled with regret and depression.  When he reached the door of the bathroom, he collapsed on the floor and began to cry.  Wail.  Bawl.  Pound on the floor in agony.  Scream his name into the carpet.  He cried so hard his contacts fell from his eyes to the floor beneath him.  He hadn't cried like this since....

 

***********************************

 

            "Do you think he knows?”  Dom asked Elijah.

            "What?"

            "Viggo.  Do you think he knows how you feel?"

            "I don't feel anything."

            "Sure you do.  I see you stare.  I know you Elijah.  I read you like a book."

            "Can he?”  Elijah gulped.

            "Read you?  No."

            "Does he know?  He has to.  I am so obvious. I mean how can you not be obvious when you have been in love for over a year?"

            "Maybe.  Maybe not.  I'm not the person to ask.  *He* is," Dom pushed Elijah towards Viggo.

            "NO!  He never would have feelings like that."

            "Sure he would.  Everyone knows he's gay."

            "But not for me."

            "Stop making excuses! You are obsessed. You hope he’ll call. You hope he’ll notice. You hope one day he’ll be on your porch when you come home. You hope he’ll be romantic. You hope he’ll love you too."

            “You don’t know that!”

            “Yes I do Elijah! Because I felt that way about Billy! But I told him how I felt and now look!”     

             Elijah felt tears run down his face as Dom pushed him closer.  He could never tell him.  Never.

            "Dom!  Stop!”  Elijah yelled and ran away.  He ran behind a trailer and sat on the stairs.  He put his head in his hands and cried.  He let himself go and sobbed until his sleeves were soaked.

            It was so hard.  And it wasn't fair.  Viggo was older than he was.  He would never have feelings for Elijah.  He always knew it.  He would get this feeling in the pit of his stomach as if he was going to throw up.  His stomach would do flips just knowing that he couldn't have Viggo.  They were even worse when he thought he *would* be with Viggo.

            He heard someone walk up behind him and place an arm around him.  He assumed it was Dom and placed his head in his lap and began crying.  Dom just rubbed Elijah's shoulders and back in an effort to calm him down.

            "I can't do this-" Elijah said looking up to see that it wasn't Dom.  It was Viggo.  he gasped.

            "Can't do what?”  Viggo asked quietly.  Elijah looked at his feet.  How was he going to do this.

            "I...I just- like someone.  I like a guy.  But I don't know-"

            "Is he gay too?"

            "Yea."

            "Want me to talk to him?"

            "No.”  Elijah's eyes widened.

            "Do I know him?"

            "Pretty well."

            "Who is it, Elijah?  Maybe I can help."

            "Its...its...DOM!”  Elijah spurted out.  He wished he could swallow those words back in.

            "Elijah.”  Viggo looked him in the eyes.  Elijah wanted to look away.  He felt like Viggo was looking into him.  Into his soul.  If he stared any longer, he'd probably see the truth.  He felt his eyes burning.

            "Yes?”  He opened his mouth to say.  His voice was barely audible and it just cracked.

            "If he doesn't want you, then he is making a big mistake.  You are quite a catch.  You are very attractive, Elijah.  Your eyes are beautiful.  You, as a person, are very inspiring.  Any guy would be incredibly lucky to have you."

            Elijah sat in awe.  Viggo had just said such amazing things about him.  He tried to breath, but found it so difficult.  Could Viggo...have feelings for him?

            Viggo placed his fingers at the corners of Elijah's mouth and formed them into a  grin.

            "Don't frown.  You never know who's falling in love with your smile," Viggo replied.  And at that, he got up and walked back over to where they were filming.  Elijah felt his face.  He could still feel where Viggo's finger's had been.  He hoped Viggo didn't think his face was disgusting.  His face felt numb from all the crying, except for two small spots in the corners of his mouth, where the fingertips of his love had been.

 

*******************************************

 

            He heard a door unlock.  Sean and Christine were coming in.  Elijah made no effort to stop crying, or get up.  He didn't try to think up an excuse for why the girls were sleeping on the couch or why he was soaking their carpet with his misery.

            Christine picked up the girls and walked them back to their bedroom down the other hallway.

            "Hello?  Elijah?  Are you alright?”  Sean called, looking for him.  He turned down the hallway where Elijah was.

            "Elijah!  What happened!?”  Sean called out as he ran to Elijah.  He kneeled next to him and let him cry into his shoulder.  Elijah couldn't even see straight anymore.  Everything was fuzzy and he felt sick to his stomach.  He felt himself start to heave.  Sean picked him up and set him in front of the toilet.  Elijah emptied his stomach.  When he had finished, he just sat there, crying.  Letting the tears fall in front of him.

            "Done?”  Sean asked.  Elijah nodded.  Sean sat in front of him and cleaned him up.  Then he helped him to his feet.  He felt so lightheaded and weak.  His legs were stiff and he had lost the feeling in both of his feet.  A burning sensation went up and down his spine and he continued crying as he steadied himself.  He couldn't believe he was still crying.  Where had all these tears and emotions come from.  He had never thought that this was such a big deal.  But he knew deep down it was.  He never told anyone.  He kept it all bottled up.  And now...he was letting go.  He was falling.  Falling fast.  Literally.  Sean caught him right before he hit the floor.

 

***********************************************

           

            Elijah was happier than he had ever been.  Viggo was acting...different towards him ever since his breakdown.  He had been giving him extra hugs and attention.  Giving him compliments.  Elijah would turn to stare at him, only to see that Viggo was already staring at him.

            "What is it?”  Dom asked, one day.  Elijah was beaming.

            "Viggo."

            "I knew it!  You can't stop smiling!"

            "He's different.  He's giving me so much more attention."

            "I've noticed.  What did you tell him?  Did you tell him how you felt?"

            "No.  He just...came on to me.  Said I was inspiring, attractive, beautiful."

            "I told you, Elijah.  I could see you two together in the future.  You should have trusted me."

            "You think?"

            "Most definitely.”

            Elijah laughed.  They sounded like a bunch of teenage girls.  But to be honest, he *felt* like a teenage girl.  Giddy.  Giggly.  Ridiculous.

            “Are you gonna tell him how you feel?”

            “Should I?”

            “Yes!”

            “I will when the time is right.”  Dom slapped him on the back and walked over to Bill.  Elijah sat, hoping, praying that the right time would be soon.  ‘Maybe tomorrow’ he said to himself.

           

****************************************

            Sean sat Elijah on the couch.  He looked pale.  He was shaking and felt clammy.  Elijah licked his lips and shut his eyes.  He leaned back and sighed.

            “What is going on, Elijah?”

            “A lot…Sean, I haven’t been totally honest with you.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “You know how I told you that everything with Viggo was going fantastic?”

            “Yea?  And its not, is it?”

            “No…its not…”  Elijah felt like he might cry again but realized that he really didn’t have the strength or the tears left in him.

            “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

            “Okay.  Well, see Viggo was acting different towards me.  I thought I was just over-reacting, ya’know, looking for any little sign?  But Dom said he saw it too.  Viggo would always sit next to me.  He would have me over by myself just to talk.  He called me much more often.  Now, doesn’t that sound like he might love me?”

            “Yes…but I don’t understand.  What went wrong?”

            Elijah took a deep breath and continued his story.

 

*******************************************

            “Viggo, can I talk to you?”  Elijah approached him one day after shooting.  Elijah had held in these feelings for over two years now and decided since filming was almost over, he should tell him.  Everyone was gathered in a crowded room, telling stories about what they had done today.

            “Sure.  What’s on your mind?”  Viggo asked, scooting over so Elijah could sit next to him.

            “I’d rather go outside.  I don’t want to say it in front of everyone,” Elijah bit his lip.  Viggo got up and followed him outside.  They stood behind the building.

            “I…God!  I don’t know how to say this…”

            “Problems with Dom?”

            “What?  Dom?  OH!  No…that’s not it.  I already talked to him.  There’s nothing there,” Elijah lied.

            “Oh, I’m sorry.”

            “Its alright, Viggo, because I found someone else.”

            “You did?  That’s great, Elijah.”

            “But I don’t know if he feels the same way.  He acts like it, but I still don’t know.”

            “Who is it?”

            Elijah swallowed hard.  He tried so hard to say Viggo’s name, but nothing would come out.  His mouth got very dry.  He did the next thing that came to his mind.  He pointed.  Right at Viggo.

            Viggo didn’t say anything.  He didn’t have any emotions.  Elijah couldn’t read him.  Elijah felt his stomach turn over and rise up into his throat.  ‘This was a big mistake…’ he thought.  He never actually knew how long they stood there.  It felt like hours, but it could’ve been minutes…seconds…

            “Elijah,”  He said his name…

            “Viggo.”

            “It could never work.  Don’t get upset, okay?  Just hear me out.”  Suddenly, Elijah could read Viggo’s face.  But there wasn’t love there.  There was pity.  Elijah felt angry and didn’t want to stay to hear his reasoning.

            “Elijah, you know I love you.  But it’s platonic.  i love you like you were my little brother.”

            “What?”

            “You’re too young for me.  There could never be anything because of the age difference.  I’m sorry, Elijah.”

            Elijah sat there, jaw dropped.  He didn’t know what to say.  He never saw that coming.  He wanted to start screaming at him, ‘you asshole, you lead me on!  Why’d you treat me like that if you didn’t love me?  You only pity me!  You pity me because I am pathetic?  Is that it?!  Well FINE!’

            But he didn’t.  He didn’t say anything.  He just walked away.

 

*************************************

            “…And that’s what really happened,” Elijah said, finishing his story.

            “When did this happen?”

            “A week ago.”

            “I’m sorry, Elijah, but I’m sure you’re better off this way.”

            “How’s that?”

            “Now if you meet a great guy you won’t be blinded by Viggo.”

            “That makes sense.”

            “I’m sure you can do better than him anyways.  Its his loss.”

            “Please, Sean, you were doing good with the ‘blinded’ one.  But now you are just being cheesy.”

            “Its true though.”

            “Yea, but I hate that reason.  It doesn’t make me feel any better.”

            “I’m sorry.”

            “Its alright.  Thanks for listening.”

            “No problem.”  Elijah smiled for the first time that night.  He was so exhausted.

            “Man, crying can take a lot out of you,” Elijah laughed.  Sean smiled.

            “You are inspiring, Elijah.”

            “What?”

            “You’ve got a lot going on inside of you.  Behind those big blue eyes of yours.”

            “Oh God, Sean…don’t get all mushy on me,” Elijah rolled his eyes.  Sean laughed.

            “You look exhausted, Lij, why don’t you sleep in the guest room for the night?”

            Elijah nodded gratefully and headed to the bedroom.

 

 

Not-So Fairy Tale

Part Two: Unhappily Ever After

 

            It had been three years since Elijah’s breakdown.  He was over Viggo.  He thought at first that maybe he was just saying that, but he knew it was real when he didn’t feel a thing for him whenever Viggo walked by.  He had excitedly told Dom, but didn’t tell anyone else.  He didn’t want to start waves.

            He had moved on.  Why did it matter?

            It wasn’t like Elijah *never* thought about Viggo.  He wondered if maybe he told him at a different time.  Waited until he was older.  But then he reminded himself that he didn’t care.

            He still felt a bit empty.  And eventually he turned that emptiness into hatred.  Anger.  Resentment.  He was pissed at Viggo for not wanting him.  Elijah was a perfectly good man.  Everyone was always telling him how beautiful he was.  What a sweet personality he had.  Parent’s said they wished he was their son.  So, what was wrong with him?  Was a few years really all that kept Viggo from Elijah?

            It was a rotten excuse.  Viggo was a rotten person.  A dickhead, if you will.

            And Elijah let the anger build up in him.  He figured it was better than beating himself up over it.  Or feeling sorry for himself.  Now he knew that he *could* do better than Viggo.  Hell, the Wiggles could do better than Viggo.

           

********************************************

           

The premiere of Return of the King was approaching fast.  It was bittersweet for Elijah.  It was like the end of his life, of what he knew and had lived for the past five or six years.  But it was the beginning of something new.

            He was sad he might not see  Dom as often, but on the bright side, he’d never see Viggo unless he watched Viggo’s movies or there was some ridiculous reunion in 2020.  Maybe Viggo would be dead by then.

 

*****************************************

           

            The phone rang.  Elijah brushed his coat flat and looked at himself in the mirror.

            “Damn hair…” he muttered as he furiously brushed his fingers through his messy hair.  The phone rang again.  Elijah groaned and picked up the phone.

            “Elijah?”

            “DOM!  Hey!”

            “Hey.  We’re gonna swing by and pick you up soon, k?”

            “Alright…Dom…I look like shit.”

            “So does Billy,” Dom laughed.  He heard Billy yell and then hit what he assumed was Dom.

            “Alright alright.  I’ll see you two lovebirds soon.”

            “Cheeky, Lij…”

            “You know it.  Bye!”

            “Bye!”  Dom and Billy both yelled into the cell phone.  Elijah shook his head and laughed.  He grabbed his camera and waited by the door.

 

*************************************

 

            The movie was fantastic.  Just like Peter had said.  Epic.  Biblical.  Breathtaking.  Elijah turned to his side to see Dom crying.

            “Buck up,” He nudged him in the side.  Dom sniffed and pointed down the row of chairs.  Elijah leaned and saw that everyone was crying.  Peter, Fran, Bill, Sean, Bean, John, Ian and all the others.

            “Oh well now, I feel out of place,” Elijah whispered.  But he hadn’t cried since his breakdown and he didn’t plan on starting now.  He reminded himself that he was an actor and in doing so, managed to bring up a few tears.

            The movie finished and everyone cheered.  They collected their things and went outside to the afterparty.

            Elijah hadn’t seen Viggo all night.  He didn’t know where he was.  If he had even showed.  He walked down the row of press  and paparazzi snapping photos and yelling out questions.  He walked over to a reporter.

            “Have you seen Viggo?”  He asked.  Someone snapped a camera in his face and the flash nearly blinded him.

            “I was about to ask you the same thing!”  She smiled, “A few questions?”  He nodded and walked down the line, answering the same questions over and over again.

            After the painstakingly long line, he finally arrived at the afterparty.

 

********************************************

 

“Thanks Dom, I’ll see you later!” Elijah yelled as he headed for his limo. He hadn’t seen Viggo once during the afterparty or the movie. He was a bit suspicious. Friends had said they’d see him there. But Elijah had to admit, he hadn’t looked too hard for him. Although it would’ve been nice to see him again, one last time, Elijah didn’t feel like making small talk with the man who broke his heart.

Elijah leaned back against the cold leather in his limo. He shut his eyes and let the hum of the vehicle sooth him. Elijah liked chaos. And the afterparty was full of chaos. But it was always nice to relax after a long day.

The driver pulled in front of the hotel Elijah was staying at. He came out and opened the door for Elijah. He got out and said ‘thank you’ and ‘goodnight’ then headed up to his room. He stepped in the elevator and pushed the button. He started thinking about that night.

‘Damn Viggo. That’s like him not to show. Fucking coward. What’s he afraid of? Feeling guilty? No need. I don’t care about him anymore.’

He slowly unlocked the door to his room and stepped in, dropping his back of shit on the floor and throwing his jacket over the arm of a chair. He loosened his tie and began to unbutton his shirt. He threw the tie and shirt on the floor, amongst endless piles of dirty clothes. He grabbed a pair of his pajamas and changed into the pants, throwing the shirt of the pajamas with the other dirty clothes.

He shuffled over to the couch and flopped on it, grabbed the remote as he went down. He turned on the television. Flipping through the channels, the light emanating from the television shown on Elijah’s face. He groaned and threw his head back, flicking the television off.

“Nothing’s on!”

“I’m sorry.” A voice said from the kitchen.

“Who the fuck is that?” Elijah said, scrambling up from the couch, armed with the remote, “Get the fuck out of my house!”

The person started walking out into the light, “You don’t even recognize my voice? Oh, Elijah, that’s pathetic.”

Elijah stopped and tried to match a face to the voice. He didn’t have to though. Because right as the person said that, they emerged from the kitchen.

“Viggo. Son of a bitch. You scared the hell out of me.”

“You always had such a big, dirty mouth for such a small boy.”

Elijah’s face grew red, “Get out.”

“We have some unfinished business, Elijah,” Viggo leaned against the doorframe.

“And you waited until *now* to tell me?”

“I waited until it was the right time.”

“What makes now so special?” Elijah took a step forward, curiously.

“Because now is when we get to decide what we’ll do next with our lives.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Do you remember when you told me you loved me?”

“What do you think? That I fucking forgot the day you broke my heart?”

“Elijah-“

Elijah approached Viggo waving the remote in his face.

“Don’t Elijah me! You broke my fucking heart! All I wanted was a chance. You lead me on you fucking bastard!”

“Elijah, wait.”

Elijah was right in front of Viggo, nose to nose. He stopped, waiting for Viggo to give his explanation.

“What?” he asked impatiently.

Viggo sighed and stood up straight. He towered over Elijah’s small figure. Elijah grinded his teeth. He was not in the mood for this. Tension filled the air as the two men stood there, each breathing down the others’ neck.

“Why don’t we sit?” Viggo broke the mood. Elijah simply nodded and sat, never taking his eyes off Viggo. He hoped that his gaze might break Viggo.

“I…you know I love you,” Viggo started. Elijah raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side.

“…And well there are very few things that I regret doing. And I have lived for quite a bit longer than you.”

“Oh yes, we’ve established the age difference, Viggo. Or would you prefer that I call you Mr. Mortensen?” Elijah snapped.

“Elijah, shut the fuck up and let me fucking explain!” Viggo yelled. Elijah froze. He had never heard Viggo yell at him before. He sat there, eyes wide, like a little puppy.

“I don’t regret much, Elijah, but there is something I regret. And that is letting you get away. Letting you leave. Saying no.”

“Then why’d you do it?” Elijah softened up.

“Fear.”

“Of what?”

“What people would say. What Henry would say. What my conscience would say.”

“I was scared to, Viggo, scared as hell. You don’t know what its like to love someone for over two years and then have them tell you it would never work. Especially after they lead you on.”

“I can understand that Elijah, and you are right, I’ve never felt like that. So you’ll have to understand that I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t know how you felt, how you would feel.”

Viggo cupped Elijah’s face in his hands. Elijah saw Viggo’s eyes soften up. He saw hurt, regret, pain. Elijah felt his eyes melt. He felt the emotions he thought he had gotten rid of, come back. He felt the anger melt away from him. Then Elijah snapped out the trance. In horror, he watched the anger flood away, like a young child watching his toy boat float away with current.

He reached out to grab the anger and bring it back. He felt so vulnerable without his shield of hatred.

“NO!” He yelled, pulling away from Viggo. He looked away. Viggo tried to look him in the eyes. Elijah lifted his head. He was crying. Crying, *real tears*, for the first time in three years.

“You can’t do that,” he whispered.

“Do what?” Viggo asked confused.

“Take it all away. All I have is my anger. My hatred. It’s all I’ve got left. Don’t take that away from me. Its what comforts me on these lonely nights. Its what got me through this Goddamned movie. Through endless premieres, and acting like we were friends. The anger that I hid away is part of me. Don’t take it away.”

“Why not, Elijah? Do you want to stay angry?”

“No…” Elijah cried harder.

“Then why not?”

“Viggo, you don’t understand,” he continued, crying, “for the longest time it became a part of me. A part I knew well. When I was angry, I knew myself. I knew who I was. If you take away the anger, you take away a part of me. I’m afraid if you take that, then I won’t know who I am anymore.”

Viggo went to hug Elijah and comfort him. Elijah made a noise and scooted further away from him on the couch. Viggo looked hurt.

“Elijah, I can make you whole again.”

“I don’t believe you!” Elijah said, standing up.

“Elijah! I won’t hurt you!”

“You’re lying!”

“Elijah, I would never lie!” Viggo stood up, defensively.

“NO! YOU ALREADY DID!” Elijah screamed. Viggo stopped. “When I first met you, when I first fell in love, you said you would never ever hurt me. And you have caused me more pain than you will ever know.”

Viggo sighed and let his hands fall.

“I’m sorry…” his voice trailed off.

“I can’t trust you anymore. You say you wouldn’t hurt me now. But what about when you leave?”

“I won’t leave,” Viggo lifted his head.

“That’s what they all say. But then someone better comes along. Or someone disapproves and the pressure gets to them. And they leave.” Elijah pouted.

Viggo felt the rage build up in him. He was not going to take this from a scrawny kid, who didn’t know shit about life.

“What the fuck do you know about it?! Elijah! You don’t know as much as you think. You are what?---22?! You have so much more growing to do! Don’t act like you know me, Elijah. You have been such a pussy that you haven’t even talked to me in the past three years. You don’t even know who I am anymore!” Viggo noticed the scared look on Elijah’s face and quieted down, “When  I say I won’t hurt you, I mean it,” he whispered.

Elijah bit his lip. He didn’t know what to do. His anger had totally washed away. It was gone. He was defenseless. He sighed.

Viggo took Elijah’s hands in his and they both sat on the couch.

“Will you have me?” Viggo asked. Elijah chewed his lip. This was the hardest decision he’d ever made.

“Elijah?”

Elijah’s eyes snapped back to Viggo’s. He’d made his decision.

“Viggo…I…I love you…”

Viggo smiled.

“…but…”

 

********************************************

 

Elijah ran his fingers through his hair. He was nervous. He started biting his nails.

“I see you haven’t stopped biting your nails.”

Elijah turned around to see Dom, grinning. He gave him a massive hug.

It was 2010. The entire Lord of the Rings cast had been reunited. Unfortunately, it was not for the reason they had all hoped for. Christopher Lee had passed away, and they had all came to send off one of their own.

It was the first death of those who had worked on the project. Elijah hoped he wouldn’t have to go through this many more times. Although it was good to see his friends, it was such a sad occasion.

“You haven’t aged a day!” Billy shouted, walking over to the duo. They all hugged and laughed.

Elijah calmed himself down. He saw so many familiar faces. Some were from Lord of the Rings, and others were respected actors that had worked on films with Christopher. 

“Where’s is he?” Elijah asked solemnly. Dom and Billy pointed through a crowd of people.

“I’ll be right back,” Elijah told the guys, heading over to the casket. He stopped in front of it and leaned over.

He felt someone walk up behind him.

“When I was a kid, I was always afraid they would wake up and grab me. I know better now,” he continued, not even knowing who he was talking to, “I hope he was happy with who he was. With what he accomplished. Ya’know?”

“Yes, Elijah, I know.”

Elijah turned around. It was Viggo. His jaw dropped. Viggo had changed. He was aging gracefully. He had streaks of gray in his hair. His eyes were still the same, though, Still alive, and happy. Elijah swallowed.

Viggo grinned when Elijah turned around. He just stood there, soaking him in. Elijah had grown about an inch, but no more. He was still thin but he had filled out a bit. His sleeves bulged with his new muscles. His hair was longer yet in its familiar messy look. He still had massive, blue eyes. Anyone who just looked at him would say he was still the same. Say he hadn’t aged. But Viggo could see it. He had changed. He had grown.

“You’ve grown.”

“Only an inch.”

“No. I mean you’re wiser now. You’ve lived.”

“Thank you. I’d like to think so.”

Viggo smiled and Elijah smiled in return.

“Any regrets?” Viggo asked Elijah. Elijah sighed and closed his eyes. He opened them, grinning. The same crooked grin with the gap in the front.

“Nope. No regrets,” Elijah said, sounding accomplished.

Viggo smiled sadly and headed to walk away.

“Do you ever wonder what would’ve happened if we had…you know…” Elijah trailed off.

Viggo turned back around. He sighed, disappointed.

“Everyday.”

“Me too.”

The End