Carrie hung up the phone but did not immediately move from the kitchen. She took a deep breath, hoping it would stop her hands from trembling. When she finally felt calm enough to go back to the living room, she realized her knees were shaking as well and it took a few more minutes until she was able to walk.

The phone call had changed everything. She had to get this man out of her house; there was no two ways about it. She peeked around the corner and saw him sitting on the couch, just like she told him. He stood up as she entered the room. Before she could compose herself enough to say anything he folded his arms across his chest.

"Do you still think us a joke?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Carrie just stared at him, mouth open. "But...but...how did you-?"

"I heard your conversation," he answered calmly when Carrie stopped stuttering.

"But I was in the other room. I kept my voice low so you wouldn't-" Carrie broke off again, bewildered.

"I have excellent hearing."

At that point, Carrie's temper flared, fueled mostly by her fear. "Ok, look, I don't know if you're playing with me, or majorly delusional, but you need to leave. Now!"

He didn't move but just regarded her coolly, as if he expected her foul temper to pass.

"Hey. Mr. Impeccable Hearing… What? Did you suddenly go deaf? I said 'leave'!" Carrie stormed to the door, slamming it open. "OUT!"

Inside she was shaking, though she tried valiantly to act tough. He crossed the room to the door and pushed it shut. Carrie's eyes flew open in fear. His next words did not help her condition.

"I am going nowhere until I achieve what I came here for."

Carrie gasped, guessing at the intent behind his words. As she tried to run past him he grabbed her wrist to restrain her. Damn, he was strong. She struggled futilely to break free from his grasp.

"Let me go!" she shouted, pushing frantically against his chest with her free hand.

He dropped her wrist but leaned against the door, her only means of escape.

"Why are you doing this?" Carrie yelled at him, tears springing to her eyes. "You could have any girl if you half tried. Hell you could have had me, willingly, if you had just taken some time. Why force yourself on me?"

He narrowed his eyes at her angrily but his voice was calm when he spoke. "I have no intention of forcing anything on you."

Carrie wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. His words, and the fact that he had released her when she told him to, helped to quell her fears… a bit.

"Then," she began softly, hesitantly, "what do you intend?"

He held his hand out to her, palm up, indicating for her to go back into the living room ahead of him. She narrowed her eyes at him, sizing him up and came to the conclusion that if he meant to harm her -- or take advantage of her -- he would have already. Slowly, she walked over to the couch and sat down, trying to push away any attraction she had for him. This was definitely not someone she should be attracted to. He sat down as well, a comfortable distance away, and angled himself so they were facing each other.

"I wish only to talk with you." His face was expressionless and his eyes seemed guarded.

"Really?" she asked skeptically. He nodded and she continued to watch him carefully. "I might be more inclined to believe you if you told me who you are."

Surprise briefly flashed in his eyes but again, it was gone too quickly for Carrie to really be sure. "You seemed sure who we were last night."

Carrie sighed, frustration starting to edge out fear as her dominant emotion. "I mean who you really are." He began to open his mouth. "The truth," she added.

He pressed his lips into a thin line and didn't answer right away. Carrie started to wonder what reason he might have for this hesitation. While she waited for his response, she searched his eyes, but they gave her no clue to what he was thinking.

Finally, he answered. "I have spoken naught but the truth since we met."

"But you haven't told me anything!" Carrie complained.

"You haven't asked me anything," he countered.

Carrie's eyes widened. "I asked who you are."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I think you know who I am." He frowned. "Although I don't understand how."

Carrie's exasperated groan escaped her lips before she could stop it. "How about we pretend I don't? How about you just tell me your name?"

"Very well." Carrie waited expectantly. "My name is Legolas."

Carrie frowned and narrowed her eyes. "Your real name."

His eyes flashed angrily. "That is my real name."

Carrie lost control of her temper for the second time that morning. "How do you expect me to trust you IN MY HOUSE when you won't even tell me your name? Jeez! It's just your name. Do you want me to tell you my name first? It's Carrie." His eyes narrowed and his lips pressed together in an angry expression, but she kept going. "There. Now I told you my name, so how about we hear yours?"

He remained silent, continuing to glare at her, and she threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Just TELL me your name!"

When he answered his voice was low and menacing. "I did."

"FINE!" Carrie snapped. She stood up and stomped across the room towards the TV. Once she was on the other side of the room, she spun around and glared at him.

"I don't understand," he began in a tightly controlled voice, "why you are having such difficulty believing me."

"Ha!" Carrie's sharp bark of incredulous laughter cut through the room. "Why I'm having-" She held her head in her hands, unable to finish her sentence. She turned her back to him and searched through the DVD rack until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out the case and faced him again, holding out the DVD for him to see, but his expression remained blank.

"I know what you're playing at. Do you think I'm an idiot? What the hell is wrong with you?" she shouted angrily as she put in the DVD and turned on the TV. While she waited for the menu to load she continued her tirade. "Seriously, I'm supposed to, I don't know, believe you really are who you're trying to impersonate!?" The menu came up and she selected the scene she wanted.

Smugly, she folded her arms across her chest and looked once more at the man sitting on her couch. When he saw the three men on the screen his already fair skin went completely white, a look of shock and wonder in his blue eyes.

"Maybe this is why I'm having such difficulty believing you," she finished sarcastically.

He didn't meet her eyes but continued to stare at the television as if he were in a trance. Carrie watched him, waiting for him to break down and tell her who he really was and why he was playing this ridiculous joke on her. She noticed the actor on TV, who up until now she had thought was gorgeous, and mentally set him against the man on her couch. It was like comparing apples and oranges, as if the image on the screen was just a poor rendition of the person in front of her. She grabbed the remote and hit the pause button just as a close up of the elf's face appeared on the screen.

"So?" she prompted.

He blinked once and then tilted his head up so he could meet her gaze. "So?" he repeated so quietly Carrie almost didn't hear.

"So, now you can either tell me who you really are, or get the hell out of my house."

He took a deep breath. "I'm him." It was a bare whisper.

Carrie looked at the television and then back to the couch, confused by his last statement.

"You're Orlando Bloom?" she asked.

"No." he swallowed and his eyes once more found the image on the screen. "I'm Legolas."