The week had dragged mercilessly. Carrie had gone an entire five days without seeing any of the men whose presence had dominated her focus over the weekend and most of her thoughts during the week. She wondered if their absence was at all caused by her last conversation with Legolas.
She laughed at herself as she drove the few blocks to the theater. When she thought of them, she actually referred to them by the names they had given her. Had the week without them and her reflections during it caused her to start to believe them? She shook her head as she pulled into a parking space. Who knew?
She did know that she hoped to see them tonight, and wondered if she could expect it. She also knew her dreams over the past week were most certainly not helping. Even if she had not been having them, her next meeting with the men – specifically Legolas – would not be easy. But taking them into account, it was going to be brutal. She could feel her face start to flush already.
Melissa was in the dressing room when she arrived. Carrie glanced at her watch but it was only 6:15. She wasn't sure what she was in for, but she didn't think it would be good.
"You're here early," Carrie observed.
Melissa grinned mischievously. "I knew you'd be here."
Carrie sighed and walked over to her chair. "Super," she muttered.
Melissa sat down next to her. "You've been avoiding me, but now I want to know. What's up with that blond guy from Friday night?" Melissa's voice rose in pitch as she got more excited. "I saw you talking to him last Saturday night after the show, but then Sunday you disappeared and I couldn't ask you anything." She took a deep breath. "I've been dying all week!"
Carrie shook her head, remembering last Saturday night.
"Oh come on," Melissa wailed, "You're not going to tell me? Did he ask you out? Are you hooking up with him? What?"
Carrie bit her lip. "It's not like that." She rubbed her palms together. "He's not, I don't know, interested like that."
"Oh." Melissa momentarily deflated but quickly perked back up. "Do you mind if I have a try. You know, if he comes back?"
"Fine." Carrie rolled her eyes and fought a smile, thinking of Legolas's probable reaction to Melissa. "Whatever."
"Great!" Melissa jumped up and was halfway to the door before she said, "I'm going to go find Scott. Want to come?"
Carrie shook her head and Melissa practically bounced the rest of the way out of the room.
The rest of the evening went similarly. Carrie's cast mates would ask after him – she had no idea so many people noticed who she talked to – and then ask her permission to go after him themselves.
But, although she responded to them as she had to Melissa, it did not matter. None of the three men were there; not in the audience, not in the lobby, not even outside the theater. Carrie realized what she was doing, she was almost the very last to leave, but still they did not come.
Feeling dejected, she got in her car and drove home. She was just about to open the screen door to her porch when a noise behind her startled her and she whirled around.
"Oh jeez, you scared me!" she exclaimed when she saw Aragorn and Gimli there. She looked around for Legolas. Belatedly, she realized they were at her house.
"My apologies." Aragorn smiled warmly at her. "We were in the area and saw you just now. I had no idea you lived here."
"Ha. And here I thought you were stalking me," Carrie said, half-jokingly.
Aragorn chuckled and looked briefly at the ground. "No," he assured her, meeting her gaze again. "Although, we would like to spend time with you, if you would oblige us."
Carrie agreed and the three of them sat on the porch together, talking. Neither of the men brought up the one who was missing from their company and Carrie was too nervous to ask, although her thoughts continuously returned to him.
The evening passed pleasantly. Carrie found that she actually enjoyed their company very much. Aside from the fact that they thought they were fictional characters – or at least pretended that they were – they were quite enjoyable to talk with. After a while they stood and took their leave of her. She had such a pleasurable time that she invited them back on Sunday, since there was a cast party tomorrow she could not miss. They agreed to come back and then left her alone for the night.
By Sunday evening she was so full of nervous energy she could barely contain herself. She straightened up the kitchen, re-arranged the pillows in the living room, went back into the kitchen to see if there was anything else to do, and finally ended up sitting on the porch. It wasn't so much because of the two men she had seen Friday night. She was perfectly calm about hanging out with them again. It had been over a week since she had last seen Legolas and the last time they met had not gone well. She wasn't sure if she was more agitated about that or at the thought that he might not even come.
She didn't have to worry about the latter. Aragorn and Gimli were joined by Legolas this time. She spotted them walking down her street a few houses away from hers. She stood, thinking she would go meet them but then sat back down as she changed her mind. She stood again, the churning of her stomach too much to bear sitting down, and went to open her screen door for them.
"Hi!" she called out, trying to sound calm and casual. It would work as long as her cheeks did not appear as flushed as they felt.
"Good evening," Aragorn replied.
"We thought we might go for a walk tonight," Gimli added, "if you are agreeable."
Legolas said nothing.
"Sure," Carrie said, avoiding Legolas' cold stare.
They went down the street to the park at the end of the block. Carrie walked between Aragorn and Gimli with Legolas several paces ahead. The two next to her chatted amiably but Legolas pretty much ignored them. As they wandered around the park and eventually back to her house, she grew more and more agitated by his lack of attention to any of them. The other two were courteous enough; what was wrong with him?
By the time they left, she could barely look at him without clenching her teeth. Although Aragorn and Gimli warmly bid her farewell and promised to return in a few days, Legolas only slightly inclined his head towards her in goodbye, just briefly meeting her eyes.
Over the next few weeks, she saw them several more times, always by her house now, never at the theater anymore. She even had them for dinner once. They did not discuss why it was that they wanted to talk to her in the first place, or how they knew who she was. Every time the conversation started getting near those topics it was gently steered in another direction. Their discussions were kept light – usually story-telling by Aragorn or Gimli – and she had become very comfortable in their presence.
Legolas' manner, on the other hand, remained aloof as it had been ever since their last meeting at the theater. He would either walk far in front of them, or stand off to the side, never joining in their conversation. Although his indifference hurt and angered her, she knew she would only have to endure it for a short time longer. Aragorn had told her that they would only be around for a little while before they had to return to wherever it was they were from. She would miss him and Gimli, but would be glad of the respite from how unnerved and emotional Legolas continued to make her despite his lack of interest.
The Sunday of the closing weekend of her show, she came out of the theater to find her three weird friends unexpectedly waiting for her. Aragorn and Gimli were smiling brightly and Legolas – she sighed – stood behind them brooding. She shook her head.
"Hi guys!" she called them. "Did you come to see the last show?" Legolas walked away and leaned against a tree a few yards from the theater. Carrie took a deep breath and faced Aragorn. "Ok, I have to ask. What's with him?"
Aragorn did not answer her question. "We came to bid you farewell."
"But you just got here." Carrie answered before what he was saying registered. "Oh. You guys are like, leaving leaving." She found herself looking at Legolas.
Aragorn followed her gaze. "You need to make peace with him." He said quietly. "It's been long enough and now must be the time. Whatever ill feelings you two have for each other need to be brought to light and then resolved, ere we part ways."
Carrie didn't know why this was important to him, but Aragorn was right; she should go make peace. She was used enough to his company, she thought, that he wouldn't blow her away like he did in the beginning.
Dreading what was to come, she walked slowly toward Legolas, who had his back to her. She afforded a quick backward glance at the other two. Gimli was talking animatedly to Aragorn, who had had sat down on a bench to light his pipe. She smiled wistfully. She had grown fond of both of them; Gimli was quite funny and Aragorn was very kind. She sighed and turned back to the task at hand; knowing that any delay would only make it worse.
"Hey" she said.
He looked over his shoulder at her and barely inclined his head.
She scoffed and saw his shoulders tense. Well this is starting out well, she thought.
"So um…" Why was she nervous? "I hear you guys are leaving?"
He did not turn around. "We are."
So he's going to make this hard. Carrie clenched her jaw and ignored her flipping stomach. Fine.
"Can I ask you something?" He didn't answer. Jerk. "Do you remember when we first met, and the next night Aragorn got all mad because you let me touch your ear? Why?"
He spun to face her so fast she couldn't follow the movement. "How can you stand there and call him that when we all know full well you don't believe us when we tell you who we are?" Carrie looked up in his eyes. She saw anger, frustration, and hurt? How had she hurt him? Did he really care that much that she didn't trust him?
"You didn't answer the question, Legolas." He tensed when she said his name. Jeez, she thought, he has the exact opposite reaction that I had. "Why was Aragorn upset?"
Legolas glared down at her. "Why don't you ask him? I shall not speak for him."
Carrie closed her eyes to the dislike, no, the disgust she heard in his voice. She opened them and met his eyes. "I'm asking you."
He looked at her with the same blank expression he often wore. "You do not trust me."
Carrie exhaled sharply and felt angry tears well in her eyes. "I…" She didn't know how to respond. Should she tell him she wanted to trust him? Should she say why it was so hard for her to do so?
"I might have trusted you, given the chance." Thinking about all the times she had seen him and how detached he had been fueled her anger and she continued. "Did you ever ask yourself why I didn't trust you?"
"After your cold dismissal of my being, I did not care."
Stung by his words, Carrie snapped back at him. "But you never even asked yourself why? Don't you remember that day in my house? Do you think you were the only one affected?" He looked away from her. "Oh come ON. You're the one who thinks he's an elf. Surely you know the effect 'elves' are supposed to have on 'mortal women'!"
"Thinks he's an elf?" He glared angrily down at her before turning his back. "Good day."
"Legolas…" she saw his shoulders stiffen and before she could say anything else he walked off into the woods.