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The next week or so seemed to drag by, as I anxiously counted the days until Christmas Eve. Excitement among the company grew every day, as we all looked forward to some much-needed time off. We were doing eight shows a week, with no days off, and it was starting to take its toll on us all. By the time the last night rolled around, we were all running on pure adrenaline.

The Wicked Christmas party was scheduled for after our last performance before the holiday, in the theatre lobby. We had a spectacular show, then waited around for the audience to clear out so we could have the lobby ourselves.

“Charlie, you didn’t tell me Orlando was coming to this,” Nick said, breezing into the dressing area as I finished my hair.

“He’s not,” I said, taking the hot rollers out of my hair, one by one, revealing the big, luscious curls I’d been hoping for. “He’s flying in tomorrow morning.”

“Then why is he in the lobby?”

“What?” I almost dropped the roller that was in my hand. “He’s here?” I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.

“If it’s not him, it’s someone who looks an awful lot like him, and who loves you just as much.” Nick was positively glowing. “He’s being gracious with the crowd down there right now, you know, autographs, pictures, the works.”

“Sounds like him,” I said. I began removing the rollers even faster, anxious to get down to the lobby to see him.

“Lisa tells me you’re going home with him for the holiday,” Nick said, sitting beside me. Sometimes he was worse than some of the women in the cast for gossip. He and Lisa got along very well in that regard.

“That I am. What are you doing for the holidays?”

“Haunting the theatre,” he said, grinning at me. “We’re going to be doing some tech work on the show during the downtime. Hopefully we’ll have the wires fixed for good by the time you get back.”

“That would be nice,” I said, packing up the discarded hot rollers. We’d had a few more problems during the “Defying Gravity” number in the past few shows, and I knew Nick was getting as frustrated as I was. I stood up. “I should get down there,” I said, giving my hair one last tease with the comb, then spraying it in place with the hair spray.

“Have fun, my dear,” Nick said, standing as well. He kissed my cheek. “I’ll be down in a bit.”

I made my way to the theatre lobby, anxious to see Orlando. He had a real knack for surprising me, and I loved that he thought about me enough to come up with such sweet ideas.

When I got to the lobby, he was unmistakable, surrounded by people, mainly female, while photographers snapped pictures from the sidelines. Some of the cast and crew stood near the bar, watching, Lisa and Sean among them.

“I thought you said he wasn’t coming tonight,” Sean said as I went over to them.

“I didn’t think he was,” I said, getting a vodka cooler from the bar tender.

“This isn’t going to go well,” Sean said, shaking his head.

“If you stay out of his way and he stays out of yours, there won’t be any problems, okay?” I took a sip of my drink. “Just relax.”

“What time’s your flight tomorrow?” Lisa asked, nursing her own gin and tonic.

“One-thirty,” I said. “When are you leaving for your parents’?”

“Around noon.” She rolled her eyes. “Another Christmas watching Dad get smashed and Mom get angry that no one is helping with the turkey. Great.”

I was about to answer her, when Orlando caught my eye through the crowd around him. He started toward us.

“I’d better go,” Sean said, grabbing his drink off the bar and hurrying away.

Orlando looked fabulous in grey dress pants with a very fine pin stripe, a navy button-down, collared shirt, and grey jacket. His hair was loose around his face for once, tucked behind his ears. I suddenly didn’t want to be at the party anymore, I wanted to be at home, with him.

When he reached me, he swept me up in his arms and swung me around, hugging me tightly. I worried that my short, bubble gum pink dress would give the photographers a real show as he spun me, but at the same time, I didn’t care. Orlando smelled so good, felt so good against me, I didn’t care about anything else. It still amazed me how much he affected me.

“Hey you,” he whispered as the flashes went off around us.

“What are you doing here?” I said, not wanting to let him go. “Not that I’m complaining, of course.”

“I didn’t want to fly in tomorrow morning,” he said. “This way we get an extra night together.”

“You must be exhausted,” I said, reaching up to stroke his face gently. He did look a little tired, especially around his eyes.

“Nothing a few days at home won’t cure,” he said, swooping his head down to capture my lips with his. The flashes started again. We were getting used to having such private moments photographed, especially after the pictures from the airport two weeks before had been splashed everywhere. At least they were more flattering than the other photos the tabloids had used. The article in ‘People’ magazine was set to come out the week between Christmas and New Year’s, so we were counting the days until the speculation stopped.

The party was a lot of fun that night, loud, rambunctious, with lots of food, music, laughing, and alcohol. I didn’t have a lot to drink, and neither did Orlando, as we didn’t want to be hung over when we boarded the plane the next afternoon. Lisa, on the other hand, had way too much to drink, and we practically had to carry her home.

While Orlando waited in our bedroom, I took Lisa to hers, to put her to bed. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge on the way to her room, hoping that it would help ward off the hang over I knew she’d have. She was babbling away incoherently as I tried to help her undress.

“You know, Charlie,” she slurred, holding on to my shoulders as I slid her jeans down her legs. “I’s worried ‘bout havin’ a roomy, but yur not so bad.” She grinned stupidly, swaying slightly on her feet.

I pulled her sweater over her head and replaced it with her nightgown before saying anything. “I’m glad it worked out for you,” I said, leading her to her bed. “Here, drink this.” I handed her the bottle of water.

She sloppily downed the water, then handed me the empty bottle. “I’ll miss you,” she said, her hand groping about for my face. “You hang on to that boy. He’s good people.” She was rambling as I tucked her into the bed, on her side, in case she vomited during the night. I placed her garbage can beside the bed. As I went to leave, she pulled me back to her. “Charlie, yur good people, too,” she said, her voice quiet sluggish.

“As are you, Lisa,” I said, smoothing her hair off her forehead as she settled down into her pillows. “Get some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning.”

I turned the light off and left the room. I went into the kitchen for some water of my own, shaking my head at how much Lisa had drunk. As I was standing at the counter, taking a long drink out of a bottle of water, Orlando came up behind me and wrapped me in his arms. I leaned back against him, my body tingling as he bent down and began placing kisses down my neck and over my shoulder.

“Is she settled?” he asked, his breath warm against my skin.

“Yes,” I said, drawing in breath as his hands moved over my stomach to my hips, pulling me back against him. I turned in his arms. “I don’t envy the hang over she’ll have in the morning.”

I began working on the buttons of his shirt, as he pressed me back against the kitchen counter, trailing kisses over my jaw, to my chin, and finally my mouth. I got all of his buttons open, and slid my hands inside, caressing his chest. He reached around me and unzipped my dress, his fingers lightly massaging the skin of my back.

“Orlando, not here,” I gasped into his mouth as he guided the straps of my dress down my shoulders.

His dark eyes burned as he scooped me up and carried me to the bedroom. He laid me down on the bed and came down on his elbow beside me. He’d dropped my dress on the floor, so I was clad only in my undergarments. I looked up at him as his fingers traced patterns over my stomach.

“We have a whole week together,” he breathed, leaning down to kiss me. “A whole week.”

The idea seemed to renew his passion, as he came down over me. I clutched him to me, reveling in the feel of his skin against mine, and together we made up for lost time, we made each other whole.

* * *

Lisa’s hang over the following morning was pretty nasty. She was already awake, sitting at the kitchen table, when I dragged myself out of bed.

“Good morning,” I said, sitting down beside her after I’d grabbed a cup of coffee. Orlando was in the shower, and as much as I wanted to join him, I knew we’d never make it to the airport on time if I did.

“What’s good about it?” she grumbled, shooting me a dirty look. “I’m hung over and I have to deal with my parents today. And to top it all off, you’re glowing like a freaking light bulb, which is pretty sickening.”

I smiled. “It’s your own fault, you know,” I said, sipping my coffee. “You’re the one who drank enough to give you a hang over. I’m pretty sure the other stuff wouldn’t bother you so much if you weren’t feeling sick already.”

“Bugger off,” she snapped, but I could see a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

I drank my coffee and nibbled on some toast while I waited for Orlando to finish in the shower. When he came out, dressed in black jeans and a white dress shirt, I couldn’t help but smile at him. We hadn’t slept much the night before, but I wasn’t tired at all. I was more nervous than anything, given that I’d be meeting his mother and sister that night, during my first trip to England. I wasn’t sure how I’d make it through.

“All yours,” Orlando said, kissing my head before sitting at the table with us. I’d managed to get Lisa to munch on some dry toast, and to nurse a glass of water, and she was grumbling about it.

“Don’t be surprised if she bites your head off,” I said, getting up and putting my coffee cup in the sink. I went to shower and get dressed.

When I’d finished my shower, I stood in front of my closet, with the age-old battle about my outfit raging in my head. It was winter, so I needed something warm, but I wanted something stylish and elegant, too, something that would make a good impression. Plus, we were flying first class, so I wanted to fit in there. I decided on a navy suit, with a white collared blouse and two inch black stiletto heels. I knew the shoes would be hell to walk in when we hit the slush on the sidewalk, but I figured it would only be for a minute or two before we got into the car. I pulled my hair up in a French twist, with tendrils framing my face, and accessorized with the diamond tennis bracelet Orlando had given me, and a delicate white gold chain around my neck. I felt very professional, and hoped I would come across that way to his mother. I didn’t want to appear too young, especially with the age difference between us.

“God you’re sickening,” Lisa nearly growled when I went back into the kitchen.

I looked at her. “Excuse me?” I said, clearly puzzled.

“Here I am, feeling like a gargoyle, and you waltz in here looking like that,” she said, shoving her hand through her hair, which happened to look like it hadn’t been brushed in a month. “And before you give me any crap about natural beauty, save it. I don’t need to hear your tripe this morning.”

“What did you do to her?” I teased Orlando, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “She’s even worse then before I left the room.”

He shrugged. “She’s told me more than once that I’m ‘too damned happy’,” he chuckled, rising to take me in his arms. “Other than that, I have no idea.” He kissed my lips softly. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.

“Oh please, do you want me to puke?” Lisa snapped, practically laying on the table. “It’s so thick in here I’m going to need boots soon.”

“Why don’t you go grumble in your room?” I teased as I lightly stroked Orlando’s cheek before pulling away to get some yogurt. “Or better yet, go have a bath. It might make you feel better.” I handed her a bottle of water.

She grabbed it from me roughly, stood up, and stomped off to her room. We laughed as the door slammed behind her.

“You really do look amazing,” Orlando said as we went back into my room. I finished adding some last minute things to my suitcase.

“I want to make a good impression,” I said, zipping my toothbrush and dental floss into one of the compartments on my bag. “I just don’t want to feel like a kid, you know?”

“Darling, there’s not that much difference between us,” he said, sitting on the bed. “Five years isn’t a lot.”

“I suppose not,” I said, folding a sweater I’d forgotten to pack. “From what you’ve told me your mom is a very classy lady, and I don’t want to be under-dressed.”

He chuckled and drew me down onto his lap. “You could walk the red carpet in that outfit,” he whispered, playfully toying with a button on my jacket. “I’m sure you won’t be under-dressed for my mum.”

I kissed him. “I haven’t had to meet a man’s mother since high school,” I said, pressing my forehead to his. “It’s a little unnerving, that’s all.”

“You’ll be fine, love, I promise,” he said, hugging me tightly before releasing me. “Oh, before I forget, I wanted to show you this,” he said, going to his own suitcase, on the floor by the closet. He rummaged around for a minute, then turned back to me and handed me a magazine.

It was ‘People’ magazine, and there we were, on the cover, beaming at each other, looking oblivious to the camera. Clearly it was a shot from the photo shoot we’d done before the interview, and it was a beautiful picture. The headline read, “Orlando Bloom: In love, and not afraid to show it.”

“How did you get this? I thought it wasn’t coming out until next week!” I flipped through to the article about us, which also contained some beautiful pictures, not just from the shoot, but from the opening night reception, and the airport two weeks earlier. We looked so happy and in love, I had to smile.

“I had my publicity people get us an advanced copy,” he said, grinning as he came to read over my shoulder. “The article is very well done. I had a copy sent to my mum, as well.”

“I’ll read this on the plane,” I said, tucking it into my carry-on bag. “We really should go.” I zipped my suitcase, and he carried both of our bags to the door, while I grabbed our carry-ons. I’d sent my other suitcase ahead the day before, at Orlando’s instructions, to make it easier to travel.

“I’ll meet you downstairs in a minute,” I said, stopping in the living room. “I want to say good-bye to Lisa.”

“No problem, love, I’ll be in the car. Just don’t be too long.” He kissed me and took our bags downstairs.

I grabbed Lisa’s Christmas present from my room, then went down the hall and knocked on her door.

“What?” she snapped as I opened the door.

“We’re leaving,” I said, keeping my voice low. She had all the lights out and was laying on the bed with a pillow over her head. “I wanted to give you this before we go.”

She sat up and tossed the pillow aside, then went to her closet and pulled out a rather large, but thin, box. She handed it to me, then took her present. I’d bought her a really cute peasant blouse she’d looked at many times when we’d been out, but had always decided she couldn’t afford. It was a pale yellow colour, with ribbons that tied in back, and long, floaty sleeves. It was exactly the kind of thing she loved to wear, and it would look perfect with her honey blonde hair.

“Charlie, you shouldn’t have done this!” she said, a grin on her face as she pulled the blouse out of the box.

“I can take it back if you don’t like it,” I teased.

She clutched it to her. “No way,” she said. “I’m going to wear this on my date next week.”

“Date?”

“Yeah, Sean and I are going for dinner,” she said, somewhat sheepishly.

“He finally asked you out?”

“After he gave up on you, yes,” she said, rolling her eyes. “He’s not a bad guy, and he’s hot as hell.”

I laughed. “He’s cute, yes,” I agreed. “Just don’t let Orlando hear me say that.” We giggled.

“Open your gift,” Lisa said, gesturing to the box in my hands.

I carefully pulled off the silver paper, and opened the box underneath. There was a large black book, with a picture of me as Elphaba on the cover. I opened it and looked through it. The pictures Lisa had been sorting through were all laid out on the scrapbook pages, in chronological order, from the first rehearsals through some actual pictures from the show. It was beautiful, and had obviously taken a lot of time to put together.

“Lisa, this is gorgeous,” I said, closing the book and hugging her. “Thank you so much.”

She smiled. “I hoped you would like it,” she said. “I figured you deserved a keepsake like that, a memento of your time with the show. I’ll add pages as we go along, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course,” I said, running my hands over the smooth leather cover. “Lisa, this is amazing. I don’t know what to say.”

“Just tell me you’ll get me some pictures of you and Orlando, so I can do a book for the two of you,” she said, smiling as she led me down the hall to the door. I grabbed the two carry-ons.

“Check out ‘People’ magazine next week,” I said. “I’ll get you some other pictures when we get back.” I hugged her again. “I have to go catch my flight, but I’ll call you soon, okay? Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas!” she called as I hurried down the hall to the stairs.

A short time later, Orlando and I were on the plane, safely strapped into our seats, waiting to take off. When we were finally in the air, and the seat belt light had gone off, I took off the belt, and leaned over to rummage through my carry-on. I wanted to show Orlando the scrapbook Lisa had made for me, and I wanted to read the ‘People’ article.

“Orlando, did you say you had a copy of this sent to your mother?” I said, pulling out the magazine.

He nodded and took a sip of the champagne the flight attendant had brought to us. “I figured she would like it, love,” he said.

“At least they’re flattering pictures,” I said, flipping through the magazine. “Oh, take a look at what Lisa gave me for Christmas.” I handed him the scrapbook.

“That’s a beautiful picture of you,” he said, taking the book from me. He slowly turned the pages, looking intently at each one. “Charlie, this is gorgeous,” he said after a few pages. “She put a lot of time into this.”

“I know,” I said. “It’s quite the gift.”

I turned my attention to the magazine again, anxious to read what it said.

“He’s one of the most sought-after men in the world, and she’s a rising star headlining on Broadway. Apart, they have two of the most enviable careers in their industries, but together, they’re just two people in love, who aren’t afraid to face the recent rash of nasty rumors about their relationship head-on.

“Attributing their meeting to a ‘clumsy moment’ at the Gershwin Theatre, where Madison does her nightly shows, only a few months before, Bloom beams as he looks down at the woman beside him. The two spent two uninterrupted weeks together in Madison’s native Ontario during Bloom’s appearance at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he met her family and fell ‘head over heels in love’ with her. Though he says it wasn’t love at first sight, he acknowledges, ‘Whatever it was, it was strong.’

“Rumors have flown around the young couple recently, concerning an alleged affair with Madison’s Wicked co-star, Broadway heavyweight, Sean Bryant, and a reconciliation with Bloom’s former flame, Kate Bosworth. To the reconciliation rumor, Bloom simply said, ‘Obviously, if I’m with Charlie, those rumors are false,’ calling Bosworth a ‘friend, nothing more, nothing less.’ The pictures taken of Bloom and Madison November 26th, when they were clearly fighting, were a little harder to shrug off. ‘There was never an affair, regardless of what’s been said,’ Madison said firmly, saying ‘Sean and I work together, and though we have to kiss in the show, there’s never been anything more than a professional friendship between us.’ When asked about her future with Bloom, Madison couldn’t keep the smile from her face. ‘I don’t know where it will lead, but wherever that is, I hope it’s with him,’ she said, casting a glance at the Pirates of the Caribbean actor. He was equally positive. ‘I can’t imagine a future without her, and to be honest, I don’t want to.’

“So despite some bumps in the road, it seems these two are in it for the long haul. Madison had this to say about Bloom’s female fan base, ‘Those girls love him, they respect him as an actor and as a man, and hopefully they’ll respect that he’s in a relationship that makes him happy. I have nothing but respect for them, and I hope they’ll look at me the same way.’ Bloom would only say, ‘The fans put me where I am, without them, I’m nothing.’”

I sighed as I closed the magazine. The article had done what we wanted it to do, it had confirmed we were together, and that the rumors had been false. Greg had done a wonderful job, and I was relieved the world would finally see our side of it. When I put the magazine away, I noticed Orlando staring at me.

“What did you think?” he asked, taking my hand.

“Do you think it will do the trick?”

He nodded. “We said just enough to stop the speculation, but not too much, so they’ll respect our privacy.” He smiled. “I feel like people will look at us a little differently when this comes out. With Kate, I kept everything under wraps, and it only served to fuel rumors of adultery and break-ups.”

“There’ll be those rumors with us, too, you know,” I pointed out, sipping my own champagne. “It’s nothing new for your business.”

He shrugged and kissed my hand. “We’ll take it as it comes, love.” He handed me Lisa’s scrapbook. “Not to sound like the jealous boyfriend or anything, but there’s a lot of Sean in there.”

“He’s a huge part of the production,” I said, flipping through it myself. “It wouldn’t be the same if he wasn’t.” I chuckled. “He finally asked Lisa out. They’re going for dinner next week, after Christmas is over, while we’re still off.”

“She’s going out with him?”

“Yes.”

“Even after what he did?”

“Orlando, darling, I love you, but let it go,” I said, reaching over to stoke his cheek lightly. “He’s not a bad guy, okay? He made a mistake, he’s apologized. Don’t start again, please.”

He kissed my hand, finger by finger, before placing a gentle kiss on the inside of my wrist. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said against my skin. “I won’t mention it again.” He leaned over and cupped my head in his hand, pulling me to him. “I’m glad you’re coming with me,” he whispered, only an inch from my mouth. He pressed his lips to mine, with the lightest pressure.

“I am too,” I said, resting my hand on his thigh. The instant I touched him, I felt my body respond, as it always did.

“You’d better not do that, love,” he groaned into my hair. “We may just end up joining the Mile High Club.”

I grinned and stroked my hand up higher. Thank goodness first class seats are so high. No one around us could see what was going on. “Would that be so bad?” I teased as he nipped my earlobe. I reached over and grabbed the blanket the flight attendant had left for us, spreading it over us. I reached for his belt, but his hand covered mine before I could open it.

“Seriously, love, this isn’t the best idea,” he said, his voice raspy. When I looked into his face, his eyes were dark and slightly glazed. “Do we really want to get off the plane smelling like sex?” He grinned. “I don’t think that’s the right impression for my mum.”

I sighed and moved my hand away. “You’re right,” I said, lacing my fingers through his. “Damn.” I had to admit, I was frustrated. Who wouldn’t be in that situation?

“Don’t look so disgruntled,” he teased, lightly poking my arm under the blanket. “I’ll make it up to you later, I promise.”

I grinned. “You’d better,” I said, giving his hand a squeeze.

“Oh I will,” he said, leaning in close to me. “I think, as beautiful as that suit is, it will look better on the floor,” he whispered, his lips grazing my ear.

I squirmed. “Stop that,” I said, squeezing my eyes closed tightly. “I don’t need that image in my head for the entire flight.”

He whispered something else in my ear, something more graphic, and I was hard-pressed not to crawl into his lap. I slouched down in my seat and laid my head on his shoulder, trying to calm my raging body.

By the time the plane landed, I was sufficiently calmed down, nerves over meeting his mother having taken over. I made a quick trip to the restroom to check my hair and make-up, and to smooth out my suit as best I could, before we got off the plane. Orlando’s people had arranged security for us, as there were girls already lining up by the baggage claim as we de-boarded. I felt his arm slip around my waist as the cameras started to flash. We grabbed our bags as they came out of the turnstile, and hurried out of the airport, toward the waiting car.