FIC: Time After Time (Chapter Eight) - Sean and Elijah

[rakshi]

Many, many thanks to tarnishedhalo and her amazing talent. She aged our beloved boys 10 years for the photos used in 'Time After Time'.

Title: 'Time After Time' (Chapter Eight of Eight)
Author: Rakshi ( rakshi@sean-astin.net )
Rating: Overall: NC-17. This section: PG for slash content
Pairing: Sean Astin/Elijah Wood
Summary: It's Oscar time.

Author's Notes: Heartfelt thanks and love to lbilover. No one could possibly ask for a better beta or a better friend. Her insights and skills have helped to make this tale a much, much better story. I'm eternally grateful to her.

This is the last chapter of 'Time After Time'. I am deeply grateful to all of you who have followed this story and blessed me with your comments and encouragement. I'm sorry to see it end.

'Time After Time' is the third and last part of a three part series. In the first story, ' Time', Sean and Elijah were reunited after a ten year separation. In the second story of the series, ' Time To Be Us', they determined the course of their future together. And now in 'Time After Time', we see that future come to fruition.

Previous Chapters:
One - Two - Three - Four - Five - Six - Seven



Disclaimer: This story is a work of satirical fantasy about public figures. It is completely fictional. I make no assertions about the actual private life or the sexual orientation of any person mentioned in this work.

- Time After Time Chapter Eight -

Time after time
I tell myself that I’m
So lucky to be loving you

So lucky to be
The one you run to see
In the evening, when the day is through

I only know what I know
The passing years will show
You’ve kept my love so young, so new

And time after time
You’ll hear me say that I’m
So lucky to be loving you

It was over a week since the ‘Fellowship’ reunion, and the Oscar nominations were being announced that morning. Sean was nearly sick with excitement. He tried not to toss and turn lest he awaken Elijah, but was completely unable to sleep. For a long time he lay quietly looking down into Elijah’s sleeping face, gently stroking his brow and wondering what changes this day would bring to their lives.

Finally at 4 A.M. he gave up. Since then he had been sitting in his office compulsively refreshing the computer's screen every 10 seconds even though he knew that the nominations wouldn't be announced until 6:00.

He couldn’t help himself. Logic played no role whatsoever in what he was doing. So intent was his focus on the computer screen before him that he nearly leapt out of his skin when Elijah approached and quietly set a mug of coffee down beside him.

“Whoa!” Elijah said when Sean jumped nervously. “Take it easy! How long have you been up?”

“I dunno,” Sean moaned. “Forever. I couldn’t sleep. What time is it?” He glanced at the computer screen and sighed. 5:00. Another hour before he could even hope to get answers to the questions that were robbing him of much-needed sleep.

“Go take a shower,” Elijah advised. “Come on! It’ll only take 10 minutes, then you can come back and go on hitting ‘refresh’ fifty times a minute. C’mon, Sean. It’ll be good for you.”

Sean sipped his coffee and peered doubtfully at Elijah. “You think so?”

“I do,” Elijah said, confidently. “And at the very least I know that what you’re doing now isn’t good for you. You need to take a break.”

Sean sat his coffee mug down and glanced up at Elijah. “Under one condition,” he said, putting on his most mischievous face.

“What’s that?”

“Take a shower with me,” he said, smiling and waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

“You’re incorrigible!” Elijah laughed.

Sean’s arms encircled his waist and, groaning with pleasure, he pressed his face against Elijah’s chest, inhaling the scent of his skin, rocking him as he stood before Sean’s chair.

“C’mon, baby,” Sean said pleadingly. “Take a shower with me. Save me from myself. That's your job isn't it?”

“I think you planned this entire thing,” Elijah said, laughing. He pulled Sean to his feet. “C’mon you shyster.”

“Right behind you, love,” Sean said, gently pushing Elijah toward the door.

“I bet you’re not even dirty!” Elijah teased. “Any old excuse just to see me naked.”

“Jesus, you got that right!”

By the time they returned from the bathroom it was close to six. Elijah was feeling the butterflies himself by this time, and he sat at the computer with Sean, choking down coffee and trying his best to stay calm.

When six A.M. finally arrived, Sean took a deep breath and hit F5 to refresh the screen. It slowly began to appear before them. And then they saw them. The nominations were there on the screen. Sean and Elijah both leaned toward the computer, squinting into its light as they read.

They slowly looked at each other. “Oh my god,” Sean breathed. They turned back to the screen once more. “Oh my GOD!” Sean erupted.

“Sweet Jesus,” Elijah whispered. “I don’t fucking believe it!”

They both firmly believed that their relatively poor showing at the ‘Golden Globes’ was directly attributable to the disclosure about their relationship on the night of the ‘Witness To History’ premiere. Both of them feared that this trend would continue with the Academy Awards, and they had steeled themselves to be content with one or two minor nominations at best.

Now, they stared at the screen in shock as Sean slowly read:

“Best original score,” he intoned. “Best original song. Best film editing. Best screenplay…” he took a deep breath. “Oh, Jesus, Elijah, best director!” He looked at Elijah in something close to awe. “And, baby… baby… best leading actor!”

“And,” Elijah said shakily, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “Sean… Seanie… best picture! Best fucking PICTURE!”

“Holy fuck,” Sean breathed. “Holy fuck, Elijah. SEVEN nominations! SEVEN!”

They stared at each other for a long moment, then sprang to their feet and embraced, whooping and cheering at the top of their lungs. Sean spun Elijah in a circle, then spun him again. “You’re nominated AGAIN!” he yelped.

“YOU!” Elijah cheered, hugging him in delight. “Best director! Best PICTURE!”

As they walked toward the house from Sean's office they met Gabrielle who was on her way to the kitchen to start breakfast. She was immediately swept off her feet and spun in circles by her two excitedly cheering employers. “My goodness, what has happened?” she asked breathlessly when they finally set her down.

“More golden men!” Elijah said, laughing and kissing her cheek. “LOTS more golden men, Gabby!”

Sean’s cell phone rang from the office behind them, and this sound was immediately followed by the sound of their house phone ringing. “Here we go,” Elijah said, dashing toward the kitchen door. “You’d better get your cell, baby. It’s going to be one hell of a day!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The time to the Academy Awards passed in a furious rush. Sean and Elijah were inundated with requests for interviews, both from print publications and various other media outlets. They happily accepted every invitation.

They went on the 'Today Show', 'Showbiz Review', 'The Tonight Show', ‘Today’s Entertainment’, and every other major talk show that requested their presence. The hosts were all most accommodating, and allowed them to talk at length about ‘Witness To History’ and its stunning success, but they made it clear from the onset that they also wanted to talk about Sean and Elijah as a couple.

After talking it over, Sean and Elijah had decided to relent and discuss their relationship openly during these pre-Oscar interviews. They understood that it might have had an effect on their showing at the Golden Globes, and that it might also affect how the academy voted at Oscar time. But they both felt it was pointless to turn down the most rare and precious commodity in filmmaking, the chance to promote their film on national television, not once, but many, many times… for free. Their situation would be talked about nationally no matter what they did. It seemed the lesser evil to let their voices be heard at least.

And so they appeared whenever asked. Again and again they told their story, trying to keep it as brief and dispassionate as possible, always stressing that they had appeared in the first place to promote their film, not themselves. Still… the press frenzy continued. And as the time for the Oscar ceremonies grew nearer, the media’s fascination with their tale grew even more intense.

Sean was already fielding other directorial offers. He was stunned by the impact that the Oscar nomination seemed to have on the Hollywood magnates. People who wouldn’t have taken a meeting with him a month ago were now begging to lunch with him. Sean found the entire process overwhelming and more than a little annoying. He told callers that he would not consider other projects until the Oscars were behind him.

“Whew,” he said, hanging up the phone from turning down yet another invitation. “Had no idea I had so many friends in this town.”

Elijah laughed as he munched his morning toast. “If you believe that…” He let the sentence trail off.

Sean grimaced and shook his head. “You’ve got to be kidding! I was raised in this town, remember?”

Elijah nodded and absently sipped his orange juice. “What has the TV station had to say about all this?”

Sean laughed and seated himself at the table next to Elijah, waving away Gabrielle’s offer to prepare his breakfast. “No thanks, Gabby.” He turned back to Elijah and smiled. “They’re really so nice. They want me to stay, of course. Though they seem a bit bemused by the whole thing. Not quite sure whether I’m still the same old guy, or if I now have to be treated like some kind of major celebrity.”

“How’s ‘In the Light of Truth’ going?” Elijah asked, covering Sean’s hand with his. He knew that Sean loved his award-winning historical series. It might not get the press attention that their movie garnered, but it was dear to his heart nonetheless.

Sean smiled and leaned in to kiss Elijah’s cheek in gratitude. “It’s going well,” he replied. “The station is very pleased with it, and there’s talk of it being video streamed by several companies that provide video to educational venues on a national scale. Schools, intermediate school districts, even some junior colleges.” It was obvious that Sean was very proud of this achievement.

“You’ll be up for an Emmy, too, next thing you know,” Elijah said, rising with his empty glass in his hand. “We’ll have to watch out, Gabby,” he said, handing it to her. “He’ll be such a Hollywood pundit soon that he’ll have no time for us anymore.”

“Elijah!” Sean said, shocked. “How can you even suggest such a thing!”

Gabrielle took the glass and lightly rapped Elijah on the head with her knuckles. “Mister Sean’s not like that, and this you know, Elijah! For shame to speak this way!”

“Ow!” Elijah said, laughing and ducking away. “I was just kidding, you two. Are you in cahoots or something?”

Sean rose and, flinging an arm around Elijah’s waist, scooped him off his feet. “C’mon, you!” he growled. “Let’s get dressed. We have stuff to do today.”

“Help, Gabby!” Elijah yelped, squirming in fake-terror as Sean hauled him toward the stairs. “I’m being kidnapped!”

Gabrielle waved them both away. “Out of my kitchen, you two great clowns. I have stuff to do, too.” She heard them giggling and yelping as they wrestled each other all the way up the stairs, and smiled. “Those golden men,” she said, chuckling. “They sure make for a happy house.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By Oscar night, Sean and Elijah were both exhausted and feeling more than a little jaded. They were delighted by the attention shown their movie, of course. But privately, they agreed that they would be happy when they could go back to a less frenzied routine.

“Jesus,” Sean muttered, fussing with his white tie in front of the mirror. “Was it like this during ‘Rings’?”

“You know you can’t do that. Why do you even bother? Here… let me.” He stood behind Sean and worked on the tie, smiling into his eyes in the mirror. “Was it like this during ‘Rings’?” he laughed. “No. It wasn’t like this. It was worse than this! Don’t you remember?”

“I’ve probably blocked it out so I don't lose what little is left of my sanity,” Sean said, sighing. “Lij, am I nuts? This is one of the biggest nights of my life, and all I want is for it to be over. That seems so wrong!”

Elijah shrugged and lightly dusted the shoulders of Sean’s black tuxedo jacket with his fingers. “No, it’s not wrong. We felt the same way back then. It was fun and we were excited by it all. But we also knew we didn't want that kind of craziness to go on forever. We wanted eventually to get back to a calmer existence.” He sat down on their bed and lit a cigarette. Sean shot him a worried glance, but decided to ignore the cigarette in the interests of peace. Tonight was not the night to nag at Elijah.

Elijah fell back on the bed and blew smoke toward the ceiling. “We were younger then though,” he observed mildly.

“Thanks for reminding me,” Sean said, sitting down beside him and poking his ribs with a searching finger.

“Oh, you know what I mean,” Elijah said, sitting up. “I think we were just better able to handle the parties and late hours. We were more ‘into’ that side of things then. Now, we’d just as soon be home together.”

“That’s a fact,” Sean said, nuzzling his cheek.

“I want it to be over, too,” Elijah said, turning to crush out his cigarette in a nearby ashtray. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not grateful for the acclaim the movie’s gotten. And I am enjoying parts of it. It’s the press hounding us about US that bugs me. I could have dealt with them just asking about the movie.”

Sean nodded, chewing his lower lip, lost in thought. Then he asked Elijah, “You have a speech ready?”

“Yeah, I do. A short one. You?”

“Finished it today. The usual long list of people to thank,” he smiled at Elijah. “I tried not to be too schmaltzy.”

“But why?” Elijah said, grinning. “You are schmaltzy!”

Sean opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short when his cell phone rang. “Hello? Oh, hi, baby!” he said, smiling happily. “Elizabeth,” he whispered in an aside to Elijah.

“No,” Sean said into the receiver. “You girls are going in a separate limo. We’re meeting you there. Uncle Dom and Uncle Viggo will be with us. They’re being picked up first. But you’ll go down the red carpet with Elijah and me. They’ll head into the theater and wait for us.”

There was a silence as Sean listened, then he nodded. “Yeah, it should be there in about a half hour.” Then his mouth fell open. “What?!” he exclaimed. “Elizabeth!”

Elijah turned to him anxiously. “Sean? What the…”

Then Sean laughed and shook his head at Elijah, indicating it was nothing. “Not funny, young lady. Tonight is not the night to razz the old man. I’m on my last nerve… and on Elijah’s last one, too.” He laughed again. “OK, babe. No lagging now. You girls be ready when that car comes!” He listened for a moment, then laughed. “I’ll bet. Well, tell her to haul ass. We’ll see you in an hour or so.”

He hung up and said to Elijah, “She asked me if I minded that she dyed her hair bright pink last night. Like to give me a fucking heart attack. Says that Issy is dragging her feet.”

Elijah laughed. “Sounds like Lizzie,” he said warmly, then stood to check his reflection in the mirror for the 100th time that night. “Issy’s just nervous. She’ll be fine once things get rolling.”

Sean nodded and watched him, his eyes shining with love. No matter how well things turned out tonight, nothing on Earth could possibly make him happier than witnessing the sweetly loving relationship that was rapidly developing between Elijah and Elizabeth. He had even taken her out to dinner without Sean in attendance. They were quickly becoming close friends.

They’re really quite a lot alike, Sean thought . Both fiercely loyal. Both incredibly loving. Both possessing an irrepressible sense of fun.” It didn’t occur to him that he had described himself as well, but he had.

Their limo arrived just on time. Billy had been forced to return to Scotland on business so could not join them, but Viggo and Dom were already situated in the back seats. “You nervous?” Dom asked. He knew the answer of course, but couldn’t resist twitting Sean.

“Who me?” Sean said nonchalantly, pouring champagne as they pulled away. “Not ME! Elijah here, though. He’s been a wreck all day.”

Elijah rolled his eyes and accepted a champagne glass. “Riiiight,” he drawled. “And if you believe that I have some interesting land to sell you right after the awards.”

“Well, I don’t think you have a thing to worry about,” Viggo said, lifting his glass to Sean and Elijah. “I think you’re a shoo-in.”

“Well, they would be,” Dom said, grinning, “if not for all that pesky gay-sex stuff.”

“That is a bit of a sticky wicket,” Sean said as he clinked his glass with Viggo’s.

“The stickier the better,” Elijah remarked dryly, to shouts of laughter.

By the time they reached the staging area, Sean was feeling his champagne, and glad of it. His hands were shaking as he emerged from the car, and the crowds and spotlights gave a surreal, dreamlike quality to their surroundings. “Hey, pops!” a voice called, and he turned to see his three daughters walking toward him.

They were dressed in floor-length, black velvet skirts topped by the Parisian silk blouses and shawls that Sean and Elijah had given them when they returned to the USA. They all looked incredibly lovely. There were hugs all around, then Dom and Viggo said their farewells.

“See you later,” Dom said, hugging Sean tight. “Relax,” he said quietly. “What happens tonight doesn’t matter, Sean.” He leaned back to gaze into his eyes. “Look around you, man. You’re already a winner.”

Sean felt tears start in his eyes, and kissed Dom’s cheek. “You got that right, buddy. We’ll see you inside.”

Viggo embraced them both then followed Dom toward the theater entrance set aside for guests who would not be using the red carpet.

“Well,” Elijah said, taking Elizabeth’s arm. “Here we go, big guy.”

Sean swallowed hard. Ally was on his left arm, and he held Isabella’s hand with his right. The otherworldly quality of his surroundings had vanished when Dom spoke into his ear. He was right, of course. Oscars came and went. Who even remembered from year to year who had won them? But this… the beauty of these people whom he loved so deeply, all together at his side? This was the true meaning of joy.

Picture done by catw from a picture she took at the Oscars
and the banner done by myself and tarnishedhalo.

He felt a deep sense of calm fill him, and as they began their walk up the red carpet, he leaned forward and kissed Elijah’s cheek. “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for being with me.”

Elijah looked his surprise. “Where else would I be?”

“And thank you, too,” he said, turning to his daughters. “All three of you. Having you with me here is what really matters to me. No matter what happens tonight, I couldn’t be more happy.”

“Yeah?” Elizabeth said pertly over her shoulder as she walked ahead with Elijah. “You just wait ‘til you’ve got one of those golden men in your hands, daddy. I’ll be willing to bet you find room for just a liiiitle more happiness.” She and Elijah both giggled and Sean rolled his eyes. It was going to be one hell of a night.

They met Harlow and David on the carpet and greeted them joyfully. The two young producers had put their complete faith in Sean. They had wanted no one but him to helm their movie, and had never once second-guessed his decisions. Sean liked both these brilliant young moviemakers, and felt deeply grateful to them. They had stood by him and Elijah unquestioningly during the press frenzy over their 'coming out' the night of the movie’s premiere, and Sean would never forget it.

Now, they all walked together down the red carpet toward the press area. As always, Sean and Elijah stopped to sign autographs for their fans. Many of them waved images of Sean and Elijah as Sam and Frodo and begged for a signature. Sean spotted a sign in the crowd reading: “Sam and Frodo: True Love Forever”. He pointed it out to Elijah and they both waved at the sign-holders, giving them an enthusiastic ‘thumbs-up’.

When they reached the press area, an aide moved forward to escort the Astin girls to their seats. Sean, as usual, would not permit them to be interviewed. They had been photographed walking the red carpet with their famous ‘fathers’. That was enough.

He, Elijah, David, and Harlow did stop however, and spent quite some time talking with various film crews. They refused to answer any questions about themselves or their relationship, stating merely that those questions had already been answered countless times, but talked instead about their movie, and about the fine men and women who had been part of their cast and crew.

Launa Fendrick, their leading lady, joined them in the interviews, along with the screenwriter and various other department heads. They were a joyous group. They knew they had created an extraordinary film. They believed, along with their director and leading man, that they would be forever proud of the work they had done together commemorating the life of a remarkable journalist. And they knew they would feel this way whether or not they went home tonight with one of the coveted golden statues.


Eventually, the press released them, and their party found its way to their assigned seats. It had been years since Sean had been in the huge and incredibly beautiful Kodak Theatre. He hadn’t seen the inside of this building since he had sat here with his ‘Lord of the Rings’ cast-mates the night ‘Return of the King’ swept the Oscars.

He had been determined not to indulge in any unabashed displays of physical affection with Elijah tonight if he could help it. He would not withhold his devotion, of course. He simply wanted their appearance together tonight to be as decorous as possible. But as he surveyed his surroundings, he suddenly felt light headed and groped for Elijah’s hand.

He turned to Sean at once, gripping his hand. “You OK?” Elijah asked.

“Yeah,” Sean whispered. “I’m just a bit… you know… a bit…” he sank into his seat, still clutching Elijah’s hand.

“Sean?” Elijah said anxiously, glancing toward Sean’s daughters, who were chatting and seating themselves, unaware of any difficulty. “Tell me. Are you OK?”

“I’m fine,” Sean laughed. “I’m sorry. I just felt a bit overwhelmed for a second. I haven’t been in this room since ‘King’.” He grinned at Elijah. “While, you, on the other hand, have been here more often than the damned custodian!”

Elijah laughed and seated himself next to Sean. “Don’t scare me like that!”

“Hey, don’t worry, kiddo. I’m not that old and decrepit. I’m not about to croak on you.”

“Don’t even tease about such a thing!” Elijah said sharply.

“What’s he doing?” a cheerful voice asked, and looking up, they both saw Mackenzie approaching. “Sean making a fuss?” He squeezed past Sean and Elijah and took his seat beside the three girls, then turned and leaned toward Sean. “You two OK? Where’s mom?”

Sean pointed toward the rear of the theater. “She’s back there with Dad, Michael and Elijah’s mom. These are all the up front seats we could get. You’re lucky you’re here.”

“And we’re fine, Mack,” Elijah interjected. “Thanks for asking.” He nodded his head toward Sean. “Your brother just scared the crap out of me. But he’s fine.”

Mackenzie reached over to pat Sean’s arm. “Relax,” he said soothingly. “This is your night, bro. Enjoy it.”

The ceremony was a lengthy one, but Sean found the entire proceedings fascinating. It took quite some time to get to the point where the major awards began to be dispersed. But he and Elijah had made it their business to see all the other nominated films, even the short subjects and foreign entries, so they were familiar with the movies being discussed on stage.

Elijah had entered into this endeavor a bit half-heartedly, but Sean felt he owed it to their competitors, and now he watched intently as the academy voiced their opinions about which of these offerings was the best of those nominated.

He and Elijah quietly shared their thoughts on the winners and losers, and laughed as several private bets they had placed with each other were decided.

“You blew that one,” Elijah said, grinning.

“You keeping score?” Sean asked him in a hushed whisper.

“Damn straight!” Elijah muttered. “You’re down $20.”

But now they were coming to it, and Sean felt his chest constrict with a combination of excitement and dread. The butterflies in his stomach were back and had reached gargantuan proportions. He could feel his heart pounding against his chest. “Here we go,” he murmured to Elijah as they prepared to announce the first category for which ‘Witness To History’ had been nominated: ‘Best Screenplay’.

They held their breaths as the envelope was opened, then leapt to their feet with exuberant cheers as the name of ‘Witness To History’s’ screenwriter was announced at the podium.

To their delight, their movie also won for ‘Best Film Editing’, an award that gave Sean an immense amount of satisfaction. He blew a kiss to his head editor, who thanked him from the podium, stating that Sean had shared in every aspect of the editing process and was as deserving of the Oscar as he.

“Witness To History’ also won for ‘Best Song’ and ‘Best Original Score’, wins that surprised no one, since the title song from the movie had been number one on the charts for weeks after the soundtrack had been released. Elijah applauded wildly for this win, though in fact he did not like the song all that much and was frankly astounded that it had become such a smash hit. He was proud to be acknowledged as an expert in popular music, but in this instance he was happy to be proven wrong.

When the winner for ‘Best Actor’ was announced, Sean had to summon every ounce of strength not to show his disappointment. Elijah did not get the Oscar. He took a moment to gather himself after applauding the winner then turned to Elijah who was staring at him, grinning hugely.

“I’m sorry, baby,” Sean said unhappily.

“I’m not,” Elijah stated flatly. “I figured they wouldn’t give it to me two years in a row. My wish tonight isn’t for me. It’s for you… and for the picture.”

Dom leaned over their shoulders and hugged Elijah from behind. “You was robbed!” he murmured.

Elijah patted his hands. “No, I wasn’t. I’m fine with this.”

Sean took Elijah’s hand and lifted it to his lips, murmuring: “I agree with Dom.”

“You know the politics of this business,” Elijah said casually. “I won last year, they needed to slap our wrists a bit for the stuff at the premiere, and furthermore I don’t give a damn!” He laughed and squeezed Sean’s hand. “Now shhh… they’re back from commercial.”

They turned back to the stage as the room stilled, and Sean found himself once again clutching Elijah’s hand tightly. It was time to announce the winning director.

For the first time that night, Elijah sat forward. He held Sean’s hand tightly, but his attention was focused intently on the stage. The proceedings seemed to move in slow motion as they read off the names of the nominated directors. Elijah could barely breathe, and he felt his whole body trembling. He marveled at himself. He had not wanted his own Oscars with anything approaching this kind of fervent longing. He had never wanted anything this much before. Not like he wanted this award for Sean.

Sean leaned back in his seat and drew in a deep breath as they opened the envelope to reveal the winner. The theater seemed to grow very, very still. And then a voice rang out:

“And the Oscar goes to…
Sean Astin for ‘Witness To History’.

Sean sat for a moment, stunned. Vaguely he became conscious of his daughters weeping and shrieking in joy. Next to them he heard Mackenzie hooting his happiness to the skies as he applauded. Elijah yanked him to his feet while Dom and Viggo pummeled him from behind. Then Elijah was in his arms and as they embraced the whole theater exploded into applause.

“Sean, you won!!” Elijah yelled, hugging him so tight he could scarcely breathe, pounding his shoulders in joyous abandon. “Sean! Sean! Jesus, baby, you won the frigging OSCAR!” Sean leaned back and looked into his glowing face, still half befuddled.

“Go get it!” Elijah said, pushing him up the aisle. “Go get that golden man!”

"Come with me," Sean pleaded, trying to tug Elijah to the stage.

“No!” he said, pushing Sean forward. “I’ll go up with you if we get best picture. But not now. This is your moment! Go on, Seanie.”

Sean stumbled to the podium, accepting congratulatory hand shakes and slaps on the back the entire way. He accepted the Oscar into trembling hands and turned to face the crowd that filled the Kodak Theater. He swallowed hard. Applause still echoed in the huge room, and looking, he saw Elijah standing on his seat applauding and cheering wildly, supported from behind by a grinning Viggo.

He started to stammer out his thanks, feeling for the moment transported by his elation and his gratitude. “Wow,” he breathed, then looked out over the crowd, who quieted to hear what he had to say.

“I honestly don’t know what to say. It’s been such a long road. And I owe so many people for the fact that I’m here today. From as far back as my childhood,” here he blew a kiss toward his parents whose faces were radiant with delight, and toward Mackenzie who stood with his arms around all three of Sean’s daughters. “I owe thanks to so many friends who helped and supported me every step of the way, some of whom are here tonight.” And he pointed toward Dom and Viggo. “And of course, my beautiful and most beloved daughters, who give their old man more happiness and pride than he ever imagined was possible.” He gestured toward his daughters, who all three blew him kisses, their faces alight with happiness.

“’Witness To History’ was blessed in having the finest producers in the industry backing it every step of the way. Without their faith in me and in this story, none of this would have happened. I owe a huge debt of gratitude to every single person who worked on this film. They are ALL consummate professionals who did an outstanding job. They made me look good, and I’m grateful.”

“And now,” Sean said in a hushed voice. “I want to talk about my leading man.” He turned to look at Elijah, who was now standing next to Alexandra holding her hand. He was gazing up at Sean, his eyes luminous with love.

“What can I say to you?” Sean half-whispered. And for that moment it was as though they stood alone in the vast auditorium. “Without your faith in me… in us… I don’t know where I’d be right now. I do know I wouldn’t be here. I want to say, here and now, at this moment in our lives and before all our friends and colleagues… I love you, Elijah. And more than anything else in my life, I’m grateful that we are finally together.”

Then he looked up at the hushed audience. “Thank you. All of you.” He bowed and walked from the podium with the presenters at his side as, once again, the theater exploded into applause.

Minutes later he stood again at the podium, this time with Elijah at his side, as ‘Witness To History’ was proclaimed the Best Picture of the Year. This time Sean let the producers do the talking, preferring to stand quietly with Elijah, holding his Oscar, not saying much except to add his thanks to that voiced by David and Harlow.

At the press gathering afterwards, the inevitable questions about their relationship were brought up yet again. Reporters wondered if Elijah thought he was refused an Oscar because he and Sean had ‘come out’ the night of the premiere. Elijah merely grinned and pointed to Sean’s Oscar. “You kidding?” he asked. “He’s gay too, you know!”

Eventually their limo was brought around and they rode to the party celebrating their victory. Sean sent Elizabeth and Isabella home before any serious partying commenced, but Alexandra stayed. Orlando had joined them after the ceremonies, and Alexandra sat with him all night. Sean caught glimpses of them as the evening wore on, dancing together and smiling in obvious happiness.

Later that evening, he and Elijah stood on the sidelines drinking champagne and watching the guests as they danced. Sean's arm was draped about Elijah's neck and they swayed gently to the rhythm of the music that floated through the room.

In his other hand Sean held an early edition newspaper. The picture on the front page showed an elated Elijah avidly embracing Sean just after his ‘best director’ win. Sean’s face could not be seen because it was buried against Elijah’s neck. But they embraced with a fierce passion, and joy shone like a radiant light from Elijah’s face.

“That’s the money shot,” Elijah said, nodding towards his own image. “By tomorrow that’ll be in every paper in the country and all over the Internet.”

Sean shrugged and tossed the paper to a nearby table. “Let it,” he said decisively, then kissed Elijah’s cheek.

Elijah smiled at him, then glanced around the room. “Everyone looks so beautiful.”

Sean looked, too, then sighed. “Oh my god,” he moaned, nodding toward Orlando and his daughter as they danced to a particularly romantic number. “Would you look at that?”

Elijah laughed and slipped his arm around Sean's waist. “Yep,” he said happily. “We’ll be grandpas before you know it.”

Sean glowered at him. “Troublemaker,” he growled, then his lips sought out the spot on Elijah’s neck where Sean knew he was most sensitive.

Elijah sat his champagne down and, facing Sean, wound his arms around his neck. He felt Sean's arms tighten around his waist, pressing him close… tight against his body. Elijah moaned softly in pure bliss, feeling the same rush of breathless love... the same sense of enduring security… that had captured his heart in the wild days of their youth in New Zealand.

“They’ll be alright,” he murmured. “If you’ll recall, no one thought we were a very plausible couple either.”

“Mmmmm,” Sean replied, kissing gently along the edge of Elijah’s shirt collar.

“And just look at us now,” Elijah whispered, shivering at the touch of Sean’s lips.

“Maybe so,” Sean said. “But… but…I mean, Jesus, Elijah. Orlando and ALLY?” He shook his head, half in amusement, half in fatherly anxiety.

“Hey!” Elijah said suddenly. “Maybe the four of us can double date!”

Sean leaned back to stare into Elijah's eyes, his face expressionless. “I’d rather have my teeth drilled.”

Elijah giggled, then pressed his face to Sean's shoulder. “How long do we have to stay?”

“You eager to get home?” Sean asked, grinning as his lips found Elijah’s neck once again.

“Not really,” Elijah replied, snuggling against Sean’s body. “We have all the time in the world now. I don’t feel afraid of the future anymore. I don’t feel afraid of anything.”

Sean kissed his temple. “I love you, Elijah,” he murmured. “And I feel exactly the same way and that’s strange for me. Time has always felt like my enemy. Something I had to struggle with and somehow conquer. It took us a long time to get where we are today, but we finally made it. And now I feel as though time has become a friend to me. How could it be anything else when all the time that I have left will be spent… with you?”

I only know what I know
The passing years will show
You’ve kept my love so young, so new

And time after time
You’ll hear me say that I’m
So lucky to be loving you

- end -