FIC: "Time Of Our Lives" - Sean and Elijah - PG - Part Six of Six

[rakshi]

Deepest thanks to kelikala for her amazing artistry in aging our beloved boys
15 years for the banners and icons used in this series.

Title: 'Time Of Our Lives' (Part Six of Six)
Author: Rakshi
Rating: Overall: NC-17. This section: PG
Pairing: Sean Astin/Elijah Wood, Dom/Billy (implied), Alexandra/Orlando (implied)
Summary: Does the unscrupulous Deacon Christopher have the power to destroy their relationship?

Author's Notes: There aren't enough words to thank my dear friend, abandonada, for her professional quality editing of my story. Every suggestion she makes is a winner and I couldn't get along without her.

'Time Of Our Lives' is the forth part of the Sean and Elijah 'Time' series. In the first story, ' Time', Sean and Elijah were reunited after a ten year separation and rediscovered their enduring love for one another. In the second story of the series, ' Time To Be Us', they deal with their inner fears and determined the course of their future together, in the third story ' Time After Time' they struggled to bring that future to fruition against some pretty overwhelming odds, and now in 'Time Of Our Lives' they discover that even after 20 years, there are still things that they can learn about each other, about themselves, and about their relationship.

Also posted to astinwood, fellow_shippers, andlotrip_all_fic so please forgive any duplication.

And this last part is dedicated to the magnificent and wonderful mews1945!!! Happy Birthday, dearest lady!!!



Previous chapters:
'Time Of Our Lives - Part One'
Time Of Our Lives - Part Two
Time Of Our Lives - Part Three
Time Of Our Lives - Part Four
Time Of Our Lives - Part Five

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.

Now I've had the time of my life
No I never felt like this before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you

"The door was open," Sean stammered looking from Elijah to the director. "I - I'm sorry. I didn't mean to - to -"

"Sean!" Elijah cried, "it's not- "

"Hey man," Deacon sneered, sliding his arm around Elijah's shoulder. "If you don't treat him right then you've lost the right to whine about it when he finds someone who does."

Furious, Elijah jerked away. "Deacon!" he spat. "Stop it!" He wheeled to Sean who still stood silently in the doorway. "Sean, it's not what you're thinking!" He took a step toward the door, but without a word Sean turned and lurched from the room.

Elijah turned on the director, shaking with rage. "Damn you! Are you fucking insane? What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

"Pointing out that this guy doesn't trust you," Deacon replied angrily. " And there can't be much love without that!"

Ignoring him, Elijah bolted to the door and looked out into the hall. Sean was gone. "Fuck!" he spat, returning to the room and moving quickly to grab his cell phone. "It's not up to you to point out anything about my relationship!" he shouted. "Back the fuck off, Deacon! It's bad enough that you're destroying what could be a great play. Don't try to destroy what I've got with Sean along with it, or contract or no contract I'll walk off this project in a hot fucking second!"

"Destroying the play?" the director responded, clearly amazed. "ME? Elijah, you must be joking!"

"Yes, you!" Elijah shouted, moving to face the director. "That's why you're here, Deacon. So I could deal with it and try to stop you!"

"Look," the director said, reaching to grasp his shoulder. "You're upset. I understand. We can talk about this."

Elijah froze, staring directly into Christopher's eyes and when he spoke his voice was deadly calm. "Take your fucking hand off me, Deacon. Do it now." The director slowly lowered his arm.

Elijah moved a few steps away and hit the 'speed dial' number for Sean's cell phone. Predictably, there was no answer.

"Fuck!"

"Elijah, this may be all for the best. Think about it! The guy just hasn't been there for you!"

"Get out, Deacon," Elijah demanded, pointing toward the door.

"Just calm down," the director said, moving closer to Elijah. "We can talk about the play."

"Oh, we're going to talk about the play you fucking asshole, but right now I have bigger fish to fry." He moved swiftly to the director's side and shoved him forcefully toward the door. "Get OUT!"

The director stumbled, then caught himself and wheeled toward Elijah in a semi-crouch. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" He caught Elijah's shirtfront and jerked him forward. "Listen, you pretty-boy movie actor," he growled in a menacing tone. "Spare me your high and mighty bullshit. You're a fag just like me. I've played along because you're the big movie star with all the pull and influence. But that's over."

Elijah tried to pull away and teetered, off balance.

Still grasping Elijah's shirtfront, Christopher took the advantage and yanked him closer forcing Elijah to stumble and fall toward him. In a matter of seconds the director had grabbed Elijah's hair with his other hand and jerked him forward into a viciously brutal kiss.

For a moment they struggled fiercely in total silence then, finding an inner reservoir of strength deep within him, Elijah wrenched himself free of the director's painfully tight grip. Disgusted and enraged he backed away, gasping for breath. "You bastard!"

Christopher lunged forward, his right fist arcing toward Elijah's face, landing a blow on his left cheek. Then, sensing victory, he reached for his quarry who was staggering backwards. "C'mere, you fucker," Christopher growled. He took a half step toward Elijah, then cried out in surprise and pain as he was abruptly wrenched off his feet and slammed violently to the floor.

"Don't even THINK about touching him again!" Sean snarled, standing over the director, his body carefully positioned between the director's prone form and Elijah.

"Fuck you!" Christopher screamed, staggering to his feet.

Sean quickly moved toward him, fists clenched in white-knuckled fury. "Get the fuck out of here," he snarled through clenched teeth. "Before I put you in the fucking hospital."

The director backpedaled toward the door, his eyes fixed on Sean who was quickly bearing down on him. Christopher was bigger than his adversary, but something in Sean's eyes quickly convinced the director that the white-hot fury he saw reflected there was more than he cared to deal with.

"You're fired!" he screamed over his shoulder as he reeled into the hall and turned to make his escape.

Sean followed him and stood, silently watching, until the director was out of sight. Then he slowly unclenched his fists and turned to Elijah.

"Does he mean me? Or you?" Sean asked, the ghost of a smile forming on his lips.

"Oh my god," Elijah croaked in a hoarse whisper. "Oh my god, Sean." He was trembling with rage and leaning against the sofa for support.

Sean quickly moved to his side. "Are you alright?" he asked, cupping Elijah's chin in his hand, peering anxiously at his cheek. "Did the bastard hurt you? If he did I'll go find him right now and finish the job."

"No," Elijah replied, grasping Sean's wrists. "I'm fine. He barely grazed me. I'm just fucking furious, that's all."

Sean nodded and drew Elijah into his arms, holding him close.

"Seanie," Elijah stammered against his shoulder. "Honest to god there was nothing..."

"Don't," Sean interrupted, shaking his head. "Elijah, don't. You don't have to explain. I know. I had come back to apologize, but then I saw what he was doing...." His voice trailed off and he silently rocked Elijah against his body. "God, baby, I'm so sorry."

"Jesus!" Elijah spat, pulling free of Sean's comforting arms. "That fucker kissed me!" He shuddered and began to restlessly pace around the small living room. "The bastard!"

"Come sit down," Sean encouraged. "You've had a rough morning. Relax for a minute." He fell onto the couch and held out his hand to Elijah. "Come sit with me."

"I can't," Elijah ground out through clenched teeth, still pacing. "I can't sit, Sean. I'm too upset."

"He's gone, Elijah," Sean soothed. "He won't be back, you can count on that much. The man's a low life. Last thing he wants is honest confrontation."

"I wish he would come back!" Elijah blurted. "Give me the chance to kick his fucking ass!"

"OK, babe. I understand. I'd like that too. But right now what we might need to think about instead is what to do about the play. The man just fired you."

"Can he fire me?" Elijah asked, coming to a sudden halt.

"Hell, Lij, I don't know. I haven't seen the contract. I don't know what the fucker can do. Maybe you need to call Martin?"

"It doesn't really matter," Elijah said tightly. "I don't ever want to be in the same room with that bastard again." Suddenly light-headed he collapsed to the couch beside Sean, his head dropping into his hands. "Jesus," he moaned. "What a fucking mess this has turned into. It's such a good play, Seanie. I know I could play the hell out of that role. But Deacon's been screwing the production up from the get-go. You were right about that. He's destroying the project with his megalomania." He turned toward Sean. "You were right about everything. I didn't want to admit it after being such a jerk about doing the play in the first place."

"You weren't a jerk," Sean said, his arm winding around Elijah's shoulders, drawing him closer. "You were passionate about the project like you always are."

"I was a jerk," Elijah corrected.

"Well," Sean conceded with a small smile. "Maybe a little bit." He laughed softly and hugged Elijah close, and Elijah allowed himself to relax into the comfort of Sean's arms. His violent rage was slowly ebbing, replaced by exhaustion and a welling sense of sadness. But Sean's body was solid and firm against his own. His arms were strong and reassuring, and Elijah felt his heart warm with a growing sense of gratitude.

"Hey," he said softly. "Did I remember to thank you for charging in here like the fucking cavalry and saving my weenie ass?" he asked.

Sean shrugged. "You could have handled him. I'm just sorry I didn't get to land even one solid punch before he turned tail and ran."

Elijah slowly leaned back and looked around the room. "Where's my cell phone? I was trying to call you when the bastard grabbed me." He stood and began prowling the room. "Where the hell..."

"It's right there," Sean said, pointing. "Right next to your foot."

Elijah grabbed the phone quickly called his agent. It took him only a few moments to bring Martin up to speed. "What should I do now?" Elijah asked.

"Sit tight," Martin advised. "Don't talk to anyone. Don't do anything."

Elijah assured his agent that he would do as advised, and Martin promised to call him back as soon as he had assessed the situation. "Understand this, Martin," Elijah said before hanging up. "I will not work with that man. Not after this."

"Hey," Martin replied. "He fired you! And Sean saw and heard this... right?"

"Right," Elijah confirmed. Then he sighed and hung up. "Well, Martin's on the case," he told Sean. "Now I guess we just have to wait and see." He flopped down next to Sean again. "I've really fucked this up."

Sean could see that he was pale and trembling. He gripped Elijah's shoulders. "Listen to me. You did nothing wrong."

Before Elijah could respond his phone rang and he answered at once, thinking it was his agent. "Martin?"

"No. It's me."

"Dom?"

"Yeah. You got a minute?"

Elijah turned the phone so that Sean could see the caller ID and Sean shook his head sadly. "This can't be good. "

"Sure, Dommie," Elijah said into the receiver. "What's up?"

"Bill's gone back to Scotland," Dom replied sadly, his voice a gruff whisper. "He couldn't stay away from the kids."

"What about the divorce?"

"I dunno', Lij. I don't know what's going to happen now."

Feeling suddenly overwhelmed, Elijah clutched the phone with a trembling hand. "Dom," he stammered. "I- I- don't know..." He raised his eyes pleadingly at Sean who quickly took the phone from his hand.

"Dom, it's me," Sean said quietly. "What happened?"

He listened silently for a moment, reaching out as he did so to take Elijah's hand and grip it tightly in silent support. "Listen, buddy...," he said finally. "...you had to know this was one possible outcome. And until you hear from Billy you can't know how this thing is going to turn out long-term. So there's no point to freaking out now. You just have to be patient."

After another moment of silence Sean continued. "Look," he said more firmly. "Right now Elijah and I are in New York so we can't do much to help out. He's going through a nightmare of his own with a vicious, asshole of a director who just attacked him in his own apartment."

Sean smiled. "No, no. He's fine. You don't need to fly out here and kick the guy's ass. We've already formed a posse. Just take care of yourself 'til we get back... OK? Then I promise we'll be there for whatever you need." He squeezed Elijah's hand winking and nodding reassuringly. "OK, buddy. No problem. I'll tell him. We'll call you later today." And he hung up.

"He's OK," he assured Elijah. "He loves you and is ready to fly out here on a moment's notice to join the posse."

Elijah couldn't help but smile.

"And he says he'll be fine." Sean added.

"All we need now is for Orlando to call," Elijah observed dryly.

"Damn!" Sean blurted, smacking his head. "I forgot to tell you!! Orlando called me just before I went to the airport. He's back home! He and Ally are going to counseling and she's agreed to cut back on her school hours."

Sean's face shone with such joyful elation that Elijah felt a lump form in his throat. He caressed his partner's cheek. "God, Seanie, I'm so happy. For them... and for you."

"I'm just happy for my," he hesitated. "for our... grandson. He's the one who'd suffer most if they broke up."

Before Elijah could reply the phone rang again and Sean glanced at the caller ID. "Martin," he said, holding the phone out to Elijah who shook his head wearily.

"Seanie, would you?" he asked.

Sean quickly thumbed the phone. "Martin, it's me. Tell me what's going on."

For a moment he sat, quietly listening. "Martin, who's funding this thing?" After another moment's silence, he smiled. "Now that's interesting!"

"What?" Elijah demanded. "What's interesting?"

Sean held up one finger, asking him to wait. "Does it have to be today?" For a moment he was silent, then sighed. "OK, Martin. One o'clock? We'll be there."

He turned to Elijah with a grin. "Let me ask you something."

"What's interesting, Sean?" Elijah demanded sharply. "What's happening at one o'clock?"

"Have I kissed you since I got here?" Sean continued smoothly, crooking a questioning eyebrow at his lover.

Irritated, Elijah drew in a quick breath, then he looked into Sean's eyes and saw the love glowing there, steadfast and enduring, and his annoyance melted away. "Well, we've been a bit occupied," he replied, smiling slowly. "So no, you haven't."

"Let me fix that," Sean said softly. His hand cupped Elijah's face and drew him gently forward into a tender, lingering kiss.

"And now," Sean continued, releasing him with obvious reluctance. "What's interesting is this. I know the people funding this project. They're friends of my dad's. You know he's done theater for years, and these guys have funded a couple of his projects."

"And what's happening at one o'clock? Sean, I won't be in the same room with Christopher. It would lead to big trouble, believe me."

"No, no," Sean assured him. "He won't be there. We're meeting with the producers. Martin told them what happened and indicated strongly that you were prepared to press charges for assault, so they insisted on coming here to meet with you right away."

"Should we call the police then?" Elijah asked worriedly. "File a report?"

"No," Sean told him, standing up and drawing Elijah up with him. "You have twenty-four hours to file a report. Martin checked. They want to circumvent that if they can and they can if they fire that rat-fuck bastard today!"

Elijah nodded. "If they want me in the play they're going to have to fire him."

"That's more or less what Martin already told them, and that's the subject of the meeting." He tugged Elijah toward the door.

"Where we going now?" Elijah asked, clutching Sean's hand like a lifeline.

"Lunch!" Sean said, grinning. "I'm starved! Being a knight in shining armor is hungry work!"

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

They took their time over lunch but Elijah only picked at his food. He was still deeply troubled by the day's events and worried about the future of the play into which he had invested so much of himself.

Sean watched him anxiously, but said little. He knew Elijah needed time to focus his thoughts and process all that had happened. Nothing he could add right now would help. Elijah needed to think it through for himself and make his own decisions.

Finally, Sean glanced at his watch. "The producers will be here soon, babe."

"Seanie, I honestly don't know what to tell them. I don't want to leave the play, but I know I can't work with Christopher."

Sean reached across the table to take his hand. "Then tell them that," he said, shrugging. "They know what that guy did to you. And unless they're total idiots they also have to know what he's been doing to undermine the whole production. Put it on them, Elijah. Don't take it on yourself."

Elijah nodded. "You're right." He sighed, chewing his lower lip. "I feel so bad for the rest of the cast."

Sean nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly rose. "Wait for me a minute, baby. Need the restroom." He stroked Elijah's hair as he moved past him, and Elijah saw him reaching for his cell phone.

He was back shortly, walking up behind Elijah and laying both hands on his shoulders. "They're here. Martin just grabbed me in the lobby. He's lined up one of the conference rooms here at the hotel."

Elijah nodded and rose. "Let's do this." He was feeling calmer now and greatly strengthened by Sean's solid presence. "You'll be in the room," he said as they walked toward Martin and the producers. "Right?"

"Count on it," Sean said firmly.

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

The meeting had a rocky start. The producers were horrified by the director's behavior but initially resisted the idea of firing him. "At this late date we'll have to give him a severance payment," they explained. "That could run into thousands."

"Think of how many more thousands you'll lose if Elijah backs out of this project," Martin challenged. "He doesn't have to work with someone who assaulted him! It terminates his contract! End of story!"

The producers gave no response.

"Plus," Martin inserted smoothly. "If Elijah went to the press with this...." He left the thought unfinished. Further explanation wasn't necessary anyway. Everyone in the room knew what that kind of negative press could do to a fledgling production.

Sean took no part in the discussion. After greeting the producers he sat quietly while Martin and Elijah spoke to the two men. He stepped aside once to make a phone call as the negotiations continued, and then returned immediately to Elijah's side.

"And," one of the producers continued. "There's the problem of finding another director. We're getting close to dress rehearsals, and opening night is only a month or so away. Who could we get to step in at this late date?"

"I have a thought about that," Sean said quietly.

They all turned to him.

"I would be willing to direct the play."

"Sean!" Elijah exclaimed in delighted surprise.

"Really?" Martin queried, gazing at Sean in shock.

"But have you had any stage experience, Sean?" responded one of the producers.

"No," Sean replied. "And that's why I'd be asking Jacob Abbot to co-direct with me. He has tons of stage experience."

"He'd do it?"

"He's already cleared his calendar," Sean affirmed, smiling. "He's an old friend." He leaned close to Elijah and whispered: "That's who I've been on the phone with. Him... and one other person."

Elijah laughed softly and shook his head in wonder. "You really are a knight in shining armor."

Blushing with pleasure, Sean turned to the two producers. "Well?" he asked sharply. "Are you in? Or is Elijah out?"

They both nodded. "We're in. We'll release Christopher today."

"And one more thing," Sean added as he rose. "This play won't be premiering in a month. We'll be opening closer to midseason. This production has been too rushed already. We need time to rethink and regroup. And," Sean added in a lower voice. "Elijah needs time to rest."

The men hesitated, then one of them spoke. "Sean, the folks funding this project will have to agree to that kind of delay. We can't sanction it without their approval."

Sean grinned. "I've been on the phone with them too. They're old friends of my dad's. They're content to wait as long as I promise to direct the project." He glanced at Elijah. "I've been thinking about this for a long time."

"Well, you appear to have thought of everything," the head producer replied. "Fine. We'll have new contracts drawn up immediately."

Sean turned to the Martin who was grinning hugely. "I think that's your cue. Can you handle the contract issues for us here? I want to take Elijah home."

"Sure thing, Sean. I'll call you later tonight with details."

Sean rose from his chair drawing Elijah up with him. "We'll talk to you gentlemen later on."

They shook hands with the producers, and after expressing their thanks headed for the door.

"Let's go pack your bags," Sean urged after they'd taken their leave.

Elijah grinned and leaned against his arm as they made their way back to his room. "We going someplace?" he asked. "I'd rather hoped we'd get to...," he nudged Sean suggestively. "....rest here for awhile before we went charging off someplace."

Sean laughed and wrapped his arm around Elijah's shoulders. "I'm all for that, believe me. But then we're going to spend a week or two in some as-yet-undecided-upon romantic hideaway."

"Sounds perfect," Elijah said happily, then stopped and turned to look at Sean. "You've been thinking about this for a long time?"

"Sort of in the back of my mind..." Sean admitted. "... when it wasn't getting drowned out by all the other stuff. And then when they told me who was funding the play it all just clicked, and I started making phone calls."

The resumed their walk down the hall. "So you're my director again, huh? Just like old times."

"Yeah, but don't be thinking you'll get any kind of special treatment," Sean cautioned, with a wink. "You're just one of the guys."

"Yeah," Elijah replied dryly. "Just one of the guys.... the one who happens to give you a blow job every night."

"Well," Sean conceded with a laugh. "There is that!"

Elijah halted and turned to face Sean, wrapping his arms around his lover's neck. "Thank you," he whispered.

"Don't thank me yet," Sean said, drawing him close. "They were right that I have no stage experience. Even with Jacob's help we might very well open and close on the very same night."

"Could be," Elijah agreed, then kissed him tenderly. "But even if we do, I bet it'll still be the time of our lives."

Epilogue: After they returned home, Sean insisted that Elijah have a complete physical exam. There it was discovered that he was suffering from anemia and a slight thyroid imbalance, all of which was resolved with medication, rest, and lots of Sean's tender loving care. They spent two weeks in a secluded beach house in Bermuda, basking in the sun and resting. By the time they returned to LA, Sean was satisfied that Elijah was well on the way to recovery.

Rested and renewed Elijah returned to Autumn's Pride where his electrifying performance as Blair Edwards took New York by storm. In spite of the fact that Sean had very little stage experience, he managed to turn a small off-Broadway play into a national sensation. The show played every night to a nearly sold-out audience and was received with zealous enthusiasm. Sean and his co-director Jacob won Obie awards, as did Elijah, the playwright and the play itself.

Dom and Billy still struggle to resolve their relationship issues. Still deeply in love, they're trying to find some semblance of happiness together without tearing Billy's family apart.

Alexandra and Orlando remained married. She drastically reduced the number of hours she spent pursuing her Ph.D. and the young couple seem more in love than ever. Sean and Elijah are hoping for a granddaughter.

A year after their success on Broadway, Sean and Elijah brought Autumn's Pride to the big screen where Elijah delivered his most powerful performance to date. Naturally, Sean was his director.

Did they win another Oscar? Stay tuned and find out!

I've had the time of my life
No I never felt this way before
Yes I swear it's the truth
And I owe it all to you

'Cause I've had the time of my life
And I've searched through every open door
'Til I found the truth
And I owe it all to you

- end -