Submitter: Date: 2006/5/13 Views: 541 Rate: 10.00/2

Chapter Nineteen - Heart to Heart

As he wandered the halls of the home he had lived in for centuries, Elrond's lips curved upward in remembrance. He and his family had had many good times in this place. Though that part of his life was past, he would carry the memories of those times in his heart and mind forever. A soft sound caught his attention, and he turned down a hallway that let out onto a balcony with a wondrous view of the valley. When he reached the doorway, he stopped and simply watched the object of his search. She was sitting on the low wall of the balcony, leaning her back against one of the supporting pillars, with one leg propped up on the wall and the other swinging loose. Her gaze was fastened on the waterfall at one end of the valley, and she was singing softly to herself. Her fingers moved in time to the music that only she could hear accompanying her words. She was singing of having once seen the world through the eyes of a child and having that childish innocence stripped away, how the world seemed a much colder place now than it once was. ('Field of Innocence' by Evanescence)

As Elrond watched her, he was struck by the melancholy sound of her words. They seemed to indicate a world-weariness that he would not have expected in one so young. It worried him.
Stepping out onto the balcony, he interrupted her song. "I have always loved this view as well. Coming out here rarely failed to bring me a sense of peace, no matter what troubles faced me."

She started abruptly, taken by surprise as her solitude was interrupted. Moving to straighten up, she relaxed into her earlier position as Elrond waved her back. "Lord Elrond, I did not expect to see you here."

Elrond crossed the balcony to lean casually against a pillar opposite her so that he faced her as they spoke. "Aragorn noticed your absence and grew concerned."

"He would." She sighed and gazed back out at the waterfall. "He shouldn't have dragged you into this. For whatever time we have here, you should be spending it with your family."

"I am," Elrond said, watching her face closely. Her expression was one of astonishment as she whipped her gaze back to his face. Elrond knew she had not expected him to claim her as kin.

"Family?" she asked softly, gazing into his face. "Hardly that. No matter what Aragorn claims, we are so far apart as to be absolute strangers. Thank you for your acceptance, but we are not family. I am no elf, no daughter of kings as Aragorn claims, but just an overworked computer programmer." She reached up and drew the circlet off of her head, holding it in her hands and gazing at it for a moment. "This place is a nice fantasy, and quite beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it has nothing to do with me." A wistful smile crossed her face as she looked at the silver circlet in her hands, gently tracing the graceful curves with a finger. "Any common family traits would have faded generations ago. As much as I would wish otherwise, there is no remaining bond between me and any of you."

"You are wrong," Elrond spoke the words as a statement of fact. She looked up in curiosity, and he expounded on his statement. Moving closer, he brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face. "If all family traits had disappeared, how do you explain your resemblance to Aragorn? Do you not see yourself in the faces of the twins, as I do? When I look at you, I see those I love. I wish to help you as I would any of them. Why do you insist on placing such a distance between us?"

Tears filled her eyes and she looked quickly away from Elrond. "I guess I did do that, didn't I? Put distance between us, I mean?" Swiping the tears quickly from her eyes, she looked back to him. "Call it a habit, I guess. I always seem to do that. I have friends that I trust, but seldom do I ever tell them what is in my heart. I don't know why, but I just can't seem to let people get that close to me. I don't trust easily, I guess."

"Yet you seem to trust Aragorn and Legolas," Elrond pointed out. "Though Aragorn has grown frustrated with the fact that you seem unwilling to discuss your feelings with him."

A slight chuckle escaped her at that. "Yeah, I know it frustrates him. You can let him know that it's nothing personal. I just don't like discussing my feelings with anyone. But yes, I do trust them. How could I not? It would be like not trusting myself."

"What do you mean by that?" Elrond asked in curiosity. He rested back against the railing near her, keeping his attention focused on her face.

She gave him a wry grin. "Don't tell Aragorn this, as he tends to take it rather personally, but I'm still not convinced that this isn't all some elaborate hallucination caused by my head injury."

Elrond's lips quirked upward in a smile. Aragorn had told him how her continued disbelief annoyed him. "He did refer to your thoughts on this matter as extremely stubborn."

"I'm sure he did," she said, remembering the many times he had called her stubborn to her face. "And if this is all real, then I apologize to you, Aragorn, Legolas, and all the others, but I just can't bring myself to believe it. It's been a long time since I believed in fairy tales and happily ever after, you know."

"So if this is an hallucination, why are we all here? What role do we play in your mind?" Elrond was trying to get a feel for her thought processes, to know which way to approach the discussion he felt they needed to have.

She paused a moment and attempted to bring some order to the thoughts that were half-formed in her mind before beginning to slowly speak. "Well, Aragorn was the first one to appear to me. In many ways, he reminds me of my father. Not in looks, really, but I feel safe with Aragorn. He cares for me in the way my father does. He seems to represent security to me, and he appeared when I was unsure what was going on and in need of comfort. When I began to feel more comfortable with things, Legolas appeared. He's gorgeous and everything I would desire in a man, and more. Who wouldn't want Legolas around?" She stopped and looked at Elrond as a snort of laughter escaped him. "OK, please don't repeat that to him either. Assuming this is all real, I'd rather he not be told that part, though I haven't exactly been trying to hide my attraction to him. But in the course of getting to know him, he became a friend, a trusted companion. He and Aragorn have kept me sane, and I am extremely grateful to them both for that."

"If you see Aragorn as a source of comfort, and Legolas as your heart's desire, where does Arwen fit into this? Where do I?" Elrond was highly amused by her comments about Legolas, but he was rather impressed by how deeply she seemed to have analyzed those around her and her own reactions to them.

"Arwen and Aragorn are a reminder that true love does exist," Lauren replied readily. "I used to believe in love, though that was largely burned out of me by betrayal. I know love exists, because I can see it when I look at my parents, but it seems all too rare and fragile. I've given up on the hope that I'll ever have that kind of love…" her voice trailed off and she was silent for a moment. "Though maybe seeing Aragorn and Arwen together here is a way of showing me that I haven't truly given up, but have just been afraid to try again out of the fear that I'll have my heart broken again. I don't know that I could go through that twice."

Elrond's brow furrowed as he heard her talk of being betrayed. That would likely have added to the weariness and hints of bitterness he had heard in her voice. He was sure the betrayal that she mentioned was a large part of her inability to trust others.

She continued with her analysis of those around her in this world. "You seem to be something of an authority figure like a priest or a therapist or something. I can talk to you without fear of being judged. I don't really have that in my life, I guess. There are a lot of people who would be willing to listen, but I just can't bring myself to tell them how much of a mess I really am. For some reason, though, I can talk to you."

Elrond was honored that she felt that way. As a healer, he took pride in being able to listen to those around him and hopefully, to help them find solutions to their troubles. Though Lauren had only met him, he found it interesting that she had pegged him for the role of someone she could talk to. He was curious to see how far she had taken this analysis of those in this dream world. "Can you tell me where Elladan, Elrohir, Eldarion and Celebrían fit into this scheme?"

She smiled at him as she went on. "OK, the twins definitely represent my fun-loving side. I never pulled all the pranks that I've heard they're famous for, but I do have a wicked sense of humor at times. They're here to show me that there is more to me than this sorrow that is threatening to drown me. I think they represent a part of me that is trying to tell me not to give in to the pain. Eldarion represents that childish innocence that I lost so long ago. Sometimes, I do wish I could go back to that time in my life when I believed in magic, unicorns, and happily ever after. I believed then that my parents were super-heroes, that good always triumphed over evil, and bad things would never happen to me." She looked down at the circlet lying in her lap for a long moment, then looked back up at Elrond. "As for your wife, she reminded me of my own mother, and how much she wants me to wake up and reassure her that I'll be OK. I’m sorry for leaving and worrying Aragorn, but I couldn't stay there any longer. It was just too painful to see such happy reunions and know that my own reunion with my parents will be filled with more pain than happiness."

"Do you not think your parents will be happy to see you awake?" Elrond asked in concern. He needed to know what she was thinking about her condition to know how to help her.

"Oh, they'll be ecstatic to see me awake," Lauren said. "But you can't tell me, as a parent, that it doesn't bring you pain to see your children hurting. And as much as I would wish it otherwise, I don't see anything awaiting me upon my awakening but pain and more pain. I can't help but think it might be better if I didn't wake up. I just can't face the thought of that much pain."

"Pain is a part of life that cannot be avoided," Elrond pointed out. He did not like the direction in which this conversation seemed to be going.

"I know that, don't think I haven't come to realize that over the years. But when I went back to visit the hospital, I overheard someone saying that my legs might still need to be amputated. I can't even face the thought of having to live without my legs. And even if I keep them, I may never be able to walk again. Life in a wheelchair is not what I had planned for myself." She hung her head as she heard her own words. "And then I feel incredibly guilty every time I think that. There are so many others out there facing the same thing. People whose lives have been torn apart in the same way, confined to wheelchairs, learning to cope with artificial limbs and dealing with the anger and the questions; Why me? What did I ever do to deserve this?"

"There is nothing you could have done to deserve such a thing," Elrond told her. Aragorn had told him that she could still end up losing her legs, but he had mentioned that Lauren was unaware of that fact. He had wanted to keep that knowledge from her, fearing it would make matters worse. It appeared that she had found out from another source. Though her off-hand comment about 'artificial limbs' interested him greatly, he forced himself to focus on her questions. "This is not some form of punishment."

She waved off his words before he could say more. "I know that. I do. It's just that I'm scared, Elrond. I've never had to face anything like this before. I don’t know how to handle it." She gazed at Elrond with a pleading look in her eyes. "How do I deal with something like this? Can you tell me?"

Elrond's heart nearly broke at the expression on her face. She was like a child asking her father to make everything better. But in this case, there were no easy answers. He could not take her pain from her, much as he wished he could. It was up to her to find her way through it, though he would do what he could to help. "In my time as a healer, I have seen many through injuries such as your own. I will not lie to you, your recovery will be difficult. You will likely be in a great deal of pain at times. But I believe that you are strong enough to overcome this, with the help of those you love. Do not be afraid to ask for help. There is no shame in asking for aid when it is needed."

A pained look crossed her face. "Yeah, that's pretty much what I thought. This is going to hurt like hell. I just don't want to think about it right now. It's all just too much. Too much… " Her tone was tired, defeated, and a little bitter. She looked out at the waterfall once again, resting her head back against the pillar behind her.

As she began humming the song that she had been singing earlier, Elrond remembered his earlier thought that she seemed weary, not just from her injuries, but of the world she lived in. It was something he had seen many times in elves as they grew weary of Middle-earth and sailed west. It was not something he had expected to see in a young human. Perhaps there was more to her melancholy than just her injuries, though that would have been more than enough. Anything contributing to her melancholy could inhibit her healing, so Elrond decided to try and determine how deep her despondency went.

"What is it about your world that distresses you so?" Elrond asked, taking a chance that his guess was correct.

Turning her head slightly to meet his gaze, Lauren stopped humming. "What doesn't?" she asked softly. Realizing that that was really no answer, she ran a hand through her hair and tried to form her thoughts. "Sometimes, I listen to music because the lyrics seem to express feelings that I can't put into words myself. The song I was singing as you approached is one of those songs. I just feel sometimes like there is no innocence left in my world. I realize that humanity has been fighting amongst itself from the very beginning, and my time really isn't that different from any other time in that respect, but there just seems to be no way to get away from that reality. There are several forms of instant communication in my world. And we just keep hearing about one disaster after another. A terrorist attack in one place, a natural disaster in another, a murder in the city I live in. Death and pain and loss everywhere I look. I just want it all to stop. But I don't see an end to it anytime soon. I live my everyday life largely untouched by the violence, and I am exceedingly grateful for that, but my heart breaks a little more each time I hear about the horrors that man can inflict on man." The abject pain in her voice succeeded in bringing a tear to Elrond's eye more quickly than her words did.

"It sounds as if your time and mine were not so different after all," Elrond said softly. "Though our form of communication may have been much slower, I can remember feeling much as you did, that all the news reaching me had to do with death, destruction and loss. I saw my land, my world, beginning to fall under the shadow of Sauron, not once, but twice. I fought against him in a long battle in which many of my friends, and my king fell. I saw my wife captured and tortured and was unable to heal her spirit, so she sailed and left the shores of my world behind. I saw my sons let anger fill their hearts as they rode out with the rangers and on their own, happily destroying every orc they saw, knowing that they were destroying their fëar, their spirits as well. I have felt much as you, that it would never end."

By the time he finished speaking, tears filled Lauren's eyes. Here was someone who had suffered through more horrors in his life than Lauren would ever see. Her own problems and even her injuries seemed to pale in comparison. "How did you get through it? How could you keep going, seeing what was happening around you? Why didn't you just take your children and leave Middle-earth with your wife?"

"I still had hope," Elrond said simply. "Faint though it may have been at times, I had hope that Sauron's power would be broken and peace would once again come to Middle-earth. I could not leave until I knew that Sauron was defeated, or that all was lost with no hope for good to flourish. My part in the story was not yet ended. Though my foresight would not tell me the eventual outcome, I knew that my children and I yet had a part to play. I did not know it then, but the day that Aragorn came to us, our destiny was set. Aragorn's destiny was to either defeat Sauron and take up the kingship of Gondor and Arnor, bringing about a time of peace and prosperity for his people, or to fall with the remainder of his people in a hopeless battle against Sauron's forces. As he grew, I began to see this destiny before him. My heart forebode the thought that the child I had raised as a son would perish in such a manner, but I had to place my trust and faith in him to fulfill the destiny that he was meant to fulfill. I had hopes and dreamed that one day, he would become king and rule over a united kingdom. That day did come to pass, and my heart soared to see him crowned." Elrond stood and moved closer, taking both of Lauren's hands in his, and placing the circlet back upon her head. "Your destiny is not fulfilled, Lauren. I know this. There is still much for you to do. Your life is not meant to end here, in this manner. Though I do not know what form your destiny will take, I know you are meant for great things."

Lauren stared at him in something like shock. She had certainly not been expecting that. "Do you see something in my future? Can you tell me what it is?" Her curiosity surged through her, stronger than the confusion in her mind.

Elrond shook his head. "No, the feeling is vague, incomplete, but I know that you have a strength in you that will help you in your recovery. You cannot allow yourself to give up, Lauren." He placed a hand on her shoulder, catching her gaze with his own.

Staring deeply into silver-grey eyes that matched her own, Lauren strove to see the truth in them. What she found was a calm as still and deep as the deepest lake. The calm was a balm to her own turbulent emotions and she could actually feel herself begin to relax. As her emotions settled, she began to feel as if she was able to think more clearly than she had in a long time. Her pain and fear and panic had served to cloud her mind and prevent her from seeing this from a more objective view.

Staring back into her eyes, Elrond could see the change occurring. The pain and much of the sadness was still there, but the fear began to fade, leaving her eyes much clearer. He smiled softly, sensing that she was beginning to tap into the strength he knew she possessed. Her spine straightened and for a moment Elrond saw a hint of the royalty that she was descended from. Then she shifted, and broke the moment. "OK, fine. I promise to do my best and not let myself get too depressed. That's about as much of a promise as I can make right now. My attitude isn't going to change in a matter of moments. My 'disillusionment' has been building for a long time, though I will try to keep it from bringing me down too much.” She gave him an impish grin as she continued. “As long as you can tell me that my destiny has nothing to do with politics or a position of responsibility in the government. We don't have royalty in the country I come from, and I've told my friends before that if I ever get the insane idea to go into politics, they should shoot me."

Raising an eyebrow in consternation, Elrond dropped his hand from her shoulder and crossed his arms as he tried to figure out how to respond to that comment.

Seeing the look on his face, she grinned slightly at him. "Sorry. I did say I have an odd sense of humor sometimes. But trust me, I would hate being involved in politics. I'm sure that some of the politicians of my time started out with an idealism that they could make a difference and make things better, but I would bet that not many of them keep that idealism for long."

"Do you not think that a single person can 'make a difference'?" Elrond asked curiously, wondering at the cynicism he heard in her voice.

She paused a moment in thought before replying slowly. "No, I won't say that one person can't make a difference. History is full of people whose passion, courage and compassion were capable of changing the world. But those people are rare and exceptional. I'm certainly not in that category."

"Must someone change the world to matter?" Elrond asked her curiously. "Can a person not make a difference on a more personal level? For instance, my life was changed forever the day I took in a small, orphaned child. He made more difference than any of us ever could have expected."

Lauren smiled at the thought of a young Aragorn. "Yeah, children can do that. But you're right. I'd be more likely, and more comfortable, affecting people on smaller scales, more personal levels. Let's just assume that my destiny isn't as grand as Aragorn's, then, shall we?"

"As you wish," Elrond said with a small smile. Aragorn had been wary of his destiny when he was first told as well. But he truly did not know what Lauren's future held for her. Whether it held good or evil, he could not say. In the short time he had known her, he had grown fond of her though, and hoped only the best for her. "One thing you must remember, though. No matter what your injuries, or what your future may hold, you are alive. From Aragorn's explanations, it seems you almost did not survive. Your healers fought long and hard to save you, and your own strength kept you fighting to live. You have won a great victory and proven yourself to be a survivor. Do not let pain and fear strip you of the joy of that victory and your joy in life." Elrond held her gaze with his for a long moment, trying to instill in her an understanding of how fragile life was and the desire to fight to reclaim her life.

Her eyes never flickered away from his intense gaze, and she stared back into his eyes. After many minutes, a hint of steel entered her eyes and she nodded slowly. "You're right," she allowed. "Life is a gift. I've been extremely self-centered in refusing to acknowledge that. I had no say in entering this world, and it is not up to me to decide when I leave it. No matter what happens next, you can be assured that I will not try to return the gift which has been so graciously given to me."

Elrond nodded in relief. He knew her recovery would not be easy, and she would likely be discouraged many times in the weeks and months ahead, but he felt sure she would not be tempted to take her own life. His forehead creased in concern as she leaned back against the pillar and closed her eyes, in pain or weariness he did not know. Deciding to wait for her to speak rather than push her at the moment, he leaned against the opposite pillar and remained silent.

"I'm just so tired," she said softly, wearily opening her eyes and gazing at Elrond.

"Perhaps you would care to lie down and rest?" Elrond asked her. "Rest is necessary for recovery."

"It sounds nice, but I don't sleep here," Lauren remarked. "My body is in a coma and my mind came here. If I fall asleep here, where would my mind go?"

"Where indeed?" Elrond's voice was distant and his eyes gazed beyond her, as if he were deep in thought.

"Have you thought of something?" Lauren asked, tilting her head in curiosity.

"Possibly." After saying this, Elrond fell silent and just looked intently at Lauren as if trying to see through her.

Elrond did not seem inclined to enlighten her with whatever it was he had thought of, so Lauren changed the subject. "I think I have done my world a disservice," she commented idly. Her comment caught Elrond's attention, and his gaze lessened in intensity as he looked at her face.

"How so?" he asked.

"Well, as much as I complain about it, there really are a lot of good things about my world. We've made a lot of progress in so many fields, technology, medicine and astronomy to name only a few. The human race has accomplished things that would amaze you. Yes, we have our problems, but in many places, we also have an incredible number of freedoms and choices for our lives. We have things like the technology to fly, instant communication around the world, and chocolate.” She nodded to herself and smiled. “Chocolate is a very good thing…just ask Legolas."

As if her mention of his name had summoned him, and in this world, Lauren wasn't sure it hadn't, he walked through the doorway and out onto the balcony with them. "Chocolate?"

Lauren laughed at the hopeful look on his face. "Would you like me to conjure up some chocolate for you, Legolas?"

"Oh, would you?" Legolas had such an innocent, expectant look on his face that Lauren couldn't help but smile.

Lauren didn't know if he was being serious or facetious, but thought she could use some chocolate, too. A plate of chocolate truffles appeared on the wall beside her. Lauren twisted around so that both of her legs were hanging over the balcony side of the wall, and she was facing the doorway. Though she didn't make any effort to stand, she picked up the plate and offered it to Legolas, who eagerly reached out and plucked one up before popping it in his mouth. Lauren then offered the plate to Elrond, who gave Legolas and Lauren a bemused look before he gingerly picked up a truffle and took a small nibble. They both watched his reaction expectantly.

After the first taste, Elrond looked at both of them oddly. "That is…interesting," he said carefully.

"You don't like it?" Lauren asked, a little disappointed. Legolas was staring at Elrond as if he were crazy, though he would obviously never say such a thing. "That's OK," she said in response to Elrond's half-shrug. "I know some people who don't like chocolate at home. I've always thought they were insane, but I guess it isn't to everyone's taste." She gave Elrond a wicked grin. "That just leaves more for me." So saying, she picked up a truffle and popped it whole in her mouth.

Elrond stared at her, not sure if she had just accused him of being insane. But it was clear that she and Legolas both greatly enjoyed the confection she had just conjured. It tasted too sweet for Elrond to truly like it.

Once Lauren and Legolas had eaten a few of the candies, Legolas finally spoke again. "Were you here the whole time? Aragorn and I looked all over Imladris for you. It was rather rude of you to disappear like that."

Ducking her head, Lauren avoided making eye contact. "Sorry. I just needed a few minutes for myself, and quite honestly, I thought everyone else could use some family time together without a stranger hanging around."

Legolas moved closer to Lauren and used a finger to tilt her face up to meet his gaze. "You are family, Lauren, do not think otherwise. You are Aragorn's family by blood, but you are mine by choice."

Lauren met his gaze at that, and he let her see the truth of his words in his eyes. "Thank you, that means more to me than you can imagine." She was touched by his declaration, and it made her feel good to know that he considered her family. If this was all real, maybe the accident had been worth it to get to meet these amazing people…maybe.

"Would you care to return to the others?" Legolas asked.

"OK." Her voice was hesitant, and she glanced down at her legs.

Elrond realized that except for when she walked into the house, he had only seen her sitting. Studying the lines of pain in her face, he voiced a question he should have asked earlier. "Are you able to walk?"

"Not well, I think," Lauren answered. She looked back at Legolas. "Ever since that moment out on the path, it's been worse." Turning her gaze back to Elrond, she continued. "As long as I don't try to stand and put any weight on my legs, I can ignore it, but I wouldn't trust my ability to walk right now."

Without further prompting, Legolas stepped forward and lifted her into his arms. "Shall we go?"

Draping an arm around Legolas' neck, she gave him a grateful look. "Yes, please." And in a soft whisper, "Thank you."

Knowing that she was thanking him for much more than just carrying her, Legolas nodded his head at her. He carried her through the halls of Imladris, following behind Elrond as he led the way back to the Hall of Fire where the others waited. They met up with Aragorn in the halls.

A worried look crossed Aragorn's face as he saw Legolas carrying Lauren. "Are you well, Lauren?"

Lauren chose not to point out how stupid that question was and instead answered his question seriously. "Well enough, I suppose. As long as I don't try standing up, anyway." Her response didn't seem to assuage his concern, judging by the look on his face. "Don't worry, Aragorn. Things are going to be fine." She glanced over at Elrond, who had stopped when Aragorn approached them. "Your father and I had a nice long talk. I know things aren't going to be easy, but I think I'm ready to face my life again. Elrond helped me see things a little more clearly."

Aragorn gave his father an affectionate look. "Yes, I have noticed that he is quite good at doing that."

Elrond gave his son an acknowledging nod, then turned and led the group into the room. After settling Lauren onto a soft sofa, Legolas sat down beside her. Aragorn moved over to sit near Arwen, who was seated on another sofa with her mother and Eldarion. The twins were seated nearby, and they all appeared to have been having a great time talking and sharing stories before they were interrupted. Elrond sat down between Aragorn and the twins. Arwen introduced Celebrían and Lauren to each other.

After introductions and an exchange of pleasantries, they all settled back in their seats and the twins resumed the story they had been telling their mother about Aragorn's first archery lesson. Aragorn groaned and buried his face in his hands when he realized what story they were telling, while Lauren started grinning as she listened. Apparently, that first lesson hadn't gone so well.

Once the laughter had died down, Elladan turned to face Lauren. "What is your world like? Aragorn told us only what we needed to know about you, but not much about your world."

Lauren was silent for a moment. "I don't even know how to answer that. In many ways, my world has very little in common with this one, but at a fundamental level, I don't think things have really changed that much. But before I tell you anything, I have to ask for a solemn vow from all those still in Middle-earth. You must promise me that you will not use any of the knowledge or re-create any of the technology that I tell you about. The twenty thousand years that lie between us may be your future, but it is my history. I cannot risk you changing anything by using what I say. Time travel is a popular idea in my time, though no one knows if such a thing is truly possible. A common theme of the fiction stories written though, is that one small change made in the past can have catastrophic results in the future. I can't take that chance. So I must have this vow from all of you before I say anything. Do I have it?"

Elladan and Elrohir looked stunned at her seriousness. They had really seen more of her playful side, and seemed surprised that she would ask for such a thing. "You have my vow," Elladan said, knowing that she would want to hear the words.

"And mine," Elrohir added. "We vow not to use anything you may tell us."

Lauren nodded at them, then turned to Eldarion. "I will need yours as well."

Eldarion turned to look at his father. "Ada?"

Aragorn nodded to him. "I gave Lauren this vow shortly after meeting her, as did your mother and Legolas. To hear any of it, you must also make this vow."

Nodding seriously, Eldarion turned back to Lauren. "You also have my vow." He straightened in his seat as he gave his answer, proud to be treated as an adult in this matter.

"Good," Lauren said, relaxing back into her seat. "We can proceed, then."

"Do you not wish such from us?" Elrond asked her.

"No, I don't need it," Lauren said. "As I understand it, Middle-earth and Valinor are two separate places that do not interact. Whatever developments are made in Valinor will not affect the development of Middle-earth. Feel free to use anything the others or I tell you. This vow is bound only to Middle-earth."

Elrond nodded to her as he realized that she had thought the matter through quite thoroughly. He thought it admirable, actually, that with all of the problems she saw in her world, she wanted to avoid making any changes to suit her own purposes. She was showing a rare wisdom in asking for this vow before revealing information about her world.

Once she had given permission, Aragorn and Legolas were free to share all that she had shown them about her time and her world. Since Legolas knew that Eldarion had given his serious vow not to use what he heard, he was free to describe their experiences flying in Lauren's world. The hang-gliding experience was his obvious favorite, and as he described it, he could see a light shining in the eyes of both twins. Legolas was sure that as soon as the twins got to Valinor, they would start working on a way to fly. That story fed into another, and another, and time passed quickly as they all shared in these experiences.

Elrond noticed that Legolas and Aragorn were doing most of the talking, and glanced over at Lauren. She was leaning against Legolas, her head on his shoulder, and her eyes half-closed. Though she was not asleep, she was obviously tired. The idea that had occurred to him earlier reasserted itself. At the end of the current story, he broke into the conversation.

"Lauren, have you discovered how to return to your world?"

Her eyes popped fully open as she realized Elrond was speaking directly to her and sat up straight. "Well, not really. I know my connection to my world is growing stronger, and my hold on this world is slipping, but I don’t know how to cross back over completely." Her gaze sharpened. "Why? Do you know how I'm supposed to do this?"

"I have a theory," Elrond said. "Have you been tired in the entire time you have been in this world?"

"No," she said. "That pretty much started tonight."

"And you have not slept since you appeared here?" Elrond studied Lauren's face as he spoke.

"That's right," Lauren confirmed. She thought she could see where he was going with this. "Are you thinking that if I go to sleep here, I'll wake up in my world?"

"It would seem to make sense," Elrond replied.

"So if we had convinced her to sleep days ago, she would have already woken up?" Aragorn asked, frustrated that he had not thought of this himself.

"No, she was not ready to awake," Elrond said. "She has only been tired tonight, which is evidence that she is only now ready to go back to her world." Looking back to Lauren, he asked her. "Are you ready to return to your world?"

"Yes, I think I am," Lauren said seriously, nodding slowly. "But I don't think I could just fall asleep so easily. I've never been the type to fall asleep quickly, and it would be a bit too weird for me to try to sleep with so many other people standing around watching me."

A smile crossed Elrond's face. "I believe I can help you with that. We can offer you a private room, and I have something that will help you find sleep."

"One of your famous teas?" Lauren asked with a smile.

"So you've heard of them?" Elrond asked, looking sideways at Aragorn and Legolas, knowing all too well who had told her about the teas that he used on his patients. Lauren just shrugged lightly. Studying her face, Elrond knew that staying here was becoming more of a strain on her. Her face was paler than it had been earlier, and she was obviously in pain. It was time to send her home. "It is time, Lauren."

"I know," she said softly. She looked at Aragorn with a worried expression. "I don't want a large audience, but I don't want to try this alone."

"I will stay with you as long as you like," Aragorn said. He had been with her throughout her time here, and he would not abandon her at the last.

"As will I," Legolas said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Lauren glanced around the room, knowing that it was time to say farewell to all those she had met here. She looked first to Elladan and Elrohir. "I guess it's time for me to go. I'm sorry we didn't have time to get to know each other better. I have a feeling the three of us would have been great friends."

Elladan had an amused expression on his face when he answered. "Are you so sure? Many people do not seem to appreciate our sense of humor."

Chuckling as she remembered some of the stories Aragorn and Legolas had told her, Lauren had to agree with that statement. "I can see how that might be true, but don't forget, I have an odd sense of humor as well. Do you know that doctors have actually found a link between a person's attitude and their physical condition? There's a saying where I come from. 'Laughter is the best medicine.' Laughter can help people heal more quickly. I'm afraid I don't see much to laugh about in my near future, but I bet you would be able to make me laugh easily. That is a gift I would cherish."

Elrohir knelt down in front of her to put them on eye level. "Then it is a gift I would wish to give you. I also think we would be great friends."

Elladan stepped forward to stand behind his twin. "It would be our honor to make you laugh and aid in your recovery."

Lauren was touched by their words, and felt tears come to her eyes. Though she had just met them, she felt as if she had known them for a long time, and she had always hated saying goodbye. To hide her emotions, she twisted around in her seat to look up at Aragorn. "Are you sure I can't take them home with me?" A smile crossed his face and he just shook his head at her, not even making an attempt to keep her from teasing the twins, knowing that it would do no good. Lauren looked back to see the twins roll their eyes at her remark, in perfect unison. That was too much for Lauren, and she started giggling.

"You are impossible," Legolas said, nudging her shoulder.

"What?" she asked innocently. "They said they wanted to make me laugh." Her giggles faded away as she looked at Elladan and Elrohir, who now stood side by side before her. "Sorry for teasing you. Thank you for your willingness to help me, even when I've done nothing but tease you. I want you to know I don't do it to be irritating, but out of fondness. I feel I know you both very well from the stories I've heard from Aragorn and Legolas. I know you both have been through a lot, but I'm glad you managed to keep your sense of humor. That is very important in life, and truly a credit to you both. Your ability to laugh is a gift, never forget that."

Elladan and Elrohir looked at each other for a moment. This young woman was giving them advice on life? The thought was almost laughable, but they knew she was serious, and that she would need to take her own advice in the near future. Elladan read the same response in Elrohir's eyes and looked back to Lauren, speaking for them both. "Laughter is a gift, that is true. Make sure that you have someone in your life capable of making you laugh. If it were in our power, we would gladly travel home with you to help you in your recovery, even if you insisted on teasing us as you have." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Though if we did, you may find yourself regretting the offer. We do not usually take teasing in stride like this without retaliating. It is only due to your short time here that you are escaping so easily."

Lauren's eyes widened as she heard the mild threat in his voice. "Then maybe I will simply say goodbye and count my blessings for my easy escape?" she said lightly as Elladan straightened up and stepped back beside Elrohir.

Elladan and Elrohir nodded to her with mischievous twinkles in their eyes that Lauren recognized from years of living with an older brother. "Farewell, Lauren," Elladan said, echoed by Elrohir. They stepped back, allowing Celebrían, Eldarion and Arwen to come forward for their good-byes.

With a gentle smile, Celebrían gazed down at Lauren. "Though we have only just met, I feel you will always have a very special place in my heart. You allowed me to visit with my daughter again, and to meet my new son and grandson. That is a chance I would not have had otherwise. I cannot thank you enough for that."

Returning her smile, Lauren replied, "I'm glad something good came out of all this. But I wouldn't cross out the possibility of seeing them all again in the future."

"What do you mean?" Celebrían asked, her heart pounding at the thought of being re-united with her daughter again.

Lauren hesitated, not knowing how much she should say. "Let me just say that I don't think Ilúvatar would keep loved ones separated for all eternity. I truly believe that at the ending of the world, we will all see each other again. I can't say how long that wait will be, beyond the fact that it hasn't happened yet. But I don't believe this parting is truly goodbye, merely ‘till we meet again’."

Celebrían gazed down into the face of the woman who was speaking so confidently. Did she know something that the rest of them did not? Was there truly a chance she could see her daughter again, sometime in the distant future? She knew that whether or not it was true, she would hold that hope deep in her heart forever, or until the day she was reunited with Arwen at last. "I hope you are correct," she said at last. "Thank you." With that, she stepped back to join Elladan and Elrohir.

Turning her attention to Eldarion, Lauren gestured for him to come a little closer. "Eldarion, I'm going to have to go back to my world, so we won't see each other again. I'm going to hold you to your vow not to use anything you heard here, or to repeat it to anyone. You can discuss it with your parents, Legolas and your uncles, but unless your father tells you otherwise, you cannot tell anyone else. Will you keep this our secret?" Eldarion nodded somberly. "Good," Lauren grinned at him. "Goodbye then, Eldarion. Have a good life."

"Namárië," Eldarion said, bowing his head slightly in her direction before straightening and hurrying back to his uncles and his new grandmother.

Arwen sat down on the sofa beside Lauren, on the opposite side of where Legolas still sat. "Do you truly think we will all be together again some day?"

"Yes," Lauren said. "I can't explain why I feel this way, but I'm pretty confident about that."

"Thank you for that and for this night," Arwen said sincerely. "I did not think I would ever be able to see Nana again. I cannot tell you what this means to me."

"I'm grateful that there was something I was able to do for you," Lauren said. "Think of it as my way of saying thank you for all that the three of you have done for me since we met. You've kept me sane, given me someone to talk to and kept me distracted from my own troubles. I may even go so far as to say that you've all kept me alive. If I did anything to help you, then maybe I've begun to pay you back for all you did for me. I really am going to miss you all, you know."

Arwen leaned closer and wrapped her arms around Lauren, who returned the embrace. "I shall miss you as well. You do not owe us anything, Lauren. We were glad to help you in any way we could. After all, you are family."

"Thank you," Lauren said as she pulled away from Arwen. "Oh, speaking of family, you might want to spend whatever time you can with yours. I don't know what will happen to this world when I leave it to return to my own. I can think of only two possibilities. One is that the world will fade with me, and everyone will wake up in their own beds. The second is that it will continue to exist as long as a conscious mind is here to keep it going. In that case, as long as you will it to exist, it will." She stopped for a moment and thought about what she just said before shaking her head and moving on. "In that case, it should exist until the last person wakes up and leaves it. I hope, for your sake, that it is the latter, so you can spend more time with your family, but I really don't know."

Hugging her tightly once more, Arwen thanked her again for this chance to see her mother, then released her and stood up. " Namárië, my granddaughter. May the Valar light your path and hold you safely."

"Farewell," Lauren said as Arwen nodded her head and walked over to join her family, wrapping an arm around her mother's waist.

"Are you ready?" Legolas asked Lauren from beside her. When Lauren nodded, Legolas stood up and gently lifted her into his arms. He then followed Aragorn from the room.

"Where are we going?" Lauren asked curiously, looking into the rooms as they passed.

"The room I had as a child," Aragorn commented.

"I will make the tea and join you there," Elrond said from behind Legolas.

Aragorn nodded at him as Elrond turned down another hallway. After a few more rooms passed by, Aragorn pushed open a door and led the way inside.

"This is nice," Lauren commented as Legolas crossed the room to set her gently down on the bed. She immediately curled her legs up underneath her and continued to peruse the room. "It's really spacious and open. I like it." She looked over at where Aragorn and Legolas had taken chairs near a fireplace. "Is all elven architecture like this? It's totally unique. The intricate carvings and all those arched doorways are really cool. I've never seen anything like this anywhere else, and you know I've traveled quite a bit. It must be an elven thing. I wish there was someplace like this in my world. It would make a great sanctuary for people needing to get away from the pressures of life and just relax. I don't think it would be possible for someone not to relax here."

"You certainly seem to be managing it," Aragorn commented with a smirk on his face. He had listened to her rapid-fire chatter with growing amusement.

"Huh?" Lauren asked, confused by Aragorn's comment. It seemed to have come out of nowhere.

"Breathe," Aragorn told her. Her previous commentary on the architecture of Rivendell had been delivered with scarcely a pause for breath.

"Oh. Was I talking too much? I'm sorry, I'm just a little nervous I think." She reached up to run a hand through her hair and encountered the silver circlet. Pulling the circlet from her head with one hand and placing it on the bed, she raked her other hand through her hair.

Elrond walked through the door with a small smile on his face and a tea tray in his hands. He had heard the exchange between Aragorn and Lauren as he approached the room. They had obviously become quite comfortable with each other in their time together. Leaning down, he placed the tray on a table near the bed before turning to face Lauren. "I am pleased that you enjoy Rivendell. I have always found it relaxing as well." He studied her for a moment before continuing. "Would you like me to pour you the tea now?"

Biting her lip in a nervous gesture, she nodded slightly. Elrond poured a cup of the tea from the kettle and handed it to her. She took it carefully from his hands and blew lightly across the surface of the steaming liquid. Taking a sip, she quickly pulled the cup away and gave Elrond a skeptical look.

Aragorn started laughing at the look on her face. "Ada, you should have warned her that it would taste bitter. I do not think she will be inclined to finish the cup."

"I sweetened it with honey," Elrond said. "I do apologize that it was not enough to completely conceal the bitterness of the herbs."

"No, it's not that bad," Lauren said carefully. "It just took me by surprise."

Legolas shook his head. "If you intend to lie, Lauren, you need to school your expression a little better."

Lauren glared briefly in his direction. "Would you like to end up wearing this tea?" she asked tartly.

"No, I do not believe the color would match my clothing," Legolas replied lightly.

Now it was Lauren's turn to shake her head. "And you called me impossible?"

Elrond chuckled at the by-play of the younger beings. They certainly sounded as if they were all old friends. Lauren turned, glanced back at him briefly, then looked down into the cup. Taking a deep breath, she took a larger gulp of the tea. In short order, she had finished the cup, and Elrond gave her a cup of cool, fresh water to help wash away the bitter taste.

"Now there's a good girl," Aragorn said, grinning at her from across the room.

"You want to come a little closer and say that?" Lauren said with a threat clear in her voice.

Aragorn stood up and approached the bed. Lauren looked at him in surprise. She certainly hadn't been expecting him to do that. A pillow suddenly appeared in her hand, but Aragorn held up a hand to stop her from throwing the pillow in his face. "Peace, Lauren. That tea will not take long to take effect. Our time is short, and I do not wish to waste it in arguing." Aragorn drew back the covers on one side of the bed. "You may wish to be lying down so that you do not fall over."

Lauren looked down her body at the long, heavy formal dress she was wearing. She would never sleep in such a thing. With a thought, she was wearing a short sleeve top and a pair of soft, loose pants. "That's more like it," she said as she crawled across the bed to where Aragorn held back the covers for her. Once she had lain down, Aragorn pulled the blanket up over her.

"You know, I haven't had anyone tuck me in since I was a child," Lauren said with an amused smile.

"There is nothing wrong with accepting a gesture such as this when you are older," Aragorn returned. "Many times in my adult life, my father tucked me in. Of course, I was usually wounded at the time." Aragorn shrugged and glanced over to see a wry grin on Elrond's lips.

"Well, there you go," Lauren said. "I certainly fit that category at the moment, don't I? Though, I have to say that I really hate the thought of depending on others for every little thing when I go back. I won't even be able to get up and go get myself a snack, or grab a book off the bookshelf, or even get up and go to the bathroom. That's really going to irritate me, I can tell you that."

"There is no shame in accepting help from others when you are unable to do such things for yourself," Aragorn said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I have been in that position before. It is not fun, you are correct in that, but you will find that those you love will get pleasure out of helping you. Do not fight them, but accept their aid graciously."

Lauren sighed and leaned her head back more firmly against the pillow. "Yeah, but the problem here is that they all have lives of their own. None of them will be able to stay as long as I'm going to need help. Not without causing a major disruption to their lives, anyway. My mom will probably stay as long as I need her, but I don’t want to ask that of her." She shook her head to shake away the thought of what was to come. "OK, no borrowing trouble from the future. I just need to concentrate on getting through one day at a time, the rest will take care of itself." Lauren yawned as she began to feel sleepy.

Aragorn looked over at Elrond and Elrond nodded back. The tea would soon have her asleep. Picking up one of her hands, Aragorn pressed it to his heart. "I have come to love you as a daughter and as a friend in our time together. Though I know you do not belong here, I will greatly miss our nightly adventures. I wish you all the best in your life." Leaning forward, Aragorn pressed a kiss to her forehead before sitting back on the side of the bed, keeping her hand in his.

Lauren couldn't help a chuckle as a thought occurred to her.

"Did I say something humorous?" Aragorn asked in confusion. Lauren's sense of humor was such that she sometimes saw humor where he did not.

"No, it wasn't anything you said," she hastened to assure him. "It was just my mind going off in strange directions again. In my world, there is a fairy tale called 'Sleeping Beauty'. In it, a princess is put under a spell that makes her fall asleep. Since it was an enchanted sleep, she could not be awakened by normal means. One day, a hundred years later, a young, handsome prince passes by the castle and enters it. Seeing her lying in her bed, sleeping, he leans down and kisses her. She promptly wakes up, as the kiss broke the spell. I was laughing at the thought that I was about to wake up from a coma, which is kind of an unnatural sleep, and a king kissed me. I wonder if that counts?"

Aragorn couldn't help smiling at her recitation. Her mind truly did go off in some odd directions.

"Of course," she continued, "The prince wasn’t related to her, didn't think of her as a daughter, and probably didn’t kiss her forehead. Oh drat," she snapped her fingers in mock disappointment. "Now I won't wake up. The details are a little too far off."

With a mischievous smile on his face, Legolas stepped forward, leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Lauren's lips. When he stepped back, Lauren was staring at him in wide-eyed amazement. "Lauren?" Legolas asked. She seemed to be stunned into silence. If he had known that was all it would take, he might have tried it earlier.

"Wow," she said slowly. "I totally did not expect you to do that."

"Will that satisfy your fairy tale?" Legolas asked her lightly, moving to lean against the post at the end of the bed.

"Uh, sure," Lauren still didn’t seem to know how to react. "You do meet the criteria a bit better, and I've always thought of you as the Prince Charming type, so yeah, I think that will do nicely." She was quickly regaining her equilibrium, and grinned up at him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Of course, we could try that again, just to be sure."

Legolas and Aragorn both burst out laughing, and Elrond couldn't help but join in. "Lauren!" Aragorn chastised her with his tone of voice, but since he was laughing it took away from the effect he was trying to achieve.

"What?" Lauren asked with a too innocent look on her face, before she gave in and gave Legolas a mirthful grin. "I still can't believe you did that." A wide yawn interrupted her next comment and she relaxed back into the softness of the bed. "I guess we're running out of time. I've always been really bad at good-byes. I can only say thank you for everything you've done to help me, all of you." Her eyes rested briefly on Elrond, Legolas and Aragorn in turn. Elrond inclined his head toward her in a form of acknowledgment and farewell. Lauren continued. "I don't want to think about what this would have been like without you. And I won't say goodbye. We're only parting to meet again, whether in this life or the next, I don't know, but I know we will see each other again." With that, her eyes closed and she snuggled into the covers. "I just hope this works. I want to see my family again. It's time to go back." A smile drifted across her lips as she sang a few lines from a song unfamiliar to the others, about going back to a life, reality and the present time, leaving the fantasy behind. Her voice trailed off as she yawned again.

"Do you have a song for every occasion?" Aragorn asked her curiously. It certainly seemed that much of the music he had heard with her seemed specifically written to her mood or situation.

"Almost," Lauren said around another yawn as she opened tired eyes to look at them again. "Well, I've been tucked in and we've already had story time. If we're going to do this whole childhood bedtime ritual thing, let's do it right. Legolas, would you sing me to sleep? I'd really like the last thing I hear to be your voice."

"I would be honored," Legolas said as he moved closer to take a seat near her on the bed. He thought of an elvish lullaby that he had heard Aragorn sing to Eldarion and began to sing. As the elvish filled the room, Lauren's eyes closed and a smile crossed her face. Recognizing the lullaby, Aragorn and Elrond joined in. As Lauren's breathing evened out, she began to grow more transparent. Legolas stopped singing to whisper, " Namárië, Lauren. I too will miss our time together." Moments later, she faded away.

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Lauren could feel the sedative kicking in and found herself staring at her hand held in both of Aragorn's. His hands were strong and tanned, and felt warm upon hers. The ring of Barahir stood out and seemed to fill her vision as the world began to lose focus. Aragorn had told her the name and history of the ring, but it had never seemed as fascinating to her before as it did now. Two serpents twined around an oval cut emerald. Her eyes began to grow heavy, so as Legolas began to sing, she gave in to the fatigue and closed her eyes, smiling at the sound of his voice. As her awareness faded, she thought she heard Legolas whisper goodbye, then that too was gone, and she fell into the darkness of sleep.

When awareness began to return, first came the sound of voices. She could not make out what they were saying, but the gentle rise and fall of voices in conversation lulled her back to sleep before she had even opened her eyes. The next time consciousness came slowly back to her, she heard the voices again, and began to try to make out what they were saying. Her mind was still too muddled for her to understand the words, so she just lay there for a long time, listening without comprehension to the conversation flowing around her.

Sensation slowly returned, and she felt a hand warm upon her own. With a great deal of effort, she forced her eyes to slit open, ever so slightly. The light was a shock to her, and she closed them again, barely allowing the shape of the room to register in her mind.

"Lauren? Are you awake?"

A voice that she knew she should know called her name. It took too much thought to try to figure out who it was just by the voice, so she cracked her eyes open once more. The first thing she saw was a pair of strong tanned hands holding her right hand. A glint of green on one finger encouraged her to open her eyes more fully and focus on that flash of green and silver. As it came into focus, she saw two entwined serpents surrounding an emerald. "Bara…" Her voice was hoarse and raspy, as if it had not been used in some time. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Barahir?" Though even this small effort was exhausting, she let her eyes drift up to gaze at the face of the man sitting beside her bed. Her vision was obviously still being affected, because his face was nothing but a blur. "Aragorn?"

"Lauren?" The voice sounded very concerned. "Do you know who I am?"

She stared toward the man for a long time as she waited for either her vision to clear or her mind to catch up to whatever was going on here. After a tense silence of several minutes, she was able to focus enough to see that the figure had brown hair and green eyes, not the darker hair and eye color that matched her own. That face was dear to her and as familiar to her as her own. "Jeff."

The worried look melted away as he heard his name. "Yeah, it's Jeff. Welcome back, squirt."

Lauren felt as if her mind was still lagging behind. "Weren't you in Iraq?" The words were rough, and Jeff winced along with her as he knew how tender and sore her throat would be. They had only taken her off the ventilator a couple of days ago. He quickly reached over and grabbed a cup off a nearby stand, then held out a spoon with some ice chips on it. Lauren accepted the ice chips and let them melt in her mouth as Jeff answered her question.

"The Army does have such a thing as compassionate leave, you know. When I told them that my little sister was in a coma after a car accident, they let me come home. Of course, it didn't hurt that General Hammond was the one in charge of leave. He sends his regards, and best wishes, by the way."

Lauren nodded slightly. It felt as if her mind was beginning to wake up a little. General 'Uncle John' Hammond was a friend of their father's from ages back and had known her since her birth. If it had been possible, Lauren was sure he would have been here at her side as well. Come to think of it…she looked around and saw that they were the only two people in the room. "Where's Mom and Dad?"

"They went down to the cafeteria for dinner," Jeff answered. "We weren't expecting you to wake up right now, or they would have been here. They should be back soon." He studied the face of his little sister. "I am so happy to see your eyes open again. And you don't know how relieved I was when you recognized me. You scared me when you didn't seem to know who I was."

"Sorry," Lauren mumbled, feeling sleep creep back over her. "My eyes weren't working right. You were blurry."

"What were you saying?" Jeff asked curiously. He had certainly never heard of the two words she had uttered.

"Long story. Tell you later." Lauren found herself unable to speak in full sentences, as it would take too much effort. "Nice ring." She couldn't help remarking on the ring he wore. It was Barahir, she would bet money on it, but she knew she had never seen him with it before. The two words were all she was able to get out to express her curiosity.

"Huh?" Jeff asked as he looked down at his hands. "Oh, that ring. Yeah, it's apparently an old family heirloom, passed down from eldest son to eldest son, that type of thing. Dad gave it to me on my wedding day, telling me that I would one day pass it on to my first son on his wedding day. As valuable as this thing has to be, I don't usually wear it, but I took it to Iraq with me, keeping it hidden on a chain. When I looked at it, I could remember my family, and it brought me some peace. It's been my good luck charm, and I thought that you could use some good luck, so I brought it here with me." He slid the ring off his finger and withdrew the chain that he usually kept the ring on from his pocket. After placing the ring on the chain, he placed it in her hand. "Why don't you hold on to it for a little while? Maybe it will bring you some good luck, too." He noticed her eyes were drooping, and reached over, tenderly brushing a strand of hair off of her face. "You look really tired. Go back to sleep for a little while. I'll be here when you wake up again."

She looked at her older brother. "Really glad you're here, Jeff." Her words were soft, but understandable, and her eyes drifted closed again as sleep came to claim her.

"So am I," Jeff said softly as he watched his little sister sleep. He said a prayer of thanks that she had awoken and brushed a tear out of his eye. "Things are going to be OK, Lauren. Now that you've woken up, things will be fine." Sitting back in his chair, he kept hold of Lauren's hand, staring at the ring he had placed in her hand. He wasn't quite sure why he had loaned it to her, he hadn't planned to do it, but it just felt like it was right for her to have it for awhile. Making himself more comfortable, he settled in for another wait. He wasn’t going anywhere.

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Aragorn, Legolas, and Elrond sat in silence for a time, staring at the place Lauren had been a moment before. "It seems that this world did not fade with her," Aragorn said. He looked up at his father. "I am glad of that. I would like to spend more time with you before we must wake." Looking back at the bed, he gave voice to what was in his heart. "I only wish we could know that she made it back safely, that she was able to recover from her injuries and move on with her life. I do not like not knowing. I almost wish that I could have traveled back with her to care for her, just for a time."

Legolas stared at him for a moment before speaking. "I feel the same way, but for me, this may not be an idle wish. If the Valar allow it, I will travel to her world and assure myself that she is well."

"You would do this?" Aragorn asked, amazed. They had jok

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