Hello happy readers! I'm back with a new chapter! I've got future plans for this story that I think will keep it mysterious, exciting, and fun ^_^ (oh! There will definitely be some fun * evil grins* how can there not be with a certain elf involved?)

I want say thankyou to those who have read thus far and have reviewed. It gives me great encouragement to write more!

Disclaimer thingy… I don't own LOTR or any of its affiliated characters (darnit!) This is written just for fun=)

Previously…

She felt herself on the edge of consciousness, and she was losing the battle to maintain it. Her eyes began to shut of their own accord, and the last thing she felt was a sudden flood of warmth that tingled through her entire body as if countering the ominous force, before nothingness took her.

Nothingness was nothingness. There was no pain, no fear, and also no pleasure. The mind is not confined nor is it ultimately free and much the same can be said about the body. Nothingness is not and it is. It is really quite a nice sensation to feel…or not feel…particularly after one has been falling towards eminent doom with a creepy, glow-y something. And nothingness was precisely what Jillian felt abandon her as her mind began to regain its former function. Despite her slowly increasing consciousness, her body was in more of a hurry to resume its proper duties; most importantly, lung function, as she deeply inhaled what was supposed to be only air. Her then reactionary snorts and sneezes caused her mind to pick up its pace and catch up with her body… Why am I breathing dirt?

She was ultimately confused between trying to reconcile her fractured memories of what had occurred in the elevator with what her senses were trying to tell her now. By some miracle of sanity Jillian knew that she should have ended up at the bottom of the museum's elevator shaft trapped in a mire of contorted and crushed metal and electrical elements with likely more injuries than she would care to have, not that she cared to have injuries at all. But instead she was sprawled out lying face down in what her nose had previously determined was dirt. And she was quite sure, mental faculties permitting, that concrete rather than dirt would be at the bottom of an elevator shaft.

She had not moved as of yet, still trying to come to grips with what her rousing consciousness was informing her. Even though her eyes were still closed, she could tell that it was daytime wherever she was by the feel of the warmth of the sun's rays permeating her body through her clothes. She could also feel a light breeze as it meandered across her prone form rustling through her shoulder length hair that she was sure must now look an absolute mess. The scent of the air was far fresher and more natural than any scent her nose was accustomed to by living in urban locales all her life. And her ears, which had accepted the noises of modernization as normal, were hyper-sensitive to the strangely alien sounds of nature that surrounded her.

She opened her eyes as she turned her head to the side and immediately squinted them against the piercing brightness of what apparently was a midday sun. After this glaring discovery, Jillian proceeded to open her eyes more slowly to give them time to adjust to the brightness. At the same time, she wondered just how long she had been unconscious for she was pretty sure that it was much later in the afternoon when she had picked up the professor from the airport.

Once she had finally opened her eyes and allowed herself a few moments to focus, the surrounding view of overwhelming and uninhibited nature competed with her ability to rationalize her thoughts. Barely conscious of her actions, she moved herself into a more upright position, thinking that perhaps seeing things from the proper point of view would make more sense. And in fact, it made it worse because much more of the natural scenery around her was exposed to her field of vision making her feel even more out of sorts.

Her senses were completely overloaded by the endless array of textures, colors, sounds, and smells. The trees to her left, whose branches partially overhung where she sat, cast a dappled carpet of pattern at the edge of what seemed to be a forest. Little sporadic sprouts of green grass and weeds formed petite islands in the dirt around her. To her right, there was a line of low wild bushes that concealed what lay beyond them from her seated position on the ground. All around her small blue-tailed dragonflies with filmy gossamer wings danced and flitted about in the warm midday air occasionally landing upon the vegetation only to dart away after just a few moments.

For the next few minutes all she did was sit in the same position with a dumbfounded expression on her face trying to, though unsuccessfully, make sense of what she was seeing…I must be hallucinating…or I hit my head…or both… She quickly closed her eyes, shaking her head vigorously from side to side as to motivate consciousness and possibly some semblance of reasonable thought. Only belatedly did she think that that sort of motion was not necessarily the best course of action especially with the possibility of a head injury.

Yet when she reopened her eyes, the same vision of nature greeted her mockingly…Okay… With more determination, Jillian resorted to the next method she knew of to rouse one's own consciousness. Leaving perhaps a half an inch worth of space between her right hand's thumb and forefinger she gathered a portion of skin a her left wrist and pinched…hard…with the nails…

"Frick!!!"

Apparently her pain receptors were functioning properly. She wasn't sure if that was a good sign or a bad one, especially when she opened her eyes to discover the same blasted scenery was still there.

Now that she had exhausted her options in trying to return herself to what she thought should be her reality, she was at a complete loss as to what she should do. But one thing was absolutely certain; answers would not come to her if she remained as she was sitting in the dirt. And so she slowly pushed herself up onto her knees so from that position she could stand. As she stood fully, she had to allow her mind and body to find a sense of equilibrium between them so that the sudden whirling rush of dizziness that assaulted her in her newly acquired upright posture wouldn't induce an urgent need to vomit.

Once Jillian felt the dizziness subside she cast her gaze around to view what was beyond the line of bushes…More nature… Now worry was beginning to grow and superimpose itself over the confusion that already existed within her. For this natural environment spanned for as far as she could see. It was so vast and expansive that it made her feel overwhelmingly small and insignificant.

From her location, the land sloped downward growing greener as it flattened into a sprawling vista. As the landscape extended from there, gently rolling hills undulated across her field of vision. They were peppered here and there by darker spots of green that Jillian guessed were distant trees and bushes. There was a dark, winding rope that curved itself between the hills and as her eyes followed its path closer to where she was, she noticed that it was indeed a river. The sun brightened the land so much that a patchwork of cloud shaped shadows skimmed across the land as the parent clouds floated leisurely above in the vibrant blue sky.

She was so absorbed in what she was seeing that a soft rustling noise from behind her immediately captured her undivided attention. She spun around in the direction of the sound, trying to determine what exactly had produced it and if it was going to launch itself out of the vegetation and eat her. But when she focused on the area that the sound had come from with more intensity nothing happened. No movement. No noise. Nothing.

She was starting to think that she had imagined hearing the noise to begin with when she heard what sounded like a groan issue from just beyond the brush in front of her. And this time she was pretty confident in her senses' perception for she was more immediately able to attune herself to the direction and distance of the sound. She wasn't sure if she should approach the source of the noise, as she felt that she had experienced more than her fair share of unexpected surprises as of late. However, at the moment the balance between cautiousness and curiosity was starting to weigh in favor of the latter. And so she moved forward as slowly as she could manage thinking that slowness equated with stealth.

Very carefully and quietly Jillian parted the branches of the bush before her. Nothing immediately jumped out at her so that indicated to her that it was safe to continue. She more firmly pushed the leafy branches of the overgrown shrub further to the sides and discovered that the source of the suspicious sounds was a human. In fact it was one that was currently in the process of regaining consciousness. A rather familiar one. At that moment, the light-bulb of recognition flashed on in her mind…Professor Carrington!!!

She immediately abandoned all of the nervousness that she had allowed to consume her and she fought her way through the unruly vegetation, undoubtedly getting her clothes snagged in the process. Once she had fought her way through the brush leaving it just as battle-worn as it had left her, she rushed to the professor's side. She could see that he was coming to; his eyes were opening and they were trying to focus. He was probably feeling just as confused as she had felt upon her waking to a completely unexpected environment.

As she knelt by his side, she allowed him the time he needed to adjust his senses and sensibilities to the world around him. When he did finally sit up he barely even noticed her until she placed a hand on his shoulder causing him to jump and turn sharply to face her. She was about to tell him how relieved she was to see that he was alright, when a confused and suspicious expression took hold of his features causing her to hold back her question as he asked his own,

"What's going on? Who are you?"

Jillian was quite taken aback by the second question and the way Professor Carrington had asked it in such a demanding fashion that she was at a loss to respond to it. Actually she was at a loss as to how to respond to the first question as well.

After a moment, in which she had been somewhat able to gather her wits, she tentatively answered his question,

"Professor…It's me…Jillian Pearce," she hoped that her name would help spark some recognition, "I had contacted you about a renaissance painting…"

She was about to explain more of her connection to him when he interrupted suddenly, "Ah…yes…Miss Pearce…" he briefly quieted himself to look around at the surroundings, "What exactly happened?"

"I'm not really sure…we were in the elevator and it was going to…crash...next thing I know is waking up here, where ever here is."

"In the middle of a forest…" Professor Carrington stated as he quickly surveyed their immediate surroundings.

"Well, more like on the edge of one really. There's this big plain off in that direction." She pointed behind her to indicate exactly what direction she was referring to.

Professor Carrington's gaze followed her gesture and he moved to stand up so that he could go see the landscape for himself when he swayed a bit pausing in his assent. By reaction, Jillian leaned forward to help steady him.

Once the professor claimed that he was fine and could manage on his own Jillian led him through the passage in the brush that she had created earlier. When they were finally on the other side she observed his reaction to the view before them. And from her observation she was able to ascertain that he was obviously just as stunned by what he was now seeing as she was when she had first seen it not even an hour before. But in contrast to her initial reaction, in which all she had managed was to just stare dumbly at the panorama below, his reaction was more critical and calculating judging by the deep furrow that had set into his brow line. It was as if he was trying to absorb every little detail visible from this vantage point, trying to commit it all to memory.

"It certainly is puzzling." He said rather calmly even though he looked as if he was still trying to rationalize the conundrum stretched out for miles in every direction.

Well that's the understatement of the century… Jillian thought. Its frickin' messed up is what it is…

They stood there for a long while as they continued to survey the land, subconsciously willing the prolonged contemplation to yield answers that were too elusive for their own good. She didn't know what was going on in the professor's mind but she knew that her mind was still questioning its own sanity.

"Look there," the professor's sudden exclamation caused Jillian to start as she was harshly pulled from her own musings, "Right there, in the bend of the river," her gaze followed the direction that he was indicating yet unsuccessfully seeing anything worth noting, "There's a village."

A village?!... She focused more adamantly this time in hopes of spotting the alleged village, but still she saw nothing. She had to really squint her eyes before she was able to make out a small blob like shape on the landscape that she supposed could be a village…Why hadn't I noticed it before?

"Are you sure?"

"Quite."

He sounded pretty confident so Jillian didn't question him further.

"We should head towards it," he suggested, "Perhaps we could learn more once we get there."

It was a pretty reasonable idea. Actually it was the only reasonable idea to be had thus far even despite how far away the village seemed. Jillian sure didn't have any better ideas to offer and there wasn't much else around besides never-ending nature. Besides, it was a plan. It was determined and focused and far better than sitting where they were where nothing would be learned.

Taking a deep breath, Jillian nodded towards the professor, "Alright…Lead the way."

And so once she had gathered her purse and her workbag that had still been lying in the dirt near the spot she had originally been laying, as well as the professor's briefcase that he had forgotten amongst the brush, they set out for the village and hopefully some much anticipated answers.

He smirked as he listened to his disgruntled companion's incessant and colorful grumblings about cross-country travel. He found it amusing for it was in fact his companion that had insisted quite emphatically upon their current travels.

It seemed that the dwarf was more than enthusiastic to start out but as the day wore on he would grow proportionately more impatient and cantankerous. However, his mood would level itself out to a more amiable state each morning after he was able to rest his legs for the night, eat his fair share, and gain a good night's sleep.

The Dwarf had insisted that he could take some of the night watches on several of their rest stops since they had set out from Minas Tirith. But Legolas always insisted much more reasonably, if not a bit competitively, that he did not require as much rest as his friend and that it would be much more advantageous for the both of them if Gimli would rest during the nights so that he could regain his strength and rebuild his endurance for the following days. Besides, Legolas enjoyed having the nightly respite to reflect upon his own thoughts and admire the night sky and its sprinkling of countless sparkling stars that the different races of Middle Earth had mapped out in constellations that spoke of the histories and legends of each culture. He didn't even mind his friend's steady snoring from across the camp fire for it actually had a rather meditative rhythm about it.

But now, Legolas could tell from the dwarf's more frequent curses that they were nearing the stopping point in their travels for the day. After all, the sun had already sunk beneath the horizon leaving the sky a warm pink that faded into a much deeper purple the higher ones gaze traveled.

"Do you wish to find a spot to camp?" Legolas asked his grumpy friend as he tried to conceal his own amusement.

Apparently Gimli did, for he abruptly stopped and promptly let fall all that he carried. With a look of relief upon his face he said, "We are on the plains of Rohan. Here is as good a place as any."

And so they had found their camp for the night. Gimli left Legolas the task of starting a small fire for there was not much in the way of fire wood to be had on the expansive plains and his elven friend was quite crafty and resourceful so he had no doubt that Legolas could start one. Gimli himself set about preparing his own bedroll that would welcome him very shortly once his stomach was satisfied. Once both had completed their tasks, the small fire casting its warmth and glow between the two of them, Legolas handed his friend a decent portion of their collective rations, to which Gimli quickly ate not caring how much of it ended up in his beard, because the more quickly he ate the sooner he would be able to lay down for some much needed rest.

It wasn't long after Gimli had laid down that the sound of his signature snores reached Legolas' ears. With an inward laugh, Legolas then allowed himself to relax and his thoughts to wander.

If he had to guess, it had been perhaps four or five months since Aragorn was crowned as the rightful king of Gondor. But he really could not be sure for he was not one to be too preoccupied with the passing of time as it was a trait common to his race. However, in his thoughts, time itself in regards to his experiences as well as his close friendships with mortals had made him considerably more aware of its effects. It unsettled him greatly to know that time would eventually become his enemy when it would come to take from him those whom he loved.

Feeling himself become increasingly distressed at that very thought, he guided his thoughts elsewhere. Specifically, he thought of how resilient the world around him was, for everything seemed to strive towards settling itself back into a more natural balance after the war had ended. And in spite of how hopeless things during the war had seemed, hope itself was never lost. It was never snuffed out as long as there were those who would kindle its flame. And now it burned most brightly as a beacon for the future of Middle Earth.

A particularly loud snore from the sleeping dwarf caught Legolas' attention and he laughed quietly to himself, his musings taking a new direction. It amazed him how strong a friend Gimli had become to him, just as much as how strongly he had extended his friendship to the dwarf. He was sure, considering the past and highly strained relations between his own race and the Dwarves, that his friendship with Gimli was quite unprecedented. In fact, the beginning of their relationship was very highly strained itself. But the course of the war had brought about a camaraderie that eventually grew into a very strong, if different, friendship. It was also during the war that Legolas realized despite their many seemingly immense differences that they were quite similar. For both of them fought for hope, for the promise of a bright and happy future, as well as making both of these things possible for their loved ones.

It was a pleasant night on the plains of Rohan. The warmth of the late summer still lingered in the air even though autumn was sure to bring about cooler and crisper air. The moon had become full and cast its silvery grey light on the wide landscape around them. The stars were brilliant and glistened against the deep velvet of the night sky. Overall, Nature seemed content and at peace.

Legolas was in the process of stoking the small fire to encourage its warmth towards his slumbering friend when a sudden rather forceful breeze rushed across their camp nearly extinguishing the flames that he had been attending. It caused him to abruptly cease his actions, his brow creasing, for it was not a natural wind as it swept from the east, cutting through the light southerly breeze that warmed the land of Rohan during the summer. Even in the midst of the small fire and despite his higher tolerance towards extremes of temperature, Legolas could not suppress the chilling shivers that radiated down his spine and throughout his body.

He immediately reached for his bow, at the same time directing his focus toward the direction that the wind had come from. With his sharp eyesight he tried to detect anything that might have been left in the wake of the strange wind. And yet, even with his keen vision, he could not see anything aside from the empty landscape before him and the distant outline of mountains.

The wind was gone just as quickly as it had come. And the small fire that had nearly fallen victim to the unexpected gust slowly began to regain in strength. In fact, it seemed that every aspect of the nature around him took no time in forgetting the brief presence of the unsettling draft. But the unrestful tenseness that it had left him feeling would not abate. He could not ignore the feelings that it had inspired because it had set every one of his instincts on guard. And when it came to potential harm or danger he did not ignore the warning that his instincts provided.

He also felt that there must have been a very significant thing or event that it would elicit such an immediate and intense response from him. It was nothing he could ignore and he felt obligated to find the source of what had caused the unusual and eerie phenomenon.

He glanced towards Gimli as he tried to ease the tension that had built up inside of him upon being met by the strange event. The dwarf looked completely undisturbed. Legolas raised a brow. In fact, it looked like he hadn't moved at all and his snores were as consistent as they had initially begun shortly after he had fallen asleep. Legolas smirked and shook his head. For he had discovered throughout their many journeys since the fellowship had originally formed that Gimli was a very heavy sleeper. In fact, when the dwarf was truly and completely unconscious, Legolas doubted very seriously that even a Gondorian horn held right at his ear would rouse him.

Yet, despite his friend's antics, conscious and otherwise, his thoughts were sobered by the nagging feeling that the strange wind had left. He knew that something was amiss and that it would prove ill if it went unchecked. With that in mind, he also knew that he must inform his friend once morning had come. It frustrated him to do so for Gimli was very eager to set out on their explorations as they had agreed upon after the war had ended. But he knew that Gimli would agree to investigate whatever was the cause for such concern, for his friend had come to greatly trust his instincts.

And so Legolas waited out the rest of the night, his attention shifting towards the east, for that was to be their new destination once morning came.

Hmmm… so what will they find in this supposed village? Goodness me, more mystery=)

Next time: Nature is really not Jillian's thing…the professor seems more worried about the painting than where they are… Legolas and Gimli come across an old friend… and more unexpected surprises…

Until next time! Later!