Disasters In Waiting

By The Last Evenstar

A/N: Hooray for snow days and all classes being canceled! Ahhhh, nothing to do but laze around and write fanfiction!

Yes, I realize I made a few spelling errors in Chapter One. The fault lies in my computer's odd spell-check program, and I humbly submit to my ineptitude in not proofreading well enough.

Chapter Two: Reunion

Arwen spent the rest of the afternoon trying to avoid her father. She ambled about the gardens, trying to put things right in her mind.

We'll have to tell him sooner or later, she conceded. And the longer we wait, the better chance there is that he could find out on his own. Frankly, she was surprised he hadn't guessed by now.

"Arwen!" She turned to see her brother Elrohir hurrying to catch up with her. He fell into step and looked down at her, concerned. "Something troubles you, miunthel. Don't think I didn't see it."

She sighed. "It's nothing, Elrohir."

"Nothing? Really? Then why did you run off this morning instead of giving us a proper welcome?" He paused. "Don't try your brains thinking of an excuse. I know my little sister."

Should I tell him? she wondered. No. He would tell Elladan, and then they would both be angry that Estel kept this from them.

"Ada knows you're hiding something," Elrohir continued. At that, Arwen gasped and faced him.

"What did he say? What do you know?"

Her brother laughed. "Ah, so you are."

She frowned. "It's not funny, Elrohir! What did Ada say to you?"

He shrugged. "He said he was concerned. He thought you had been pining lately, and he wondered if you were just lonely or if you were keeping a secret."

Arwen groaned. This is it. We have to tell him. "Did he seem very . . . concerned?"

"A bit." Her brother looked at her sadly. "I wish you felt you could trust me, Arwen."

She sighed. "It's not that. Well, yes, it is that. But it's also that I need to talk to – I mean, I need to think about it first," she gasped, wincing at her error.

Elrohir picked up on it immediately. "Who is it that you need to talk to?" he asked suspiciously.

Arwen racked her brain. "I – I'll tell you later." She looked up at him imploringly. "I promise."

Aragorn shook in his boots every time Elrond looked at him. He was sure each time that the lordly elf was about to accuse him of defiling his daughter. It was all he could do to meet his foster father's eye, and each time he did he was sure that his expression of guilt gave everything away.

Several times throughout the evening meal he caught himself locking eyes with Arwen, and each time he would pause for a few seconds, enamored by her beauty, before quickly averting his gaze.

Arwen, for her part, was doing her best to make conversation with Glorfindel about current trade relations with Lothlorien. Years of listening idly at her father's table had perfected her ability to make polite conversation regarding something she didn't have a clue about.

Halfway through the meal Elrond turned to him. "So, Estel. What news do you bring us concerning YOUR life as of late?"

Aragorn gulped. He was sure he recognized that look in Elrond's eye from when he had been a boy and extremely prone to misbehavior. He tried to think of something he'd done over the last few months, but the effort was futile. Having both Arwen and her father in such close proximity apparently still had the ability to reduce his thoughts to nothing.

Elrohir, sensing danger, intervened. "We were asked for our aid in dispatching a small number of wayward Orcs out at the Rohirric border, RIGHT, Estel?"

Aragorn silently thanked him. "Yes." His own voice sounded stiff and forced.

Elladan, a bit more oblivious, grinned and downed the last of his wine. "Jolly good fun, wasn't it?"

His brother nodded sarcastically. "Yes. The horrific display of gruesome creatures with a penchant for slaughter particularly struck my fancy."

Aragorn grinned in spite of himself. "I'm sure if we'd gotten to know them you might not feel that way."

Elrohir grimaced. "Actually, quite a few of them became very close with my arrows."

Arwen shook her head. Aragorn could see that she was suppressing a smile. It was only when Elrohir kicked him under the table that he realized he had been staring at her.

Arwen paced nervously in the glade. Her head was filled with worries about her father, worries about her brothers, but mostly the joy at seeing Aragorn again. But where was he?

She sat neatly on the forest floor, hoping nothing had happened. Could my father have waylaid him? Has someone found out? She frowned. Or did I misinterpret his note?

All of a sudden she heard a man approaching, singing softly to himself the Lay of Luthien. She scrambled up and ran over to him, laughing. Overjoyed, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He held her tightly. "I missed you too, melamin."

With a start, she felt a tear slide down her cheek. "I missed you too," she whispered, then reached up to kiss him again. Time stood still as they embraced, and all she could think of was Aragorn, and how perfect everything was, and how she had never been so happy in her life –

And then when broke off, and looked around guiltily, she remembered that everything was not so perfect. She sighed and leaned against him, taking comfort in the fact that he shared her concerns. "What are we going to do?"

He looked down at her with sad eyes. "I don't know. I want so badly to hold you, to kiss you, but at the same time it all feels like a betrayal."

"You certainly didn't have those reservations back in Lorien."

He sighed. "Here it seems more real. The fact that your father is . . . would be . . ."

She finished his thought. "Totally against us." She looked up at him. "But that doesn't change anything, does it? I gave you my love, and he can't change that."

He smiled at her. "And I've just spent six months trying to convince myself I wasn't dreaming. Arwen, there aren't WORDS to express how much I love you," he said softly. "But I want your father's blessing. And I know you do, too."

She flinched. "But in between, there comes the part where we tell him."

He sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not looking forward to that part."

"Then look forward to this part," she whispered. And she leaned in and kissed him.

Lord Elrond paced his chamber. He swore in Sindarin, using words no Elf Lord should know. And then he swore in Quenya, using words no elf should know at all.

He raked his fingers through his hair. It was obvious that Estel was still enamored of his daughter. Any man, sitting at their dinner table, could have seen that.

But he could see beyond any man. He could tell that Arwen, however impassive she kept her face, was paying Estel far too much attention than could possibly be good.

He sighed. It could be even more than that. She's my daughter; she knows my tricks. He just hoped that she would get over it before she learned of his love for her. If anything were to happen out of this, it would be a disaster indeed.