A/N: Hey everyone, here is chapter 4. There's quite a bit going on here so let me know what you think :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed, favourited and followed this story. I'm still in experiment mode but I'm really pleased with the response so far. Let me know how I'm doing with this! I'm anxious to get your feedback.

erestor's-robes: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're enjoying it :)

Brigid the Fae: That does sound really disgusting :s I'll have to stay away from that lol. We find out who the mysterious person is, but we don't get to meet them just yet. There's quite a bit going on here. Thanks for the review!

annafan: Totally understandable! I appreciate you dropping in anyway though :) I'll be checking out your story once I finish mine. Thank you for the review!

elfgirrl: Thanks for the review! There is a stairwell but Legolas doesn't know where it is and his main concern was getting this wasted girl home, so he pretty much had to think on his feet. I had fun writing that scene.

Charlieandcie: Thank you for reviewing :) I wish Legolas would drop into my living room too ;)

KDSkywalker: Thank you as always for your support, I laughed while writing the scene with the elevator, I just let my imagination run away with me. Hope you like this one :)

Worlds Apart: Chapter 4

Maya let herself into Jen's apartment with Legolas following close behind. It was like bridezilla had ransacked the entire apartment with wedding magazines lying over every surface and little post-it notes on every piece of furniture with words like "invitations" or "bridal party" written on them.

Justin was sitting on the couch rolling his eyes as Jen showed him pictures of different flower arrangements.

"I kind of like this one, white roses are really classic," she said and Justin looked like he was about to pull his hair out.

Legolas and Maya looked at one another and proceeded to observe the situation with amusement as Justin pretended to agree with everything Jen said just to get her to stop showing him things. He looked over at Maya with relief as they walked into the living room.

"Thank god, please make this madness stop!" he pleaded, "We got engaged two days ago and already she's in stage two of planning!"

Jen gave him a look that said 'not impressed' and smiled at Maya "He's overreacting, I just wanted his opinion on a few things, after all its his wedding too."

"A few things? Are you serious? You've showed me every magazine in this apartment and if I have to look at another flower arrangement I swear-"

Maya laughed "Just take a deep breath Justin, it's okay,"

"This is one thing our worlds share in common," said Legolas eyeing the stack of magazines on the living room table, "women in middle earth appear to be just as fixated on weddings as women of this world."

"Hey! Don't group me in with her! We're not all crazy you know," said Maya, making Justin and Legolas laugh. Jen on the other hand wasn't too happy at being the butt of the joke.

"Some best friend," she grumbled, "Alright, so we've decided that our engagement party is going to be in two weeks from now on May 21st. Does that work for you?"

Maya nodded, "Sure does."

Jen looked to Legolas and smiled, "and of course you're invited if you're still around by that point. Maybe you and Maya can go together. You'd both look so cute!"

It was Maya's turn to scowl and Jen winked at her best friend. Elf boy definitely wasn't going to make a move, he was too proper for that and it was obvious now that Maya wasn't going to make a move either, so she would just have to nudge her.

"I would be delighted, that is if Maya wills it," said the elf and Maya couldn't help but swoon on the inside at his disarming smile. It was pretty effective at disarming her mouth because she almost forgot to say anything. She only remembered to talk when Jen jabbed her in the ribs.

"Ow! Oh, uh, yea of course," she said, the heat rising to her cheeks, "Anyway, I thought we came over here to help Legolas, not to discuss wedding stuff."

"I could not agree more," said Justin looking relieved, "Well, I looked through all of Tolkien's work and I found absolutely nothing about the existence of other worlds."

"It is hopeless then," said Legolas sadly. Maya opened her mouth to say something but Justin held up his hand

"Hold on, I'm not done yet," he said, "So after I had no luck with Tolkien I decided to do some digging around and I came across Professor Edward Bernstein."

"Ed Bernstein from NYU? The one they call a whack job?" asked Maya furrowing her eyebrows.

Legolas gave her a mystified look. Who was this Edward Bernstein? And what did this have to do with getting him home?

Justin shook his head "He's either a whack job or a total genius, but whichever one he is I think he is our only hope."

He motioned for Legolas to sit next to him on the couch and opened up his laptop to a page with several charts.

"Okay, so Edward Bernstein used to be a physics professor at NYU until a couple of years ago" said Justin.

"Why is he no longer a professor?" asked Legolas starring at the charts. They made absolutely no sense to him at all, but he wasn't the only one. Maya and Jen stared at the screen and honestly it was like reading a completely foreign language, like mandarin or something.

"He was forced out by the university because he was an embarrassment to them," said Justin.

Legolas looked to Maya, she was clearly skeptical, "He had this theory about the existence of portals that link parallel worlds. So according to him it was possible to travel from one world to another through these portals, or gateways, and it was really interesting stuff. He had pages and pages of research and calculations to support his theory, the only problem was he didn't have any concrete evidence. Once word got out about Bernstein's theory, he was ridiculed by everyone and the media basically tore his credibility to shreds..." she explained.

"But clearly he was right, otherwise how would I have gotten here?" asked Legolas. This was the greatest hope he'd received since his arrival.

"That's what I'm hoping," said Justin, "The only problem is, he's out of town until next week, so we have to wait until he gets back. After that, we're going to need your help Maya."

Maya's head snapped up and she gave Justin a suspicious look, "My help? For what?"

"You're the best person to convince him to help us," said Justin.

"Um, sweetie, I think you're forgetting one tiny hiccup. She's media, he's not going to want to talk to the people that destroyed his career," said Jen.

"First of all, Maya works for National Geographic, that's not in the same class at all. Second of all, she has amazing powers of persuasion; its like the moment you enter journalism school you're taught to control minds or something," said Justin and Maya shot him a glare, "He's not going to listen to me, I'm a computer programmer. Maya, All you have to do is pretend you're scheduling an interview for your magazine."

"Woah there, hold your horses for a second. I can't use my magazine as an excuse to meet with this guy, I'm already on thin ice as it is, if Tristan finds out I've been speaking to someone labelled as a nut and using National Geographic to do it, he'll be furious!" she said. That was one way to top off crashing an editorial meeting; schedule an 'interview' with the laughing stock of American media. She wouldn't just be the laughing stock of the office but she could kiss any real opportunities to write for the magazine goodbye.

Legolas was torn. He could see Maya was in a bind and though he was anxious to find out how he got to this world, he felt uncomfortable pushing her to do something she was clearly reluctant to do. She'd done so much for him already and he could not ask her to compromise everything she'd worked so hard to achieve.

He smiled sadly, "We will find another way. I do not wish to jeopardize your position at work, Maya." and just like that, the hope he'd felt moments ago came crashing down around him. Legolas' heart tightened and for the first time since the night he ended up in Maya's apartment he felt scared, though he hid it expertly.

He was good at hiding the emotions he didn't want anyone else to see but Maya could see a hint of sadness reflected in his eyes and all of a sudden she felt guilty. Here she was complaining that she could get into trouble at work but if she didn't do this, Legolas could lose everything he'd ever known and loved. She was being selfish and to top it off, he was being so sweet about it too.

Maya turned to Jen and Justin "Can you guys give us a few minutes?"

The couple looked at one another and nodded before leaving the room.

Legolas eyed Maya as she came to sit next to him on the couch, her green eyes locked with his blue pools and he made to speak.

"Maya, I will be fine-"

She lightly put a finger to his lips and shook her head, "Don't act like you're okay with this Legolas, please. What I see on the outside is not what's going on inside here," she said putting her hand to his heart. Legolas quivered slightly as he reached up to touch his lips, where her finger had been just moments ago. He observed her curiously, trying to place these peculiar feelings. Since their pillow fight in Maya's apartment, these feelings were coming to him more frequently.

The elf continued to gaze at her and Maya swallowed hard before continuing, "I can't imagine how you feel right now, I know that if I were in your shoes I'd be freaked out and probably curled up in a ball somewhere, crying. You've been so brave and goodnatured about all of this, even though you stand the chance of losing everything. I was being selfish thinking about my career and after all that's happened to you you're still putting other people first, I'm such an idiot."

Maya felt like crying. Great. Not only was she selfish but she was going to add 'baby' to the list if she became an emotional mess in front of him. Here he was, this sweet, selfless guy who was willing to sacrifice what could be his ticket home just so she could keep her good standing at work. He was willing to do that and just moments ago she hadn't even been willing to risk getting into trouble at work to give him his life back. Now she just felt like the most horrible person that ever lived, especially when she'd seen the hope fade from his eyes.

Legolas listened as Maya spoke. She was babbling, and being highly perceptive, he knew that this signalled either embarrassment or distress. He could smell the unshed tears and his heart sank at the thought that he'd upset her somehow. Before Maya could say anymore he stopped her.

"I do not think you are selfish, Maya," he said softly, "The apprehension you feel is understandable. You have worked hard to get where you are. I understand if you do not want to take the risk, I will not be resentful."

Maya took a deep breath. A promise was a promise and she wasn't going to turn her back on him now. "Two days ago when you appeared in my apartment I promised I would do anything I could to help you and I am going to keep that promise." she said.

"Are you certain Maya? We can always try to find another way," he said with concern.

Maya shook her head, "What if there is no other way? I'm not going to be the reason that you lose everything. You're my friend and I know that we've only known each other two days but I care, Legolas. I'm going to speak to this Bernstein guy as soon as he gets back and I'm going to do my best to get you home."

The elf smiled softly, his heart was touched. He wrapped his arm around Maya's shoulders and pulled her close to him. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"Hannon le," he said, kissing her forehead, "I am in your debt once more Maya."

The feel of his soft lips made her skin tingle all the way down to her toes and her heart began to flutter. It took her a moment, but she finally found her voice.

"No, you aren't and...I meant what I said about caring..." she said awkwardly as they pulled away, "I do care, you're a great friend. I never thought I'd ever get to say that about a character in the Lord of the Rings, but I'm glad."

the elf smiled "I treasure your friendship as well and I also care very much about you," he said and Maya's heart began to thump in her chest, "Tell me, am I what you expected?"

Maya tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"Well you say I am a character in a book that you have read and these movies. You must have had certain expectations of the kind of person I was before we met," explained Legolas.

Maya laughed "You look exactly as they portrayed you in the movie, which is kind of amazing if you think about it. I thought you would be this sweet, charming, wonderful guy but honestly, you're kind of a royal pain in the ass. Not sure why everyone thinks Princes are so great, now that I've met one," she said with a smirk.

The elf pretended to be insulted,"You wound me," he said, "but if I am to be truly honest, I do not think much of being a prince. I despise the daily formalities which my title subjects me to and I wish to be liked for who I am, not because of my crown. I wish to simply be Legolas."

Maya was surprised, he'd never been so brutally honest with her before and in a way she felt bad for him. It had to be hard knowing that people were only trying to befriend you because it could advance their social standing. Legolas never acted like a prince and to be perfectly honest, most of the time Maya forgot he was royalty. There was just something so down to earth about him.

"If it's any consolation...to me, you are simply Legolas," she said timidly. She wasn't sure what possessed her to say that but the smile that lit his face after was well worth it. Hell, any smile of his was.

"I am glad to hear it," said the elf.

...

Jen listened carefully through her bedroom door as Legolas and Maya talked.

"You're such a pain," said Justin with a smirk, knowing his remark would bug the hell out of Jen. She hated it when he made fun of her.

She turned and stuck her tongue out at him, "You know you love me. Besides, this conversation is so cute!"

From the bed, Justin arched an eyebrow as he continued to work on his laptop, "You do realize they haven't expressly said anything about liking each other right?"

"Well, yea but come on we both know that when they say 'friendship' its really code for something else," said Jen.

"Yea...no. I think that you should butt out and let the chips fall where they may," said Justin, "Besides, he's going back to Middle Earth, Jen, this is a recipe for disaster."

Jen scowled "Listen, its been two years since that jerk broke her heart and she hasn't really dated since then. I just want to see her happy and I really think that she and Legolas are a match. They might not even realize it yet but the spark is there. My job as her best friend is to make sure that spark gets a chance to turn into a flame."

Justin sighed. He knew Jen was right, Maya wasn't going to take the plunge on her own even if there was a spark. The issue he had with this whole thing was that they both would be left heartbroken when the time came for Legolas to go home.

"Have you even thought about what will happen if they do fall in love and he goes home?"

Jen groaned. Why did he always have to burst her bubble with his dart of logic? Sure she'd thought about it, but there was that saying "love conquers all" and she really wanted to believe there was some truth to that.

"Yes, Captain Logic, I have," she said as she strained to hear what was going on in the living room, "But I happen to believe in the power of love. Fate can't be so cruel as to bring them together from different worlds, defying all sense, only to tear them apart."

"I hope you're right," said Justin closing his laptop before walking over to kiss her, "You know I love you right?"

She smiled and rolled her eyes, "Yea...I guess I love you too."

Taking her hand, he gave it a gentle squeeze, "Come on, let's see what they're up to."

...

"You did what?" asked Maya incredulously.

Legolas laughed, "I do not jest, my adar nearly had my head when he found out I'd stolen his bow and nearly shot one of the attendants. That's when he decided to give me one of my own and he recruited one of the master archers to teach me. From that day forth, I would not be separated from my bow."

"I'm surprised he didn't kill you after all that, especially when you snuck into his study and made a mess," said Maya before laughing. It was amazing how everything was so easy with him, so effortless.

"I was quite a handful as an elfling," said the elf, "though my father would have used some more colourful words to describe me."

The door to the bedroom slowly creaked open as Jen and Justin emerged. She nudged her fiancé when she realized how closely seated their friends were. Even Justin had to admit, they looked pretty cozy; Maya was leaning the side of her head against the back of the couch and Legolas was relaxed, his body angled towards hers.

Legolas and Maya stopped their conversation abruptly when they realized they were being watched.

"So what have we decided?" asked Justin.

"I'm going to do it," said Maya giving Legolas a small smile and he nodded gratefully, "it's the best chance we've got."

"Alright, so next week we're gonna educate Edward Bernstein in the art of persuasion," said Justin, "I hope it all works out."

"Regardless of the outcome, I truly appreciate your efforts," said Legolas.

Jen walked over to the table and picked up her purse before turning to Maya, "I was thinking we could take the afternoon to go shopping for our dresses for the engagement party. It's been a while since we did something like that."

Maya looked at Legolas. Was he going to be okay without her? They hadn't been separated since the night he crashed into her living room.

"Go," said the elf, "I believe that I can handle myself."

Maya was still unsure. Last time she'd almost lost him in central park. She didn't even want to think about the trouble he could get into while she was gone.

"He'll just hang out with me," said Justin reassuringly, "Everything's going to be fine. You girls go and do your thing and we'll have some guy time here."

"Alright...but call me if there's anything. You have my cell number," she said and Jen squealed with delight.

Before she knew it, Maya was being dragged out the door by her overenthusiastic best friend.

Justin took a seat on the couch and sighed with contentment, "Finally, some peace and quiet. Want to play some Xbox?"

Legolas furrowed his eyebrows, "What is...Xbox?"

Justin grinned, reaching for the controllers and tossing one to Legolas, "Oh this is going to be fun."

...

Maya had to admit that even though they had gone to about six different stores and still not found their dresses, she was having a pretty good time. It was nice to hang out with Jen like this.

"I missed you, girl," said Jen putting her arm around Maya as they walked, "This needs to happen more often."

"I know, there's really no excuse," agreed Maya, "Why don't we try in here?"

They walked into the gigantic BCBG boutique and Maya's eyes widened at the size of the place. How do they even manage a place like this?, she thought.

"We practically need to work out a system to go through all of these dresses," said Jen.

Maya laughed, "Oh definitely, this is going to take a while."

They began going through the rows of clothing racks, picking out all the dresses they wanted to try on.

"Look at this awful one," said Jen holding up a hideous zebra patterned mini-dress. Maya scrunched her nose in disgust and laughed.

"Oh yea, that's the one for you, right there," she teased. Despite the fact that she was having a good time, Maya couldn't help but wonder how Legolas and Justin were holding up.

Jen saw her friend biting her lip as she continued to look through the racks, it was a quirky habit of Maya's whenever she was distracted or bothered by something.

"You're thinking about him, aren't you." It was more of a statement than a question and Maya gave her a weird look.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Jen smirked, "Yes you do. You and I both know I'm referring to a certain gorgeous, elven prince."

"I'm just wondering if they're okay," said Maya defensively.

Jen shook her head and slung one more dress on her arm to add to the pile of 'maybes', "You like him."

"Of course I like him, he's a friend." Jen was obviously nuts; they were friends and that was it. Sure, he was gorgeous and perfect in every way but that was besides the point.

"No, I mean you like him," emphasized Jen. At the first sign that Maya was going to protest she held up her hand, "Come on, stop kidding yourself sweetheart. You two looked awfully comfortable sitting on that couch together and watching you interact is like being an audience for a romantic comedy."

"He was just telling me about his home, what is so cozy about that?" asked Maya, "Seriously Jen, you're reading way too much into this."

Jen shook her head "I think I'm right and that scares you, because when I say it out loud then you have to face it," she said, "Have you tried to picture him naked yet?"

"Jen!" cried Maya. Leave it to Jen to bring sex into the conversation,"That's so inappropriate. I already told you I'm not going to sleep with him!"

She only realized how loud that came out when the sales clerk gave her a weird look. Great. This was embarrassing. To make matters worse, because of Jen, now she had to make a conscious effort not to try and picture Legolas naked.

Jen laughed, it was so easy to get a rise out of Maya, "So you don't deny that you've got a little crush on him."

"Fine! Maybe I do," snapped Maya, "but its nothing more than that."

A devious smirk crept onto Jen's face, "I'm pretty sure he likes you too."

Before she could stop herself, Maya's mouth was way ahead of her "What? What makes you say that?"

Bingo, I've got her, thought Jen.

Maya blushed as her friend continued to smirk at her.

After a few moments, Jen took out a shimmery champagne-coloured gown and tossed it to Maya, "That's your dress. It will look amazing on you. Lets go try this stuff on."

...

"Okay, you see those guards there? I think there's a way you can slip passed them unnoticed," said Justin pointing towards the screen. Assassin's Creed was one of his favourite games.

Legolas moved the joystick with his fingers and slowly guided his character passed the guards. He was pleasantly surprised to find that he enjoyed this game very much. "I am going to ambush him over the wall," he said as he locked onto his target and with the press of a button he jumped and sunk his dagger into their unsuspecting victim.

"Alright! That was awesome, Legolas. You really got the hang of this quick," cried Justin.

Legolas smirked, "I am enjoying this very much."

He was amazed at how real everything looked and he secretly wished Maya had this Xbox at home, it was very amusing.

Justin laughed. This was awesome. He was playing Assassin's Creed with Legolas Thranduilion. Damn, this was cool.

"Maya might not be so keen on the fact that I got you into this stuff though," he said.

Legolas raised an eyebrow, "Does she not enjoy this?"

"Well, a lot of girls think its juvenile. Jen makes fun of me all the time for playing video games."

"How could it be juvenile when it involves strategizing and problem solving?" asked Legolas as he used the joysticks to run away from the guards.

"Exactly! You totally get it," said Justin, "Hey try hiding in there, they shouldn't be able to see you."

Legolas obeyed and made for the hay stack. Despite himself, he found himself thinking about Maya, "Will they return soon?"

Justin burst out laughing, "Not likely dude, women take ages to shop, its like running a marathon or something. I usually just stay out of the way, its safer," he said, "Why? Do you miss her already?"

Legolas was caught off-guard, "I enjoy her company," he admitted after a few moments and Justin gave him a look that said 'I'm not buying it'.

The truth was Legolas did miss her. This was the only time in the last few days that they had been separated and he found himself wishing she were there, that he could make her laugh or observe her charming little quirks.

As a small smile crept on the elf's lips, Justin realized that Jen might have been bang on after all. Maybe he could probe, it was worth shot.

"Maya's a great girl," he said, "She should date more."

Legolas' head snapped up involuntarily, "Why?" he asked curiously. He wasn't sure why Justin's words bothered him so much.

Very interesting, thought Justin as he watched Legolas' reaction, "Well she's attractive, she's smart, she's got a great personality. I think she'd have no problem finding people who are interested in her."

Legolas didn't like the sound of this and his lips pressed in a thin line. He said nothing for a long time and tried his best to focus on the game but his thoughts drifted back to Maya and he felt his chest tighten. The thought of her with other men unsettled him.

When the elf said nothing, Justin took the other controller and paused the game, "Hey, I didn't mean to upset you."

Legolas absent-mindedly ran a hand through his hair, "You've done no wrong. Perhaps I am just being protective of her." What else could it be? She'd been so kind to him these last couple of days and he had grown to care for her. It was only natural that he would try to protect her from harm.

Justin sighed, "Have you ever thought that maybe you like her?"

Legolas knit his eyebrows, "Of course I enjoy her company." he said matter-of-factly.

"No man, I'm asking if you have feelings for her."

The elf stared at his palms and his heart began to thump in his chest as he realized Justin might be right. All it took was one smile from her to make him happy and somehow just her presence had managed to distract him from missing home. What frightened him was he might have kissed her, when they had their pillow fight, if his thoughts hadn't pulled him out of the trance. In nearly 3000 years of life, he'd never felt so mystified.

Justin watched Legolas struggle with his inner battle. If Maya and Legolas liked each other it was bittersweet. This could easily blossom into love but what would they do when he left? Would he even want to leave if they fell in love? Another thing that worried Justin was that Legolas was immortal, and when Maya died, he would fade from a broken heart if they chose to bind.

"Don't worry man, they'll be back soon. Probably with about ten bags each," he said trying to lighten the mood. Legolas faked a smile as he tried to make sense of the swirling of emotions within him.

...

"What makes you think he likes me?" probed Maya as she set about trying on her third dress. She would never admit it to Jen but the idea that Legolas might like her was enough to make her heart skip a beat.

She heard a giggle from the changing room beside hers, "Come on, Maya. He always talks to you, you're practically inseparable and I catch him looking at you all the time."

"He looks at me?"

"I've caught him several times when he thinks you're not looking, it's really cute," said Jen struggling with the zipper of her dress, "I'm coming out to show you this one, can you help me zip it up?"

"Yea, just hold on a sec," said Maya as she pulled her own gown on. She needed to get rid of the silly grin on her face before it gave her away to Jen. That girl would have a field day, seeing Maya's emotions displayed so freely.

The two women walked out of their changing rooms and Maya helped Jen zip up her dress. Looking at her friend, Maya thought right then and there that the midnight blue, strapless gown was stunning on Jen. She would have to be crazy not to take that one, she was a knock-out.

"You've found your dress," she said, "It's perfect."

"You like it? This was my favourite one," said Jen happily, "I wonder if Justin would like it."

Maya smiled, and gave Jen's had a squeeze, "He won't know what hit him when he sees you in this. Get the dress, Jen. This is the one."

"Alright, alright. I'm gonna get it," said Jen excitedly before looking Maya up and down, "Try the one I picked out for you, the one you have on now doesn't look quite right."

Maya waltzed back into the changing room with a sigh, she was sick of trying on dresses. Minutes later she looked at her reflection in the mirror of her cabin. The backless halter dress hugged her curves and brought out the soft strawberry blonde of her hair.

"Come out! I wanna see!" said Jen impatiently and when Maya stepped out of the cabin, she clasped her hands together, "Oh my god, you look hot."

"It's a really pretty dress," agreed Maya. Hot wasn't exactly how she would describe herself, but she liked the look of the gown. She had to admit, Jen had amazing taste.

"I won't let you buy any other dress, I love it," said Jen, "I'm sure Legolas will love it too."

Maya scowled, "I'm not buying this for him."

"Never said you were, I'm just saying he's gonna be speechless when he sees you in it. Besides, he is going to be your date, right?"

"Yea, if he's still around..." said Maya. She hated the thought of him leaving. How was she supposed to wrap her head around the fact that she would never see him again? Her heart sank at the thought. What was she doing? She couldn't have a crush on him, in a few weeks he was going to walk out of her life forever.

Jen smiled reassuringly, "He will be, don't worry."

"Nothing good is going to come out of this," said Maya and all of the excitement from before melted away as reality set in, "He's going to leave and he's immortal Jen. Humans and elves don't belong together."

"Who says?" countered Jen.

"Just look at Arwen and Aragorn, she gave up her immortality to be with him and when he dies, she'll die too. That's what happens when an elf loses their soulmate, they can't survive. If anything were to happen between Legolas and I, it would be a death sentence for him," said Maya and Jen's lips formed an 'O'.

"Well, I didn't know that," she said sadly, "You and Justin are the Lord of the Rings specialists here, but love has to be worth the price if Arwen is willing to pay it, right?"

"I guess...but that's a whole different set of issues, Jen. He's still leaving in a few weeks tops, and if I allow my feelings to go beyond a crush, I don't know if I'll be able to take another heartbreak," admitted Maya, "There is just so much wrong with this, I shouldn't even go there. Everything is working against this."

Jen took Maya in her arms and gave her a big hug, "Listen sweetie, since Nick you've spent so much time ignoring what your heart wants. Just let yourself go because you can try to distance yourself all you want and ignore your feelings but you can't stop your heart from falling. Just enjoy his company while he's here and we'll figure it all out."

Just then Jen's phone rang and Justin's name came up on the caller ID. She smiled apologetically at Maya and answered the call.

"Hey honey," she said.

"Hey, you girls almost done? We're gonna wait until you come back to have diner."

"Yea, we're just finishing up, we should be home in a half hour. How's Legolas doing?"

"He's good. Guy time was fun," said Justin and Jen gave Maya a thumbs up to signal that Legolas was alright.

"Okay well I'll see you soon, love you!" she said.

"Love you too."

Jen hung up and put her phone back in her purse, "Okay lets change out of these dresses and head home. Our work here is done. Just remember what I said Maya."

...

Jen and Maya heard excited shouting as they entered the apartment. What the hell was going on in there?

Maya couldn't believe what she saw when they entered the living room. Legolas was holding an Xbox controller in his hands, playing Assassin's Creed, and Justin was cheering him on as he ran after his target. This was the weirdest thing she'd ever seen.

When Legolas made eye contact with her, she felt herself blush and her heart began to pound. Oh man, she had it bad, this was the mother of all crushes.

"Come on man, you're almost there!" cried Justin and Jen rolled her eyes.

"We leave you alone for a few hours and already you corrupt his mind," said Maya laughing, trying to compose herself.

Legolas smirked, "I was told you might not approve."

"Just as long as you don't turn into him," teased Maya as she pointed to Justin.

"Yea well at least I don't take four hours to buy one dress," said Justin. This earned him a playful hit from Jen who picked up the phone to order pizza.

Maya watched as Legolas continued to play. Since her talk with Jen, she was completely aware of every single thing he did to her. She needed a distraction.

"Can I try?" she asked and Legolas gave her an amused look before handing her the controller. She couldn't remember the last time she played a video game, but right now she was desperate for any kind of diversion from what she was feeling.

Justin and Legolas watched with amusement as she struggled to climb the wall and then got herself killed by a group of guards. Maya laughed, it was official, she sucked at this.

"I think the elf's got you beat on this one Maya," said Justin taking the controller from her hands as the game loaded the last save point.

Jen came back into the living room and sat down on one of the chairs, "Pizza's on its way."

Maya could only smile at how ridiculous this all was. A night of pizza and Xbox with her friends and Legolas Thranduilion, wow. It just didn't get any stranger than that. Tomorrow it was back to work, back to facing her colleagues and she would have to figure out what to do with Legolas while she was at the office. The elf's amused smile pulled her out of her thoughts and she blushed as they made eye contact. It had to be illegal to be that gorgeous. If he kept this up, she was in real trouble.

...

When the evening came to an end, Legolas and Maya walked back to her apartment in silence, each stealing glances when the other wasn't looking. Legolas was still trying to convince himself that what he was feeling was nothing more than protectiveness for a friend.

He turned to glance at Maya as they walked. Justin was right, she was beautiful and she had a wonderful personality, there was no reason she couldn't attract a list of suitors. His heart sank at the thought and this time, he had much more difficulty convincing himself that these feelings were born out of nothing more than concern for her. The tips of his ears turned slightly pink as he realized she'd caught him staring at her and the elf looked away quickly, embarrassed. Maya blushed, the situation was so painfully awkward now that she was aware of her feelings and Legolas was obviously not in the mood to talk very much. Since he'd arrived, they'd never had awkward silences last this long.

After what felt like an eternity they reached her apartment and this time for the elf's sake, Maya agreed to take the stairs up to her floor. She unlocked the door and tossed the keys on the counter.

"Well," she said, setting her purse down, "I'm going to go to bed."

Legolas nodded, "Have pleasant dreams."

Without thinking, Maya walked right up to him, stood on her toes and planted a soft lingering kiss on his cheek.

Legolas stood perfectly still as her lips came in contact with his skin, trying to conceal the fact that his heart was racing. When she pulled away, Maya chided herself. This certainly wasn't going help her situation, especially when all she could think about was pulling him in and kissing him on the lips. She decided it was best to just go to bed before she could embarrass herself anymore.

"Um, uh... goodnight" she stammered quickly before disappearing to her room, leaving a stunned elf in her wake.

Legolas slowly ran his fingers over the area her lips had touched just moments ago. It scared him to admit that he wished she would kiss him again. Try as he might, there was no denying it anymore, he had feelings for her. He realized with sadness that this marked the beginning of his downfall. First, he was leaving and she was staying here so anything between them was doomed. Secondly, she was mortal, falling in love with her would mean his death. Regardless, Legolas knew that if his destiny was to love her, he was powerless to stop it. If the Valar willed it, he had no say.

Sighing, he made his way over to the window and looked down at the busy New York streets to try and distract his racing mind, but all he could think about was that kiss.

...

Hannon le- thank you

adar- father

A/N: Hey everyone, so that was chapter 4. Please review and let me know what you think. Your feedback means a lot! Looking forward to hearing from you :)