Chapter 9-The Watcher In The Water

Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Lord of the Rings or Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Except the Potential who is stuck in ME.

Summary: Buffy, Willow and Faith end up in Middle Earth and have no idea who they are.

A/N: This is set before the fight with Caleb but during Dirty Girls, so Faith is here and Molly is still alive at this point.

A/N: Anything in ... is in elvish.

Nina – Thank you. Maybe I'll write another little story. Faith/Legolas, hmmm, I see sparks flying.

Dazzler420 – Thanks.

Anna – The girls will remember things as they go along. Legolas hasn't noticed her yet but he will, don't worry.

tiny – thanks for your ideas.

Having been defeated by Caradhras, the Fellowship made their way down the snow covered mountainside. Their new destination was the doors of Moria, about fifteen miles south-west of Caradhras.

They reached the doors the next day. Although to Buffy, Willow and Faith it just looked like an ordinary wall. There was a tree planted on each side of where the others were looking. Gandalf was stood close to the wall, examining it.

"Well, let's see...Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight." He muttered to himself and anyone who was in hearing range. The moon came into view and the door revealed itself.

"Wow. Pretty." Willow said.

"It reads "The Doors of Durin. Speak friend and enter." Gandalf continued.

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry asked.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open. Annon Edhellen edro hi ammen." The doors didn't open. "Ando Eldarinwa a lasta quettanya, Fenda Casarinwa."

The doors still didn't open.

"Well, so much for that theory." Faith said.

SOME TIME LATER

The girls were dozing off, resting against the tree. Each of them was dreaming about their past.

Buffy

She was in a cave, somewhere underground. The air was slightly stale, meaning no-one had been down here in a while, well no-one alive anyway. She could sense evil lurking nearby. What she didn't realise was that the evil was right behind her. The evil in question was The Master. An ancient vampire, the head of the Order of Aurelius, his plan was to bring back the Old Ones, the original pureblood demons who had walked this earth. He bit into her and drained some of her blood. He then dropped her unconscious form into a puddle. With the Slayer's blood, he could now walk free and unleash Hell on this Earth.

Buffy woke up and saw that they were still sitting by the tree. Then she wondered why she suddenly woke up and she couldn't remember what her dream was about.

Willow looked around and saw Sam and Aragorn saying goodbye to Bill. Merry and Pippin were throwing stones into the water and Willow was about to throw one in when he (Aragorn) stopped Pippin from doing just that.

"Do not disturb the water" he warned.

"Oh, it's useless." Gandalf said, sitting down and taking off his hat.

Frodo realised something and stood up.

"It's a riddle," he said, "Speak 'friend' and enter. What's the elvish word for friend?"

"Mellon."

"We should've just said 'Open Sesame'." Buffy remarked, as they picked up their gear and walked inside the mine.

Gimli was talking animatedly to Legolas about the 'fabled hospitality of the dwarves' but what he didn't notice were the corpses, both dwarf and orc, littering the floor. When he did, he let out a cry full of grief. Boromir said:

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here! Now get out of here! Get out!!"

The Fellowship started to back out of the mine, weapons at the ready. As they reached the entrance, a tentacle came out of the water and grabbed Frodo by the ankle and held him aloft. His cries for help caught the attention of the others. The Hobbits attacked the creature first followed by Buffy and Faith, as they were nearest. The thing freed Frodo but as he was moving away, more tentacles came out of the water grabbing Frodo again and forcing the others back. This time all of the others joined in, attacking what looked to be a giant squid of some sort. Legolas was shooting the tentacles, Boromir and Aragorn were cutting them off with their swords and the girls were also doing the same. Aragorn cut off the one holding Frodo, who was caught by Boromir.

"Into the mines!!" Gandalf yelled, over all the noise.

They all ran into the mine and the squid tried to follow, but only succeeded in breaking the doors and preventing anyone (or anything) in or out.

"We now have but one choice." Said Gandalf, as a light came from the end of his staff. "We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world. Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed."

"After the racket we made, I highly doubt it." Muttered Buffy.

They passed their time climbing up steps and walking in silence, for fear that something may have heard them. Until the Fellowship stopped at the top of the stairs.

"I have no memory of this place."

Gandalf, not knowing where to go and needing time to think, decided that they should take a rest while they can. Some time later, Frodo noticed a shape climbing towards them. He hurried away and sat down next to Gandalf. Buffy and Faith could hear their entire conversation.

"There's something down there."

"It's Gollum."

"Gollum?"

"He's been following us for three days."

"He escaped the dungeons of Barad-dûr?"

"Escaped. Or set loose. He hates and loves the Ring. As he hates and loves himself. He will never be rid of his need for it."

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance."

"Pity? It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death. Some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them, Frodo? Do not be too eager to deal out death and judgement. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play, for good or ill, before this is over. The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of the Ring.

"I wish the Ring had never come. I wish none of this had happened."

"So do all that come to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring. In which you were also meant to have it. And that is an encouraging thought." He paused. "Eh - it's that way."

"He's remembered." Said Merry.

The Fellowship got to their feet and ready to move. Buffy and Faith felt that listening to Gandalf's little speech had boosted their morale, which was much needed considering the claustrophobic atmosphere of the mines.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down here. If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose...Let me risk a little more light." When they reached the bottom of the stairs, they came out into a large cavern. "Behold the great realm and Dwarf-city of Dwarrowdelf."

"There's an eye opener, and no mistake." Sam remarked.

TRANSLATIONS: Gate of the Elves, open now for me

Gate of the Elves listen to my word, Threshold of Dwarves