An- Hey all! A relatively quick chapter! Woot! Would have been up faster, but both Jnae and I were both out for the week! Hope you enjoy anyway, and hope that the next one can be up with as much quickness (no promises)! Oh, and to Manwathiel about inquiring to my health...I'm feeling great and thank you for caring...it makes me feel all tingily inside! LOL!

Chapter 14

"I believe," Mila spoke, rummaging through her room as Carla and Erin looked on, "that the dress I wore for my own wedding should be able to fit you, since you have not the time nor means to have your own made."

"If it fits," Erin told the other woman, "I will be in debt to you forever!"

"It should," Mila told her with a laugh, handing Erin a long, white dress, "You may not be able to tell by me now, not with my belly swollen with seven months worth of babe, but once I was quite a slender young woman!"

"I believe you," Carla told her as Erin inspected the dress, letting her eyes wander over Mila's frame, knowing with a bit of envy that when not pregnant, the woman was slim…a bit more tiny than Carla's own muscular and curvy body.

"This is so beautiful!" Erin exclaimed in delight; she had always imagined her wedding dress being a medieval fashion such as this.

"I'll leave so that you may try it on," Mila spoke, leaving the room to Carla and Erin.

"Okay," Carla spoke, turning to Erin and the dress, "let's get you into this thing…God I hate dresses!"

"All that said…you look gorgeous in yours…" Erin spoke, her excited voice muffled as she pulled her t-shirt up over her head.

Carla looked down at herself, and wondered how she could have ever thought that green was her color. She had borrowed this dress from one of the younger girls who had been left in the village. It was no where as near as spectacular as the one Jane had borrowed (a pale blue that hung to her in all the right places and dipped low enough in the back to get some imaginations going), nor the one Erin was getting into herself into. Carla's was a simple green gown with long, flowy sleeves that hung almost as low as her hem. The best part was the golden stitching around the somewhat high neckline in the shapes of leaves. The dress hung a bit wrong, but since this was Erin's day and not her own, she hadn't said a word.

"Coming in!" Niori's voice broke out a second before she, with Jane at her heals, walked into the room.

Niori and Jane stopped and stared in amazement as their gazes fell on Erin, who had gotten on the dress and stood before them in it.

The ivory of the dress seemed to illuminate Erin's pale skin so much that she seemed to be glowing. The dress itself was nothing overly dramatic, plain white with long sleeves that cut low enough that Erin's shoulders were exposed. Yet Erin looked amazingly beautiful in the simplicity; flashy and overly dramatic was not a look for her.

"You look so beautiful!" Jane told her friend in astonished delight.

"Yeah," Niori told her jokingly, "Every guy here is going to regret it's not them you're marrying as soon as they see you in that dress!"

Erin laughed, shaking her head. Carla rolled her eyes at Niori, knowing that Niori would joke all she wanted, but at the end of the day, she knew her guy wouldn't feel like that.

Not that Niori looked all that bad herself; she wore the same dress as she had borrowed from Jullianne back in their old camp, but as an added touch she had braided her hair into two braids and somehow weaved flowers into them.

Yet it didn't matter, because this was Erin's day and she would over shadow them all.

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"Oh my God…I can't do this!"

"Erin, breath!"

Erin bent her head into her knees and sucked in a number of quick, large breaths. This did nothing to quell her tumbling stomach…in fact, it only brought her that much closer to hyper ventilating.

"I can't do this!" she cried, feeling the nausea swell in her stomach and throat, "I cannot go through this! I can't get married!"

"Erin!" Jane cried, seizing Erin's frantically waving wrists, "You have got to calm down!"

"Calm down! CALM DOWN!" Erin screamed, unable to control herself, "I'm about to walk down the damn isle…and you expect me to CALM DOWN!"

"Erin!" Niori tried now, commanding her friend to silence with her authoritarian voice, "Do you love Frodo!"

"Yes!"

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with him!"

"Yes!"

"Do you want you, him and Elijah and any future children to be together as an official family?"

"Yes!"

"Then you and Frodo getting married is the right thing to do!"

Despite the fact it made sense, Erin could not stop herself from feeling panicked. Nor did it stop any of the symptoms of an apparent nervous breakdown.

"I…I…" she started, unable to finish because her voice choked off.

"My God," Carla whispered to Jane at the other end of the room as Niori continued to calm Erin, "I thought this was supposed to be the best day of your life!"

"I'm pretty sure nerves get all brides just before the ceremony," Jane replied, grimacing a bit at how completely wrecked Erin looked, "and apparently, some get it very bad…"

"I'm scared…" Erin whispered fiercely to Niori, "I love Frodo and want to be with him forever…but I don't know anything about being a wife! I'm only nineteen…I don't know how to keep a house or anything else a wife, especially in this time period, is supposed to know how to do!"

"Erin," Niori told her with a small, comforting laugh, "I'm pretty sure you can't know 'how to be' a wife until you're actually one! And it's not a generic thing…you're still you but with a different title. Besides, I can hardly see Frodo as the kind of guy who would expect you to be miss obedient wife, barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen! Now come on, dry those would be tears before they ruin that dress you're wearing and let's go get you married to the love of your life and the father of your child."

Erin gave a nod, knowing that Niori was right. She wanted this more than anything, and a tiny batch of butterflies or a case of cold feet was not going to stop her.

"Okay…" Erin breathed, "Okay…"

The four of them moved out of the building, Niori, Jane and Carla leading the way for Erin. Though the traditional weddings here were very similar to the ones in her own world, there were still some minor differences that had been previously discussed. Here they didn't have bridesmaids nor groomsmen, but for her own ceremony, Erin had insisted that Jane, Niori and Carla stand up with her, the four of them maids of honor.

They came to where everyone was waiting under the clear, cloudless sky and Erin felt her stomach do a flip flop again. The three girls moved up the isle ahead of her and took their places, waiting for her.

With her breath caught in her throat, Erin tore her eyes off the ground and looked down the isle. As soon as she saw Frodo down there, waiting for her with a big goofy smile on his lips, all of her fears were washed away. This was right…how it was meant to be.

Even if she had no idea what she was getting herself into for life, she knew that Frodo would be there to support her. He loved her…and she loved him. Besides, there was no one she'd rather learn to be a wife with.

Taking a deep breath, Erin felt a smile break out across her face as she began her march down the isle.

She felt as all eyes turned on her, as awe filled smiles broke over their faces, and she had never felt more beautiful. It wasn't vanity, but she understood now why they always said a woman was most beautiful on her wedding day; it wasn't necessarily that she be outwardly beautiful, but it was how she felt on the inside…and how that inner joy made her seem to others.

When she had finally reached the end and stopped beside Frodo, she felt as though time would stop. This was her perfect moment…the two of them smiling at each other in love and about to commit to each other for life.

The moment didn't stop, but went on and the ceremony continued. It wasn't the normal Christen wedding she was used to, but that was okay for her. She was in Middle-Earth, and as the saying went "when in Rome, do as the Romans".

The elder of the village, the old woman who had greeted them on their arrival, continued on until they came to the part where it was Frodo and Erin's time to speak.

"I do," Frodo's voice spoke without hesitation, and then the question was asked of Erin.

"I do," she whispered softly, feeling the tears of joy sting her eyes.

Then, Erin bent down and she and Frodo had their quick wedding kiss.

From this moment fourth, Frodo the ringbearer from the Shire and Erin of the otherworld would spend the rest of their lives, no matter how long or short, as husband and wife.

I could not ask for more than this time together

Could not ask for more than this time with you

Every prayer has been answered

Every dream has come true.

Yeah right here in this moment is right where I'm meant to be…

Here with you, here with me.

No could not ask for more than this love you gave me

'cuz it's all I've waited for…and I could not ask for more

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Niori watched as Frodo and Erin danced together as the sun sank low below the tree line. The fries had been lit long ago to provide both light and warmth, but since she stood so far away, gooseflesh covered her semi bare shoulders. This was a party for more than just Erin and Frodo, but from them all; one brief moment of joy and relaxation before world could completely crumble down around them.

She felt someone wrap an arm casually around her waist and a small smile broke over her face. She leaned back against him, feeling warm and secure.

"She looks so beautiful," she whispered, looking on at one of her dearest friends with tears of joy shining in her eyes.

"You look rather lovely yourself," Legolas replied, tightening his hold on her waist and smiling at the same sight Niori was; other's joy was sweetly intoxicating at times like these.

"No," Niori replied softly, "this is day belongs to Erin, so don't take away from her by complimenting me. It's all hers today; the beauty, the attention, the compliments…everything. When it's my wedding day, then you can comment about me all you want."

Legolas had no reply to that, and for a moment a shot of icy, sorrowful fear ran through her heart.

"Don't you see that for us?"

"Of course I do!" Legolas replied hastily. He didn't understand why he had even hesitated like that, even for but a moment. He wanted to marry her, but someday…he didn't think he was even ready for marriage at this very moment.

"Good," Niori replied with a laugh, rolling her eyes at how typically guy Legolas had just seemed, "And it's not like I want you to drop down on one knee anytime soon! As far as I'm concerned, marriage is just a formality; we'll still be the same us, the same love, just with some vows and a ring that make us a little more official."

Legolas laughed…apparently he wasn't the only one who was in no rush to rush into married life.

"Come on," she spoke after a moment, grabbing on to his arm, "let's go dance and have some fun!"

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Elijah joined her at the "bar" just as Jane was taking another sip of her second glass of wine (just second! No more!).

"This is high-class stuff", she observed, raising her class and observing it sarcastically.

Elijah smiled. "I heard some things about the last time you attended a party like this one." He said shrewdly.

"You did? Ah, well. Carla told you?"

He nodded.

"Well, she's bound to tell anyone who will listen. That was a nightmare." She half-laughed, "This is the first time I've drank since then." She thought back to the time she had confessed her undying love to Aragorn while totally wasted. Actually, she couldn't remember any of it, but from what she'd heard of it from her friends, it sounded kind of funny looking back.

She finished the drink and put the glass down, feeling not so much drunk, but happy (although, the sudden reminder of Aragorn had made her heart feel heavy).

"Congratulations on your parents wedding." She grinned, looking over at Erin and Frodo, who were busy accepting best wishes from everyone who had turned out to celebrate the Ring- Bearer's wedding (Surprisingly, half of Middle-Earth…at least, all of them in the vicinity of the village). "Niori, Carla and me are trying to act surprised by all this; we always knew it would happen eventually."

He nodded. "Thank you. I'm just glad my father is happy. I've never seen him so exuberant, so youthful, as he's been since Erin- um, Mother returned to Middle Earth."

"I'm glad he's doing well. And I've noticed you've stopped calling her Erin and started calling her Mother."

"Yes, Father insisted I do it, and quite frankly, I don't mind."

She stood up abruptly and brushed herself off. "Well, would you care to dance with me?"

He started and gave her a puzzled look. "Uh, Jane, are you drunk?"

"What? No! I'm not drunk! Trust me, after what I endured last time, you wouldn't get drunk again either."

He chuckled briefly. "True." His smile faded. "Then, why do you want to dance with me? Over the last little while, I've gotten the feeling you've been avoiding me."

Caught completely off guard, Jane quickly looked around to see if anyone was watching them. From what she could see, no one seemed to be.

"Yes, okay, I have been avoiding you." She agreed quietly. "But honestly, it's not because you did anything wrong."

He looked somewhat relieved.

"It's me. I- I shouldn't have kissed you. Erin could find out, and then there would be this ordeal. I mean, God- I'm practically your aunt! And she's my best friend, and of course"-

"Wait"- He stopped her rambling, "The reason you've been acting so strange is because of my mother? Shouldn't you trust me to make my own decisions? Not ones based on what Erin, my mother, might think?"

"Yes, of course." She sighed. "It's just- you don't know her the way I do. You don't know that she has the tendency to overreact. If we were seen together…" She trailed off. Whether it was the alcohol or not, she thought it might be the best time to tell him what she truly thought of him.

"Elijah, I like you." She said quietly, her eyes shining. "And if we weren't in this awful situation, I would date you."

He looked at her for a minute, as if making sure she was serious, then he pulled her behind a nearby curtain, where there was a small empty space.

"Jane, I feel the same way about you." He said, adjusting the curtain so no one could see the two (unless they stared directly at Elijah and Jane). But, Elijah and Jane weren't checking to see if they were being watched. That wasn't on their minds at all.

"You do?" She breathed. "Oh, God…"

She knew deep down that it was wrong, but she felt this amazing physical and mental attraction towards him, that she had been ignoring ever since they had gotten there. It wasn't just a crush, like what she had felt towards Aragorn, this was so much more, even though she felt like she hardly knew him. She thought she didn't believe in soul mates, but this was the closest she'd ever felt towards a guy…

"Look, we can do this, if you really want to." He spoke, taking her slightly trembling hand in his.

"We would have to hide it from everyone. No one must know. Not even Carla or Niori." She whispered, her eyes wide.

He nodded, his eyes wide with what could have been excitement or lust. Either way, she didn't care. Then, he kissed her behind that curtain. And she loved it.

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A yawn escaped from behind Niori's lips as she put a hand down on a table top and leaned heavily against a table to keep herself standing. Despite the fact that it was still relatively early and she hadn't even had a drink all day, she was extremely tired and about ready to turn in.

Niori, for her own part, couldn't help but see the irony in all this; the former sex kitten all out party girl, was now the first one ready to leave the party and go to bed.

She yawned again, casually glancing around to see if anyone else of importance had left yet. With a sigh, she noticed that though a few bodies were absent, pretty much everyone was still having a blast.

There goes my party girl reputation, Niori though with yet another sigh, wondering just why she had been so freaking tired over the past few days.

"Hey Legolas," she spoke, glancing at the Elf who stood a few feet away, deep in conversation with Gimli, "I'm going to head off to bed."

At first Legolas looked at her as though she had to be joking, and when he realized she wasn't, raised and eyebrow.

"Are you okay?" he asked, closing the small gap between them in two strides and looking at her in semi concern.

"I'm just really tired," Niori explained, and couldn't help but laugh at the raised eyebrow on his face; he knew her well enough to know that Niori just didn't get tired while at a party.

"Want me to come too?" Legolas asked and Niori shook her head.

"I'm fine," Niori replied, smiling up at him, "I'll see you when you get back."

Legolas nodded and without another word, Niori turned and began her trek back to her residence. She moved through the crowd quickly, nodding to anyone who greeted her. Finally, she reached the emptiness and breathed a soothing breath, hoping that the heavy feeling that she hadn't felt in a long time would clear from her head.

She kept moving until a small sound, very moan like, caught her attention. Niori stopped dead in her tracks, looking around to locate the source of the sound. She strained her ears, and when she heard it again, she realized it was coming from behind a tightly drawn curtain only a few steps away from where she stood.

Curiously, Niori moved over to it and pulled the curtain back a little…only to get the shock of her life.

She couldn't help but have her eyes open wide in shock or her mouth to fall into a large gape, because what…who, stood before her was Elijah and Jane…in the most heavy make out session she had ever seen, beating even all of her's on the passion meter!

Jane; sweet, innocent and virginal Jane and Elijah; the cute and cuddly kid that she had held as a baby not the long ago…were currently sucking face with each other…

This made absolutely no sense in her mind; she had known there had been a bit of an attraction, but OH MY GOD!

Letting the curtain fall from her hands as though it were on fire, Niori stumbled backwards violently and ran back towards her house, unable to fully comprehend what she had just seen; it could not make sense…Jane was Jane…and Elijah was, well, Elijah!

It took a few minutes of calming breaths, but after that, the full possibilities came into Niori's mind; that had to be the biggest possible blackmail material that Niori had ever witnessed. I mean…that was something that they both had to want to keep secret…and eventually, it may just come in handy that she knew…

Oh my God, Niori told herself, still unable to believe what she had just seen, that just destroyed my whole image of Jane as the cutesy, innocent school girl! Jesus…to think I thought she'd forever be all virginesque! That whole image is forever shattered!

And despite all those thoughts of blackmail and ruined images, one thought rained out above the rest…

I sure as hell hope I'm not around for the fireworks when Erin finds out…

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An- The lyrics used are "Could Not Ask for more" by Sarah Evans, so kudos for that great song! Hope you all enjoyed the wedding! A little hint about the future...everything's gonna go WAY down hill from here!