A/N ~

….Guess who will be in the same place at the same time and NOT miss each other this time? … what I'm saying is, GUESS WHO GETS REUNITED! Be excited :D

Chapter Twenty-One

Dancing and Darkness

Lace never smoked again.

She did, however, have much too much to drink.

Three tipsy, laughing hobbits sat upon a broken wall, before them a feast of breads, meats, and wine. Merry and Pippin puffed on their pipes as the three of them basked in the warm sun, feeling content.

"What a day," Sighed Lace, "I thought we were going to die!" And she broke out into laughter, as though the thought of death was hilarious.

The other two let out their own guffaws of laughter. "You know Lace" Said Pippin. "I always knew you weren't going to die."

Lace and Merry began to laugh, but Pippin shushed them quickly, indignant at their interrupting his words. "No, no," He said with a frown towards Merry. "I mean, because you've gotten quite brave haven't you?" He grinned at her, and she saw his rosy red cheeks and nose from drinking and couldn't help but throw her head back in laughter.

"No, really!" Pippin pressed on. "You say you come from a different world, but I'd say you must have Took blood in you!" He puffed his chest out proudly.

"Nah, I'd say she's got the worldly blood of the Brandybucks in 'er," Said Merry, his voice slightly muffled by the pipe's stem in his mouth. "She'd never be a Took from way in the safe depths from Hobbiton. Breefolk, she is!"

"Here, here!" Said Lace with a laugh gesturing to Merry, but when she saw the two of them exchange steely glances, she passed Pippin the wine bottle and lied down on her back. "Let's have some peace now!"

They quieted down for a moment, but it didn't last long. Before they knew what was happening, Merry and Pippin were laughing again and singing, their arms around each other.

"I feel like I'm back at the Green Dragon, after a hard day's work," Said Pippin.

Lace laughed, but Merry took the words right out of her mouth: "Only you've never done a hard day's work, Pippin!" He said, and Lace and Pippin burst into laughter.

Lace looked up at the blue sky and watched the wispy clouds drag lazily across the sky, hearing Merry and Pippin talking and the pale waters lapping gently against the feet of Isengard. And there was something else, too. She heard the sound of horses drawing near. Merry stood beside her, and lifting the wine bottle high in the air, said,

"Welcome, my lords, to Isengard!"

Lace sat up quickly and her eyes grew wide as she saw her companions, Aragorn, Gimli, Legolas, and Gandalf. She cheered in delight at the sight of them. They looked upon Isengard with astonishment.

" You young rascals!" Said Gimli in a reprimanding tone. "A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting and - and smoking!"

Lace laughed and jumped up onto her feet.

"We are sitting on a field of victory, enjoying a few well-earned comforts," said Pippin with a full mouth. "The salted pork is particularly good."

Merry nodded, a puff of smoke slipping from his lips.

"Salted pork…?" Repeated Gimli, his face lighting up.

"Hobbits." Said Gandalf, shaking his head.

"We're under orders from Treebeard," Concluded Merry, "Who's taken over management of Isengard. "

As he spoke, more riders came from the shade of the forest: Three men and a lady elf with dark hair and silvery eyes. The men seemed to look upon the hobbits with bemused interest, and then in their own shock at what had become of Isengard. But the lady elf stared at Lace, and Lace stared right back. As her large green eyes took in the silvery blue ones, as small, red-haired Lace beheld the tall, slender dark lady, she let out a cry and leapt from the wall, dropping down into the water and running towards her.

Alexis jumped hastily off her horse and waded, unthinking, through the water that came only up to her knees, but almost had the two-and-a-half-feet tall girl swimming toward her. She bent down and picked up the hobbit, and Lace wrapped her arms and legs around the elf like a child grappling onto her mother.

They embraced for a long time, as everyone watched. Not all of them understood, but Legolas had become great friends with both of them in their own time, and he knew. These two had been searching so desperately for each other, and here, at the foot of Isengard, after a fantastic battle for each of them, they were reunited at last.

When they broke apart, tears streaming down their faces, the two of them laughed and laughed, looking over each other. They hadn't seen each other since that night in the abandoned shop. It was strange for both of them to see each other in their new bodies; Lace was awed by Alexis' tall, majestic elven form, while Alexis couldn't help laughing at Lace's short stature and large feet.

They touched their foreheads together, grinning and laughing.

"I have so much to tell you, Little Lace," Said Alexis in a soft voice.

"And I!" Laughed Lace, nodding in agreement.

Alexis laughed too, and lifted Lace to set her upon her Tuarwen. "By the way," she said, hesitating. "What's a Treebeard?"

She got her answer immediately, and gave a great gasp as the great tree strode over to them and bent over to look at them with what appeared to be two great, shiny eyes in a massive tree face.

"Ah," She said in a meek voice, her eyes wide, and Lace laughed behind her. "I see."

A great voice then bellowed from the depths of the tree, like a stretching sort of sound, or the groaning of trees in the wind, but it formed words and spoke. "Huraroom ... Young Master Gandalf, I'm glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and, stone I can master, but there's a wizard to be managed here ... Locked in his tower."

The company turned their eyes up to the great tower Orthanc, a black mark against the blue sky, a darkness in the beauty and peace the day had brought them thus far. They moved closer to the foot of the tower, with the Hobbits climbing onto the horses, with Pippin infront of Gandalf and Merry behind Aragorn. Lace sat in front of Alexis.

"Let's just have his head and be done with it," Said Gimli.

Gandalf stared up the long length of Orthanc. "No," he said quietly, and almost with disappointment. "He has no power anymore."

The Ent nodded heavily. "The filth of Saruman is washing away…" He boomed, as he looked happily at the water that flowed all over. "Trees will come back to live here, young trees … wild trees …"

There was a splash and Lace looked around to see dear Pippin in the water, and plunging his hands into the depths, drawing out something glowing with a golden light. It was a strange, spherical stone, in the depths of which seemed to billow clouds, almost as if a storm raged inside of the orb. Pippin stared at it intently for a short moment.

"Peregrin Took!" Said Gandalf urgently. Pippin looked up quickly, but Gandalf's voice softened a little, though still full of a strange urgency. "I'll take that, my lad."

Pippin didn't move. His eyes were drawn back down, staring in wonder at the smooth, black stone.

"Quickly now!"

Reluctantly, Pippin handed the stone to Gandalf, who immediately smothered it in his cloak. Gandalf looked back down at Pippin, troubled. Pippin looked down as though scolded.

A darkness crossed Lace like a shiver down her spine as she thought of that stone, and the way Pippin glanced sheepishly back up to where Gandalf had it hidden in his cloak. She looked back up t the dark tower and shivered.

"Wow." Said Alexis.

"Wow!" Said Lace.

They both laughed. They sat at a long table with Legolas, Gimli and others, in the great hall back in Edoras. They had told each other their long stories, and at the end of it, each girl felt lighter, having let their own stories off their chest, but also heavier for the story being laid upon them.

"You must tell me more of this Frodo," Said Alexis with a wink, and Lace went as red as her hair, and opened her mouth to speak, but Eomer appeared before them with five great mugs of ale. He handed them to Alexis, Legolas, Gimli and Lace, and kept one for himself.

"No pauses, no spills," He said, nodding to Legolas and Gimli.

"And no regurgitation!" Put in the Dwarf, pulling the mug greedily to himself and eying it excitedly.

The men around them burst into laughter, but Lace and Alexis didn't quite understand, and neither, it seemed, did Legolas.

"So, it's a drinking game?" He said slowly.

More cheers from the men, and Gimli said, looking quite pleased with himself, "Last one standing wins!"

Legolas looked down at his mug, a worried expression on his face. He didn't seem to understand the point of it, nor did he appear to think he would be able to do it. But he nodded in agreement, and took his first sip after taking a whiff of the brew, while Gimli chugged his own mug faster than Lace could drink clear water. She laughed and cheered.

"Come on, Legolas!" She cried. "You can do it!" She looked around at Alexis and saw her peering up at Legolas with pink cheeks. She wondered if Alexis had already had too much to drink! But she began to drain her own mug, and then someone was pulling on her arm, and she allowed herself to be led away from the drinking contest.

It was Pippin! He grasped her hand firmly, his face red with drunkenness, and, before she could protest, he lifted her up to a table, where Merry was waiting for her with open arms. He grabbed her from Pippin and set her down before him.

There were men crowded all round the table, cheering and shouting at the two of them. Pippin climbed up and joined them presently. He grabbed Lace's hand once more and lifted it up high into the air, so high that she was pulled off her feet a little.

"Here she is!" He shouted. "She's a great dancer, I told you so! Now she'll dance for you!"

Lace gave him a quick glance. "What!" She said with wide eyes. "Pippin!"

"And a lovely singer, too, of course," Merry put in, bringing his face almost a little too close to hers, making her flush.

She shook her head fervently. "No!" She yelped. "I can't sing, don't make me!"

And then all at once, Merry and Pippin were dancing around her and clapping their hands and singing,

"Oh you can search far and wide,
You can drink the whole town dry,
But you'll never find a beer so brown,
As the one we drink in our hometown.
You can drink your fancy ales,
You can drink them by the flagon,
But the only brew for the brave and true,
Comes from the Green Dragon!"

Some of the lines were sung slightly off rhythm with each other, almost as if the Hobbits were starting to sing a round; whether they were actually intending to sing in a round and changed their minds or whether this was merely an effect of them having more than one pint was unknown to Lace. By this point, she didn't much care. She was having fun. It was as if a great weight had been taken off of her shoulders. She felt free.

She joined in with them for the second time around of singing ( as the men had cried "encore!" until they did so), but when they got to the last two lines, and sang, The only brew for the brave and true… Pippin stopped and looked around, his eyes meeting with those of Gandalf. The wizard watched them with a laugh.

"Pippin!" cried Merry indignantly, and Pippin turned around so that the three Hobbits could put their faces close together and, stomping their feet, yell,

But the only brew for the brave and true

Comes from the Green Dragon!

And they crashed their mugs together and drained their ale simultaneously. The men cheered and cried in applause, but Lace climbed down off the table and began to walk to Gandalf. She stopped before the pillar on which the old man leaned, as Aragorn appeared beside him and began to speak.

"No news of Frodo?" He said.

Lace's heart raced and she strained her ears to listen.

"No word," Gandalf replied. "Nothing." And Lace felt her heart sink at these words. She leaned heavily on the other side of the pillar, running a hand through her hair. Her face felt hot from drinking too much, but she felt as sober as ever.

"We have time," murmured Aragorn encouragingly. "Every day, Frodo moves closer to Mordor."

"Do we know that?" Said Gandalf.

"What does your heart tell you?" Aragorn replied.

Lace closed her eyes and held her hands close to her heart. She felt something around her neck, against her chest, and looked down at it. It was the compass Lady Galadriel had given her. It spun around in a circle, and then pointed straight. She followed the point of the needled and saw Alexis' grinning face where she sat, taking a drink from Eomer, laughing with Legolas and Gimli. The compass will always point the way home. Alexis was her home. And she'd found her.

But there was something else missing. Someone else in her heart, another love, another home, that she had not yet found. She thought with all of her mind, closed her eyes and thought of Frodo, just as they had promised to do while they were away from each other. And she could see him in her mind, his bright blue eyes, his pink cheeks, and his incredible smile that created dimples in his cheeks.

"Frodo is alive," Said Gandalf, and Lace almost cried right there, as she slipped down onto the ground, her back against the pillar, and looked up at the ceiling.

Yes. Yes he's alive.

"I think I feel something…" Said Legolas. Alexis looked up with surprise, and Eomer looked back from where he poured ale. Legolas lifted his hands to his face and inspected them. "A tingling … in my fingers."

Eomer looked at Alexis and rolled his eyes, and she couldn't help but to burst out into laughter.

"What did I say!" Gimli belched, draining yet another mug of ale. "Can't hold his liquor!" And then his eyes rolled up into his head and he fell backwards off his chair.

Alexis laughed out loud, holding her forehead, her face red with mirth.

"Game over," Said Legolas with a wink in her direction. She let out a weird sort of giggle at the look on his face, and then, planting a chin on her palm, reached forward as Eomer handed her another drink and sat down before her.

Aragorn appeared presently. He gestured to Gimli with a confused look on his face.

"Do not ask!" Alexis replied, shaking her head and laughing. "It is better not to know."

He shrugged, grinning at them and then turned his attention to Legolas. He murmured something and the two of them nodded to Alexis and Eomer and left them, pushing their way through the throng of people that still crowded them.

Alexis opened her mouth to speak to Eomer, when suddenly she realized that all the men there now had their attentions on her, and many had come up to sit beside her. They all looked at her with great interest, as though she were about to say something magnificent. She closed her mouth again and looked around at them, wide-eyed, and then finally turned her gaze to Eomer, giving him a meaningful glance.

Eomer nodded his head over his shoulder, and Alexis nodded. The two of them got up and, waving goodbye to the disappointed men, made their way out of the Grand Hall and out into the courtyard. There they found a small figure sitting on the steps with her chin in her palms.

"Lace?" Said Alexis, sitting down beside the small girl. But Lace was looking dreamily into the twilit sky, unfocussed. Alexis was relieved. At first she'd thought Lace had been upset. But she merely looked pensive.

At great length, she looked up at Alexis and Eomer and started. "Oh, I'm sorry. I was only thinking … "

"I saw you with your friends dancing," Said Eomer with a laugh. "How carefree the Shirefolk live!"

Lace nodded vigorously, and Alexis wanted to hug her suddenly, she missed her Little Lace so very much. As it was, she held her hand and listened.

"Merry and Pippin are wonderful! Pippin is so funny and kind-hearted. It seems there is nothing in this world that can dishearten him. In your absence, Alexis, he was my very best friend of this world! And Merry is also wonderful. Oh, if you could see him in the Forest, he was so brave and strong! The way he spoke to the Ents and caused them to rethink their ways! He –" She stopped, her face growing rather red. She looked down at her knees. "Oh bother!" She said suddenly and stood up. "I'm going back inside." And she ran back into the Hall.

Alexis and Eomer looked at each other, surprised.

"What was that?" Said Eomer, laughing.

Alexis shrugged as she stood up to face him. There was a pause of silence, and then Eomer lifted his hand to her, holding a lock of her dark hair in his fingertips. Alexis felt suddenly stunned, unsure what to do. She met his eyes as he moved closer to her, and then, over his shoulder she saw what she hadn't seen before. Legolas was coming up the stairs with Aragorn. Had they seen the entire thing? And now Eomer was stopping and looking around at Legolas. He nodded to them, as though they had interrupted something that was about to happen. He met the elven Prince in the eye as Legolas and Aragorn walked past. Legolas looked briefly to Alexis, and then they disappeared into the hall.

Immediately, Alexis raised her hands up and waved them before Eomer. "No, no, no!" She yelped, and bowed at him briefly before rushing back into the Hall.

The Fellowship slept together with a few other men in a great room, on blankets and couches and things all on the floor.

Alexis could not sleep. She stood outside, overlooking the village, and seeing the darkness in the East. Something cold wrapped her heart, something she didn't quite understand. She squinted her eyes against the horizon, trying to see the source of her strange fears.

"I can feel it, too," Said a voice behind her, and she turned to see Legolas striding up to stand next to her. He had the hood of his Lothlorian cloak pulled up over his head. He stopped to stand beside her and look out across the horizon with her.

She turned to look at him. "L-Legolas," She said with a shiver.

He looked down upon her for a moment, and then to her surprise, he pulled up her hood over her own head. His hand rested on her back for a moment, and then he dropped his hands and looked out onto the horizon once more.

"Do you miss her?" She said in a dull voice. She couldn't control the tone of her voice, but immediately wished she hadn't said anything at all.

He looked around at her with an eyebrow raised. "After what you said before the battle of Helm's Deep, I suspect you mean Lieniel?"

It was foolish, she knew it, but Alexis felt a twinge of annoyance when he said her name. She felt jealous and selfish when it came to Legolas. She didn't want any name to fall from his lips but hers.

A short laugh left him. "Alexis. I returned the rings of the betrothed before I left for the Council of Elrond. I thought you had been killed by Orcs at that time. My heart was broken and I was too weak to be married. I suddenly realized she was not the one I loved." He shrugged.

Alexis stared down at the ground. "Your heart was broken?" She said in a murmur.

"Elves don't die very often. But it can happen that they die of a broken heart. The union of love is special to us, and sacred. And so It makes us weak when the one we love leaves us." He looked up at the starry sky.

"But … "

"At any rate," He continued, his voice dropping into low tones, "I wish you luck in your relationship with the Horsemaster. He is a good man. But it will be hard for an elf and man to love, Aragorn and Arwen are such an example of this."

Alexis laughed bitterly. "Legolas, it is not like that, I can assure you!"

But Legolas didn't appear to be listening. He had grown silent, and was staring intently at the mountains to the East. In another second, Alexis felt it. She drew her eyes to where he looked and watched. Something tugged at her heart. Something was happening. Something bad was drawing near.

Aragorn came out at that time, and he walked over to them quietly.

"The stars are veiled," Said Legolas in a soft voice. "Something stirs in the east. A sleepless malice. The eye of the enemy is moving."

The three of them watched on in silence. And then suddenly, Legolas looked over at them.

"He is here."

Lace lie on her blanket, watching her compass' needle spin round and round. It was searching for something. It was searching for "home". But hadn't found it yet. She dropped it onto her chest and sighed, turning her face to where Merry lay. He was watching her. He gestured to the compass and she handed it to him. He looked it over.

"Broken," he whispered, and she laughed very quietly, shaking her head.

"No, I don't think that's it," She said, smiling at him. He frowned at it, thinking. Then at great length, he shrugged and handed it back to her. She looked at the compass. "I reckon it's looking for something to set it off, the way magnetic energy sets of regular compasses."

"How do you know that?" Said Merry, looking astonished and impressed.

She chuckled. "I used to sneak out of the Orphanage a lot. I heard many things in the shops. I learned a great deal. More than Alexis knows!" She grinned impishly.

"That's my Lace!" Said Merry with a wink.

The smiled at each other for a moment, and then a flurry of movement caused them both to sit up. Pippin had gotten out of bed and was tiptoeing across the floor.

"What're you doing?" Said Merry

Pippin whirled around guiltily. He looked at Merry and Lace, and then continued with what he was doing. He approached Gandalf but hesitated, for Gandalf had his eyes wide open!

"Pippin!" Whispered Lace urgently.

Pippin waved his hand in front of Gandalf's eyes. The wizard did not move – he was asleep! As Pippin looked at the bundle in Gandalf's arms, Lace got into her knees and looked at Pippin, concerned.

"Pippin!" Said Merry, getting up as well.

Pippin ignored them and picked up a jug. Gandalf muttered something his sleep, causing Pippin to recoil in fear. But he gained more courage and grabbed the bundle from Gandalf's arm, replacing it with the jug.

"Are you mad?" Cried Merry, as Pippin put the bundle on the floor in front of him and Lace and Merry and unwrapped it.

"I just want to look at it," he said as he pulled back the cloth. "Just one more time." He looked into the stone, the Palantir, Gandalf had called it. Pippin Smiled and put his hands on it.

But then suddenly his smile turned into a frown and an orange glow emerged from the Palantir with a black pupil showing. Pippin's hands seemed to fuse onto the Palantir and he began to shake.

"No!" Cried Merry and Lace together, but not altogether what sure what to do.

Pippin continued to shake, screwing his eyes shut.

A voice from deep within the shadows of the Palantir hissed, I see you!

Pippin screamed and stood up with the Palantir stuck in his hand. His mouth opened up in a soundless scream. The Palantir was surrounded by fire. Pippin fell to the floor, seemingly struggling with it.

"Help!" Shouted Merry. "Gandalf, help!"

Gandalf awoke with a start, just as Aragorn, Legolas, and Alexis burst into the room. Aragorn took the Palantir from Pippin, struggled briefly with it and dropped it to the floor, where it rolled away, right to ward Lace and Merry, who dodged it. Gandalf ran after it and threw a blanket over it, and it all seemed to stop at once.

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf shouted, turning around to Pippin, but when he looked, Pippin was laying still with his eyes open. "No…"

He ran to Pippin's side, shoving Merry out of the way. Merry collided with Lace and she grabbed him by the shoulder. She looked on helplessly. Exchanging a worried glance with Alexis. Gandalf held Pippin's hand, and put his other hand to the Hobbit's forehead and closed his eyes. He muttered something inaudible under his breath and moved his hand to Pippin's cheek. Pippin jumped, gasped and woke up.

"Look at me!" Boomed Gandalf.

"Gandalf, forgive me!" Said Pippin, closing his eyes again, but Gandalf shook him.

"Look at me! What did you see?"

The room seemed to hold its breath as everyone looked on.

"A tree," Said Pippin, his eyes distant as he remembered. " There was a white tree in a courtyard of stone… it was dead!" He added fearfully. "The city was burning."

"Minas Tirith?" Said Gandalf urgently. "Is that what you saw?"

"I saw…" His eyes filled with utter terror. "I saw him!" Gandalf's eyes widened. "I could hear his voice in my head!"

Lace's heart now filled with fear and dread as she thought of poor Pippin and the voice she had heard. The very voice of Sauron?

" What did you tell him?" Asked Gandalf. "Speak!"

"He asked me my name. I didn't answer. He hurt me…"

"What did you tell him of Frodo and the ring?"

Pippin just looked at him with wide eyes.

"Peregrin Took!"

"Nothing, Gandalf! I said nothing."

Gandalf searched his face for a moment, and then relinquished his hold on Pippin. He got up and walked over to the blanket-covered Palantir, scooped it up and walked from the room. Aragorn followed him.

The others sat silent for a moment, and then Merry and Lace rushed to Pippin's side.

"Oh, Pippin," Said Lace, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face into him. "You stupid hobbit!"

Merry brushed the hair from Pippin's face. "Are you alright?"

Pippin said nothing.

It was some time before they settled down and went to bed again, and this time Pippin lay in between Lace and Merry, where they could lie together, feeling safe and at home. Gandalf, Aragorn, Legolas and Alexis had not returned from wherever they had gone. Lace lie on her back, listening to the peaceful breathing of her friends. She lifted the compass, took one look at it, and sat bolt upright.

It was pointing straight. She stared, gulping. The point of the needle pointed due East. She looked around at her friends, and then crawled out of bed, rolling up her sleeping bag and blankets soundlessly, and carrying them off to the next room where their packs were kept. She packed her things quickly, shouldered her bag, and set off.

She tip-toed past the Hall, where Gandalf was speaking in hushed tones to the others. Lace looked down at her Compass. It did not point to Alexis this time. So it really was pointing to something else. Something else that she needed. Her other piece of home.

She stepped out onto the mainsteps of the Hornburg of Edoras and looked out across the village. She knew exactly where this compass would lead her.

She held her breath.

Hold on, Frodo, She thought. I'm coming.

She gave one backwards glance, hoping her beloved Alexis, Pippin and Merry would be safe. But she had another part to play, yet. She could feel it.

And, letting out the breath she'd been holding, Lace hurried down the steps and into the dark night.

Sorry if there's any weird mistakes. It's late and I'm tired and I just wanna get this chapter up, dangit!

Also sorry for those who like to watch Saruman die. I did, too, but I didn't feel like writing it all down! Blah! You've all seen the film xD

This chapter was incredibly fun to write. I loved it SO MUCH! All the hobbity fun, reunions, drinking games, and love triangles. I know, I know… I JUST REALLY LIKE LOVE TRIANGLES, OKAY? They're fun. Makes it more interesting. haha

Anyways, thanks again for your reviews! Very encouraging. Love! :D SN