CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

Legolas turned and looked at Amanda as she pushed the metal cart around the store that was deemed Piggly Wiggly.

Where in Eru did these mortals come up with these names? The image the name brought to mind was not anything related to food, but more so a dancing pig.

The metal cart's wheel seemed to malfunction ever few feet and twist the wrong way, his little human just pushed at it violently till it complied. She had not spoken more than a sentence to him on the way over, and even now it was if she refused to look at him, though he had caught her glance his way and blush profusely. It was a sight to behold.

Legolas smirked as she passed the colorful display of boxes, he simply reached out his hand and brought the cart to a halt. "I do believe that is the stuffing that is listed on the paper."

She sighed and looked in the direction he was pointing, he schooled his face to keep her from realizing just how amusing he found her discomfort. She had just loaded several boxes into the cart and pushed it further down the aisle, he felt his lips twitch.

By the Valar I should let her calm down, yet I can't seem to do so.

"Melannen." He purposely paused, and tried his best not to grin as he saw her flinch. He knew he was fighting a losing battle, as he felt his lips twitch when she turned and glared at him.

Legolas bit his lip, realizing it was fruitless, and yield to the grin he felt appear on his face. "Would you prefer if I pushed the cart? You seem distracted so, and I do think this task will take far longer than need be."

He raised his eyebrow and chuckled at the colorful speech he heard her mutter under her breath, though she yielded, if you can call it that. She just pushed the car forward and walked a few paces back and crossed her arms then glared off in another direction.

He would have been far more alarmed if he knew not the underlying cause for her recent temperament. It in fact pleased him to no end to know his mortal seemed to have developed an increasing fondness towards him, though her being so young, or perhaps the lack of proper affection and trust while growing up, she resisted and fought it at every turn.

Sweet Elbereth, the look she gave me earlier.

He had been teasing her, then through some play on words, and it was as if at once the whole room suddenly became alive with a sweet tension. His body responded at once to the look in her eyes, though only through his knowledge that she would flee the moment it passed held him in place.

Legolas grabbed a can of cranberry sauce and looked at it. The picture on the can looked like it contained an utter revolting substance. "Please tell me you do not intend to actually ingest this substance."

Amanda looked at him and shuttered. "Not me, but they like it."

He held the can trying to see anything redeeming, yet could not. "It looks as if it would be horrifying."

"I believe it is horrifying." She said grabbing the can from him and placing it in the cart. She had seemed to warm towards him. That thought was followed by a more mischievous one that he hoped would have her anger completely forgotten.

"Perhaps we should..." he paused and tilted his head with a grin, before thinking the best way to suggest the idea, "accidentally forget to purchase it."

Amanda chuckled and shook her head. "Like accidentally on purpose?"

Legolas nodded his head and laughed at her words. "Aye, I do not think I have heard that phrased so precisely."

Her smile died at once, and with it all humor left him. "And have Brittaney complain how incompetent we are?"

He knew better than to argue, her sibling seemed quite determined to squash his little human in order to make her look more appealing. He would not allow such a thing to take place if he could do anything to prevent it. Legolas sighed and pushed the cart towards the meat section.

"Are you quite certain you do not wish for me to hunt these meats?" He looked at her, and she shuttered.

"Worry not, I will have the mess cleaned and prepared as if you bought it here, none would be the wiser."

She sighed and then looked at him, and finally yielded. "Fine."

Legolas was over joyed, he hated feeling as though he could not contribute, and this was such as small thing, but he felt as if he won a great battle. His heart was enveloped with warmth, he knew though she was skittish, she trusted him, and that meant a lot to him.

He pushed the cart toward the aisle that was marked for frozen pies and treats, and his eyes fell on something quite scandalous. There lay before him was a young man who jeans had seemed to fallen down and hung precariously low, and his undergarments were showing. He instantly pulled Amanda to his chest hiding her eyes from such a sight.

"Um… Legolas?" Amanda sighed and seemed a bit agitated, but this was not something she should see.

"Shh Melamin, hold still a moment." He whispered to her, he hoped to the Valar that the boy would put the items in his hand into his cart, and pull up his pants.

She struggled against his chest, but he would not let her eyes befall the embarrassment that walked the aisle. To his horror the young man seemed oblivious that his pants had sagged to a disgraceful level.

How could he be unaware that his pants were about to fall off?

"Legolas!" His little human hissed at him, though he would not relent.

And for once in quite some time, he felt himself blush as he had to inform her of the current predicament. "Apparently a young man is having difficulty with his trousers, they seem not to fit properly, and have thus hung far too low to yield any form of appropriate covering. It is not a sight your eyes should see."

He looked at her, though she did not seem the least bit phased. "Let me guess, his pants are not pulled up over his underwear."

"Aye." He nodded gravely, perhaps she now understood there was a real issue of her virtue at stake.

To his astonishment she chuckled. "It's a style, for some reason it has become quite popular, you can let me go, I have seen it before."

He tensed, her eyes should not be subjected to something so offensive. "I care not, you will not be disgraced in such a manner in my presence."

She shook her head and continued her defense. "You have to be kidding! Have you not seen the bathing suits that people wear?"

He had, and the idea had him quite wary of summer months, not that he would have to look upon the scandalously clad humans. For him the problem lie with knowing she would dress in such a way, and with the first mortal male who dared look at her with interest. "It's the principle"

She sighed, and he pulled her closer as the offending spectacle moved passed them and out of sight, it was only then he released her, she threw him a dirty look as she turned and walked off down the aisle.

Legolas gripped the handle on the cart, as his thoughts trailed back to earlier, he should not have touched her in such an intimate manner, though he could not find it in him to regret it, however when she whimpered he had immediately put space between them, the moment had gotten too intense far too quickly. And he had paid the price, she had withdrawn, though having her delicate ear before him had proven far too much a temptation.

Madame Noize – Thanks, I am trying to get it out as long as it is flowing, and writer's block is a pain.

FoxFaith - *Adds witness protection program to her speed dial*

Black-Moon-Onaa-Inu – Mwhahaha, I think she is beginning to hate me.

vanialex – Erm… will we need a recovery group? lol

ObsessedwReading – Thank you, thank you… Trying… real ….hard…

Lady Foxen – My beta is snickering right now, you know that? She already sent this one back.