Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction. I do not own any of the character, places, names, or anything associated with the works of J.R.R Tolkien or the Lord of the Rings (books or movie, whatever). My characters are Anita, Leila, and Arlandria and that is all.

Chapter 21: Best of You

Legolas knew what happened the moment he was summoned to Elrond's study by a shaken page girl. In his heart he felt the instant sensation of heavy dread that comes when one instinctually knows they are in trouble. The walk from his guest quarters along the familiar halls was the longest of his life. He knew he was in trouble and there was nothing to be done for it. What excuse could he give for his behavior? None, there was no excuse to give a trusted friend for conducting a secret relationship under their roof.

As he neared Elrond's study, he could hear shouting and raised voices. One voice was unmistakably Ani's, and if Ani was in a shouting match with anyone, it was going to be her father. In a flash, the purple haired girl fled from the room; tears were streaming down her face and she was trying without much success to control body wracking sobs. Legolas' first thought was to go after her, to hold and console her in his arms until the tears stopped flowing. But to leave the patriarchs of the house waiting would only worsen his fate. So against his every desire, he watched as Ani ran down the down crying, completely unaware of his presence.

Setting his jaw tight, the prince entered Elrond's study without bothering to announce his presence; seeing no reason to stand on ceremony at this point. Seeing the state that the three other occupants of the room were in, it seemed that Anita had already done what she as best at….pushing her father to the brink of his sanity. Elladan looked frazzled and irritable to say the least, and Lord Elrond looked as though his patience was rapidly dwindling.

"My lord Elladan." Turning when he was addressed, Anita's father couldn't hide the expression of sheer disappointment mixed with unbridled fury that was written all over his face. There was a heavy moment of silence as Elladan stared back at the elf he would have called friend not an hour ago. There was no attempt at the stoic Elvish façade that this family was so well known for, every ounce of emotion fighting for dominance was clear for everyone in the room to see on his features.

"I loved and trusted you as family, as I would my own brother. This household welcomed you open armed as a guest. How could you turn your back and betray us like this?"

"It is not what you think…" But Elladan cut Legolas off before he could mount a defense for himself.

"What will Thranduil say when word reaches his ears of this, if rumors have not carried it thusfar already."

Legolas bristled at the mention of his father, who had been a constant burden on his mind. Try as he might he couldn't keep the bitter rueful tone out of his voice when he responded." My father takes particular enjoyment in showcasing my errors and faults at his leisure. I do believe he will be rather pleased to hear of yet another tool for use to belittle me."

"Can you not understand why?" It was Elrond's voice from the corner that now drew the prince's attention. " You are his only heir to his throne, his very legacy. He will trust the wellbeing of his whole realm and its people to your care one day. Incidents such as these, the scandals, can do naught but damage his trust in you. What would have happened if my granddaughter had borne you a child? Would you keep her a mistress, hide her and the child away somewhere in an attempt to cover up your sins?"

"Anita would be given the right to choose her fate…"

Again Elladan cut off Legolas before he could finish even a single sentence. "Anita is a child, she does not know what it is she wants. When you were assigned as her guide the hope had been that you would encourage her to learn about our world and accept our ways, and instead you have only encouraged the behaviors of her past life."

"Ani is not as much of a child as you think she is. You treat her as though she is barely an elfling when in truth she could not be further from that."

"Her actions are that of a child!"

"Ani acts like a child because you treat her like a child." Finally able to get a word in edgewise, Legolas didn't stop to give Elladan the opportunity to cut him off again. " If you would but see who she really is instead of forcing conformity upon her. Do you really believe that molding her into something that she is not is truly what would be best for her?"

"Take care of your tone boy, I know what is best for my own daughter."

"Do you? Can you really say that you know what is best for someone you do not understand?" He was walking a dangerous line here, and Legolas knew it. It was a gamble, and chances were he was just going to anger the older elf further. " Do you know your daughter's favorite color?"

"I…"

"Violet." Legolas answered his own question before Elladan or anyone else in the room could scramble for an answer. "Did you know she is a master horse handler? Or that mice terrify her, even though she will not admit it to anyone? Did you know that there is so much sun where Ani grew up that cloudy days maker her sad? No Elladan you do not, because you chose not to ask, you chose not to know these things about your own child whom you claim to know what is best for her."

Legolas was right in assuming that his need to prove a point about Elladan's parenting would only make him more upset. As he spoke a dark look crept over the older elf's face, his fury rapidly starting to boil over.

"When I want advice on how to raise my child, Legolas, you can rest assured that the last person I inquire about the matter is the Elf that turned my daughter into his own personal whore!"

"I am in love with Anita!" The confession shocked even Legolas as it tore it's way from his lips in response to Elladan's accusation. The spectating pairs of eyes in the room slowly turned towards the other elf to see what his answer would be. Elladan looked as though he was caught between having a heart attack and a stroke simultaneously as every emotion feasible crossed his features. The room had fallen deathly silent as the tension following Legolas' admittance to having fallen in love with the girl settled into the dead space between them. He hadn't meant to blurt it out, and honestly it was a realization he had arrived mere seconds before it had flown from his mouth.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Elladan finally regained some control of his temperament. His face fell into a natural expression of neutrality that came easily to their kind.

"I think perhaps your time here in Rivendell has reached its end. Your father must be missing your terribly and I should think you are scarcely less eager to see him as well. I can see no reason why you would not be ready to depart back home any later than tomorrow."

The message came through loud and clear despite the heavy layer of politeness that was slathered on top: Get out. What could Legolas do? In his heart he knew there was nothing to be done. He had finally admitted in front of Ani's family, and even to himself, that he had fallen in love with the purple haired girl. But what Elladan said was true, he was a guest in this house and it would seem his welcome had run out.

"Indeed." It was the only reply he could muster. When he and Ani had engaged in their secret relationship, Legolas had imagined a hundred different ways that it could have ended badly; never though would he have pictured an ending where he fell in love with Anita and her family's choice was to separate them and ignore the scandal as a whole. But that was exactly the way that fate had decided it should end, and there was nothing in the Prince's power that he could use to combat it.

Legolas bowed very stiffly out of respect to the three men in the room before he turned to leave, having been clearly dismissed. He knew that he ought to prepare himself to leave the next morning, he knew that he should have stayed away from Ani to make a clean break in their relationship. But his feet steered him down the familiar hallways; not to his own quarters where he had stayed these past few months, but to a different part of the house altogether. He didn't need to consciously think about where he was going, he could have found his way there in his sleep if necessary. The prince didn't even bother to knock before flinging the door to Ani's bedroom open.

Anita spun to face him, running her hands over her cheeks to try and hide the obvious fact that she had been crying. But the puffy red eyes and tear stains were too marked to be missed. Shutting the door tightly behind him, Legolas slid the wooden lock into place ensuring they wouldn't be interrupted. If Elladan knew that Legolas was in Ani's bedchamber he would lose his mind with anger, Legolas was sure of that; but the thought of leaving without spending one last night with her was one that the elf couldn't bear.

Struggling to compose herself still, Anita threw herself into Legolas' arms which he gladly enveloped around her in a tight embrace. He held for a moment, letting her head rest on his shoulder until her sniffles were under control. When her thin frame stopped shaking and her quiet sobs faded away, Legolas gently titled her head back until their eyes met by placing a single finger under chin. She had never looked so vulnerable, with her big brown eyes rimmed in red and her bottom lip still quivering in the slightest. A single tear drop still lay stationary on her pale cheekbone, which Legolas wiped away using his thumb before he leaned down and placed a tentative kiss on her lips.

Anita didn't hesitate before she eagerly tried to deepen to the kiss, which caused Legolas to pull away slightly, leaving Ani feeling very confused. Legolas didn't know how to explain it to her, but he didn't want to fuck her tonight. He didn't want their last night together to be just another romp between the sheets that would fade into the memory of all their other escapades. Somewhere between her independent attitude and childlike sense of humor, Legolas had fallen in love with this wild and untamable woman, and he wanted her to know that.

Again he placed his soft lips against hers, kissing her gently and slowly just he had in the rain earlier that same day. The elf could still sense her confusion as she returned his kiss. Easily he picked her up by cupping her bottom and walked her over to the bed, never breaking the tender kiss they shared. Laying her down gently, Legolas slowly removed the articles of clothing that separated their bodies; not in the fast maniacal way they usually removed their clothing, but slowly and methodically, placing kisses along her skin as he exposed it.

Anita was completely caught of guard by the elf's sensual actions, this was such a far cry from their typical quickie. She sighed every time he placed a butterfly light kiss on her flesh, committing her every curve to his memory. Once they were both stark naked, Legolas slowly slid himself between her thighs, earning him a long drawn out moan from the woman beneath him. His thrusts were slow but powerful as he continued to pepper her exposed skin with kisses.

Ani understood as her flesh joined with Legolas', that this wasn't meant to be like any of the harsh animalistic fuck sessions they had before. There was no driving primitive need for release, there was only the desire to feel the body of one's lover held close. This sensuous and passionate coupling, she realized, was what people were talking about when they referred to making love.

As the sounds of the young couples love making filled the house, Elladan stood docile watching out the window of his father's study, trying without much success to reconcile within his own mind what had happened. Despite his efforts, despite his paternal instinct to keep his young safe, it seemed his own daughter had fallen into the same trap he had years ago.

"How did this happen adar?"

"They are still very young my son, " Elrond responded to his son's cryptic query. " This is not love, this is but an infatuation. To separate them is best, when next they meet they will feel differently."

Elladan considered his father's words carefully before he responded. " Even so, after what has happened here today it would require a miracle or a disaster for me to risk reuniting them. Ever. "

End Part 1

Best of You- Foo Fighters