Disclaimer: The Lord of the Rings trilogy is owned by the brilliant J.R.R Tolkien and anything movieverse is owned by the also fantastic Peter Jackson. Anything you don't recognise is mine.

Summary: (Sequel to "Castaways" and "Melamar") One year after their abrupt departure, Maggie and Riley are back in Middle-Earth and war is beckoning! Although this time, they're not alone and things have changed. Riley and Maggie are no longer close. And how will Theo, now a grown man, react to the sudden return of his mother? Will their return to Middle-Earth effect the quest of the Fellowship?

A/N: Well here we are again. If you like the adventures of Maggie and Riley, here's another one for you. This takes place during the LOTR and follows the events of "Castaway" and "Melamar". If you're new to this series and simply like additional-walker and MGME fics, you don't really need to have read the prequels to get into this one. As I've mentioned before, this is a rewrite of an old fic from 2012-2013. If you're wondering why I'm able to put them up so quickly, it's because a lot of this is pre-written and I'm filling out the blanks and hopefully making some improvement on what was bloody awful writing. As always, I aim to make my characters as believable and relatable as possible. I try to stray away from Mary-Sues as much as I can.

Anyway, without further ado. Let us begin the journey. This is the big one :)

ONE

One year.

It had been one whole year since Margaret Spencer realised they were no longer in Rivendell. Three-hundred and sixty-five days since she had seen her beautiful baby boy or kissed both of her partners and told them how much she loved them. A whole year since Maggie fell apart and was forced to get used to life in a world she was sure she had left behind for good. She'd been at peace with that choice even though she knew that meant having her friends and mother still on Earth. Perhaps it was a selfish one but Maggie knew her heart and soul belonged in Middle-Earth. After all, it was her father's birthplace and it was equally a part of her. She didn't want Earth to be her home anymore. She had a home in Rivendell and a son who needed her. Theo had already lost his father before he was even born and now he had to grow up without his mother. Maggie knew that Theo had people around him who cared for him and who would raise him as their own son. Fili and Elrond would never let harm come to him and she hoped that no matter what happened, they would tell Theo that she never wanted to leave him.

When Maggie and Riley got back to their world, it turned out their speculations about time were right. They got back to almost exactly the same time and place where they had first disappeared. A stormy night out in a forest in the Brecon Beacons. They made it back to the small holiday cottage they had been renting with their relatives and not a single thing had changed. Their mother, Susan, made a comment about how they'd been a little concerned about their whereabouts because of the weather but then carried on with the rest of the evening as if nothing was different.

Maggie spent that whole night in complete shock, not knowing what to say or how to act around anyone. A part of her wished it was just an incredibly vivid dream and that she would wake up safely in the arms of Fili or Elrond. It was Riley who told his sister that he'd known for some time that they might get sent back. At first, Maggie refused to believe the prophecy and tried arguing that they'd proven that fate could be changed. She wanted to believe it was all a dream, but deep down, she knew it wasn't. So, when she went to bed that night, she cried until exhaustion made her fall asleep.

Eventually, both Maggie and Riley had to get used to living in their world again, without their loved ones. As well as without each other. For the first few weeks, Riley figured his sister just needed some space to process things. During those first few weeks, the reverse culture shock was a real struggle. They were both used to life without modern technology, pollution or other things that made life different from Middle-Earth. Those weeks soon turned into months and Maggie still stayed angry with Riley. No matter how much he tried to reconcile with her and explain his reasoning for keeping the prophecy from her, she wouldn't listen. Instead, Maggie returned to her teaching job, though she did not find the same joy in it as she once had. Riley set to finally complete his PhD in Science Communication but nothing stayed the same.

Riley understood why Maggie was angry and a part of him couldn't blame her. He had purposely withheld information from her and while to Riley, his intentions were good, Maggie thought they were selfish. Perhaps it was a bit of both. He thought that if he ignored the words of the prophecy, both of them could have what they wanted and maybe the Valar would forget their words. Riley could live his life with Bilbo, whether it was in Rivendell or in the Shire.

Maggie could have her life raising Theo with both Elrond and Fili by her side. Either way, one day she would undoubtedly become queens. Perhaps even of both Erebor and Rivendell if Fili ever chose to take his rightful place as king. Of course Riley felt guilt and if he wondered if Gandalf was right and keeping the prophecy from his sister was the wrong choice. Either way, it didn't matter now because he'd made his choice and was forced to live with the consequences of his selfish actions. In the process, he'd lost his sister who by all accounts, was his best friend in the whole world.

It seemed the prophecy also meant that their dad stayed behind in Middle-Earth, which made sense to Riley. Even if bringing people back from the dead wasn't all too unheard of in Middle-Earth, it would be difficult to explain on Earth and not even the Valar had the power to change established timelines in their world because it was not their domain. In some ways, the fact that Amandil was still in Middle-Earth was a relief to Riley because it meant a part of them were still there too. He knew his father would help raise Theo and hopefully keep an eye on Bilbo as well.

The quarrel between Riley and Maggie hadn't gone by unnoticed. Their mum sensed the friction between them and they stayed civil while in her presence. They both loved their mother and didn't want her to suffer on their behalf. Riley foolishly thought his sister would eventually cast her fury aside and bury the hatchet, but Maggie remained angry. Eventually, Riley began to feel annoyed because he had tried everything to make it up to her and it wasn't as if she was the only one suffering. Their friends also noticed the feud and sometimes questioned them about why they were not speaking with each other. However, both Maggie and Riley had a silent agreement to not divulge any information. It wasn't as if anyone would believe them anyway.

Above all, Riley missed Bilbo more than his heart could stand. He kept his wedding ring, of course, although he changed finger so that people would not ask questions. The oldest Spencer would give anything to wake up next to his husband again and to feel his warm breath against his skin, kissing his lips and inhaling his scent. RIley often lay awake at night, wondering how Bilbo was feeling and whatever he must be thinking about their disappearance. Would he ever forgive Riley for just leaving him behind.

Still, in the back of Riley's mind, he couldn't help but to think about one part of the prophecy they had managed to decipher. About five aiding the fight of nine. He guessed what it meant of course. That one day, when the time was right, they would return to Middle-Earth but given how haphazard the Valar were in their decision-making, there was no telling when that might be. Truthfully, Riley was angry with them and even though he wasn't a religious man, there were a few nights when he'd spoken to the skies and cursed in their names. No doubt they heard him, where they resided and still they would not answer.

At least not when you expected it.

"We're sad you know." Riley sighed "It is a Bank Holiday weekend and practically everyone in town are out getting merry, Meanwhile we are spending out Friday night indoors, doing work and playing a game of Scrabble like a bunch of seniors."

"Correction," said Felix "You're doing work, we're playing scrabble and Nat is out picking up the takeaway."

Riley peered over the Scrabble board and raised an eyebrow at his old friend. "Mate, 'skedaddle' isn't a proper word. How on earth did you get a Uni degree?" Riley sassed. It had started out as a simple friendly game quickly turned competitive, as was always the case between Riley and Felix. It was indeed a Friday night and they were sitting in the lounge of a house owned by Natalie's parents who were away for the weekend.

"It counts as a word if you use it as a word," Felix protested "Speaking of Maggie, are guys still fighting? She has been a lot quieter than usual lately. Any idea why?"

Yeah, Riley did know why but it wasn't exactly something that could just be brought up for discussion.

"Riley? Hello? Earth to Riley?" It was Laura who spoke now and waved her hands in front of their friend who snapped back out of his thoughts.

"Sorry," Riley apologised "I'm sure Maggie's fine."

"You two lately, honestly."

Riley was about to reply when the sound of a door unlocking reached his ears. He assumed it was Natalie coming back with the food, which it was. What he didn't expect was to also see his sister. Maggie seemed just as surprised to see him, because she stood frozen in the doorway just staring and Riley knew at once this whole evening was a set up.

"What's he doing here?" Maggie asked sharply.

"We invited him,." Laura replied calmly. "Because this has to stop."

Riley saw Maggie rolling her eyes and pouted, like a small child who had been called out doing something she wasn't supposed to. Riley couldn't say he was impressed by this double cross either and shot Felix an annoyed glance. He knew his friends had the best intentions at heart, but there was no way they would understand what was going on even if they tried explaining it.

"Yeah?" Riley crossed his arms defensively. "I'm not the pigheaded one in this case."

"Oh yeah, you're brother of the year." Maggie spat back.

Riley felt his blood pumping as he grew more annoyed with his sister. His friends were right in one way, this really had gone too long. However, he wasn't going to yield because he was doing nothing wrong. Maggie was the stubborn one in this case.

"Of course, I forgot Margaret Spencer always has to be perfect." Riley said "Everyone else gets the blame while she gets treated like a princess."

"ENOUGH!"

As Natalie bellowed at the top of her lungs, the window outside blew open a window and the electricity flickered. The girls shrieked and Riley saw that even Felix looked a bit nervous.

"When did England turn into Wales?" Nat wondered "It's practically a monsoon out there!"

The five of them; Maggie, Riley, Natalie, Felix and Laura had been friends for a long time; by chance really. Their families knew each other, partly from University, as well as from childhood. Even though they weren't related by blood, Maggie and Riley always saw the other three as family and they'd had a lot of fun together growing up. So much that they even went to the same University even though it was a year or two between them. As teenager, Riley remembered several Lord of the Rings marathons in the attic of his and Maggie's childhood homes. During their time in Middle-Earth, Riley often wished he could have shared it with Felix, Nat and Laura and he hated keeping it a secret from them. There was no doubt in his mind that if he told them, he would be committed immediately.

"Geesh; Loki must've escaped and pissed off Thor." Nat joked but then there was a second squall, much louder and a hell of a lot closer than the previous. Laura counted the seconds and when the next one after that came it was right about them and it cut out all the power in the house. The girls weren't the only ones that screamed because it came so unexpectedly.

"Okay, this cannot be normal." Felix said and Riley had to agree. Then suddenly there it was, as if out of nowhere; a bright white flash of light; which at first he assumed was lightning. Next thing Riley knew he was lying outside somewhere where it was damp and cold. He felt dizzy and somewhat nauseated from the sudden change in scenery.

"Riley will you get your bloody foot out of my face!" (Natalie)

"Yeah, I will once someone helps me get the hell off Felix." (Riley)

"Let me just get out of this." (Maggie)

"Dude, you're fucking heavy!" (Felix)

"I'm sorry but you guys aren't the ones with two football players lying all over you." (Laura) It took the five of them a good few minutes to get themselves sorted and up on their feet. Riley, Maggie, Felix, Natalie and Laura were all equally dirty and all equally confused as to what had just happened – and so were the four unfamiliar faces staring right back at them.

"I swear, this is a déjà vu all over again." Riley said, mostly to Maggie as he was referring to their arrival in Middle-Earth when he had first encountered Thorin and Company in Trollshaw nearly two years ago.

The first thing Riley noticed was how familiar their surroundings were. There was no doubt in his mind that they were back in Middle-Earth. By the looks of it somewhere on the plains between the Shire and Rivendell. He immediately recognised the terrain from his journey finding the Dunedain rangers.

The second thing Riley noticed, was that they were not alone. There were two men in front of them. Besides the two men, stood three hobbits. All of them staring at the strange group who had appeared seemingly from out of nowhere. One of the men looked familiar with his dark hair and grey eyes. The second man was vaguely familiar but while the other man was human, this one was slightly younger and his ears were a bit more pointed. Riley turned to his sister who just stared in confusion and there was a strange silence between all of them until Maggie spoke.

"Thorin?" she asked quietly

No, it's not Thorin, Riley realised as his heart skipped several beats.

"Beg your pardon, my lady?" the young man asked "If you mean Thorin Oakenshield, I am sorry to say that I am not him. I am his son, Theo."

"Holy shit…." Riley whispered

Then, the second man stepped forward and spoke.

"Riley?" he asked and then turned to Maggie. "Maggie?"

Aragorn thought for a moment that surely his eyes must be deceiving him for the woman and man standing in front of him could surely not be the very same Maggie and Riley who had lived with him in Imladris as a child. Was it really the same woman who had told him bedtime stories of strange lands behind wardrobes? The same Maggie who had fallen in love with his foster father, Lord Elrond and Theo's cousin Fili. Yet his eyes would know their faces anywhere and while long years had passed since he last saw them, they still had not aged a day. Theo had only been a young baby when they disappeared and all his life, Aragorn and their family told him stories about his mother and his uncle. The Ranger couldn't actually believe that Maggie and Riley were standing in front of them after all this time.

"Estel?" Maggie asked a hint of recognition in her voice.

"By the Valar, tell me this isn't some foul trick played on my mind." How could they not have aged a single day while he had grown an old man, now 87 years old?

"Oh my God it is you!" Without a moment's hesitation, Maggie threw her arms around him and Aragorn embraced her heartily. To him, Maggie was equally his family as much as Elladan and Elrohir were his brothers. Aragorn then turned around to Riley whom in his usual manner stood with arms crossed, pretending to be unimpressed.

"What? I'm not getting a hug?" he asked "Dude, I practically babysat you for months."

Aragorn smiled and then greeted him with an equally warm hug. It was good, thought the ranger, to see them again. But then he became curious as to why they were there now.

"I can't believe it's really you and that we're really back?" Then Maggie took a closer look at their surroundings which essentially was in the middle of nowhere and then at four hobbits in their company. "And…what the hell are you doing out here?"

"Theo and I are taking these hobbits to Rivendell. Middle-Earth has changed since last time you were here. Frodo, the fourth hobbit, has been given a dangerous task and was wounded on Weathertop. He has been taken to Rivendell for healing; we are to see that they get there safely." Whoa, reality check, Riley thought, it must be the war of the ring.

Riley watched as Maggie turned around to Theo, who hadn't said a word. He could see that it was his nephew now. He shared Thorin's raven curls and the slightly pointed ears were certainly but his eyes and cheeks were Maggie's. It seemed he had inherited the dwarrow genes for ageing, because while sixty years had passed in Middle-Earth, Theo only looked as though he was in his mid-twenties. Maggie didn't seem to know what to say or how to act, but that wasn't strange and for a moment, there was an awkward silence until she stepped forward. As she did though, Theo took a couple of steps back.

"Theo, it's alright." Maggie said calmly "I'm -"

"I know who you are." Theo interrupted "I have known my whole life."

"So, uh not to interrupt and break up this whole reunion thing, but uhm, is anyone going to tell us exactly what in the fuck is going on?" It was Laura who'd spoke up. For a moment, both Riley and Maggie had forgotten their three friends were with them.

"And who, prey tell, are your friends?" Aragorn asked

"Yeah, that's kind of a long story."

"Okay, let me get this straight." Felix said. Aragorn had decided that they could all explain everything whilst walking. So Maggie and Riley had told them the story of how they had arrived in Rivendell the first time and of their adventures there and then how they had come to be there now.

"A year ago you two went hiking in the Brecon Beacons of all places and then somehow ended up in Middle-Earth. There, you joined the Company of Thorin Oakenshield and actually reclaimed Erebor. Then, Maggie got pregnant with this one (he gestured at Theo) and ended up living in Rivendell for over a year with that one (he was pointing at Aragorn), when he was a child?"

"Pretty much yeah." Maggie said "There was a dragon and everything."

"Okay, I love you guys to bits but you're both clinically insane There is no such thing as Middle-Earth. It is a fictional place from a made up story."

"Of course Middle-Earth is real," said Samwise Gamgee, who wasn't sure he understood anything of what was happening at that moment. "We're all here aren't we? I know I'm real." he was worried about Frodo and wished they would hurry about and get to the elves already.

"Felix, calm down mate." Riley told his friend "I know this is a lot to wrap your head around, trust me first time around I didn't believe it either and I woke up to a company of dwarves points swords at my throat. This is just Estel…I mean Aragorn. Jesus, this is going to get confusing."

"Estel?" Merry said questioningly and looked at Aragorn

"It was my name in Rivendell as a child." Aragorn replied. "It means hope."

"Okay," Nat said "So let's just say for argument's sake, this is all real and not some extremely, very bizarre dream we're all having at the same time, how did we get here?"

"That is something I also wish to know." Aragorn said "Last time you two were here, it was for a reason. I have no doubt in my mind that this time is no different but, you will find that things have not stayed the same. Nor people."

"How long has it been and you know, how old are you?" Maggie asked, almost fearing the answer.

"It has been sixty years since you left; I turned 87 some weeks ago."

At this remark, Felix passed out.

"This is going to be a long day." Laura realised

To be continued….

There we go! The beginning! It was quite short and as I said if you're wondering why it's up so quickly, it's because most of this was written ages ago. I'm just remastering it as my writing style has changed (hopefully for the better). Let me know what you think!