Disclaimer: Hmm…nobody has sued me for not disclaiming them….yet… Thx for the R&R, this and the next will probably be the last one before Christmas, since we are going away. So have a Very Merry Christmas everybody.

Chapter V: The trouble starts.

It was not the scream of panic or fear, more like a scream of rage. They entered the kitchen and found Horizt and Noritz on the table, the elf, looking rather confused, in the corner aiming his bow at the `monster`.

"What foul beast of evil is that?" Horizt cried and raised his axe, the  `beast` growled, but when he saw Rory, his eyes lit up and its tail began to wag happily. "That is my dog" Rory said and walked over to her pet, before it got an axe in its scull or an arrow between its eyes.

"That is no dog, that is a wolf"

"No, it`s and Irish wolf hound, just a large specie of dogs" Rory explained, the others relaxed a little and Legolas lowered his bow, Horizt and Noritz hesitated then they jumped down and stared at the dog, as if it was a dragon.

"Come here, Dante" Alfred said and Dante walked happily over to Alfred and sniffed his palm, "let us go outside" Alfred called and the dog barked happily, as he passed the dwarves they took a step back, Dante was almost as tall as them.

"Is there any other beast in this house?" Horizt asked when Dante left the kitchen and they could hear his happy barks from the living room.  Rory shook her head and sat down by the kitchen table again.

"If we are going to help you, we need to make a few rules clear" she said in a tone her mother had to often used on her. "So you will help us then, my lady?" Legolas asked and she nodded.

"I'm sorry, but I don`t know how to get you back to Middle Earth, but at least we can try and locate your friend"

Alfred walked back in, sighed and sat down next to Rory. "So we are in to this?" he asked and she nodded.  Horizt and Noritz looked at each other and then sat down by the table again, and not even hesitating the elf prince joined them.

            "How are we going to find your friend…. what is his name?" Rory asked, "Gustav" Legolas answered quickly. "Gustav…" Rory mused and turned to Alfred hoping he would have any ideas. "We could use the traditional door to door method," he suggested and Rory shook her head.

"That would only attract to much attention, and right now that is the last thing we need" Alfred nodded knowing she was right. "So I guess we can out write the police as well," he muttered. "Were would Gustav go if he got separated from you guys?" Rory asked and looked at the dwarves, who thought long and hard.

"Probably to the nearest tavern, to get something to drink"

"Right" Legolas said and Alfred nodded slowly. "So maybe we should head around in the locale pubs" "Yeah, but maybe we should split up, that way we won't attract to much attention and we will cover the pubs faster" Rory suggested and the others nodded.

"Then we need David's help" Alfred said after a long pause of silence and Rory groaned. "You can't seriously mean that…." She trailed off and Alfred nodded. "He knows the pubs and clubs better then any other," he said sternly.

They could hear the barking of the dog from the other side of the door, but this time neither drew their weapons. "Shut up!" they heard David call from inside, and a few moments later the barking stopped. Then they heard the rattling of keys in the door, and then slowly the door opened-

-And closed.

"David, common!" Rory said and banged her fists against the oak door.  They could hear him curse, and then slowly the door slid open again.  This time Rory put her foot inside the doorframe before David had time to close the door.

"Aren't you guys finished with this nonsense, I am in the middle of a football game" he sighed as they squeezed past him and into the corridor.  "We need your help to find Gustav" Rory said and David rolled his eyes. "Gustav?" "The Hafling, they suspect that he is in one of the local taverns…eh bars or pubs," Alfred explained and David sighed even deeply, then he grabbed Rory's arm and dragged her into the living room.

"Rory when are you going to stop with this nonsense" David said sharply. Rory tugged her arm free from his grip and crossed her arms and turned away from him. "This can't be any nonsense" "So you honestly believe that they are from Middle Earth and that President Bush is some dark Lord"

Rory opened her mouth to explain to David what she believed but then realized that no matter what she said he would still believe that she was crazy. He walked behind and looked at her back for a long time and sighed deeply. His brown eyes were filled with concern and sorrow and he put a hand on her shoulder and said slowly.

"I know this thing with your parents is hard but…you can't let that cloud your judgment"

She could hear him breath down her neck and he slowly turned her around and lifted her chin so that her eyes were staring into his and he said slowly. "Come on Rory, go and tell the freaks in my corridor to go back to the Asylum they came from and then you and I can." She removed his hands from her and turned around sharply and stared out the window at the darkness that was slowly settling over them, then she turned back and stared at him for a long time, her eyes blank like steel.

"Forget it David, we don`t need your help" she said slowly and turned to walk out, when he grabbed her arm again. He didn`t know why he put up with all her craziness, why he even bothered to try and win her back.

"Rory…" he said slowly and then sighed, showing her that he had given up. "Fine I'll help you," he muttered, mostly to him self and Rory smiled.  "Thank you" she said quietly and then walked back out to the others.

            "Okay, Noritz and I will take the bars…taverns on the upper east side" Alfred said and marched in front of the, rather strange, gathering outside David's house. He felt like a general, and he had to admit that he liked the feeling. "Rory, you and Legolas, take the bars down town" he said and Rory nodded.

"Horizt, you and David take the ones in around the park"

"You can't be serious, I am not going with this dog" Horizt said and glared at David, who also growled. Of all the person gathered outside his house, the tempered dwarf was his least favorite one.

"Yeah, I don`t want to go with this midget either" David said and looked pleadingly at Rory and Alfred. "Why can't I go with Rory?" he asked. "Because they need our help, they can't find their way around here" Alfred said. What he really thought that sending this bunch out between people was like arming a living time bomb.

"We need to attract as little attention as possible at that means: Do not try to rob any groceries"

"He was a spy for the Dark Lord!"

"Do not show people `the finger`"

"I thought that was the way you greeted people here"

"Do no raise your weapons at any people"

"Or animals"

"Is that clear!" Alfred said and looked at his `army` daring anybody to protest. "Clear" Rory said and sent David a look that warned him to try any thing funny.  David and Horizt looked at each other like to hungry tigers, ready to chew each other heads off.

"And try not to kill anyone" Alfred said when he saw the look the dwarf and David were sending each other.  David sighed and was about to say something, when Rory's stare made him change his mind. "Okay, let us split up gang! We meet at Rory's place in two hours" Alfred said brightly.

"This is not Scooby Do!" David growled. "Who is that?" Noritz asked curiously as the gang split up. Rory and Legolas stood for a moment watching the others go, and when they could no longer see them, Rory turned to the elf and said.

"This feels just like the `Parting of the Fellowship"

"How is it that you know so much about us, and yet we know nothing about you" he asked as they started to walk and Rory shook her head slowly, wondering how she was going to explain to them that here in USA, they were characters of a book.

"I just hope, nobody gets into any trouble," she muttered as they turned the corner. Her hopes would go unheard.