Going Back

This was not as easy as they thought. They ended up back at Allison's house, because they knew that there was a portal there.

"So where were you when you feel asleep?" Eric asked, he had a pad of paper, they thought it would be wise to record everything they now knew about 'dimension-hopping' as Allison now called it.

"Right here." Allison pointed to a chair where her fat cat was now sleeping. Eric nodded, and was taking down notes. Allison thought for a moment.

"How would I instigate a dimension-hopping journey? I mean, what caused me to decided where we end up? How do I distinguish from X-Files to Lord of the Rings?" Eric looked up from his notes,

"Well, what were you doing before we ended up in Middle-Earth?"

"Reading, the Return of the King."

"Perhaps that did it. Thinking about it before you fall asleep. What about when we ended up in the X-Files?"

"Driving to the library."

"Doing anything X-Files related?"

"I wasn't thinking about it especially…" Allison shrugged, "I don't know." They were both quite for awhile thinking about what it could be; suddenly Allison jumped up,

"I know! I was listening to the X-Files soundtrack!"

"Well that's it then! So sit here and think about Lord of the Rings and then fall asleep."

"Easier said than done. Aside from that, we don't know when or where we will end up."

"Well, that's something left to discover." Allison gave Eric a look and then said,

"Oh, I have an idea." She raced up to her room and brought down her Discman.

"The Lord of the Rings soundtrack!" She said smiling. "Now, about me falling asleep…"

"How about I knock you upside the head? That will make you fall asleep."

"How about no, Eric." Allison rolled her eyes; she pushed the cat out of the chair (with great effort) and sat down. She yawned,

"Hum, I'm actually quite tired. Too bad I just had coffee, so no matter how sleepy I am I'll still be up…" Allison then fell asleep. Eric followed suit and they were fast asleep.

(A/N: Sorry, no creativity there, but I wanted to get this scene done and over with)

They awoke in an odd place. It was on the lawn, just outside Minas Tirith. The tower rose high and strong, giving the sense of power and safety.

"Where are we?" Eric asked, and Allison wasn't quite sure, but had an idea. She told Eric so.

"I think that is Gondor. And I think we are sitting on its lawn." Eric nodded

"Oh ok. How do we get inside?"

"Well, there should be someone guarding the door. We could ask him to let us in." Eric shrugged and the two walked over to the tower's gate and saw none but Pippin and Beregond. Pippin looked at them as if they were ghosts.

"Do my tired eyes deceive me? Is that but and apparition of Eric and Lady Allison or are they truly here?" Allison laughed.

"It's is really us, Pippin, now let us in!" Pippin and Beregond raised the gate and allowed the two to come in. Pippin raced up to them and embraced Allison.

"Oh I missed you so!" Pippin said and Allison smiled,

"I missed you too!" She looked around the dreary, gloomy Gondor and sighed.

"So I imagine things aren't looking all that great now a days."

"They are indeed not, Lady. Am I to assume that you are the Lady and Master that Pippin has spoken so much of?"

"We are."

"Come hither to save our land and lives?" Allison sadly shook her head,

"No." Beregond looked angry and a little hurt,

"Than, prithee, what are your tasks hither in this time of despair and tragedy?"

"What did he ask?" Eric asked Allison, who ignored him,

"Well, actually we're sorta doing an experiment…" Beregond looked at though Allison had said something blasphemous.

"To do experiments in these times of great pain?"

"Well, we didn't know where we would end up." Allison said as if it justified things any. "Is, uh, Gandalf here?"

"Yes. Would you like to see him?" Pippin asked and Allison nodded.

"Aragorn isn't here yet, is he?" Pippin shook his head,

"Will he come?"

"Yes, in due time." Beregond's eyes seemed a little brighter at this news but said nothing. Pippin then lead Allison and Eric off to find Gandalf. He quickly filled in everything that had happened to him while they were away. Allison found this quite dull, since she already knew, but Eric was total emerged in it. She scanned the town, finding it to be rather like what she imagined a Renaissance period city would be like. Cobbled streets, and stone buildings, everything cold and hard. Actually, Allison didn't much like Gondor, and decided that next time she would try to ended up in a pretty place like Rivendell. Finally, Pippin got around to the hall where Gandalf and the Steward were.

After some mighty long introductions by Pippin to Gandalf and the Steward, they got down to the how's/why's of Allison and Eric's appearance.

"Yeah, so like Pippin said we ended up here before, I don't know how long ago, but it was around the time that the Fellowship broke up."

"So you knew my son?" The Steward asked and they nodded.

"I tried to prevent his death, but…" The Steward interrupted,

"How?"

"Well, you see I kind of know your future because…"

"You know our futures? What is the outcome of this war?"

"Well, I'd rather not say, it kind of ruins the surprise of life, don't you think? But then…"

"If you are some hindrance to this war…" the Steward began to say, but Gandalf motioned for him to stop,

"Go on, Lady." Allison took a breath, she hoped she could go on without being interrupted again.

"Anyway, so we wanted to know if we could come back, and how to control Dimension-Hopping (That's what I call this traveling between worlds.) and to record everything we knew." At this point, Eric held up his notebook, and Gandalf leafed through it. The notes were short, stuff like 'falling asleep seems to be the way to start travel' or 'must enter through portal'.

"So, that's how we wound up here."

"Do you know if you can control where you'll enter?" Gandalf asked and Allison shook her head,

"Not as of now. We'd have to give it more consideration, I suppose."

"Well, do so. Please." Gandalf said, "And when you have discovered it, please inform me."

"Of course." Allison said pleasantly. Gandalf was a very kindly person, and Allison and Eric liked him. The Steward, on the other hand, was persnipity and rather annoying.

"You said before that you tried to save my son, how?" The Steward asked coming back to his beloved son, as Allison had guessed he would,

"As Pippin said before, this adventure is recorded in a book back in my home, and I have read the book and therefore know what will happen and what does happen."

"But you do not wish to tell us of anything?"

"You see, during our first trip I did not know the consequences of my future knowledge. But after our second trip, the first to Middle-Earth, I discovered that my knowledge does not effect what goes on here. Yet, I don't like to tell because I think it ruins the whole point of life."

"A wise decision." Gandalf said, even though the Steward did not think so.

"You know, it's like that Palantír thingy. If you know, it kind of makes you go crazy."

"How do you know of the Palantír?" The Steward asked in a hush.

"Well, I read the book." Allison said shrugging. "That's how I know most of what I know."

"But how much knowledge of our world do can you recall willingly, or readily?"

"Not a whole hell of a lot." Gandalf and the Steward were confused by this terminology. They gave Allison a look of non-understanding. Allison then restated, "Not too much." Eric began to snicker and Allison 'subtly' smacked him.

"So then of what use is your information to us?"

"It's not. I didn't come here to give you any information anyhow. I'm here to conduct experiments."

"And who gave you the right to conduct your experiments here in Gondor during this time of great strife?"

"No one, I didn't especially mean to come here. I actually don't know why I ended up here exactly."

"What is it then your request of us?"

"I would like to be able to stay here and to roam free until we decide it's time we go home." Allison said humbly, but then added, "If that's ok." Eric leaned over to her and whispered,

"I don't like the look of that one guy, the old one…"

"Eric, they're both old! Be more specific!"

"You know, the bitchy one."

"Get on with it."

"I think it's time you turn on the 'Asian eyes'" Eric said referring to the ability all Asians have to make author pathetically sad, or fiercely angry faces using mostly their eyes. Allison, being half-Asian had some-what this ability. Allison nodded and said,

"If you don't accept our request, we will have to move on, alone and tired and cold, in this foreign land. And we really don't have any place to go…but we must get these questions answered. Wouldn't you like to know yourself?" Allison turned on 'Asian Eyes' and made a pouty face. Gandalf took pity on this poor soul and said to Denthor,

"Come, they will not cause you any great disturbance. The world is cold and all they are in need of is some warmth." The Steward eventually gave in, (for no one could resist 'Asian Eyes') and allowed Allison and Eric passage in the town and could stay here however long they wanted.