Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! This fic contains eventual Haldir/Glorfindel slash, and verbal and physical abuse! The focus is on Glorfindel and Haldir, not Aragorn and Legolas, though both will be mentioned in this fic. This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'.

Part 5. The First Night

Glorfindel and Haldir found an empty clearing, with trees nearby that held plenty of branches, should they need to take to them to escape from an unknown foe. The grass was soft, so it would not be uncomfortable to sleep on. Rising in the dark sky, the moon shone down on them, and the appearing stars winked at them, shining brightly.

Glorfindel set about making a spot to light a fire, to make certain that the fire would be controllable and not burn down the forest of 'Lorien. Haldir gathered small branches, twigs, and a few stray leaves for the fire, keeping an eye for anything unusual. He was slightly nervous, for two reasons.

One, they so far had no way of knowing whatever it was that attacked the other Elves, and therefore, they could not know whether or not they would be able to feel it near them, or if their Elven senses would be able to pick up its movements.

Two, he was spending the night out here, alone with a very handsome Elven lord, who unfortunately saw him as nothing more than a bother. True, Glorfindel had apologized, but Haldir was willing to bet that he was seen as just a burden to the older and more experienced Elf.

Then Haldir told himself that he was being foolish; he still needed to come to some sort of agreement with Rissan before he did anything else. They were here to find and stop whatever it was, and nothing else. And he would do well to remember that, Haldir solemnly thought. Disappointment gnawed at him, as he shifted the wood he held with his left arm.

Glorfindel said, 'I'm ready for the wood now, Haldir.' He glanced up and was startled to see the way the moonlight was illuminating the younger Elf's pale skin and golden hair, causing it to look radiant.

'Here,' Haldir replied, as he awkwardly placed the wood beside Glorfindel, admiring the glistening highlights in his hair from the moon's rays of light. It also lit up Glorfindel's handsome face, making him look ethereal.

The two stared wordlessly at each other for a few minutes, their eyes locked, before Glorfindel began arranging the wood, feigning a calmness that he did not feel.

Haldir quickly walked over to his bag, where he'd placed it beside a tree, and he knelt beside it. He began sorting through it, bringing out his bedding, arranging it silently. His eyes continuously flickered towards Glorfindel, though not obviously so. He hoped. There was nothing wrong with looking, after all. Still… Rissan's words echoed in his mind, plaguing him whenever he felt a strange, warm attraction to Glorfindel.

By the Valar, Haldir was a mere child to him, Glorfindel sternly told himself, lighting the fire carefully. He had no right to look at Haldir so, especially since he knew that Haldir and Rissan were apparently together, even if they were currently fighting over something. His deep, blue eyes watched Haldir as he arranged his bedding, admiring the rippling muscles that showed clearly through the shirt he wore.

Haldir shuddered slightly, not liking the silence. It wasn't just the silence between himself and Glorfindel; it was the silence of the animals within the forest, that should have been awake at night and on the move. But there was nothing, and it made him uncomfortable. A feeling of wariness was growing inside of him, and he didn't know why.

Haldir then felt stupid and, reinforcing his opinion that he was not a child, he told himself to stop acting like he was only two hundred. Instead, he grabbed some of the dried meat, fruit, and some lembas out of his pack with his left hand.

Taking a bite out of one of the lembas, Haldir's eyes darted around nervously. If Rissan were here, Haldir knew that he would be laughing at him for being such a nervous twit.

Glorfindel was puzzled at the apprehension he saw in the younger Elf. He was not entirely at ease himself, but he didn't understand what was troubling him.

'Is something wrong?' he questioned.

Haldir further embarrassed himself by jumping at the unexpected question. 'It's just… so quiet. The forest is usually alive at night, and…' His vague feelings of danger were increasing.

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. 'And?'

'There's something…' Haldir shook his head, not believing that he had nearly voiced his feelings aloud. 'I'm probably imagining it; never mind. Are you hungry?'

'That depends on what the feast is,' Glorfindel answered, trying to make Haldir more at ease, but he didn't forget what the young one had nearly said. It worked, for Haldir's face grew slightly pink, before he replied.

Haldir smirked. 'Well, I have lembas, fruit, meat… What do you want?' The traces of fear faded in his twinkling eyes.

How about you, Glorfindel nearly said, enjoying how the faint, rosy flush lit up his face even more, with the light of his fire. 'I wouldn't object to some fruit,' he hastily replied.

Haldir casually stood and carried some of his food over to Glorfindel. 'Enjoy,' he said, before sitting beside the fire.

'Thank you,' Glorfindel answered, right before he took a bite, trying to think of anything but the gorgeous young Elf sitting near him.

Haldir nibbled at the rest of his lemba, looking everywhere but at Glorfindel. 'Where are we going tomorrow?' he inquired.

'I thought we could circle around the entire forest, and visit the places where the other Galadhrim were attacked, in case any clues happened to be left there.' Glorfindel chewed and swallowed.

'What do you think it is?' Haldir blurted out.

Glorfindel turned an amused look on the younger Elf. 'I don't know… yet.' His tone was confident, for Glorfindel felt that he- no, they, he reminded himself- would figure it out fairly soon.

Haldir nodded. 'How do you want to divide the watch tonight? I can watch for half the night, if you can take it for the rest of the night.' A slight, teasing challenge was in his voice, as he grinned at the Elven lord, ignoring the strange feelings that were disturbing him.

'I can go without sleep,' Glorfindel countered. 'You, however, cannot, youngling.'

'I am not a youngling!' Haldir yelled, focusing on his anger rather than his fear.

Glorfindel said flatly, 'You should not be yelling, unless you want to attract our prey to us.'

Haldir muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, 'I don't care!'

'You should care,' Glorfindel sternly reprimanded the younger Elf.

'Why are you treating me like a child?' Haldir shouted, feeling anger, frustration, fear, and desire, as he jumped to his feet and scowled down at the seemingly emotionless older Elf.

Glorfindel stood as well and looked down at Haldir. 'Why are you acting like one?' He crossed his arms and sighed, as if disappointed.

Haldir stomped over to Glorfindel and glared at him. 'I wouldn't be acting like one if you wouldn't treat me like one!'

Their faces leaned closer together, anger blazing in both of their blue eyes. And then it happened.

Their lips met, softly at first, before it became crushingly hard. A tingly warmth enveloped the two Elves, as they kissed, fueling their mutual desire. Soft kisses came and went between their lips, making both breathless and leaving them wanting more.

Glorfindel broke away first, looking, for the very first time since Haldir had met the Elven lord, un-composed. 'No,' he told Haldir, trying to get a grip on his emotions. Well, at least he knew what those sweet, full lips tasted like, Glorfindel mused. Then he shook his head. What in the name of Elbereth was he thinking?

Haldir had never felt anything like that before. Having only experience with Rissan, the 'Lorien Elf had not even so much as touched another Elf… until now. His eyes were wide with shock, and a twinge of hurt when Glorfindel stepped away, telling him 'No'. Resentment built up in Haldir and he turned his back to the Elven lord, hiding the pain in his heart.

Haldir icily asked, 'Do you want to take first watch, or should I?'

'I'll take first watch,' Glorfindel sharply murmured, grabbing at any excuse to distance himself from the young Elf that he wanted to throw to the ground and take. He stalked away from the fire, sitting with his back against a tree. How could this irritatingly persistent, teasing, young, handsome, brave, and volatile Elf that could kiss him senseless be penetrating through his defenses? Glorfindel forced himself to discipline his mind; he was older, he knew better, and he was on a mission here, which did not include seducing Haldir. Though that idea was tempting. He'd been alone for quite a few centuries, and Glorfindel decided that his reaction to Haldir was simply because even he grew lonely at times, though no one would even know that.

Haldir kept his back turned to Glorfindel, mistaking the silence for repulsion. Apparently, Glorfindel hadn't been as affected by those kisses as he had been; it seemed to have given him the opposite reaction. Haldir laid himself flat on his back, in his bed, looking up at the stars. His right wrist rested across his chest, while his left hand rested under his head.

Neither of them could sleep, but neither of them spoke, either, as the hours slowly drifted by.

Glorfindel and Haldir did a relatively good job of ignoring each other, until the watch switched. Glorfindel stood and stretched for a few moments, before he walked over and sat beside the fire.

Haldir silently sat up, stood, and walked over to the tree, ignoring the older Elf completely. He promptly sat and started thinking of what he would say to Rissan when he finally returned to his normal duties. Anything was a welcome distraction from this utter silence. Well, almost anything…

Haldir had only sitting watch for two hours when the wrenching feelings of uneasiness returned, driving out his other senses. He carefully looked around, but he could see nothing to explain the way he was feeling. He slowly stood, careful not to draw Glorfindel's attention, and a shiver ran down his spine.

A gust of wind blew through the clearing, and Haldir shivered, feeling very strange. He trembled violently, as he suddenly saw a black shape passing through the trees in front of him and Haldir froze when it looked directly at him. Searing black eyes gazed directly into Haldir's bright, cobalt eyes.

Glorfindel's keen senses alerted him to something unnatural being nearby, and he turned to warn Haldir, when he saw that the younger Elf was already standing, his entire body shaking. The Elven lord drew his sword and leapt to his feet, before he dashed over to Haldir's side.

'What's wrong?' Glorfindel sharply questioned, and then he saw the black figure that was intently staring at Haldir, unwavering in its intensely evil stare.

Haldir whispered, 'C-cold…' He didn't understand why the- whatever it was- was making him feel so cold, as if it were gnawing at his soul.

Glorfindel stepped in front of the younger Elf protectively and said, 'Face us, if you dare!'

Another cruel, freezing gust of wind tore through the clearing, plucking at clothes, hair, and piercing through even skin, directly into Glorfindel's soul.

However, Glorfindel was no ordinary Elf; he was one of the few that had been able to return from the Halls of Mandos, returning to life from death. So whatever effect this creature had on Elves was diminished by the inner strength that Glorfindel possessed. Intense cold flared in Glorfindel, but he did not back down.

Haldir was finally starting to unfreeze, though shivers still ran through him. But they were not as bad as they had been, because the cruel gaze was no longer solely on him. To Glorfindel's surprise, the figure appeared to be disregarding him and focusing directly on Haldir.

The black figure left as silently and quickly as it had come. It was here for only one purpose; to feed from Elven souls, as its Master bid it too. The problem was that one of these souls was the one that its Master had said it could not eat, so it was forced to leave, rather than risking taking the soul it was not supposed to. But such youth… innocence… vibrancy in such a strong soul… It was a shame, in addition to the fact that it was not allowed to kill those it fed off of. It could only steal most of an Elven soul, which left the Elves nearly dead, but they recovered with time. But that fiery soul… it was so tempting to the creature, who was so hungry…

Glorfindel looked directly at Haldir. 'What happened?' he questioned, his concern making his voice sound sharp, as he sheathed his sword and focused on the still shivering younger Elf.

'I don't…' Haldir wasn't sure of what Glorfindel wanted him to say.

'Is this what you were about to tell me earlier? That there was something?' Glorfindel pressed.

Haldir sighed and confessed, 'I felt uneasy, and wary… But I didn't know why, until that thing…' He wrapped his arms around himself, trying to contain his shivers. 'What was it?'

Glorfindel replied, 'That… was what we seek. My question is why did it leave us alone, when it attacked all of the other Elves?' He didn't like the fact that Haldir was apparently sensitive to the evil cruelty that radiated off of the creature, and narrowed his eyes.

'Should we move to the trees? Will it be safe on the ground, when that figure is out hunting?' Haldir took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down.

'We should, just in case,' Glorfindel decided. 'I'll help you.'

Haldir frowned but didn't press the argument this time. He was wondering how such a creature had gotten into Lothlorien- his home- and past the borders without being noticed or spotted by anyone, besides the Galadhrim that had been attacked.

The fire was doused, making Haldir wince, for he had wanted to use its warmth to try to warm himself from the few remaining shivers he had. His pack was left on the ground, and he took only a blanket, some food, and his weapons over to the tree that Glorfindel already stood in, waiting to assist him.

Glorfindel took a grip on Haldir's hand and easily pulled him onto the low branch. He held the ice-cold hand for a few moments, frowning. Haldir looked at Glorfindel silently, an unreadable expression in his eyes, before his hand was released.

The Elven lord took a high branch, keeping almost all of his attention focused on determining if the creature returned, until he saw Haldir sitting alone on a nearby branch, wrapped in the blanket, but still shaking.

Glorfindel heaved a sigh, and stood, quickly crossing over to the branch. The Elven lord was also fighting back the urges to shiver, remnants of the wind that had seemed to try to grab his soul wracking through him. He sat next to Haldir and slowly, silently wrapped his arms around the younger Elf, who looked at him wordlessly.

Haldir attempted to make a weak joke. 'I guess I really am young, to react like this to whatever that was.'

'No,' Glorfindel told him. 'Even I felt strange in its presence. It is the opposite of our inner light, which all Elves possess.'

Haldir somehow found himself leaning against Glorfindel, whose arms were wrapped around the younger Elf, keeping him warm. Both were wary of revealing their desire to the other, so neither moved or spoke for a while.

'Thanks,' Haldir said, so softly that Glorfindel nearly didn't hear him.

Glorfindel quietly murmured, 'You're welcome.'

They sat together like that, until, weary from fatigue and the draining effect that the creature had had on their souls, both drifted into sleep, their eyes going vacant.

Neither saw the creature return, searching for them. It looked for a while, before moving on to another part of the forest.

To be continued