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'. It's nighttime, and the votes have been counted- 10 for the second night, 7 for the final night, and 4 for both. So I've done a little compromise for you, ok? Gets a little lemony… Sorry for the shortness of the chapter.

Part 7. The Second Night

Haldir and Glorfindel had not spoken for several hours- since their argument over Rissan. Both were too stubborn to take the initiative and apologize, so they sat there silently. Each had removed their cloaks and hung them up to dry on another root, next to their tunics. Neither blond Elf would look at the other.

Haldir was still dripping water onto the floor, because he refused to sit by the fire that Glorfindel had lit in the middle of the room, because that would make him have to sit next to the Elven lord. So he sat silently, leftover rain water dripping onto the floor as he shivered slightly, wrapping his arms around himself. The only good thing was that his hair had mostly dried; it was his clothes that were still drenched.

Glorfindel muttered, 'Are you trying to get sick? I have better things to do than take care of a young Elf who refuses to dry himself off in front of a fire and get warm.'

'Elves don't get sick,' Haldir shot back. 'Only three things can kill an Elf.' His tone was defiant and stubborn, as he frowned at Glorfindel. 'And I'm not young! Stop saying that, unless you want me to start calling you old!'

'Excuse me?' Glorfindel brought his eyes up to meet the challenge in Haldir's azure eyes, the slight smirk on that handsome face. The Elven lord cocked an eyebrow in response.

Haldir smirked even more. 'You heard me, old one.' The 'Lorien Elf calmly brushed some of his hair out of his eyes and thoroughly enjoyed the look of outrage on Glorfindel's face. It made him look even more attractive than before.

The older Elf stood in one graceful move, and walked over to Haldir. A simple grab and pull, and the younger Elf was yanked to his feet hard by his right wrist.

Glorfindel coldly stated, 'When you play with fire, little Elf, you're going to get burned.' His voice was low and heated slightly on the words 'fire' and 'burned'.

'Little Elf?' Haldir shouted in indignation, before he was cut off by a searing kiss, which warmed him from head to foot. Firm lips insistently pressed against his, as a warm tongue demanded entrance to his mouth, which Haldir opened, groaning softly.

Glorfindel explored every inch of the warm mouth, basking in the sweet taste that was more intoxicating that any mead or ale that the Elven lord had ever drank. His hands cupped the handsome face, before one drifted down and began memorizing the firm chest underneath the damp shirt, while his lips stayed locked with Haldir's.

Haldir was reveling in the sweet kisses, returning them just as potently as the ones that Glorfindel gave to him were. The 'Lorien Elf had never felt this strange feeling that seemed to be creeping into his very veins when the Elven lord touched him. One of his hands easily slipped under the dry shirt that Glorfindel wore and the other joined it quickly, exploring the firm muscles there with his deft fingers, which drove the Elven lord into even higher heights of passion

Glorfindel was stunned to find himself losing control, as he removed the wet shirt and tossed it aside, admiring the well-sculpted chest, before he crushed their lips together again. His hands pushed Haldir to the ground, and he straddled him, enjoying the feel of smooth, soft skin in his hands.

Haldir panted as he tugged off Glorfindel's shirt and flung it away eagerly, moaning when the Elven lord covered him with his body, touching him in places that Haldir had not realized were so erotic. A firm stroke across his abdomen and he whimpered, wanting more than just this. He wanted more… much more…

A firm hand entered into Haldir's leggings, causing him to pant harder and arch, even as Glorfindel's other hand fumbled with the leggings themselves, trying to remove them hurriedly. Haldir yanked at Glorfindel's leggings needfully, gasping hard.

Glorfindel took a moment to admire the flushed cheeks, with the light from the fire making the beads of sweat shine silvery. He flexed his fingers carefully, and heard a ragged groan, before reason rushed back into his mind. The Elven lord took a closer look and stiffened.

What in the name of the Valar did he think he was doing? Haldir was only a youth, barely past his maturity, and ruled by his emotions. He had no excuse for his behaviour, Glorfindel told himself. He was older and wiser, and he knew better than to take advantage of a young one such as Haldir. If Elrond saw him now, Glorfindel was certain that his lord would be very disappointed in him.

Haldir gave a protesting whimper when Glorfindel abruptly let go of him and stood, before turning his back to him.

'What's wrong?' he asked, confusion and hurt in his voice.

Glorfindel neutrally said, 'I should not have done that.'

Haldir frowned as he sat up. 'Why not? You wanted me- I know you did.' He hid his inner pain with anger, substituting the two mentally.

'Indeed,' Glorfindel replied. 'You are young and I…'

'And nothing,' Haldir retorted, before he stood and fixed his leggings. 'Forget it, since it was just a mistake. But I'll thank you to remember this: don't touch me any more, not unless you do mean it.'

Glorfindel couldn't keep a wince from crossing over his face. He knew he had hurt the younger Elf, and he had not meant to. The Elven lord averted his gaze when Haldir bent over and picked up his shirt, before stalking all the way across the room, next to the tunnel.

Haldir knew he was acting very childishly right now, but he didn't care, as he sat beside the tunnel. He was a fool, for even remotely believing that Glorfindel truly wanted him. The 'Lorien Elf shivered slightly, being even further away from the fire now, but again, he didn't care. The Elven lord was just using him, Haldir believed, playing some sort of game with him. Rissan's warning sang in his mind sharply, making the young Elf feel a little guilty for forgetting about him.

Glorfindel was worried that Haldir would get sick, Elf or not, but he said nothing, returning to the fire silently. He felt that he had hurt Haldir enough and vowed to keep his distance from the appealing younger Elf. Though Glorfindel still desired him; if he was honest, he would admit that. It was not, as Glorfindel had once thought, because of his innate loneliness.

Yes, that was the truth. The strong, even-tempered blond Elven lord was lonely. With no Kin to call his own, and most of his friends involved in a relationship with another, Glorfindel tended to be left out more often than not. He had prided himself on deceiving the world with his facade of indifference, but his heart knew the truth.

He had found no one to share his life with, no equal to lighten his heart.

Several Elves were lucky, born knowing who they would be with for their long lives, such as in the case of Crown Prince Legolas of Mirkwood and Prince Aragorn, son of Arathorn and heir to Gondor. Glorfindel was certain that when the time came, Aragorn would choose to marry Legolas. Some things were meant to be and the Valar knew that it was true for the two of them. That also included Celebrian and Elrond, as well as Celebrian's own parents; Galadriel and Celeborn. Glorfindel was genuinely happy that they had found the ones they would spend their lives with.

As for himself… he remained alone, out of habit.

Haldir maintained a pretense of indifference, keeping his pain locked up inside of his heart. He knew it was dangerous but it did not matter to him. Death might be less painful that facing the reality that Glorfindel either did not want him, or his morals wouldn't allow him to see him as more than a child.

Neither of those two thoughts made the young Elf very happy, and he also felt that he was being stupid for even forgetting about Rissan, feeling guilty because he didn't feel guilty for forgetting about him. Haldir was not sure what that meant. He'd been certain that he was in love with Rissan, but now… he was not so sure. If he loved Rissan, he would not have come so close to…

Haldir let out a muffled sigh and shifted slightly, moving his feet so that they were flat on the ground. He pulled his bent knees towards his bare chest and rested his chin on them, with his arms holding his knees against his chest. A yawn escaped from him and he felt himself growing sleepy. Shivers went through him, as Haldir finally allowed himself to go to sleep.

Glorfindel glanced over when he heard the sigh. Guilt went through him when he saw how the younger Elf was shivering in his sleep. The golden-haired Elven lord watched for a few moments, before standing and walking over to him. Tenderly, Glorfindel lifted Haldir in his strong, firm arms, before carrying him over to the fire.

Haldir murmured softly, shifting closer to Glorfindel's warm, bare chest to ease the chills he felt. He did not awaken, even while he was carefully laid out in front of the fire and covered with a mostly dry cloak. He whimpered quietly when Glorfindel let go of him and started backing away, so the Elven lord remained next to Haldir. He told himself it was because he didn't want Haldir's cries to bring the creature to them, but he knew it for the lie it truly was.

Sometime later, Glorfindel stretched out on the ground next to Haldir and let himself drift asleep, reasonably certain that if something approached, he would wake at once. They were both exhausted from being caught in the rain and from running like that. Later, Glorfindel told himself, he would try to figure out what that creature wanted with Haldir, but right now they both needed to get some rest, before tomorrow, when they were supposed to kill the creature- if it could be killed.

Glorfindel fell asleep faster than he would have believed, listening to the deep breathing of the younger Elf laying next to him. Eventually, the fire grew lower, for no one was awake to put more wood on it. Glorfindel always kept wood in this small, dirt cavern, in case something happened and he could not get back to Lothlorien.

When the fire finally died, the air grew cooler, for though the entrance was covered with brush, wind still passed through it, into the tunnel. Blinding rain still poured down outside, washing away their footprints and scent, so no one could find them. Both Elves stirred slightly, and brushed up against each other.

Haldir was warmer than Glorfindel, and his eyes flickered open for a few moments when his back touched the Elven lord's bare chest. Outrage entered his eyes for a few moments, until he saw where he was now. The 'Lorien Elf watched Glorfindel sleeping, resisting the temptation to brush the golden strands off of his face. But it was so tempting… His hand reached out for a few moments, and that was when he realized that he had the Elven lord's softer, warmer cloak over him. Guilt went through him when he saw that Glorfindel was now shivering slightly, though he continued sleeping.

Haldir inched closer to Glorfindel and slowly drew the cloak over him as well, so that it mostly covered them both. The younger Elf rested his head on his right arm, as he turned onto his right side. He was nearly asleep again when it happened; two strong arms reached out and caught his waist, pulling him all the way against the Elven lord.

Glorfindel didn't hear the soft gasp, continuing to sleep silently. Haldir was intoxicated with the nearness of the handsome older Elf, and a flush slowly spread on his face. He grew used to the warm arms, however, and fell asleep again. His head rested against the bare chest behind me, with his golden hair splayed across it.

Neither woke up that night, feeling too warm and tired to even move.

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Somewhere Else

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A figure dressed entirely in black, with a black hood covering its face, hair, and ears stood in front of the creature. A single hand was outstretched, using magic to heal the wounds that the creature had gained at the hands of the ones that pursued it.

The creature knew better than to interrupt its master's thoughts, so it remained silent while it was healed, relieved when the pain stopped throbbing through it.

The other hand of the figure held the Elven dagger that was stained with the black blood of the creature, his creation. He knew whose dagger this was; he was not that stupid. After finishing the healing, he looked coldly at the creature.

"Do not hurt him again," he ordered. "I want him alive- not dead. Kill the other one, if you can. If not, don't bother coming back- I will not heal you a second time."

The creature screeched softly once in agreement, before it ran off to find the Elves. It did not want to disappoint its Master, so it frantically began searching for them. The rain had made their scent very, very faint, so it took a long time to catch even a faint whiff of it.

The black-clothed figure looked after his creation, suppressing an inner sigh. This was an expected development; the Elven lord known as Glorfindel was, after all, no ordinary Elf. Returning from the Halls of Mandos to live again was impressive indeed. Not many Elves had that strength of will, which made Glorfindel who he was, and gave him favor from most of the Elves… including Haldir.

And that made him… too dangerous. It would not do at all for Haldir to fall for Glorfindel, not when he was already claimed by another. Yes, indeed, the attraction between the two was dangerous… Dangerous to the plans that had been made and carefully prepared, plans that would not be changed now because of this turn of events…

Haldir might not return untouched from this mission, but it would be the first and last time the younger Elf dallied elsewhere. And he knew exactly how to ensure that Haldir would obey… It was all so easy, Rissan sneeringly mused. He knew that his creature would not be able to kill Glorfindel, and was counting on it. It was part of his new plan.

Yes, Glorfindel was too dangerous…

Too dangerous… to live.

To be continued