Other: I'm not mad at you, Lady Legolas and Princess of Mirkwood. I was only trying to explain why, at least currently, it would be very hard to get two chapters up every time I update. Sorry if I did sound mad… *winces* I was very tired and in a hurry.

Author's Notes: Elvish is in ' '. Only the unknown characters belong to me! There is now G/H slash in this fic! This fic takes place sometime between the Prologue and the first chapter of 'Reasons'. The story is going very dark in the next chapter, and there will be implied torture, rape, etc… Just wanted to warn you. A bit lemony… Sometime after the last chapter…

Part 9. The Third Night

Haldir gazed up at the full moon as droplets of water twinkled on his bare skin, falling to the ground silently. He stood in the middle of the cool, flowing stream, removing the last traces of the dirt and blood from his skin. It felt so good to get the disgusting, black liquid off of him, for it had irritated him as it tried, becoming very sticky.

His golden hair dripped water as well, clean and sparkling in the silvery luminescence of the moon overhead. Haldir's pale skin shone slightly, proving that he truly was an Elf. Only their skin stood out in the night, because of their inner light.

The 'Lorien Elf continued working on his clothes, cleaning the dark liquid off of them. His tunic hung on a nearby branch, dripping dry, and he cleaned his shirt as best as he could, before he wrung it, releasing the majority of the water, until he placed it next to his tunic.

The leggings had the majority of the blood on them, but after scrubbing them with his bare hands for a few moments, they gradually became a brighter color. A discarded sword-belt, with a sword in its sheath, a bow, and a quiver rested against the tree where Haldir's clothes dried. Soon, his leggings joined his shirt and tunic, and Haldir began cleaning his hands again, for black blood covered them again.

The smell of fresh mint leaves was high in the air, surrounding the small clearing where Haldir bathed. The grass was soft to bare feet and springy, as it should be at this time of the year. A few shrubs and bushes isolated the clearing, keeping the Elf who was currently splashing water onto his face from being spotted from any who was not an Elf. The dark hemlocks intertwined with the honeysuckle and white rose bushes, framing the clearing perfectly.

Glorfindel was not too far away, further downstream, unseen by the younger Elf. He had quickly cleaned his own clothes, which hung from a branch overhead, before he removed all the pent-up grime and blood from his sturdy frame. When he was finished, his bare skin gleamed, a combination of the water covering him and his natural, Elven glow. His light was stronger than most Elves', because he had returned from death, leaving the Halls of Mandos to live again.

Golden hair hung down to his waist, sparkling like diamonds were entwined in it, because of the water. His natural beauty restored, Glorfindel wrapped his cloak around him and left the stream, to find Haldir and see if he was finished yet. The gashes on his face had already healed over, thanks to his Elven healing ability.

After plucking his clothes out of the tree, the Elven lord headed down towards where Haldir had been bathing, assuming that the younger Elf would be done by now. Indeed, he saw as he silently entered the clearing, Haldir lay in the soft grass on the shore, with his own torn cloak draped across him.

Glorfindel's good intentions were swiftly forgotten when he saw the slender, lean chest rise slowly as Haldir breathed, with his arms folded behind him and his head resting on them. The Elven lord stared at the way the moonlight was dancing across Haldir, each time he moved, and felt the familiar stirring inside of him.

Haldir was too distracted to notice Glorfindel there, until he felt someone watching him. He sat up halfway and turned to see the older Elf standing there. Haldir stood, holding his cloak around him. He was aroused at the sight of Glorfindel standing there, with his black cloak barely covering him, and Haldir averted his gaze when he saw the amused look on the Elven lord's face at his blatant staring.

Glorfindel left his clothes next to Haldir's, before he walked over to the 'Lorien Elf. He peered down into the handsome, young face, and questioned, 'Feeling better?' His blue eyes darkened slightly at the drop of water on Haldir's bottom lip, finding it very erotic. He was sorely tempted to lick it away.

'Yes,' Haldir murmured. 'Are you?' His tongue slipped out and moistened his top lip, but ignored the drop of water that was maddening to Glorfindel.

'Never better,' the Elven lord whispered, as he lowered his face to Haldir's and used his own tongue to remove the water, before he kissed him hard, with longing and need.

Haldir's own desire was released in the kiss that threatened to crush both of their lips, a hungry, sweet kiss that left them both breathless and eager for more. Their mouths met again, sparking the familiar heat between them, while Glorfindel took advantage of Haldir's open mouth to push his tongue inside, exploring its warm depths.

A faint moan sounded, before Haldir plunged his tongue into the moist warmth of Glorfindel's mouth, not even noticing when the older Elf pushed him to the ground. Their mouths seemingly tried to devour each other, while their hands went to work.

Glorfindel broke the kisses long enough to trace the handsome, young face, lowering himself onto Haldir carefully, his eyes now a midnight-blue. His hands crept down the pale throat, to the firm but slender chest, teasingly slow, as he used his mouth to trail kisses down the throat, where the pulse was racing wildly.

Haldir couldn't contain his groan and surprised Glorfindel when, with a impossibly simple twist and turn, he suddenly straddled the Elven lord, planting on kisses on his nape, even while his hands explored every inch of muscular chest. Glorfindel growled lowly, not used to being underneath anyone, but enjoying the ministrations that Haldir gave him. Soon he hungered for more, so the Elven lord rolled them over, until he was pinning Haldir to the ground again.

No words were spoken, for Haldir was afraid that it would shatter the spell they both seemed to be under, as their kisses started again, but with a deeper feeling in them. Glorfindel didn't care any longer of the age difference or anything else, as he slipped a hand under the soft fabric of the cloak covering Haldir.

'Oh…' Haldir moaned, and he arched, pulling Glorfindel onto him more, a wordless need in his eyes, which the Elven lord acknowledged, letting his own cloak slip as he bestowed another warm kiss to the younger Elf.

Glorfindel traced all of the younger body beneath him, his hands cool and soft, leaving Haldir whimpering at everything he did, and the older Elf began to gain a sudden suspicion. He knew that Haldir wasn't untouched, but from the way he was acting it was as if the younger Elf had never known how pleasurable sex could be. So the Elven lord altered his plan, and proceeded to slowly, deliberately show Haldir just what pleasure could be found in this.

The slow pace was enough to drive Haldir crazy, and he wanted Glorfindel to take him now, instead of teasing him so. 'Please…' he whispered, growing frustrated when the older Elf shook his head. The searing touches delighted him, awakening feelings in him that he had never felt before, and Haldir was thrashing and begging ashamedly.

The variety of sounds that came from Haldir was rather intriguing to Glorfindel, so he alternated between soft strokes across the planes of his stomach, which made Haldir whimper, and slightly rougher strokes that left the younger Elf moaning deeply. However, he found himself hard-pressed to keep up this slow pace any longer, so he removed both of their cloaks and shifted his weight slowly, turning them both slightly.

The two Elves burned together as they joined, with cries that startled any in earshot. Spent at last, Haldir lay within Glorfindel's stronger arms. Both had rosy faces and panted hard, sweat gleaming in little droplets on their skin.

Neither said anything for a few hours, content to lay next to each other, as they drowsily dozed. Then Glorfindel remembered what he had learned earlier and he turned to look at Haldir seriously.

'How long have you and Rissan been together?' he questioned curiously, trying not to bluntly come right out and say what was troubling him.

Haldir, in response, groaned, just now realizing that he had forgotten the one he had been sharing his bed with. 'Two years… and I completely forgot about him.' A self-loathing note was in his voice, causing Glorfindel to sharply look at him.

Glorfindel slowly sighed. He, too, had forgotten something- his morals. The Elf laying in his arms was young enough to be his son- if he had had one.

As if he sensed where Glorfindel's thoughts were going, Haldir muttered, 'Regretting it already?' He was already feeling slightly guilty because he had enjoyed being with the older Elf more than he had with Rissan.

'No,' Glorfindel admitted. 'But I am ashamed that I did forget that you were attached to someone else.'

'I don't know if I will stay with him,' Haldir murmured. 'I need to speak with him and…'

The Elven lord was pleased to hear the doubt in Haldir's voice; it meant that the younger Elf was beginning to question whether his relationship with Rissan was healthy. Glorfindel stifled a groan of his own, when Haldir shifted, incidentally pressing himself back against the Elf behind him.

Glorfindel nodded to Haldir's words, feeling himself becoming aroused again. Haldir was startled when, after squirming a little more to get comfortable, he heard a low growl from Glorfindel.

'If you keep that up, Haldir, I'm going to have to punish you…'

Haldir debated for a few minutes, before he turned to face Glorfindel. 'Punish me for what?' he asked sweetly.

'For being too tempting, young one…'

'Young one?' Haldir repeated, anger and hurt in his voice. He ignored the rest of the sentence, as he focused on those two words. 'If I'm so young, why did you sleep with me? Doesn't that violate some rule or something that the Elders have to obey?'

Glorfindel frowned, knowing that Haldir was right. 'I didn't set out to seduce you,' he snapped. 'You weren't exactly unwilling, either.'

Haldir jerked free of the arms that held him, and glared at Glorfindel as he stood. 'Really? Who kissed me first? I'm sure Lord Celeborn would love to know what you do during the missions that you are sent on. And I seem to recall telling you that if you didn't mean it that I didn't want you to touch me.'

'Just as I'm sure that Rissan would love to know that you cheated on him with me,' Glorfindel taunted. 'Was it that bad with him, that you were desperate enough to find someone else to satisfy you?' The instant the words were out of his mouth, the older Elf regretted them, when he saw how ashen Haldir turned. He'd expected the 'Lorien to be angry or embarrassed, not shaken.

Haldir stalked over to his clothes and swiftly dressed, pulling them on as fast as he could, ignoring the fact that they were still damp. After buckling his sword-belt around his waist, he grabbed his bow and quiver, before racing off into the night, leaving a stunned, older Elf behind.

Why did he always run off, Glorfindel thought, feeling irritated. Now he was obliged to go after the younger Elf, to make certain that he got home all right. He stood, and went over to his now mostly dry clothes. He dressed as quickly as Haldir had, placing his belt back around his waist, and ran after the 'Lorien Elf. He hadn't meant to upset Haldir, and he honestly had not meant to say what he had.

A pair of dark eyes had watched the two lay together, hidden amongst the shadows and leaves. Now the figure emerged, looking very pleased. Yes, his creature had been defeated, but Glorfindel and Haldir were arguing, which was all the better for him, Rissan mused.

The ebony-haired Elf let a grim smile cross his face. Haldir would not go unpunished for his actions, but Glorfindel was more to blame than the easily manipulated blond Elf, who wasn't even a millennia old yet.

Rissan smirked when he thought of his own age; he was nearly as old as Glorfindel. He shook his head, and set off at a fast pace through the forest, to return to Haldir's talen and wait for him to return home. He should arrive sometime tomorrow, probably in the late evening, and Rissan would be waiting for him.

A flash of some kind of emotion appeared in the cold, nearly pupil-less black eyes, as Rissan thought of just how much Haldir would suffer for his actions. The dark-haired Elf had already changed his plan; he couldn't kill Glorfindel, not until Haldir was effectively bound to him, in soul and body. Then… the Elven lord would die, for daring to interfere in something that did not concern him.

To be continued