Author's note:

La la la la!! I'm so happy!! I got my information for Choral Festival finals (We got in!! A choir pulled out!!) and I'm off at the end of August which is really awesome!! I CAN'T WAIT!! The only problem is the trip costs $400 cos we're not doing a 10 hour road trip and we're flying up and staying for 4 nights in some accommodation up in Auckland which is hella expensive. But that's ok, I'm going to get a job so I can pay half. I don't mind, really. But I'm just so happy that I'm going! I get to see my cousins and everything!! OMG it's going to be AWESOME!! Anyway disclaimer: You know it all, you've read 17 chapters already. New disclaimer: absolute and utter sap coming up, you have been warned. I give you chapter 18

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter 18 – The departure

The feast ended and Alice looked everywhere for Legolas, but he didn't seem to be there. On the way to the 'hall of fire' she saw him in the gardens faraway by the waterfall. Alice stopped dead and waited for people to pass her. They were all laughing merrily and they didn't notice as she silently drifted away. The air was nippy, as it was the middle of autumn. Alice drew her jewelled wrap closer as she walked down moonlit paths. She saw Legolas by the calm trickling waterfall several minutes later.

"Legolas," Alice called, hoping he'd turn around. He did.

"Hello," He replied softly and took three nimble steps toward her closing the distance between them. Alice fiddled with a jewel sewn to her wrap.

"Legolas, I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry, I am ready, I guess. You drive me crazy some-" Her babbling was cut off by Legolas's lips on hers. Well, best way to stop it, one guesses. It was some time before they finished the game of tonsil hockey, and when they did Legolas wrapped her in an embrace and spoke up.

"I am sorry for speaking of things you did not want to hear," Legolas whispered in her ear ruefully.

"Well, it doesn't really matter since half my friends are planning our wedding already," Alice mumbled. Legolas chuckled. "It was ok for bringing it up. It just freaked me out. I'd really like to marry you. Just... just not now."

"I understand," Legolas answered. "We have eternity. I will wait through all of it if need be."

Alice smiled. "Thanks. I'm such a pain sometimes."

"On the contrary, you are not a pain at all," He told her sternly. Alice snuggled up against Legolas. He had a very nice chest Alice had noticed, many times before.

"I've never loved anyone the way I've loved you," Alice remarked hoarsely.

Legolas beamed. "And I you. You are of much worth to me Alice, worth that could not ever be replaced. Never forget that." Alice drew a hand down to finger the pendant of immortality.

"I think I've chosen what life I'm going to live," She informed him. Legolas released her from the embrace yet still holding on to her arms.

"Is that so? So soon?" He exclaimed.

"I know it took Arwen 3000 years to decide," Alice replied rolling her eyes. "But like her, I'm choosing for love. I choose a life with the elves. I choose... immortality." A huge grin broke out on Legolas's face like a wave. His blue eyes lit up so much it hurt to look at them and Alice wondered if his cheeks were going to crack from smiling so much. They shared another kiss under the moon light before going back inside, to break the happy news to all who wished to hear.

The next day Legolas was called to the Council of Elrond. Alice was more than miffed to find out she hadn't been invited, but then discovered no girl had. She was then miffed that Rivendell could be so utterly sexist. Instead she watched over Merry and Pippin.

"It's not fair that we weren't invited," Pippin whined. "After all, Frodo's one of my kinsmen."

"If it's any consolation I wasn't invited either," Alice reassured him. "And I'm Elrond's granddaughter. I don't even think Arwen, Elrond's daughter and my aunt, was invited to their male support group."

"I still wanted to see what goes on there," Pippin complained.

"Aye. I'd have to agree with Pip there, Lindelë," Merry agreed.

"You're not the only ones miffed about the Council," Alice retorted. "I was planning on spending the day with Legolas but no, he's at the Council of Elrond." Pippin and Merry suddenly had big grins on their faces. "But on a happier note, I've got the cure to all life's emotional problems. Follow me, gentlemen... uh... hobbits." Alice led Merry and Pippin into her room where she furiously searched her backpack, suitcase and wardrobe for the box of Milk Tray and the six packets of Hersey's kisses and Ferrero Rochers she had salvaged from the twenty-first century.

"Lindelë," Merry began. "What are you looking for?" Alice peered out of her wardrobe holding up a bag of Hersey's kisses.

"These," Alice replied. "Behold, chocolate."

"Chocolate?" The two young hobbits wondered aloud in unison about what powerful sort of substance this chocolate was.

"Chocolate," Alice repeated. "The cure to all emotional ailments." She opened the bag and took three tiny tear-shaped gold objects and put one each into the open hands of Pippin and Merry.

"What do we do with them?" Pippin asked.

"You take the white tag out," Alice instructed. "Take the gold wrapping off and eat them."

"Oh," Pippin muttered in understanding. Alice watched as she unwrapped her Hersey's kiss and ate it slowly. Pippin put the piece of chocolate into his mouth.

"So? What do you think?" Alice said, swallowing the last piece. Pippin and Merry also swallowed the chocolate.

"Scrumptious," They said.

"Now who wants to get started on the Ferrero Rocher chocolate?" Alice asked.

"ME!" The two hobbits yelled and helped Alice rifle through her wardrobe in search of them.

After the chocolate fiasco, which resulted in Pippin and Merry almost trashing Alice's bedroom, she decided not to open the 6 pack of V Energy drink, which was... somewhere. She was VERY surprised that two pieces of minuscule chocolate could make any being go that hyper. If Pippin and Merry had half as much energy as they did just now then if you put them in a night-club with the right clothes they'd be dancing till dawn. They met up with Frodo a little while after they'd calmed enough to be almost rational. Alice knew this was a good thing. She almost had a headache from those hobbits. After flopping down on her bed she had a long sleep where she had strange dreams. When Elrohir came into her room to wake her, she was having a dream about flying and it was a rather nice feeling too.

"Hi Daddy," She sighed stretching. "When did you get back?"

"Yester evening," Elrohir replied, stroking her hair. "But I had some business to discuss with Estel."

"The 'If you hurt my sister I'll stab you with a Morgul blade' speech?" Alice asked, propping herself up on one elbow, grinning wickedly.

"Something to that effect," was the response. "By the bye, why were you resting?"

"It's the hobbits' fault," Alice complained. "Pippin and Merry tired me out. They are two very high hobbits."

"High?" Elrohir said, confused. "But they do not seem to float."

"High... it means... a time when you are very stimulated. More so than usual," Alice informed him, attempting to explain the concept of high. "A high is usually induced by stimulants such as sugar, caffeine, and probably even pipe weed."

"Is that so?" Elrohir murmured, interested.

"So how was your escapade?" Alice wanted to know, sitting up this time and stretching once more, only to sink back into the pillows. Elrohir's face turned grave.

"It did not go as I would have preferred," He responded sternly. "The orcs troop in their thousands and the now the Nazgûl have appeared. I may be required to go with Elladan and the rangers of the north again quite shortly."

"Well that sucks," She stated, quite rightly in her own words. Elrohir grinned knowing what she meant. Although he liked the way she spoke he was either going to have to teach her to talk like a lady or teach her Sindarin Elvish. They stayed silent.

"Daddy," Alice began.

"Yes daughter?" Elrohir inquired.

"Weren't all the Nazgûl destroyed?"

Elrohir shook his head. "No one is certain if they were destroyed or not."

"You seem to get out a lot," Alice remarked. "But that's not a bad thing."

"Lindelë, a question tugs at my mind,"

"Ask away,"

"Are you lonesome here in Rivendell?" Alice thought this over for all of about thirty seconds. Sure she had Legolas, Pippin, Merry, Arwen, Caremeril and Nimithil so she was fine.

"Not really," She reflected, with certainty. "But I do miss my friends back in the twenty first century though. I miss Lilly, my adopted mum. I miss Beth, Gina, Carry sometimes. I would give a lot of dollars to talk to them." She smiled. "None the less, I'm happy. Everyone's so nice and kind here, besides, there's no where else I'd rather be."

Rivendell drifted swiftly through the seasons to December and to winter, one of Alice's hated seasons. During a typical evening in the hall of fire chatting merrily to Bilbo, gossiping with Nimithil, Carenmeril and Arwen and talking about everything with Legolas, Elrond informed them a fellowship was leaving Rivendell in a quest to destroy the Ring. Nine in total, so they could match the strength of the Black Riders, each representing the free peoples of Middle Earth. Frodo as the ringbearer and his companions Sam, Merry and Pippin for the Hobbits, Gimli son of Gloín for the Dwarves, Aragorn and Boromir for Men and to her great concern, Legolas for the Elves. She heard herself thinking just great fairly sarcastically. When the crowd died down a bit Legolas lead her out of the house of Elrond to the same waterfall they'd been a few months before.

"You're leaving," Alice said.

"Please do not hold me responsible for this," Legolas pleaded. "I fear about leaving you."

"I know," She sighed. They were silent. "I'll miss you, you know." They shared a tight, suffocating embrace. Alice was so caught up in the embrace she hardly noticed her rib cadge was being crushed. Well, maybe she did notice. Just a tad. Understatement, and correction. She noticed a LOT. But she wasn't going to complain.

"This may come as an unwanted surprise," Legolas mumbled suddenly releasing her to pull something from around his neck. It was a perfect velvet, green pouch. He pried the drawstring pouch open with two fingers and pulled out the most prettiest piece of jewellery she had seen in her life. It was another pendent, it was on a silver chain with an emerald green stone shaped like a heart with a Celtic design around the edge. Alice noticed on the side there was a lock.

"What's the lock for?" She asked plaintively yet fascinated, fiddling with her new gift. "It's very beautiful and you really shouldn't have... I don't have to have a gift to remember you by."

Legolas sighed nervously. "In Higher Earth, many would call it an engagement gift. Here, it is a gift symbolising great affection and love, and the heart of the one who holds it, in hope that one day it may lead to marriage." Alice stopped fiddling with the pendant and looked up at Legolas with severe uncertainty.

"Legolas... We agreed... You can't... I'm not..." Alice stammered.

"I know," Legolas replied. "Bain nín, even if it takes eternity, I will wait for you until the day you are prepared to bind yourself in matrimony to myself and Mirkwood." Suddenly, an immense feeling surged through Alice's chest, making her feel alive, in touch with everything. Legolas suddenly looked even more beautiful, if it were possible. She smiled.

"Thank you Legolas," She whispered. "I will keep it as you keep me." He kissed her forehead, smiling so hard she was sure his face was going to break in two. "By the way, who has the key?"

"That is easy to guess," He replied cryptically.

"You..." Alice murmured. She met his gaze and leaned up to kiss him. Legolas was surprised and somewhat caught off guard. He kissed her back under the moonlight.

The next day the new Fellowship prepared to depart Rivendell. Everyone, even those who were not going, was apprehensive. Would a hobbit destroy the ring? Alice had a feeling he would. She had faith in Frodo, however short he was. She gave each of the hobbits a hug and made Pippin and Merry promise her faithfully that they would not, under all circumstances, cause trouble. Aragorn in turn made her promise to look after Arwen. That promise Alice took to heart. Of course she would. Legolas embarrassed her ever so slightly by a typical public display of affection, while the rest of the Fellowship, Elrond and Elrohir looked on with looks of mirth on their faces.

"I will miss you," Alice murmured, her voice muffled against Legolas's chest. "I know I've told you before but I will." Legolas smiled.

"A Im le," He whispered in her ear, sending shivers up Alice's spine. She closed her eyes and breathed in Legolas's really sweet smelling clothes which smelt like a mix of yellow roses and lavender.

"Legolas, we must leave," Aragorn/Estel/Strider/The Dunedain/Man of many names told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. Legolas obeyed and the company set off to the south, toward pass of Mount Cahadras and on to Mount Doom. As they walked away in the opposite direction, realisation dawned on her. Alice felt like she belonged to Rivendell and Middle Earth with indelible certainty. She hoped to spend an eternity here, that it wouldn't be cut short. Elrohir and Elrond stood back behind Alice, who now had a shining smile on her face, to see the Fellowship off.

"She seeks adventure," Elrohir remarked.

"Something we are both certain of my son," Elrond replied.

Elrohir turned toward Elrond. "Father?"

"Yes Elrohir?"

"I fear for Lindelë," Elrohir confided. "I fear she may be lonely without Legolas and her companions in the Fellowship, now she does not have her companions she had back on Higher Earth."

"Oh, do not fear Elrohir," Elrond responded. "It is already solved, nor you or her know of it. Time shall tell my son. Time shall tell." Elrohir's brow creased in puzzlement, but in Elrond's eyes there was knowing. Elrohir understood not to question him. Alice spun on her heel turning towards them.

"Well. That was nice," Alice said blinking away tears. "It's good that Legolas is finally getting some male bonding in there. As they say absence makes the heart grow fonder. It may drive me insane, but hey I've got home, I've got you guys." Elrond smiled as she stood between the two and clasped one hand of each of her relatives in both of hers. "Come on. Let's get back to Rivendell."

THE END

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Phew! 3 months of solid effort put in there. And for all you worried people, I've got a sequel up and running if you want to read it. It's not fantastic, it's a bit weird, but that's ok. So, go and read it, review it, and stop having a complex that this is over. Toodles Noodles!