Glorfindel skidded to a stop in the doorway of the younger twin's bed chambers, arms immediately flailing out to stop himself. Panting slightly, he glared from under his eyebrows at the younger Elf when he managed to catch his breath, looking around for the little bugger they were now burdened with. "Where is he?"

Elrohir gazed wide-eyed at his tutor, then down at the child playing with a slowly melting slab of chocolate, getting his hands into a fine mess. Pointing at the intruder sitting merrily at his side, he replied, "There?"

The ancient one sighed heavily, hanging his head. Already he had misplaced him, and already he was wishing he were still somewhere else. "At least he's here with you."

"What… what *happened* to him?" Elrohir asked hesitantly, glancing down at his father warily. "Why is it that when he retired to bed he was perfectly fine and now he's…"

"I don't know," Glorfindel interrupted, staggering over to the bed and sitting down promptly and gently. Elrond looked up at the new arrival with big bright eyes, smiled briefly and went back to dissecting the treat shamelessly on the silken sheets. Elrohir picked up the banana and began to peel it slowly, watching the child as if he were going to bite him at any given moment. Shifting around, Glorfindel moved the rolling apple elsewhere on the huge bed Elrohir slept in alone at night, lifting Elrond up and setting him more into the middle of the bed.

Breaking a piece of the white meat from the banana and hesitantly offering it to Elrond, Elrohir murmured, "This is most insane. I cannot believe my own eyes. It must be…"

"A dream," Glorfindel finished, shaking his head. "My thoughts exactly." His gaze shifted over to the toddler, who had taken the offered food from the Elf's fingers and was now gnawing on his hand, eating the fruit in his own strange way. Elrond, when finished, grabbed whatever was left of the chocolate and crawled over to the other brown-haired Elf. Standing, he broke off a piece and held it out to the other, not a smile adorning his face but a pleading look in his eyes - the look one would give to another that would say that if they didn't accept the gift the world will crumble in one point five seconds flat. Elrohir reached out and took the sweet from the child with lean fingers, his lips curling upwards when Elrond beamed with delight at the acceptance, plunking himself down on the soft bed to proceed in picking at the lush red of the apple's skin.

Sighing again, Glorfindel automatically took the fruit from the child and, producing a knife he kept around his waist, began to skin it, the happy cries making him smile slightly as Elrond reached out to take a share of the skins and small slabs of meat, gleefully chewing and eating it. The moment of peace was broken when a new someone burst into the room, stopping dead when he saw the scene before him. Elrohir brightened instantly.

"Elladan! You've met our father, haven't you?"

Raising a thin eyebrow skyward, Elladan eyed the small Elf sitting with the other two males as if he owned the place (and, in fact, he did) every now and then reaching out to take claim for the skin of the apple that of which Glorfindel was busily ridding of. The eldest son of the Lord of Imladris gawked at the smaller Elf, his eyes asking a silent question. Elrohir answered for him. "Insane, isn't it? The little guy wandered in here and woke me up - quite rudely, if you ask me! I just hope he wasn't that straightforward in rousing someone when he was really this small back then."

"Heh. Even if he was, both of you followed suit quite well," Glorfindel retorted good-naturedly, sporting a cocky grin. "Elrond wasn't especially pleased with Elladan, in general."

At the sound of his name, Elrond looked up at speaking Elf, blinking once before scooting over closer to the said being, cuddling. Elladan was not impressed.

"What are we going to do? We can't LEAVE him like that! My gods, that's our father! I mean, we have to do something to return him to normal!"

Elrohir reached out and ruffled Elrond's hair, who giggled and hid within Glorfindel's robes. "I don't see why you're so angry, love. I'm sure it's only a 24 hour thing - it'll pass, and he'll be fine in the morning."

"And what if he isn't?" Elladan glared at the child, or what he could see of him. "What are we going to do then?"

Glorfindel laughed throatily, grabbing Elrond's retreating form and throwing him gently onto the bed, tickling him with no mercy. Both brothers smiled broadly at the sound of an Elven child's laughter, unable to contain themselves. Elrond, once free of Glorfindel's evil clutches, scampered off the bed and over to Elladan, still carrying his now signature hunk of chocolate. Depositing it in the taller one's hand, he slipped out the door and into the hall, giggling loudly as he went off to create some innocent trouble. With a grunt and a few mutterings, Glorfindel was up and off after him, calling the Elven lord back.

Silence overcame the two brothers who were now alone in the room, eyes transfixed on the door where the two other Elves had exited. Elladan paused, then looked over at his brother with a silly grin plastered on his face. Elrohir blinked owlishly back at him, searching that devilish face for an answer, gasping and glaring at him when he finally deciphered the meaning behind it. "You!"

"Me?" Elladan strode over to the bedside, leaning over and setting both hands on either side of his younger. "What about me?"

Elrohir snorted. "You little fart! This is all your sneaky doing, isn't it?"

"What, father strangely turning up to be a child?" His grin widened. "Are you saying I have a part in this?

"Indeed!"

"And what if it is?" Elladan leaned in closer to his brother, his nose millimeters from his face. "What are you going to do about it?"

Scrunching up his nose, Elrohir grabbed the offending Elf roughly by the front, pulling him down on top of him, keeping their nose distance steady. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Smirking, "As a matter of fact, yes."

"Hmph. Now that is a secret," he taunted, adopting a smug look. "And why, pray tell, are you doing this?"

"You said you wanted a child," Elladan replied innocently, halo and all. "I thought you would like to know what it's like to have one running around."

"And therefore you use our father as an example."

"Exactly."

Pause.

"I hate you."

"I love you too." Elladan closed the space between them and stole a kiss from his sibling, earning a similar reaction. Chuckling, he pulled away, but found he had acquired a new attachment as he did. Hugging the clinging Elrohir to his chest, he remarked, "This ought to be interesting."

Before Elrohir could make any sort of comment, lo and behold, a loud crash interrupted their solitude, followed by a piercing shriek.

"ELROND! You meddling little bugger, get back over here! I swear, I'm gonna have your HEAD soon enough and you can kiss every last one of your precious marbles goodbye!"

The twins were dead silent, then burst into fits of giggles. Elrohir kissed Elladan's cheek fondly, choking down the last bits of his giggles. "I think this is the part where we step outside in time to see Glorfindel's head making precise contact with the marble pillars, don't you think?"

Laughing, "This will prove to be an exhilarating experience, ne, love?"

Grinning, "Indeed."