Life After High School - Ten Years Later.

By Risty and Silver

Disclaimer: With Tolkien spinning in his grave as it is, I refuse to lie and say we owned them. I will say that we own our characters though.

Summary: Title says it all.

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(Kane's POV)

During the afternoon, Vincent was pretty quiet for a change. He answered people's questions very politely and said please and thank you when I did, but he always kept hold of my hand. Although he isn't shy, it must have been quite overwhelming for him. It certainly was for me.

When Ria and I played our one on one game of soccer, he stood right by the fence and cheered me on. I was very good at soccer, my dad's friend Blaze had taught me and uncle Kivan always gave me a game when he came to visit. Ria was very good for a girl but in the end we got so hot that we called it a draw and went back inside to get a drink. When I followed her inside, Vince pulled on my arm.

"You like her, don't you?" he asked with a giggle. I must have blushed, because his eyes lit up. "I knew it," he giggled. "Kane loves Ria, Kane loves Ria."

"Will you shut up?" I hissed, afraid that people were going to hear. "Shut up and I'll ask Billee if we can go to the lake later."

"Oh goody" he grinned. "I want to go to the lake."

Ria liked the idea of showing Vincent the lake too so we waited until the late afternoon when all her relatives finally left and then asked if we could go down there for a while. Billee wasn't too sure that it was such a good idea, but Jaime pointed out that Hobbiton was full of little kids and that it was, and always had been, a safe place. So finally Billee relented and the three of us went off, Vince clutching my hand tightly as usual. I had never had a real friend, but it felt quite natural to be with Ria. Although despite what my brother had said, I did not have a crush on her. No way. And even if I did, she was older than me and had lots of guys after her. What would she possibly see in me? Yet even as we walked along talking about everything and anything, she slipped her hand into mine and held it tight.

(Legolas' POV)

While the kids were all off doing their own things, Frodo was in the living room winding down after the party and Billee was taking a shower, Jaime cornered me in the kitchen.

"Legolas" she asked casually. A little too casually. "Do you have an address or phone number for Emma? Frodo and I think that this feud has gone on long enough and although Damon doesn't seem keen to end it, I wanted to see what Emma has to say."

"They live above the bar in Silverwood" I said carefully. "But I really would not recommend that you try to contact them, Jaime. Damon is not a person you want to mess with. And with Benny and Lucas and the gang members on his side, if you start giving him grief, either you or a family member will wind up dead. Neither of them want to see you J, the only reason they let us bring Kane and Vince down is because they don't particularly want to drag the kids into this too."

"Doesn't sound like you are a big fan of Damon's" Jaime commented. I sighed.

"I'm not" I confessed. "Between me and you…I think he knocks Emma around. The last few times we've seen her, she's had a fair amount of bruises. And the time before last she had a cut on her head, a cut so deep that she required medical treatment for it. Yet she always has an excuse and both Damon and Benny are both quick to back it up. I'm not sure what to do. Billee won't get involved, nor will Kivan. They both know exactly what is going on, but they don't know what to do either. After all, Emma chooses to defend Damon so it's pretty hopeless. Get me a bit of paper and I'll write down her full address for you."

She looked sad as she got up to find me some paper and a pen. I wrote it down before I heard Billee calling me from upstairs. As I got up, I gently patted Jaime's shoulder.

"Let her go, Jaime" I advised. "I can understand why you want to get in contact again, but I promise you that it will only bring you more hurt."

She smiled sadly at me as I left the room. I felt sorry for her, but there was little I could do. Billee and I were completely caught in the middle.