Life After High School - Ten Years Later

By Risty and Silver

Disclaimer: The short answer is: No. The long answer is: Nnnooooooooooooooooo.

Summary: You've read this far . . . man.

A/N: Happy Birthday Risty! Hope you had a good one!

+~+~+~+

(Emma's POV)

I was glad that the school was reopening again. What with that, Billee and Legolas getting married and being able to have a child of their own at last and my father and Boromir keeping their heads down, it appeared that things were beginning to go right for us. The whole Kane and Ria thing was sweet too. Of course, it would never last once she went back to Hobbiton, or at least I hoped it wouldn't. I didn't want any ties between Jaime and I, and a relationship between those two could really complicate things. Damon said to leave them be and that it would fizzle out on its own. But I wasn't quite so sure. After all, Wendy and Colan had been having a serious relationship since they were thirteen years old and although it had had its problems, their love was still as strong as ever. However, I soon had more important things to worry about.

One night, two or three days after Kane's party, I was upstairs alone, after the children had all gone to bed. Randy, Gimli and Lucas were in the hideout and the others had gone out for a walk. I thought that I heard the downstairs doors rattling. So I went down the stairs to shut them properly.

As I turned and began walking back up, I thought that I saw a shadow waiting at the top. But I just shook my head, convinced that I was being stupid. Being alone at night was really freaky, especially since it didn't happen often.

It wasn't until I got to the top that I realised that I had made a fatal mistake as a very familiar figure stepped from the shadows. I took a step back, intending to scream, but then I saw the knife in his hand. He wouldn't hurt them would he? Not the children, not me? He started saying things, nasty things that I can't repeat, asking what he ever saw in me. Then he grabbed my arm. I'm not sure what happened, but I think I pulled myself away and suddenly found myself falling. A sharp pain shot through my head and everything went black.

(Gimli's POV)

Randy and I went up to the bar when Lucas asked us to get some drinks and we saw Emma lying at the bottom of the stairs. He eyes were closed and her breathing was shallow. Blood was running from her nose, her mouth and a large cut on her head. For a second, we just stood there in shock, then Randy came alive.

"Lucas!" he called as he hurried over to her. "Come quick!"

He came up just as Randy took off his shirt and pressed it against her head. His face paled as he saw what had happened.

"I'm going upstairs to check on the children and call an ambulance" he told us. "Randy, stay with her and try to slow the blood flow. Gimli, go and find Benny and Damon! Now!"

I did as I was told and hurried out of the door into the night, hoping that Emma would be all right. We had not seen eye to eye at school, but she was a nice elf and she and her husband had been very kind to us. I didn't want anything to happen to her…