A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far. I always enjoy feedback. Sorry some of the chapter endings are abrupt. I tend to write a continuous composition, marking breaks in the story as I go, then break it into chapters when I'm done based on length as well as material. Sometimes I don't spend enough time rounding out the chapters. Enjoy!

Ch. 5

Days passed, and the grumbling became less and less as time passed. Pete, Mark and Randy adapted pretty easily, and they frequently got caught taking more than their fair share of the gear. Mattie tried to argue for gender equality, but she had to admit that the guys were just in better shape than she, Kim and Beth were. Amy never seemed even slightly winded. It was as if she was slowing herself down for them. As they walked, Amy continued teaching them Westron. They had learned a lot, but there was still a lot of work to do.

Amy often laughed to herself as she saw the group pair up more and more. Pete would go out of his way to help Beth, though he never pushed her for a relationship. He knew she was still hurting from her husband's betrayal and the divorce. He would have fit in well in Mark's Renaissance group, with his sense of chivalry. Randy and Kim usually walked together, but Amy wasn't quite sure what to think of the two of them. They had been friends and roommates for so many years, it would take a miracle for the two of them to realize they were in love. She had no doubt the potential was there, but questioned if the two of them would ever figure it out. The most obvious couple was Mattie and Mark. There was no established relationship yet, but they weren't fighting it, either. They would usually sleep beside each other, sharing warmth against the December chill, but there were never romantic overtures. Here in the forest, Mark had lost much of his shyness, but not all of it. He was nervous to say anything to Mattie, afraid that he'd offend her.

Several days after they'd begun their journey, the group was just settling down for the night. It was a bright, clear night with a full moon. Mattie was wandering around, a little restless. The rest of the group had already settled in for the night. She'd wandered several yards away from the group, just far enough to be out of sight. Mark got up and walked over to her, coming to stand beside her as she looked up at the stars.

"You OK, Mattie? I'd think you'd be beat and fast asleep already."

"Yeah. I'm a little tired, but not as bad as I have been the last couple days. I'm learning to sleep anywhere. The bruises are even beginning to fade. I suppose you're pretty used to bruises and soreness, with your sword training. I'm just restless. It isn't homesickness. I was never close to my family, and I wouldn't want to go home, anyway, but I still feel like there's something missing, even now. I can't really identify it. Ugh! You probably think I'm crazy."

"No, I don't." Mark reached over and took her shoulder, turning her to face him. She was closer than he'd realized, and their faces were only inches apart, but neither made any move to pull back. "I feel it, too. Even now, among friends and the family we've built, I'm lonely. Alone. It's the same thing you're feeling. I'm sure of it. On the surface, we're as different as night and day, but I think deep down, we're two of a kind. Now I'm the one who sounds cr—"

He was silenced by Mattie's lips on his. The both stood there for a moment, stunned, before they realized what was happening. When they did, Mark slid his arms around Mattie's waist and her hands went to his neck. They stood there kissing for several more minutes before turning by unspoken agreement and walking back to camp, where they laid down together and fell asleep in seconds.

Amy watched them return and lay down with a sad smile. Eventually the whole group would pair off, but there was no one for one old Elf. It was best that way, but it was lonely. She drew her knees up to her chest where she sat on a rock, sitting there for a few minutes before getting up and curling up in her blanket and falling asleep herself.

She woke a few hours later to the sound of distant howls. She quickly refreshed the fire before settling back to wait. They would have to post a watch from now on. Pete stirred, but when she didn't say anything, he went back to sleep. She didn't want to push the others to lose sleep, but they were close enough now to Middle Earth that the dangers of Middle Earth could indeed find them. She sat up a couple more hours, then woke Pete about two hours before dawn.

"We're getting close enough to Middle Earth that we will need a watch. I'd like to rest a little more tonight…"

"Say no more. I'll watch the rest of the night. We can figure out a more elegant solution tomorrow. Get some rest."

The next morning, Amy spoke to them all as they ate breakfast. "We're getting close enough now to Middle Earth that we'll have to be a little more careful. We'll have to have an overnight watch, and no one should wander alone, especially at night." She almost laughed at the guilty look Mark and Mattie shared, then continued. "There probably won't be any significant trouble, but we're just going to have to start being more careful. The other thing this means is that we're getting closer to the end of this delightful trek." She got a couple of laughs before she continued. "We've been moving a little slower than I anticipated, but I don't think we'll be on the road more than a couple more days, at least until we get to Middle Earth. I don't know exactly where we'll arrive, but hopefully we'll be able to find help from the Elves without too much trouble."

The next couple days passed uneventfully, and the third day, Amy started moving faster. There was an excited glint in her eyes. Randy called to her. "Amy, slow down! We don't move as fast as you. Are we almost there or something?"

"Yeah, we are. I'm recognizing our surroundings. Provided I can get my bearings and things haven't changed too much, we should be in Rivendell in a couple days. It's probably the best place we could have ended up. If Elrond is still there and nothing strange has happened, we should be able to rest there for as long as we want. After that, who knows? For the moment, we keep walking." That brought a few groans, but they kept going. It was all they could do to keep up.