First chap=disclaimers

Thanks to all my reviewers. This chapter jumps ahead some years, so be warned.

School work has really taken away my time from this. Believe me, it was necessary. I'd rather write fic than essays.

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Elrond sat rather miserably in his study. What difference did it make that her new dress was mauve instead of rose? She looked stunning in it either way. His mistake had been informing her of his opinion. Instead of focusing on his compliment, Celebrian had decided to scream at him for an hour about how insensitive he was.

Then, he had found out just what Celeborn had taught his daughter about combat as his loving wife left several bruises and one cut on his body whilst removing him from their bedroom. To her credit, Elrond really wasn't sure that his wife knew how hard she'd hit him. How could she? She was crying out more tears than the waterfall did when she took his journal and threw it at him. His mistake was that he didn't duck and ended up on his butt in the hallway from the sheer impact of the heavy book as it struck his abdomen.

As he pondered what he had done to so enrage Celebrian, Glorfindel came running into his study.

"I heard you had a fight?" Glorfindel was winded, and his face showed too much merriment.

"Yes."

"I ALWAYS miss the good stuff." Glorfindel sent him a smile.

"Remind me not to have you break the news of a pet's death to any children. You'll warp them for life."

"Don't be stodgy, Elrond. It is your own fault you know."

"My own fault? I don't recall doing anything that would warrant this type of treatment."

"Of course not, you just aren't being observant. Unfortunately, your wife has also picked up your bad habit."

"Glorfindel, you are hurting my brain right now. Have you been smoking that "special" pipe weed?"

Glorfindel shook his head. "You really don't have a clue about what's going on? You mean that I know something that the most reverent leader of Imladris does not? I must write this down as a day to remember."

"Glorfindel." Elrond growled at his friend, "Tell. Me. What. You. Know. NOW!"

"My dearest boy, there are certain things in nature that happen. One of which is procreation. I believe your current fight must have started about a month ago."

"She's… BUT why did she tell you?"

"She didn't tell me. I guessed. Most Elves don't get queasy without good reason. What can I say? I've been around too many pregnant women."

"I didn't realize you'd been in that much trouble." Elrond said as a large grin spread over his face.

"Elrond Peredhil. You know better than to accuse me of leaving children all over Middle Earth."

"No, just in Elvish colonies. I didn't think you had a thing for Hobbits."

"Very funny, NOT that you deserve my advice after that scandalous remark, but let Celebrian find out for herself will you? She might not take it well if you know before she does."

"I think she might be a touch angry at me if she finds out that I withheld such information."

"That will be nothing if you inform her that she is pregnant before she knows she is. Women can be funny that way, especially hormonal women."

"I think that Celebrian would want to know as soon as possible."

"That, my friend, is what you get for thinking. For the rest of her life, she would be lamenting the fact that she didn't get to surprise her husband with her first pregnancy. Save the household some torment. Let her tell you when she finds out."

"I still don't think that would be wise."

"You don't think what would be wise?" Celebrian asked as she entered the room.

"Moving some of the old weaponry into a less accessible arsenal, Elrond thinks it should be right on hand." Glorfindel smoothly covered. Elrond shot Glorfindel a small glare and imperiously dismissed him. Glorfindel bowed shortly and hopped out of the room.

"Glorfindel seemed in a good mood." Celebrian stated awkwardly.

"Indeed." Elrond replies as his eyes got a slightly dreamy look to them.

"I came to apologize for assaulting you earlier. I didn't mean to hurt you."

"Oh, that is fine." Elrond replied, distracted by trying not to look obvious as he stared at Celebrian's mid section.

Tears welled up in the lady's eyes. "I really am sorry, you needn't be so distant. I, I don't know what came over me."

Elrond smiled and rose to embrace her. "All is forgiven, Celebrian. Don't cry. You are too beautiful to do that." Celebrian returned the hug, and then backed away.

"I must be going; I think I might have gotten a piece of bad food yesterday as I was a touch queasy this morning. I'm going to the kitchen to check our supplies. I will join you for lunch later if you are available."

"Of course, I will see you then."

````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Elrond fiddled with his robe. It had been one week from his discussion with Glorfindel. Still, Celebrian had not broached the subject. She had to know it wasn't food poisoning by now, and elves don't become ill. Why hadn't she said anything yet? With a sigh, he heaved himself from his desk and started towards their room.

He cracked the door open, but was not surprised that Celebrian was not there. She had taken to short walks before turning in for the night. Warily, he eyed the insane bed that Glorfindel had made. Celebrian had insisted they keep it for some unfathomable reason. Glorfindel thought she did it just to annoy Elrond.

Now, Elrond was fighting off a wave of panic. Under the monstrosity lurked the trundle bed that matched. Soon, there would be a child to lay in one of its halves. What was he going to do? He didn't exactly have a great childhood to base his parenting on. He highly doubted that Celebrian would approve if he drug their child out to a cave somewhere. Suddenly, he felt incompetent. Cold sweat was breaking out on his forehead. Perhaps this was why Celebrian had not spoken of this to him. He was not capable of being a father.

"Elrond?"

He yelped and jumped at the sound of his name.

"Elrond, you look horrible. What is wrong?" Celebrian gently guided her husband over to the offensive bed. Rarely had she seen him in such a state. All times before there had either been a catastrophe, or he was remembering one.

"I… it is nothing. It was merely a passing fancy that was not so pleasant."

She nodded gently, not wishing to push him further lest he become distraught.

"I have something that I wish to tell you."

"Yes?" Elrond was surprised at how normal his voice sounded. He knew what she was about to say, and it excited him. Yet, the worry he had just indulged in still held in his throat. The result was that he sounded like they were about to discuss what to plant in the garden. Glorfindel would have been proud of his act, un-controlled though it was.

"Elrond, we are going to have a child." Celebrian smiled nervously until her husband's face lit into a giant grin. The smile was followed by a kiss of joy.

"You are happy then?"

"I am absolutely thrilled and petrified."

"Petrified? How petrified? For I did have plans for tonight, but if you cannot move…"

"My love, Glorfindel has disrupted your thought process." Elrond replied as he kissed her again.

```````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Months later, Elrond was pacing in the hallways of Imladris. Glorfindel watched absently as Elrond made yet another pass by the seated elf. Deftly, Glorfindel whipped out a stylus and made a note on a small sheet of parchment. Elrond stopped in mid-stride.

"What are you doing?"

"I am making a note to order four new slabs of stone for this hallway. By the time your wife delivers, you will have worn a ditch in these."

"I should be in there."

"It is tradition that the husband is not allowed. Besides, I do not wish to bandage up your hands from damage ala Celebrian. Once was quite enough for that."

"Celebrian has never attacked my hands."

"No, but I do recall a certain incident with a fire poker."

Elrond found the floor very interesting. "You knew about that?"

"I do not know the details. I can only surmise from the depth of your affections and the fact that her 'engagement' was announced shortly after the incident that she was in some way the cause."

A scuffling sound spared Elrond from responding. A breathless Celeborn rounded the corner.

"You will be missing a guard for a few days. He did not think that I had a right to near my own daughter's birthing chamber."

Elrond smiled and quickly embraced his father-in-law. He was incredible relieved to see an elf who had already been through such an ordeal. Glorfindel might be good in any other situation, but his golden haired friend had never been married and most certainly had never endured the birth of his child.

"Where is Galadriel?"

"She is still with the riding party and will not arrive until tomorrow. She suggested that I ride ahead about half a day ago."

"Why did she not come herself?"

"To tell you bluntly, I think she thought she would kill you for putting Celebrian through pain. It was best to wait until after the birthing."

"Ah, Celebrian might be a touch disappointed."

"True, but she would be livid if she found her husband dead or missing certain body parts. Besides, Galadriel should be here soon after the births."

"Births?"

Glorfindel buried his head in his hands and then glared at Celeborn who appeared to be oblivious.

"Galadriel was under the impression you were having twins. She said something about utterly destroying your human part for putting her baby girl through such distress."

"Twins?"

"Surely you knew. You are the master healer in the house."

"Celebrian refused to allow me to attend her."

"You did not have an inkling anyway?"

"I found it odd that she grew so large, but she did not say anything, and Glorfindel said…" Elrond turned to stare at Glorfindel.

"She swore me to secrecy, honest. She wanted to surprise you."

"Surprise me! Are you certain that it was not your idea?"

"Don't be stodgy, Elrond. She did not know until near the end. She thought it would be a pleasant surprise."

"You did not answer me. Was it your idea?"

"Technically speaking, yes. But, it was merely a suggestion."

A soft cry stayed Elrond's response. A quick smile graced Elrond's lips as he strained to hear other sounds from the room. He barely heard the whispers of the attendants as they cleaned his first born. The hallway was still as they heard Celebrian moan. A few louder whispers were exchanged and a few minutes later, a piercing wail reverberated through the closed door.

"I think your youngest has a bit of his uncle in him." Glorfindel shot.

"Elros was not quite that loud."

"You always did view him through brotherly love. Your brother had to be the loudest crier I ever met. Quiet, brooding contemplation was not his style. He was boisterous about everything in life."

"That is true, Lord Glorfindel," Celeborn interrupted, "but I believe that Elrond's twins will be more like one another than not. Their volume may differ, but their cry is the same."

A short silence ensued before an elf emerged from the forbidden room.

"You may go in now, Lord Elrond."

Elrond strode quickly into the room that held his wife and children. Celebrian lay on the bed looking pale and very tired.

"Elrond." She spoke his name with more reverence than usual.

"I heard two cries." He spoke softly not knowing what else to add.

Her face lit up. "They are both beautiful." She gestured to the attendants who brought the two newborns over. Elrond positively beamed as he got his first look at his children.

"Which is the eldest?"

"The one on the left. Although, I think we might have to mark them to keep them identifiable."

"Indeed." Elrond gently took his first born in his arms and then handed the child to Celebrian as he picked up the second.

Celebrian smiled as she cradled the infant. "Twins boys, Elrond, perhaps you should wear your armor when you speak to Mother."

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

A buoyant Elrond floated out of the room. "Celebrian is resting; you will be able to see her and the infants in a couple of hours. The twins are magnificent. Mirror images of each other even now."

"I do hope they are both the same gender."

Celeborn slapped Glorfindel on the side of his head.

"What are they?" The newly crowned grandfather asked.

"Boys. Two wonderful boys. Elrohir and Elladan."

"You have already selected their names?"

"We had a list of names for if the child was born a boy or a girl. We had already selected Elladan as a mutual choice. Celebrian insisted the other be named Elrohir. She liked the sound of it." Elrond sighed as he recalled the faces of his children. A dreamy look crossed his face as he simply enjoyed the moment.