Months passed and winter faded delightfully into spring.  Vista spent less and less time inside, sometimes even sleeping out on her balcony.  She had fashioned two other pairs of shorts from discarded leggings she'd found.  Sometimes, Haldir would find her staring wistfully into a box on her dresser, which she would quickly shut when he'd approach her and wave off any questions as to its contents. 

            She seemed more...natural, now.  She didn't change to fit her surroundings, however.  No, she changed the surroundings to fit her.  The people of Lorien no longer regarded her with the awe or curiosity like when she first came.  She was part of their lives now.  Not quite an Elf, but not quite a Mortal.  The children called her a faerie; the young men referred to her as an angel; the mothers, a godsend.  And Vista bounced happily from one to another. 

            And watching it all, was Haldir.  To an extent, he was happy that she was carving a place for herself.  Then again, he didn't want her to lose who she was...before.  But the impish light never left her eyes and her trademark energy never abated.  She would still break into song at random intervals, usually when things got too quiet for her taste.  She knew the strangest, most wonderful things and would drop them casually into conversation. 

            Celeborn's words were never far from his mind, however.  Especially when she smiled, or when she laughed, or stared into nothingness with that contented, slightly curious look on her face.  The way her face would light up when she'd see him.  Sometimes he would feel like an idiot, that he was trying to see something that wasn't there.  Vista was happy, open, and genuine to everyone.  But their friendship was different then the others she maintained.  He'd seen her at her worst, argued with her, yelled at (and been yelled at by) her.  Out of anyone, he was closest to her.

            Vista had obviously been scared by the possibility of more then simple friendship.  And though Haldir still hadn't quite figured out what he felt for her, he couldn't help but feel wounded.  She assured him that, though she didn't want to talk about it, it had nothing what-so-ever to do with him; so he didn't press the issue.  But her muttered words kept echoing disturbingly in his head.

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            One day dawned bright and sunny, illuminating Haldir packing a small traveling bag.  A few days alone sounded like a good idea.  Maybe it would serve to clear his head a little. 

            He didn't get far.

He was walking through the main courtyard of Lorien when he felt a tug on his tunic.  He looked back and found, to his great surprise, a small boy.  He was shaking, frightened to the brink of tears.

"..Yes?" Haldir asked as gently as possible.  He'd never done well with children.

The boy sniffed, "There's something wrong with Missy Vista!  Rowei said to find you, that you could help..." he trailed off, looking up at him hopefully.

            A stab of cold shot up Haldir's spine.  Vista would never scare the children like this.  What was going on?

"Yes, I can help."

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            A small crowd of children was sitting outside Vista's door when Haldir and the boy arrived.  To his chagrin, they started cheering when they saw him.  He set his pack down and tried the door.  It was fastened securely and he wasn't about to break down her door.  He didn't think she'd like that too much. 

"Has anyone tried to climb the terrace?" he asked.

One boy raised his hand, "I couldn't get the door opened.  She blocked it with something."

Haldir sighed, "I'll see what I can do."

The boy tugged on his tunic again, "What're you gonna do?" he asked, eyes wide.

Haldir blinked, "...Climb the terrace and find another way inside, why?"

"So you're gonna help Missy Vista?" a small girl squeaked.

He shrugged, "I am going to try."

She threw her arms around his knees, "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!!!" she squealed.

He slowly disentangled himself, "..You're welcome.  Thank you for fetching me."

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            Haldir climbed the terrace easily, and found the doors indeed blocked.  All the windows were closed; except for one.  He forced it up and slipped through. 

"Vista?" he called softly.  "Vista, what is going on?"

            A search of her apartment revealed that she wasn't there.  There was nothing to indicate that she had run off; she simply...wasn't around.  But the doors were secured, and the windows were closed. 

Where did she go?  She couldn't simply...disappear.

Then he heard a slight sound.  He couldn't tell where it came from.  Then he heard it again.  It came from...

She's on the roof!

            He opened the balcony door and looked up at the sloping shingles.  He stepped up onto the balcony railing and pulled himself up onto the roof.  She was sitting on the peak, wrapped in a blanket, staring down at him ruefully.  Haldir stood and walked up to sit next to her.  Vista didn't look at him.

"Why are you hiding up here?  The children are very worried."

She glared into the distance, "I was looking for some privacy, and obviously I haven't found it."

He sighed, "Vista, what's bothering you?  You were fine yesterday and now you're hiding on the roof."

She opened her mouth to answer, choked on her words and began to cry.  He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and waited.  After a moment, she regained control of herself and looked up at him.

"It's my birthday next week.  June 1st.  I'll be 26.  And...and...and my family can't even wish me a happy birthday..."

She started to cry again.

            That wasn't something he'd ever even considered.  Birthdays weren't celebrated in the Elvish communities simply because they had so many in their lifetimes that it became...pointless.  Sometimes a parent would present their child with some sort of gift at a significant age marker and that was about the extent of it.  Since he didn't know her culture too well, he hadn't known that they placed an emphasis on celebrating one's birth.

"I am deeply sorry that you cannot talk to your family, Vista.  Aside from that, I am at a loss.  There is little more that I can say.  Wishing you a happy birthday would seem hollow.  Who is Dean?"

WHY DID I SAY THAT??

Vista choked, snorted, and looked up at him.  Arrayed on her face, in no particular order, were confusion, anger, indignation, and a large amount of amusement.

"...How do you know about Dean?" she asked, her voice strained.

"Um, I overheard you...talking to...yourself a time ago.  And you mentioned...with distress and..."
She raised an eyebrow, "Just spit it out."

Instead, Haldir stood, "I should not have asked; it is not my right to know."
Vista rolled her eyes and sighed, "Sit down."  She grabbed his wrist and yanked, pulling him off his feet and landing him back on the roof with a THUD.

"I'm gonna make this short 'cuz I don't like talking about it.  Dean was my first husband.  I was 18 when I married him, 18 and a half when I realized he was a jerk, and 19 when I divorced him.  He said a lot of sweet things and that he loved me and I believed for a time that I loved him too.  But he wouldn't let me go out with my friends, to college classes, hardly even to get food.  He just wanted me to stay home and not exert myself so I wouldn't be tired when he got home so we could have sex.  Any questions?"

She was giving him a critical look, daring him to ask something.

"What is divorced?"

She sighed and chuckled, "It's when a married couple decides they don't want to be married anymore.  It sounds horrible and it is."

Haldir felt slightly...strange, "And this happens often in your culture?"

Vista nodded, "Unfortunately, yeah it is.  People use it on a whim, when it's really meant for people like ...well, like me, who need to get out of an...abusive...situation..."

She drifted off and her eyes followed, seeing into her past, hugging her knees to her chest. 

"Now that you know I'm okay and asked your weird question of the day, leave.  I don't want to be around anybody right now."