A/N: Wow. Thank you for the reviews, everyone! I'm extremely stunned and flattered that so many people like this story.

I shall take particular pleasure in ripping this Sue cliché apart, since it isn't even as if it makes any sense. Tolkien was Catholic, and still didn't decide to put Christianity in Middle-earth.

Oh, and I don't own the Left Behind books, and I do not want to.

The Game of the Gods, 19

Morgoth didn't know how it happened. One minute he was hopping away from Fingolfin, and the next moment he was flat on his back, with something curled so firmly around his chest he might as well have been bound.

Angainor! was his first thought, and he immediately began to struggle and scream.

"Be quiet, you," snapped a voice in his ear. "I'm displeased with both of you, but at least Fingolfin isn't on the verge of wetting himself."

A green form rose out of the earth, shedding dirt as it went. Morgoth blinked and looked down at the bond across his chest. It was a tree root.

"Now," said Yavanna, sitting down in Varda's chair at the game board, "I suppose that one of you has an excuse for fighting when all of Valinor is in danger?"

"Of course all of Valinor is in danger," said Fingolfin, from beneath the root holding him. "Varda took Fëanor out of Mandos."

"And?" Yavanna asked.

"Varda took Fëanor out of Mandos," Fingolfin repeated. "That started all the trouble."

"And you continued it, fighting with Morgoth like this," Yavanna observed. "Noblest High King of the Noldor, indeed."

"I did not-"

Yavanna leaned sadly over towards Fingolfin. "You're still jealous of Fëanor, aren't you?" she asked.

"I was never jealous!" spat Fingolfin.

For once, Morgoth knew a good thing when he saw it, and kept quiet.

"Of course you weren't," Yavanna agreed. "That wasn't you whining about his being your father's favorite. It must have been a different Fingolfin."

Morgoth couldn't help chuckling at the way Fingolfin's face flushed.

"And that must have been a different Morgoth, too," said Yavanna without looking at him, "who let a mortal wound him."

Morgoth shut his mouth and scowled at her back.

"I don't have time for this," said Yavanna. "They're bringing out Nerdanel in the hopes of distracting Fëanor, and I should be there. So you will both sit down at your places and play like good boys."

The tree roots picked them up and deposited them in their chairs. Morgoth tested his bonds cautiously, and found that he could bend over and pick up the Sue box, but couldn't stir an inch beyond that. Fingolfin pulled furiously at his bonds, and wound up settling back with a pout.

"Play nice," said Yavanna firmly, then dived into the earth and was gone.

Morgoth selected another Sue, while inquiring, "Whining about Fëanor being your father's favorite?"

"You try living with him and Finwë!" Fingolfin burst out. "It was always, 'Oh, yes, Fëanor made a beautiful jewel today,' and 'Fëanor invented a new letter today,' and 'Oh, Fingolfin, look, Fëanor made a working model of the universe today!' I was smart, too."

"Of course," Morgoth murmured, remembering that this was the Elf who had charged him across the battlefield with only a sword. "Quite."

He put the Sue on the board. Fingolfin looked at her, and blinked.

"What is that?"

"Not telling you," said Morgoth. This was the one chance he might have to win, and he was going right ahead and taking it. It would be all the easier if Fingolfin didn't know the rules of the game.

-----

Immanuela checked herself in the mirror one last time. Yes, she had her cross necklace, and the bag that was slung over her shoulder contained the Bible and all the Left Behind books. She was ready.

She turned and closed her eyes, clasping her hands in front of her.

"Oh, dear God, take me to Middle-earth. It is a beautiful land, but every one of them will go to Hell when they die, if I do not tell them about Jesus."

There came a bright flash of light, and then Immanuela felt herself crossing from world to world. She smiled contentedly, sure that she was carried in the arms of Jesus.

-----

Fingolfin peered closely at the Sue.

"What?" Morgoth asked.

"Light's carrying her," said Fingolfin. "Why does she think it's arms?"

"The intricacies of her religion."

Fingolfin shook his head. "There's still a difference. When the Valar go unbodied, we bloody well know it."

"It doesn't really matter," said Morgoth fiercely, inwardly pleased. Fingolfin hadn't made one protest about the unlikeliness of the Christian girl crossing from one world to the other, which Morgoth had been most worried about.

-----

"...though I do not know the way."

"I will guide you, Frodo!"

Everyone turned to stare as Immanuela stepped into the center of the Council of Elrond. She smiled brilliantly at everyone and held up the cross, launching into the speech she had long planned.

"I will guide you, and so will my Lord go with me, because He always does. When you walk with Jesus, then you are never alone again. He will guide you in the dark places like a shepherd, and be with you in the last extremity. If you succeed in throwing the Ring into Mount Doom, Frodo, it will be because of Him."

"Where is he, then?" Gimli asked, peering over her shoulder.

Immanuela glared. She knew there was a reason she didn't like the dwarf. "Not here physically," she said.

"But you said he was always with you," Gimli argued.

Immanuela tossed her head and turned to Elrond. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire," she said, the way she'd heard Gandalf say it. "I serve the one who created this place, and all places. Let me go on the Quest!"

Elrond seemed to be struggling for a moment. Immanuela closed her eyes and prayed, to help him fight the evil within him.

"Of course you may go," Elrond said a moment later.

A bit mechanical, Immanuela conceded, but when the Devil had hold of him, she couldn't hope for better. She turned to everyone and smiled again. "The Lord will go with us!" she declared happily.

-----

Morgoth looked up. Fingolfin was now peering under the table, as far as he could move with the root gripping him.

"What?" Morgoth asked.

"She said this Jesus was with her," said Fingolfin. "I suppose he must be her companion. But I can't see him."

Morgoth sighed loudly. "He walks with her unseen," he said. "He's the son of the Father."

Fingolfin narrowed his eyes. "Eru doesn't have a son."

"Not in Middle-earth," Morgoth conceded. "In her world, he does."

"Then why is she bringing it to Middle-earth?"

"Can we play this game?"

-----

"And everyone will be destroyed unless they accept Jesus into their hearts, see?"

"That's- nice, Immanuela," said Legolas, edging away from her. "I think I should go help Boromir scout."

Immanuela shut the first Left Behind book with a little pout. Lately, everyone needed to go scout. Sometimes all nine of them went forward and scouted at once.

Other times, as now, Gandalf was the only one left behind, and he was smoking and watching her calmly. Immanuela turned to him with high hopes. She had to have high hopes, since he practiced black magic and she had to save him from that.

"You serve Satan, don't you?" she asked.

"Who?" Gandalf countered.

Oh, he was a crafty one! But Immanuela was onto him. "Lucifer," she said. "Or Beezelbub. He might have different names. But he promises you your power, and then takes your soul."

Gandalf blew a smoke ring. Immanuela frowned. She had the unfortunate idea that he wasn't listening to her.

"I know," she said. "You have magic because you serve other masters."

"That's right," Gandalf said slowly. "I do."

"You aren't on the side of the angels," said Immanuela.

"Who are they?" Gandalf asked kindly.

Now he just wanted to make a mockery of her. Immanuela tossed her hair angrily. "Gabriel, Michael, Raphael... you must have heard of them!"

"No."

"They will be very angry when they find out what you've done," Immanuela threatened.

"So will someone named Curumo," said Gandalf, blowing one final smoke ring. "And yet, that is hardly enough to stop me."

"Is Curumo an angel, too?" Immanuela asked eagerly.

Gandalf snorted. "He has so many names now that he may call himself that next."

-----

"Curumo was a-"

"Maia, I know," said Morgoth. "But she doesn't know that."

Fingolfin shook his head. "What are you planning to have her do?"

"You'll see."

-----

"Back, foul demon!"

Immanuela stepped forward, her cross raised. This was the moment she had really come for, the moment she was sure would convert everyone in the Fellowship. She faced the Balrog, and she would exorcise it and drive the demon from the world.

The Balrog stalked forward, a creature of darkness and fire. Immanuela lifted her cross high, and began to pray.

"In Jesus's name, I bid you begone!"

The Balrog went on stalking towards her. Immanuela fell a step backward.

"In God's name, I banish you!"

That didn't seem to work, either. The Balrog was on the bridge now, and Immanuela was aware that the Fellowship, all except Gandalf, was a long way behind her.

Gandalf would face the Balrog, she knew, and fall. But she couldn't let him do that. His soul would be damned to Hell if he died.

"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost-"

The Balrog's whip cracked out, twining around her ankles. Immanuela screamed as she fell, and even more when the whip cracked again and she went pinwheeling into the abyss.

------

Fingolfin blinked and looked up at Morgoth. "You call that a victory?"

"I didn't plan for that to happen!" Morgoth screamed. He glared at the board. Fingolfin didn't know how to play the game. Someone else must have interfered. But who?

"Message, Morgoth."

Morgoth glared at Thorondor, who hovered beside him looking utterly bored. Carefully keeping his face out of range of the eagle's talons, he accepted the message, recognizing it at once by the burn holes.

He didn't expect the contents, though.

Dear goth,

Should ve known, you astard. You de ed me wage bene and no raise for mil years. Of course I would venge on you, and your p cious Sue.

Sin ly,

Bal g of Mor a.

Morgoth flung the charred paper on the table and closed his eyes.

"There you are."

Morgoth opened his eyes as the root around his chest loosened, and Yavanna came walking towards the game table, followed by Varda. Varda nodded cheerfully to Fingolfin. "Time to go back to Mandos, now. You've had enough freedom."

"What about the others?" Fingolfin asked, reluctantly climbing to his feet.

"Well, Maglor ran into Nienna, and she managed to convince him that he needs counseling to overcome the effects of his exile," said Varda with a sigh, taking her seat. "And Túrin and Gurthang were so deep in the middle of a fight about whose fault Túrin's sorry life was that he never heard us coming. They're both in their proper places now."

"And Maedhros and Fëanor?" Morgoth asked.

Varda hesitated. "Ah," she said. "Yes."

"What does that mean?" Morgoth demanded.

"Maedhros is- somewhere else, completely," said Varda. "We have no idea where. We thought to take him with his father, but they'd evidently already split up."

"And Fëanor?"

"The last we saw of him, he was accusing Nerdanel of being passive-aggressive, and she was accusing him of not respecting her emotional needs," said Varda.

"Yes, but where is he, now?" Morgoth demanded.

"Away from the Silmaril, so we really don't care," Varda said firmly.

"Varda..."

"All right, all right!" Varda spat. "So it looks like Fëanor's escape was arranged! But it wasn't my fault."

Morgoth sagged back in his chair. "Arranged?" he whimpered.

"Come, Fingolfin," said Yavanna peremptorily, and began tugging him away. "You don't need to hear this."

"But I want to!" Fingolfin whined, trying to set his feet. "Fëanor gets everything- the praise and adoration of everybody, and a wife who can smith, and arranged escapes from Mandos..."

His voice trailed off as Yavanna dragged him away. Varda drew a deep breath and leaned towards Morgoth.

"Aulë really did lead him to a bloody forge," she said. "Manwë thought he should have some fresh air. And Mandos and Vairë just wanted him out of their Halls. The exact quote, I believe, was that Mandos 'wouldn't be responsible for anything happening to Fëanor if he gave Vairë just one more piece of advice on her weaving.'"

"And you think they're hiding Fëanor?"

Varda nodded.

Morgoth thought a moment. "Could we make a deal? I help you look for Fëanor and get him back in Mandos? We both want him back there, I presume."

"Yes," said Varda.

"And could you-"

"No, Morgoth, I am not letting you win a round of the game."

Morgoth glared at her, and, just for that, grabbed a special Sue he'd been saving.



Heh heh. And is everybody really recaptured?

Only time will tell.