iA/N: This is the compulsory morning-after story… Just some small scenes from Rivendell… This is another old story, that I re-wrote a bit because I wanted to add Brithla to it. ;)

In my universe elves don't really have the concept of homosexuality. Since elves didn't really marry for reproduction purposes, they are looking for soul-mates, and it doesn't matter to them if they're male of female.

I know Tolkien would probably be horrified by my interpretation, but let's not tell him, right? ;) /i

bI Will Take Good Care of Him/b

Rivendell, 2615 T.A.

Glorfindel slowly woke up only to discover he was still dreaming. He was in Elrond's bedchamber, and the said half-elf was next to him, sleeping, his head resting against Glorfindel's chest and his warm body pressing against him. Glorfindel smiled gently while looking at his friend… or more than that now. Only then he became aware of the birds.

There was at least a dozen of them, different kinds of birds. A hawk was sitting on the edge of the mirror of the dressing table; a sparrow was on the table itself, seeming quite undisturbed by the company of his rival and hunter. A swallow had positioned herself to the back of the chair in front of the dressing table.

Glorfindel glanced around carefully. The window was open, and the window-sill was also filled with birds. All watching him.

Glorfindel got the impression he was being inspected. Birds loved Elrond, they were his friends, and had helped him many times during his complicated life.

"I will take good care of him", Glorfindel spoke softly.

The birds seemed to be satisfied with this, because one at a time, silently, they took off. The noble hawk flew out of the window last, and Glorfindel was alone with Elrond again.

The small half-elf looked so peaceful, cuddled up against Glorfindel. His eyes were closed again.

Elves slept light, with their eyes open, unless they were particularly tired or hurt. But Elrond was different again. Glorfindel had noticed he often had the habit of closing his eyes when he slept. He liked that; Elrond looked so innocent and trusting when sleeping with his eyes shut.

Glorfindel simply lay there for quite a while, watching his sleeping love. Suddenly Elrond's eyelashes fluttered, thought he remained completely still otherwise.

"Glor, could you stop staring at me, please, it's disturbing".

Glorfindel blinked. "How long have you been awake?"

"Ever since the birds started to arrive", came the reply.

"Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was too happy". With that Elrond finally opened his eyes and looked up to the eyes of Glorfindel.

A bright smile lightened up his face, and Glorfindel pulled him closer and kissed him. He was so beautiful.

Elrond finally pulled away from Glorfindel's embrace, and sat up on the bed.

"All these years", he began, "Why did you never tell me?"

Glorfindel raised an eyebrow. "Well, neither did you"

Elrond sighed. "I didn't expect you to return my feelings. After all, you were so… popular in Lindon. You could have been with anybody, how could you ever give another glance to the peredhil… I'm not beautiful or charming…"

"Of course you are!" Glorfindel was frankly astonished.

Elrond gave him a humourless smile. "I think you might be a bit biased right now", he said.

"I am not", Glorfindel replied, "I always thought you were beautiful, from the very first second I saw you. But how could iI/i speak up? To the herald of the High King… You would have thrown me out of Lindon!"

Elrond snorted. "Oh yes, beautiful… the mongrel… filthy peredhil… too weak to be man, too graceless to be elf…" he seemed to be quoting something said to him ages ago.

Glorfindel jumped up in the bed and pulled the small half-elf into another embrace.

"iI/i think you are beautiful", he repeated.

Elrond was silent for a long time. When he finally pulled away again there was sadness in his eyes.

"I do not want to sound… cruel, but part of me is happy you did not speak up", he said, "Because then I would never have married Celebrían. I love her so much… and I iwas/i happy with her, and I can't ignore that, thought neither do I want to hurt you".

"You're not hurting me", replied Glorfindel, "I know fully well how much you love her. I am not jealous".

Elrond smiled to him gratefully. "Besides, without Celebrían I wouldn't have our children now… "

"Indeed", Glorfindel smiled back to him.

"Not that I wouldn't have been happy with you", Elrond continued, "I know I would have been happy".

"Well, we have the chance now", with that Glorfindel wrestled Elrond back to the bed.

hr

Elrond made his way slowly towards the library again. He still felt slightly weak, but he was getting better fast. He suspected Glorfindel had a large part in his swift recovery.

The people he met on his way seemed particularly cheerful this morning. Everyone was offering him happy smiles. He suspected Mistress Sárie had something to do with it.

He found Erestor from the small study next to the library.

"Good morning, my lord, did you sleep well?" Erestor sounded perfectly innocent, but Elrond was not fooled.

"You spoke to Mistress Sárie this morning, did you not, Erestor?"

"I have done no such thing!" Erestor protested, a bit too passionately though.

Elrond raised an eyebrow, and Erestor lowered his gaze.

"I spoke to her last night", he mumbled.

To his surprise, Elrond simply laughed.

"I suppose it was unavoidable", he admitted, "Besides, why should people not know I am happy?"

Erestor looked at him warmly.

"I am glad to know you are, my lord", he replied.

hr

That afternoon Elladan was walking casually between the shelves in the library when he heard a muffled sound from the adjacent study. The door was slightly open and, puzzled, he approached it.

He peered in and saw Glorfindel kissing quite passionately another elf, who was sitting on the desk. Elladan grinned. So Glorfindel had made another conquest… Then the other elf moved slightly, and Elladan saw who it was.

He backed off silently until he got a shelf between himself and the open door. Then he turned and ran.

He found his brother and Arwen from a pergola in the gardens. They both looked at him in wonderment when he approached, running. He came to a stop in front of them, and leaned against a table to catch his breath.

"Elladan, what is wrong?" cried Arwen.

"Father!" Elladan managed between gasps.

Elrohir dropped the book he had been holding. "What is wrong? Is he worse again?"

But Elladan shook his head. He collapsed to a bench. "Father and iGlorfindel/i!"

"Yes", Elrohir knelt in front of his brother, "What about them?"

"They were ikissing/i!"

Elrohir and Arwen stared at him for a few seconds, and then they both sighed from relief.

"And ithat/i is why you got us both all worried?" asked Elrohir, standing up and returning to his seat next to Arwen, who picked up her needlework again.

Elladan stared at them, puzzled. "This was much more than a friendly kiss to a cheek!"

"Yes, I would expect it to be", replied Arwen calmly.

"You mean you iknew/i!? How long have you known?" Elladan was rather hurt now, how could his siblings keep something like this from him? How long had it been going on?

"Of course we knew", Arwen continued, "Mistress Sárie told us this morning".

"Apparently father and Glorfindel had had a little intimate conversation in the study yesterday, and one thing had led to another…" Elrohir explained.

Arwen put her needle down and looked at her upset brother closely.

"Why are you so horrified? Are you not glad father seems to be happy again?" she asked.

Elladan considered this for a moment. "Of course I am… but Glorfindel… you know what he is like!"

Elrohir stood up again and returned to his brother's side, putting and arm to his shoulder. "Do you honestly think Glorfindel would ever do anything to hurt father? According to Mistress Sárie he has always loved father, and now when I think about it, it has been quite obvious all the time. He will take good care of father".

Elladan closed his eyes and thought about this. "You're right", he finally said, smiling, "He really will".

hr

Elrond looked up from his papers to see Brithla standing at the study door.

"Good evening Brithla, what can I do for you?"

"Good evening, Lord Elrond", came the reply.

The child walked in and sat on a chair in front of Elrond. She seemed to be inspecting him. Elrond looked back.

Finally he decided to break the silence: "Is something wrong?"

Brithla shook her head. "No, I just wanted to see how happy you looked".

Elrond frowned. Behind all this, there was Mistress Sárie again, he was certain.

"I'm afraid you have to be a bit more specific, Brithla", he said.

The girl shrugged. "I heard my mother tell my father that you looked like the happiest person in the World, and I wanted to see that myself".

Elrond laughed out loud. "Well, do I?" he asked.

Brithla smiled back to him. "You really do, lord Elrond!"

hr

Celebrían stood on the shore, staring at the sea. She felt another elf approach, and turned around. When she saw who it was, she lowered her gaze, unable to look into the eyes of the other.

"You feel guilt", the other observed. "So did I, at first. Do not be afraid of me, Celebrían, you are the mother of my grand-children and the person who made my son happy. I love you".

Celebrían was finally able to face the other elf.

"We have one thing in common, my child", the elf continued gently, "We were both forced to leave him behind. It took me a long time to recover from it, though I knew I had no other choice. Neither did you, Celebrían. It was not your fault.

"You can still be happy in your separate lives… allow yourself to be happy, child. My husband tells me Elrond is too".

Hope gleamed in Celebrían's eyes.

"Lady Elwing, could you do something for me?" she began.

hr

Elrond stood on the balcony, breathing the fresh night-air. Glorfindel was already asleep, but Elrond had felt the need to go out. He looked up towards Eärendil, sailing his usual course across the sky, right now straight above Rivendell.

Suddenly something glittered up in the sky. A falling star, Elrond thought at first, but he was wrong. He stepped back and let out a startled cry when something dropped heavily to the balcony in front of him.

He stared at the small object for a long time before picking it up. He recognized what it was. Celebrían's brooch. The same one she had been wearing at the pier in the Havens. He looked up towards the star again, and tears filled his eyes. But not the tears of sadness.

"Thank you, father", he whispered.

Then he went inside. By the side of Glorfindel.