A/N: I'm sorry there was such a delay but I want to thank everyone who has reviewed over the months and all of those who have stuck with the story along with those who are just now reading. Thank you soooooo much for being so incredibly patient with me. Also, a HUGE thanks to my wonderful beta who's been so kind to me and has helped me out huggles. Now, onward brave readers!
A/N: I apologize now for the terrible formatting, I still can't figure it out.

Chapter 4

A fire crackled and popped, the only sound in the silent woods besides the chirping crickets. A couple of dirty pans lay nearby, alongside two empty bowls. Blankets lay on a soft bed of leaves and moss on the opposite side of the fire. Two figures sat on the makeshift bed, completely relaxed. Both had their backs against the trunk of a large fallen tree. They were seated side-by-side, close, but not touching. The silence between them was a comfortable one.

Aragorn let out a contented sigh as he leaned back his head, resting it against the dead tree, and studied the stars. Legolas took his eyes off the fire and watched his lover. A gentle smile crept across his face upon seeing the sheer happiness in the young man. Reaching out, Aragorn found the elf's hand and interlaced their fingers before bringing it up and kissing the back of his lover's hand. Legolas leaned his body against the man's solid one and rested his head on the human's shoulder. A smile spread across Aragorn's face as he returned his gaze to the bright stars above.

Aragorn secured his pack on his horse before turning to his companion. Legolas was surprised to see him eating an apple. Aragorn grinned at the confused look on the prince's face.

"No more morning sickness." he shrugged before taking a last bite, throwing the core into the woods, and swinging up onto his mount. Legolas just shook his head, mounting his own elvish horse. They let their mounts pick a gentle walk, trusting them to follow the path.

An hour of silence passed quickly. It was then that the elf-prince noticed the nervous glances Aragorn was giving him every few minutes. Another ten minutes passed before Legolas, exasperated, finally questioned him.

"What's on your mind?" Legolas asked directly. Seeing Aragorn open his mouth to reply, he quickly added, "And do not tell me that it is nothing." Aragorn gave him a weak grin.

"You know me too well" he said sheepishly. "I was just thinking about the different choices we're going to have to make once the baby is born."

"Such as...?" Legolas had had the same subject on his mind as well. Things would certainly change.

"Well for one, we'll need a place to live. We couldn't just drift around from place to place as we do now." Legolas lifted an eyebrow at him.

"You mean we need to decide whether to make Imladris or Mirkwood our more permanent home."

"Yes" Aragorn said softly. "I mean, you are heir to the throne of Mirkwood and I know that your father gets unhappy when you spend lots of time away..."

He trailed off, looking away. Legolas knew well enough how Aragorn felt about living there. Thranduil and Aragorn had always been a little at odds with one another because of the prince's relationship with the human. Thranduil's hopes of marrying his son off to some beautiful she-elf had been shattered. Though he had never once tried to keep them from each other, he had always remained slightly cold to the ranger. Aragorn could endure that, but it was the other elves of Mirkwood who upset him. Many disliked him for being human and for taking their prince away from them.

Even with so many against him, Legolas knew that Aragorn would live in Mirkwood without a single complaint if that was what the prince wanted. He couldn't lie to himself, Legolas did miss his father and home at times but he was reluctant about living there more permanently for an entirely different reason.

"I'm not sure I would want to live there for fear of our child's safety." Aragorn frowned.

"I don't think anyone would harm our child just because they don't like me."

"I do not fear the elves, but that which lies in wait within the forest. Mirkwood grows darker with every year that passes."

"Oh." Aragorn's frown deepened. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Plus, I want to stay and live in Rivendell for at least a few months after the baby is born. I want you to be near Lord Elrond while you are still recovering and while the baby is still a newborn."

Aragorn pointed out gently, still aware of the fact that the subject was a tender one, "He is always telling us that we're welcome to stay however long we want, whether it be days or years."

"Good, then it is settled."

They rode companionably in silence for a few minutes before Legolas disrupted the peace, slapping a hand to his forehead.

"Ai!"

"What?" Aragorn turned his head, looking behind them, thinking maybe one of them had dropped something. "Did you leave something behind?"

"No." Legolas groaned, shaking his head. "I never got around to sending my father a letter, telling him of our child."

Aragorn looked startled. Apparently he had also forgotten about informing the Elvin king of his unborn grandchild.

"I kept meaning to send word to my father, but I'd sit down to write the letter and either get interrupted or not know where to start and just wait till later."

"Except later never came" Aragorn filled in, grinning at the elf's procrastination. Admittedly, he wouldn't know how to write about their unexpected, though certainly not unwelcome, surprise.

"Perhaps it would do better to ride to Mirkwood and tell him in person once we've finished our little trip" the ranger suggested, studying Legolas carefully.

The elf brightened at the suggestion, a smile spreading across his face.

"Yes, I'd like that."

They fell back into a comfortable silence while their horses walked leisurely down the path. It was a nice day, the sun shining and not a cloud in the sky. Legolas admired the beauty of the forest around him and reveled in its presence. The forest sang a tune only the elf could hear. The ranger, oblivious to the forest's music, let his focus wander as he fell back into his own thoughts. It was for this reason that he missed the change in the forest.

Legolas sat up straight, more alert, his eyes glancing in all directions. It was a minute or two before Aragorn realized that his lover had completely stopped. He turned his horse around to see what was going on.

"Legolas?"

The alert prince held up a hand and Aragorn remained quiet. Aragorn raised a questioning eyebrow. Legolas shook his head, looking a little confused.

"I don't know. I thought..."

He stopped mid-sentence as the forest came to life again suddenly, this time whispering desperately of a danger. Not a moment later, a flying projectile whistled by Aragorn's ear. It was immediately followed by the battle cry of an orc. An arrow was already strung on Legolas's bow as Aragorn drew his sword from its sheath. The horses, frightened, stepped back just as the first orcs entered the small clearing.

Legolas had released the arrow and had another out and notched before the first orc he struck was even on the ground, instantly dead. He fired one after another as they continued to rush closer. A few arrows were sent in return before the foul creatures dropped their bows, pulled out their crudely made swords, and charged the horses. The prince of Mirkwood continued to fire deadly accurate shots until they came too close. The Elvin bow was swapped for a pair of slightly curved, gleaming Elvin knives.

Not wanting to risk his mount's life, Aragorn quickly jumped to the ground and joined the fray. The spooked horse turned and fled to the cover of the woods. She was tailed closely by the abandoned stallion whose Elvin rider had done the same, also in hopes of keeping the animal safe. The couple knew that the horses would remain close enough to return by whistle, yet remain distant enough to avoid injury.

Having spent years fighting together, Aragorn and Legolas immediately took up a defensive position side by side. Their backs were angled somewhat towards each other in the event that they were suddenly surrounded. It would allow them to cover each other's back and avoid any surprise attacks. None of the orcs had wargs with them this time and the couple could have escaped by horse, but in all reality, the group of orcs wasn't the biggest they'd fought alone. There had been roughly twenty to start, six or seven already taken out by Legolas's arrows.

A loud clang reverberated in the air as Aragorn's sword met the first orc's. The orc pulled back and swung again, this time at his open side. Both hands on the long handle, Aragorn tipped his sword point-down and parried the intended blow to his side. He ducked as the gruesome creature swung again and tried to take off his head. Not wasting the opportunity, Aragorn quickly stabbed the orc in its now unprotected midsection.

To the left of his lover, Legolas was caught up in a deadly dance with another orc. The shorter knives forced Legolas to have to be closer to his enemy than if he had had a sword or a bow, but he had spent over a thousand years practicing with his knives and using them in battle. Moving with speed the orcs and his human lover didn't possess, he rapidly disposed of the one orc with a slash across the throat and moved onto the next.

Remaining relatively close, the human and elf took out the orcs and continued as a new one would instantly replace the last. They now stood nearly back-to-back to prevent the orcs from trying to take them from behind. While there were still at least three times as many orcs, they couldn't seem to defeat the elf and ranger because they were too stupid to strategize well. They were happy enough to just sit back and let others try first. Coming across the two in the middle of the forest had been an unexpected surprise to the orcs and they had decided to kill them off.

Aragorn hooked one of his legs behind the foul creature's while holding their swords locked together. He swept the orc's feet out from under him and quickly stabbed the creature once it hit the ground. At the sound of a small, surprised gasp, he instantly turned to face his lover, in time to see the elf-prince bury his knife to the hilt in the orc's chest.

Having thought that orc to be the last, Legolas bent to pick up the knife he'd dropped in surprise when the orc's blade had caught him in the upper left arm. He hadn't seen the large leader of the group stalk towards him, blade ready to behead the stooped elf.

Aragorn had seen the orc approach the distracted elf and had only a split second to respond. Knowing Legolas might not react quickly enough, Aragorn let out a yell and charged the orc head on. The orc leader glanced up at the human in slight surprise at his nerve.

Legolas's head shot up in shock as he heard Aragorn's yell and saw the orc leader only four feet away. Before he could even bring his knives up in defense, Aragorn's body was between his and the creature's. There was no clang of swords meeting, just a swish and a dulled thud as he saw the orc's head hit the ground, his body falling backwards onto it only a moment later. His lover still stood there, back to him, breathing heavily. Opening his mouth, Legolas was about to speak when the ranger suddenly dropped to his knees, his sword falling to the ground next to him.

The elf rushed forward and caught the man before he could pitch forward onto the ground. Legolas kneeled in front of him, holding onto the young man's shoulders to keep him up. Worriedly, he scanned his lover quickly with his eyes, searching for the cause of the pain etched across his face. Aragorn looked down and Legolas followed his gaze to where the human pulled his hand away from where he had placed it on his stomach. Blood covered it, and continued to flow freely from a wound on his abdomen. Aragorn met his lover's eyes for a second before consciousness fled him.