Carrie ran the water in the tub. She needed a nice long soak. She needed...she needed...

She needed to stop replaying this afternoon's conversation in her head. After Legolas left her she went back to Aragorn and Gimli. Aragorn knew without words that it had not gone well. Hell, who wouldn't have? Carrie had been close to tears. How could she get so emotional over a man she had known for less than a month, and barely talked to at that?

She climbed into the tub and felt the warm water swirl around her. Hopefully it would relax her mind as well as her muscles. She had just closed her eyes and leaned her head back when the doorbell rang.

"Dammit!" she swore. With a reluctant sigh, she got out of the tub and quickly toweled off. After wrapping her bathrobe tightly around her and securing the belt she descended the stairs, wondering who would be coming by so late. She was not ready for who she saw through the peephole. She opened the door and found herself gazing through the chain again. Déjà vu, she thought.

"Hello" she said coolly. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again, especially after our little conversation this afternoon."

"That is why I'm here. Aragorn sent me to make peace." Again, his voice was emotionless.

"Ok." Carrie wasn't sure how else to respond. They continued to stare at each other through the narrow opening. Wondering if he was waiting for some cue from her, Carrie exhaled in a deep sigh. She closed the door, undid the chain and reopened the door. "Why don't you come in?"

He eyed her bathrobe. "I don't think that wise." After he said that, he quickly looked away.

"So, what, you want to just stand here and stare at each other?" He narrowed his eyes at her. If this was his way of making peace, it was not working.

"Look," she continued, "I'd love to argue with you, or make up with you, or whatever you had in mind when you came over here, but I will not do it outside my house standing in my bathrobe, so will you please come in." He continued to glare for a second before relenting and walking past her into the house. She closed the door behind him and refastened the chain.

There, she thought, he's not going anywhere 'til we have this out.

Being inside the house did not seem to incline him any more towards talking. He had walked silently over to the couch but hadn't sat down. She came over to join him, seating herself on the couch and hoping he would follow. When he didn't, she sighed.

"Sit down, please, Legolas." Ah, she should have left it at 'please.' He took it as such an insult that she used their names when she didn't believe them. She decided, in the interest of making peace, to offer him a slight concession. "Look, maybe I'm wrong. I mean, you could be who you say."

"Your wholehearted belief in us is overwhelming," he said blandly, but he joined her on the couch.

"You have to understand, Leg…" she paused as she saw him look at her. Ok, she would steer clear of his name for a while. Although, she had to admit, there was a perverse part of her that actually enjoyed saying it. "You have to understand that what you're telling me is very, very, VERY hard to believe."

He nodded his head once. "I understand."

"So I'm sorry if I've insulted you by not believing you, but it's kind of hard for me to get my mind around."

He nodded his head again without meeting her gaze and pressed his lips together.

"What?" she prompted, uncomfortable in the silence. "What is it?" He looked at his hands in his lap as if they were the most interesting things in the world. He's nervous, she thought. Ha. Some elf.

He looked up at her briefly and then back down at his hands. "You did not seem to have the same difficulty with Aragorn and Gimli. Despite what you think, I have pondered why you did not feel the same ease with me."

Carrie's mind reeled. Had he really been thinking about her, and why she was uncomfortable around him? "I told you why this afternoon."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You were mocking me this afternoon."

"I was not mocking you." Carrie felt her temper begin to rise and took a deep breath. Would they ever be able to converse civilly? "I was trying to explain myself the best I could. I couldn't just blindly trust you."

"Why?"

Now it was Carrie's turn to look down at her hands. How would she explain without coming right out and telling him how she felt; that she was so ridiculously attracted to him that she was now almost to the point of being willing to ignore the fact that he continued to claim to be an elf. Hadn't she come dangerously close to spelling it out for him this afternoon?

No, she couldn't bring herself to do it, so she decided to stall, returning to her question from earlier in the day.

"First let me ask you something." He held her gaze, unnerving her further. "Why did you let me touch your ear if it was such a big deal?"

She saw shock in his eyes before he caught himself and schooled his expression. "Why do you think it was a big deal?"

"Oh please!" Carrie laughed nervously. "Your reaction, Aragorn's reaction when he found out! And besides," she smirked, "Gimli told me."

"Gimli!" he gasped.

"Intimate gesture, huh?"

'I..." Suddenly he was very interested in a spot on the carpet.

It was only then that a light bulb went on in Carrie's head. Is that why it bothered him so much that she didn't believe in him? She couldn't begin to accept that he held anywhere near the same amount of attraction for her as she did for him, but if he felt nothing…?

Carrie inched closer to him on the couch. He didn't look up at her, even when she touched his arm.

"I apologize if you think my actions were inappropriate," he said softly.

"No!" Carrie shouted, quicker and louder than she intended. It was only then that his gaze met hers again, his eyes betraying his shock at her response before he had a chance to guard his expression. "I didn't mean anything bad by that."

"I don't know…" He broke off, pressing his lips into a thin line.

"What?" Carrie asked softly, encouraging him to continue, moving closer so that she was next to him on the couch. "What don't you know?"

He shook his head. He looks… bewildered, Carrie thought incredulously.

"I want to trust you," she whispered, leaning towards him. "I do." He took a deep breath and Carrie realized her heart was racing. Still, nervous though she was, she decided to push further.

"I didn't mind it, you know, touching your ear – regardless of what it might have meant."

She saw him swallow. "Neither did I," he whispered, evading her eyes.

Carrie couldn't help the smile that had begun to spread across her face. She decided to take a risk and slowly reached up to gently brush his hair back.

"Well what would you say to a little bit more… intimacy?" The last word was no more than a whisper, spoken right next to his now-exposed ear. After she said it, she let her breath out gently, blowing on the tip. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

"You have no idea what you're doing."

She grinned inwardly at the statement and at his reaction. "Oh," she said breathily, "I know exactly what I'm doing. However, I need to know you like it," she teased, "or I'm going to have to stop…" She ran her finger back through his hair, just brushing the tip of his ear.

"Ai, Carrie!" he gasped. He turned and grabbed her, one hand behind her head, the other around her back, and crushed his mouth against hers. She caught a brief glimpse of his eyes, a deep blue, full of fire. Her name, spoken like that, had more of an effect on her than she could possibly imagine. Even though he had startled her, she wanted this more than she could have thought possible. She was aware of the feel of his mouth on hers. She began to relax her lips to allow him access when he abruptly pulled away from her.

She looked in his eyes. They were a mix of confusion, agony, and the remnants of the passion he had just expressed. He stood up, his back to her. He took a moment, clearly composing himself, and then turned and faced her.

"I am sorry. I should never have allowed that to happen. You were right not to trust me. Please accept my apology for my behavior both this afternoon and tonight." Carrie shook her head, completely at a loss for words. There was no trace of any emotion in his eyes again. It was so frustrating! "Good evening." And with that, he turned and walked out of Carrie's house with hardly a sound, leaving her staring after him, completely baffled by what had just happened.