Yes, yes, I still own nothing.

So without further ado, here is the chapter. Bombs away. Read. Enjoy. Review.

Carrie didn't know how long she sat there on the bench, quietly crying to herself before she fell asleep. It wasn't a restful sleep, but she did have a dream that stuck with her. She was sitting on her mother's lap as a child, looking through photo albums. She saw a picture of her grandmother, a woman whose beauty was beyond words. She was someone who was stunning to look at, who also had a heart of gold. Carrie remembered how much she loved her grandmother. She woke up smiling, her earlier upset forgotten in the comforting memories of her family.

She walked slowly up to her room, thinking about the memory she had just dreamed of. She remembered the day, it was a warm summer day, but she still wanted to sit on her mom's lap. She loved her mother. The thought that, according to Elrond, she wasn't really Carrie's mother pained Carrie greatly. If what he said was true, why was she never told that she was adopted? And then there was that nagging thought at the back of her mind that was trying to get out. There was something important. Something important about the dream she just had... The picture... the picture of her grandmother....

Her ring! Carrie thought back hard, for the real memory was from a long time ago, and the images in the dream were fuzzy. Her grandmother was wearing her ring! Elrond could say what he wanted, but photos don't lie. She had seen the young image of her grandmother with the ring on her finger. And besides, Elrond had said that Aragorn's daughter's name was Melanna. Could her grandmother have been the daughter of Aragorn?

Carrie thought back to the stories from her childhood. How her grandmother was five, and so scared coming to the New World. How she was all by herself when she got off the boat with the other children, waiting for American parents there to adopt them. How her adoptive parents took her in with their other four kids. And then Carrie remembered the family portrait done shortly after that of her grandmother and her new parents, brothers and sister.

She was wearing the ring on a chain around her neck!

Carrie rubbed her temples, trying to make sense of it all. She didn't know what to think anymore. Part of her was comforted by the thought that Aragorn could be her great-grandfather. Part of her was greatly disturbed by it.

She reached her room and sat down on her bed, trying to piece everything together. She understood that Aragorn must have dreamed about her and assumed she was his grown-up daughter. She understood now that when Aragorn and the others somehow found themselves in her world, why they came searching for her. She didn't understand how any of this was possible. She didn't understand what Legolas' deal was.

Legolas, her mind kept returning to him. 'Silly girl,' she thought. 'He doesn't care about you.' And then she thought, 'But I know someone who does.' It was at that moment that she decided to go to Rohan, to Helms Deep. To see the man who believed that he was her father. She began weighing the possibility that he was, in fact, her great-grandfather.

"Well at least that makes more sense." Carrie said aloud. She smiled for the first time since she arrived in this strange place. Her acceptance of this hardened her resolve to travel to Rohan. She had to go. She had to see him. She had to tell him who she was, or who she now thought she was.

Carrie left her room, looking for Elrond. She wanted to talk to him – to find out more – to tell him what she remembered and now thought, and to see if he would help her get to Rohan. She found him in the library, sitting at a table, leafing through a large book. She approached him tentatively.

"Lord Elrond, may I have a moment of your time?"

He turned and stood at the sound of her voice. He gave her a small, dignified smile. "Ah, my lady Carrie, You appear to be in better spirits. Of course I have time to speak with you." He indicated that she should join him at the table and when she did he sat back down. She began to tell him of her dream and her grandmother wearing the ring and coming to the 'New World'. All through it, he listened intently, with a slight frown tugging the corners of his mouth.

"...So, you see," Carrie began to wind down her story. "I believe that the daughter of Aragorn who you spoke of was my grandmother, not me." She took a pause. "Gives a new meaning to the words 'New World', huh?"

Elrond sat there for a moment, looking intently at her. Carrie squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze. Finally he spoke. "Your story is conceivable. The amount of time that passes in your world and ours does not necessarily have to coincide. Aragorn believed you to be his daughter since you are the same age as she would have been, had she stayed here. He would not have thought that an older woman could have been his daughter. How old is your grandmother?"

Carrie dropped her head. It was an innocent enough question, especially coming from an immortal. Still, it made her sad to think about. "She would have been 82."

"Would have been?" Elrond looked at her for a moment. "She has passed on?" Carrie nodded sadly. "I am sorry." Something in his voice made Carrie look up. He was sorry, but there was something else – confusion.

"Why does that confuse you?" Carrie asked.

Elrond sat quietly. He looked like he was trying to decide whether or not to tell her something. "Well..." he began, "Aragorn is one of the Dunedain, a descendent of Numenor. That race was blessed with exceptionally long life. Any child of his would be the same."

Carrie shrugged. "Yeah, but what about her mother. If she was a regular old human, then she would have a regular old life span, right?" Elrond sat there. "Right?" He wasn't saying anything. "Hello?"

"Yes, if she was, her child could have potentially not inherited the traits of the Dunedain."

Carrie looked at him. There was something he wasn't telling her. "If she was." Elrond nodded. "If?" He nodded again. "She was human. I mean, was she human?" Elrond shook his head no. Carrie's eyes got wide. She was almost afraid to ask the next question. It came out barely a whisper. "What was she?"

Elrond regarded her for a moment before he spoke. He looked into her eyes and calmly said, "She was an elf."

Carrie would like to apologize for her behavior in the last chapter. She is exceptionally overwrought and emotional at the moment. Please forgive her, for she is going through a lot right now. What with finding herself somewhere she had believed to be fictional, and then that bomb that Elrond dropped on her. The Legolas thing just put her over the top. I can't say that I would have reacted any differently. And I do have to admit, I think that her being so emotional perfectly complements the elf's serene calm. But don't tell her I said that. rolls eyes If you even mention you-know-who's name to her right now she goes a little nutty.

XxgemxX: It's ok. If you are telling me I'm brilliant, you can repeat yourself as many times as you like. wink I sat Carrie in the corner and told her to "think about how what you did made me, and all the readers, feel."

nap-003: Yeah, don't you just love men...err...elves. Oh whatever he is. Do not fret...all will be revealed and resolved in time...

Julia M.: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you think the story is great. I'm sorry you can't warm up to Carrie. She is a little forward, but then again, some men...err...elves...like that. At least in my story they do. As far as the slut thing...please don't judge her too harshly. Keep in mind that when she said that, there was a strange man in her house and she thought that he was going to force himself on her. She was just saying anything at that moment to get out of his grasp. I'm not saying that what she said was not true, but keep in mind also that she did not act on it. It was just words.

LtSonya: Thank you so much for the wonderful review! I'm glad you like Carrie. I think you're right on target with your analysis of her personality. Although I would have probably referred to her forward statements as "reckless" rather than "courageous", but I guess I have the tendency to be a little hard on her. As for the sexual tension, I'm glad you like that too. I'm guessing, from the way things have been going, there will be a lot more where that came from. I mean, what fun is it if they fall in love and live happily ever after in the first chapter?

Empress Guinevere Sparrow: Thanks for the review! I think she has finally lost it, although her ride is far from over. And this is not the kind of ride that you can raise your hand if you need to get off.

Jack-Sparrow-Lover: Hey! Welcome back! I'm glad you love my story! It makes me very happy to know that it brings enjoyment to other people. Thanks for the great compliment. It means worlds to me.

Shadowfax04: Thank you for the nice review, again. I got worried after your last one that you were going to abandon the story - and just when it's getting interesting!