ATTENTION LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!!
I have decided, after getting some reviews (which I agree with) and talking this chapter over with my cousin, I'm not happy with the end. Explanation: I was tired, it was late. So I've decided to re-write the ending to this chapter. I'll post the ch. 12(still going to be titled "It all goes to Hell" or something of the like), later. I'm working on it now.
I'm sorry for putting such a gaping plot hole into my story, and I hope you liked this newly re-worked chapter.
*** Recap: Night time, and Boromir, Legolas and Jack are all inside. Jennifer was still gone when the chapter ended. Onto the story!
***
Jack had just gotten another beer out of the refrigerator and opened it when Jennifer came shakily down the steps. He smiled as Legolas ran up to her and took her arm.
"Are you alright, Jennifer? You were out for a long time," he commented, leading the girl down the stairs. She ran a hand over her eyes.
"I guess. But I still haven't figured out a way to get you guys back, and now there are three of you to deal with," she replied, looking at Boromir. He looked down, feeling slightly guilty.
"I am sorry if my arrival has caused you turmoil, my lady. But know that I would not be here if I had the choice," he said, kissing her hand. She sighed and sat down. Jack put his half full bottle down in front of her and told her to drink the rest. In any other circumstance, she would have said no, she was too young, and pushed it away. But this was not an ordinary circumstance.
"Bottoms up!" The seventeen-year-old grabbed the bottle and downed it all in one gulp. Boromir raised an eyebrow, but Jack smirked.
"Now that yeh've had that, maybe yeh won't kill me when I say yer parents called," he said, scooting back a bit. Her eyes went wide.
"WHAT?" She yelled, looking from Jack, to Legolas, to Boromir. They all nodded, and she hung her head. "I am so screwed." The pirate patted her back, then went up to get her another beer.
Legolas lifted up her chin and wiped away the tears that were staining her cheeks. "Do not despair. We will find a way to solve this riddle." The man of Gondor nodded from behind him.
"Aye, we will," he agreed. Jennifer gave a small smile. As she got up, the phone rang again. The elf's eyes narrowed, and Boromir reached for his sword. She shook her head and went to the phone.
"Hello? Oh, hi mom. Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking." A long pause. "Mom, those guys are my friends." Another pause. "I was in the bathroom! Jeez. Don't worry, ok? David can vouch for me. Just trust me, ok?" Pause. "Yes, Alright. Love you too. Bye." She hung up the phone and let out a low growl.
"Where the hell is my brother? He should be home by now!" She said, to no one in particular, even though the elf and the Gondorian were standing right by her. As if on cue, the cell phone charging by the home phone went off. It was playing the theme for Lord of the Rings. Ironic, huh?
Jennifer read the caller ID and snatched it up. "Hey. Where is my brother?" She asked into the mouthpiece.
Boromir had decided he had had enough of hearing a one sided conversation and went to get a drink with Jack. But Legolas, being able to hear with those elf senses of his, stayed. He heard Kelly, David's girlfriend, tell Jennifer that her brother was completely plastered and was going to stay at her house that night. Jennifer apologized profusely for her brother's stupidity, but Kelly brushed it off.
"Don't worry about it. I'll bring him home tomorrow," the older woman said, then hung up. Jennifer put the phone back on the charger and turned around. She jumped seeing the elf, having temporarily forgotten that he was standing there.
"Jesus! You scared me, Legolas," she said, clutching her heart. He smiled and gave a small bow. She just laughed and walked into the living room, where the two men were sitting on the couches, each with a bottle in hand, sharing stories.
"You lie," Jack said. Boromir scoffed and took a swig.
"I do not. My brother Faramir, myself, and two others were the only ones that survived the attack." Jack still looked doubtful. "You do not have to believe me, but it is true. I thank the Valar that Faramir was not taken."
"Do yeh miss him?" Jack said. Boromir nodded.
"Aye, I do. I wish I knew what became of him," he replied sadly. Legolas laughed from the doorway.
"Silly human. Why did you not ask of me what your brother's fate was?" He said, sitting on the couch. Boromir crossed his arms and pouted slightly.
"I did not think to. But, since you know all of the happenings since my death, how about you enlighten me, Master Elf?"
Legolas smiled. "I thought you would never ask. Your brother, you will be glad to know, is now the Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien, under King Elessar. He is currently married to Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan."
Boromir nearly choked on his drink hearing this. "Married! Tell me about this Eowyn."
"She is a hero, Boromir. She, along with Merry,"
"Merry, as in the Merry that was part of the Fellowship?" Boromir interrupted.
"The very same. As I was saying, she, along with Merry, defeated the Witch King of Angmar, during the Battle of the Pelennor. She and your brother met in the Houses of Healing, and were married."
Boromir sat up. "Why was he in the Houses of Healing?" When Legolas hesitated, the man's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, Legolas!" The elf sighed.
"Because he was injured trying to reclaim Osgiliath from the orcs that invaded it. It was folly- simply not possible. But he went anyway, trying to win your father's respect," he replied. Boromir's eyes narrowed and he grasped the bottle so tightly it shattered in his hand, and a few pieces went flying up. One imbedded itself above his left eyebrow.
"Whoa there! Hand me that, mate," Jack said, taking the broken bottle from the man. Jennifer grabbed the Gondorian's hand and winced seeing the pieces of glass cutting into his skin.
"Holy crap, you squeezed that thing hard! C'mon upstairs, I'll clean that up," she said, trying to get him up. But Boromir was much bigger than the girl and remained where he was, ignoring her efforts.
Legolas had not moved, but remained locking eyes with his friend. "What has become of my father?" asked the man, through gritted teeth.
"He burned to death, by his own hand. And he tried to do the same to your brother. Pippin saved him from your father's madness," the elf replied, his voice trembling. Boromir was shaking, a mixture of rage and sadness. He passed his unhurt hand over his eyes.
Jennifer looked back and forth between the friends before speaking. "Look, Boromir, I need to clean up this hand now if you don't want it infected. I'm surprised you haven't felt the alcohol yet."
It seemed that just then he noticed that there were shards of glass slicing into his flesh. "Ah! Yes, that would be good." He stood up and followed her to the upstairs bathroom.
"Jack! Can you go clean up downstairs? Use paper towels. Above the fridge," she told the pirate, who nodded and went down. Jennifer carefully turned Boromir's hand over to let the pooled blood fall into the sink. She ran cool water over the hand and grabbed the tweezers.
"Ok, so this is going to hurt," she said, forgetting he was a seasoned warrior. He laughed, but it was shortly turned into a sharp intake of breath as she took the first piece of glass out.
"You alright?" She asked, looking up into his face. He nodded. She continued to remove the glass.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let my anger take me," he apologized when she had finished his hand. Jennifer rinsed it again and put some soap over the wound. He winced as she lightly rubbed it in.
"Don't worry about it. You love your brother, I can't be mad at you for that. Hold still, I've got to clean it. Sorry," She said as he tried to pull his hand away. She finished and wrapped the hand in gauze. She looked into his face, smiling. The grin faded away when she noticed the cut that was still bleeding above his eye.
"Whoops! Forgot about that one. Have a seat," the girl said, plopping the man down on the toilet. She grabbed the tweezers again and pulled out the last piece of the broken bottle. In total she had pulled 10 pieces out of his skin.
"You really tore yourself up good, Boromir," she said, dabbing his forehead. He smiled at her, but before she could smile back, a yawn overcame her. Jennifer held her hand up to her mouth politely as she grabbed the gauze.
"There you go. All better now," She said, taping the sterile pad to his forehead.
He smiled at her, examining the bandage in the mirror. "Where did you learn to dress wounds so well?"
"David used to get into scrapes when he was younger all the time. While she cleaned his cuts, Mom took the opportunity to show me how to properly bandage wounds." Jennifer glanced at the watch hanging from her wrist as she put away the medical tape. "Holy crap! It's already midnight. We should be getting to bed."
The girl dashed down the steps to the living room, to find Jack rubbing the floor furiously with an entire roll of paper towels. Legolas was walking back and forth over Jack's working area, picking up tiny shard of glass from the carpet that only his keen elf eyes could see. This action was annoying Jack to no end.
"Could yeh just wait till I finish, pointy? Yer annoying me," Jack said, throwing down the paper towels and standing up to face the elf. Legolas smirked and was about to say something when Jennifer cleared her throat loudly.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, but it's getting late, and I'm tired. So could you please stop bickering? It's giving me a headache," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We were just having a discussion, is all. Are you all patched up, Boromir? Would yeh like me to kiss it an make it better?" Jack said crankily. Boromir glared, but Legolas let out a small laugh.
"Think him funny, elf?" Boromir snapped. The elf nodded, causing a low growl to escape the man's lips.
Jennifer stepped between them. "What did I just say? All of you need to cool your jets. Now, come with me and we'll get your beds ready."
The two men and the elf obliged and followed her as she climbed to stairs. The girl told Jack to go back to his room. He did, but before the door was shut tightly he blew a kiss to Boromir. The Gondorian lunged towards the door, but was stopped by Legolas grabbing his cloak and yanking him back with surprising strength.
"Will you stop it? Honestly," Jennifer scolded. Boromir apologized as she opened the door to her parents' room, which was very clean with everything in it's place. Turning to her visitors, she said, "One of you can sleep in here."
The two Middle Earth dwellers locked glances, having a silent battle with their eyes. Can you guess who won? Yeah, Legolas did. Boromir sighed and waved a hand to let Legolas pass. The elf wouldn't upset the room at all. Her parents wouldn't even realize that someone had slept in their bed.
"Righty. Goodnight, Legolas. Sleep tight," Jennifer said, walking down the hall to her brother's closed room. She grasped the doorknob and turned, but the door didn't open. She worked at this for a minute or two, with Boromir standing curiously by.
"Problem?"
She groaned dejectedly. "It's locked. I cannot believe he locked his door! Well, it's official, he don't trust me at all."
"I could probably open it, you know," Boromir said, looking at the simple locking mechanism. "Quite easily, I'm willing to bet."
Jennifer sighed, passing a hand over her eyes. "No, you can't. He'll find out, and he'll flay me alive."
Boromir looked quite horrified at the comment, until she soothed his mind. "Well, he won't actually flay me, he'll just be really mad is all."
The two stood in silence for a minute before Boromir spoke quietly. "I could always sleep with you." Jennifer's eyes grew wide as she turned to face him.
"Excuse me? Ok, one, I'm not that kind of girl, and two, even if I was, I don't think you're a pedophile."
Boromir chuckled and shook his head. "Trust me, I do not want to have sex with you, Jennifer. I'm merely suggesting that I could sleep in your room, with you." At Jennifer's dejected look at being told he didn't want to have sex with her (which he mistook for disgust at the whole idea), he added, "Or I could sleep downstairs. Either way, it would be a better bed than I've had in a very long time."
"No, no. You can sleep with me. I've got a queen, there will be plenty of room," she replied. He smiled wide.
"Thank you," he said, bowing low.
They walked to her room and she grabbed some clothes out of her drawer. "Um, could you turn around while I change?" Jennifer asked shyly. He complied and she quickly slipped out of her old clothes into her PJs.
"You can turn around now." Boromir did as the girl pulled back the covers. He took off all of his clothing except his pants and climbed into the bed. Jennifer had situated herself at the far left end, and he took the far right. There was an uncomfortable silence before Jennifer realized that the light was still on.
"Boromir? Could you get the light? Just pull the chain with the dog on the end," she said quietly. The man did and settled back down in the complete darkness.
"Goodnight, Jennifer."
"Goodnight."
*****
Ok, I'm much much happier with this ending than the one I had. I promise the next chapter will have more action. I swear. Scout's honor! Even though it's been a while since I've been a girl scout....whatever. I'm about to start writing the next chapter right now. I hope you enjoyed this changed chapter. :-D
I have decided, after getting some reviews (which I agree with) and talking this chapter over with my cousin, I'm not happy with the end. Explanation: I was tired, it was late. So I've decided to re-write the ending to this chapter. I'll post the ch. 12(still going to be titled "It all goes to Hell" or something of the like), later. I'm working on it now.
I'm sorry for putting such a gaping plot hole into my story, and I hope you liked this newly re-worked chapter.
*** Recap: Night time, and Boromir, Legolas and Jack are all inside. Jennifer was still gone when the chapter ended. Onto the story!
***
Jack had just gotten another beer out of the refrigerator and opened it when Jennifer came shakily down the steps. He smiled as Legolas ran up to her and took her arm.
"Are you alright, Jennifer? You were out for a long time," he commented, leading the girl down the stairs. She ran a hand over her eyes.
"I guess. But I still haven't figured out a way to get you guys back, and now there are three of you to deal with," she replied, looking at Boromir. He looked down, feeling slightly guilty.
"I am sorry if my arrival has caused you turmoil, my lady. But know that I would not be here if I had the choice," he said, kissing her hand. She sighed and sat down. Jack put his half full bottle down in front of her and told her to drink the rest. In any other circumstance, she would have said no, she was too young, and pushed it away. But this was not an ordinary circumstance.
"Bottoms up!" The seventeen-year-old grabbed the bottle and downed it all in one gulp. Boromir raised an eyebrow, but Jack smirked.
"Now that yeh've had that, maybe yeh won't kill me when I say yer parents called," he said, scooting back a bit. Her eyes went wide.
"WHAT?" She yelled, looking from Jack, to Legolas, to Boromir. They all nodded, and she hung her head. "I am so screwed." The pirate patted her back, then went up to get her another beer.
Legolas lifted up her chin and wiped away the tears that were staining her cheeks. "Do not despair. We will find a way to solve this riddle." The man of Gondor nodded from behind him.
"Aye, we will," he agreed. Jennifer gave a small smile. As she got up, the phone rang again. The elf's eyes narrowed, and Boromir reached for his sword. She shook her head and went to the phone.
"Hello? Oh, hi mom. Yeah, I'm fine, thanks for asking." A long pause. "Mom, those guys are my friends." Another pause. "I was in the bathroom! Jeez. Don't worry, ok? David can vouch for me. Just trust me, ok?" Pause. "Yes, Alright. Love you too. Bye." She hung up the phone and let out a low growl.
"Where the hell is my brother? He should be home by now!" She said, to no one in particular, even though the elf and the Gondorian were standing right by her. As if on cue, the cell phone charging by the home phone went off. It was playing the theme for Lord of the Rings. Ironic, huh?
Jennifer read the caller ID and snatched it up. "Hey. Where is my brother?" She asked into the mouthpiece.
Boromir had decided he had had enough of hearing a one sided conversation and went to get a drink with Jack. But Legolas, being able to hear with those elf senses of his, stayed. He heard Kelly, David's girlfriend, tell Jennifer that her brother was completely plastered and was going to stay at her house that night. Jennifer apologized profusely for her brother's stupidity, but Kelly brushed it off.
"Don't worry about it. I'll bring him home tomorrow," the older woman said, then hung up. Jennifer put the phone back on the charger and turned around. She jumped seeing the elf, having temporarily forgotten that he was standing there.
"Jesus! You scared me, Legolas," she said, clutching her heart. He smiled and gave a small bow. She just laughed and walked into the living room, where the two men were sitting on the couches, each with a bottle in hand, sharing stories.
"You lie," Jack said. Boromir scoffed and took a swig.
"I do not. My brother Faramir, myself, and two others were the only ones that survived the attack." Jack still looked doubtful. "You do not have to believe me, but it is true. I thank the Valar that Faramir was not taken."
"Do yeh miss him?" Jack said. Boromir nodded.
"Aye, I do. I wish I knew what became of him," he replied sadly. Legolas laughed from the doorway.
"Silly human. Why did you not ask of me what your brother's fate was?" He said, sitting on the couch. Boromir crossed his arms and pouted slightly.
"I did not think to. But, since you know all of the happenings since my death, how about you enlighten me, Master Elf?"
Legolas smiled. "I thought you would never ask. Your brother, you will be glad to know, is now the Steward of Gondor and Prince of Ithilien, under King Elessar. He is currently married to Eowyn, White Lady of Rohan."
Boromir nearly choked on his drink hearing this. "Married! Tell me about this Eowyn."
"She is a hero, Boromir. She, along with Merry,"
"Merry, as in the Merry that was part of the Fellowship?" Boromir interrupted.
"The very same. As I was saying, she, along with Merry, defeated the Witch King of Angmar, during the Battle of the Pelennor. She and your brother met in the Houses of Healing, and were married."
Boromir sat up. "Why was he in the Houses of Healing?" When Legolas hesitated, the man's eyes narrowed. "Tell me, Legolas!" The elf sighed.
"Because he was injured trying to reclaim Osgiliath from the orcs that invaded it. It was folly- simply not possible. But he went anyway, trying to win your father's respect," he replied. Boromir's eyes narrowed and he grasped the bottle so tightly it shattered in his hand, and a few pieces went flying up. One imbedded itself above his left eyebrow.
"Whoa there! Hand me that, mate," Jack said, taking the broken bottle from the man. Jennifer grabbed the Gondorian's hand and winced seeing the pieces of glass cutting into his skin.
"Holy crap, you squeezed that thing hard! C'mon upstairs, I'll clean that up," she said, trying to get him up. But Boromir was much bigger than the girl and remained where he was, ignoring her efforts.
Legolas had not moved, but remained locking eyes with his friend. "What has become of my father?" asked the man, through gritted teeth.
"He burned to death, by his own hand. And he tried to do the same to your brother. Pippin saved him from your father's madness," the elf replied, his voice trembling. Boromir was shaking, a mixture of rage and sadness. He passed his unhurt hand over his eyes.
Jennifer looked back and forth between the friends before speaking. "Look, Boromir, I need to clean up this hand now if you don't want it infected. I'm surprised you haven't felt the alcohol yet."
It seemed that just then he noticed that there were shards of glass slicing into his flesh. "Ah! Yes, that would be good." He stood up and followed her to the upstairs bathroom.
"Jack! Can you go clean up downstairs? Use paper towels. Above the fridge," she told the pirate, who nodded and went down. Jennifer carefully turned Boromir's hand over to let the pooled blood fall into the sink. She ran cool water over the hand and grabbed the tweezers.
"Ok, so this is going to hurt," she said, forgetting he was a seasoned warrior. He laughed, but it was shortly turned into a sharp intake of breath as she took the first piece of glass out.
"You alright?" She asked, looking up into his face. He nodded. She continued to remove the glass.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have let my anger take me," he apologized when she had finished his hand. Jennifer rinsed it again and put some soap over the wound. He winced as she lightly rubbed it in.
"Don't worry about it. You love your brother, I can't be mad at you for that. Hold still, I've got to clean it. Sorry," She said as he tried to pull his hand away. She finished and wrapped the hand in gauze. She looked into his face, smiling. The grin faded away when she noticed the cut that was still bleeding above his eye.
"Whoops! Forgot about that one. Have a seat," the girl said, plopping the man down on the toilet. She grabbed the tweezers again and pulled out the last piece of the broken bottle. In total she had pulled 10 pieces out of his skin.
"You really tore yourself up good, Boromir," she said, dabbing his forehead. He smiled at her, but before she could smile back, a yawn overcame her. Jennifer held her hand up to her mouth politely as she grabbed the gauze.
"There you go. All better now," She said, taping the sterile pad to his forehead.
He smiled at her, examining the bandage in the mirror. "Where did you learn to dress wounds so well?"
"David used to get into scrapes when he was younger all the time. While she cleaned his cuts, Mom took the opportunity to show me how to properly bandage wounds." Jennifer glanced at the watch hanging from her wrist as she put away the medical tape. "Holy crap! It's already midnight. We should be getting to bed."
The girl dashed down the steps to the living room, to find Jack rubbing the floor furiously with an entire roll of paper towels. Legolas was walking back and forth over Jack's working area, picking up tiny shard of glass from the carpet that only his keen elf eyes could see. This action was annoying Jack to no end.
"Could yeh just wait till I finish, pointy? Yer annoying me," Jack said, throwing down the paper towels and standing up to face the elf. Legolas smirked and was about to say something when Jennifer cleared her throat loudly.
"Excuse me, gentlemen, but it's getting late, and I'm tired. So could you please stop bickering? It's giving me a headache," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"We were just having a discussion, is all. Are you all patched up, Boromir? Would yeh like me to kiss it an make it better?" Jack said crankily. Boromir glared, but Legolas let out a small laugh.
"Think him funny, elf?" Boromir snapped. The elf nodded, causing a low growl to escape the man's lips.
Jennifer stepped between them. "What did I just say? All of you need to cool your jets. Now, come with me and we'll get your beds ready."
The two men and the elf obliged and followed her as she climbed to stairs. The girl told Jack to go back to his room. He did, but before the door was shut tightly he blew a kiss to Boromir. The Gondorian lunged towards the door, but was stopped by Legolas grabbing his cloak and yanking him back with surprising strength.
"Will you stop it? Honestly," Jennifer scolded. Boromir apologized as she opened the door to her parents' room, which was very clean with everything in it's place. Turning to her visitors, she said, "One of you can sleep in here."
The two Middle Earth dwellers locked glances, having a silent battle with their eyes. Can you guess who won? Yeah, Legolas did. Boromir sighed and waved a hand to let Legolas pass. The elf wouldn't upset the room at all. Her parents wouldn't even realize that someone had slept in their bed.
"Righty. Goodnight, Legolas. Sleep tight," Jennifer said, walking down the hall to her brother's closed room. She grasped the doorknob and turned, but the door didn't open. She worked at this for a minute or two, with Boromir standing curiously by.
"Problem?"
She groaned dejectedly. "It's locked. I cannot believe he locked his door! Well, it's official, he don't trust me at all."
"I could probably open it, you know," Boromir said, looking at the simple locking mechanism. "Quite easily, I'm willing to bet."
Jennifer sighed, passing a hand over her eyes. "No, you can't. He'll find out, and he'll flay me alive."
Boromir looked quite horrified at the comment, until she soothed his mind. "Well, he won't actually flay me, he'll just be really mad is all."
The two stood in silence for a minute before Boromir spoke quietly. "I could always sleep with you." Jennifer's eyes grew wide as she turned to face him.
"Excuse me? Ok, one, I'm not that kind of girl, and two, even if I was, I don't think you're a pedophile."
Boromir chuckled and shook his head. "Trust me, I do not want to have sex with you, Jennifer. I'm merely suggesting that I could sleep in your room, with you." At Jennifer's dejected look at being told he didn't want to have sex with her (which he mistook for disgust at the whole idea), he added, "Or I could sleep downstairs. Either way, it would be a better bed than I've had in a very long time."
"No, no. You can sleep with me. I've got a queen, there will be plenty of room," she replied. He smiled wide.
"Thank you," he said, bowing low.
They walked to her room and she grabbed some clothes out of her drawer. "Um, could you turn around while I change?" Jennifer asked shyly. He complied and she quickly slipped out of her old clothes into her PJs.
"You can turn around now." Boromir did as the girl pulled back the covers. He took off all of his clothing except his pants and climbed into the bed. Jennifer had situated herself at the far left end, and he took the far right. There was an uncomfortable silence before Jennifer realized that the light was still on.
"Boromir? Could you get the light? Just pull the chain with the dog on the end," she said quietly. The man did and settled back down in the complete darkness.
"Goodnight, Jennifer."
"Goodnight."
*****
Ok, I'm much much happier with this ending than the one I had. I promise the next chapter will have more action. I swear. Scout's honor! Even though it's been a while since I've been a girl scout....whatever. I'm about to start writing the next chapter right now. I hope you enjoyed this changed chapter. :-D