A/N: Trying to pull a chapter out of my sleeve, since writer's block is eating me up again. I've got two more fics under my sleeve, and this is my third. Woah… If I could only learn how to juggle…

Cleff & Ash: Don't even count on it.

Chapter 2: Misty Mornings

He stood there, his mind blurry and unread. On top of a ruinous structure, in the middle of a battlefield, he waited. His eyes were misty, his heart was clouded with fear, greed, and the evil will of Sauron. He stood on a ledge, as a battle ensued beneath him. But he hears nothing, and sees nothing. His eyes were focused on a precious object throbbing in his hand… its will breaking into his innocent mind.

The Ring.

Suddenly, the sound of thrashing wings and grinding stone overcame his ears. The Ring began to throb uneasily inside his palm as he touched it delicately with his fingers… the temptation to put it on and consume him cannot be undone… He dares not to look up, even if fright was already there to consume him. A part of him wants to run, but another wants to turn himself in to the liege of Mordor.

Suddenly, a shadow loomed over Frodo.

Fear has overtaken his soul, as he dares to look up… coming face to face with a hideous scaly creature, with an armed rider completely adorned in threatening black… a Black Rider!!! In complete fear, Frodo tries to slip on the ring, his conscience debating with himself, his face twisted in pain and anger. He must disappear. And turn himself in.

The voices in his head began to roar, as he felt the cold insides of the ring touch his finger… he was about to give into malice… when a cold, gauntleted hand pulled him back. He looked up in fear and shock, when another threatening Ringwraith stood behind him, a firm grip on his hand holding the Ring. The Wraith sitting on the scaly creature laughed hard, in complete victory, as the hobbit felt himself shrink.

"Well done, old friend," a familiar screeching voice came from the Wraith sitting on the creature. "Well done."

Frodo felt anguish and shock rise inside him, as the Ringwraith held him, pull its hood down and reveal the truth he so feared to happen. Inside the Wraith's hood was a pale face, twisted with anger and revenge, no longer the face that gave him hope and freedom. Just as Frodo Baggins feared it the most, Cleff has became a wraith, according to her traitorous friend's will.

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!

***

Cold water trickled down his face, as Frodo Baggins awakes. It seems to him, that Sam and Shea who were standing guard beside him as he slept, has broken into a fit, and were splashing water all over him. Well, things weren't that exaggerated, and the cold water only came from the cold compress Shea was applying over his face. In wonder, as he opened his eyes, he looked at the girl and said, "Wha- what happened?"

Sam and Shea could only exchange glances. "You seem to be having a fever, Mr. Frodo," Sam spoke out bashly, putting a hand on his master's shoulder. "You were thrashing and squirming in your sleep."

"And your temperature is rising," Shea added, still dabbing a wet cloth all over Frodo's face. The girl's face has gotten a bit of a tan after walking wordlessly in the sun, around the bleak hills near Mordor. The trio was having a hard time, since Sam and Shea would suddenly bicker at each other moment after moment. This gave Frodo a headache that would hopelessly trigger into a slight fever. But his dream wasn't a product of hallucination. It came to him more like a warning.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Frodo?" Sam must have been reading Frodo's mind.

Frodo plainly shook his head and kept the dream to himself. He didn't want anyone else involved with his fears.

***

Day 51

On the road with what's left with the Fellowship. Gimli and Legolas fought on who's going to stay awake and be on guard, but both knocked each other asleep anyway. Since elves have a weird way of sleeping with eyes open, Zephyr made squiggly markings with tree sap on the elf's face. This served her a good bow spanking when Legolas had awaken. As for me… I'd stay awake. For I can't sleep, thinking.

Cleff snorted and tore the top off the back page of the Book of The One Ring, which served as her temporary diary. It was already morning, as she sits on a boulder overlooking the fields. Black circles were around her eyes as she seemed to be deep in thought all night. Annoyed, she crumpled the piece of paper in her hand and threw it around in a cluster of crumpled parchments around a tree. "Why on Middle Earth there is no garbage disposal?" Cleff growled. "I can't practice my basketball skills…"

She glared at the rising sun miserably. Something tells me I have made the wrong decision. Maybe I should have gone to Mordor, Cleff thought. But she knew, the story would never unfold, if Frodo had too many companions in Mordor. After all, them hobbits were too easily slipped into the dark land because of their speed and size, with them children growing up and showing much dominance and image, it would be harder for them not to be unnoticed and slip past clusters of orc armies in Mordor. At one point, Shea would be in big trouble, the Cliffhanger noted to herself.

Cleff slapped her forehead in misery. I shouldn't have let her go then… I should have been there! The girl felt like strangling herself, flinging the book angrily down the ground, about to throw a fit… when a sudden rustle in the bushes stopped Cleff in her tracks.

Two small beady violet eyes peered from the bush, as Cleff crossed her arms and glared at it. "Zephyr, stop spying on me and get out of those leaf tangles." Zephyr emerged from the bushes, scratching herself slightly, muttering "Been wonderin' if you're losing your mind. You must be reading something insane from that book. What have you been reading? Saruman's love letters to Sauron?"

Cleff couldn't say anything. Halfway flabber-gasted, the two girls greeted each other with a hearty laugh, as in a joking mood, they tried to strangle each other. However, Zephyr's scratching sickness was transferred over Cleff, and they were both scratching their arms like crazy. "Is this some sort of poison ivy, or something?" Cleff growled irratatedly. "I dunno, all I know its contagious!!!" Zephyr groaned.

They were halfway tearing their skins apart, when a splitting roar tore in the air. "Zephyyyyyyyr!!!" Legolas cried out angrily, after feeling the sap marks on his face.

"You made Legolas start a new fashion statement." Cleff mustered nervously. "All I know is that fashion statement is going to be the death of me and this irritation, we have no choice but to run!!!" Both girls were pursued by an angry elf, right into the fields, with a groggy Aragorn and Gimli lagging behind.

And that is how the chase to Rohan started.