Disclaimer: Same old, same old....

Some validation to those who may have had some protests up until now... wink, wink, nudge, nudge!

A big thanks for all the reviews! Barbara-marie: I know, I know....

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Alina woke in the middle of the night, alone in a dark and unfamiliar room. She tried to move her head to the side, and cried out as pain stabbed through it, halting any further movement. She was now fully aware of the stiffness that had overtaken her body, followed closely by aching throughout. What happened? She forced her mind to recall the last images: the orc that managed to strike her, making her black out; Eowyn...

"Theoden, king!" she cried, for there was no doubt that he had not survived the attack by the Nazgul, even if the thing hadn't eaten him. She sobbed in the darkness, unsure of who had survived, if her weakness had caused the loss of her dear friend. Her tears were halted by the sound of movement in the hallway outside of the room.

Alina froze, listening to the footsteps as they came closer. Her heart raced – could it be? The sounds stopped outside of her door. The knob turned slowly, quietly. The hinges barely squeaked as the door slid open, and he came into her chambers. Her breath caught. He walked softly to her bedside, looking down at her for a long time. She stared back at him, her blood pulsing through her. She could barely make out his features in the darkness, only his long blonde hair.

He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning forward, his breath trembling as he brushed the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. His lips were soft on hers as his kissed her with wonderful tenderness. She let her hands wander over his shoulders, sliding them around his neck, one going into his hair as their kiss deepened, causing him to groan softly. Never before had she felt so alive, her every nerve tingling with sensation. He pulled away, his face shrouded in the dark of night. "Alina.." he sighed, leaning down to once more take her mouth with his. This wasn't a dream. All of the feelings she had kept hidden deep within her pushed their way to the surface, and she surrendered, losing herself to him.

A whimper of dismay left her mouth as he pulled away again, and he chuckled, a low, throaty sound that sent shivers through her, and she lowered her arms beside her again.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, a smile still on his lips.

"After that, like I could take on an entire army of orcs." She admitted, her checks flushed with pleasure and her eyes adjusting to the moonlight that now shone into the room, exposing his rugged features to her hungry gaze.

"Really?!" His eyes lit up at her admission, wondering what she would feel capable of if he were to continue, he stroked her hair tenderly. "Trully, I wasn't sure how you would react to me coming here like this." His hand moved down, caressing her ear and neck, and she sighed, her body reminding her that it wasn't too injured to enjoy the sensation. She shifted, trying to control the urges that were now washing over her even as his hand continued, caressing her collarbone with a feather-light touch.

"Eomer..." his name was a gasp as his fingers trailed slightly lower, and the excitement that the sound caused in him was nearly unbearable. He fought within himself, wanting her, but not sure if she wanted him the same way. 'Wait.' He demanded of himself, 'Wait until her injuries heal more, give her time to get over the trauma of the battle.'

All of his thoughts were scattered, though, as she reached up and pulled his mouth to hers again, her tongue probing his mouth hungrily. Here was the answer to his first dilemma. He moved, shifting so that he was now lounging beside her, and to his surprise, she followed his movement, keeping their mouths locked, so that she was on her right side, facing him. Her free hand roamed gingerly over his shoulder and down his bicep, coming to rest with her fingers splayed out across the linen shirt that covered his muscular chest.

She pushed at him gently, and he obliged, laying back on the bed. He wanted to wrap his arms around her and roll her onto her back... His breathing quickened as she broke their kiss, moving her mouth instead to his chin and then to the vein on his neck that was throbbing with his heartbeat. His fingers went to the satin tie that gathered her nightdress' collar, loosening it just enough to expose her right shoulder. He let his hand trail to her slender waist as he turned his head and flicked his tongue out, tasting her skin. She sucked in a sharp breath as she pulled her head up and away from his jaw, searching his face.

Grinning, he pulled her on top of him, the hem of her nightdress rising to her knees as her legs straddled him. He wrapped an arm around her, holding her to him as he cupped her chin with his other hand, watching her face as she felt him pressing against her through their clothing. Surprise and then desire crossed her features, and he pulled her down fully against him, her breasts pressed firmly against him through the cotton shift, and he took her mouth again.

A soft knock on the door brought Alina out of the wonderful dream that she was having, and she opened her eyes, willing herself into the waking world, as her mind went back through the events of the previous night. A familiar face peered around the door, and Eowyn stepped into the room, pausing with a look of confusion on her face as she noticed the unusual disarray of Alina's bedcovers. A ray of realization struck Eowyn, and she couldn't suppress a teasing smile as she moved further into the room.

"I had a nightmare." Alina said defensively as Eowyn sat in a chair next to the bed, giggling.

"Do you honestly think I'd fall for that?" Eowyn laughed, giving her a knowing look. "Who was it?"

Alina blushed furiously, "'Wyn...it's not quite what you think."

"Not QUITE? What does that mean? Something had to have happened – I can tell just by looking at you." Eowyn's confusion was back, still tempered with amusement.

"'Wyn, please..." Alina was looking around uncomfortably, avoiding her friend's gaze.

"'Leena!" Eowyn laughed out loud.

Legolas and Eomer were standing in the great hall of Minas Tirith, listening to Aragorn and Gandalf discuss what the situation was. Legolas flicked a glance to the man from Rohan, noting that something was different in his demeanor. The younger man had arrived late to their meeting, slightly disheveled as though he had just woken up. There was no tension towards himself now as there had been recently, Legolas noted. 'Perhaps it is the grief at losing his uncle, or the realization that he will now be king of Rohan that caused this.' The elf thought.

But then, he remembered the whispered rumors that he had heard this morning. Some of the maids had been gossiping quietly in a corner of the hall earlier when Legolas had come in, much too early as usual for the gathering. They lowered their voices to whispers, but Legolas' elf ears could still hear them clearly as they giggled about a report that Eomer had been seen leaving Alina's chambers in the middle of the night. He had turned aside then, assuming that the horse lord had been seeing to Alina's welfare as he had done before. But now... He sent a scrutinizing look toward the man again before returning his attention to Aragorn and Gandalf.

Alina was now sitting on the bed, trying to get dressed in her new tunic and leggings with one arm, Eowyn refusing to help her until she answered her questions.

"Eowyn, it's nearly impossible for me to dress with one arm in a splint! Help me!" Alina pouted, becoming frustrated.

"If I do help you, will you promise to tell me everything I want to know?" Eowyn asked innocently.

"You're a child!" Alina huffed, managing to get one side of her leggings up. She couldn't hide the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth, though. "Fine! I promise, I'll answer your questions. Just help me!"

Eowyn clapped her hands in delight, coming over to Alina and helping her finish dressing. Turning towards her friend, Eowyn's hands went to her hips as she demanded, "Now, tell me..."

She was cut off by a knock at the door, and smiled inwardly as the guest entered the room. 'This should give me at least one answer!' she thought, turning back to Alina to watch her reactions carefully. 'She knows I'll be looking for answers, she'll try to hide her emotions, but I can see through that!'

One swift look at Alina gave her the answer to her first question. It definitely had not been Legolas. Alina's cheeks had paled, though she did a fairly good job of hiding the unease in her eyes as the elf entered the room.

"My Lord," Alina said quietly. 'Yes, something did happen,' Eowyn surmised, beginning to fit the pieces of the puzzle together.

"I am just checking to see how you are feeling." Legolas said, his expression changing as he sensed her unease. "You seem to be doing well. How is your arm?"

'He's trying to make small talk – he's figured it out...' Eowyn thought to herself, pretending to be uninterested in the exchange between the two.

"It's feeling better, thank you." Alina said, her heart sunk at the thought of having hurt him. She met his gaze, steeling herself for what she may find there. His was a questioning look, asking for confirmation or denial of that which he would not ask outright. There was a muted pain hidden behind his eyes, he knew the truth, but needed her to solidify it.

Alina averted her eyes from him, her head nodding slightly in apology. She hadn't meant to do this, to cause any pain to anyone, but she could no longer deny her true feelings, especially after last night. She loved Eomer, she always had, but had been too afraid to be herself. She had felt the attraction to Legolas, it was true, but it paled in comparison to that which had been hidden deep within her soul.

Legolas took a deep breath before moving forward to inspect her arm and the bruises on her face. Before turning away to leave, he looked deeply into her eyes and smiled gently. She was shocked at this, and he placed a hand under he chin as he had done so once before, and kissed her forehead before walking out of the room.

Eowyn turned to Alina, every answer that she truly needed had been revealed. She hugged her friend tightly, expecting tears. Instead, Alina hugged her back, and smiled softly.

"So, are you going to tell me now?" Eowyn joked as she released her friend from the embrace.

"You already know." Alina said, "But it still isn't quite what you think."

"You mean, you didn't..."

"'Wyn, just leave it at that."

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One more to go! R& R!