-Note- I will gone August 5-14. Last chapter, I said it was 5-13, but I was wrong. : P I feel rather dim witted...but the 12 hour drive each way should give me time to write a new chapter or two. Who knows, I might even write myself ahead of posting...

-Disclaimer- I don't own this.

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A Walk

They left the shelter of the doorway, stepped into the gloomy drizzle, crossed the street. The sand was wet and heavy, but no footprints marked their passing.

As Glorfindel placed himself, protectively and by reflex, between the water and the sons of Elrond, Elrohir fished briefly in the pocket of his jacket, produced a knit cap, varying shades of gray. He put it on, tucking the tips of his ears under, met Glorfindel's stare.

"What?"

"Hiding your ears?"

"I know you do, as well. You've kept your hair long for it. I'm growing mine out still. I cut it short last year." He lifted a lock of chin-length, raven hair. "Elladan thought I was mad."

"You are."

"Not so. I'd had long hair for Ages, brother."

"So have I."

"But you never tire of it. Your hair is down past your shoulders, and when there's wind, or many people, you put your cap on just as I have now."

Elladan exhaled loudly and gracelessly. The wind and waves muffled it almost beyond Glorfindel's hearing.

He turned to Glorfindel. "See what I have to deal with?" he asked.

Glorfindel grinned. "I do, and you have my deepest sympathies. I, however, deal with you both."

"Touché."

"You really have taken on their mortal sayings, haven't you?" he mused aloud.

"Never let it be said that we have not traveled outside of our homes, my friend," said Elrohir, smiling.

"I see. I have a company to take care of, therefore I cannot know of things outside of my back yard."

"First of all, you have no back yard," Elrohir corrected.

"And secondly," added Elladan, "well..." He frowned.

"Apparently there is no 'secondly'!" Glorfindel laughed.

"Not yet."

"Well, I've been rather occupied. Being a businessman-"

"Businesself."

Glorfindel groaned. "Elrohir! I have been working while you have been playing. And romancing mortal women." The last bit, smugly.

"Oh, let it rest!" he moaned. "It was twenty years ago! And I'm Elrohir Peredhil, remember? Half-elven? I am licensed to be attracted to members of both races, thank you. We know it didn't stop my sister..."

Ah. Awkward silence. Still a sore topic, Glorfindel knew. They're beloved sister, the closest thing to a daughter he had known, had died millennia past. Alone, under the winter trees of her Grandmother's wood. the land had changed since; the forest had burnt, the earth had been built upon. Was it not the same for every other sacred place?

Glorfindel stopped, took off his old shoes, unrolled his socks from his feet, gathered them into one hand. He wandered into water until, when a wave passed, it soaked his trousers to the ankle. The water was cooling after a long summer, is was chill about his bare feet.

"Let it be," he said. Elladan put an arm around his brother, mindful to keep out of reach of water.

Another pause, less tense.

"We'll not speak of it now. It was done years ago," Glorfindel said softly.

"Aye. It's been rehashed enough, we all know," sighed Elladan.

Good.

A change of subject, now. "How long will you be here?" asked Glorfindel.

"We have a hotel room for tonight, then we're on the streets."

"My home is always open to you both."

"We know. We're not sure yet, though. It's time for us to start doing something productive." Elladan grinned. "It's been a while since I've actually had to work."

"Let's hope you've improved, then, brother," said Elrohir, dodging a good- humored punch.

"Have you plans for dinner?" Glorfindel asked tentatively.

Elladan and Elrohir froze, disguised twin looks of suspicion. Or horror?

"No..."

"We thought we'd...

"Explore on our own..."

"Or something..."

"We'll find our way..."

A pause. Oh, he had them in a rough spot. He suppressed a laugh, that, had he allowed it, would have had the twins accusing him of temporary insanity.

"Ah? What happened to this 'change' you spoke of over the telephone? Has the last century done nothing to the city?" Glorfindel waved an arm behind him. Shops and restaraunts marked the shorefront, and beyond, glass and steel towers rose, reflecting a dismal sky.

Elrohir swallowed hard. "We...we..."

It was entertaining, to say the least, to watch the sons of Elrond, handsome, poised, trained for public speaking, and at a loss for words.

"We can manage," Elladan finished quickly.

"Ah." Glorfindel nodded. "I must insist. You have so graciously employed me as your guide. I must repay you. I shall serve dinner tonight."

He paused. "If you prepare is. I know how bad my own cooking is, thank you. No need to pretend."

Sighs of relief.

"Fine. We'll do it."

"Glorfindel, you can kill a rabbit hiding in the brush from a hundred yards away, skin it, skewer it, roast it over a campfire, but you have absolutely no skill in modern cooking," said Elrohir, smiling.

Glorfindel shifted his shoes from one hand to the other, put his free arm about the shoulders of the twins- his family-, pulled them into the water.

"Glorfindel! Our shoes!" Elladan shouted, dangerously close to shrieking.

He laughed, knee-deep now, his toes happily numb. "Nothing that won't dry in time, little one!"

They were Elves, and they had all the time in the world.

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I'll be back on the 14th. Thanks for reading!

Erestor: You're review made me laugh out loud. Have you ever done Mad Libs? They're good for thinking of strange and random words...a favorite in my family. I'm glad you like the characters- I've tried to make them a bit more modern than Tolkien's Elves. Even an elf can't help but adapt a bit after several thousand years...I hope...and yes! Something really must be done about the quality of today's clothes! : P

Neionean: I hope you enjoyed your vacation! I've been working on answering some of your questions in this chapter, but I won't name the city Glorfindel lives in, nor will I name the forests of Celeborn and Thranduil, nor will the ocean for Valinor be named. I have geographic areas I'm modeling the forests after, but I don't want to box them in or anything. Some parts are better off left to the imagination. I'm glad you agree. I haven't answered the "glow" question, but I will soon. Honestly! : D

Noldo: Ooooh...a new name! I like it! As for a happy ending...I'm working on it. There are a few options out there that I'm thinking of right now. One of them is Glorfindel getting a new, lifetime warrantee cloak. : P Alyaran is a Golden Retriever. What else, for Glofindel?! I didn't want to commit Asfaloth sacrilege, but it was tempting to make him white and name him Asfaloth. flinches I'm rather glad I didn't. FAter the twins leave, Glorfindel's life will go back to normal and we'll meet more humans. Thank you for the compliments! Praise from the praiseworthy, indeed.

Aerlalaith: Yes, I agree. It's for the better. I don't want to have one half of the infamous twins die on me! shudder I'd be in deep trouble, I think, with all of the twin fans out there. I wouldn't want to separate them anyway- Tolkien didn't really give us many details, but going off my own sibling relationships and the pairs of twins I know, it would be very difficult for both. I want to be realistic, so I kept them together as Elves. And there is the fact that I'd be strangled in my sleep by a twin fan if I killed one or both...