Title: Miles to Go

By: Ring Red

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING! *sniffle*

Rating: R (for later chapters)

Feedback: THANKS AS ALWAYS for your reviews. You guys definitely keep me writing. I'm glad you like what's happening so far. I'm still working on finding the perfect length for my chapters. Hope that seems to be improving. As for the Buffy/Legolas thing? We'll just have to see. There are so many yummy possibilities there. I mean there's Legolas and Haldir and the twins and that's only the yummy Elves! What about the yummy humans? Hmm. Besides, I have Willow and Dawn to think of too. You'll just have to keep reading and see what happens.

Gandalf will keep pumping the sisters for information. He can't help himself. He knows that he doesn't NEED to know, but...who could resist?

PLEASE R&R!!! I LOVE FEEDBACK!

/ / / / / / / / / /

Chapter Six

/ / / / / / / / / /

The fellowship traveled all day and finally they reached the wall of the mountain where Gandalf remembered the door to Moria being located. It was blocked by a body of water. The water was murky and they could not tell its depth so they worked around the edge of it to reach the other side. Then Gandalf found the entrance located between two beautiful trees. Unfortunately even when he found it, he did not have the password to enter. The fellowship settled down to wait until he remembered it.

The sisters sighed and looked at each other. They, of course, knew the password. Still, there was that pesky no-interfering thing. They held their silence.

Something caught Buffy's attention from the corner of her eye. She looked over and saw Boromir pick up a rock. She dove over and knocked it from his hand back to the ground. Then she glared at him before turning to glare at the other companions. "Anyone throws anything in that water and I will cut off your hands."

Dawn smirked. "What about 'no interfering'?"

Buffy shrugged as she walked back over to join her sisters. "I always thought that was the stupidest part of the books and movies. I mean, it's like 'Oh, here's some big deep murky water. Let's throw some rocks into it and see what happens.' I hate that."

Willow snickered. "Sounds like something we would've done a few years ago."

"Don't remind me." Buffy muttered.

Finally, frustrated beyond belief with his lack of progress, Gandalf stormed over to join them. "What is it?" They looked up at him innocently. He did not back down. "I know I'll find it eventually, but I am quickly losing patience. What is it?"

The sisters looked at each other and considered. Then they shrugged. Willow looked up at Gandalf. "It's 'Mellon'. The riddle's pretty simple. Speak friend and enter. You just...speak the word 'friend'."

Gandalf was at a loss for words. His eyes snapped fire and he opened his mouth, but then thought better of it. Gritting his teeth he walked back off to the doorway.

Willow winced. "He is not a happy camper." She met Buffy's eyes. "Think we're making this too hard for him?"

Buffy shrugged. "We're following what we know, Wills. We can't stop trusting ourselves now."

Dawn nodded. "Buffy's right. They have to do this on their own. We'll help when we can, but we can't just give them all the answers. They have to earn them."

Buffy looked thoughtful. "He's gonna be really pissed about the Balrog though, isn't he?"

Willow nodded.

Dawn shrugged. "He'll have a few months to cool off before we see him again. Besides, white is better than gray."

Buffy and Willow agreed.

Gandalf held up his staff and spoke 'Mellon!' loudly at the doorway. The doorway glowed again brightly for a moment and then separated into two doors which both swung slowly open. Gandalf nodded satisfied. He turned to face the rest of the fellowship. "Come along then. We have no time to waste."

The members of the fellowship climbed to their feet and followed after the wizard. Well, all the members except the sisters. The sisters waited and watched. Just as Frodo reached the doorway a long snake-like tentacle slithered out of the water and wrapped itself around his leg. It yanked and tried to pull him backward into the dark murky depths. Frodo gave a cry of fright and fought the tentacle's pull.

The sisters snapped into action. Buffy pulled out her short sword and dove toward the terrified hobbit. Apparently Sam had heard his master's cry as well because he joined Buffy in hacking at the attacking arm. Dawn and Willow both ran forward armed with crossbows. They aimed and fired carefully at the tentacle where it was further out in the water. A squeal sounded and the tentacle jerked but refused to let go of its captive. Finally either Buffy or Sam, it was impossible to tell which, cut completely through and Frodo was free. Buffy grabbed the ringbearer and passed him off to a concerned Aragorn who was standing in the doorway waiting to give aide. She met the future king's eyes only briefly before looking back out over the dark water.

"Go!" Buffy ordered. "That's not that thing's only arm! We have to get inside!"

As if to prove the truth of her words the surface of the water began to ripple as if a host of snakes were coming up to meet them. Aragorn held his hobbit charge and ran inside with Sam right behind. Buffy motioned to Willow and Dawn and stood guard as they came over to pass her and follow the others through the doors. Then with one final look back she turned and ran in after them. Several of the arms shot out of the water to grab at the slayer's legs. She jumped to try to escape them. One latched on and she cussed as she wobbled on one foot and tried to shake her other leg loose. Buffy completely lost her balance and started to tip backward but two hands encircled her arms and then she was being pulled further inside. She looked up to meet Legolas' eyes.

The Elf just nodded before turning his head to the side. "Aragorn!"

The ranger was already on his way. Having passed Frodo off to Boromir, Aragorn drew Andúril and brought it down with a mighty blow across the tentacle attacking the slayer. Another squeal sounded from the creature in the water and the arm let go and shot back to disappear outside of the cave. Then at least a dozen more tentacles came through to replace it. Buffy, Legolas, and Aragorn moved back out of their range and watched. The arms groped and felt their way along the doorway. Then a final eerie squeal rang out and they all suddenly pulled backward collapsing the doorway behind them.

"Well, well!" The three warriors jumped and turned to see that Gandalf had come up beside them. "The passage is blocked behind us now, and there is only one way out - on the other side of the mountains."

Buffy reached down to rub her leg. It was sore from the creature's pull. She shot the wizard a dark look. "Goody, goody."

"Buffy!" Dawn cried her sister's true name as her anxiety caused her to forget the presence of their companions. She ran forward and dove at her sister. "Are you okay? Did it hurt you?"

Willow quickly followed. Muttering a spell for light under her breath, the witch knelt down and pulled up the leg of Buffy's trousers to examine the skin beneath. "It didn't break the skin, but it's going to bruise." Then she stared in amazement as the redness slowly began to fade. "Or not." She looked up at Buffy with wide eyes.

Noticing the curiosity on the faces of Legolas and Aragorn, Buffy shot Willow a meaningful look and pulled her leg away straightening her trousers. The witch nodded as she stood and ended her light spell. Darkness fell around them. Buffy used her enhanced night vision to find Dawn. "I'm fine." She looked in the wizard's direction. "We ready to roll?"

The sisters could practically feel the questions rolling off of Aragorn and Legolas but they carefully ignored them and focused on the wizard. Gandalf seemed to take their cue for he quickly gathered the rest of the fellowship together, lit up the end of his staff as a beacon, and began to lead them all up the first huge stairway into Moria.

/ / / / / / / / / /

The fellowship finally reached the top of the first stairway. It leveled out into an arched passage leading off into the dark. Frodo, still shaken up about his earlier brush with the creature, asked that they stop and rest and have something to eat. Gandalf agreed and the companions settled down and pulled some food and water out of their packs.

Willow spoke softly to her sisters before moving away to sit down beside Frodo and Sam. Her heart still ached for the little ringbearer and she wanted to see if she could cheer him up a bit.

Buffy and Dawn grinned and shook their heads. Willow would be Willow. Then they noticed that Aragorn and Legolas were walking their way. Buffy's expression grew guarded as she watched the ranger and the Elf take seats across from them. Dawn gazed up at Aragorn adoringly. Buffy nudged her sister and faked a cough saying "Arwen." Dawn shot her a scathing glare. The ranger and the Elf pretended not to notice. Buffy and Dawn began to nibble at their food.

"Lady Arato?" Aragorn finally broke the silence between them.

Buffy frowned at the title. "Just call me Slayer. Gandalf's the one that came up with that Arato crap. I'm just the Slayer."

"Arato means champion in Quenya," Legolas told her softly.

Buffy shrugged unconcerned. "I figured it was something like that. He couldn't exactly find my real name in one of his pretty languages so he just picked one. The wizard can call me whatever he wants." She met the Elf's clear blue gaze. "I'm the Slayer."

Aragorn looked to Dawn. "And you, Lady Aara?"

"I'm Dawn," she told him with a smile. "I've always been Dawn."

Grinning despite herself, Buffy reached over and ruffled her little sister's hair. Dawn swatted her hand away but laughed softly. "This is my little Dawnie." Buffy smiled.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "I'm almost a foot taller than you are, Bu...Slayer."

Aragorn and Legolas watched the sisters' play with interest. Aragorn spoke. "Little Dawnie? Is Aara younger than you then, Slayer?"

Buffy nodded. "Yep. Five years." Aragorn's eyes widened in shock. Legolas seemed less surprised. Buffy met the Prince's gaze defiantly. "You knew?"

The Elf's face was carefully neutral. "I know that Aara appeared years younger than both you and Tasere when you first arrived in our forest. I know that she has aged since but you have not and that she now appears to have ceased aging as well."

If she hadn't been so irritated with her Elven nemesis, Buffy might have found Aragorn's shock at these revelations amusing. As it was she glared hard at the Prince. "Been spying on us, have you?"

Legolas lifted a brow. "It is the duty of my people to patrol the forests of Mirkwood. I have found myself in the area of your cottage from time to time." At the mention of his people, a sneer curved Buffy's lips. She still hadn't forgotten the shock and pain of looking down at an arrow embedded in her side thanks to his people. Legolas must have read her expression correctly because he sighed and his eyes softened with regret. "It was an accident and Aerandir was punished harshly for his error."

Buffy snorted. "That just means so much. It would have meant even more if I had been some innocent he killed with his little accident."

Aragorn had no idea what accident they spoke of, but he did read the tension in the air and sought to relieve it by drawing her attention back to himself. "Are you of the race of men, Slayer? For I see not how you can stop the process of age in such a way. My kin age slower than most, but even we cannot completely halt its progress."

Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but then shrugged and looked to Dawn. Dawn shrugged back and answered. "We were humans, mortals, or of the race of men as you say, in our world. Then we died and ended up here. We don't know what we are anymore." That certainly didn't relieve any of the tension.

"They are true, then?" Legolas questioned softly. He looked for answers in the slayer's eyes. "Your stories are true?"

Buffy smirked. "We haven't even begun telling you all our stories, but yes they're true. They happened." She looked over to her redheaded sister. Willow was making some funny face while telling some joke or another and making Frodo laugh. Willow had been there through all the stories, all the memories. Buffy, Willow, and Xander...the original Scoobies. Buffy smiled sadly. "We lived them." The four fell into silence as the ranger and the Elf digested this news. They quickly finished their small meal.

Far too soon, Gandalf was rising and telling them it was time to continue. Buffy picked up her pack and climbed to her feet. She pulled Dawn up beside her. Then Gandalf lit back up his staff and started to lead them on. Gimli walked a little behind the wizard with eager eyes. Moria was legend among the dwarves. It was his history and the dwarf was the only member of the fellowship happy to walk through the mines. Frodo, Sam, Willow, and Dawn fell in behind the dwarf. Buffy trailed her sisters and Legolas walked behind her. Next came Merry, Pippin, and Boromir, while Aragorn, grim and silent, walked the rear.

Half an hour later, Buffy still couldn't seem to pull herself out of her funk. She just kept thinking about Xander and Giles and everyone they left behind. Hell, she was even starting to convince herself that she missed Faith. What was next? Crying for Andrew?

"You grow weary." Legolas' voice was neutral as he spoke from behind her. "This is not surprising. Women are not meant for such long hard journeys. They have not the endurance of men. I do not doubt your sisters will show their fatigue soon as well."

Buffy froze and spun on her heel. She glared up at the Elf. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing, you pointy-eared pest. You're just trying to piss me off enough to snap me out of my depresso mood."

His expression remained as calm as always. "Is it working?"

"Yes, damn you!" She hissed. Then spinning back around she stormed off to catch up with her sisters.

"I hope you do know what you're doing with that one, Prince," Boromir spoke from behind Legolas. The Elf did not answer.

/ / / / / / / / / /

End of Chapter

/ / / / / / / / / /

Feedback? Pretty Please?

Ring Red