At lunch, Elrond filled them in on the plans for the prisoners. A great number had that morning already confessed their crimes with every sign of contrition and expressed their desire to make things right. A small number, five or so, still seemed firm in their stance against Lord Elrond and his family, although he was certain he could bring a couple of them around. For the rest, it seemed the only option was exile—a dire consequence indeed.

Dorlarth had been buried at sunrise that morning, without the benefit of the traditional laments. Many of his coworkers in the house were very quiet, silenced by this sudden grief and the shock of it all. Rivendell was very subdued that day.

As was Katie. Her companions couldn't help but notice throughout the day how she would fall into sudden abstractions, staring into space with her brow furrowed in thought. A word was enough to bring her back to the present, and her brow would clear as she answered them with a smile. But something was definitely on her mind, and it was not hard to guess what it was.

That evening before dinner, Elrond called his sons, Legolas, and Katie into his study. Glorfindel was already there, as usual. When everyone was settled and the flurry of greetings had subsided, Elrond spoke.

"Katie—Elf-Friend," he addressed their guest. Katie smiled at her new appellation. "I am sure you know already what it is I wish to discuss with you."

"Why I'm still here," Katie answered calmly. Elrond nodded. Katie took a deep breath. "Yes. I've been thinking about that, and I think I know why," she said slowly. The younger beings present looked at her in amazement. Elrond motioned for her to continue.

Katie looked down at the floor to better concentrate. "I don't think I actually saved anybody's life yet." Her friends moved to protest, but she interjected, "No, hear me out. Ilúvatar would not have brought me here if what I was supposed to accomplish was something that someone here could have done. My being brought here was a radical step, so that I could change something from what it would otherwise have been." She could tell she was losing them, so she decided to give examples. "If I hadn't been here, Legolas would still have been poisoned, and would still have been kidnapped, would still have ended up in the cells. Now, it's true that what I did helped you guys to find the cells. But it's quite possible that if I hadn't been there to help, you would either have found the trail or found the cells through some other means. The same for finding the way to the main stronghold afterwards."

"But I wouldn't have survived for them to reach me," Legolas interrupted her quietly. "You said it looked like I was sinking fast."

"That's what I thought at the time," Katie admitted. "But Dorlarth said something to me later." She looked down at her hands. "He said you would have lasted another couple of days—that it wouldn't be pleasant, but you would've lived. I don't know what he was getting at, but I have no reason to doubt him. You would have survived until they found you, and when they captured Dorlarth, they would have wrested the antidote from him and cured you. In the long run, nothing would have changed."

She continued. "If not for me, Elladan wouldn't have stayed behind, and wouldn't have fought the orcs single-handedly. He would not have been hurt." Elladan opened his mouth to protest, but Katie once again cut him off with a smile. "I'm not going on a guilt-trip, really I'm not. I'm just stating bare facts. If I had never come to Rivendell, you would have gone on to fight Dorlarth at his stronghold with the others. As it was, you killed the orcs, giving Eregdos time to stop and help you, which I'm convinced he would have done anyway, whether I was there or not. So again, I didn't change anything.

"Eregdos would have caught up with the orcs near the search party, and would have helped you take down Dorlarth's stronghold. And everything else would have played out the same. In that final showdown, someone else would have been chosen to take the ring from you to Dorlarth, and that someone else would probably have done the same thing I did. So I really haven't saved anyone's life yet. I haven't actually changed anything—except that you got stitches." She smiled a little at Elladan. "Sorry about that."

He smiled back. "Not at all."

Estel was thinking hard. "So you mean that you did not really change any of the situations that would have happened anyway, and the only problems you fixed were the ones your presence caused."

Katie nodded. "Exactly. So to get home, I have to fix a problem that would have happened anyway. It's chaos theory."

"Chaos theory?" Glorfindel interrupted.

"Every event is connected to every other event in a chaotic system. So what seems to be a big move on my part might not really have any consequence at all, but a tiny little action I perform might have a gigantic effect. My giving Legolas the antidote a little sooner had a pretty small effect, but in the next two minutes I might… oh, knock something over, so someone had to clean it up instead of going straight to dinner, and so they aren't in their seat when one of the serving staff trips with a knife and would accidentally have stabbed them!" Her listeners laughed at her flight of fancy, and she joined in, but she added, "It's completely possible. I might suddenly disappear, having completed my purpose, and none of us might ever know what it was I did." She glanced over them all, thinking. "So I want to say thank you. For everything—for taking me in and treating me so well, despite all my little quirks." She smiled. "If I disappear suddenly, I might not have the chance to say goodbye."

"You are very welcome. And thank you as well, Katie Johanson, elf-friend," Elrond said, rising from his seat. "For saving us—even if we never know how you do it."

"You're welcome," Katie said sweetly. They rose to leave the room. She turned back for a moment. "Oh, and my full name is Katelyn Elizabeth," she added, grinning. Elrond raised one eyebrow and laughed.

000

The songs were quieter in the Hall of Fire that night, but quite heartfelt. Everyone realized that disaster had been averted, and all were thankful. Elladan observed that Katie seemed quite cheerful, more cheerful than he would have expected. He knew that she was very glad to be in Rivendell, and she really hadn't been away from home long enough to be homesick yet. And she seemed supremely unconcerned. Perhaps it was the fact that there was no uncertainty in her mind now. The reason for her not having gone home yet had become quite clear to her, and she seemed to have faith that she would, eventually, return whence she came. He watched her now, her head thrown back, laughing at some little jibe Legolas had tossed at her. Estel egged Katie on to retort, which she did with some relish.

There was a lull in the music and a swell in conversation as Elladan approached them.

"So there!" Katie was concluding triumphantly. Elladan decided he probably didn't want to know what she'd been saying to the two of them. Legolas and Estel were laughing. "Well?" she asked Legolas, waiting for his retort.

Legolas got a wicked grin on his face. "Lord Elrond," he said, raising his voice. "Katie has a song she would like to sing for us."

"WHAT! What are you doing?" Katie protested in a furious whisper, tugging on his arm.

Elrond smiled, guessing what was going on. "Is she any good?"

Estel gaped at his father, then laughed. Legolas shrugged noncommittally. "Her voice is passable, I suppose," he answered nonchalantly, earning himself a smack from the party in question. Her cheeks were bright pink, but she was smiling.

"I hope you didn't buy him a gift for his next birthday," she said to Estel, indicating his friend.

"Why not?"

"Because he may not reach it," she growled good-naturedly.

"Come, sing that song you sang us before—your grandmother's song," Elladan urged her.

"Yes, do!" Elrohir chimed in.

"Oh, alright!" Katie threw her hands up in the air.

She began immediately, to get it over with faster. The Hall quickly fell quiet to hear her. She started out a little shakily, but her voice grew stronger as she went, and when she finished, everyone applauded, quite pleased with her performance.

As she took her seat, she said in an undertone to Legolas, "Oh, when I get my hands on you…! You'd better sleep with one eye open tonight, Blondie."

He surprised her by casually throwing one arm around her shoulders. "You are supposed to save my life, mellon-nîn, not plot my demise!" he remonstrated with feigned shock.

She leaned back easily into his arm. "Don't give me a reason, then!" she smiled back.

000

Before breakfast the next morning, Estel happened to meet his brothers and Legolas in the hall, moving toward the outside door.

"Where are you headed?" he asked them.

"Down to the river," Elrohir answered. "Care to join us?"

Estel almost said yes, then paused. "No, I think I will stay here. Have a good time!"

As soon as the other three had shut the door behind them, Legolas turned to the twins. "You know he is planning to startle us."

"Shall we turn the tables on him, then?" Elladan suggested slyly. They moved off toward the river.

Estel stood in thought for a moment, then turned down the next passage and knocked on Katie's door. When she opened it, he asked, "Would you like to join me on a little expedition?"

000

"Where are we going?" Katie quietly asked Estel as he stealthily led her down a path toward the river.

"To the riverbank," he answered, peering around them furtively. "Legolas said he and the twins were going down there. I want to scare them."

Katie laughed delightedly. "Just like you jumped out at the twins the day you came back? Do you make a habit of this?"

"Oh, yes," Estel answered blithely. "But it's only in the last couple of years I have actually managed to scare them." They had come to the edge of the river now. On one side were the trees, and on the other, an almost sheer and very far drop to the rushing water below. "I thought since you enjoyed teasing Legolas so much, you might like to come along. None of the elves ever will."

Katie laughed again, but Estel shushed her with another smile, dropping his voice. "We'll never startle them if they hear you coming!"

But the elves had the jump on them—literally. At that instant, all three dropped out of the branches where they had perched concealed, right in front of the two startled humans.

It would have been enough to make anyone start, and both Katie and Estel did so. But Estel was too close to the edge of the river, and the rocks beneath his feet were slippery. He was thrown off balance and began to teeter at the edge, the terrifying drop to the swirling water below him.

Without thinking, Katie grabbed the front of his tunic and hauled on him, just enough to pull his weight forward, away from the edge. Estel caught his balance again and quickly moved away from the deadly rocks.

The entire episode had only taken one terrifying moment, and all five beings were silent afterwards, looking at one another with white faces. Estel turned wondering eyes on his young friend.

"Katie," he said slowly, "you just saved my life."

Katie stared at him, and her eyes flicked over the three elves, as well. Then an amazing thing happened. A huge smile lit her face, and she threw back her head and laughed.

There was a sound like the tolling of a merry bell and, laughing, she disappeared.

The End

AN: …but not really.

I figured out the basic outline for the sequel, which I will be beginning soon. I think it will be called, "That is the Question", but I'm not sure yet. Everyone thank my roommate Megan for forcing me to finish this chapter before I started on the next! It's a bad habit of mine.

Summer vacation is coming up, and I plan to work quite a bit on my fics. I'm going to alternate: One chapter of lotr, one chapter of something else. Hopefully I'll actually finish some of my other fics!

This is the first fic I've ever actually finished. lol I'm very proud of myself! And I started it over winter break, so it's only been a little over three months! Go me!

Hugs from the elves/ranger go to KellseyKisaragi and Ravens Destiny for recognizing the allusion to the temptation of Eve, and Darkened Dreams for recognizing the Elvish from Two Towers!

I know the end of this chapter will seem kind of abrupt, but she entered abruptly, and I see no reason why she shouldn't depart the same!. :)

EresseElrondiel: Thanks! I will continue to torture! lol BTW, the SPPS is going to be VERY busy at Destiny : Oh, I hope you recover from the flu! What play were you in? I agree about hurting guys. :) Yep, a beta would be a good idea, but I guess I just don't want to share the excitement of writing it! Silly, I know. I'm also too lazy to read over it myself. :) I'll have to start doing that. Just point Drake to the Silmarillion—plenty of evil and deceived elves in there, I'm tellin' ya! I'm impressed that you knew Glawar was going for help! I hoped people would understand that line. Yes, hitting Elladan is so much fun! Plus, it's a good cardiovascular workout… JK!

Darkened Dreams: You're right, I could definitely have made this fic longer. That's one of my shortcomings in writing: all my stuff is too short! I made an effort on this fic to make all my chapters more than three pages long, so I'm definitely improving! But I was very surprised to realize Katie was only in Middle Earth for about ten days. You'll have to wait for one of the sequels to have more villainous elves!

zafr0: Thanks! Yes, I hope to get working again on my Giver fic. The problem is, while I know how it's going to end, I'm not exactly sure how to get to the end! But I'll be thinking hard!

Big thanks also to fk306, Madd Hatter, theycallmemary, jambaby 1963, Aranel-DiSonne, werewolflemming and AlabrithGaiamoon, as well as everyone else that has reviewed or read this! Replies to reviews for this chapter will be at the bottom of the first chapter of the sequel! Hope to see you all there! —waves, blows a kiss— Luv ya all!

TBC!