Title: The Road is Destiny
Author: Firefly Lantern
Rating: PG-13 for language and violence

Author Note: [kind of mean, but I'm making a point here] Okay, here it is. I openly admit
I have written a Mary Sue type story ::gasp!::. And you know what? I don't care what any
"Tolkien Purists" have to say about it. Whine all you would like, but please, if you are going to
tell me this story isn't HARDCORE Tolkien or whatever belittling tidbits you'd like to throw my
way, please email me instead of taking up space on the review board. Thankies. ^.^. This story
is for FUN. I am not trying to create a masterpiece in the style of Tolkien, I prefer creativity
and originality to redundancy. Okies? An open mind is a wonderful thing!
Have fun on the journey. Hang in with me here!

Disclaimer: JRR owns the LOTR characters. Any other modern things mentioned here
belong to the makers, etc.

Oh, and P.S. Sorry Gimli sounds like a Highlander!

_The Road is Destiny_

Julie leaned against a tree trunk and breathed in little huffs of air. Dang, this was
scary and not fun. She sunk to the ground and huddled in the shadows. Her broom was poised
and ready to beat the stuffing out of anything that would even try to come near.
Erratically, her heart pounded. Adrenaline pumped through her veins, making her head ache
with giddines. This was a nightmare, only everything was real.... She fought the urge to
break down into tears. The shock of the situation was too much for her mind to process.
How could she go home? How did she get here? She tried to think, but a bleak fatigue
settled over her.

A breeze pulled through the forest, making the leaves of the trees and bushes quiver.
Faint melodious strains whispered as if carried on the wind. Julie blinked and held her
breath to hear more clearly. Her heart thudded like a warhammer in her ears. Tears squeezed
from the corners of her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Please, don't be frightened." A comforting hand came out of thin air to touch her shoulder.
She screamed, jumped to her feet, and tripped over the broom once more. She fell face first
into a bush, scratching her plams and her face. The small branches felt
like hot razorblades. She grit her teeth in annoyance. Damn foilage.

"Allow me to help." Two strong hands held her about the waist and pulled her to her feet.
"Are you hurt?" A soothing voice questioned. The darkness concealed his figure though he
stood near. "I have no intention to either rob or hurt you. My name is Legolas Greenleaf
of Mirkwood..." Silence hung in the air for a moment. "My party's campfire provides warmth
and we offer your protection."

"Thank you... Now leave. I don't trust you."

"You have my word, the oath of an prince. You *will* be safe, I swear it on my bow.
You may carry it until we reach camp. It is my gesture of friendship." He opted to not
mention the twin daggers sheathed at his sides.

"Yes, but your men at camp have swords."

"They also mean you no harm. What choice do you have?" He intended his words to infer
a slight threat. It was for her own
wellbeing that she come with him.

"Um...fine. And as a gesture of my friendship..." She took the tiger's eye braclet--the
one she'd bought at a craftstore for 2dollars--from her wrist and held it out until her hand
pressed against his chest. "It's the only item I have that's worth anything. So
don't try to rob me, okay?"

"O...K...?"

"Okay... means a bunch of things... Like 'do you understand' and 'everything is
allright'." She explained. "Now, please hand over your bow and an arrow." Like heck
she could pull back the taut bowstring. The only archery she had was in 9th grade gym class!
And she was no William Tell, but he didn't know that.

He obliged. Wow, the bow was heavy! She slung it over her shoulder, and held the broom
in one hand and the arrow in the other. The tip was sharp enough to make a nasty scratch
on bare flesh. "I'll follow you. Grab the end of the broom and lead us both out of here.
I can't see you in the dark." Oh, great. Wonderful thing to tell a could-be
Renaissance thief/rapist. Shoot! She cringed at her stupidity.
Everything happened too fast!

"Yes, Lady."

Step for steady step they wended through the tangle of thick branches and leaves. Julie prayed
none of it was poison ivy. That would be her luck.... Her tired eyes focused on the blob of nothing
which was the firm ground rolling beneath her feet. She glanced forward and tried to get a good
glimpse of... Legos Lost? She chuckled at the horrible memory lapse. Beneath a scant sliver of a moon
veiled in fog, she could only make out that he had light hair which reflected almost
white in the dim moonlight.

Dang, he was tall! At least a couple inches over 6 feet. Julie nearly grunted. In comparison,
she stood a wimpy 5' 4", the average height for an adult woman. Well... a 19 year old at least.
Ha! Shrimp! She hmphed. She didn't stand a chance against the Jolly Green Giant.

Mr. Legos led her to a meadow, then into another patch of forest. This time, the terrain
became rocky.A glow of firelight took her by surprise as they came upon a clearing which
boasted seveal wall-like rock piles. Nine pairs of anxious eyes watched her as
Mr. Legos invited her to the campfire and turned to face her. Oh my goodness...
he was beautiful! Her hazel eyes widened. She immediately stared at her feet,
her neck bent like a broken lily stem.

"Do not be afraid." Aragorn began but was interuppted but an outburst from Merry.

"She's my something pretty!!! Is she real? Where did she come from? What's her name?"
He leapt from his seat to touch her jean-clad leg. She let out a cry of shock. Bad troll!!!!

Mr. Legos had pointy ears...The hairy trolls were here! That old man has a big walking
stick and a long ragged beard. Oh my... No, that couldn't be a sleeping Dwarf...

Dandy, juuust dandy.

"What is your name?" Asked one of the trolls with unruly blond hair.

"Julie Anderson." She whispered.

"Daughter of...?

"Phil."

"I'm Merry Brandybuck of the Shire! Julie Anderson, Daugher of Phil, I'm... sorry..."
Sincere regret shone in his dark eyes.

"For?"

"Bringing you here."

She blinked.

"Please, sit." A man with dirty blond hair and a beard beckoned to an
empty spot near the fire.

"No, thank you." Julie shivered, but not because she was cold. This was creepy.
"Why am I here, in your world?
Why can I understand your language?"

"Our world? My dear, where are you from?"

"Ohio."

"Ohio?

"Yes, it's part of the United States... of Earth."

"Don't you mean Middle-Earth" Boromir suggested.

"No, just Earth."

"She's mad!" Pippin shouted.

"Shut your mouth!" Merry exclaimed, pushing at his friend's chest. "LOOK at her!" Julie
found herself an object of intense scrutiny. From the tips of her sneakers to the top of
her blonde highlighted head. "What are those on your eyes?"

"Glasses, I have problems seeing, and they make my vision better."

"Can I touch them?"

"No." Pippin joined Merry at her side. He felt the rough fabric of her
jeans. "It's called denim." She explained.

"Oh, I like denim!" He exclaimed. The other Hobbits Oooohed as well.

"How do we know you're aren't a spy? And you are the eyes of Sauron? All problems of
the eyes can be fixed with simple magic. Isn't their magic where you come from?"

"Saru---who? No, we don't have that kind of magic." She admitted. "I'm not a spy
for anyone or anthing, thank you."

"He's a very evil man, Saruman..." Frodo mumbled. Julie sensed a fog of meloncholy
around him. Hope withered in his soft voice.

"Yes yes." She nodded. "But how did I get here? One second I was at my house...
and the next second I'm here in Middle-Earth.
I didn't even fall down a rabbit hole!"

"I'm to blame..." Merry addmitted. 'I cast a spell, wishing for something sweet
and something pretty... and you appeared."

"No... No! You can't tear through the fabric of another dimension so you can
steal my Crunch N Munch!" The arrow hit the ground as she angrily threw it. "Why me..." She choked.

"Destiny?" Shrugged Sam as if it were the most logical, obvious answer.

"I need to sit down." Julie coughed, dropping to the cold ground. She hugged her
knees to her chest in despondence. Merry quickly came to her side and stroked her long,
wavy dark blonde hair. The Hobbit was responsilbe for her torn, tattered fate. Legolas
watched the scene from a quiet distance. "Isn't there any way to get me home? If Merry
cast the first spell, can't he cast another one?"

"Magic is as fickle as a woman... ah I mean... the weather." Gandalf recovered and
lit his pipe. "No wizard has ever been able to create a portal. In all honesty, it was
theorized portals could not be formed because they would tear holes in the very fabric of being."
He blew large grey and blue rings into the air. An uncomfortable silence fell upon the camp.

"Oh goodness." Julie whimpered.

"Although I am an advanced wizard, I know nothing of creating portals." He
deadpanned. "None have ever been created before, until young Master Brandybuck decided to
steal your Crunch N Munch, as you put it." Cryptic disbelief hinted in his voice. A lowly Hobbit
had done what none of the master wizards could?

"What's a Hobbit?"

"We's a Hobbit, Miss Julie!" Sam laughed.

"They're peaceful little folk who have a love for both food and trouble." Commented
Boromir. The Dwarf rolled onto his side and began to snore like the dying engine of a
MAC truck. "Aragorn, we must properly introduce ourselves to the lady." Aragorn coughed
and walked to the young woman.

"Aragorn of Arathorn."

"Pleased to meet you, Aragorn." She held out her hand to shake, but he cushioned
her fingers in his hand and nobly kissed her knuckles. She blushed hotly.

"Boromir of Gondor, my lady." Boromir followed suite.

"Gandalf the Grey. I would creak to my wary feet to kiss your hand, Lady Julie,
but my bones are too tired." The wizard grunted. Julie smiled. She liked him although
he seemed rough around the edges.

"Peregrin Took! Call me Pippin! Myyyy lady." He made a grand show of kissing her hand.
She laughed in delight at his enthusiasm.

"Samwise Gagee, at your service. And that there is Bill the pony." He shook her
hand then remembered to give it a swift kiss.

"Frodo Baggins." The sulle-eyed Hobbit smile and gingerly pressed his lips to the
skin of her knuckles. She placed a hand on his pale cheek, wiping away a stray smudge
of dirt. The corner of his mouth curled into a ghost of a smile.

"Meriadoc Brandybuck, Missus." He whispered, on the verge of tears. She bent forward
and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She patted his back tenderly. "It's okay."

"Okay?"

"It means everything is fine. She is forgiving you." Legolas smirked at Boromir's
gaping mouth. The Elf chose to say no more, he liked the mystery of his understanding
of the Earth word. Merry wiped away Julie's tears; Julie wiped away Merry's tears.
Oh sheesh, this was getting emotional again.

"It's okay." He echoed.

"And you are Lego... Lego--?"

"Legolas." He did not smile or make a show of his greeting. "No no. Don't move.
Enough hand kissing. You're making me blush." She laughed, uncomfortable at the thought
of Legolas touching her. She would probably turn bright red and melt into a puddle,
which wasn't the best impression to make.

Thank you for brining me to your camp."

"We wouldn't have left you alone!"

"Well... we could have." Pippin said a tad too loudly. Sam smacked his
friend across the back of his head.

"Fool of a Took!"

Julie didn't bother asking again if they could help her get home. It appeared as
if she were trapped in Middle-Earth forever...A pang of sorrow made her heart bleed
for the past. She cared for her younger brother, Patrick, and worked at a restaurant
as a waitress to help earn money to pay the bills. They needed her! Patrick needed her!
She had several very close friends, but her family situation was like a ball and chain
which kept her from being young and care-free. Now it would be no house. No stores. No mall.
No supermarkets. The only bright side she could think of was the money her family would save from
not having any college tuition to pay. Ack, her family needed that money.
She coudn't deal with this now.

"Excuse me. I'd like to be alone." Overwhelmed, she could only speak softly. She
walked to a secluded part of the camp where the circle of firelight began to fade to
darkness. She stared off into the blankness, allowing her mind to become a void.

No one spoke. Instead, they used their eyes and gestures to communicate.

*Should we talk to her?* Pippin inclined his head in her direction.

*NO!* A vehement shaking of heads ensued.

*But she is so sad.* Merry frowned.

*We'll talk about this later.* Aragorn placed a finger over his lips.


Julie sensed they were talking, and she didn't care. They meant well.
They could not help her. She was probably more of a burden than anything else! Why would
a band of mixed breeds be travelling through the forest? This was no camping trip. Were they
on some sort of quest? An air of muted despairation clung to them. She doubted they would chuck
her off at the nearest tavern and take off running. Still, with the female to male ratio
towering at a whopping 1:9, the prospect of travelling with them wasn't very desirable.
She liked everyone, but she did not want to get in the way. She was from a small town in
Ohio, not a warrior village from a 'Conan the Barbarian' movie.

"I can't survive in this world." She said quietly to herself. If Gandalf couldn't get
her home, the least he could do was find a nice farm or orphanage for her to stay at, seeing
as she was all alone now. Julie sat in the same spot, staring listlessly. Was she a bit far
from the fire? Probably. She wasn't afraid ... yet. An hour or two later, the Hobbits prepared
for sleep. Their bodies huddled together for warmth like a bundle of puppies. The sight was
calming. Soon, the others began to drift off to sleep until only Boromir and Legolas stood
watch. Boromir draped a blanket across her drooped shoulders and invited her to sit by the fire.
She accepted. "What are you keeping watch from?" She rested her back against a fat log.

"Orcs." He replied bluntly, trying no to draw attention to the sword at his side.
"Nasty devils... Do not worry, you are safe." His gauntleted hand rested on her arm for a
moment. Julie shivered as the fire slowly dwindled.

"Do we need more firewood?"

"You're resting on it."

"Oh!" She laughed in embarrassment as she elbowed the log. Phew! If fire kept the
beasties away, she would gladly offer to
chop down an entire tree.

"Rest, Lady. The sun brings hope. Do not allow the night to make you weary."

"Yes... Thank you, Boromir. Good night."

"Good night indeed." He bowed his head.
*****

WOW. The ground was really, really hard. Her matress at home was firm, but sleeping on the
ground felt like... well, sleeping on the ground. Picking up her blanket,
she found a rock-free patch of grass under a tree not too far from the fire.
Okay, no bats or vikings were waiting in the branches. After laying half of the
blanket out, she put her glasses in their case, and used her purse as a pillow.
A grin lit her face. Pierre! She had forgotten about him! Yesterday at the Italian restaurant
her family had eaten at, Julie won a small yellow bear in the claw machine. He wore a white
and yellow striped shirt and a cute little red ascot. He looked distinctly French. Thus, she named him
Pierre the Bon Chance Bear.

"You'd *better* be lucky..." She murmured, hugging him tight against her chest. She
curled into a ball and covered herself with the
other half of the blanket. Exhaustion--mental and physical--soon lulled her to an uneasy slumber.
She spoke garbled words and whimpered strange names.

Merry opened one eye. Figuring it was safe, he opened the other. He sat up at the sound of
Julie's muffled voice. Was she having a nightmare? Guilt overcame him. He wobbled to his feet and
tried to step over Frodo. Instead, he stepped *on* him.

"Ow! Merry!" He coughed groggily.

"Sorry! Excuse me." The end of his blanket caught his foot off guard, sending
him falling onto Frodo's chest.

"MERRY!" Frodo sputtered, being careful to keep his voice lowered.

"Sorry sorry! I only wanted to give my blanket to Julie. She's having a rough night."

"Just don't fall on her." Merry playfully kicked Frodo in the ribs. Frodo's ears picked
up Julie's voice as well. He remember the loving, comforting way she had treated him, as if she
knew the burdens of his heart. He wanted to share the same feeling with her.
"I'm coming, too."

Both Hobbits tiptoed past a yawning Boromir. Legolas saw them but said nothing.

"Julie?" Merry whispered. She sighed and seemed to settle into a lucid sleep.
"I'm going to sleep here. I want to make sure she is safe." He put his blanket over
Julie and propped himself against the tree. Frodo did the same.

"Here, Merry, we can share a blanket."

Sam, noticing the lack of body heat, awoke to find Frodo and Merry missing. He panicked,
then breathed a sigh as he spotted them near Miss Julie.. He quickly joined them, leaving Pippin
alone to snuffle and snore in his sleep. The long Hobbit whimpered, sensing he was forgotten
and alone. He rolled in his blanket and snorted like a vexed dragon. The other Hobbits
chuckled in amusement.
_______________

Julie's neck was stiff and her hip ached. But she was toasty and snug... and not alone!!!
Remaining still, she saw Frodo sleeping right beside her. *Someone* was pressed up against
her back. Pippin had himself latched onto one of her legs. And somehow Sam had gotten ahold of
Pierre. She shook from holding in the laughter. What a weird situation to wake up to!
She was fine with it, they were the reason she had slept so well. But damn, if the grin
on Pippin's face got any happier, she would be forced to kick him while he slept. She smiled
at the thought and closed her eyes.

"Did I miss something?" Aragorn whispered, bringing several breakfast fish back
from his morning scouting trip.

"They weren't such a large clump the last time I checked." Boromir yawned,
stretching his limbs.

"They huddled together, one by one, through the night" Legolas said casually,
not implying he watched Julie sleep.
Although he had. "She is well-protected."

"Awha?" A cough came from Gandalf as he awoke. Aragorn cleaned the fish and
added seasoning herbs.

"There." He pointed. Gandalf blinked. He broke out into a broad smile and
let out a rumble of a laugh. It was one of the first times
anyone witnessed him wake up in such a good mood. It was appreciated.

"Beauty does have it's advantages... none I have ever experienced." The old
wizard chuckled.

"Breakfast!!!" Aragorn called, flipping the fish.

"Don't wake them yet, we must discuss our new companion."

"What can we do to help? No wizard can create a portal..."

"Aye. But a Hobbit did. The problem is... portals do not open two ways. If a portal
were like a gate which allowed travel to both sides... think of the chaos. The portal would
become the eye of the needle that sews the fabric of both worlds together, thereby
creating a new reality. She belongs to this world now. There is no returning." The weight of
his words showed in the stern lines of his face.

"Do we tell her?" Boromir said in monotone. Legolas's mouth pressed into a grim line.

"No... not yet. She needs to become accustomed living in this world first--"

A roar of a yawn errupted from Gimli. "Arrr! What a bright... day." He gruffed.
"Is breakfast ready?" His loud voice jolted everyone's eyes open except for Pippin.

"What a nice pillow you make, Julie!" Merry bowed. Julie snorted and
threw a blanket over him like a net.

"Hello." Frodo said shyly.

"Hi there." She smiled. "ACK, PIPPIN!" She twitched her leg then poked him
in his side. He was extrememly ticklish and squeaked. He curled up into a ball like an armadillo.

"What's this?"

"Pierre, my bear. It's a toy. You can borrow him if you'd like."

"Oh! I didn't mean to take it, Miss Julie! It was an accident--"

"Shush. Don't worry about it! Er, tell me those aren't twigs snarled in my hair."

"But they are twigs."

"Mur." She tugged the twigs free and tossed them into the woods.

"Hey, how'd I get over here?" Pippin yawned. "I don't remember coming over."

"You wandered over when you woke up alone in the night and thought
you wandered from the group."

"No, I didn't!" He blushed bright pink as Aragorn called them for breakfast.

"Julie?"

"No, thank you, Aragorn. You need the food more than I do. I insist. If I get
hungry, I'll just eat one of the Hobbits." She gnashed her teeth at Pippin as he
stuffed a tender fillet in his mouth. He paled until he realized she was only joking.

"Very well." The Ranger nodded, respecting her wishes.

"Aragorn, are you the leader here?"

"Some say yes..."

"Can I speak to you, alone?"

"Yes, Lady." When they moved out of hearing distance, she looked directly into his eyes.

"I'm not ever going home, am I?" Please... don't tell me there is hope if it i
sn't real." Her bluntness caught him offguard.

"Julie...I..." He searched for the words. They did not come. "We don't know if
it is isn't possible. Give Gandalf time.
Until then... you're part of the group."

"No."

"No?"

"No!" She adamantly shook her head. "I would be nothing but a burden. I can't
defend myself against... anything! I'd be another mouth to feed and another person to
worry about. No. I can't do that to the group. Aren't you on some sort of quest?"

"...Yes. A dangerous one. We couldn't possibly bring you along, even if you wanted to come."

"I understand" She nodded. "So...?".

"We're taking you to the village of Morlye. A wizard by the name of Ingeth lives there.
He and his wife, Soolris, will take care of you until we can return. You will not be forgotten,
on this you have my word." He kneeled and kissed her hand. Julie nodded.

"Yes." She finally stammered.

"Pack it UP!" Frodo yelled, bending over to pick up his bed roll. In seveal minutes,
the entire campsite was cleared away.

"Anything I can help with?"

"You can carry my sachel."

"How...kind of you to offer." Julie said diplomatically. Legolas scowled at the Dwarf.

"Ha ha! A wee slip of a lass like you couldn't carry this more than a few steps.
I like your spirit!"

Julie stretched the kinks in her neck and took iventory of everything in her purse---

Pierre... an eyeglass case... a lighter...
a Nerf ball ... wallet with three dollars and a coffehouse card...
make up stuff ... anti-perspirant [THANK GOD] ... a small travel journal,
bought as a date keeper, but never used ... random hairties... a chocolate bar,
a big pack of mint gum, and 7 tick tacks ... anti-static spray [travel size] ...
vanilla body spray ... pens and pencils ... pepperspray [shoot, why didn't
she remember this before? argh ]... hairbrush ... "gold" braclet and matching
necklace... and a small pocket knife...

It wasn't much, but Julie was thankful for being somewhat of a packrat. She
ripped 1/4 of a stick of gum from the pack and chewed on it. Ah, fresh minty breath... Heaven.
It was time to hit the open road... er forest path.

"Are those sturdy walking shoes?" Boromir pointed to her sneakers.

"Oh yes. These are Nikes!" She beamed, obviously proud. He had no clue what
Nikes were, but they were rather attractive... "I'm ready. Bring it!"