Disclaimer: As much as I would like to say that I owned "Lord of the Rings", I don't. And forgive me for not wanting to get sued for saying it belonged to me. I would like to save all my money for merchandise of our favorite elf, thank you.

This chapter is back on Earth with Alison.

Chapter 10: False Accusations

"We now call Alison Maria Thompson to the stand," the judge's voice rang throughout the court room. Alison took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. She stood up, her legs shaking and after squeezing Ryan's hand, she walked up to the front of the room. People stared at her with cold gazes as she walked past them but she did her best to ignore them. Alison quickly whispered the oath that stated that she would tell nothing but the truth before she took her seat. Alison watched as the expensively dressed lawyer strode overt to her in long, quick steps.

"Now, Ms. Thompson, could you please tell the jury where you were on the night of May 17?" the lawyer began.

"I was out with a few friends," Alison spoke quietly.

"Out where?" he asked.

"We were out eating at a local restaurant."

"Why did you leave your daughter alone?" the lawyer continued.

"I didn't. She was babysitting for some people and came home around eleven," she replied.

"Do you remember what time you got home yourself?"

"Probably around eleven thirty," Alison answered.

"Did you happen to go anywhere before you walked into your apartment?" the lawyer pried.

"No, I went straight upstairs."

"How long would you say it takes to walk up the stairs to your home?"

"I would say maybe three to five minutes."

"And yet the hospital says they got the call at exactly eleven forty-one," he went on.

"It took a few minutes for me to find her," Alison said.

"So you did not find her right away, correct?"

"Correct," Alison's voice quivered, she knew where this was going.

"How long did it take for you to find her?"

"Two minutes, maybe more. Everything went by in a blur. I didn't really know what was happening. I was so scared. It just took me a few minutes longer to actually find her," Alison told him. The lawyer stared at her, his brown eyes giving her a piercing glare. Alison was shocked beyond belief. There were actually people out there who believed that she had killed her daughter. It was a ridiculous thought and she was hurt that people would think her a cold-hearted murderer. Sighing, Alison pushed these thoughts from her mind and focused her eyes on the wall in the back of the court room.

"Ms. Thompson, after you found your daughter's body, did you call for assistance immediately?" Alison hung her head.

"Not right away," she sniffed and a small tear slipped down her face before she hastily wiped it away, "I panicked."

"You panicked?" the lawyer repeated, raising a blonde, mocking eyebrow at her.

"Yes, how would have you reacted to seeing a close family member lying in a puddle of their own blood?" Alison nearly shouted, her temper flaring up unexpectedly.

"I would have thought of what was best for-"

"Well, you try it sometime and let's see exactly how calm you are!" Alison screamed, standing up. A police officer who was standing next to her reached out and grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and pushed her back down. Alison struggled against him with all of her might but the pressure increased until she gave in and fell back into the chair. Tears began to pour down her cheeks but this was a common feeling.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the case shall continue tomorrow morning at promptly eight. Thank you," the judge announced after everyone managed to calm down. Alison took a deep breath, trying to compose herself but she only failed miserably.

"I didn't kill my daughter. I loved her," she mumbled pathetically to herself, knowing that some people would never believe her.

Later that night, Alison sat at her kitchen table. Silence surrounded her, closing her even tighter into her loneliness and depression. She pushed her food around on her plate with her fork, not having the will to eat at that moment. Her eyes were red and puffy and they showed a look of complete and utter misery. Her hair was slightly disheveled and her clothes were ever-so-slightly wrinkled. She could not forget anything that had happened in the past few weeks. It continued to replay over and over inside her head every minute of the day. She relived the horror of her daughter's dead body in front of her, the bullet wounds in her chest, the paleness of her face, and the silence that only death offered. It had only been a month and a half since Samantha's murder, but each day seemed like a year to her. In her mind she knew that she had to move on and live again, but her heart refused to let go. Nothing would ever be the same again.

Ryan watched Alison stare off into space. Her silence bothered him, yet he knew that he would expect the same from any other mother of a murdered child. It was painful, both because he was grieving over Samantha's death, and also because he had to see his ex-wife, the woman he still loved, fall into such a great depression. He needed to do something.

"Alison," he whispered. She didn't look up. "Alison," he repeated with the same result. "Alison!" Her head snapped up as her eyes met his. He winced slightly at the sight of her but continued to stay strong.

"Yes?" Alison's voice could hardly be heard, despite the unnatural stillness that filled the room.

"You need to eat," Ryan urged her.

"I…can't."

"You need to. You need some energy," he continued.

"What for?" she snapped suddenly. "I have nothing."

"You have me," Ryan told her gently, "Samantha wouldn't have wanted you to live like this. Please, eat, for me." Alison nodded slightly and slowly lifted her fork to her mouth. She took small bites every few minutes until Ryan was satisfied enough with her progress. He quietly got up from the table and washed the dishes while Alison continued to stare off at nothing. Sighing, Ryan put the dishes in the dishwasher and walked over to her. He knelt down before her and took her hands in his. Alison's head slowly turned to him.

"Alison," Ryan began, "We need to be strong. If not for us, for Samantha. She would have wanted for us to live a long, happy life. She's gone physically, that's true, but she'll always be with us. God must have taken her for a reason and all we can do is accept that."

"It hurts, Ryan," Alison whispered. Ryan stood up and hugged her tightly against him.

"I know it does, Allie," she smiled slightly at her old nickname. "I know it hurts. But it will get better in time, trust me." Silence drifted between them for a few moments.

"I didn't kill her, Ryan," Alison's eyes stared at him with a pleading stare. "You believe me, don't you?" Ryan choked back a sob.

"Of course I do. I've known you for a long time; you wouldn't lie about something like this. You loved her, as did I. Not even the best actor could fake anything that the two of you shared. No person would put themselves through such pain." A sob escaped Alison's lips and she gripped onto Ryan tighter. He carried her over to the couch and sat down with her in his lap. Soon enough, her shirt was soaked with his own tears.

"I love you, Ryan. Don't leave me," Alison cried.

"I love you too. I wouldn't ever dream of leaving you again," he whispered. The pair fell asleep together on the couch, glad that they at least had each other for comfort. And somehow they knew that everything would be okay one day.

Ok, done with that chapter. Sorry it took so long to update, I've been so busy. I'll try and update again as soon as I can. Do you all think its okay with saying what's happening to her family? I mean, personally, I've always wondered what happened to people's families when they suddenly leave Earth so I decided to show something that could have happened. Tell me what you all think.

Thanks to all my reviewers:

windy- Thanks! I really think that people should take time with the plot and background because it can make a story so much more interesting. I hate it when people rush into things like that. I really wanted Samantha to be a normal person so it could seem more real. And maybe Sauron is playing a prank on me because he's jealous that I still have my eyes. Who knows? Review again, please!

Athena's Wolf- Thanks! Please review again.

Pop-tarts- I truthfully haven't decided what to do. Either way, things could get interesting and the story could go slightly different ways. Oh well, I'll decide soon enough! Thanks again!

KellseyKisaragi- Yeah, the ER sucks. It's boring and lots of babies scream. Don't worry, romance will begin to show soon but I don't want to rush into things. It will take a little time so you'll have to hang around and just see what happens.

Crecy-Yeah, I'm sorry, I forgot to add translations to what she knows. I'll do that for the next chapter. Sorry again.

Harrypfan001TEACHERLADY- I'm glad you like it. I'll, hurry up and update again soon.

PrincessofRain- I made sure it was Tolkien's, don't worry. It's a great site and the author knows a lot about all of it. Review again!

IwishChan- I'm sorry, I totally forgot to translate it. That won't happen again, I promise. The other elf is Celebrian, just so you know.

EresseElrondiel- Yup, it's her! I know how you feel. I like Legolas but my favorite characters are Elladan, Elrohir, and Glorfindel. I'm trying to learn Sindarin, it's not going so well, but I'm getting there. Congrats on learning Quenya, for the most part. That's something to be proud of. I really suck at learning languages.

Fk306- I would have laughed too, but not if I woke up to someone right in my face. I would have freaked! You should just continue to write your story, you'll get somewhere, you just have to figure out where you want to go with it.

Andromida-1971- I know, she jumps to conclusions too quickly, as do I. Oh well, she'll figure it out soon enough and feel really stupid, but relieved at the same time.

Jousting Elf with a Sabre- That's ok. I don't mind. Have fun in the States! Where exactly are you going? Anyways, have fun.

Rinny Leonhart Rikku- I would feel really stupid if I figured that out. Good thing I'm not in her position. No, I take that back. I would love to be in Rivendell with the twins.

TriGemini- Yeah, she doesn't know, but she'll figure out soon enough. I would do the same. Deny the feelings or blame it on something else. Everyone does it once and a while.

Well, that's it! I'll try and update again. Once again, I tolerate constructive criticism but I will not tolerate flames. Thanks! Review!