Disclaimer: Hey y'all! It's me again! I hope I some of my previous readers are still with me, but either way I'm gonna try to finish this fic as well. I don't plan on making it as long as the previous and the chapters should be slightly shorter since I've less time to write with school and all. If you haven't read my story's prequel, then I suggest you do, but it shouldn't be all too important.

And for those of you who've read my other stories, I'm sorry to inform you that Adam Abeyta has moved to Grants, NM. But I have a new crush now and this one's actually in my grade! His name is Luke Calabro! Anywho, I just thought you all might be sad to know that my star obsession (aside from Orlando Bloom) has moved away from me… Sniff

So, I hope you enjoy! And for those of you who don't know, my e-mail address is E-mail me if you have any questions, comments, of concerns!

Thanx a Bunch!

Rusty

Ps- Oh, I almost forgot! Legolas and Gandalf do not belong to me, nor do any other LOTR characters, though I don't believe any others will find their way into my story.

Chapter One: A Rocky Start

Aliana paced around her room anxiously. Legolas had been gone almost a week and she was starting to worry. Not that this was the first time he'd been away, but this trip seemed to drag by longer than the others.

She sat down on the window seat and stared out into the dense forest. Her thoughts began to wander back to the days when her friends were still here and they had traveled from Mirkwood to Isengard. But that was many years before and there was no sense thinking about it now.

Years ago when she was still sixteen she had lived in what she used to call the real world. With her abusive father and deceased mother it's no wonder she dreamed of other worlds. That's how she ended up here, in Middle Earth. She had written in a diary and was transported here where she met Legolas. He journeyed with her to Isengard where she planned to ask Gandalf for help on returning to her world. In Lake Town she met up with her friends Nikhila and Ben who had found her diary and been transported here too. With a brief stop in Lothlorien, the company made its way to Isengard. But unknown to them was their pursuer, Ivellios. He had been Legolas's best friend and advisor and was angered when Aliana came into the picture and, as he put it, stole his prince away. He followed them to the very basements of Isengard where a portal sat to take the three friends home. But during their journey, Legolas and Aliana had unwillingly fallen in love with one another and now Aliana was faced with the hardest decision of her life. Did she return home with her friends or stay in Middle Earth with Legolas? After a tiring battle between Aliana and Ivellios, she chose to stay with Legolas. But this was not after Ben had die-being stabbed through with a blade-Ivellios had been killed, and Rina (aka:Nikhila) had returned to her world.

She held her hand up to her face and stared at the shining ring that resided on her long, slender finger. It was a simple ring, made of silver with strands of gold wrapped entwined along its smooth surface.

She stared at the ring and she wondered, have I made the right choice? Was staying here with Legolas really the right choice? What might I have done with my life if I hadn't married Legolas?

Though she told herself and everyone around her that she was alright, the truth was, Aliana missed her old life. She missed her friends and her video games and her books. Heck! She even missed school!

She was usually able to sustain her emotions, telling herself that it was just part of life. Everyone has something that they long for more than anything and this was her longing. If she had returned home with Rina, she would miss Legolas and wish she was back in Middle Earth with him.

But during the time Legolas was gone, off on an errand of some sort, she thought often about her days back home and all that she'd left behind. She would stay in her room for days, never eating, never speaking to anyone.

Legolas would return home to find his wife pale and exhausted, staring blankly out the window. She would never say what she had been thinking during his departure, but he could easily guess.

On this particular day, Legolas turned the doorknob to the room slowly, hoping and praying that Aliana had not gone into one of her depressed states again. He was rather relieved to see her look up at him with eyes filled with relief.

He set his bow and quiver down as she rose from the window seat and stood at his side. He put his arms around her and embraced her. Her head rested gently on his shoulder.

"I was afraid you were never going to come home..." she said with a sigh.

Legolas smiled. "You know I would never leave you."

"But you could have been kidnapped by orcs!" she exclaimed. "Or mutilated by worgs! Or stabbed by bandits! Or stepped on by Ents! Or-"

Legolas put a finger to her lips and smiled softly. "It's alright. I'm home now. And I won't be leaving for another week."

"A week?!" Aliana cried, tears coming to her eyes.

"I'm sorry Aliana, but it's my duty. I must go."

Legolas feared the hint of anger that had been in her voice. This is so typical of her! She never thinks of how this affects me! Does she think I want to go?! I would much rather stay here!

"Let me go with you then!" she begged.

"No, you can't," he said calmly. "Not this time. It's too dangerous. An army of orcs are planning to invade Gondor. I've promised Aragorn that I would bring reinforcements from Mirkwood to aid him."

"It's just a few orcs, Legolas! Can't he handle them on his own?!" By now her tears were falling down her face. "He fought hundreds of them at Helm's Deep! And look at those odds!"

"Aliana, calm down. I've already given him my word. I can't change my mind because of you."

"Then why can't I go with you?!"

"I've already told you. It's too dangerous."

"You know just as well as I do that I can fight. You seem to be forgetting that I'm the one who saved your life back at Isengard."

Legolas sighed and embraced her tightly. "Aliana, it's not that I don't want you to go nor that I don't think you could handle it. I don't want to see you get hurt. I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you. I almost lost you once and I don't want to do it again."

"How do you think I feel, Legolas?! I have to sit her for weeks while you're in Gondor fighting. For all I know you could be dead! How do you think I feel?!"

"That's my duty, Aliana. It's what I was born to do. You can't just expect me to stop doing my job the minute you get here. I told you before I married you that I couldn't do that. And you agreed to it. You accepted that fact."

"You're right, I did accept that, Legolas," she said harshly. "And I've held true to those words until now. But it's you who hasn't held true to yours! You promised me that, even with your duties, we would still have some time together, just the two of us. Can you even remember the last time we had dinner together without your father or some other important person?"

"Well-"

"I can't remember the last time I woke up in the morning and you were lying beside me! Or the last time you…the last time you…"

"The last time I what?" Legolas asked calmly.

Aliana glanced up at him and looked him straight in the eyes. "The last time you said you loved me."

With those words she dashed from the bedroom. Her dress brushed past his ankles as he turned to stop her, but too late. She had gone. He had expected her to welcome him with open arms, but instead…this? What a day this was turning out to be.