A/N: I don't own LOTR, just Valia.

Celtic Cross: Okay, okay! (cowers) LOL


Chapter 11: Many Meetings

"Where am I?" Valia breathed, waking slowly.

"You are in the House of Elrond," a familiar voice replied, "and it is ten o'clock in the morning on October the twenty-fourth, if you want to know."

Valia opened her eyes and smiled. "Gandalf!"

"Yes, I'm here, and you're lucky to be here too." Gandalf set his pipe in his mouth. Of all the foolish and ridiculous things to do!

I had to keep Frodo from the Ring somehow. Valia glanced around then caught sight of Frodo fast asleep in a chair beside her bed. She smiled softly then touched his arm.

He woke then hugged her tightly, startling her with his eagerness. "Valia, you're awake!" He kissed her lightly then looked in her eyes, his own clouded with worry and fear. "I was afraid I'd loose you."

"Frodo has hardly left your side," Gandalf remarked.

"You could hardly expext me not to," Frodo said, glancing at their old friend.

Valia could tell from the look in Frodo's eyes that her condition had been serious. He kept hold of her hand even when Elrond entered the room.

"Welcome to Rivendell, Valia," Elrond said.

(A/N: That is such a terrible ending for a scene, but it's how Pete ended it. He's all I've got to go by for this story. I tried doing this as a mix of the movie and the book, and I just ended up with a confused, mixed-up mess that I couldn't finish because it was taking so freaking long!)

Valia walked with Frodo through the open courtyard, and she was soon tackled by Merry and Pippin. Sam stood nearby, shaking his head.

"A simple "Hello, how are you?" would have sufficed," Valia said as Frodo helped her up.

"That's far too easy!" Pippin teasingly complained.

"And that's only something Bilbo would do," Merry added.

"Speaking of Bilbo…" Frodo looked toward a stone bench where a small figure sat reading a book.

Valia followed his gaze then gasped. "Bilbo!" She ran up to the old hobbit and embraced him.

"Hello, Valia my dear." He hugged her then patted the bench beside him.

Valia sat beside him and was soon joined by Frodo. They talked for a while about their adventures so far then Bilbo stood and retrieved a leather-bound book. He handed it to Valia.

She opened it slowly. "There and Back Again, a hobbit's tale by Bilbo Baggins," she read aloud.

"This is wonderful," Frodo said, looking over Valia's shoulder.

"I meant to go back," Bilbo said as Valia turned the page. "Wonder at the power of Mirkwood, visit Laketown, see the Lonely Mountain again." He sat down. "But age, it seems, has finally caught up with me."

Valia stopped when she came to a map of the Shire. She looked at Frodo who was looking at the map.

"I miss the Shire," Frodo said softly, taking Valia's hand in his. "I spent all my childhood pretending I was off somewhere else." He looked up at Bilbo, smiling. "Off with you on one of your adventures." He sighed and looked back at the map. "But my own adventure turned out to be quite different."

"Of course it did! Did you see me come back from my adventures with a girl?" Bilbo teasingly scoffed. "Certainly not!"

Valia blushed, and Frodo laughed. Bilbo could always turn a sad moment into something silly.

"And engaged, I see!" Bilbo snorted. "You are much more like your parents than you realize! Now, Drogo was a crazy Baggins, too, going off to get married. Why it's unnatural!"

"Indeed," Valia laughed. "We should all remain single since marriage is so bothersome."

"But then where would we be?" Frodo asked. "Hobbits would've died out years ago."

"Oh, bother! I plan on living forever, don't you know?" Bilbo said. "I will be the oldest living hobbit ever!"

"Now, what have I forgotten?" Sam mumbled.

"Packed already?" Frodo asked, stepping onto the balcony with Valia.

Sam turned around, setting his pack aside. "No harm in being prepared."

"I thought you wanted to see the elves, Sam," Frodo said, while Valia went to stand at the railing.

"I do," Sam said.

"More than anything."

"I did! It's just… We did what Gandalf wanted, didn't we? We go the Ring this far to Rivendell, and I thought, seeing as how Valia's on the mend, we'd be off soon…off home," Sam said.

Frodo looked to Valia, but she quickly looked toward the gardens of Rivendell again. "I suppose," he said finally then sent Sam off.

Valia turned around. "It's beautiful here."

Frodo took her hands. "Indeed, it is."

"I only wish we could stay here," she whispered.

"You're not anxious to get home?"

She looked up at him then sighed. "I don't know." She couldn't tell him, but she knew.

"I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Valia and Frodo turned to see their old wizard friend standing in the doorway. "No, of course not," Valia said quickly then walked away.

"She's been so distant lately," Frodo said quietly, walking with Gandalf.

"Have you asked her what might be wrong?" Gandalf asked.

"I'm afraid to. I love her, Gandalf, and I don't want her to leave me."

"You fear she may say she doesn't love you?"

"No!" Frodo said quickly then sighed. "I don't know."

"Perhaps more will be explained tomorrow at the Council." Gandalf set his hand on Frodo's shoulder. "I'm afraid Lord Elrond has asked Valia not attend."

A/N: Poor Valia. Elrond just wants to be able to explain her history in full before people start trying to attack her and stuff. (sigh) The poor, poor girl. She's so afraid she'll get left behind.