A/N: 'Nother update! 'Kay, this one won't be as long, I'm sorry. I was kinda in a rush to finish it before I had to go to bed, and I really didn't know how to put more thoughts in without making it a very HUGE chapter. So, this is what you get for now, and I'll give you the rest later.

And thank you SO MUCH for the reviews! You guys flatter me so much! huggles

------------------------

Question Corner

Okay, a few of you had a couple questions, so I'm going to answer them as best as I can here.

NataNly: I can't believe you caught that romance thing! Most people don't even look at that part! And yes, you're right, something could happen like that...eventually. It'll take a while, however. I have to organize everything first. And no, I did not invent that "touching-ears-gets-elves-aroused" thing. That was one of the traits of elves Tolkien wrote about. I learned it somewhere else. Thanx for the review! I'm really glad you're interested enough to ask me questions.

That's it for the questions! If there's any more just ask! -grin-

-----------------------

Disclaimer: -takes deep breath- I-don't-own-Legolas-or-anything-related-to-him-or-the-Lord-of-the-Rings-so-all-you-lawyers-can-lay-off-so-I-can-tell-my-god-damn-story!

-gasps for breath- Okay, now that that's done, one with the story!

-----------------------

ch.4

Legolas' long fingers curled around the warm mug of tea I offered him. He nodded his head in my direction and said, "Hannon le," before taking a careful swig of the contents. I looked to Fran, who instantly translated, "He said thank you." I nodded as I sat down, finally realizing what he had been saying all this time. I had a cup of coffee cradled in my hand, and I sipped a bit of it as I leaned back in the large armchair.

Fran was sitting on the couch next to Legolas, who had his legs folded beneath him and was leaning against a pillow propped against the tall arm of the sofa. We were all silent, the only sound the chords of some random Celtic songs I'd just discovered I had today.

After I had taught Legolas about the plumbing, he had sifted through some of the CDs I owned, sometimes asking for me to play it so he could see what it was like. Fortunately, his ears didn't have to be beaten to death with awful rap (sorry for you people who like rap out there), as I had bands like Green Day, Good Charlotte, and some other alternative music, but I also had Kansas and Billy Joel. But Legolas had seemed attracted to the Celtic CD I didn't even know we had. Apparently the sound of it reminded him of his home and the music his native people created. When he first heard it, he had such a forlorn look on his face that I had to snap him out of it before the expression made me cry.

It was calming music, but we were all feeling anything but calm at the moment. We all knew why we were gathered in the living room: we were going to try and find out how Legolas had gotten here. The problem was, we didn't know how to start.

"Well," Fran said, shattering the silence that had chosen to reside within the room, "we should be talking, brainstorming, not sitting here listening to Irish music."

"Celtic," Legolas and I said at the same time. We glanced at each other and then looked away, small smiles on our faces. Fran raised an eyebrow as she looked back and forth between the two of us.

"Whatever," she replied. "The point is, we have to figure out what he's doing here." She gestured to Legolas, who looked down at his mug and began spinning it through his fingers. I exhaled loudly through my nostrils and leaned forward.

"Legolas, do you remember anything before…" I struggled to find the right way to phrase my thoughts, "…before you appeared here?" Legolas looked up at me, then let his eyes wander freely while he tried to backtrack his mind and recall. He bit his lip uncertainly.

"I remember that I was traveling…" he murmured, his brow furrowing in deep concentration. "I don't recall why or where I was going, but I know a storm hit when I was in the mountains….I was looking for shelter, and I found a deep cave. I remember thinking about going inside…but…anything else after that I do not remember." He looked honestly perplexed, and he stared down at his tea again, swirling the cup a few times distractedly. I heard the liquid slosh around the insides of the mug. "I'm not sure why I'm having such a memory lapse," he said suddenly, sounding confused and slightly frustrated at the same time. "Elves are normally able to remember even their first step or word, even if it is not in vivid detail. This is unusual that I should not remember."

I looked to Fran for conformation, and she nodded and said, "Elves have incredible memories, or at least, that was what Tolkien said. They were able to remember them as if it was the day before." Legolas was nodding even as she spoke, a deep frown on his face. I could almost hear the sounds of his brain whirring through memories and struggling to think of what could have happened earlier that day.

Wait, earlier that day?

Legolas had been here only a day and it seemed like forever. Amazing how times flies when you're dealing with what was supposed to be a fictional character being zapped through the space time continuum to modern day, huh?

"So…you can't remember the details of your trip?" I asked. "Not even the slightest bit of information?" Legolas looked truly lost, and he shook his head slowly, his eyes trained on the floor.

"Well, do you…do you think it was some sort of…" I rotated my hands in small circles, hoping to come up with the correct word, "…portal that Tolkien created in his world? Something Legolas could have fallen into?" Fran bit the inside of her cheek as she sifted through his tales.

"There's nothing that I can recall," she said slowly. "I…I guess I can look it up, though. There's no harm in at least trying." I nodded.

"Look stuff up on the internet," I suggested. "Maybe you'll…Legolas? What's wrong?" The elf had been growing increasingly agitated as Fran and I spoke, and he eventually lifted himself from his spot on the couch, his mug slamming onto the table. He began pacing the living room, his hands to his head, a deeply concentrated look upon his face. Fran and I watched him with growing concern.

"Legolas?"

"I…I almost have something," he muttered distractedly, and he suddenly stopped his frenzied pacing and stood still. Tremors shook his lithe frame, growing deeper with every second, and then…they stopped. He was utterly still, and I could have sworn he was just a statue. But then, his eyes snapped open and his head jerked up, and he loosed a ragged cry of what seemed to be pain. He stumbled backwards as if struck and hit the wall, where he slid down to the floor. Fran and I immediately leaped up and rushed to his side, me bounding over the back of the couch.

"Legolas," I said, taking his shoulder and giving it a small shake. His eyes fluttered open and he glanced at me and Fran hovering over him before groaning and shutting his eyes again. "Legolas, what happened?" I asked anxiously.

"I…I was trying to relocate the memory," he replied, his voice slightly muffled and tense. "It was working, and I…could almost see it, but then I saw a flashing light behind my eyelids…there was a spike of pain in my mind…something—something blocked me." I looked to Fran. She seemed to be just as confused as I was. Good thing I wasn't alone.

"What do you think happened?" I asked softly. Fran looked at me and shook her head, seeming frightened and deeply perplexed at the same time.

"My head…" Legolas moaned, holding it between his hands. I plucked at his sleeve, bringing him to his feet.

"I'll get you some medicine for it," I said, then turned to Fran. "You go to the computer and see if you can find all you can about portals or something in Tolkien's books." She nodded and went down the hallway as I took Legolas into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter, blinking as I flicked the overhead lights on. It seemed too bright for him, so I switched them back off and settled for the small light over the stove. I opened a cabinet and took out a bottle of Advil. I set two pills on the counter and grabbed him a glass of water.

When I turned back around, Legolas was holding the pills in his hand and surveying them cautiously. I handed him the water.

"You just swallow them," I instructed. "Don't chew. They'll help with your headache." He nodded. I expected a question of curiosity or something, after all, he'd been curious all day, but apparently he had too much of a migraine to care what the pills were made out of or how they worked. He threw them to the back of his throat and took a swig of water, seeming to have no trouble in getting them down. I was minimally shocked; surely there were no pills where he was from?

"How was that easy for you?" I asked, taking the glass he handed back to me. He smiled. For some reason, he looked more mysterious in the dark than in the light. The way the light behind him outlined his form gave him a shady effect, and his eyes almost seemed to glow. I was a bit busy contemplating this, so I almost missed the reply to his question.

"I used to come home injured all the time," he said. "I would have to swallow roots or leaves around that size without chewing them. Somehow the saliva would dull their healing abilities."

"Oh," I said. I watched as he leaned against the counter again, rubbing his face tiredly. "Would you like to go to sleep?" I asked him. When he nodded, I said, "You could take my bed."

"Nay," he replied, his voice already thick. "I would not take what is yours. I could sleep on the couch in the sitting room."

"I insist," I said, taking his arm. "You're the guest." He laughed at this. Then, I thought, was this the first time I heard him laugh? It was. It was so warm and joyful, it just made me want to smile in response.

"Not of my own free will," he joked. "Honestly, Kyla, I will be perfectly comfortable on the couch." He disengaged his arm from my grip. I bit my lip and shifted on my feet.

"Could…could I at least get you a blanket?" I asked, a bit timidly. Legolas smiled at me as he sat down on the couch.

"That would be nice," he said. I nodded and went into the hallway. As I went to the linen closet, I passed the computer room, where Fran was rapidly typing away, a concentrated look on her face. I entered and stepped over all the junk on the floor to bend over and read over her shoulder. She had Google up and was looking up all of Tolkien's books. She also had a bunch of "Lord of the Rings" sites up, obviously looking through them for information.

"Anything yet?" I asked. She sighed and clicked on a few links, at the same time shaking her head in disappointment.

"Nothing so far," she replied. "But the search has only just begun. I can do this all night." I patted her shoulder.

"Don't," I said. "I'd rather you get some sleep, at least. You have to go to work tomorrow." She shrugged her left shoulder carelessly, her eyes glued to the screen. She probably hadn't heard one work of my last statement. I shook my head and left the room, making a quick stop at the linen closet to take out some blankets. I went down the hallway and into the living room, where Legolas was stretched out on the couch, one arm flung over the edge of the sofa while the other rested lightly on his stomach. He seemed to already be asleep. I gently laid the blankets over him, then glanced at his face. His eyes were closed.

I cocked my head curiously. Didn't Fran say that elves slept with their eyes open? Hmm….I'd have to ask Legolas about it tomorrow. For tonight, I would let him sleep. He looked so innocent sleeping, I had to admit. There were no lines of worry or anxiety written in his face, and he didn't look so careworn. I reached out and gingerly touched his cheek with my fingertips. I don't know what made me do it; I just did. He didn't stir at all at my touch. I gazed at him one moment longer before withdrawing my hand and stepping away. I flicked the lights off before I went to my own room.

As I lay down in bed, I faintly heard Fran clacking away on the keyboard and hoped she might find some clue as to why we had a lost elven warrior staying in our house.

-----------------------

Sorry that was so short. 'Twill be better next time, I promise! Good ideas for next time. -taps head- It's all up here. Again, thank you ALL SO MUCH for the reviews; they really make my day! I'll be lookin' fer more! Ta!