A/N: Hey, everybody! I'm SO sorry that this is so short, but I've had a little trouble with the quantity of homework, and, for some reason, my mind has not been my writing at all. I swear, I could not write anything for a while, which is a record for me. Again, I'm so sorry that this is so short, and I'll hopefully have more to supply next time. I have so many ideas for this story and a lot to get down...:oD

Also, this chapter is a little more broken down than the others. It has a lot of sections. On that note, I'll let you read on!

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Disclaimer: It's not mine...that's it. Deal with it.

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ch.9

"It's not poison," I laughed, taking a sip out of my cup. Legolas raised and eyebrow and stared down at his coffee, inhaling the steam that rose into the air. I had gotten him de-caf at a warning from Fran earlier that morning.

"Keep an eye on him," she whispered to me, glancing over my shoulder to where Legolas was seated at the counter, eating his breakfast. "Elves have a lot of energy. If you give him anything with sugar or caffeine in it, he'll be bouncing off the sides of skyscrapers." I heeded her advice. She did know more than I did, after all.

Legolas took a tentative sip of his coffee and seemed to like it, for he took another. "Not bad," he said to me, and that was a good enough answer. We were walking down a busy street, taking our time. It was a pretty nice day, and a lot of people were outside, walking past us on the sidewalk. Occasionally, Legolas would ask me a question about something we passed or anything that confused him. I answered as best I could. Just as Legolas didn't know everything about forests and trees, I didn't know everything about cities. It was either that, or I couldn't find a way to explain it, but that rarely ever happened.

After we finished our coffee, I took him into a CD store. There we explored the different types of music on sale, from classical to country. It was fun, actually, and Legolas was great company. Believe it or not, but he liked the alternative rock he got a sample of.

We came to a small section where they sold DVDs, and we browsed through the movies. I was marveling at the fact that the store had "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" and "Mary Poppins" (I mean, I don't really see that anymore) when a sudden movement from Legolas caught my attention. He'd seen the "Lord of the Rings" movie on the shelf and had grabbed it from its spot, staring at the cover intently and reading the summary on the back. I slowly moved over, and he handed me the DVD after a few seconds.

"That has not occurred yet," he whispered, his eyes actually fearful as he gazed at the movie in my hands. "The Ring of Power still has yet to be found in my home. But…whatever happens, apparently I am to be a part of it." I nodded and silently placed the DVD back to its original spot.

"We have the movie at home," I told him. "Would you like to watch it tonight? So you could know what's going to happen." He paused a moment, thinking over the offer, but then, to my surprise, he shook his head.

"Nay," he said. "If I am to know what happens, I will wait for the moment to come to me, not the other way around." I accepted his decision, thinking his choice both wise and foolish at the same time, and, after buying a CD of Green Day, we exited the store. I looked at the song listing on the back of the CD as we made our way through the city streets, Legolas walking beside me.

"You like their music?" he asked suddenly, observing me. I let out a laugh and placed the CD back into the bag.

"'Like'? No, I love them," I replied. "They've been around since nearly 1994, but they weren't really that big until recently."

"Really?" he asked. "How come?"

"No one was really aware of them being there," I said. "Then they came out with the song 'American Idiot', and suddenly everyone loved them. But I've been loving them since before 'American Idiot'." We crossed a few more streets, me looking for someplace to take Legolas while he simply absorbed everything going on around him. Suddenly I pulled on his hand.

"In here," I said, smiling, and I led him across the street and into the large gray building standing on the corner.

Legolas cocked his head.

I squinted.

"Do you see anything yet?"

"Not yet."

We both stared intently at the painting hanging on the wall in front of us, trying to find a picture in the swirling mass of colors. So far, we'd seen all sorts of things in the art gallery, and Legolas was fascinated by just about everything.

"My people have a very different art style than yours," he explained to me as we made our way through the large bare rooms. He then told me all about the artistic culture of the elves and what they used to express themselves.

"Have you ever been able to create art?" I asked, and I got a laugh in response.

"Me? No, never. The only thing I've ever done that's related to art would be the small sketches I did while in my lessons when I was much younger," he said.

"Well, then what do you do to express yourself?" I asked him. He ruminated over the question a bit, glancing at some of the paintings we passed.

"I'm a warrior," he finally answered. "I express myself through the uses of weapons."

"A little violent, don't you think?" I joked. He smiled and shook his head, at the same time rolling his sapphire eyes.

"No, it really isn't, not when you're simply sparring with another person," he said. "It's like a dance, almost. You become aware of every part of your body and simply try and use them to your advantage."

"I should like to see you wield a weapon," I said, trying to imagine what he was telling me. He smirked.

"Do you happen to have a bow or a set of long knives on you?" he asked, and held his hand out, as if expecting me to place something in it. I laughed and slapped his palm.

"You know I don't," I answered.

After the art gallery, we visited a museum, and Legolas was equally intrigued with that, if not more. We explored every nook and cranny of the museum. Legolas especially liked the section with dinosaur bones in it. We spent the most time in those three rooms, reading the facts about the prehistoric animals and gazing at the massive bones.

"Sometimes it's odd," Legolas murmured as he gazed at the massive head and bill of a triceratops. "Looking at skeletons and bones of things long dead, and you can only wonder what they might have looked like or how they might have acted." I raised my eyebrows at this idea of philosophy and followed his gaze. Legolas then shrugged. "Plus, it's awfully strange how your people find it fit to assemble the skeletons of dead animals and put them on display. Kind of creepy, actually."

He then moved on to another exhibit. I stared after him, bemused, and it was then I thought that I might never understand the complex layers of his being. Choosing to ignore it, I followed him.

And…this is where the horrible part comes. Legolas and I were looking through the scientific part of the museum when a gaggle of seventh grade girls went shuffling past. Like I said, Legolas really didn't look like Orlando Bloom at all, but he looked enough like the actor to set those stupid girls off.

Imagine this: you're in a world you don't fully understand yet, you're trying to adjust and get used to the new things…and some of the natives completely attack you.

Some of those girls even shrieked—and I mean shrieked—and instantly they were on his arms, crowding around him, jumping up and down, asking for an autograph…the real deal. And poor Legolas tried to be calm and ride it out, but I could tell how scared he was with all the body contact and sudden excitement. He met my eyes over the small crowd, and I saw the uncertainty, along with a silent plea for help. That frightened look was all it took to get me angry at those retarded girls.

I quickly pushed through them, ignoring the indignant shouts and heated glares I was getting for it, and grabbed his arm. Blocking him from the girls, I began pulling him out. I felt like a superhero saving a victim from deadly quicksand—quicksand that honestly would not shut up.

I strode swiftly for the front door, hauling Legolas after me, who was sending a glance of gratitude in my direction. I thought we were home free…but then the girls started chasing after us, the leeches! The lows a fangirl will sink just to get a measly autograph! I was forced to quicken our pace, and we left the building, zipping through the crowds on the side of the street. I didn't hear any more of those bloodthirsty girls, but I didn't stop until we were a safe distance away.

I halted when we reached a relatively quiet place, far away from the museum. I turned to Legolas, whose arm was still in my grasp. "Are you alright?" I asked concernedly. He nodded, but then, without warning, he simply wilted and slammed his back against the nearby wall, knocking his head painfully on the brick. "Legolas?" I asked instantly, gripping his arm tighter.

"I'm sorry…I'm…not used to that," he said, and I could tell he was trying to slow his breathing. "That…that was scarier than…I-I think I would like to return to your apartment now." I didn't argue. The poor guy was shaking like a blade of grass in a strong gale.

"Of course, Legolas," I replied, and I took his hand to lead him back home.

"Hey, y'all!" Fran said cheerfully as she came through the door, placing a thick southern accent over her voice. (What a dork.) "How is everyone?" Her smile fell when she saw Legolas sitting at the kitchen counter, hunched over a cup of tea I'd made for him. His face was still pale and his fingers trembled slightly in the aftermath of his fright with the girls at the museum.

"Is there something wrong?" Fran asked, glancing at me.

"Girls," I replied curtly, and that was really all I needed to say. Her eyes widened incredulously and she looked again at the elf in the kitchen, her face sympathetic.

"Really?" she breathed. "But…her hardly even looks like him!"

"Apparently he looked like Orlando enough," I said, "Enough, at least, to set them off."

"I'm guessing he didn't take it well?" Fran asked.

"Oh, God, he was just about traumatized," I said, sinking onto the couch. "Imagine being mobbed in a world you barely know! We shouldn't take him out for a little while."

Fran nodded, hardly listening to me, then walked into the kitchen. She placed a hand on Legolas' arm, and he nearly flinched through the ceiling. "Hey," she whispered. "You're alright?" He smiled weakly and nodded.

"I'll be fine in a few more minutes," he replied. "Thanks anyway. It was just…surprising. I had no idea that would happen. It just sort of slammed into me at the most unexpected moment."

"I can't say I understand," Fran said, squeezing his shoulder in empathy, "but I can grasp at least a feeling of what you're talking about. I'm sorry this had to happen, especially to you." He shook his head.

"Like I said, I'm alright," he murmured. "I certainly won't die."

"Well, that's good," Fran said, smiling. "I haven't got a chance to really know you yet!"

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I'm not too satisfied with this chapter. I didn't let out the "full writer" in me. It seems a little bland to me. -puts hand to heart- I promise, O Faithful Readers, I will either delete anything that I don't find meets the standards from now on and rewrite it. But this chapter will have to do. I still gots stuff to take care of.

P.S.- I decided to add the fangirls in there at the last minute. A lot of you were reviewing, saying how you thought the fangirls would act. -shrug- I hope it was satisfying enough.

Reviews please!