Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Author's Note: Well here it is. The final chapter. I'm sorry it took so long to come up with, but I had to be truly inspired to get it written. It's probably the hardest chapter I've ever written. I just hope it meets everyone's expectations.

Fight For Possession

As Kellet drug Atavus into the cave they became aware of the screams of terror surrounding them. There were no fires lit in the cave and the only light surrounding them was that which came from the entrance. Kellet swung around facing the screams and he could barely see the outlines of large animals here and there. It was impossible to determine whether the screams were from his men or the captive elves. But Atavus' elflike eyesight could see the creatures decimating both humans and elves alike.

Atavus could feel something different though. Something she had only dared to hope to ever feel again. She could feel the spirits of the cave surrounding her, giving her hope and a renewed sense of strength as the missing part of her soul fought to rejoin the human form that was returned to it.

Atavus knew she would have but one chance to survive and just possibly save a few of the other captives. She could tell that Kellet was frightened. She could almost smell it. She turned ever so slightly even as the dagger bit into her skin and whispered to Kellet. "You're gonna die, human."

Kellet jumped slightly and Atavus felt the dagger dig into the soft flesh of her neck, but it was only a flesh wound. He did not respond. "You're cutting me. They can smell the blood." She whispered again.

His hand immediately flew away from her throat, and it was the opportunity she was waiting for. She stepped down hard on his foot and in his surprise grabbed his hand and bending forward threw the much larger man over her shoulder. He landed with a thud and a warg was upon him immediately. Atavus slipped silently around the animal knowing their sight was not as acute as her own and the elves. She slipped through the attacking animals seeing that a few of the other elves had done the same. They were grouped together at the back of the cave, unfortunately with nowhere else to turn.

Then Atavus saw what she was looking for. She plucked the short sword from the dead body of one of the men and then turned to the nearest beast. She was the only one who was able to arm herself, and she could see that the men had not managed to kill any of the six beasts that were gorging themselves on both elf and human flesh.

She was an excellent warrior but never could she hope to defeat six wargs. But even as she knew she would most likely die that day she felt the energy surging through her again as she fought the animals surrounding her and the only way she could describe the feeling was pure elation. She was herself again. Her friends and loved ones were safe, and she was fighting again.

Haldir entered the cave entrance clutching a sword he had pulled from the dead body of a human. He did not feel the utter elation that Atavus did. His soul was not possessed by the cave itself, but by the Dark Valar Melkor. Being in the cave brought him no relief. It only brought him closer to his destiny, which could only bring pain and death.

He could see as well as the other elves, and could see Atavus fighting towards the rear of the cave trying to protect the four elves that still lived. He quickly counted the dead bodies of elves and realized that if just one more of the elves were to fall Melkor would have enough souls, enough blood to pass to this realm. That could not happen. So with a ferocity he did not know he possessed he pushed into the fight slicing at the nearest warg.

Before long he had made his way to stand next to Atavus. They had killed three of the beasts and the fourth was lying to the side wounded. He glanced over his shoulder to the four elves huddled in the corner. He could see now that they were little more than children, and they were frightened. "Go." He yelled to them motioning to the cave entrance. "We will distract them."

Even as he dealt the killing blow to the warg attacking him Haldir's face lit in an original smile as he saw the last of the elves disappear through the cave entrance. It wasn't long before Atavus too stood over the dead warg who she was fighting.

Haldir made his way to where Atavus was standing catching her breath after the battle. He could see that she was uninjured. He looked at the blood soaked sword in his hand and then tossed it across the cave, hating the site of the blood, just as much as he hated the cave they stood in. He stood before her, and she could still see the battle raging behind his eyes. "For some reason I thought stopping the massacre would relieve some of the despair I was feeling." He said rubbing his temple. The angry words of Melkor were running over and over in his mind. He had displeased the Dark Valar greatly.

"Haldir, Celebrían's shadow that resides here told me that her true form in Valinor was healed and at peace. I have to believe that the same can be true for you." Atavus suggested placing one hand upon his shoulder. "And once this place is destroyed, Melkor can never possess anyone again."

"I wish I could believe it was possible. To be whole again…" He said sighing heavily. "But will the Valar even allow me in Valinor after all that has transpired?"

Atavus could not answer that question. She wasn't even sure if the throwbacks like her would be allowed to enter Valinor. But she prayed to any of the Valar that listened to allow Haldir to enter there. He needed the healing powers of Estë. "Come, Haldir of Lorien. There is only one way to find out." She said giving him a bright smile.

She watched as a smile crossed his face also, but in the next moment that smile turned into a look of horror. He reached out grabbing her and swinging her around so their positions were exchanged. She could see the warg that they had left wounded, heading right for them. In the instant before the animal dug it's claws into Haldir's back Atavus wrapped her sword arm around his side and raised her sword burying in the animal's stomach. As the warg fell to the floor Atavus let loose of her sword and grasped Haldir to her as he also began to fall.

She sunk to her knees clutching him to her as he crumpled. She looked into his eyes and could see the pain evident there. "Oh, Ilúvatar why?" She whispered.

But he had had no choice. Unarmed, and without any time to react otherwise he had done the only thing he possibly could to save her.

Atavus pulled one hand away from his back and could see it was covered in his blood. The wargs claws had dug deep. Too deep.

Haldir smiled ruefully, but then ahought occurred that made him frown. "Drag me from the cave, Atavus." He said in a hoarse whisper.

"What?" She didn't understand the request.

"I can not die in here. If I do, he will use me to cross over. You must remove me from this place before I die." He pleaded with her desperately.

Atavus heard his words and felt the pain it caused when he spoke of dying. She could not allow that to happen. "You are not dying today, mellon-nin." She whispered. She could see the argument before he began to speak again and stopped it with her words. "Do you trust me?" She asked urgently feeling his life's blood pouring through her fingers.

He looked into her eyes and saw the intense look of determination there. "Yes." He finally answered.

"Good." She said nodding. He had crumpled kneeling before her and she pulled him to her so he leaned against her freeing her hands to move. She grasped the sword from the warg body behind him and used the sharp edge to slice first one palm and then the other. Normally her healing ability would only cure poisoning, but she knew what she intended was possible. She had exchanged untainted blood with Legolas so many years before. She knew how to manipulate the blood better now, and would be able to force her own healing blood into him, without taking anything away.

She clamped both her hands on the two wounds that covered most of his shoulder blades and closed her eyes as she concentrated on the process forcing her own blood into his body. As her blood poured into his body the ethereal part of her soul that she was able to explore with searched for his own soul. She found it easily and was devastated to see how dim it was. She knew it was not the blood loss that had darkened his soul such. It was the influence of the Dark Valar, Melkor. If only she could heal his soul as her blood would heal his body.

She knew the fight to heal his body, might not work. He had lost so much blood, but she could sense it as his wounds began to close. But he was far from saved yet. The ethereal part of her soul stayed close to his own whispering words of encouragement.

But then just as suddenly as the healing had begun, Atavus felt a force pushing against her stopping the healing process and reversing it. She felt the first icy tendrils of another presence inside him. A presence that sent fear soaring through Atavus' soul. Melkor was fighting her efforts to save him. He was attempting to cross the threshold between the void and Middle-Earth using Haldir's broken and bloodied body to do so.

"No!" Atavus' soul screamed in rage. Her soul whispered to Haldir's in a last attempt to stop the unspeakable. "Mellon-nin. Please you must help me fight him. You must fight."

Her soul could feel the presence of the dark soul approaching quickly and she could also feel the second half of Haldir's soul soaring with it wanting desperately to rejoin its lost half. At the moment that the evil soul brushed passed hers she could also feel as the two halves of Haldir's soul joined together. It was as if a bright light sparked inside them, for Atavus was no longer sure where he ended and she began. But the light was quickly encompassed by the darkness that was Melkor. At that moment Atavus knew how Melkor intended to enter the world. He would possess the body and soul of the Elf he had been tormenting for so long.

Haldir had also realized the Dark Valar's plans at about the same time Atavus had. It was as if they shared their thoughts. "Atavus, let me go. Let this body die. Without a body, he will not be as strong." The voice of Haldir coursed through her mind. But she knew he had misunderstood the Valar's plans.

"No." She said in his mind. "He wants you to die. If your body dies your soul will vacate it. Then he is free to possess your body, without a fight. Your body and soul must part for his evil curse to work."

She was working furiously to keep the healing process moving, knowing she must not let his body die. "Do you trust me?" Her voice echoed in his mind. She knew the Valar could not hear her thoughts. She had learned to block her thoughts and control who could hear them long before she even knew what she was doing, and she was also sure that the Valar wasn't even aware of her presence. The dark soul had only briefly brushed past hers going immediately to attack Haldir's soul.

"Yes." His words echoed in her mind. She could hear how weak he was becoming trying to force the evil soul away from his.

Atavus concentrated on weakening the healing process to barely a trickle, knowing it would just barely keep him alive. Then she concentrated hard upon drawing his soul towards hers as she receded back into her own body, pulling his soul along with hers. She could feel the panic within him as he was pulled from his own body.

But she could also feel the sudden confusion coming from the dark soul of Melkor. The Valar knew that the soul had vacated the body, but for some reason he was unable to control the body he now possessed. And just as suddenly as she had diminished the healing process she increased it. "Now watch, mellon." She whispered. "He can feel the body becoming stronger, but it never died. He cannot possess it because it never died. The curse he made to stage this little return has not been fulfilled. You still live, and your soul is safe here inside of me."

They listened for what seemed like forever as the Dark Valar raged at not being able to control the body. All the while Atavus kept the connection between their bodies open as their blood flowed from one body to the other. "The next step is yours." She whispered through his mind. "He is weakening. His soul is in confusion. You must fight for your body now. It is completely healed now, as is your soul."

"Will you stay with me?" His voice whispered in fear.

"I will not leave you." She answered.

Then the true battle for Haldir's soul began. As the two souls, one light and one dark, fought for dominance inside the body, Atavus' soul stayed near offering words of encouragement to her friend. But soon she began to sense something else invading the body. There were other souls, souls of light surrounding them, pushing in on the dark soul of Melkor. Atavus found herself surrounded by a very familiar soul. "He is very brave to fight the Dark One." Came the voice of Celebrían.

Atavus smiled realizing what the elleth was doing. She had convinced the other souls to band together to force the evil soul from the body. And under the threat of insurmountable odds the Dark One did recede in defeat. Celebrían and the other souls immediately left Haldir's body leaving only Haldir and Atavus behind. Atavus could sense how drained the elf was from the battle. But he was whole again. Reluctantly she pulled back into herself and knew she would miss their connection when it was gone.

Atavus' eyes opened and she could feel Haldir's steady breathing as she clutched his body to her own for a moment more and then hesitantly pulled her hands away letting him sit back to stare at her. After sharing their thoughts for who knew how long it seemed eerily quiet in the dark cave. But no words were said as they helped each other stand and move towards the cave entrance.

Atavus knew they would most likely feel the oppression of the cave when they left as she had before, but for some odd reason it was greatly decreased. Nothing was said to the others of what had happened inside the cave. Hugs were exchanged between friends and Gimli set out to instruct the survivors on how to rig the cave to collapse.

Atavus and Haldir stood side by side with their shoulders slightly touching as the final boulder was pried loose that would bring the cave crashing in upon itself. As the cave was buried in tons of rock and dirt a sigh of relief escaped both their lips. The oppression that had swamped them seemed to lift and they turned to each other sharing a knowing smile.

Haldir began to open his mouth to somehow express his gratitude to the woman who had saved his very soul, but Atavus placed one finger on his lips. "We saved each other, mellon-nin."

He nodded understanding her words. He took her hand in his and said the words he had ached to say since his resurrection months before. "I want to go home."

Atavus understood his meaning better than any could. "I wonder if the sea longing affects Throwbacks, for I would love to accompany you to the Grey Havens, Mellon?"

The End For Now
Author's Note: So what do you think. Too complicated? Too far out there? Am I just nuts? All comments are greatly appreciated and I will reply to all signed reviews.

And before anyone asks, yes there will be more Atavus stories. But I don't see myself starting another too soon. But please keep an eye on your Author Alerts, because you never know when that Lotr bug will hit me again.