Author's Note: If you liked this at all, or think it can be improved, please let me know! And yes, it's short – but at least it's written!
Warning: slight fluff content. Erestor should pop up in the next chapter.
And yes, "Departures" can be read after this.
Disclaimer: All Tolkien's. I'm just having fun.

Celebrian looked at Elrond. He was curled up on a chair, with a copy of Of Tuor & Idril: Part III clutched to his chest. He was staring up at the ceiling, moving his lips soundlessly. (Lord Elrond was wondering if Mandos were open to bribery. Based on empirical evidence, the answer would appear to be in the negative.)

"Um, lord Elrond?" she asked.

"What?" he replied. Elrond was currently very happy with himself for maintaining a calm front.

"Why were you reading out loud?" Celebrian asked. She wondered if she could manage to carry off the naivete that usually worked on her mother. Apparently, Lord Elrond was not the only one whom the Valar were ignoring that night.

Elrond didn't like telling lies. However, he somehow felt that the whole truth would not serve in this instance either.

"Because I enjoy it."

"Why did you stop?"

Elrond didn't say anything. He was starting to wonder if Lady Celebrian were truly as stupid as she seemed. He gave her a Look. Elrond was getting very proud of his Looks. He had learnt how to do them from Gil-Galad.

Lady Celebrian looked down, and blushed. "I'm sorry I bothered you," she said. "But I couldn't sleep, so I came to your library to try and find something to read – and you do read well, by the way – and -" she was becoming more and more flustered as she spoke.

"I really didn't mean to embarrass you at all. And then when I came in I was enjoying it – you read very well, and, um wouldyoumindcontinuingandcanIreadtoo?"

Lord Elrond wondered if he wanted to. He liked to read to himself. And he hadn't liked Celebrian very much when he first met her. Most of their conversations had either bored or offended him. And he didn't want to think about what would happen if Galadriel found out. (You were meeting with my daughter? In your library? In the middle of the night? And the two of you were wearing what?)

But he was part maia. And although he didn't have Galadriel's ability to read beings' minds, he had a much rarer gift: he could read beings' hearts. He didn't always remember to use it, and it wasn't as strong as he would have liked it to be, but tonight it worked.

What he read that night is unknown, but the result of this information is.

He smiled, and said, "would you like to read along with me?"

And Celebrian perched on the arm of his chair, and started reading the part of Idril.