Disclaimer:...what a shock I do own some! Wow! Elrodai, Aragor, Arador, and Aradhed are my creations, mostly Aragorn's ancestors but meh.

WARNING - MPREG

A/N Elrond may seem a little OOC but it is necessary for the storyline to work.

Summary: Elrohir is pregnant, refusing to reveal the other father for reason's unknown reasons and so, 2 weeks after the birth, he takes his son and flees...

As Time Goes By

Chapter 7

"Happy birthday!" the loud chorus brought a very large smile to the 10 year old Prince's face. He laughed and ran to his father who was holding out a wrapped gift for him to open.

"Thank you papa," he cried, "I thought everybody had forgotten!" He tore off the paper and found his very first dagger, blunted to make sure no harm came to him.

"How could we forget you're birthday son?" the Queen asked, rubbing her stomach to try and sooth the baby within. Elrohir kissed the little boys hair before handing him a rather...obviously shaped wrapped gift.

"It can't be..." Arathorn whispered before pulling off the paper and bringing out the bow. Nearly everyone gasped. Elrohir himself had made the bow of the finest wood he could find, mixing both elven and human styles of bow and designs upon the bow. It truly was a beautiful thing to be seen. "Uncle 'Ro..."

"I thought you'd like it, it'll help when you start you're training with me and the guard," Elrohir smiled, ruffling the boys hair before letting his own son Elrodai and his husband foreward with their gifts.

"Training?" Arathorn asked in wonder. Once Elrohir and his father had nodded he took the gift from Elrodai and found a matching quiver to the bow. "Thank you Uncle Dai."

"You're welcome little one," Elrodai also ruffled the boys hair as Aradhed gave him a slightly softer package. Arathorn frowned as he opened it slowly as it obviously wasn't a weapon. What it was a miniature version of the archer's uniform and another of the guards uniform.

"Wow," Arathorn breathed, staring at his realest Uncle who grinned and hugged him.

"I knew you'd like them."

"I love them, thank you Uncle!" He got more prescents, none quite so grand as the rest until a servant came foreword, bearing a pillow covered with a velvet cloth. Slowly he took it off to reveal a small sword with a silver hilt. "Oh father..."

"I know my son, I know."

"Come back soon my husband, I will miss you, the bed will be cold without tou," Elrodai murmered against Aradhed lips. The human caught the soft lips in a heated kiss before speaking,

"I will hurry as fast as my duties permit."

"Then I shall look to the horizon for you everyday," Elrodai whispered.

"And I will look towards the city and think of you and it will give me comfort, even when I miss you most the thought of you will give me comfort," Aradhed moaned but was silence by another, longer kiss. And a few paces away Elrohir smiled as he watched his sons passionate goodbye, if only he himself could have had a husband like Aradhed...not just a lover who wouldn't disobey their people for his love.

Arathorn was a quick study in the various arts of fighting, being taught by the head of the guards and his two elven protecters. His archery was however a weak spot, often resulted in getting him upset or angry...like now.

"I just cant hit the middle, it's not fair!" he cried angrily, throwing the bow away from him.

"You need to be patient, it will take time," Elrohir told the boy kindly, smoothing back his hair from his forehead. "It took me years to learn to hit the bullseye."

"Years! But I want to be good at it now!" the little boy cried angrily.

"Ah but young Prince, the art of the bow takes time. Now aim again and I shall see if I can discover the reason that your aim is off," Elrohir said to the boy as Elrodai handed the bow over.

It had gone wrong, the mission had gone so terribly wrong and now here he was, lying in a clearing, dying. His wounds were deep and painful and he was alone, so alone. He longed to be in the loving arms of his husband at this, his last few moments but at least with him in Gondor he knew he was safe, alive.

"Elrodai..." he breathed, the last few things to ever leave his lips, a smile gracing his face in much the same way his father had when he had passed on, "I love you..."

"Aradhed! No! Aradhed!" He could see it, the ambush, the fight, the clearing, the blood, everything. He did not know how but he was watching his husbands last few moments. "No! Not my husband! Aradhed!"

"Dai, Dai what is wrong?" Elrohir asked worriedly, fightened by his sons trance like state and his screams. He had been adjusting Arathorn's arms when it had started, Elrodai callin out "No!" before going like he was now.

"Aradhed! Oh Valar please do not take him! Please don't let my husband die alone! ARADHED!" And with that final tormented scream Elrodai collapsed to the floor, sobbing into his hands.

"Arathorn, go and ask you're father to send a healer with a sleeping draught to Elrodai's chambers while I get him there," Elrohir ordered, worry evident in his voice as he took Elrodai in his arms gently. The terrified Prince nodded before runnig off, the bow clutched tightly in his arms.

"Aradhed..."

Elrodai did not leave his room for days and when he did it was only because they had brought his husbands body back and he wished to say farewell before he was bueried. He was in the room for an hour alone with the body but Elrohir saw him when he emerged, his cheeks stained red and in his hands a lock of Aradhed's hair.

"The pain will lessen Elrodai," he told his son later that evening as he held him while he cried. Elrodai didn't speak, couldn't speak. "It will never go away, I still long for and miss you father but the pain does lessen."

"But how long? How long will I feel like my whole world is crumbling? How long will it take for my heart to stop breaking?" Elrodai asked painfully. Elrohir had no answer for that, he could only hold his son closer, terrified that if Elrodai continued like this he would fade.

"My son, there is nothing I can say, nothing I can do that will ease your pain. All I can do is be here, be here for you as I alway's will be. I must beg you however not to leave me," Elrohir said sadly, his own tears beginning to mingle with his sons. "Do not fade away from me."

"I will try Ada, I will try."

"Uncle Dai?" a little voice asked from the door to his room and the Prince entered slowly. Elrohir smiled at the boy and pulled him onto his lap so that Elrodai, who was now quite sick, to see the boy. "Uncle Dai I missed you at practise today, the man whose teaching me your things now is mean. He shout's all the time when I get it wrong. When are you coming back?"

"As soon as I'm well," Elrodai said weakly.

"Daddy says you're not going to get well," Arathorn said sulkily. "He says you're fading and I don't know what that means but it's mean of you to leave me with the new teacher."

"I'm not fading."

"You are! Elves don't get sick, you told me that AGES ago and now you're sick. They're saying that elves only get sick when they fade and when they fade they die."

"I-"

"I miss Uncle Aradhed too but I'm not fading am I?"

"Arathorn, don't be so harsh on Elrodai. Why don't you come and show me what you learned today," Elrohir kept the boy in his arms as he stood, holding him easily. "I will return later Elrodai." Elrodai was silent, thinking, worrying, was he really fading, was he really being that selfish?

A/N Only 6 more chapters to go...