Disclaimer: I do not own Lord of the Rings.

Summary: See previous chapters.

A/N – The timeline in my Lord of the Rings trilogy states that Boromir was around forty during the Fellowship and War of the Ring. However, the House of the Stewards is related to the Line of Elendil and therefore contains a trace of the blood of Numenor. This means that those of said House would live longer and age slower than ordinary people so I have put Boromir and Faramir's appearance at about a decade or so younger than their age. In actual age, Boromir is in his Mid-Fifties and Faramir is five years younger than Boromir.

A/N#2 - This chapter has some implied naughtiness near the end. If the kind of chatter heard at a girl's night out concerning their love lives offends you, please skip over that part.

Now that we have cleared that up, I present to you…

Chapter Eight

More bad news was to come, however, at dinner that night.

Sometimes Natasha really hated that her brothers, Aragorn, Merry and Pippin had such long memories. Boromir and Faramir had few secrets from each other and Boromir, Aragorn, Merry and Pippin had all met Natasha's sisters in the past. Therefore, It was to be expected that they would not react in the best of ways when they found out about their presence in the Riddermark.

They had not, which resulted in hostile glares being exchanged between Natasha's former family and adopted family.

Natasha had taken Arwen and Eowyn aside at the first possible opportunity and explained matters beforehand, in the hopes that they could help keep things under control.

When Eowyn had encountered Alice and Sarah the first time, they had gotten off on the wrong foot when Natasha's siblings had dragged her into the middle of a argument and caused the already stressed then-eighteen year old to have a nervous breakdown and run into the forest so that she could do so in private.

Eowyn had followed her, angry that Natasha's sisters would not do so, and afterwards suggested that Alice and Sarah be left behind at the gates of Isenguard. Following that, the relationship had not improved past tolerating each other's presence.

Now, after hearing the story, she was more than willing to do something of the same nature as before. Arwen and Natasha had talked her out of it, claiming that it would only cause more trouble if they were left to their own devices.

Eowyn had been disappointed, but had quickly brightened at Laer's suggestion that she stay with them at all times. Of course, Laer would be in top Mary-Sue form, perfect to the point of having people want to strangle one out of sheer annoyance.

Alice had the feeling that someone up there was laughing at and/or had it in for her.

That, or she had committed some unpardonable sin in a previous life and it was coming back to haunt her with a vengeance.

She was sitting in the Dining hall of Edoras, accompanied by her older sister, her half-brother, her other older sister's ex and a young woman that she really, really wanted to hit.

Alice couldn't exactly explain why she wanted to hit the newcomer, which only made her more annoyed. Something about the young woman just grated on her nerves. She was so… so… perfect, for lack of a better description.

Alice looked up at the head table, trying to keep her mind off the annoying woman, Laer, who seemed to enjoy the effect she was having. Her eyes fell upon her eldest sister, who sat beside the king. Alice still found it hard to believe the claims that they were married, regardless of the obvious way Natasha and King Eomer felt about each other.

This was going to take a lot of getting used to, she decided, seeing Natasha turn to the people on her other side; an old man and a younger man who looked around forty in appearance.

Perhaps these were some of the family that had adopted Natasha in this world. They both looked at her with love and affection; the old man as one would view a favourite daughter and the younger one with the faintly protective air of an older sibling for a younger one.

Ryan also watched the table, seeing Natasha lean her head slightly toward the king and murmur something. His eyed narrowed in jealousy as her responded in a similar fashion, brushing a kiss over her hand and giving her a mischievous grin, to which she retaliated with a soft smile of fond exasperation that Ryan had never seen directed at anyone except him.

It had always been Natasha's main way of showing affection. Little things, like a soft touch of her hand or a brief glance. The slight softening of her eyes and a faint smile. It would seem that this King Eomer was much the same, unless it was only for public appearances. The scene that morning provided a fair indicator that restraint did not seem to be one of the man's greater virtues.

Well on the bright side, Natasha could try out her more elaborate hairstyles and outfits without getting funny looks from everyone. Today was a long white dress that showed off a fair amount of cleavage, hair pulled back at the sides and pinned away from her face with several tiny plaits scattered through the rest of her loose hair.

Sarah watched her sister, wondering what had happened to her. She supposed it had something to do with Natasha's sense of the appropriate, but she still found it hard to link her once so assertive twin with the demure Queen who sat gracefully at the head table. Sarah had always likened Tolkien's world as something akin to the Middle Ages. Outwardly, Natasha showed what was considered properly submissive, but Sarah could not bring herself to believe that her sister would marry someone who could suppress her assertive nature like that. Perhaps the calm serenity and submissiveness was only a mask, for her twin's eyes still burned with the fire that had always been a part of her.

Laer was enjoying herself. The obvious frustration on Alice's face and her attempts to resist killing Laer were just too amusing. She returned to dreamily staring at the head table. The reformed Mary-Sue had meant what she told Boromir at their introduction; she did find it impossible to look at Eomer without imagining Natasha at his side, but she envied the obvious love that they shared. Speaking of Natasha, Laer's respect for the Queen grew by the day. It said a lot for her character that the Lady of the Riddermark had not had her killed on sight, but listened to what she had to say, accepting her as an ally and charge until the whole dilemma was resolved.

Laer had no idea how she put up with her oldest brother, though. Boromir was rude, arrogant, self-centred, stubborn, incredibly hot… whoa, whoa, whoa! Where in the nine hells had that come from? People fell for Mary-Sues; it was against standard protocol that a Mary-Sue fell for someone else! Besides, she hated Boromir and she was fairly sure that the feeling was mutual. It would never work between them, no matter how cute he was.

Sitting next to her brother, Eowyn allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction. Natasha's sisters, half-brother and ex-boyfriend were suffering beneath Laer's perfection; Her sister-in-law (on both sides) and best friend was back where she belonged; the Mary-Sues were at least temporarily absent; there was a lovely sunset out the window and her normally far-to-serious husband was laughing, which promised interesting things later behind closed doors.

All was right with the world.

Eomer looked to the side. He knew that is was slightly irrational, but with Saruman's attempt to send Natasha back to her old world and what Laer had told them of the Mary-Sue's plans, he wanted to make sure that she was there.

Eomer had no delusions that his wife was unaware of what he was doing, but she showed no objections, and even seemed to appreciate it. That was one of the best things about her, in his opinion. Eomer freely admitted that he was not perfect, and would sometimes rush into things. Natasha had always provided a calming influence in such matters, offering a solution that did not involve ultimatums. He often wondered where she had learnt politics and diplomacy. Surely childcare had not taught her that.

When Natasha had leaned toward him to murmur that she had plans for the night and she would show a complete lack of sympathy if he woke with a hangover, he acknowledged her threat, knowing from experience that his wife would be merciless the next morning. He shot her a suggestive grin at the mention of 'plans' to which she replied with a loving smile and a look of fond exasperation.

Natasha surveyed the hall. No doubt remained in her mind; this was where she belonged. Perhaps that was part of the reason she had been sent back. Perhaps she had had to experience the alternate possibility to know where she belonged. Either way, it no longer mattered. She could not imagine life without her husband and children. She shivered at the idea of what would have happened if she had stayed in her old world. She would never have seen Eomer again. If her parents found out her children's true identity, there would have been hell to pay and they would have probably made her give them up. Besides, it was not like she had no family. She had a father and two brothers. She had a husband and four children. Also, in Middle-Earth she could be the part of herself that 'polite society' always dictated against. She did not have to always be strong to make her way in the world, quite the contrary, her gentle, retiring nature was considered a desirable trait. Even if her strange sense of humour and willingness to voice her opinions and stand up for herself when necessary was thought strange, her overall behaviour was thought to be properly submissive. In Middle-Earth, Natasha did not have to hide her love of things that her old world considered 'medieval'.

Yes, here was where she belonged and here she would always stay.

Later, in the Royal family's living quarters, an informal meeting was being held in order to decide what was to be done about Laer and Natasha's family and ex-beau.

"Well, if we knew what spell Saruman used to bring me into this world in the first place, perhaps we could find some way to reverse it, leaving me out of the equation, and use that to return them to their world." Natasha's contribution was a good one, but how did they pull it off?

Laer spoke up. "But if it did work, what's to say that Queen Natasha's family and Ryan will not be offered the same choice as she was. What if they are and choose to stay?" She paused, "How in the nine hells did you ever manage to make that kind of choice?"

Natasha gave a faint smile. "Actually, it was a good thing that it was offered in the first place. It was only by being presented with the option that I realized that I no longer had any place in that world. It also cemented my relationship with Eomer. I had grown up with different customs, different ways of thinking on how women should be treated. Middle-Earth's way of thinking was something very strange to me. The choice was not a test for me alone, either. Even before, Eomer valued me as an equal, though the males of this world try to influence what happens in the female's lives. When Eomer did not try to influence my choice, accepting my sovereignty over myself, I knew that I had found a marriage partner who would not seek to place me behind him or try to fit me into a pre-determined mould.

Here I could be happy, married and with children of my own. When I realized that, it became easy to decide my path."

Boromir spoke next. "Lovely as this conversation is, could we get back to the topic? If Natasha's siblings and ex do get the choice and decide to stay, what will we do about it?"

Laer glared at him, muttering something that sounded like 'insensitive git', then spoke to the room at large. "As far as I can see, we'll just have to deal with that when or if it happens. Unless anyone else has any ideas?"

The room shook their heads the negative.

Natasha rose to her feet, "Well, if that is all for now, I would like to retire."

Yalewen arose also. "Will you need me for anything else tonight, My Lady? Or may I be excused?"

Natasha inclined her head. "If you could stop by the children's rooms and make sure that they are actually in bed, then that will be all for today."

The lady-in-waiting curtsied and left, throwing a comment over her shoulder. "You may wish to keep it down tonight. Alyssia said that there were funny noises coming from your room last night."

The King and Queen of Rohan decided to ignore that, instead bidding their guests good night and the Queen limiting herself to a glare in her older brother's direction to forestall any clever remarks.

The next morning those near the royal quarters rose to the sound of arguing.

Recognizing her oldest brother's voice, Natasha sleepily lifted her head from where it had been resting in the hollow of her husband's shoulder, letting it fall back down again as the voices came closer.

The door opened to reveal Boromir and Laer, who had apparently joined forces against Alice and Sarah. All four turned to the interior of the room, suddenly noticing the occupant's state of dress.

Or undress, if you wanted to be specific.

Alice and Sarah choked; they had never gotten used to the idea that their sister was married. Not to mention certain aspects of married life, which was not normally discussed in public.

Boromir looked away; listening to one of his sister and sister-in-law's conversation had showed him that there were aspects of his sisters life that he did not want to know, even if he was acting for her own good.

Laer simply stared.

Natasha fumbled at her bedside table, aiming a hairbrush in their general direction, then settled back down in Eomer's arms.

Feeling very reluctant, Laer grabbed Sarah with one hand and Alice with the other and dragged them away, Boromir following.

Deciding that there was no way that they would be able to get back to sleep, the Lord and Lady of the Riddermark rose and started the day, wondering how things would turn out in light of what Natasha's sisters had walked in on.

True to trepidation, Ryan had found out and tried to kill Eomer. Alice and Sarah were refusing to look her in the eyes without blushing and Laer was periodically getting a glazed look in her eyes.

For now, Laer and Boromir were arguing again.

Natasha looked at her sister-in-law and Queen Arwen. "What is the fight about this time?"

Eowyn rolled her eyes. "Just another 'my horse is bigger than your horse' argument. Boromir said that Mary-Sues were only good for causing trouble, Laer took offence and said that they were capable of plenty of things that men couldn't do. Boromir got indignant about that and said that he could do anything that she could and now it has deteriorated into repetitive 'No, you couldn't' and 'Yes, I could'. Very annoying, really."

Arwen nodded. "Much as I hate to admit it, Laer does have a point. There are some things that only Women can do and there are some things that only Men can do."

This got both Laer and Boromir's attention. Both spoke at once, "I can do anything he/she can!"

Theodwyn placed a hand on her hip in perfect imitation of her mother and declared with all the wisdom of her twelve years, "Laer couldn't grow a beard unless she was a dwarf and Father says that no one can cook as badly as Uncle Boromir."

Faramir tried not to flinch at the glare his older brother directed at him as Saranna agreed with her cousin. "Uncle Boromir couldn't give birth or nurse an infant and I don't think he could survive ten minutes of girl talk."

Laer conceded the point. Denethor and Aragorn winced and Eomer and Faramir hid snickers as Boromir claimed that he could survive girl talk for longer than that.

Laer brightened at the prospect of seeing how long he lasted. Arwen shot her a quelling look. "No, you really couldn't last that long."

Boromir glared in defiance. "Yes, I bloody well could."

Eowyn sided with Arwen. "No, trust me, you couldn't."

Boromir looked at her in open challenge, "Try me."

Natasha sighed. "Don't say we didn't warn you. Who wants to start?"

The other males quickly exited. They had a basic idea of what girl talk usually consisted of, and did not wish to stay around. Yalewen followed, firmly taking the children with her.

Alone with his Queen, sister, sister-in-law and arch-nemesis, Boromir folded his arms. "Go ahead."

Natasha closed her eyes briefly. Oh, you have asked for it, brother-mine… She opened them again as Laer started.

"I heard some of the maids saying that Lord Boromir has a butt like granite. Is that true?"

She looked at Natasha, who hid a snicker. "By adoption, I am Boromir's sister and even if I were not, I am married. Therefore, I am not really the person to be asking about this. Although for the brief time I spent with the fellowship, it certainly seemed like it. Then I was introduced to Eomer, and that became ancient history. What do you think, Eowyn?"

Eowyn grinned wickedly. "You aren't the only one who is wed, Natasha. But from my experience with Faramir, if there is any sort of family resemblance in that area, I think it is safe to assume the positive. Then again, a man's behind isn't the only thing that can become rock hard."

Arwen joined in. "You should listen to the gossip in the Citadel some time. The speculation about what he would be like in bed is absolutely outrageous."

Laer's eyes glittered. "I think I see why so many of my fellow Mary-Sues were obsessed with him. What I heard almost makes me tempted to go after him."

All through the conversation, Boromir had been alternating between vivid red and palest white. At the first mention of himself in the conversation, he looked and felt like all he wanted right then was for the floor to open up and swallow him. He fled, accompanied by delighted and/or mocking laughter from the ladies.

Several corridors away, he encountered Aragorn, Eomer and the rest of his family.

Leaning against the wall, Eomer looked at a sundial. "Less than two minutes, counting the time it took you to flee in a dignified manner. What was that you were saying about surviving girl talk?"

Boromir gave his brother-in-law a nasty look. "You knew what they were going to say, didn't you?"

Faramir shrugged. "We had a general idea. You want to listen to them talking directly before a wedding. That is even worse."

Voices came from down the hall; sounding like the very people Boromir had been escaping. The clearest was Laer's. "It might actually work."

Natasha's voice came next. "Tempting as it is, no, I think not. I will not place them in such danger."

The party of four came into view, looking worried. Eomer gave his wife a concerned look.

When she did not immediately give him a look that said he was worried over nothing, they all knew that something was really wrong.

Denethor took a single look at his daughter's face and immediately asked her what was wrong.

Natasha didn't answer. Arwen and Eowyn exchanged uncertain looks. Laer took the plunge.

"The Mary-Sues are coming. They are furious that Natasha has thwarted them. They want her out of the way, permanently."

TBC

A/N – OK, Chapter Eight is finally up.

Apologies about the delay, administration decided that my 'Being a Mary-Sue' story was actually a list, so my account was closed for a period of time. I may be redoing the fic in a format that cannot be mistaken for a list, so wait for that.

Thanks to everyone who has been reviewing.

Nathalia.