"Legolas, you must eat," Lord Elrond said the following morning as he approached the distraught elf sitting by Kari's bedside. "Please join me for breakfast in the dining hall."

Legolas' eyes did not leave Kari's prone form. "I am sorry, My Lord, but I am not hungry," he replied hollowly.

"She will not wake up while you are gone," Lord Elrond said.

"How do you know that?" Legolas asked, his voice becoming snappish.

Lord Elrond was unfazed by Legolas' tone. "Because her body is not ready."

Legolas was silent as he continued to stare at Kari. Throughout the night his eyes became dry because he would forget to blink. He did not know what he expected this morning, but seeing Kari like this was becoming too much to bear.

"Why did you not stop her from healing Frodo?" Legolas asked Lord Elrond.

Lord Elrond frowned deeply, though Legolas did not see. "I warned her."

"But you could have stopped her. You could have restrained her if necessary," Legolas said, his gaze now on Lord Elrond.

"Frodo will be crucial to the future of Middle Earth," Lord Elrond explained.

"And Kari will not be? So you place the life of a hobbit above the life of your charge? The woman who is like your second daughter?" Legolas asked scathingly as he rose from his seat to face Lord Elrond.

"Do not be so quick to judgment, Legolas," Lord Elrond retorted. "I did not say she will not be. And Kari's well being is always on my mind…"

"But it is not first on your mind," Legolas added angrily.

Lord Elrond looked down briefly, knowing what Legolas said was guiltily true. "She is stronger than the hobbit," he reasoned.

"But strong enough? Is she strong enough? This is the blade of the Nazgul!" Legolas exclaimed, his voice breaking with emotion.

Lord Elrond looked at Kari resting on the bed. He could have stopped her, but he chose not to. Her well-being now was directly linked to his inaction.

"I hope so," Lord Elrond replied quietly. "For both our sakes." He left the Healer's Hall and ordered that food be brought to Legolas by Kari's bed.

This was the fourth morning he watched her sleep. The first two days were much worse than today. He had begun to count the hours she was asleep, but then that became simply too depressing. As she lay lifeless, he could only think that the last kiss, laugh, embrace, and smile they had shared would be the last in his lifetime. It scared him terribly.

Now she looked better. Though she never regained consciousness, her coloring had returned to normal and there were no longer dark rings under her eyes. It was as though Legolas was watching the healing going on in Kari's body before his eyes.

He barely left her side. Meals were brought to him. He rested in the chair. He had not even bathed since his arrival back to Rivendell because he did not want her to wake up when he was not there. Things continued on as they did outside the curtains surrounding her bed, but Legolas did not care. He did not care that he should be playing host to the Mirkwood elves. Let Lord Elrond handle that since he seems to care so much about the future of Middle Earth and not the health of the ones he claims to love. Legolas did not care that in three day's time he was to be at the Council that Lord Elrond had called for all the races.

Frodo, the hobbit, was recovering nicely. Legolas could not help but feel a bit bitter when Frodo was well and Kari was suffering on the hobbit's behalf.

Finally he saw her shift in her bed and her eyes opened ever so slightly against the strong sunlight.

She smiled weakly at him.

"Kari," Legolas whispered. Relief flooded through his body as he rushed to her bedside. She was awake. He hugged her gently and kissed her forehead softly while caressing her face.

She smiled tiredly. "You are home," she replied, her voice scratchy from disuse.

"Yes, I am. How do you feel?" he asked, still stroking her forehead.

"Tired, but fine. How long have I been here?"

"This was the fourth morning."

Kari looked unfazed. "That is better than I thought," she commented.

"You mean you knew this would happen? Legolas said, anger boiling within him. How could she do this to him? How could she put him through so much misery and know about it?

"When I felt the darkness I knew. What I felt, I do not know if that is what Frodo felt, but, it was so dark, so cold. I was so scared. It was taking everything away from me. I...I'm sorry…I…I thought..." she couldn't finish her statement because she began to choke up.

Legolas held her, stroking her cheek and trying to sooth her nerves.

"No, Kari, I am sorry. I did not mean to upset you. But I have been so scared," he replied softly.

"Do not apologize. This was not a happy way for our reunion to occur," she reasoned.

He held her tighter and slid onto the bed next to her.

She inhaled deeply and wrinkled her nose. "You need a bath," she mumbled.

Legolas chuckled. "I have stayed here since I returned. And I shall not tell you how long it has been since I have bathed."

Kari laughed lightly and kissed his lips. "Tell one of the Healers I am awake and well enough to be in my own room. I do not wish to be here any longer. It is strange to be the patient in my own Hall. Bathe and come rest with me in my room. I do not want to be alone," Kari said.

"You shall never be alone if it is within my power. You get into too much trouble when I am not here. And you give me too much heartache," Legolas said, trying to cover up his worry and sadness with a light tone.

But Kari still knew he was not alright. "I'm sorry," she whispered again.

He hushed her and kissed her lips. "I will get a Healer and shall meet you in your room."

Kari nodded and watched at he left the bed. Soon, a couple Healers were assessing her condition and deemed her well enough to leave the hall. They helped her out of the bed and into her room. A few moments after getting situated in her own bed, she heard her door open and Legolas walked into her bedroom. He laid down next to her and she curled her body around his tightly. She inhaled deeply and smelled the fresh scent of a bath. She loved Legolas regardless of smell, but she also loved the scents from a fresh bath.

"I missed you," she said.

"I missed you too." Legolas held her tightly, unwilling to let her go soon.

"How was your trip?" she asked him as she closed her eyes and rested on his shoulder.

Legolas looked at her curiously. How could she ask him something so trivial? Did she not know she had been near death? That he could have lost her?

"Legolas…?" Kari asked when she did not hear him reply.

"How can you expect me to make such idle conversation when I have just suffered through the worst few days of my entire life?" he asked her, resentment seeping into his voice though he tried to remain calm.

Kari stiffened in his arms. "I…I am sorry," she said once again. What did he want her to say?

"You could have died!" he croaked out.

That notion was not new to her, but the tone of voice Legolas said those words in was shocking. He sounded so desperate and tortured. She had inflicted that upon him. She knew it was possible she would die if she healed Frodo, but it was her life. And she didn't have another choice. But now she realized that her life was even more intimately intertwined with Legolas' than it ever had been. Her actions affected him deeply. If the situation had been reversed, she would have been just as devastated as he had been.

"I am so sorry. I was not thinking," she replied with understanding.

"No, you were thinking of Frodo's life, and that is where your thoughts should have been. But I want to be with you as long as possible too. I know what you do is necessary, which is why it is so hard to accept the consequences of it." He stroked her arm as he lay beside her.

She put her forehead against his. "I have a gift. I cannot hide from it any longer. I must use it. But you are my light, you always were."

"As you are mine. But I fear that your decision to heal someone will kill you one day," he said bluntly.

She appreciated his straightforwardness when she knew death was hard for him to talk about. "If I can survive the blade of the Nazgul, I think I can survive any other healings," she said, smiling.

Legolas knew she had a point, but no one would ever be certain she would be able to survive any healing. "I am unwilling to test your theory," he said seriously.

She stroked his face with her fingertips, seeing the worry in his blue eyes. "As am I. I shall try not to. But I shall die eventually, Legolas," she said gently.

"But not so soon. Decades from now, after we've shared a beautiful life together, not now just when we are starting this journey. Not now," he insisted adamantly.

Kari smiled softly at the thought of their future. "Tell me how you imagine our future."

Legolas' eyes lost focus as he thought about it. "I see us traveling around Middle Earth, exploring new places, learning new things, and sharing in the experience together. I see children. At least two, one boy and one girl," Legolas said wistfully.

"Sounds lovely."

"It shall be," Legolas said as he kissed her cheek.

She pulled him close for a passionate kiss. They kissed for a long time, and their lips only parted because Kari began to kiss Legolas' neck as her hands began to undo the fastenings on his tunic. Legolas could feel himself losing control as his body became warmer.

"Kari," he whispered. "Perhaps we should wait…"

She looked at him curiously. "You do not want to?" she asked quizzically.

"No, of course I want to," he said, smiling mischievously, evoking a small laugh from Kari. "But you have just woken up from a traumatic experience."

She smiled and kissed him softly. "Your consideration is flattering but I am fine. Really, I want to or else I would not have started it," she replied confidently.

Legolas was a bit reluctant, but as Kari pressed her body against his, his resolve weakened. It had been a month without her after all. And she seemed resolute about proving she was fine when she proceeded to seduce him with gentle caresses and soft kisses.

"Fine, you win," he said as she pulled off his tunic.

"Are you upset by this?"

"Not at all, meleth-nin."

The remainder of the day was filled with rest, food, and lovemaking. Kari had not eaten in three days and after the shock of waking up and the emotional consequences of the whole situation wore off, she realized how famished she was. Legolas stayed with her continually. Even when Kari wanted to bathe, he insisted on helping her. Kari had teased him that his desire to help was an excuse to wash her hair, which she knew he enjoyed doing, and Legolas did not disagree. The rest of the time was spent in bed. They would fall into a comfortable silence at times, which would be followed by kisses and caresses, which would then escalate with neither one of them having any desire to stop.

Legolas told her about his journey, his stay in Mirkwood, and how he had seen Virania there. Kari was correct in that Virania had tried to seduce him, and when he told her of his relationship with Kari, she seemed upset but unsurprised. He left her company without another glance.

Kari had told him about how she had been practicing her fighting with the elves of Rivendell. Legolas was quite proud that she won most of her battles.

"Perhaps Aragorn and I should fight you at the same time," Legolas mused as they laid in bed later that evening.

Kari chuckled. "I shall be slaughtered in no time," she replied.

Legolas smiled. "But the fun would be in the effort," he reasoned.

"You only say that because you would be on the winning side."

"I am curious as to how long you would last in that battle."

"Three minutes at most," Kari guessed.

Legolas frowned. "Give yourself more credit than that. I think four," he replied teasingly.

Kari laughed and swatted his arm. He tickled her in retaliation, and it disintegrated to a tangle of limbs, kisses and laughter after that.

The following morning was two days before the Council of Elrond. Kari had made a full recovery by then and returned to work in the Healer's Hall, much to the chagrin of Legolas who would have preferred her to rest for one more day. Kari had pointed out that she did not rest that much the day before.

A few hours into Kari's work, three more hobbits arrived in Rivendell exhausted, dehydrated, and with a few scrapes and bruises. Kari quickly healed them using the traditional Elvin medicines. Aragorn returned more battered than when he left.

"Arwen was worried sick about you," Kari said to Aragorn that day. She was cleaning a knife cut that he got on his arm, most likely from the fight at Weathertop.

"She knows that when I go out it is dangerous," Aragorn replied softly.

"She would not stop pacing around the study," Kari continued.

Aragorn sighed. Arwen pacing was not good. "What would you have me do?" Aragorn asked his dear friend.

Kari shrugged as she gently put a salve on his cut. "That is the problem. You do what you must, Estel. But in the process there are those that worry for you," Kari said quietly.

"Did you worry for me, glawar-nin?" Aragorn asked, a hint of teasing crept into his voice.

She smiled at the nickname. "Of course," Kari replied.

Ever since she had healed him, Aragorn had taken to call her "my sunlight" because of the warmth she had filled him with. After she had healed Legolas, he had whole-heatedly agreed that this was an excellent name for her. Aragorn only used this nickname when being affectionate or trying to get his way.

"I would say you mustn't worry over me, but you would regardless, just as I worry for you. I heard about you healing Frodo," Aragorn added knowingly.

Kari sighed. Hiding something from Aragorn was not possible. "You did a good job putting the Athelas on the wound," diverting the talk away from the healing.

Aragorn did not take the bait. "You know you could have died healing him."

"I know. That is not what I fear."

"Then what is it you fear?" Aragorn asked.

Kari shook her head. "We are not changing the topic, Aragorn. We were discussing how much Arwen worried for you," she pointed out.

"Kari, you and I both know that Arwen worries for me. We both know that I will try to comfort her about that. And we both know that I will still go out in danger even though Arwen worries. But we both do not know what it is that you fear," Aragorn explained as he watched her bandage his arm with the hands of an expert.

Kari hesitated. She did not like to talk about herself often because she thought that showed some level of weakness, which she fought to harden over. "I fear when I die, he will fade. It is arrogant of me to think our love means so much to him, but the way he sounded when he talked of how scared he had been..." Kari shook her head to rid herself of the memory of Legolas' tortured voice. "That is a dreadful thought, especially because we have only been together for a short time," she whispered so softly that Aragorn had to strain to hear all her words.

"Kari, it is not arrogant of you to fear for his well-being. He loves you very much," Aragorn said, trying to allay her fears.

"I know," Kari replied quickly.

"And he has for longer than the time you have been together. I have seen how his looks and actions towards you have changed over the years."

"I…how…how can that be?" she asked, trying to understand what her friend had said.

Aragorn chuckled. "You expect me to explain the workings of an elf's mind?" he quipped.

Kari looked at him sternly, implying that she was not in a teasing mood at the moment.

"I do not want him to fade because of me, not when he has so much to offer the world for future centuries. I do not feel someone should make that kind of sacrifice for me," Kari said.

"I felt that way regarding Arwen for a long time," Aragorn admitted.

"But the blood that runs through your veins is far nobler than mine," Kari replied.

Aragorn shook his head. "There are things nobler than blood, Kari, which you far surpass me in. Do not think you do not deserve Legolas' love because you do," he assured her.

Kari nodded her head briefly, knowing that these thoughts she had could not be settled in just one conversation. "I am done with you," she said.

Aragorn got off of the bed he was sitting on. "Thank you. I will go see Arwen now." He was about to leave, but retraced his steps to Kari and kissed her gently on the forehead. "He decides his own fate, Kari," he added gently.

Kari nodded though she was still not comfortable with the idea.

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews. My hits counter crashed again, sigh. To answer a few questions brought up in the reviews: Lord Elrond does know that Legolas and Kari have feelings for each other, but not that they are bound (as good as married). I don't kill off my main characters just as there's a resolution (like Kari and Legolas finally get together and then Kari dies…no). I don't believe that the whole reason for Kari's existence is her relationship with Legolas - there's growth and a personal journey that accompanies the relationship that hasn't been completely told yet. I don't read much fanfiction anymore because I've been writing my story. Whatever time I do have to read, I've been reading original fiction on I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm thinking that I will try to have longer chapters (like this length), and have fewer chapters in the story, but I'm not sure. It depends on where I feel each chapter should end. Take care, happy early December!