A/N: Once again, I'm so sorry for how long it took me to update. I have been fairly busy the past few weeks with being in two different plays, choir concerts, school finals, and dance recitals. I hope you all forgive me. Another thing, a few chapters ago I mentioned that this was during the War of the Ring, but I decided to make it a few hundred years before, obviously, as I have also mentioned that Elrond's wife has only been gone for a few years. I hoped to take away at least some of the Mary-sueness that way. Anyways, on to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own The Lord of the Rings or any of its characters. Believe me when I say that I would give up everything to own someone as gorgeous as Legolas or any of the other hot elves. Unfortunately, however, I only own Emily and Natasha.

Chapter 6: Reality Sinks In

I followed the "elf" out of the room and back into the hallway. Once again, I was forced to walk down an endless number of passages until he finally led me into a large, white room that was filled with about six beds. I stopped in the doorway and waited for the instructions on what I should do next. As if reading my mind, he turned around to face me.

"Please, sit," he said, motioning to a nearby bed. I did as I was told and watched as he rummaged around in a few drawers in a desk across from me. Once he had found what he had been looking for, he stood up, pulled a chair over to me, and sat down.

"Let me see your arm." I obeyed his command and placed my elbow in his hand. He examined the bandage for a quick second before he began unwrapping it. Once it was completely removed, I suppressed a grimace. It sill looked horrible.

"How did this happen?" the male questioned me as he started to put some cream over the stitches. I sighed. I had only been asked this question once before and it was already getting old. I decided to give him the simplified version.

"I was sitting up in a tree and those...what were they called? Oh yeah, orcs. Well the orcs shot up a stupid arrow and it cut me on its way past me," I answered. He nodded.

"And who, may I ask, wrapped your wound for you?"

"Elladan," I just short of growled out. He gave me a look.

"Then you are lucky," was all he said. I stared at him with a frown on my face. Lucky? The man had been nothing but an asshole to me! And despite the fact that he had probably saved my life, I couldn't help but dislike him. Strongly dislike him. I wanted so badly to tell the man in front of me how wrong he was about being lucky, as he put it, but I kept my mouth shut. The last thing I needed as to be kicked out of Rivendell and pushed back into the hands of the demented looking creatures we had encountered earlier. So, I said the only thing that I felt didn't sound too disrespectful.

"Why am I so lucky?" The man looked up with an annoyed look on his face. I guess he had picked up on the unbelieving and sarcastic tone in my voice.

"Because," he began, "he is the son of one of the most gifted healers to have ever walked this earth and I daresay he has acquired some of that gift as well."

"Oh, please. All he did was stitch my arm up. Anyone with a needle and thread could have done that," I retorted.

"Then why didn't you do it yourself?" the man shot back icily. Shutting up now, I thought to myself.

"The stitches will need to be taken out in about a week, but for now I suggest that you change the bandages every night to avoid infection. I will send the supplies to your room later so that you may do it yourself, since you seem to know so much about the arts of healing. Any questions?" I shook my head and stood up. He then nodded in a way of saying goodbye and then proceeded to put away the medical supplies. I began walking back towards the door but then stopped suddenly.

"Actually, I do have one question," I said quietly. He turned around, an annoyed and slightly angered expression on his face.

"Well, what is it?" he asked, his eyebrows raised.

"How do I get back to my room?" The corners of his mouth twitched unexpectantly into what I believed could form a smile, but before I could take a good look, the annoyed expression was back.

"Come, I will take you there," and he walked out of the room.

Hours later, I was back in my room, sitting on my bed, waiting for the maid to bring our super. By then Emily and I had had the privilege to take a nice, warm bath and change into some new clothes. However, no matter ho gracious I was, I couldn't believe that I had been forced to wear a frilly, white night gown. I mean, I'm definitely not one of those girls who swear of dresses for their entire lives, but I hated wearing them to sleep. They're uncomfortable and ride up to your waist while you're sleeping. But when I asked Lothrin for a pair of pants to sleep in, a scandalized look flashed on to her face and she immediately insisted that there were none for females to wear. Ever. She even told us that our own clothes would not be returned to us until we were leaving because they were too "improper". That itself nearly made me scream. So instead of my own clothes, I was stuck in an uncomfortable piece of lacey material that reminded me of the stuff ladies used to wear a hundred years ago. Maybe the reason why we had never heard of this place was because the people here were too damn weird.

Nonetheless, I accepted it and left the problem alone. We'd be out of here within the next week after my stitches were removed and once we had a map to lead us home. Or, at least, I hoped we would.

With a frustrated grunt, I laid my head against the pillow and squeezed my eyes shut tightly. I felt a major headache coming on. I was tempted to ask Lothrin to bring me some aspirin, but something told me that they did not have that sort of medicine here. I mean, hello, but how come there was no anesthetic for people who needed stitches? And why were people still riding horses for transportation and using bows and arrows for weapons? What age exactly were these people living in? Of course I would not change the scenery or architecture, but I felt that a few things such as medical supplies, weapons, and transportation methods should be modified to better fit the time our world were going through.

"What are you thinking about, Tasha?" came Emily's voice from the other bed.

"I was wondering why it was us who got stuck in this Robin Hood era," I told her, not bothering to open my eyes. I heard Emily laugh.

"I'm actually starting to kind of like it here," she said.

"You're weird."

"I am not," Emily retorted. I could practically see her rolling her eyes. "You have to admit that it's quite pretty here."

"Of course it is, but I still want to go home."

"And you think that I don't? Oh come on, Natasha, stop being ridiculous. And get out of that mood you're currently settling into."

"I'm not in a mood! I'm just stressed about getting home," I replied indignantly. I sat up and glared at her.

"Look, I want to get home just as much as you do, so stop feeling sorry for yourself and thinking that you're all alone in that feeling. All I'm saying is that we should at least try to enjoy it here. We might end up being here for a while," Emily said.

"Oh, and fun that would be," I stated sarcastically. "We'll have such a great time with the Twins from Hell and everyone else who decides that they hate us already. And then, once we get back, we'll have to make up a bunch of school work that we missed because we were too busy lollygagging through the forests. And we'll have to go to the police and tell that we're really not missing because God knows that our parents are probably out of their minds with worry."

"Natasha, you're being stupid. Everything will turn out fine," Emily tried to reason. I got out of my bed and began pacing angrily.

"But how do you know that? We should be doing everything we can to try and get home. And that doesn't include playing around and getting attached to this place!" Emily opened her mouth to reply, but, before she could, the door opened and Lothrin walked in, holding two trays.

"Here is your meal. I hope you find it satisfactory," she said as she placed it on the table between out beds. She stood up straight and looked from Emily to me with wary eyes.

"Everything alright, ladies?" she questioned. Emily and glared at each other. I crossed my arms and sat down on my bed.

"Everything's fine," Emily replied stiffly.

"Yeah, just fucking perfect," I mumbled under my breath. Lothrin nodded with raised eyebrows and I knew that she had heard me.

"Well, I also came to inform you that the Lord Elrond has agreed to see you tomorrow in his study after breakfast. I shall be around to collect you in the morning. Goodnight," and with one more look at the two of us, she left. For a second I stared at the trays on the table before I lifted it up and placed it on my bed. Emily and I ate in silence and after I had finished, I promptly went to sleep.

The next morning, I was roused awake by a person strolling into our room and opening the curtains. My eyes squeezed shut, threw the blankets over my head, and tried to block out the bright morning light. However, all my efforts were in vain. Suddenly, my blankets were thrown back off of my body. I groaned.

"Get up, miss, it is time for breakfast," Lothrin's cheery voice said from above. I looked up and saw her smiling down at me. Again, I groaned. Time for breakfast? This early? Only insane people would be up at this hour naturally. And as I glanced back up at Lothrin, who was busy humming to herself while watering the plants in our room, I knew my suspicions were true.

"Can't we sleep any long?" came Emily's voice, laced with sleep, from the other side of the room.

"I'm afraid not. Breakfast is to be served in thirty minutes and after that, you are due to meet with Lord Elrond. I tried to let you sleep as long as possible," Lothrin replied.

"If you let me sleep for a little bit longer, you won't have to worry about me biting others' heads off," I growled as I reached for the covers. However, Lothrin only laughed.

"I think you will be fine. Now get up," she said as she walked over to the wardrobe. I managed to drag myself out of my bed but I stumbled a few times on the way into the bathroom. I shut the door behind me and leaned against it for a few seconds. My eyes landed on the chamber pot a few feet away and I groaned. That was yet another reason to go back home. Damn pot.

After I had "done my business," I washed my face, combed my hair, and brushed my teeth with an object that was supposed to be a toothbrush, but didn't look anything like one. When I stepped out of the bathroom, Emily immediately rushed in.

I looked at Lothrin who was busy tiding up the beds. When she was finished, she turned to me and smiled. Behind her were two dresses on a chair and I didn't even have to ask who they were for. I suppressed a glare. I could tell already that this was not going to be a fun experience at all.

By the time we were walking to the breakfast hall, I officially knew that I would be insane by the time we were bidding this place farewell. Once again, I had been forced the wear a god-awful dress. Well, actually, that's a lie. The dress was quite pretty, and apparently "matched my eyes," but that didn't keep me from hating it. Oh, how I longed to be able to walk without worrying about tripping.

Anyways, when we walked into the breakfast hall, I was excited to see that it was empty. Not another person in site! Lothrin led Emily and I over to two chairs sitting across from each other. She then announced that she had some other thing to take care of and that she would see us later. After she had gone, silence filled the hall once more. Emily and I hadn't spoken since the night before.

As I watched her, I realized that she looked quite comfortable with everything that was going on. As before, I became enraged. We were stuck in the middle of no where and here she was treating it like it was some long overdue vacation. How could she be so in control while I was fidgeting nervously with the napkin I had placed on my lap? And not to mention the fact that she was enjoying wearing a dress. She had always told me that she hated them, and now she suddenly liked them? Damn traitor.

However, I was forced to stop bad-talking my best friend in my head when the doors at the entrance swung open. My head whipped to my left and I watched with wide eyes as people began filling into the room. They gave Emily and I strange looks as they walked by and I truly struggled not to shout or them to stop staring when it was them with the demented pointy ears. Not that I would ever really do that, though. I knew who had the authority here. Even a girl like me has limits as to what she will and will not do.

"Natasha, what are we supposed to do?" Emily whispered from across the table. I was about to answer with a sarcastic remark, but two silhouettes in the doorway caught me eye. Yup, you guessed it; the twins who without a doubt wished for me to die a particularly violent and painful death. I swear, I could practically hear Elladan's growl from where I was sitting. Don't worry, sweetheart, I thought to myself, I hate you too. The two gave each others identical looks and began walking further into the room. I let out a sigh of relief as Elladan, in particular, walked straight past us. And the only reason I knew it was him because his brother at least had the decency to nod lightly in our direction, something I was sure Elladan would never do. However, he stopped and said something to another man before he started walking back in out direction. He looked at me with a stoic expression, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Right fucking next to me.

I turned my head and went to roll my eyes at Emily, but I noticed that the other twin was sitting right next to her as well. So, I lowered my eyes and stared instead at the breakfast plate that had magically appeared in front of me. At once I remembered how hungry I still was, even after last night's meal, and reached for my fork. Just as I was about to dig in, a hand shot out from my right and pushed my hand harshly back down.

"Not yet," Elladan growled from next to me. I glared at him and he matched it evenly. "You are to wait for when Lord Elrond is seated." Still glaring at him, I nodded reluctantly and released the fork. He then let go of my hand and turned away to talk to someone else. I looked over at Emily and we shared a look that clearly said, "Who shoved a stick up his ass?" I didn't care if he had lost his mother a few years ago. That was no excuse to treat others like shit. People lost family members all the time and they didn't go around acting like the world owed them something. True, I felt sorry for him as is obviously hurt to lose someone close to you, but that did not excuse his behavior.

I was about to say something to Emily, but the hall suddenly turned quiet. I looked up just in time to see a dark-haired man enter the room followed by a tall golden-haired man and Arwen. As soon as they sat down, however, the hall returned to its business and at once, others began to eat. Frowning, I tapped Elladan on the shoulder.

"Yes?" he asked, annoyed, as he turned to face me.

"Now may I eat?" I asked sarcastically. He rolled his eyes, nodded and then turned back around to continue his previous conversation.

"Thank you," I muttered to myself. I immediately began digging in, my appetite getting the best of me. Emily, it seems, was just as hungry as she shoveled the various kinds of food into her mouth. We finished before anyone else and as we waiting for everyone else to finish, I quickly became bored. I yawned, tired of just sitting there. In solution, and in the spur of the moment, I kicked Emily underneath the table. I laughed to myself as she jumped in her seat. She rolled her eyes, but kicked me back. Though footsie was usually considered a "lovers game," it entertained us while we sat there. That is, until, I accidentally kicked someone that was not Emily. It didn't take long for me to realize who I had kicked as I instantly heard a growl and the sound of hands slapping the table.

"Do you want me to throw you out into the hallway until the rest of us are finished?" Elladan roared. I leaned back in my chair, shocked. His face was practically a few inches away from mine.

"Um, no, sir," I replied meekly. His obvious anger had caused the sarcastic part of my brain to not work correctly.

"Then I suggest that you keep to yourself for the rest of the meal," he snarled. I nodded quickly. He continued to glare at me even after I had bowed my head, closed my mouth, and folded my hands neatly in my lap. Once his stare lifted off of me, I closed my eyes in embarrassment. Though the hall was still alight with laughter and discussions, I knew many people were staring at me. And though I hated to admit it, tears were already forming beneath my eyelids. I took a few calming breaths and stayed that way until breakfast was practically over. I didn't even open my eyes until felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and found the dark-haired man who had entered the room earlier now standing behind me. He offered me a small, sympathetic smile. I could not find the heart to return it.

"If you will follow me, ladies, I shall lead you to my study where we shall discuss your current situation," he said kindly, yet with authority. I stood up and followed him towards the exit, Emily directly behind me. I took one last glance at the hall and my eyes settled on Elladan laughing with another man. As if feeling my eyes on him, he turned, and instantly his smile turned to a dark frown. I gave him a blank, expressionless look before walking out of the breakfast hall. Ha, I thought to myself bitterly. I hope you feel guilty when this is all over, you jackass.

The man, who I had come to realize was the Lord Elrond, led us to his study that was a good five minutes away from where we had started. He opened a wooden door and waited for Emily and I to make our ways into the large room before shutting it behind him. The room was large and open with many book shelves, plants, and several open windows that gave a beautiful view down to the courtyard.

"Please sit, ladies," he said. I was about to ask "where?" but then I noticed a small desk with four chairs surrounding it in a corner to my right. Emily and I exchanged glances but quickly sat down as instructed. Elrond took a seat behind the desk himself. "We will wait for a few moments. I have asked someone to join us." Sure enough, a few minutes later, the tall golden-haired man that we had seen enter with Elrond walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Ladies, I would like you to meet Lord Glorfindel. He is one of my most trusted advisors," Elrond introduced us. The Lord Glorfindel bowed his head slightly before taking the chair next to Emily and moving it around so it was closer to Elrond. Once he was seated, Elrond spoke.

"Well, I know that you know who we are, but my sons neglected to inform us of your names. Would you be so kind as to enlighten us so that we made proceed?" Elrond began. That's right, I thought to myself. So far nobody had so much as asked us our names. Well, actually, that was a lie. Arwen had been courteous enough to ask us, but her brothers had not. How rude. But, then again, it was Elladan and Elrohir we were talking about here, so somehow it came as no surprise whatsoever.

"I'm Natasha," I spoke first after a few seconds.

"And I'm Emily." Elrond nodded, though a look of confusion flickered across his face for a split second, as if he had never heard of our names before. This man must clearly be delusional, I decided. Our names were quite common enough. However, he hastily regained his blank expression and folded his hands in front of him on his desk.

"And would you mind telling us why my sons found you wandering in the forests directly outside of Imladris?" he questioned.

"We were lost," I answered truthfully. Lord Elrond raised his eyebrows. I hated when people did that. It clearly stated "you're lying," which I wasn't. Hell, I just wanted to go home. Why would I lie when it would only bite me in the butt later on?

"Really," he said skeptically. Emily and I nodded fanatically. "Well, if you could kindly tell us the name of your village, I could have you escorted back home when the week is over." What the hell, I said mentally. Village? The only place people still heard the word was when thinking of the restaurant "Village Inn." I let it fly, though, just this once, and I controlled my tongue. Why should I care what he called dear old San Fran? We were finally getting a chance to go home.

"We live in San Francisco," Emily said, both excitement and pride lightly lacing her voice. Lord Elrond's face showed confusion once more as he and Glorfindel exchanged looks. I nearly groaned. Exchanging looks meant something was up.

"Pardon? Could you say that name again, please?" Elrond requested.

"San Francisco," Emily repeated obediently.

"I don't believe that I've ever heard of that village before," Elrond said, puzzled.

"Well, it's not a village. It's a city. Maybe that's why," I insisted. Elrond shook his head.

"Maybe you have heard of it, Glorfindel?" he asked.

"No, I confess that I have not," the golden-haired man responded.

"How can you not know of San Francisco? It's one of the biggest cities in California," Emily stated.

"California?" Glorfindel asked, perplexed.

"Yes, California. That's the state we're in, right?" I asked.

"We can't possibly be in Nevada or Arizona. It looks a little to wet and green here," Emily put in.

"What's a 'state'?"

"You know, the United States of America," I told him, beginning to panic. "Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado…"

"I'm afraid that I've never heard of any of those places," Elrond stated. Emily and I exchanged worried looks.

"How can that be? The United States is one of the most powerful countries in the world. Practically everybody has heard of it!" Emily nearly shouted.

"Perhaps you are thinking of Minas Tirith in Gondor," Glorfindel suggested.

"Gondor? What the hell is that?"

"It is currently the most powerful place where the race of men is concerned," Elrond explained.

"Race of men? Why do you talk like you're not humans as well?" Emily asked, exasperated.

"Because we're not," Elrond stated simply. Emily groaned out loud.

"Don't tell me you guys think you're elves, too. It's like someone set us in a controlled area where scientists observe crazy people," she said, rolling her eyes.

"I bed your pardon, Miss Emily, but we are indeed elves," Elrond was the first to speak. I could see anger clearly settling into his eyes, but he kept his face impassive.

"Are we on some kind of reality TV show? Like maybe Survivor in its newest location: the psyche ward?" I asked. Elrond shook his head, his eyes still betraying the calmness of his face.

"I have no idea what you are talking about, but I can assure you that this is no joke," Glorfindel said sternly.

"Then how come we're in a place we've never heard of before, talking to people who have never heard of The United States, and think they're elves? Seriously, how much are guys getting paid?" Emily asked sarcastically.

"Believe it or not, Miss Emily, but we are not getting paid anything. We are simply telling the truth when we say that we are elves. And, back to our previous discussion, we will find a way to send you home, even if that means searching all over throughout Middle-earth," Elrond told us.

"Middle-earth?" I repeated, my eyes wide. "I don't know where you guys have been, but what we live on is called Earth."

"Miss, this land has been called Middle-earth since before I was even born," Elrond stated tiredly.

"But we live on a place called Earth," I said slowly.

"How can that be?" Glorfindel asked himself quietly. He turned to Elrond who just continued to stare at Emily and I, thinking to himself. Suddenly, a look of realization crossed his face and his eyes widened considerably.

"That would explain everything," he whispered softly, more to himself than us.

"What would?" Emily and I asked immediately in unison. Elrond seemed to snap out of a trance as he erased the emotions off of his face. He sat up straighter and looked at us closely.

"Could it be possible that maybe Middle-earth and Earth are two different worlds?" he asked slowly. I looked at him like he was crazy. Which, I thought to myself, he probably is.

"Of course not," I scoffed immediately. "Who has ever heard of something like that happening before? It's impossible!"

"It might seem that way, yes, but it explains why we have never heard of this 'California' of yours and why you continue to refuse that fact that we are what we say we are," he explained. My face paled. In an odd sort of way, it made perfect sense.

"But that still doesn't tell us why we suddenly ended up in the middle of a forest," I told him.

"No it does not," Elrond said. "That is still puzzling me as well."

"So you really are elves then?" Emily asked after a short moment. Both Glorfindel and Elrond nodded.

"What's crazier; having people think they're elves, or us believing them?" I asked Emily with a nervous laugh. Emily sighed, frowning, and ran a hand through her blonde hair. I buried my face in my hands and took a long, deep breath. A second later, I lowered my hands and faced the elves in front of me.

"So, how are we supposed to get home, then?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm afraid that I, too, have never heard of something like this happening, assuming that you really are from a different world entirely. Therefore, I'm not entirely sure that you will be able to return to your homes. I will send out a messenger to the Lady Galadriel of Lothlorien immediately, for she is one of the wisest of our people. However, I doubt that she will be able to help. If it comes to the worst, I offer you both a home here permanently, if your wish it," Elrond said. I stared at the wall behind him, struggling to hold back my tears. I twisted my hands in my lap and bit my lip to the point that it bled in order to keep from breaking down.

"Thank you," Emily managed to choke out. She sounded just as broken as I felt.

"May we please be excused?' I asked, tears already beginning to blur my vision. Elrond nodded sympathetically. I managed to stand up, despite the fact that my legs were shaking beneath me.

"I shall escort you both back to your rooms personally. And I shall also see to it that you have separate rooms tomorrow to further accommodate you," he stated gently.

"Actually, if Natasha doesn't mind, I'd rather share a room with her for a while. It might be better for both of us to stick closer to each other for support, you know?" Emily whispered. I nodded in agreement.

"Of course," he said. He stood up and began walking towards the door. As he opened it, Glorfindel spoke from behind us.

"If there is anything that you might need, ladies, feel free to ask. I shall see to it personally as well that you are as comfortable as possible," he offered. Emily and I both nodded our thanks, not trusting our voices to come out as anything more than a croak. Elrond slowly led us down the halls. It seemed to take hours, but in reality, it was little more than a few minutes. We were close to our room when a voice called out from behind us.

"Father! Father, wait up!" the voice shouted. We all turned and I noticed one of the twins running up to us. I didn't have the heart to growl, or even glare.

"Not now, Elladan," Elrond told his son. Elladan stared at his father for a split second before looking at Emily and then at me. At that very moment, a tear managed to drip down my face. I hastily wiped it away, cursing the fact that he was probably satisfied at seeing me cry. He looked shocked for a small moment, but with in a second, his face twisted into a glare. With one last look, he looked back up at his father again.

"But I need-" he started.

"I said not now, Elladan. Go back to my study and I will be back after taking these ladies to their room," Elrond repeated firmly. Elladan frowned but nodded and turned on his heel. He walked back down the hall, his footsteps not even making the slightest hint of a sound. Once he was out of sight, Elrond looked at Emily and me.

"Shall we continue on?" he asked. We both gave our consent and not a minute later, we reached out room. He opened the door for us and Emily and I instantly walked in.

"Again, if there is anything you might need, do not hesitate to ask," he said softly before closing the door. As soon as he was gone, a dam inside of me broke. Without so much as a glance at Emily, I threw myself on my bed and collapsed into tears and stayed like that for the rest of the day.

WOW! That was a long chapter! That goes out to all of you guys who waited patiently for me to update, though it was a bit longer than originally planned. Oh well, you guys won't mind. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review! I will not accept any flames, but I encourage you to give me any constructive criticism that you might have. Thanks again!