A/N:  Woo!  Chapter 2!  Sorry it took me so long.  College, you know…urg.  I had a chemistry test and a calculus test in the same week…But here it is, and I hope you like it!  Much much thanks to Heartless Hero, Hiro, Ashlea Oliver, Xih, Crescent, Cyberkat,  Kitala, Flesh, Lady Ravenshadow, Aravan Fox, Europa, and Phoenix521 for your reviews!  Xih, it's always a pleasure chatting with you.  g  I'm glad I could be around for your first viewing of VHD: Bloodlust!

Important note:  Flesh brought it to my attention that there were indeed vampires in Middle Earth.  I was really upset for a bit, so I looked it up in the appendix.  Turns out she was right, but it's okay because these vampires have been extinct for a very very long time…so long, in fact, that our relatively young elves, (the oldest being Legolas at around 5000 years) would have no memory of them, and certainly no experience with them.  So, yay!  It still works!  But thanks for keeping me on my toes, guys!

I don't own it, blah blah blah.  Thanks to Andy for betaing!  Dedicated, as always to him, and also to Andrew Philpot, for the exquisite job he did voicing D in the movie Bloodlust.

Falling Into Grace

Chapter 2

"I try to hold on, but I'm callous to the bone.

Maybe that's why I feel alone.

Maybe that's why I feel so alone."

-Creed

            Aéllanwen was vaguely aware of her father speaking earnesly with the hunter as she huddled against her mother like a small child.  It was a curse.  Her sight was a curse.  Her parents had always told her to be thankful for it, that it would serve its purpose, that it was a gift.  She had always thought they were so wise, but they were wrong.  She was going to die.  She was going to die because of this.  She was going to die because she was different.

            Suddenly she heard her mothers voice, so soft it was as if it were only in her mind.  It might have been.  "Why do you despair, a'mael?" she murmured soothingly.  "Do not fear.  We shall protect you.  Light will prevail, as it always has.  You must not doubt."  There was a long pause, and Aéllanwen finally raised her head to meet her mothers dark eyes.  Andrenel was smiling.  Her daughter could not help it.  Her lips bowed upwards in response.

            "Atara…" she whispered.  "You are right.  I cannot despair.  I cannot…"  She pulled away, sitting up tall, though she kept a tight hold on her mother's hand.  "I will fight."  And she sat in silent contemplation, waiting for her father to tell her what she must do next.

            It was a long time before Legolas turned to address them.  "Aéllanwen, the hunter has agreed to keep watch over you until something can be learned of the creature's wherabouts.  You must stay within his sight at all times."  He glanced at D briefly before continuing.  "One of your brothers will also watch over you, and I myself shall head the expedition to search for this vampire.  Search," he added quickly, holding up a hand when his daughter looked to protest.  "Search, but not to destroy.  I hope I am wise enough to know when I am in over my head.  The…extermination…" he made a face at the word, "will be left to D, but I will give you nothing but the best protection, and so for now, the hunt is ours."

Feelings of frustration washed over her, but they were not her own.  She glanced at the hunter.  His face was impassive, as ever, but she was certain the sensation was his.  She studied him for a long moment, studied features that were both indescribably ancient and surprisingly young at the same time, and eyes that could not hide a soul almost too exhausted to go on.  She remembered the pain she had felt when she had first seen him.  It was still there, forever at the back of his mind.  A lonliness like nothing she had ever experienced before.

Inexplicably, a small part of her suddenly wished she could do something, anything, to relieve that lonliness; to take some of it upon herself. Being able to feel it and do nothing sent a chill through her, as her thoughts brushed the knowledge that the years he had borne it must have been unfathomable. His expertise lay in protecting her and she decided that hers lay in rescuing a part of his soul. Somehow…

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It was not until after her daughter was safely asleep, with the hunter keeping watch over her, that Andrenel allowed herself to be afraid.  Shaky legs carried her as far as the bed, where she collapsed, drawing her knees up to her chest.  Elbereth help her, what would she do if she lost Aéllanwen?

She looked up when Legolas returned.  He looked indescribably weary.  He closed the door and leaned back against it, bringing one hand up to cover his eyes for just a moment.  When he looked up again, it was to find his queen staring at him, her own eyes glassy.  "Oh, melamin," he breathed, pushing away from the door and striding toward her.  She stood up immediately, meeting him half way and falling into his arms.  "Oh Andrenel," he whispered, pressing his face into her hair.

"Legolas, I am so afraid.  I told Aéllanwen not to be frightened.  I told her we would make everything all right.  We will, won't we?  Please tell me we will."  All her centuries of life seemed to fall away in that instant, and she felt a little girl again.  She pressed her face tightly to his chest, needing his reassurance.

"Of course…of course we will.  No one will take her from us.  I swear to you."

They stood that way for a long time, and he prayed silently that he was not lying.

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            It was dark.  Very dark.  For long moments that was all she was aware of.  But suddenly there was something with her.  A presence, in the middle of all that blackness.  She was drawn toward it, but she did not know why.  It called to her.  She was curious.  Who was this?  Her gift came to her suddenly, and she sensed deep pain, intense longing.  Someone…someone needed her…  She began to walk blindly toward the feeling.  A figure emerged from the shadow, a figure that was almost shadow itself.  Features came into view, delicate, otherworldly…deep red eyes framed by equally red hair, set in a face so white it seemed to be tinged with blue.

            The being spoke.

            "Aéllanwen," he whispered, his voice echoing inside and outside her mind.  "Come to me, I need you.  Only you can make me complete…only you can save me…"

            "I'm coming…" she cried, tears threatening to spill onto her cheeks.  "I'm coming, wait for me…"

            "Aéllanwen."

            This new voice came from behind her, deep and resonant.  She spun around to find the hunter standing there, raw emotion on his face, for the first time since she had met him displaying for the world to see what she alone could feel inside him.

            "Aéllanwen," he held out one long fingered hand, and his grey eyes were pleading.  "Come back…don't listen, don't leave me alone…"

            The purvasive lonliness became an all encompassing rage, as the creature of shadow screamed in frustration.  He snarled at them, his eyes lighting with an evil fire, lips drawing back to reveal wickedly sharp fangs…she was vaguely aware of her own voice, screaming…

            She awoke suddenly, in her own familiar bed, in her own familiar room high in the trees.  She sat up, running a hand through her tangled and sweaty hair.  She was breathing heavily.

            "Princess."

            She jumped.  "Who…!?"  Of course.  D stood at the entrance to her balcony, where he had been keeping watch.

            "I did not mean to frighten you," he said.  "I heard you call out.  Are you all right?"

            She sighed, a little embarrassed.  "Yes, yes I'm fine."  She threw aside her damp covers, and rose from the bed, pulling on a dressing gown.  "I just…I had a bit of a nightmare…"

            One eyebrow quirked up almost imperceptibly.  "I see."  He turned to go back to his post.  She hurried to follow him, a little surprised, but rather grateful that he had not asked her about her dream.  How indeed would she explain that he himself had been there, pleading with her not to leave him?

            Not very easily.

            Not without feeling rather stupid.

            "D," she called.  He turned slightly, not meeting her eyes.  "Can I...may I sit with you, for a little while, at least?  I don't think I can go back to sleep now.  At least, not at this very moment.  I need a little while to clear the dream from my mind, you know?"

            He did look at her then, seemed to be deciding.  Then he nodded slightly.  Sighing gratefully, she moved to stand next to him at the railing.  His sword was still on his back, but his hat lay on the ground next to where he stood, and she could see that his hair was as long as hers, falling in gentle ebony waves down his back.  The silence stretched on, and began to feel oppresive, until she could no longer stand it.

            "D, where do you come from?"

            A pause.  "My mother was from a place called Scotland.  I was born there."

            "Scotland.  But you have traveled far.  I admit I am a little envious.  I have never left Mirkwood.  Don't misunderstand, I love it here.  I do.  But my father saw almost all of Middle Earth.  I would like to see the world too.  My mother says I am foolish, but she does not understand.  She traveled with my father, before he had to return to be the King."

            She felt a twinge of sadness from D.  "But," he murmured.  "It is pleasant to have a place to come home to, is it not?"

            "Have you no place to call home?"  Her brows knitted together in sympathy.

            He was silent for so long, she wondered if he would answer.

            "Things have changed since I was born," he finally said, simply.

            She had no answer for that, so she held her silence.  But something began to nag at the back of her mind.

            "D…" she spoke tentatively.  He tilted his head toward her.  "This…vampire…does he have a name?"

            "Rayven of Chaythe."

            "How will…when he…when he tries to take me, how will he do it?  Will he merely snatch me from my bed?  Certainly he must know I will not go with him willingly."

            "Certainly not if you are yourself.  But vampires are very powerful creatures.  He will enter your mind."

            "How?"

            "There are many ways."

            She swallowed.  "Could he come to me through a…a dream?"

            He turned to look at her then, studied her for a long time, so intense that she began to feel as if he could read her thoughts.  Finally he turned his gaze to the stars.  "It is possible," was all he said.

            She tried to suppress a shudder, mostly failed.  It wasn't just a dream, then.  It had been real, in a way.  But…she paused.  Why then had the hunter been there?  She was fairly certain this Rayven had not meant for him to be.  With nothing to stop her, she would not have wavered…and she might have spent the night, and the many that followed, with half a dozen elves lying atop her to keep her from walking out.

            She knew, without knowing, that it would have been torment.  She would have longed for something with all her heart, with all her soul, and it would have been denied her.  Perhaps part of her would have known it was wrong, known that she was betraying her parents.  She could not imagine anything more painful.  If D had not come to her…

            But D had been there, and he had begged her not to go, and, in that moment, she had not been able to imagine doing anything but staying with him.

            He had saved her already.

            Did he even know he had?

            "D," she said, clearly.

            He turned to look at her again.

            "Can you…enter dreams?  Like the vampire?  I don't mean to offend you," she added quickly.  "I was just…I mean…I'm just curious.  You said you are half vampire, and so I thought…But if it is painful for you, then please, do not speak of it."

            Another pause.  He shook his head slightly, keeping his eyes on hers.  "I am not offended," he murmured.  "But I have never entered a dream before.  In truth, I have never tried.  I have never needed to."  He turned away from her again, and his final words were so soft she barely heard them.  "I have never wanted to."

            The sadness in him intensified so much that she felt tears on her cheeks.  She wiped them quickly away, then reached out to take his hand.  He turned to look at her, and for the first time, emotion showed clearly and strongly in his face.

            Shock.

            She smiled, even though his reaction saddened her more than his despair.

            "I won't lie," she said.  "I'm frightened.  Scared to death.  But I'm glad you're here.  I feel safer, knowing someone's watching over me."  Her smile became a grin.  "I think I'll be able to sleep now…but I just wanted to say…thank you..."  Impulsively, she stood on her toes and kissed him softly on the cheek.  Flushing, she turned and scurried back to bed, elven grace momentarily gone.  But she was still smiling gently as she drifted off to sleep.

            On the balcony, D stared unseeing into the night.

Elvish Translation-

A'mael- beloved

Atara- mother

Melamin- my love

PS- Sorry, still no Left Hand.  There just wasn't an opening, and I can't put him in just to have him there…he's throwing a fit, too.  But hopefully he'll make it next chapter!  g  Love ya!