CONCERNING LEFT HAND: Look, guys…I really appreciate the reviews.  I really do.  They make my day.  But if one more review is wasted on nothing but "Where is Left Hand?" I'm gonna scream.  If you have a question like that, a question like "What's going on, where are you going with this, please, please e-mail me directly!  I will answer your questions!  I will be happy to!  As for Left Hand, no I have not forgotten about him.  He is in my thoughts all the time. Yes, he is missing.  No, he is not there.  Why?  Where did he go?  You'll just have to wait.  It will be explained, but the time is not yet right.  I left you a clue about him in the last chapter, in hopes that I wouldn't have to outright explain it to you.  Did you catch it?  If not, read it carefully, go watch Bloodlust again.  Andy caught it, so I'm sure anyone can.  ~_^  Now, please stop harassing me.  I promise ample Left Hand time in flashbacks.  This was a decision I had to make.  I discussed it with my friends and even a couple of my readers and we decided this was best.  Third wheels make romance awkward.  O_o

A/N:  Yeah, yeah, I know…this took forever.  All I can say is I'm sorry.  _  But it's here now!  And longer than the last one!  Yey!  Thanks to all the people who reviewed, and my sincerest apologies to Ashley Sinstar for "tormenting" her.  g  Oh, and apparently it wasn't clear in the last chapter, so I'll say it now…the picture was *not* drawn by me, your humble author, but by the wondrous and amazing Adele Sessler, whose site, meadowhaven.net, you sould all visit.  Moy, I hope you like this one!  Thanks to Julie and Andy for proofing it!

Oh yes, and I think only Nitala and Neferious Vixen knew where "Well, I am psychic" came from.  It was X-Men!  Patrick Stewart as Professor X.  If I forgot anyone, lemme know!

Falling Into Grace

"How can I convince you,

What you see is real?

Who am I to blame you

For doubting what you feel?"

-Survivor

Elvish:  (I'm putting them up here this time, since you might want to know them ahead of time.)

Quel amrun-Good morning

Uma-yes

Ada-informal "father," like "dad"

Atara-mother (have you learned this one by heart yet?  ~_^)

N'uma-no

Melamin-my love

Yallume-finally

Ohatar-warrior

Ed' i'ear ar' elenea- by the sea and stars

Cormamin- my heart

Amin mela lle- I love you

            Blood red eyes opened, shining in the light of the candles.  The Vampire laughed to himself, a low, musical sound; it was a beautiful voice, but there was nothing good or pure within it.  "D, you are an idiot," whispered Rayven of Chaythe, remembering what he'd seen while watching them in his mind's eye. "I can't believe how upset you were over that elf.  You've become emotionally involved again…"  He chuckled again, remembering the scene in the garden.  "More than even I expected.  Oh, D.  Your father's dynasty was once one of the greatest.  Now all that remains is a half-breed who fraternizes with the food."
            There was truth in that, Rayven knew.  No matter that these "elves" were more powerful than humans.  They were still nothing more than livestock; the tools to make him great.  He snarled, rising.  Perhaps it was time to end this.  Take the girl and have it done.  But…the look on D's face when he had found that first one had been so…satisfying. 

"No…," he murmured.  "Perhaps…another one would be amusing," he said to himself.  And not without its benefits.  Even now the taste of her immortal blood lingered in his mouth, and he was already more powerful, though not enough, he knew, to defeat D.  Not yet. "I will make him suffer before I destroy him.  He will pay for what he has done to the Race.  But who…" he trailed off, smirking as a truly wonderful idea came to him.

"Yes.  This will tear him apart slowly.  I don't need the girl's sight to see that you care about her.  More than you should.  You were in her mind that night, and that can only mean…"  He laughed outright.  "And when I am done, you will have failed her in every way possible.  I will only be stronger.  And you will die.  Dracula's line will end, but the name of Chaythe shall endure."

********************************

            The next morning Aéllanwen woke long after the sun rose.  The emotional stress of the past several days had left her exhausted, and she had fallen asleep almost the instant she was in bed, safe and content in the knowledge that D was watching over her.

            And that he loved her.

            It was amazing, but it was true.  Even had she not been gifted with the ability to read his emotions, she had seen it in his eyes, when he had come looking for her that morning.  Aéllanwen had never in her relatively short life felt so at peace.

            They had spent the day together.  Not in the way a normal couple would.  They were anything but normal.  But whereas on a normal day they would have gone their separate ways once the sun was up, this day he followed her as she went through her routine.  They hardly spoke, but his grey eyes were always following her, as she worked at her archery, as she walked through the gardens, as she spoke with the servants, and as she greeted the other elves.  It was the first time she had met him that his face betrayed emotion.  It was absolutely amazing.

            Which meant, of course, that it couldn't last.

            He was gone when she opened her eyes.  The chair he had occupied next to her bed as she drifted off was vacant.  Aéllanwen was not upset.  A glance at the sun told her she had slept very late indeed, and she assumed he had merely left to meet with her father, as he did often, and was very likely to do now, so soon after they had found Dynariel.  She felt giddy, as ridiculous as that was, and she had to take a moment to calm herself before she left her chambers.

            After all, no matter what had happened between them, she was still her father's only daughter, and poise must be maintained.

            Her hunch was right.  Weiryn, her father's steward, told her that the two were in conference at that very moment, and so she sat down outside his solar to wait, humming lightly to herself.

            "Quel amrun, Aéllanwen."  She looked up to see her mother approaching.  She smiled broadly.

            "Quel amrun, Atara!" she returned, rising to kiss Andrenel in greeting.  Andrenel smiled back, seating herself gracefully in the chair next to her daughter's.

            "I take it you are waiting for the hunter?" the Queen looked at her knowingly.

            Aéllanwen laughed lightly.  "Uma, Atara, how did you guess?"

            Andrenel shrugged prettily.  "Just a hunch, I suppose."

           They were interrupted by the emergence of D himself from Legolas' solar, as well as the King himself.  "Quel amrun, Ada!" Aéllanwen smiled, jumping up to kiss her father on the cheek.

            "Aéllanwen," Legolas looked weary, and could not bring himself to return her smile…yet nothing could ruin her mood.  Not today.  The certainty of a love returned had left her feeling that anything was possible, and that nothing could go wrong.  They would find this vampire.  Good would prevail, as it always did.

            Andrenel smiled gently at her husband.  "Come, now, a'mael.  Come and rest.  Thinking on this now will not help."  She smiled gently at her daughter, sparing a warm glance for D, who had stood so still and quiet he had almost seemed to disappear.

            When they were gone, Aéllanwen turned her bright smile to D, who deserved it perhaps more than any, being himself the cause of it.  He did not smile back, of course; his face remained impassive, but his eyes were full of beautiful emotion.  "D," she said softly.  "Will you walk with me in the garden again?"

            "Yes, Aéllanwen," he said softly.  His voice slid gently over her name.  Feeling bold, she held her hand out to him.  He stared at it for a long time, but eventually, hesitantly, he placed his long-fingered hand in hers.

***************************************

            They had been walking for nearly an hour, and he had not once spoken.  That in itself was not unusual, but the silence today was pregnant, full of thoughts and pain.  She looked at him unabashedly, and he was not uncomfortable.  The feel her gaze was pleasant, containing none of the fear, the revulsion, or even the painful curiosity that was always held within the gazes of humans.  Only gentle caring was contained within, and the difference was most noticeable.

            She knew what he was thinking.  Well…more or less.  She felt that she didn't need to ask him why he was worried, and why he felt so guilty.  She even felt that perhaps it would only make things worse.  D would not tell her how he was feeling.  The only thing to be done was to distract him.

            How wonderful that would be.

            "The garden is beautiful this year, is it not, D?  I love every season, every day here in Mirkwood, but I confess I love Spring best of all.  Spring is like waking up as the sun rises.  Everything that was sleeping in Winter awakens.  It's wondrous."  She looked at him as she said the last, wondering if he would understand.  You are wondrous.

            "Yes," he murmured in agreement, surprising her that he spoke, even a little.  It warmed her.  He treated her differently now.  He was trying to.

            "D," she said softly, stopping and looking at him.  He looked back steadily, and his eyes were full of things that perhaps he would never say.  She smiled.  Well…perhaps some day.  Her hand came up, moving slowly through the air over his face, going slowly to give him time to adjust to the idea of being touched.  She could not know how his life had been, but she did know that much, perhaps most, of his pain came from his treatment at the hands of others.  Those who considered themselves "normal."

            His eyes did not waver, nor did he move away from her even slightly.  Encouraged, she touched him truly, sliding her fingers over the soft skin of his face, tracing his angular features, learning him by feel.  She brought her other hand up, sliding it back over his cheek and into his hair, tracing his ear, feeling the pointed tip.  One of his own hands lifted, and she sensed a flare of playfulness from him as he brought it to her hair, taking a lock between his fingers and giving it a gentle tug.  She giggled, realizing what he was doing.  It was just like the day before, in the rain, near the archery targets, only…backwards.  Her heart swelled, and she stood on her toes.  His eyes widened, realizing what she meant to do.  For a moment, she felt panic flare within him, but it was replaced almost instantly by determination, and…desire.  His hands moved to hold her face as she held his…

            There was a rustling behind him, a twig snapped.  Aéllanwen's eyes widened.  "Orcs!" she gasped.  D swung around, his sword was out in a flash, and he disappeared after the creature, cape flaring behind him.  Aéllanwen stayed behind, wringing her hands.  Her eyes were closed as she concentrated on D, reaching out to know what he was feeling.  It was the only way she could have any idea what was happening.

            He returned soon enough.  The time had felt like an eternity, but she was still surprised at how quick he had been.

            "Did…" she couldn't finish the question.

            He looked at her.  "I killed it," he said.

            "Was it…did it have anything to do with the…vampire?" she whispered.

            "I don't think so."  He sighed, and the sound was harsh with frustration.  "But it could have been.  He was too close, Aéllanwen.  I should have heard him sooner."

            She shook her head.  "N'uma, D.  This is not the first time orcs have come here.  I have seen them much closer, many a time, but they have never harmed anyone.  Ever since the War for Middle Earth, years before I was born, they have resented the elves and often come here in the hope of…"

            "It doesn't matter," he cut her off.  "I should have seen him.  I cannot afford to be distracted.  Not with a vampire.  He will come at night, and will be nearly impossible to detect.  Distraction is deadly."  He shook his head.  "We can't do this.  It's not worth the risk."  He stepped back, bowing stiffly, formally.  "Now, highness, I will escort you back to the castle.  Whether or not the vampire was involved, I'm sure your father will want to know."  He turned abruptly, walking briskly towards the palace, leaving her with no choice but to follow him, barely able to see the path in front of her as pain overwhelmed her.

*******************************

            She didn't sleep well that night.  He knew.  His sensitive ears picked up every sound from her chambers from where he stood on the balcony.  When she slept, it was fitful.  More often she was simply awake.  And when she was, he knew she was watching him.  Her eyes were full of pleading, but he would not let himself give in.  Didn't she understand it was for her own safety?  He did love her.  He was sure of it.  And that was why he was pushing her away.  Not only so that he could do his job, but because he knew, that when this was all over, he would have to leave.  And he couldn't expect her to leave this place to go with him to earth, broken and dead planet that it was.

            Becoming involved was always a mistake.  He should have learned that fifteen thousand years ago with Doris.

            But this was different.  This was not what he'd felt for Doris.  He'd cared for her.  He'd even been attracted to her.  But he wasn't sure if what he felt for her had ever been love.  Certainly it was nothing to what he was going through now.  The thought of leaving her when this was done, of never seeing her again, made him feel like his heart was shattering.  A long dead heart in a body that just wouldn't die, brought to life again only to be thoroughly destroyed.

            By the next night at dinner, the pleading in her eyes had turned to accusation.  He couldn't stand to look at her.  He had always been able to look in the eyes of anyone, but he couldn't stand to see the hurt in the crystal blue depths of hers.

            She was screaming inside.  She knew he was hurting as much as she was, and she could not understand why he insisted on continuing thus.  She sighed.  Dinner was over, but she had hardly eaten.  Her mother looked worried, but did not say anything.  Aéllanwen suspected she didn't need to ask, that she already had a good idea what was going on.  Part of her wanted to run and cry on her shoulder.  But another part felt somehow that she should do this on her own, or she would never learn.

            Andrenel saw determination creep into her daughter's eyes, and smiled encouragingly.

            "That's right, melamin.  Show him."

*************************************

            After dinner, she sat in front of the mirror in her room, combing through her long hair as she did every night.  Her mother's coloring was dark, but she had taken after her father, inheriting his bright blue eyes and long platinum hair.  Seeing how it shined in the candlelight, she braided it carefully and simply.  Just two braids behind her ears, and one at the back.  Her ears peeked out at her.  She was dressed in a long white gown.  Turning, she looked to her balcony, where D was standing, of course, back to her, looking as stoic as ever.  She actually grinned.  Let's see how far that stoicism went.

            She felt him tense almost imperceptibly as she moved to stand next to him.  She gauged the distance to the ground.  The balcony was not very high, perhaps only a few feet off the ground.  And D was conveniently standing just in front of the place where the railing did not go…

            Moving behind him with elfin speed, she gave one good shove…and tumbled him right off.

            He actually shouted in surprise, but landed nimbly on his feet.  "What in God's name are you doing!?" he ground out as she landed lightly next to him.

            "Yallume, I have your attention!" was all she said in reply.  "Now you look here, Ohatar.  I am sick of this.  I don't know why you think you need to be doing this, but it's ridiculous.  Ed' i'ear ar' elenea!  Neither of us is happy.  I know you're suffering as much as I.  So why do you persist?"

            He turned from her.  "If I fail you I will never forgive myself.  Don't you understand that everything that has happened has happened because I let myself be distracted?  But that's only part of it, Aéllanwen.  When this is over, if we live through it, I have to leave.  My job is not done.  I will have to go back to my world.  And what will you do?  I certainly don't expect you to come with me, but you can't expect me to abandon my mission.  It was a wonderful dream, but now we must move on."

            Her eyes softened.  "D, is that what you think?"  Her voice was very quiet, but he heard every word.  "D, there is something you should understand about the Elves.  We do not fall in love twice.  We are eternal beings, and in this eternity we are meant only to be with one other person.  Sometimes it takes us millennia to find them.  Sometimes only centuries.  I was lucky.  I found my soul when I was very young.  At first I was frightened.  He was not what I expected.  Indeed, not only was he not elfkind, he was something I had never before known existed.  But it could not be denied.  It matters not what we want, D, or what we think we want.  You are mine, as I am yours.  Our souls are cut from the same cloth.  Now that I know you, I cannot be without you.  If you left, I would despair.  And eventually, I would die."

            He turned back abruptly, his eyes widening.  "You would die?"

            She nodded.  "Eventually, our souls would find one another again.  But this life would end for me."

            "Aéllanwen…"

            "Do you understand now, D?  I don't care where you go.  If I am meant to follow you, I will do so, and gladly.  I will find more happiness like that than alone, even if it means leaving the home I know."  As she spoke, she moved closer, and now she stood just in front of him.  She reached up and removed his hat, dropping it to the ground, then brought her hands to frame his face as she had the morning before, in the garden.  His eyes drifted shut, and he leaned into her touch.  "What is that saying humans have?  'Home is where the heart is.'  You are my home, cormamin."

            Letting out his breath in a rush, he moved his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder.  She felt fear wash over her, though not her own, and she ran her fingers through his gently waved hair.  "Don't be afraid," she whispered, and he stiffened, surprised that she knew.  But still he kept his face pressed to her.

            "How are you so calm?" he asked, his voice muffled.

            She shrugged lightly.  "I don't know," she answered softly.  "I suppose…that I'm unfailingly optimistic.  My father often told me stories of the Great War.  The War of the Ring.  Everyone thought that Middle Earth was lost, in those days.  The whole world depended on one little Hobbit, who had to go to hell and back to save us all.  And most people thought he couldn't do it.  But he did.  He did, and we were saved.  The impossible came to pass.  Thinking on that…well, it always gives me hope.  Our situation is not nearly so dire as that of the Hobbit, D."

            He pulled back, actually smiling a little and shaking his head.  "I don't even know what a Hobbit is," he said.  "But I suppose…you have given me hope as well.  Where were we before I interrupted?  Oh yes…"  The little smile was still on his lips as he brought them down to hers.

            She couldn't help but smile against his mouth.  It was like coming home.  "Oh D…" she whispered, so happy she thought she'd faint.  He hissed, and pulled back abruptly, holding her face in his hands.  He looked at her intensely.

            "Don't call me that…please don't call me that anymore," he begged.

            She was confused.  "I don't understand…what…?"

            "Aidan," he said firmly.  "That was the name my mother gave me.  It's my true name.  Please, will you call me by my true name?"

            "Aidan," she whispered, testing the name out and finding that she liked it very much indeed.  It suited him well.  It was the name of a warrior.  "Of course, Aidan.  You have honored me."

            "Not nearly so much as you have honored me," he replied.  "Amin mela lle, Aéllawen."

            She gasped.  "You spoke Elvish!" she cried in delight.  "Where did you learn that?"

            "I've always picked up languages quickly," he said.  "That phrase I learned from ample time spent with your parents."

            Her laughter was like music as she wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to kiss him again.

A/N- Yeah, D surprised me too, when he kissed her.  Guess he finally found his manhood.  ~_^  Hope you like his name.  I think it suits him wonderfully.  Oh, and guys?  We're *so* close to 100 reviews.  If you're review 100, email me separately and I'll give you…something, I don't know what yet, but we'll talk about it, kay?  Thanks!  Love you guys!