~oOo~

He looked at his reflection in the window and wondered how he could possibly feel anything other than foolish. Mooning over this girl like some love stuck calf. He was making a fool of himself. So obsessed he was with this girl's resemblance to someone who has long since passed. How could he feel anything other than foolish?

He had not been surprised when she had sent him the message. He had known of her interest in him. He could sense it from both women without even having to delve into their thoughts. He had not been surprised when she had answered her phone either. He knew she was there. She had just sent him the text.

But he despised text. It was such an informal and cold way to communicate with another. And he refused to begin any sort of rapport in such a manner, much less any sort of relationship.

Relationship? He startled himself at the thought. Did he really believe that he could begin a relationship with this woman? While she is the exact reflection of Andreth, he must still remind himself that she is not the Andreth. Not his Andreth. No, this was a modern young woman of this age and her name was Andrea and she had her own thoughts and beliefs and a life that had no memory of him.

When he had met her at the coffee shop it was innocent enough. He just wanted to see her once more, out of some morbid curiosity he supposed. Pushed by some masochistic fascination in torturing himself with the past. He had spotted her sitting in the back almost immediately and had been amused at her nervousness. The way she fidgeted with her food and the rapid tapping of her fingers against her cup.

He could read her quite easily without even having to delve into her mind. Not that he would without invitation but her thoughts would come across in waves as was the way with all of her kind. She was infatuated with him, finding him a very attractive oddity almost as she would one of her artifacts. Something to be studied and admired and then safely put away for posterity's sake. He knew the affect he could have on the second born. His kind had always been some beautiful mystery of mythical proportions to them. Only realizing just how petty his people could be until it was too late. Which may be why Men had developed reservations about the eldar at an almost instinctive level. She was no different.

It was all quite charming of course. But she was not Andreth. Simply a young woman with an uncanny resemblance. He had resigned himself to this and was prepared to part until he had made the mistake of extending his hand to her. For it was in that moment, in that briefest most fleeting of moments that he saw it. Or perhaps he felt it, he was not certain. All he knew was that the moment their hands touched something had happened, some spark of recognition that flared inside of her and was gone and he could not help but shaken to the core of his very fëa as he stared into her, attempting to grab at the memory that eluded them both.

After he had agreed to join her for drinks, he could not help the feeling of elation that had come over him.

It was her. It had to be her.

It was not until they would meet again that he began to regret his actions.

He was euphoric that evening. He had arrived early, knowing that she would do the same. He became somewhat hesitant when she asked of his family. Of course she would, how could he think she would not? His answers remained vague and she took there meaning as something else and he was content to let her.

She, on the other hand, spoke freely of her family and the resemblance to Aegnor was intriguing. An older brother and younger sister. Little mention of the mother, primarily raised by the father. A love of education and history, of horses and the outdoors. All could be considered coincidence of course.

He could feel her sneaking looks at him from the corner of her eye and enjoyed her fascination. But he knew that the wine did not affect him as it did her and he thought that perhaps he should tread more carefully from here on.

It was at that moment that her thoughts had come across to him, searing across his conscience like a white hot flame, the light does not come from a reflection but from within!

It had startled him so much that he could not help but look over at her. And she stared right back at him, unflinching, unwavering, just as another had done once so many ages ago.

They had left and he began to feel the same intoxication that she had, but for different reasons. Or, maybe not so different, it was become hard to tell. All he could see was the way the corners of her eyes would crinkle when she would laugh, the way one corner of her mouth would curve up more than the other when she smiled, the way her body felt against his arm as she leaned against him. They walked along the park, under the trees with the sound of music and conversation floating along the air and when he looked at her it was hard for Aegnor to know where or when he was.

Perhaps that was why he become so careless. So caught up in whatever romantic illusions he had painted in his head that when her lips gently brushed across his cheek a grasped at her hand, desperately looking to find some hint of recognition within. It was in that moment, that pathetic, sad moment that he let his guard down and she had reached up to push back his hair and saw his ears.

It was the look on her face that had brought it all crashing down, his pretty little fantasy. The look of shock and surprise to see something that this day and age is considered a deformity. He had fled then, running back to the cab, his heart pounding in his chest.

She is not Andreth. A faint whisper of a memory from ages past perhaps, but she was not Andreth. And what if she were? Did he think that somehow this time would be different? That somehow he could still cheat death? It would come to this one as it does all her kind. Their lives are so quick, so fleeting. He will blink and she will be gone. She will grow old, she will fade, she will die. And he will remain to live with the loss. Alone. A fool to believe that somehow he could change her fate.

No she was not Andreth. Andreth was long dead. He left her to save her the pain of their inevitable parting. That was his truth. He was acting a fool.

Aegnor turned from the window only to halt midstep by the sound of his phone.

~oOo~

"You aren't taking a break already are you?"

Andrea looked up at the source of the voice and smiled. Her friend Hayley was a tiny little brunette with purple streaks in her hair, tattoos on her arm and built like a brick shit house. There was not an ounce of fat on her. It made Andrea sick. Still, she was a great gym partner.

While Kate was her friend in most of her life's misadventures, Hayley was the one she would talk to for a more balanced approach. It was easy to stereotype Hayley into the wrong category when first meeting her. Going off of her appearance one would never know she was studying social work and criminal justice at Columbia. She was also considered one of the best freestyle fighters. Andrea had seen her drop men twice her size before. They had become friends at the gym and bonded over losing their mothers at a young age. Of course, Hayley's story could be considered more tragic in that her father had died to when she was young and Hayley and her brother had been passed around foster care for the later part of their lives. Her experiences in her youth may explain her choice of careers.

Andrea grinned as she continued to tie her shoes.

"I am just trying to keep you from getting too tired. You're looking kind of out of shape lately."

Hayley smiled and shook her head, dropping her bag down by Andrea before she plopped down herself.

"You are too kind," she retorted as she began to take off her shoes as well.

They would stretch out and then get on the treadmill for some cardio for a bit before Hayley would take Andrea over to the bags to spar. Andrea could only guess that Hayley must love a challenge because she was terrible at this. She hated working out and only came to spend some time away from school and to be with her friend. She had a feeling Hayley knew this though.

As they warmed up they caught up for the week. Hayley had apparently met someone, and she seemed to really like him. This made Andrea happy, and maybe a little bit jealous, for her friend. The other thing that the two of them had in common besides the lack of a maternal presence was their choice in men. Which sucked.

But Hayley seemed happy. She even said she was sleeping better which really did make Andrea jealous. They both suffered from reoccurring nightmares that Andrea had always attributed to the similarities of their losses in life. Hayley's dreams had always sounded more frightening to Andrea, but then she had also been through more when she was a child.

But now her friend seemed truly happy. There was a lightness to her that Kate would probably attribute to being in love or having sex or something along those lines. Whatever it was Andrea hoped that it worked out and that he was not a total tool.

Hayley talking about the new man in her life turned her own thoughts to Agner and the strange turn that night had taken. She had not called him since then, getting the distinct impression from how quickly he had left that perhaps he did not want to see her again. And since he had made no attempt to contact her either, why should she think differently? It could just be because she had touched his ears. Although they were pretty strange . . . actually they were really strange. She had never seen anything like that before in her life.

"Watch your target. You're drifting," Hayley called from where she held the bag for Andrea to lamely attempt to hit.

"Sorry," Andrea answered, "sorry. You know I suck at this. Why do you keep trying to teach me?"

"I like a challenge."

Andrea knew it.

"Seriously though. Where's your head at because it sure ain't here."

"I'm sorry," Andrea sighed as her fist made a sad little swatting noise as it hit the bag. "Just thinking I guess."

"Really? About what?"

"Oh it's nothing really. It's kind of stupid actually. Just a bad date. Well not a completely bad date but a bad enough date that I may or may not have screwed up. I don't even know."

"Oh do tell. It couldn't have been half as bad as your form tonight, trust me."

"You have no idea."

Andrea proceeded to tell her of the evening and the buildup of events that led to it. By the time she had finished they had found a seat on the floor against the wall, sipping on a couple of bottles of water. Hayley listened intently as Andrea spoke, the occasional little sideways smile playing on her lips. Andrea paused once she came towards the part of her story that covered the end of the night. Hayley looked at her expectantly.

"Well?" Hayley asked.

"Well," Andrea replied, "well this is where it gets weird and yet so typical at the same time. We were saying goodnight and he took my hand right? And I thought he was going to kiss me for sure and I was all ready for it you know? I would not have complained at all. But instead he just stands there looking at me."

"Why didn't you just kiss him?" Hayley spoke as if she were stating the obvious.

"Well I actually considered it, and when I reached up to brush some of his hair out of his face that is when I saw it."

"Saw what?" Hayley's eyes were wide with anticipation.

"His ears were pointed."

". . . what?"

"His ears were pointed. And I don't mean that they were big or stuck out or curved in some sort of funny way. I mean there are pointed, like ninety degree angle point. Like, like . . . an elf or something."

"Pointed . . ."

"Yes."

"Like an elf . . ."

"Yes."

Hayley paused for a moment as if to process what Andrea had just told her. "You mean like Tinkerbell or something?"

"Tinkerbell isn't an elf," Andrea replied.

"Sure she is."

"No she isn't, she's a fairy."

"What's the difference?"

"Fairies have wings!"

"And pointy ears . . ."

"No they . . . look can we just focus for a second here please! Please?"

Hayley put her hands up in the air as if in surrender. "Okay, okay, he has pointy ears. So, is that a deal breaker?"

"What?" Andrea said looking confused.

"Is that a deal breaker? You know, something that you just can't get past."

"No . . . I mean," Andrea struggled, "I don't think . . . I guess I . . . I don't know! I mean, you don't think that is a little strange?"

"I dated a guy with webbed toes once," Hayley said with a shrug.

"That is not the same thing," Andreas said incredulously.

"You didn't see his feet," Hayley held her hand out flat on the floor, "like a duck."

Andrea leaned her head back against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. "I don't even know why I try," she sighed.

Hayley studied her for a moment. "You haven't been sleeping much again have you . . ."

"No," Andrea answered, closing her eyes. "It's the same thing again and again. Or at least it was. All of a sudden now, I am seeing his face! I am reaching for him and then there is fire everywhere and what the hell! I am not twelve anymore! This shouldn't be happening, should it? Why him? Why all of a sudden do I see his face there? I don't even know this guy, never seen him before in my life but now it is him I see! It's all stupid and weird and I just want to sleep."

She sighed her frustration. The dreams had always been sporadic. She has had them for as long as she could remember which was around the time that her mother passed away. They had always been the same. There were stars in water and a shadowy figure that Andrea had thought was a prince or something reaching for her and then turning away. And then there was fire and she is running. Running towards the fire and the figure but never getting anywhere. But now her shadowy prince had a face. Every time it was his face. Andrea would wake up almost in tears, gripping the sheets as if her life depended on it.

Hayley watched her intently as she spoke, eyes narrowing minutely.

"Maybe you do know him."

Andrea gave her friend a sideways glance but Hayley was not deterred.

"Maybe you do know him. It could happen you know. It's a big city, perhaps you have seen him before or something. I mean, you both seem to have an interest in history and artifacts. Is it so strange to assume that maybe, just maybe, the two of you were at a showing at the same time and didn't know it. Maybe you saw him in passing and thought he was cute and didn't really think about it again and now your subconscious is playing tricks on you. It could happen."

Andrea looked at her friend skeptically. While she supposed that could happen, he really did not have a face that one would forget.

"I don't know Hayley. If you were to see this guy you would understand why."

"So you like him then."

"What?"

"Do. You. Like. Him."

Andrea paused before speaking.

"I don't even know him," she said somewhat dismally.

"That is not what I asked," Hayley said disapprovingly.

Andrea rolled her eyes and pushed some wayward strands of hair from her face.

"Yeah, I kind of do. Or at least I did. After the ear thing I am not so sure he wants to see me anymore."

"Have you talked to him since?"

"No."

"How long has it been since eargate?"

Andrea gave an amused little snort. "Two days."

"Call him."

"I don't -"

"Just call him. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Um, he doesn't answer or call back or -"

"So he doesn't answer or call back. How different is that from right now. And if he does answer and doesn't want to see you then at least you have a definitive answer right? It is not like you have invested and time in this emotionally or anything. You can still walk away with your head held high and we will make fun of him freely!"

Andrea smiled and shook her head.

"But," Hayley started up again with her little sideways grin, "I think he will answer or call back. And when he does maybe we can plan something, or meet out somewhere and I can let you know what I really think."

"I don't know," said Andrea, "maybe. We'll see."

They got up from the floor and began to gather their belongings to head to the locker room to clean up. As they walked Andrea turned to her friend once more.

"You know, that thing about meeting him before might not be that far off. There was a couple of times when I was talking to him when I got this overwhelming feeling of déjávu, like I had seen him before."

"You probably have," Hayley shrugged, "I mean it could happen. Or," her friend winked mischievously and nudged Andrea with her elbow, "maybe you knew him in another life!"

"Whatever," Andrea laughed. "With my luck he probably left me at the alter."

It was Hayley's turn to roll her eyes.

"You really need to lighten up girl."

~oOo~

Aegnor watched as his eldest brother gave his final condolences to Lord Boromir. It had been a solemn and yet beautiful affair, fitting of the lady Eirian for she deserved every honor. Aegnor had been fond of her. She was kind and gracious lady and it saddened him to think of her family having to continue on in this world with her no longer in it. How fleeting their lives were. So fragile and delicate. A simple illness after child birth and she was gone.

He looked over at the children who stood behind Boromir. The infant that was being held in the nursemaid's arms gave soft mewling noises every now and then, while the oldest son and daughter stood silently off to the side. Aegnor and his brothers had offered to escort Boron's eldest daughter to stay at the home of his brother Belemir and his wife, Adanel. Boron feared that his daughter would not learn what a young lady needed to know with her mother now gone. And so he made arrangements for her to stay with the lady Adanel, where she could learn the proper etiquette befitting a lady of her station. The infant girl was to remain with her father till she was old enough to travel, or the elder daughter was old enough to return, whichever came first.

It mattered little to Aegnor. It was wise to send the child away. In truth, he felt Boromir should send them all away, somewhere safe. Although where that would be Aegnor could not say. But he could not help but feel some displeasure at all of this. These children should not be put through such trying times. He found it irresponsible to bring ones so young into times so violent. There was just too much evil in this land for them to live the lives they deserve. It was not fair to them for they had no choice.

But then Ingoldo would often say how different the Atani were from them. Aegnor could not agree more.

Aegnor watched as the young girl said her farewells to her father and brother and made her way to the carriage that would carry her and her nanny. The lord Boromir turned to them once more.

"My thanks again my lords. I will now know some peace with the knowledge that she is safe in your company. You do me a great honor."

"It is an honor escort such a precious cargo Boromir," Finrod replied, "you will have nothing to fear. We will protect her with our lives if need be. You have my word."

"May the gods watch over you little one," he called out to the little face that peaked out of the window of the carriage.

Aegnor looked over at the girl. She must be frightened, he thought. She just lost her mother and now to be sent away from her family so young with strangers must be terrifying. But when he looked over at her, there were no tears, no trembling lips or gasping sobs. The eyes that stared back at him were bright and clear and her tiny chin held steady in the air.

Aegnor was impressed and amused. She almost seemed to look at him in challenge, daring him to pity her circumstance. He found himself giving her a small approving smile.

Perhaps she would make a fine lady after all.