Chapter 31 ended with:

All the ellyn and ellith started pacing anxiously in front of the portal, trying to hear what was happening. Lady Galadriel was berating herself, telling Celeborn that she might have been the cause of Valerie and Allison getting hurt.

Chapter 32 – Back Home

Valerie crossed the portal slowly, bow in hand, ready to shoot the first danger she would encounter. She had no idea where the portal would bring Allison and her. They might appear in the middle of a highway, and in that case, her arrows would do nothing against a huge speeding truck. She admitted to herself that she was worried about this little adventure, even if it was only supposed to last a few hours. She had spent almost 18 years in Middle Earth and she knew things changed at the speed of light on Earth. How different would things be? Would she recognize anything? Her former town? People she had known? And why did she have to go today of all days? What was the emergency?

She stopped as soon as she saw her surroundings. She didn't drop her bow, for she was not in control of the situation. She was in the middle of a little forest, and it was very late at night. She could see lights further away, through the heavy foliage of the trees. She looked around, trying to see if there were people or any sort of threats around her, but all seemed quiet.

She was forced to take a step ahead when Allison, who had just crossed the portal, pushed on her back.

"Where are we?" she whispered to Valerie, trying to make as little noise as possible.

"I have no idea. There are many lights in that direction, and I can hear cars. There must be a road nearby."

"Wait… Are we not…? Are we not near your house?"

"My house?" Valerie looked around. The trees were not familiar, but after all, nature could change drastically in two decades…

"It has to be your house. We only have two hours here, the Valar would not have dropped us hours away from wherever we need to go." As always, Allison was thinking things through as opposed to Valerie, who was more of an instinctive type of person.

"I sold my house to strangers before we left! This house does not belong to me anymore."

"Let's go see, Valerie. I did not follow you here to remain in the woods for two hours. Glorfindel would never forgive me the stress I am currently causing him if I came back empty-handed, or without having done whatever we were supposed to do."

"It would have been great to know what is expected of us in the first place!" Valerie snorted sarcastically.

Keeping her arrow nocked, Valerie and her sister slowly walked in the direction of the lights until they arrived near a house that they immediately recognized.

"What did I tell you?" Allison asked quite loudly, proud to have been right once again.

"Hush! Whoever lives here now might hear us!"

"What should we do?" Allison whispered this time.

"Everything seems to be the same! The new owners did not do any changes to the outside, and it is very well maintained. Look, there is light in one room on the second floor, the one that used to be my bedroom. If I walk closer to the patio door, I can take a look inside and see if we seem to have business here. Stay here. Do not move," Valerie asked her sister.

Allison nodded. She was not going anywhere near a stranger's house before Valerie told her it was safe. Valerie ran very quickly to the patio door, and Allison once again marveled at how her sister had developed warrior's reflexes and attitudes. She watched as Valerie peeked quickly through the glass door, making sure that no one was in sight, before she did it again for longer. Strangely, she could see that Valerie seemed puzzled. Not by what she was seeing, but by what she was smelling. The way Valerie was inhaling told her as much. What had these people cooked to create such a reaction in Valerie?

Her sister came back to the woods quickly, her expression both excited and bewildered.

"What is wrong?" Allison asked.

"Our mother lives here."

"What?"

"Our mother lives here," Valerie repeated more slowly. She expanded on the subject when Allison stared at her. "I can smell her scent everywhere. It is not a smell I can forget, I have smelled her all my childhood. And now, with our enhanced senses, I can tell you without any doubt that she has been living here for many, many years now."

"Can you smell our father's scent?"

"No, not at all."

"I did not even realize that our parents could still be alive," Allison mused out loud.

"Mom would be 85, I think. Dad would be 95," Valerie quickly calculated.

"Do you think this is what we have to do? Give closure to our parents and John Junior?"

Valerie snorted. "Are you serious? Give closure to John Junior? I would rather go back to the portal right away. Give closure to John Junior," she repeated in a tone that told Allison that Valerie had not forgotten yet the serious fights she had had with their brother.

"Do you think Mother is here right now?"

"I heard two people breathing in the room upstairs. They are not talking. I believe it is Mother with someone else."

"Are they asleep?"

"I do not think so. Their breathing was not regular enough. Do you want to go in and see?" Valerie asked her sister with a devilish smile. "Can you be quiet and not make any noise?"

"I would have you know that I am as half-elven as you are," Allison cried, too loud once again.

Valerie hushed her for the second time. "If I bring you in the house, I need you to keep your mouth shut until I tell you it is okay to speak. You remove your shoes and walk as stealthily as your mate would, am I clear?"

"Yes," an apologetic Allison replied. She was too curious to let Valerie go in the house alone. If this was now their mother's home, she doubted there would be any danger inside.

They walked back to the house and Valerie tried to slide the patio door silently. Luckily for them, the door was not locked and opened with little resistance. Even the alarm system did not make the usual beeping sound when a door was opening. The people inside had really not wanted to be bothered by any noise. They entered and Allison slowly closed the door behind herself.

They looked around the kitchen that had not changed at all. Even the table and chairs were the same. Allison was about to make a remark about this fact when Valerie put a finger on her lips, reminding her to remain absolutely silent.

Now that they were inside, Allison recognized her mother's scent too. And she could hear the breathing of two people upstairs. Valerie made with her fingers a gesture simulating going upstairs, and Allison accepted. She followed Valerie as she silently started to climb the stairs. She had her bow ready again, just in case, and Allison felt safer for that. After all, they had no idea who the second person was, although the scent indicated it was probably a woman, if the flowery perfume could be trusted.

Valerie walked slowly in the hallway of the second floor, surprised to see that pictures of her and her children were still on the wall, exactly where they had been when she lived in that house. She looked behind her and saw that Allison was also looking at the pictures. Valerie raised an eyebrow and Allison shrugged, unable to answer the unspoken question. The house had been sold. How come it had come back to its exact state and had remained as such for 18 years?

They arrived closer to the door of the main bedroom, and Valerie peeked quickly through the door frame. She went back to Allison, leaning against her to whisper in her ear. For anyone watching them, it looked like they were hugging. No mortal would have heard Valerie's whisper as even Allison struggled to hear it.

"Mother is lying in the bed. There is a woman sitting next to her in a chair. I think… I think it is Rose."

Allison brought her mouth close to Valerie's ear. "Rose who?"

"Rose who used to be my assistant when I worked at Y&S."

"What is she doing here?"

"No idea."

"What do we do?"

"Mother looks sick. Maybe… Maybe this is what we are here for. To say goodbye."

Suddenly, coming from the bedroom, a feeble voice was heard. "Allison? Are you there?"

Valerie and her sister froze. How could their mother have heard them?

The other woman started talking. "Ms. Thompson, your daughter disappeared many years ago. Allison is not here. Please lie down, you know you should not try to sit."

"Rose, I am telling you, my daughters are here, in this house. I can feel it."

They heard someone standing. "Look, I will go look in the hallway just to prove to you that they are not here. They are gone, Ms. Thompson, and you should stop -" Rose stopped talking when she saw the two sisters in the hallway.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!" she repeated.

"Are they here?" the older woman asked from her bed.

"Yes, Mother, I am here," Allison replied, walking around Rose who was now staring at Valerie.

"Valerie? Is that you?"

"Hello, Rose." It was difficult to speak English after so many years. She really had adopted Sindarin as her first language. She even had an accent now, like Legolas had when he spoke English. How strange!

Rose walked closer and touched Valerie's face as if she was assessing if her former employer was a ghost. She removed her hand as soon as she felt warm skin under her fingers.

"But you were gone! Where have you been?" Rose inquired, quickly recovering from the shock. "And look at you! You are pregnant again! You were pregnant when you disappeared 18 years ago. How could you still be pregnant? You are what, 47?"

"48."

"Where are your children? Where have you spent these last 18 years?" Her tone was changing, from shocked to questioning suspiciously in the best police department traditions. Valerie didn't like it one bit. She was only there for a few hours and she could not answer these questions. She could hear her mother and Allison talking in the bedroom, and it was obvious to her now that they had come back for Allison to see their mother one last time.

Valerie blinked when Rose opened the light. Her former assistant stared at her in disbelief.

"How come you look younger than when I last saw you?" Rose's voice had stopped being pleasant already. "And your ears! You look… you look like that man you were going out with before you disappeared. The one who kidnapped you!"

"Legolas did not kidnap me. I followed him freely with my children. And Allison decided to join us."

"Valerie?" her mother's voice rose from the bedroom. "Come here, my child, I wish to see you too. Why do you stay away from me?"

Valerie looked at Rose. She was definitely going to be a problem. They would have to tread carefully around her if they wanted to leave soon, without having to answer too many questions. Valerie turned her back on Rose and entered the bedroom. Nothing had changed there either. Even the comforter was the same. It felt like her mother had recreated Valerie's house as it had been before her disappearance, a sort of museum in her honor. Rose followed Valerie and stood behind her.

Valerie saw that her mother was now sitting in her bed with Allison supporting her back. She had changed so much… She looked so fragile and old… She suddenly realized that her mother was probably living her last moments. Why would the Valar have decided to send them exactly today if it were not for this fact?

"Valerie, you are so beautiful, more beautiful than ever," she said, holding out a shaking hand in Valerie's direction.

"Hello, Mother," Valerie said awkwardly to the woman who had always been cold towards her.

"I see you will give me another grandchild. It will be what? Let me count, your tenth child if we include the one you have adopted?"

"How do you know that?" Valerie looked at Allison, who shook her head in denial.

"I saw you. All these years, I saw you in my dreams."

"She was right?" Rose's bewildered voice rose behind Valerie. "Her dreams were actually right?"

Valerie did not understand why Rose was giving herself permission to intervene in this conversation. She was only her former employee. She had probably been hired by her mother as an assistant after Valerie's disappearance.

"Rose, this is between my mother and us," Valerie told her, very annoyed.

"I have every right to be here! I was the one who took care of your mother for all these years while you were… wherever you were, looking younger and careless."

"Rose, please," the old woman pleaded. "Let me have some peaceful moments with my daughters."

Rose frowned but remained silent. She went to sit on the chair she was occupying before and just watched them coldly.

"You saw us in your dreams, Mother?" Allison asked.

"Yes. I saw you, how you both lived in some incredible caves before you married this blond warrior who took you to his home. I saw your daughter, a delightful little thing who looks like Valerie when she was a child. And I saw that you are still a doctor."

"Yes, I am," Allison confirmed. "I cannot believe that you have seen my mate Glorfindel and my daughter Rosswen as well!"

"And I saw you," the old woman said, turning in Valerie's direction. "Why are you still standing there? Come closer to me. Sit on the other side of the bed."

Valerie hesitated. Her mother had never been close to her. John Junior, and to a certain extent, Allison had been her favorites, a preference she had had no shame displaying during their childhood.

"I know that you have a special ability," Valerie's mother whispered. "You can read my mind. Please do so now. See how much regret and guilt I feel for neglecting you so dreadfully."

Valerie looked elsewhere, tempted but not acting on her impulse. Was this a trap? Why this sudden change of heart?

"Valerie, I am so sorry. There is nothing I can say that will change the past. All I can say is that… your disappearance made me realize many things, about my children, about my life… Your father and I divorced a few months after you left. I could not keep living with the man who had pushed me to become such a shallow woman, with all his infidelities and his passion for money. Without my daughters, my life with him fell apart. I bought back your house and put it back in the state it was before you sold it, in the hope that you would come back one day. Your father never understood my hopes, calling it foolish, stupid even. Soon after I moved in, after our divorce, I started dreaming of you both. I knew these dreams were real, but no one believed me. Certainly not your father. He thought I was insane. My dreams did not even give him hope. He had no hope. He simply did not care. He never was a loving man, your father. He has never been."

Valerie slowly sat down on the bed, near her weak mother.

"What happened to him? Where is he now?" Allison asked about their father.

"He died of a heart attack ten years ago. Probably killed by the crazy sex with his new wife who was 40 years younger than him… She makes a rich and happy widow, let me tell you…" Her voice had become harsh, as if it was still a painful memory for her. She had loved her ex-husband for many decades, unable to see his flaws. His death had still been difficult despite their divorce.

"But I see that you have found another father figure," the old woman continued after a few moments to breathe deeply. Talking seemed to be difficult, and she had talked aplenty since the arrival of her daughters. "A king no less. He loves you deeply, I can see it in his eyes when you are not looking at him. And your husband… so devoted to you, so in love with you. I am so glad for you, Valerie. You deserve your happiness. I only wish I had been able to give you a happy childhood. I realize now that it made you the woman that you are today, and you would not be so happy today if you had followed a different path."

During the entire speech, Valerie had not read her mother's mind but she had felt the sincerity in her words. "Thank you, Mother."

"I apologize for everything. I want you to know that I love you. That I love you both," she said, turning her head in Allison's direction. "I am so proud. Proud of my grandchildren also. Liam, Sean, Phoebe... They are so beautiful and so courageous!"

"I would not say that of Sean," Valerie jested.

"He might not be, you are right. But he has become such a great musician. And Liam, such a serious young man! Phoebe, dear God, Phoebe! A strong warrior, and she seems so in love with that young man!"

"His name is Elladan. My younger sons adore him!" Valerie wanted to ask her mother a question, but she didn't want to hurt her. Her curiosity eventually surpassed her hesitancy. "Mother, can you tell us... what happened to Paola?" Valerie asked. The woman who had raised both herself and her children had been an important figure in her life.

"You had left her a letter to explain your disappearance; she shared some of it with me in secrecy. You also left her some money. She stopped working and lived a few more years with her husband and surrounded by her grandchildren. She died peacefully in her bed, about twelve years ago."

"You are exhausted, you should stop talking," Rose said from her chair. She did not seem to like the conversation at all.

"I am dying, Rose. I will probably not make it through the night. This is my last chance to say goodbye to my beloved daughters. Valerie, I know that Paola was more a mother to you than I ever was. But will you deny me one last hug, one last kiss?"

Unable to talk, submerged by unknown emotions towards her mother, Valerie slowly leaned closer to her and gently took the frail body in her arms, knowing she would never see her mother alive again.

"You must go now," the old woman told her daughters. "Your brother will arrive within the hour and I do not think it would be a good idea for you to see him. Unless his wife already told him of your presence?"

"His wife?" Allison asked.

"Of course I sent him a text message to tell him to hurry up!" Rose said with a superior air. "What, you didn't think that John would ever get married, or you are surprised that he married me?" she asked to the speechless sisters. To be honest, Valerie thought both ideas were ludicrous, but she preferred not to share that with Rose.

"What did you tell him?" Valerie asked, wondering why Rose would have told John Junior to hurry up. If anything, her brother would probably avoid meeting them. It was highly unlikely that he had a twinge of conscience about how he had treated Valerie in the past.

"I told him to arrive at once, so he could see his sisters looking younger than ever, with pointy ears no less! I am sure he will be very interested to know where you have gained this apparent everlasting youth."

"Let's get out of here!" Valerie cried. John would more than likely be very unpleasant, and she could not risk being delayed going back to Middle Earth. She gave a quick kiss to her mother, and Allison did the same.

"I am sorry, Mother," Allison said. "We have to go back. We cannot linger here… Maybe we would not be able to go back home!"

"Go, my daughters, go! I will die peacefully, now that I have seen you once more and earned your forgiveness, I hope!"

"Yes, I forgive you," Valerie confirmed tenderly. "Goodbye, Mother," she said, a lump in her throat. What her mother had told her had been unexpected, but would probably give her some good memories of her past.

Allison pulled her arm and Valerie had no choice but to follow her, holding her bow in one hand and supporting her stomach with the other.

They were in the stairs when Rose cried after them. "Wait! Where are you going?" She had her phone on her ear and started talking to someone who could only be John Junior. "He is arriving! He wants to see you both!"

"We need to run!" Allison cried.

"Allison, I am nine months pregnant! I cannot run to the portal!"

They made it to the backyard before they heard a car stop in front of the house, tires screeching loudly in the quiet night. They started running in the grass, hoping to reach the trees before John Junior saw them running away. In the darkness, they had a chance to escape unseen. They reached the trees and hid in the woods, Allison watching the house and Valerie trying to catch her breath.

"Sprinting while you look like a whale is not a great idea," Valerie whispered.

They saw two men, John Junior and another one they had never seen before, speak to Rose who was pointing in the direction of the woods, exactly where they had stopped to hide. They then distinctively saw both men take out guns from their jackets.

"Why is he taking out a gun?" Allison asked Valerie. "Is he actually intending to hurt us?"

Rose's voice was becoming hysterical. "I am telling you, John, they are younger than they used to be! They are not aging! They have turned into some sort of beautiful beings, fairies or something, like that man they had met before they disappeared! We must discover what they did! We need that too!"

The two men started walking in their direction. "Allison! Valerie! I just want to talk to you. Come on, stop hiding like little girls!"

Valerie pulled Allison in the direction of the portal. They tried to run silently, but they were so frightened that their loud breathing could probably be heard from afar. To make matters worse, Allison was continuously stepping on the dried twigs that covered the path. There was no way that they would make it on time. The two men were getting closer, following the sounds the sisters were making in their haste.

"Allison," Valerie called, breathless. She could no longer run, not in such an advanced state of pregnancy. "You have to leave me behind for now. Run to the portal, try to get some help. Go!" she screamed when her sister did not obey.

But Allison realized that it was their only chance. Maybe Glorfindel and Legolas could help them. She hastened in the direction of the portal and screamed for her mate when she started seeing the light of the portal from afar.

"Glorfindel!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. "Glorfindel! Help us!"

Far behind Allison, Valerie was trying to walk faster but knew her brother was getting closer. Who knew what John Junior would do to her if he caught her? He had never liked her, truth be told, hate was probably the emotion that could describe best what he felt for his younger sister. The fact that he had a gun was not boding well. If she did not get hurt, she would at least miss the portal. Which might mean that she would not go back to Middle Earth and that she would be stuck in her world. She would never see her family again. "Legolas," she moaned. "Oh Valar, Legolas!" she screamed louder, hoping that against all odds, her mate would magically appear by her side and save her from her brother.

She felt a strong hand grab her arm and pull her backwards violently. "Valerie, my dear, dear little sister." She could see the portal not far away, and with a sigh of relief, saw Legolas and Phoebe running out of it, arrows ready and already aiming in the direction of the two men.

"Legolas!" she called. She immediately felt the cold barrel of a gun against her temple. She froze. Was her brother seriously threatening her life?

"Do not move!" the second man told Legolas and Phoebe, aiming his gun at Phoebe. Father and daughter started walking slower in their direction, arrows still nocked. "I said – do not move!" the stranger that was with her brother repeated.

Liam suddenly came out of the portal, a sword in his hand. He stood beside Allison who had also stopped moving near the portal, unsure about what to do.

"So you are still with that Legolas," John said, grabbing her properly from behind. He had been able to snake his arm between her belly and her breast now that she was paralyzed by the threat of his gun against her head.

"What do you want, John?" she asked despite her fear.

"But… Are these your children? Is this your little Phoebe? And that man with Allison, is that Liam or Sean?"

"I am Liam, Uncle John."

John turned his head in the direction of Phoebe and looked at her inquisitively. "I am sorry, Uncle John, but I have no recollection of you." Her condescending smile proved that she was not scared at all by the situation, and that she would not let this uncle she did not remember hurt her mother.

Valerie saw that Legolas was pointing the portal and Allison to Liam, and her son nodded. John and his hired man did not notice, their attention on Phoebe, who was quite a sight with her full warrior gear and her fierce beauty. Liam silently pushed Allison through the portal, obeying Legolas' silent command.

"You all have strange features now," John remarked. "You look your age, I guess, but Liam doesn't look his age at all, and it is even more remarkable for Valerie and Allison." He suddenly realized that Allison was no longer with them. "Where did she go?" he asked the other man.

"She is gone, Uncle John," Phoebe replied. "You make poor warriors, I can tell you that!"

"It is that man who helped her escape!" the stranger said, pointing Liam with his gun.

"Well well, Liam, it was a mistake not to take my side," John said. "Kill him!" he commanded to the other man.

"No! Liam!" Valerie shouted while struggling against her brother. She heard a gunshot and Liam ducked quickly. A second later, the man who had shot in Liam's direction fell to his knees, an arrow in his throat. Legolas had killed him in the blink of an eye. He had already nocked a second arrow and was now aiming it at John, just like Phoebe did.

Liam walked closer, his sword still in hand. They were now three against John, but he definitely had the advantage, his gun threatening Valerie's life. They would all drop their weapons if he asked them, something he commanded after a few moments.

"You all drop your weapons, or I kill Valerie."

"Drop your weapons," Valerie pleaded in Sindarin. "Please… Do not let him hurt or kill you, please! He might even let us go if we give him what we want."

"Shut up!" John said, hitting Valerie's temple with the gun. She let out a whimper of pain. She would definitively have a bruise, and a headache. "Speak in English if you want to say something!"

Legolas' expression had turned from cold determination to absolute murderous intent. She had never seen such an expression on his face, and it scared her. He was going to kill John Junior. Her brother. Who did not deserve her pity, but he was still family and therefore, she decided to try to work things out. For her mother, who loved them all after all.

"John, what do you want?" she asked, breathless. The way he was holding her against his chest did not allow her to breathe properly, and she was getting dizzy. "We will give you everything you want."

"I want… I want to stay young like you are. None of you are aging. I deserve that too. Whatever it is that you took, or drank, or injected in yourself to achieve this, I want it. And I want it now. I will not let you go until you give it to me."

"What we have is not something that you can inject in your veins," Legolas said.

"Stay where you are, son of a bitch!" John thundered. "I asked you to put your weapons down, or I will not hesitate to hurt my sister. I don't have to kill her, I can only shoot on the side of her stomach and… bye bye, baby!" he laughed darkly.

"Do as he says, please!" Valerie pleaded when John put his gun against her stomach. "Please, please, do as he says! He will kill our baby!"

Phoebe, very suspiciously for Valerie, dropped her bow first. She calmly eyed Legolas, who dropped his right after. These two were communicating with their eyes, it was almost frightening. John Junior did not even realize it. Liam, who was still further away, slowly walked closer and put his sword on the ground.

She tried to read her brother's thoughts and succeeded quite easily. All he was thinking about was to hear more about how they had become immortal. He wanted it and really was willing to hurt her to know that information. He was not planning to kill her per se, even if he had been ready to kill Liam. John Junior was simply thinking that if he shot Valerie in the stomach, she would most likely not die, but her baby would be history. She is too old to be a mother again, he thought.

They heard the quiet footsteps of a female, probably Rose, coming in the forest to see what was happening, walking with difficulty in the woods with her high heels.

"Now that everyone finally obeyed my command, let's discuss what I want to know," John continued. "Valerie, how exactly did you become forever young?"

Legolas slightly nodded, allowing her to talk. He wanted her to buy time. That, she could buy a plenty. She only had to tell John Junior whatever he wanted to hear. But what were Legolas and Phoebe planning to do?

She silently prayed her mate to spare John. He was her brother even if he had turned into a ruthless criminal. Her mother was dying that very night, and she did not think she could live peacefully with the thought that her husband had killed her brother before he had a chance to say goodbye to their mother.

Legolas frowned, knowing what she was silently asking, but he was not willing to promise anything under the current circumstances.

"John," Valerie started, "you are right, Allison, the children and myself did become immortal."

"How did that happen?"

"We… we drank something that a wizard gave us."

"A wizard?" John Junior repeated with sarcasm. "You think I believe in magic?"

"Where do you think that portal comes from, if not from magic?"

John considered the veil that floated in the air further away. He had not seen Allison leave, but he guessed that she had disappeared through it.

"I will go there and speak to that wizard," John decided.

"I am afraid you cannot. There are warriors on the other side, they would kill you the minute you cross the portal. But if you send us…"

"You want to go back there? You think I am an idiot? I know you will not come back after!"

"Let's send Liam then," Valerie suggested. "Phoebe, Legolas and myself will remain here. Liam will go speak to the wizard and get the potion for you."

Of course, there was no potion, but at least, Liam would be out of harm's way. She only had to find another way to send Phoebe next. Maybe she could send her after Liam, to see why Liam was taking so much time. John might buy that, Valerie thought.

John Junior pondered the idea for a while but Valerie, who was following his thoughts, knew she had won. Rose arrived in the little clearing and seeing the current state of affairs, she walked to the body of the dead man and took his gun. She then aimed it at Phoebe.

Her appearance changed John's train of thought.

"I want more. I want at least five doses."

"Why?"

"One for me, one for my lovely wife, right Rose? Wouldn't you like to look young forever like Valerie?" Rose nodded and seemed to look around for Allison, until she realized she no longer was there.

"Where is Allison?"

"She is gone," John replied curtly.

"Good work, John! I told you we needed them both!"

"Darling, we have more than two, look, we have my sister, her lover and two of her children!"

"Good," Rose said, looking coldly at Valerie.

"What did I ever do to you, Rose?" Valerie asked. "I thought we were friends!"

"That was 18 years ago, Valerie! I am now a devoted Thompson, I will do everything to make the family's wealth grow. And selling this cure of yours will make us rich!"

"You already are rich," Valerie argued.

"Richer," Rose specified.

"So I need five doses," John Junior repeated. "One for myself, one for Rose, and three to study what the formula is so we can recreate it. If you are okay with that, I will allow Liam to go in the portal and bring me what I need."

"Liam, go see Mithrandir." Valerie's tone was clearly indicating that she would not tolerate any resistance.

Liam looked at his mother, not wanting to leave but knowing she was purposely sending him away. He was a scholar after all, he was the most likely to get hurt. He had sent Allison back against her will, pushing her forcefully through the portal. She was now safe in Glorfindel's arms, and he had done whatever he could for his mother. He prayed the Valar that he would see his mother, father and sister again before nodding in agreement.

"I will ask him to give me five doses, as requested. I will come back as soon as I have them. Uncle John, please do not hurt my mother," he pleaded.

"I will not if you come back quickly."

Walking slowly in the direction of the portal, Liam gave his family one last glance before crossing it.

"I always liked Liam," John commented casually. "He always was an obedient child. Phoebe, on the other hand, was reminding me of you way too much."

"Sorry to have been a disappointment," Phoebe said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Stop challenging me, bitch! If your brother doesn't come back quickly, your mother will lose her unborn child!" John was truly angry and Valerie could tell he absolutely meant his words.

"Then, you are next on my list," John continued. "Shut your mouth and do not move! Rose, you can shoot her in the knee if she keeps talking."

Valerie was now terrified. Phoebe had angered John even more, and she knew that Liam was not coming back. What would happen next was anyone's guess. She looked at Legolas, pleading for him to find a solution. But he was not looking at her, he was staring at Phoebe. They seemed to be in agreement about something.

One moment, she had John's gun against her stomach. The next, the gun was gone and she felt a gush of hot blood flood her face, hair, chest and stomach. She started screaming and thrashing, thinking that John had pulled the trigger and shot her baby. Legolas pushed John on the ground and grabbed his mate protectively, holding her against his chest and murmuring words of comfort. Valerie realized that although she was covered in blood, she felt no pain at all. How odd.

"Legolas?" she inquired, "what happened?" She knew what had happened, but her brain refused to process the information.

"I am sorry, Vanima, I could not spare him," he simply said.

Valerie turned her head against his shoulder and saw a smiling Phoebe who was cleaning a knife on Rose's expensive clothes. And Rose was allowing it, because she was dead as well, her throat severely cut. John sported a different kind of wound, he still had Legolas' secret knife embedded on the side of his neck. Their bodies were on the grass, beside the body of the other man who had tried to kill Liam.

"Nice work, Father!" Phoebe said, vastly pleased with herself. She grabbed the sword Liam seemed to have borrowed from Elladan.

"You killed them?" Valerie asked, staring at the three bodies on the ground. She then looked at her blood-soaked dress. She frenetically tried to wipe her hands and face with a clean part of her skirt.

"Come on, Mother! They had it coming!"

"Phoebe!" Legolas cut through his daugther's self-applause. "This is your uncle and his wife you are talking about!"

"You wanted to kill him as much as I did, if not more!"

"I took his life because he left me no other choice. He was threatening your mother and our baby! But there is nothing to celebrate and certainly not anything to be proud of!"

He looked back at Valerie, who was quite obviously in shock.

"Valerie?" he asked, trying to get her attention. "My love, are you alright? Please say something."

"You killed him!" she cried in disbelief. She looked at her dress and at her hands, finally realizing they were covered in her own brother's blood. "Oh Valar, you really killed John Junior!"

"Let's go back home," a tense Legolas said. He still was under the adrenaline rush and knew that anything would make him snap. He needed to bring Valerie safely back to Middle Earth, and right now. After their fight about his oath and her desperate escape to Osgiliath and her following sickness, he really had not needed another threat on his mate's life, at the hand of family no less.

He took his knife back from John's body and wiped it on the grass before putting it back in his boot. He said a quick prayer for the three deceased, asking the Valar to forgive them for their errors and violence. When he was done, he carried Valerie bridal style to the portal, Phoebe following behind them, clearly unhappy about her father's reprimand.

Legolas was assailed by his family once he crossed the portal.

"Is Valerie hurt?" the Elvenking asked when he saw all the blood that covered her.

"It is not her blood," Legolas darkly replied.

"What happened? Did he shoot her?" Liam inquired.

"We killed them," Phoebe said. "But we are not allowed to rejoice, since it was our uncle that died." It was obvious that she was angry that Legolas and her would probably be blamed for having saved Valerie from a brother that had always hated her and had ultimately attempted to kill her.

"You killed my brother?" Allison asked, sheltered in Glorfindel's arms. It was clear that her husband would not let her out of his sight for a long time after this. "How dare you!"

"Are you really going to blame us?" Phoebe asked her coldly.

"He was my brother!"

"With all due respect, you were the first one to cowardly escape from this critical situation. You were not the one with a gun on your temple or threatening the life of your unborn child. You can keep your judgments to yourself!" Phoebe spat angrily.

"No one is judging you," Elladan calmly said, touching her arm to get her attention. "I am sure that Allison would rather grieve for her brother than for your mother."

"You did the right thing," Glorfindel confirmed. Most of the warriors around them nodded in approval. If Valerie's brother had threatened her and her child, he had deserved his fate.

"What I would be ashamed of," a man said in a low tone in the back of the crowd in front of them, as if he only wanted to be heard by whoever was standing beside him, "is to have asked my daughter to save my wife. Is it not a husband's role to protect his wife?"

All the elves turned in the direction of the voice. The crowd opened to reveal the man who had foolishly forgotten that elves had incredible hearing capabilities. It was Erchirion, second son of Prince Imrahil of Belfalas.

Gilrin hit her son on his arm, ashamed of his comment. She remembered that years before, Erchirion had attempted to seduce Valerie while she had spent a few weeks in Belfalas. Was he trying to publicly offend Valerie's mate now? To what purpose? She glanced at Imrahil, whose skin tone had turned red when he had heard his son. Her husband was not aware of what had happened many years before in their own home. Should she have told him? Would they have brought Erchirion and his wife to Minas Tirith for the coronation if they had known that he would still be pining after Valerie and be ready to insult her mate?

Legolas, still holding a shocked Valerie, looked at the man who had spoken disrespectfully. He immediately recognized the man who had tried to steal Valerie from him years before in Belfalas. The day before, Erchirion had revealed his oath to Valerie to ensure the couple would fight. And he had had the nerves to remain near their room the entire time when Legolas had taken care of Valerie, who had been suffering from hypothermia.

Legolas was not in the mood to be mocked by such a man. He decided that this would be the last time that Erchirion would be anywhere near his wife. Legolas asked his father to take Valerie, deadly calm. Thranduil smirked. This might be fun after all.

Legolas walked to Erchirion like a wild feline approached his prey. Gilrin's son lost his smile immediately. Prince Imrahil tried to place himself in front of his son, but before he could react, Legolas had grabbed Erchirion by the throat and was lifting him off the ground.

"I am the one who killed him, I am the one with the blood on my hands. I will never hesitate to eliminate any threats to my wife."

"Prince Legolas, let go of my son immediately!" Imrahil commanded. Gilrin put a calming hand on her husband's arm, silently asking him to let Legolas talk. The situation had been festering for a long time and it was time to end this feud.

"And know this, Erchirion, son of Imrahil, Prince of Belfalas," Legolas continued as if he had not heard Imrahil. "I will not hesitate to do the same thing to you should you force on my mate your unwanted attentions and keep trying to bed her. Years ago, I have been tempted to ride south to let you know of my displeasure, but I did not do it because I had a realm to protect. Maybe I should have visited you. It would have spared my wife more suffering due to your desires and uncontrollable impulses. Turn them on your own wife, or I will strike. Am I clear?"

Erchirion, white as a sheet but still proud, decided to challenge the angry elf. "Keep your wife on a tighter leash if you want to make sure she will not be tempted by others."

Legolas, already pushed beyond his limits by the late John Junior, did not control his impulse. In one sudden and strong blow, he broke Erchirion's nose. The crack was loud and clear, and Erchirion moaned in pain, attempting to touch his bleeding nose. He had been publicly humiliated and looked around to see if someone would help him.

"This is the second male who gets a broken nose for desiring someone else's mate," Elrohir commented lightly in the crowd.

"You broke Erestor's nose?" Phoebe asked Elladan. His smile proved that not only had he done it, but that it was still a satisfying memory for him.

"Put me down," Valerie whispered to Thranduil. "I need to calm Legolas before he hurts Erchirion more seriously."

"No," the Elvenking said. "You are not going to move until you have rested. Let Legolas handle the situation. He will not kill the idiot."

"Prince Legolas, please release my son," Imrahil requested firmly but not unkindly. "It would seem that his conduct was less than respectable, and I will make sure that he will remain in Belfalas until he repents of his actions. Would that be agreeable to you?"

"I think you should send your son to Minas Tirith immediately, before the coronation," Thranduil said, adding his grain of salt. "At least, it is what I would do if it were my son we were talking about. But my son would certainly never act like this. Like every elf, he was raised to respect the inviolability of an elven binding. It seems that this elven tradition was lost somewhere in your bloodline, Prince Imrahil."

"I would like to point out that dwarves respect the sanctity of marriage too," Gimli's voice said somewhere in the crowd.

Many offended elves, both lords and warriors, were expectantly watching Imrahil and Erchirion. The prince turned to the future king, but the frown on Aragorn's face told him he would not get any support from there either. Imrahil had no choice but to promise to send his son back to Belfalas at dawn the next day.

Legolas released Erchirion and the man fell in front of his father.

"Stand up, Son," a greatly displeased and humiliated Imrahil said. "We have things to discuss."

"Please accept our apologies, Prince Legolas," Gilrin added. "Valerie, I will visit you in the morning."

Valerie nodded.

"You can but only if she is feeling better," Legolas promised.

He followed his father who was still carrying Valerie. The crowd opened again for them, and their family and friends followed them to Legolas' rooms, like they had done when Valerie had been ill the day before.

Later that evening, Valerie was lying comfortably in her bed. Her children, older and younger, had visited her and she had briefly talked with each one of them. Legolas had been able to send away all visitors but his father, who was sitting beside Valerie's bed and listening to her with great attention, holding her hand and kissing it once in a while. The depth of his adar's love for Valerie was astonishing to Legolas, who remembered how difficult their relationship had been in the early days. Valerie was telling the king how sad she was that her brother was dead, but even sadder to see that he had been ready to gravely injure her and her baby. What had she ever done to him to deserve this? She could not remember anything that would have triggered his anger and toxic hate.

"Sweetheart, you will never understand the reasons behind his behavior," Thranduil was whispering to an attentive Valerie. "You are a wonderful elleth. Many people would risk their lives for you. You should have seen how many ellyn were ready to cross the portal to save you earlier! Forget your brother. It is true that he must have hated you greatly, but truly, there is nothing about you that can create such destructive loathing towards a sister. I can only assume that he was mentally ill in a way or another. Do not bear the guilt for his death, for he would still be alive if he had not come after you with a weapon to hurt you."

"I know."

"Try to get some sleep. I will see you in the morning. Good night," Thranduil said, giving a kiss on her forehead.

Legolas followed him to the door. The king turned to look at his son before leaving. "I was completely and utterly frightened for Valerie today, while she was on the other side of that portal. But when you crossed it also… I would have faded if I had lost both of you."

Legolas knew it was a way for his adar to make amends for trying to separate him from Valerie the day before. But he was not without fault himself.

"I apologize for threatening you last night, when you came back with Valerie. And for my oath to Aragorn. It was done without consideration for my family. I know that our future will be different than what you were planning, and I deeply regret it."

"I will survive, ion nin – my son, as long as I know that Valerie and you are still alive and deeply in love somewhere in Middle Earth…"

They quickly hugged each other, and Thranduil left their apartment.

Legolas got ready for bed and lied beside his mate who had been waiting for him in the bed. They were on their right side, her back against his chest, their legs intertwined, and his hand caressing her stomach every now and then. He had no idea how receptive she would be to any form of advances. After all, she was grieving for her mother and brother and probably was still angry with him. When his hand inadvertently touched her breasts, he felt her shiver in his arms. Interested by that reaction, wondering if she was not waiting for him to make the first move, he slowly put his hand on her left breast, caressing her nipple through her nightgown. Her breathing accelerated. He started to tenderly kiss the nape of her neck, moving her red locks away to give him better access. He lifted himself on his forearm and slowly licked the small tip of her ear.

"Legolas," she moaned. "What are you doing?"

"You know very well what I am doing," he replied huskily. "I am doing what I should have done the minute we were reunited. We should have skipped the welcome feast and stay together alone in this room." He kissed the corner of her mouth until she slightly turned in his direction to give him better access to her lips. Their kiss was slow at first, as they both reacquainted themselves with each other. There was much feeling in that kiss, love, forgiveness, hope…

Legolas' desire went into overdrive after a few minutes of kissing, his blood boiling in his veins. He grinded his aching erection against her bottom, seeking a bit of pleasure after all these months away from her. Despite her pregnancy, she was still the sexiest elleth he had ever met, and he longed to make love to her all night if she could keep up with him.

"I want to make love to you," he whispered in her ear. "I want us to become one by renewing our bond so our fëar can mend. I want my relationship with you to be as it was before I left. And also… I want you to hear you, hear the noises that you make while I pleasure you…"

She moaned, and he knew she wanted it as much as he. There was no time for talking, no time for preparation. He lifted her left leg and touched her folds, already wet for him. He didn't waste another second and aligned his shaft against her entrance, gently pushing in. They both groaned when Legolas was fully sheathed. He remained immobile, just enjoying the fact that he was one with her again. But Valerie started making little movements, craving to feel him more than this.

"You feel so good," he mumbled as he started a gentle pace. She was very pregnant and he wanted to be cautious. Furthermore, he knew that he would not last long. There would be no need for forceful thrusting and passionate caresses, their longing was too great. He kept kissing her neck and shoulder, one of his hands caressing her swollen bud at the same time. The sensations were moving all over his body, particularly intense in the region of his groin and it was clear from her reactions that Valerie was also experiencing all-consuming pleasure.

"Legolas," she whimpered. "Yes, please… Do not stop!"

She was close to her climax already, and so was he. He concentrated on his fëa, sending it to bond again with Valerie's. Their shared fëar intertwined, they started feeling not only their own pleasure, but their partner's also. Legolas made sure that he sent her way all the emotions he had felt in the past two days, so she could feel how deeply he loved her and how determined he was to make her the happiest elleth alive.

They reached their peak together, trying to stifle their moans so their neighbors would not know that they had been making love. Some could consider it unthinkable while she was practically about to give birth, and they did not want to bear the teasing of their older children in the morning.

Legolas kept Valerie in his arms, feeling his bond with her more strongly than ever. Valar, how he loved her! How did he live without her for so long? She was his anchor in a storm, even if she caused most of the storms in their lives. But he would not change his life at any cost.

"Valerie, I swear that from now on, my one and only goal will be to make sure that you are happy every minute of every day. I will be the most devoted of mates. I will build us a home in Ithilien, a place where we can live in peace and raise our children to be the warriors they were in the past. I cannot wait to start this new life with you! We are blessed with a strong bond, and we will enjoy it thoroughly, Vanima. And our love will grow stronger because we will remain together, not separated by my captain duties in Greenwood or any quest. It will be a perfect life."

Valerie, finally at peace in her husband's embrace, fell asleep almost immediately, but not before murmuring to her mate that she loved him and could not wait to start this new life with him. Legolas spent the following hours listening to her quiet breathing, caressing his child and kissing Valerie's skin. He could not get enough of her, and would never accept to be separated from her again.

I hope you appreciated this chapter! Was it what you expected had happened to Valerie and Allison while they were in their world? John Junior had to strike once more…

From then on, a slow but unavoidable wrap up of the story will be taking place… I think I will have another 2-3 chapters, unless I get inspired and extend it a little…

Please do not forget to leave a review! More than ever, I need to be inspired by your support and comments!

Many many thanks to Natasya Ivashkov, WMaldonado89, Angel (you will soon know who Elrohir's mate is, he will meet her in the next chapter), glassary, xcrazylife, hannahhobnob and gginsc.