A/N: I can't apologize profusely enough for the INCREDIBLY LONG delay on this one. I was in one of those fun funks where I know where I want the story to go, but I'm not sure how to get it there. I argued with myself as much as our heroes argued with each other trying to figure out which road for them to take from the last chapter. Also, I had a baby! Haha! Minor detail, there. He's beautiful and perfect, and I love him. =) Anywho, on with the story!

**I do not own LotR or StarWars**

~#*ITS*#~

Shadow sat, sullenly observing the Fellowship as they bickered about the appropriate road to take over, under, or around the mountains. The comforts he'd brought them were a nice reprieve, but soon, the gravity of their situation had returned, and the cold, darkness with it.

Shadow was completely motionless, his hidden eyes bouncing from one person to the next as Gandalf, Aragorn, Boromir, and Gimli stood in a circle yelling at one another. Legolas sat on a boulder nearby, peering out into the darkness and humming absently. Frodo stood beside Gandalf, listening to the options.

The other three hobbits huddled close to the dark Jedi in the warmth of his cloak: Sam on his right, Merry on his left, and Pippin hugged close to his chest. To the outside observer, Shadow now appeared to be a massive, four-headed monster. It would have been humorous if not for the current circumstances.

"You smell nice, Mister Shadow," Merry whispered, still keeping his eyes on the arguing bunch before them.

"Sort of like the lilac bushes around Bag-End," Sam added.

"Not the sort of smell you'd expect somebody to have out here," Pippin commented, "but it's a nice change, to be certain."

The dark man's only response was a silent chuckle. Had they not been close enough to his body to feel it, the hobbits wouldn't have known a response was given at all.

All four sets of ears perked up, suddenly, though, when Frodo made a suggestion.

"Why don't we ask Shadow?"

At once, all eyes were on the four headed monster. Shadow made no move to speak or get up.

"Yes! Surely our strange friend knows the way," Boromir scoffed.

There was silence for a moment before Aragorn spoke.

"Do you?" he hesitated, "Know the way, that is."

The hobbits heard Shadow clear his throat.

"I know the way we're supposed to go," he said slowly, "though, I do not wish to see it happen."

"The Gap of Rohan leads us directly through Isengard. The longer route by the sea would leave us on the road for far too long, and leads to lands controlled by Sauron. The Mountain pass would offer the least physical resistance with the shortest distance to cover," Aragorn repeated the options to the Jedi.

"You're leaving out one other option," Shadow said softly. Gimli's ears perked up.

"No," Aragorn said firmly, "that road leads only to evil and ruin."

"Indeed, it does," Shadow nodded, "but that is the road we will take. We may try others, if you desire, but our path lies through Moria."

Suddenly, Legolas's humming stopped as the elf turned to look wide-eyed at the Jedi. His expression was mirrored on most of the faces before him. Gandalf's visage remained stony, and Gimli's lit up.

"I suppose it is for the Ring Bearer to decide if other ways may be tried first," Shadow lowered his head with this final word, and all eyes turned to Frodo.

"Well," the hobbit stammered, "I suppose if our journey will lead through the mines either way, it will only cost us time to attempt other ways."

"Then, through Moria we will go," Aragorn sighed, "Best get some rest. Tomorrow, our road turns darker."

With sighs and mumbled words of protest, the Fellowship huddled in together and drifted to sleep. Only Gandalf and Shadow remained awake before the hour had passed. Shadow sat on a boulder with his long arms curled around his knees. He'd laid his cloak over the pile of sleeping hobbits only moments before.

"Despite knowing it is the only way," Gandalf was making his way over to the Jedi's perch, "you are reluctant to take the Mine road."

"I am," came the tired reply.

"What would cause the great Dai so much distress?" Gandalf's piercing eyes stared directly into the black abyss to the face he knew lay underneath.

"Gandalf," Shadow no longer sounded like the strong defender he had been. Instead, his voice was that of a saddened child speaking to an elder, "when I came on this venture, I knew there would be certain things I could not change…fixed points in the timeline. I have already attempted to change one, to no avail."

Here, the Jedi's hooded head turned to where Frodo lay, huddled with the other hobbits.

"Moria is a fixed point," Gandalf's words were not a question.

"More specifically, something that happens in Moria is fixed," Shadow's voice grew sadder still, and his eyes came back to rest on Gandalf's aged face.

"Oh," Gandalf nodded, "You are telling me I will not be leaving the Halls of Durin."

"Not with us," Shadow corrected. "You will face an evil there that will be your undoing…You know of what I speak."

"Shadow and flame…"

"Yes," Shadow nodded, "Gandalf the Grey will cease to exist…but you will not be defeated."

There was silence for a moment as both of them thought on the coming days.

"I wish I could help you in this battle," Shadow continued, "but it is one you must rise above alone."

Gandalf nodded, understanding.

"To help me would be to leave the Fellowship," the wizard said softly, "and that is something you must never do."

"For as long as there is a Fellowship, I will remain with it," Shadow stated cryptically.

"There is more you are keeping from me," Gandalf raised an eyebrow.

"You know already what it is that I fear," Shadow looked over his shoulder to where Boromir tossed in an uneasy sleep.

"Hmm…" Gandalf mused, "indeed…"

In silence, they each looked out over the barren land before them before Gandalf spoke again.

"Well, Master Jedi, if your watchful eyes will be keeping us safe, I believe this old wizard will be catching a few winks before we start out again."

"Goodnight, Gandalf," Shadow smiled softly beneath his hood.

"Goodnight, dear friend," Gandalf returned, patting Shadow's shoulder as he went.

~#*ITS*#~

"Behold! The gates of Moria!" Gimli called excitedly.

"Looks like a bloody average cliff wall if you ask me," Merry mumbled in Shadow's ear from his perch on the Jedi's back. Shadow snorted in reply, holding in a laugh.

The closer the Fellowship moved to the massive stone efface, the tenser Merry felt Shadow become. The Jedi went from quietly interacting with his companions to stony silence while his hooded head swiveled back and forth as if in anticipation of a coming attack.

As the moon rose again, the door to the dwarfish kingdom was revealed. The Fellowship waited expectantly while Gandalf approached it.

"Speak friend, and enter," Gandalf read slowly.

"What does that mean?" Pippin raised an eyebrow.

"It means," Gandalf said indignantly, "if you're a friend, you speak the password, and the gates will open!"

"Hmm…" Shadow giggled. "As much as I'd love to sit here and watch you frustrate yourself to the point of injury trying to guess every password known to Middle Earth, we've no time, so I'll stop you."

Gandalf raised a bushy eyebrow and turned it on Shadow.

"What is the elvish word for friend, Gandalf?" the Jedi's smirk was oozing from every word.

"Mellon…"

Suddenly, the stone doors parted with a loud "crack" and began sliding open with a deafening rumble. Shadow nodded, satisfied, before looking over his shoulder at the lake behind them. He'd managed to lessen the time here and thus limited the chances of possible observation, but he doubted the noise from the door was going to go unnoticed.

"Alright, get inside quickly," he ushered the hobbits before him, sitting Merry on the ground to push him along with the others. He kept his eyes behind them while adding, "It isn't going to be a pretty sight in there, but for the sake of us all, keep moving. We can give commentary on the mine's status once we're all safely inside."

"Shadow, what's wrong?" Aragorn placed a hand on the Jedi's shoulder as he passed with the four frightened hobbits.

Shadow looked back once again. To his chagrin, large ripples had formed on the formerly glassy lake and were heading directly for them.

"Lake monster," he mumbled. "MOVE!"

Chaos erupted as Shadow basically tossed Sam toward the dwarvish doors.

"Gimli! Lead them on!" he bellowed, grabbing his lightsaber and turning to the defensive with Aragorn, Boromir, Legolas, and Gandalf. Gimli nodded, and plunged fearlessly into the dark.

Suddenly, a mass of tentacles came flying from the water. The sheer number of them was disorienting, causing Aragorn and Boromir to swing blindly with their swords. Legolas fired arrow after arrow into what appeared to be the source. Shadow's lightsaber hummed in the darkness.

"The hobbits are safe inside! Fall back!" Boromir called.

Slowly, each of the defenders moved back, still fending off the storm of slimy arms. Shadow was pleased. Despite the likelihood of forfeiting this battle, it seemed that they would manage to get everyone inside unscathed. Just then, though, Shadow heard a cry from behind.

"Mister Frodo!" Sam called following the shriek from Frodo.

Shadow cursed under his breath. One of the tentacles had gotten by them and now had Frodo dangling over the head of the monster. Without hesitation, Shadow began climbing through the tentacles like tree branches whipping around in a storm.

"Legolas! Take it down!" the Jedi roared as he went. The elf did as he was told, aiming for the creature's ugly head. With three arrows, the monster was gone—the tentacles and the two members of the Fellowship with it.

"Mister Frodo!" Sam cried, rushing forward. The hobbits had to be held back.

"There's nothing we can do now, little ones," Boromir's voice was full of sorrow.

Just then, something broke the surface of the water. Wild gasping could be heard as Shadow pulled Frodo's brown, curly head out of the murky depths and began swimming with him. Legolas ran forward to meet them, pulling Shadow to his feet when he reached him. Unbridled rejoicing came from the shoreline as the waterlogged Jedi stumbled out of the lake and sat Frodo, coughing, on the dry ground.

"Alright," he said between breaths, "That could have gone better…"

"It could also have gone a lot worse," Legolas threw an arm around Shadow's soaked shoulders and led him into the dark mine, glancing one last time over his shoulder at the glassy lake behind them.

~#*ITS*#~

You know the drill! Reviews appreciated!