A/N: Thank you Kit, my great new beta reader! You do awesome work. Thanks to all my lovely readers. As soon as I get the bugs off my net you guys will be getting shout outs.

Tugs and touches of a Cold

"This should help with the congestion in your nose." Aragorn handed his sister, the vibrant, blue eyed girl, a small jar as they walked the night to Moria. No the description of a vibrant girl was incorrect because the girl whom Aragorn walked beside was not a girl, but a young woman. She was not vibrant because of many different factors. Each step she had taken so far was with caution and a slight pain of what was to come, like the future was screaming out the agony of what was to happen. So many dark things lurked within Moria's underground walls.

"I can't do anything about the cough until we set up camp."

Amara looked up at her brother and gave him a small smile in thanks.

"Really Amara, you should have come to me sooner."

"Thank you Aragorn, but I told you not to worry about me. I know how to take care of myself. It's not about me," Amara spoke keeping her voice low.

No one else needed to know about her weakened state. Having a cold was not a big deal. To her, the cold hadn't mattered as long as the fellowship fared well. It had been living in California practically her whole life, in warm weather, was what brought this on. The climates sudden change did not agree with her body apparently.

She squeezed the jar in her hand. Besides the cold, the constant feel of danger kept nagging at her heart. The closer they got to their destination, the more the feeling of darkness ebbed within. Moria, she knew was going to be a challenge within its own. With not experience in fighting and only one lesson with Aragorn (not to forget the one she had with Legolas back in California) and all the books she read on it in Rivendell, she prayed that this alone would be enough.

With the feeling of darkness came that twist in her stomach. It was what she had now, the other symptoms, the chill, Goosebumps, nausea weren't there. She knew that it wasn't her power getting weaker but stronger, maybe too strong… Amara kept beside Aragorn and drew up the hood of her cloak to shield out the cold.

The cold offered a whisper of what was an evil disaster, an evil need, a hunger. She was glad that Aragorn could not see her grimace at the burning in her heart. All along she knew what was it was. Ever since she came down from the mountain she knew what it was. It stared at her from the darkness, clearly wanting her.

Amara was not strong enough, she wasn't as strong as Aragorn or even Frodo. The promise she had made to herself, though still rung out strong and she would not go down without a fight.

"Promise me you won't tell them."

"I've already promised Amara, you have nothing to worry about."

Aragorn was beginning to worry about Amara, as he watched the hobbits talk and jest in front of them. Lately she had become withdrawn, only talking to those who spoke to her first.

"Especially Legolas. I don't want him to know that I'm sick."

The mention of Legolas sparked and fueled Aragorn's suspicion about her and the elf. He already knew that Gandalf though the two of them to be in love, but he could not come to a conclusion based on what the old wizard thought, no matter how wise he was.

"Why don't you want Legolas to know of your cold?"

Amara looked up at the moon lit sky and coughed quietly. She felt a slight burn in her cheeks and knew it wasn't from the cold. The air around them was still, as if it too were waiting for her answer.

"I-I just don't want him to worry. There are more important things."

Aragorn nodded kindly. "Is there something you are failing to tell me sister?"

Should she tell him of herself and Legolas? At this her brain came to a blank. There really wasn't much to tell. Though nothing went on upstairs on the subject, all the novels she read with protagonist characters who had something big and deep to battle, whether it was inner demons or big real demons, they all wished to live their lives to the fullest. She pushed away those inner demons that haunted her and grinned.

"I don't know." She shrugged.

Aragorn decided to drop the subject. When she wanted to tell him would be when he found out.

Having decided to live life to its fullest extent and not let evil control her, she walked ahead to catch up with the hobbits. It wasn't as easy as sweeping away dust and dirt from a porch. The feeling of evil did not just go away when she wanted it to. It invaded those walls Gandalf had taught her to put up in her head and heart, as if it were nothing. The only thing she could do was mask pain with a smile.

"Hey hobbits!"

The four looked up, slowing their pace.

"I've got a joke for you guys."

All of them smiled.

"Great now we won't have to here Pippin here's jokes over and over again," Sam said while pulling along Bill the pony.

Pippin only frowned at the comment. Amara began to feel a bit better being in the presence of such innocence creatures like hobbits helped.

"How do you get a six hundred pound woman into a thong?"

"What is a thong," asked Frodo.

"Are you –sneeze- serious?" Amara covered her mouth and the sneeze made her hood fall away. "There aren't thongs in Middle Earth?"

"Amara, do you not think your joke to be a little…crude"

Amara jumped when seeing Legolas appear by her side.

Boromir smiled at catching a brief glimpse of her jump. "Why couldn't you sense him coming?"

She shot him a warning glare. Since he had kicked him where the sun didn't shine he hadn't spoken two words to her and that was the way she wanted to keep it.

"Anyway," she said turning back to the hobbits and Legolas. "No I don't think my joke is crude."

Legolas noticed the way Amara spoke was not right. He looked at her for a moment, just a quick glance as she tried to explain to the hobbits what a thong was. Her nose, he noticed, was a bright red and her cheeks were drained of color. Now that a deep connection between them had formed, he knew that there was something wrong.

"There really skimpy women's underwear."

The hobbits went red but she didn't notice. "I mean men –sneeze- can wear them too but to me that's just gross. N-not unless you're hot like Ian Somerhalder or- okay back to the joke," she said after she noticed Legolas giving her a glare.

"How do you get a six hundred pound woman into a thong?"

"With much butter," Frodo spoke.

Merry held up his index finger as he caught an idea. "You could if you made this thong really large."

"No –sneeze- you guys are thinking about it too hard. It's easy really. Amara folded her arms. "You take the f out of fun and the f out of way."

It was quiet as they were trying to figure out the joke.

"Wait a minute, there is no f in way," Sam shouted.

Gimili's laugh was the first to boom through the air. It took a minute but they all caught up and laughed.

"That's a good one lass. I'll have to tell it to my cousin." Off Gimili went boasting about his cousin and the fine halls Moria had. The hobbits ran ahead to tell the joke to Gandalf.

"I never get tired of that joke," she told Legolas. He didn't say anything, not a word. Amara stifled a cough and asked Legolas whether or not something was bothering him.

"Yes in fact something is. I feel that you are keeping something from me."

"Like what?" She looked to see if Aragorn and Boromir were out of earshot. They were and she looked at him.

"The fact that you are asking what you are keeping from me means that you are."

Amara looked at him in confusion and then shook her head. "I'm not."

"You are."

"I'm not."

The two did not realize that the fellowship had arrived at the walls of Moria as they spoke quietly, also not realizing their steady pace of walking had come to a halt. Gimili was still boasting loudly about him cousin, Balin. He was apparently eager to see his kin. Gandalf stepped up to the doors which glowed with a white tree (forgot the name of the darn thing). It was enchanted by the elves during a time when dwarves and elves alike were friends. It was only a brief time in history.

"Well, let's see... Ithildin. It mirrors only starlight and moonlight."

"What do you suppose that means?" Merry stepped up next to Gandalf to get a better look at the doors.

"Oh it's quite easy," Gandalf stepped closer. "If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open. Annon Edhellen hi amen!"

Nothing.

"Why do you not just tell me what is wrong?" Legolas was beginning to get frustrated. He looked down at Amara, eyes boring into her. Crossing his arms over his lithe form he waited, he expected her to spill out to him like she usually did. He expected her to want comfort but instead she lashed out.

"I told you already what the matter was! You just refuse to believe it."

"Not that bit on you dying again. Have you ever taken to mind that you could have been picking up on emotions belonging to someone else? The enemy perhaps?" There was a hint of annoyance in the elf's voice.

"I can not believe that you don't believe me."

Legolas stepped up to her. "And I can not believe we are having this ridiculous conversation again."

"Ando Eldarinwas a lasta quettanya, Genda Cassarinwa!"

Gandalf spoke yet another attempt to get the doors open. By now they all realized that it would be a while before thy actually got past the doors.

Amara's eyes bugged out. "Ridiculous? I'll show you how ridiculous my death will be. When I die I'll laugh in your face!"

Legolas sighed, clearly tired of this talk. Amara was being unreasonable. Unreasonable because here everyone was risking their lives for the world, the future and she had clearly given up. She always thought the worst of herself and that if something were to go wrong; it would go wrong with her. It was nerve racking.

"Stop being so immature."

"I'm not being immature. I think that I am handling things pretty well." She sneezed but hid it with her hand.

"Pretty well? You believe that predicting your death is handling thing well?"

"I didn't predict by death!"

When she shouted it brought the attention of Sam, Merry, Pippin, Aragorn and Boromir. Gimili, Gandalf and Frodo were too busy trying to crack the code of the doors. Amara looked around; clearly she didn't care because she turned back to Legolas.

"I didn't predict my death. I felt it."

Legolas watched with no expression as the empath walked off. He should have gone after her so they could adequately finish their conversation that probably had turned into an argument, but he did not. Instead he stood and watched the rest of the group, who had pretended not to hear or see what had went on. He withdrew himself.

Steamed and angered she marched to Pippin and caught his hand before he launched another stone into the water. He looked up at her curiously as she let go of his hand. It was at this moment that she about to put on her warning look that a rack of coughs shook her. Pippin abandoned his idea of casting more stones when Amara turned her back.

"Amara are you alright?"

"I'm fine Pippin, just a cough," she managed to say in between coughs.

Merry straggled over with more small rocks in hand. "I've found some good ones, great for skipping I think." He stopped as he saw the rare expression of worry on Pippin's usually careless face. He dropped his stones and watched Amara try to control her coughing.

Unfortunately for Amara for a second time attention was drawn to her. All nine members of the fellowship turned and watched as the empath was engulfed by coughs. Aragorn went forward after consoling Sam about Bill, who had to be released. He placed a hand on his sister's back and the other went to her forehead.

"You have a fever." Aragorn tilted her head so that his eyes could find any other symptoms.

Amara saw the concern in her brother but didn't feel it as she let those walls down. Instead she felt annoyance and aggravation and it was coming from the water behind her.

"I-its just a cold. The password is mellon." She said in between coughs. Aragorn turned towards Frodo who looked at Gandalf.

The fact that it had been a riddle pooped into Frodo's brain. He quickly informed Gandalf of that and the wizard turned back to the doors and spoke the simple word. The great doors opened up, taking the attention from Amara.

"Make sure you get Frodo inside first, it's important." The coughs had stopped and a more aggressive emotion took over. It wasn't coming in slow waver but at a fast speed. If it was going to happen, it would happen soon.

She watched as Aragorn hesitantly left her to usher Frodo inside, the rest of the fellowship following after. She took fast steps and was finally inside the mine. The though of having avoided whatever lurked within the water had become reality, a victory.

"Soon, Master Elf, you will enjoy the fabled hospitality of the Dwarves! Roaring fires, malt beer, ripe meat off the bone! This, my friend, is the home of my cousin Balin. And they call it a mine. A MINE! " The rants of Gimili went through the mine.

"This is no mine. It's a tomb." Boromir spoke, scanning the skeletons of both orcs and dwarves.

Gimili having a look around could not believe his eyes. These were his people and none of them had survived. Grief overwhelmed him.

"No! Nooo! NOOOO!"

Legolas bent down and took an arrow from one of the carcasses. He would have recognized the arrow even if he was blind.

"Goblins!"

They had sweet victory from the sea creature at least, that was until the empath felt something cold and slimy snake around her ankle. It squeezed at her flesh and before she could say anything, a tentacle had pulled her down. Before it could silently pull her into a watery grave, Amara grasped at the person in front of her.

"We make for the Gap of Rohan. We should never have come here! Now get out of here! Get out! "

Boromir whipped around at the feeling someone tugging on his clothes. Without thinking he grabbed onto Amara's arms as he saw her being dragger across the ground. Whatever dislike he felt for her had been pushed aside. His brain only thought that a member of the fellowship was in need of help. Boromir shouted for Aragorn.

At the desperate sound of Boromir's voice the group turned around and was met with the sight of Boromir holding onto Amara's arms and pulling her. Aragorn started for Frodo.

"No! No! Aragorn you stay with Frodo! Do not come anywhere near me!"

The feeling of complete and utter rage was beginning to coarse through her heart. Clearly this sea creature was angered but she'd be damned if anyone got caught in its fit of rage.

Sam, Merry and Pippin had all whipped out their swords and raced towards her.

"NO! You stay back too." She held on tighter to Boromir, never having imagined that she would ever be in his situation.

The hobbits halted in their steps. Amara felt the sea creature get more agitated and sensed that more tentacles would come flying from the water and soon.

"Legolas!" She shouted when she began slipping from Boromir.

Boromir pulled as hard as he could but the creature too strong. Amara felt as if she was being ripped in two and the creature's feelings ebbing its way into her did not help at all. He knuckles turned white from trying to hold on. The tentacle that held onto her gave a tug and she slipped away from Boromir and was being dragged by the monster. She thought the inevitable was to come until she felt strong hands hold onto her arms.

She looked up to see Legolas holding onto her. He told her to hold on and she did, tighter than ever. His grasp on her was firm and luckily he didn't have to hold on for long. Boromir unsheathed his sword and cut the tentacle from her. The tentacle snaked away and at the sudden realize, sent Amara flying into Legolas, knocking them both down. More tentacles flew from the water but only succeed in crumbling down the doors.

Rocks blocked the entrance and the light the moon provided. It sent the fellowship tumbling into darkness.

"We have now but one choice." Gandalf fit a crystal into his staff. It quickly produced light.

"We must face the long dark of Moria. Be on your guard. There are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the world. Quietly now. It's a four-day journey to the other side. Let us hope that our presence may go unnoticed. "

Gandalf led the way, but not without reluctance. There was a nagging in the back of his head, warning him that this was not safe. There was nothing though that he could do about it. It was his destiny to face what was ahead just like it was Frodo's destiny to carry the ring and Amara to hold within her empathic power.

"We must all face our destiny," he spoke quietly to himself.

Aragorn looked back at Amara, worried about her. She seemed to put everyone else's life before her own. He knew she would be fine even though she looked a little shaken. He would tend to her once they had stopped.

The empath held on tightly to Legolas' arm, forgetting all about their small argument. Moria she did not at all like. It echoed with the feelings of battle, those who used to live left scraps of their feelings, the surprise, the hurt. It was worse than the scariest movie. All around her was cold and it made her stomach turn.

"I have been keeping something from you," she whispered.

"You don't have to tell me," Legolas whispered back.

"I'm sick."