A/N: This was the alternate ending I wrote for a few very disappointed readers. I just found it, so rather than hiding it away I thought I should share it. Yes, it's what you all expected, but hey everyone deserves a cliché ending now and then. ^_^ Now you can decide how you want it all to end.

Enednilwen*

Disclaimer: I only own Steph!

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Boromir knew it was her. Even from a few feet a way, it was not hard to tell. Steph was sprawled on her face, as though she had tripped and not made an effort to break the fall. It was still odd, as from where he was, he could not see any arrows or stab wounds in her back…at least then her position would make sense.

He hadn't realized that he had stopped. Yet there he was, two feet or so away from her, staring at her body. He was almost afraid to see if she was still alive. If she was, he would have to care for her. If she was dead, as he feared, then her last bit of energy would not sustain him for very long. After a moment's hesitation, he raced to her, dropping to his knees as he reached her side.

Indeed, there were no wounds on her back. She might have been hit in the head, he thought, beginning to panic. Or, she might have been stabbed and then collapsed. But somehow, he doubted both.

Gingerly, her turned her over, and cried out when he noticed her shallow breathing. She was still alive! He called her name, but she did not respond. The pool of blood had been created by an ugly gash in her forehead, and he quickly tore a piece of her shirt to stem the flow.

"Steph, can you hear me?" he asked, trying to pull her into a sitting position.

Her eyes fluttered open, though they were unfocused. "What is it?" she mumbled, her words slurred.

"What has happened, Steph?" he asked, pulling her around the pool of blood. She was dead weight, and did not object to being pulled like a sack of potatoes.

"You fell off horse," she slurred, feebly batting at his hands, "and I jumped off. I ran after you." She put a hand to her forehead, closing her eyes as a wave of pain washed over her. "Got separated, and…stabbed me…back…"

Boromir's face went pale. "I saw no wounds on you, Steph…"

"My back, assclown." She hissed, her eyes coming into focus. "Someone stabbed me."

Seeing that she was now capable of conversation, he tried again. "But you had no wounds on your back, Steph." He insisted, dabbing at the gash.

Steph cried out in pain, clutching her forehead. "I think I would know when someone plunges a sword through my middle, idiot!" she snarled, lifting her shirt to show him.

Both gasped in surprise. There was no wound, only a long, red scar. Steph gave Boromir a disbelieving look before she made a choking sound and fell over limply, her eyes rolling back into her head.

Boromir started to pull her up when she began to speak. The voice was unearthly, yet strangely familiar.

The Unseen One.

"Did I not tell you the time remaining was waning, Boromir?" asked the Unseen One.

Boromir reached for Steph's hand. "What have you done to her?" he demanded, his grey eyes flashing.

He flinched at the Unseen One's voice, disgusted by the sound of it coming from Steph's mouth. "I have completed her destiny, Boromir."

"You tried to kill her!"

"Was that not her destiny?"

Boromir glared at the lifeless Steph. "What do you mean?"

"She is your life source, Boromir. As your life source, if the life she serves should call upon her to sacrifice herself, she must do it. She has no other choice."

He stared at Steph's body in horror. "I have never called upon her to sacrifice herself for me!"

"On your journey, you have taken bits of her energy everyday. Combined with what remained of your soul, it kept you alive. But in battle, the remainder of your soul was used, and without it you would die. So, who else to turn to in your time of need than your life source?" Obviously noting the look on Boromir's face, it laughed. "Yes, you fool. You have taken her soul, and therefore condemned her to death."

Boromir drew a long, shuddering breath. "I never meant to kill her."

"Of course not."

He held his head in his hands. "What am I to do?"

"She lived to nourish you and pulse the blood through her veins, Boromir. Surrender to the truth. She is gone. You could do nothing."

Slowly, Boromir held his hand to his neck, feeling his pulse. Then, he reached and felt Steph's neck, feeling the feeble, slow pulse beneath his calloused fingertips.

"Not gone." He growled. "Not yet."

"It will not be long, Son of the Gondor. Both of you will die eventually." It laughed, "Though some faster than others."

He started to snap back when Steph gasped, as if being choked. Clutching her throat, she made frantic hand signals to Boromir, still gasping for air. Boromir reached out to help, though the instant he touched her, she stopped.

"What the hell was that?" she gasped, panting for breath. "Someone was choking me!"

He looked at her gravely. "I do not know, though I fear we will both die today." Ignoring the horrified look on Steph's face, he knelt down and tried to pick her up. "Stand Steph, there is no time to waste."

She attempted to stand, though only managed to fall again. "I can't!" she moaned, clutching his arm for support.

With an annoyed sigh, he lifted her up, ignoring her protests.

"We must find a steed."

While tending to Steph, the battle had been pushed from his mind. Now painfully aware of it, he set Steph on the ground and drew his sword. Their horse could not have been able to get very far. Sure enough, he located it after a bit of searching, and rode it back to where he had left Steph.

She was lying on her back, pretending to be dead.

"What are you doing?" he snapped. "I thought you had been attacked!"

"I'm protecting myself." She slurred, wincing in pain as she sat up. "You can't kill a dead person."

Rolling his eyes, he carefully lifted her onto the horse, noticing how clammy her skin felt. "Take deeper breaths." He commanded. "You do nothing for yourself with shallow breathing."

"Spoken like a true zombie." She paused to attempt a deep breath. "How do I know if I'm dying?"

"You will know."

It was as he said this that he noticed the black sails on the Anduin. Choking back a cry of surprise, he fumbled with his sword. "The Corsairs of Umbar," he said, the color draining from his face, "Surely, all hope of victory had left us."

"What's so bad about black sails?" asked Steph, her heart now pounding in her ears.

"There is no time for explanations. Gondor is in need." He dug his heels into the horse, trying his hardest to keep his mind from wandering to every worse case scenario involving himself and Steph. "A curse upon Steph." He snarled under his breath.

He noticed that the horse had stopped moving. Everything had stopped moving. He switched to cursing the Unseen One.

"It will end here, Boromir."

Boromir quickly dismounted, pulling Steph along with him. "Make your meaning clear, Unseen One." He snarled, "Your presence brings nothing but trouble."

An orb of light danced in front of Boromir's face, and he realized with a start that it was the Unseen One.

"Then I will get right to the point." drawled the Unseen One. "You will have to make a choice. You can protect Steph, or you can protect Gondor."

Slowly, he looked from Steph, who was looking terrified, and then to the fallen and fighting men about him. He sighed deeply.

"It is no choice."

"What have you decided?" asked the Unseen One, its voice devoid of emotion.

"I cannot kill Steph, not after everything she has done for me," he replied, and swung his blade through the orb of light. It exploded into glittering shards and disappeared.

"What have you done?" shrieked Steph, "What'll we do now?"

The scene unfroze, back to the chaos of battle. "Stay near me, and we shall soon see!" He looked again to the black sails, but was suddenly struck with wonder. Was that the standard of the White Tree…and Aragorn?

Steph inhaled sharply, "I forgot! Aragorn comes at the end to save the day!"

With a groan Boromir sunk to his knees, clutching his side. "My time is not long here. What do you speak of?"

"Aragorn brought reinforcements. We're going to win! Can't you hang on a little longer?"

He shook his head, inhaling sharply. "If you tell me my city is safe, then I can go in peace. I have fought valiantly and I have protected you…"

Steph crouched down beside him, clutching at his hand, "Your city will be safe…your brother makes it…he was played by a really hot guy in the movie even! Aragorn gets to be king or something…please, Boromir, don't be scared. Don't leave me here!"

He shook his head and clasped her hand. "I am not afraid, I am content. I believe your words and I have hope for my city. Gondor will not fall today! Even now, I cannot feel the arrows. You have freed me, despite everything…I only hope that you find your way, Steph…"

It all happened very fast. As he started to slump over, his face a peaceful mask, Steph felt the same buzzing sensation running through her. With a sound like thunder, she felt herself land on something cool and smooth.

Carefully she opened one eye. The science lab! She was had made it! She scrambled to her feet and looked out the window, greeted with the same boring landscape she had gazed at aimlessly during class. How did she…?

No, she wouldn't think about it. Boromir was safe, she was ALIVE, and that was all that mattered. Hopefully with Boromir in his rightful place he would find peace. And hopefully she would stay in her own world.

She looked around suspiciously, curious in spite of herself. Who had sent her back? Had the Unseen One taken pity on the two of them? Perhaps her charms had won it over? She shook her head and laughed aloud, realizing the magnitude of the situation. She was HOME! Now how was she going to get out of here?

Far away, in a very different world, the king of Gondor knelt over his fallen brother in arms. "Be in peace, my brother," whispered Aragorn, "For all will be well."

Somewhere, on the white shores, a contented Boromir knew it.