*Aggie bursts into the apartment and slams the door behind her.*

Moolie: What is it?

Aggie: Dan's coming over!

Moolie: What! I'm not even dressed, I still need pants!

Ginny: I hear footsteps…

Dan: Guys, can you open the door?

Moolie: Aggie! Don't open that door!

Aggie: What? *opening the door*

Moolie: Noooo!

Chapter Four: I Like Gimli!

The ladies of the court gathered into the women's sleeping chambers for a night of girly gossip and makeovers. They all sat in a circle in their pajamas, giggling as they rolled around on squishy sleeping bags. After much struggle, Azimah managed to get Nora into her jammies and soon she was sobering up over a strong cup of coffee.

Eowyn sat with a bubbly redhead who was braiding her long blonde hair. "I saw you flirting with Lord Aragorn tonight," the redhead said, giggling.

Eowyn blushed. "Was not!"

"Oh come on, it was totally obvious," said a rather obnoxious lady-in-waiting with curlers in her hair.

"Not that I blame you or anything," said the redhead. "He is charming in that sort of scruffy, yummy way."

Azimah nearly vomited. "Sorry to say, ladies, but he's taken."

"By you?" the redhead said half playfully.

Nora started laughing. "What!"

Azimah rolled her eyes. "No, by Valor, no. Lady Arwen of Rivendell."

"Is she pretty?" another woman asked as she painted her nails.

"Yes, she's very beautiful," Azimah replied. She glanced at Eowyn, hoping her words weren't hurting the poor girl. If they were, Eowyn tried not to show it.

"How about that Eomer?" the redhead said, poking Eowyn in the side.

Eowyn frowned. "Please don't talk about my brother, girls."

"But he's sooo rugged!" another girl said. Eowyn socked the girl in the face with her pillow. Nora laughed.

"What about you, Nora?" Eowyn said, prodding the Nord's shoulder. "You were getting pretty busy in the corner tonight."

Nora stared at her coffee, embarrassed. "To be honest, I don't remember much. Except that he smelled nice."

"I just can't believe you would go for someone so short," one girl said.

"He's only a foot shorter," Nora said defensively. "Plus, with all the tall Nords up north you'd get kind of bored with height. He's cute and fluffy."

"But you two are just on friendly terms now, right?" Azimah reminded her.

Nora paused and sipped her coffee. "Something like that," she said quietly.

"I like Gimli!"

The room went silent, staring at the girl in question. It would take a brave soul to interrupt that silence. Nora didn't even laugh.

"You all are being ridiculous," Azimah said, changing into her nightgown.

"Oh, don't play high and mighty with me, Miss Elf. I saw you sneaking away!" the woman with the curlers said. "I heard there was something between you and Prince Legolas."

"Oh, please," Azimah brushed it off. "I don't fall in love for good reason."

The other girls turned away from Azimah, clearly not interested in her party pooper talk. Once the rest of the girls began giggling and teasing again, Nora turned to Azimah.

"And what good reason is that?" Nora asked.

"You probably wouldn't understand," Azimah said. "It's an Elf thing."

Nora frowned. "Please? It's gotta have something to do with that doll you've been pondering over obsessively."

Azimah's eyes narrowed. "How do you know about that?"

Nora grinned evilly. "We're bros. Spill it, sister."

"You make no sense," Azimah said. "But I guess I should tell you. We are…comrades, after all."

Nora shrugged. That's about as close as it would get for Azimah.

"Well," Azimah began. "I grew up across the desert with the Sand Elves with my older brother Ghalib and my sister, Amari. She's the one who gave me this." She motioned to the doll in her hand. "Amari and I were especially close, so I was incredibly happy for her when she got engaged to a warrior in our clan. However, we came into skirmish with the Haradrim, evil men of the East. My sister's fiancée was killed in battle."

"So what does that have to do with you?" Nora asked once she noticed Azimah's pause was a bit too long.

"Well, as you know, Elves are immortal. We can only die if we are killed or from a broken heart. Amari never recovered from her fiancée's death. I watched her pass, slowly and painfully."

"Ah," Nora said quietly. "And that's why you're staying away from Legolas?"

"Think about it, Nora," Azimah said. "We're in a war. Even if there was something to happen between us, it would prove fatal. That's why I can't let it happen."

Azimah realized how quiet the room had become and looked up. All the women had stopped to listen to her story, some with tears in their eyes. Azimah blushed as she crawled into her sleeping bag. She felt a prod at her side.

"But that means you like him, right?" asked Nora.

"Silence, mortal," Azimah grunted into her pillow. "Why are you always so nosy, anyway? It's not like you have anything to hide."

"Well," Nora started cautiously. All the girls leaned in for the juicy gossip. Nora took a deep breath.

"I may or may not have, against my will, agreed to be in partnership with a male individual to take part in the task of procreation and, uh, a spousal relationship, and then maybe I 'postponed' said agreement by, uh, running…"

The other girls looked at her, confused. Azimah, however, was shocked.

"What!" she shouted.

Nora looked uncomfortable. "Uh, time for bed, night!" She quickly burrowed into her sleeping bag.

…

"Satchel, I'm bored," a voice came from the wicker hamper.

"Did you finish those crossword puzzles I gave you?"

"Yes, yes I did."

"Rats. Do you want a book, then?"

"Fine. What is it?"

"'An Abridged History of Middle Earth: Minas Tirith'?"

"Ugh, that'll do."

…

Moolie: *sobbing* Oh, Dan, you weren't supposed to see me like this till our honeymoon.

Dan: What?

Aggie: Don't cry, Moolie. Dan, how could you!

Dan: Wait, what? She has boxers on. It's no big deal.

Ginny: Just ignore them, Daniel, they'll settle down soon enough.

Dan: I just wanted to borrow my laptop back.

Aggie: We…we smashed it, remember? This is Donald's.

Donald: Haroo?