so sorry everyone for being late, but I was away for several days and just got back home... Here's the next chapter! The plot bunny made me put this twist in here, and I hope you like it... Please don't kill me, Lark! Lark is not mine, she is Evangeline Pond's. Please tell me what you think. More of a filler chapter really.

The sonic smiley: I know, right?

Guest : I guess we can see him sometime later...

Evangeline Pond: I know. I was in stitches writing it. XD

WoodElfJedi: thanks! Did I ever mention how much your name describes me too? XP

Fandomfangirl100: yes, they most certainly are

Pip the Dark lord of All: yep. XD

Chapter 8

"MAIRON!" I let out a half-strangled yell, bolting up on the mattress. The elves, who were already awake, as usual, stared at me. My hair was a mess, my eyes were wild, and the blankets were disheveled.

I curled up in a fetal position and moaned in pain. Said Maia crawled out from the blankets.

"Sorry." He muttered, rubbing his eyes.

"You have some nerve, even for a Maia, little brother." I snarled, wincing.

"I didn't mean it, your leg moved and hit me." He grumbled.

"What did he do?" Lark asked, sleepily, sitting up and rubbing her eyes.

"Hit me in the wrong spot with his knee." I answered sourly, running my fingers through my hair and stretching. She winced in sympathy.

Mairon crawled into my lap and yawned, clutching my shirt and plonking his head on it with half-opened eyes.

I stared at him blankly for a moment, and then fell backwards into my bed, closing my eyes with a sigh. "So tired." I groaned, staring blearily up at the ceiling with eyes at half-mast.

"Why?" Maedhros asked from the bed. "All you did yesterday was watch the movies."

"Yes, but I'm not used to watching so many in one day, so my eyes are a little achy." I sighed, sitting back up. Mairon was snoring softly in my lap. I stroked his hair softly.

"What are we doing today?" Lark asked, stretching and crawling next to Maglor. "I'm cold." She whined, snuggling up to him like a baby. He blinked, and then stroked her hair a bit awkwardly.

I suddenly saw Ecthelion's face twist in brief jealously, then go back to normal. I frowned. Why would that be? Strange.

"I don't know, Lark. We should ask- oh wait, Dad's coming home today." I remembered, giving a slight shiver. "Why is it so cold here?" I grumbled, hugging Mairon, who was warm.

"Here, let me help." Caranthir, to my surprise, reached out and pulled me into his lap. I stared up at him.

"Eh?" I asked, baffled. He curled his lip.

"You are cold. It is the duty of a brother therefore to care for his sisters." He explained grudgingly. I snuggled into him gingerly, not wanting to push too far.

"Hannon lle, Caranthir." I mumbled. Mairon woke up with a start and looked up at me sleepily. His face crumpled and he began to whine. I sighed and pulled him closer with effort, stroking his hair gently and cuddling him. It worked. He quieted.

"Okay, what time will he get here?" Lark asked lazily from Maglor's lap.

"Eh, about ten- say, what time is it, can anyone tell me?" I queried, looking up.

"Eight." Glorfindel replied promptly. I sat up with a yelp.

"Eight!? I need to get up and get ready!" I leaped up with a struggle, then had an after thought and paused. "Oh yeah, thanks Toron!" I bent over and kissed Caranthir's cheek, then hurried to my dresser and pulled out my clothes for the day.

"Lark?"

"Yeah, I need to get up too, or else Mr. Suiadan will think me strange." She joked.

"Yeah right. He thinks of you as his off the hook daughter, you know that, right?" I snorted.

"More than you? That's an accomplishment." She snarked back. I stuck out my tongue at her.

"I'm looking forward to what he'll say to a bunch of elves in his house." I snickered. She giggled.

"He has a lot of new sons, that's for sure." She sniggered.

"That funny, sons older then their father." I replied dryly, while she cracked up and the elves rolled their eyes at me.

"Your father's name is Suiadan?" Maedhros asked curiously.

"Well no, that's the elven translation of his name." I answered slowly. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back." I hurried out to get dressed. Mairon followed after.

...

"Breakfast!" I yelled up the stairs. A few minutes later saw the elves at the breakfast table, eating omelets that mom made and drinking either coffee or milk.

"How you like caf I'll never know." I grumbled to the elves who drank coffee. They chuckled at me.

"I was under the impression that it was not a beverage for elflings." Fingon said dryly.

"No, but many drink it anyway." I answered promptly.

"Celine, what are we doing today?" Mairon tugged on my sleeve where he sat next to me.

"I'll never get over seeing Sauron and my daughter at the same table." Mom muttered, but I heard and choked on my milk. I turned in my chair and went into a coughing fit, just as Lark next to me sighed and gave my back a good smack.

"Lark!" I yelled from the floor, while she grinned.

"Hey, it worked." She replied sweetly to my glare.

I climbed back into my chair with a grumble to the the sniggering elves, and opened my mouth just as Lark yelped.

"Hey! Mandos, give it to Celine, not me!" She protested, rubbing her head and handing me the offender- a white envelope. I snatched it away and opened it with a wary look.

"I'm scared of reading this." I sighed, then proceeded to open it.

Celine,

Remember how I told you that you and Lark would have a choice? Well, events have happened that were unforeseen. The Valar have come together to discuss this, and therefore we have come to a decision.

You and Lark have an important part in Middle Earth that was not anticipated, and as a result something must be done. Manwë has looked into the will of Eru, and both of you have been given a choice.

Your first choice is to stay on Earth and allow the elves to come back to Valinor, never to remember their time with you. You will both go on in life, and never hear from us again.

The second choice is to come to Valinor with the elves and Mairon, and there you will fulfill your part in this world as elves. But you may never return to Earth, and only you and Lark have access to Arda, no one else.

Choose carefully, and be wise. You have three days to decide. Give us your answers by writing them down and placing them in this envelope.

By the way, before I forget, you will need these. One for you and Lark.

Mandos

I stared at the letter and blinked. And read it again, growing pale. And then reached into the envelope and pulled out two necklaces, one with an aquamarine in the middle and the other with an emerald. And set the letter down, burying my face into my hands.

"I don't know." I said, voice cracking. Lark snatched it up and read it. And she turned pale.

"Are you alright, dears?" Mom asked, placing hands on our shoulders. Lark and I looked at each other, anguish in our eyes.

"I don't know, Celine." She whispered. The elves frowned.

"Are you alright?" Maeglin asked.

"No." I answered dully, staring at the letter. "This day has gotten a lot more difficult."

Lark nodded wordlessly. "Okay, we need to talk, Celine. After your dad gets here." She said, placing her dishes in the washer.

"Yep." I stuffed the letter in my pocket and frowned.

"Celine?" Mom asked, raising a demanding eyebrow at me. I managed a smile. Barely.

"Need to talk after dad gets here. Family meeting." I added. She nodded and turned back to the sink.

Just then, I opened my mouth. "Okay, I just got an idea! Why don't we introduce elves to a little thing called fanfiction?" I asked Lark with a mischievous grin.

Mom and her gave me the 0.0 look simultaneously. Then Lark grinned.

"Yours?" She teased. I glared.

"No. But fanfics in general." I replied smartly, turning on my heel. Mairon attached himself to my leg. With a sigh, I picked him up.

"Mairon, if you weren't so light then I wouldn't pick you up you know." I scolded, poking his nose. He gave me a grin and waved his ring in the air. Glorfindel handed me the necklace with the aquamarine on it, while Ecthelion gave Lark the emerald one.

"Thank you." I said with a smile. He smiled back and hooked it on my neck. Ecthelion and Lark did the same. Again, I noticed Ecthelion's face. It had a strange look on it, but Lark didn't notice. Her face had an odd expression as she looked at Glorfindel.

...

The door opened just as the elves burst into laughter at the humorous fanfic about Lindir. Lark and I exchanged looks and ran downstairs.

"Hi Dad!" I squealed, throwing my arms around him. He chuckled and patted my head, hugging me back.

"Hey there, Celine. Oh, hey Lark." He greeted Lark, who grinned.

"Hey Mr. Suiadan!" She said cheerily. Dad rolled his eyes at the elvish.

"How are my three elves?" He asked, hugging mom, who smiled.

"Uh... Peachy? Great? Awful?" I tried. He raised an eyebrow at me.

"Why all those?" He asked. Lark and I gave nervous glances at each other.

"Well, dad, you see..." And I blurted the whole thing, handing him the first letter. "And therefore there are- say-" I looked to Lark.

"Six elves and one Maia." She supplied.

"Right. In our house. In my room." I winced as I finished.

He stared. And hummed. And sighed. And read the letter again. Then he spoke. "Well, assuming you aren't joking, I'd say that it isn't too bad. You have the funds to support them, and they are your dreams come true." He shrugged, handing it back to me.

"Thanks dad. Oh, we need to talk with you and Mom." So Lark and I dragged them away to another room.

"Read this." I handed them the letter from this morning.

"Lark and I don't know what to do. It's awful to think we will never see them again, but at the same time to leave our parents? What do we do?" I asked, looking down. Lark and I had tear-filled eyes at our dilemma.

Mom and Dad were speechless. Just then, an idea popped into my head. "Wait! I know, I'll ask Mandos a question." I perked up and grabbed a piece of paper, scribbling a note on it. Then I popped it into the envelope.

"I'll ask him if it's possible that when our parent's times are up, they can come to Mandos' halls and Valinor!" I exclaimed. "Of they can't come with us now, then why can't they have a valid reason to come later?" I asked. Lark gave me a hopeful look.

Mom and Dad seemed to have an eye-conversation. Then they turned to us. "Listen, Celine." I paid attention.

"This is your choice. Whatever you think is more bearable, do it. Make a wise choice, okay? We can't speak for Lark, but I'm sure that her parents would want her to do the same. So even if Mandos says no, it's up to you." Dad said quietly.

I blinked back tears and hugged them both. "Thanks mom, dad. Let's see what he says first, though. I sighed.

"I wonder what he means by 'important part.'" Lark mused, picking up the letter. I shrugged.

"Who knows?" I asked.

Just then, the envelope on the table rattled. I made a dive for it and managed to whack my fingers in my hurry. With a yelp and sucking my finger, to Lark's hysterics, I opened it with one hand and read the letter aloud.

Celine and Lark,

The answer to your question is yes. When their time in your world is over, they may join you here if you should choose to come. But I will warn you that time here differs then it does there. A thousand years here may be a day there, and a thousand years there may be a day here.

There are no guarantees that you will see them anytime soon. But be comforted that you will, sooner or later.

I do hope you are having fun. Tulkas has been greatly humored by your antics.

Mandos

I burst into relieved laughter and tears, hugging Lark as she did the same. Mom and Dad looked vaguely amused.

"Then I guess we'll have to say goodbye until later in three days." Mom sighed, looking down with tears in her eyes. I hugged her.

"Don't cry, mom, in the meantime we'll forget about it and have lots of fun." I comforted. She gave a shaky laugh as dad hugged me. Then Lark and I skipped out of the room laughing gleefully, leaving them behind to talk.

...

"Thel, can I talk with you?" I poked my head into the room, as Ecthelion nodded and followed me out where no one could eavesdrop.

"Is it just me, or do you have a strange look on your face whenever you look at Lark?" I asked bluntly.

He turned pale, then red, and then sighed. "That's a problem." He admitted.

"See, elves are blessed- or cursed, depending on how you see it- to know your soulmate after looking at them once. And to always remember them and never forget." He placed his hands in his head.

"It matters not their age, for we have forever to wait, but I am ashamed. She is not even of age and my feä has recognized her as it's mate. What can I do?" He asked, mumbling into his hands.

I was floored. Then I sat down. Yep, I think I've just figured out the 'important part that was not anticipated' for Lark. I dare not think of myself. Too embarrassing.

"Well. That's- uncomfortably pedophilia, but I guess it's technically not according to elvish custom. It's not your fault, Thel. Just tough it out. I'm sure a solution will present itself in due time." And I walked away dazedly to try to scrub my brain clean of the conversation.