You don't even want to know what has taken me so long. First, I never-ever want to see the words hard disk failure. Second, my wonderful man, who has CF and reoccurring gout, had to be hospitalized for a little while. To top it all off, I am currently working on my BA in Legal Studies. So basically I was reallllly busy. This hasn't been edited, because I didn't want to wait a second longer.

Thank you to everyone who's taken the time to leave me feedback. It is wonderful, and gives me a happy feeling.

The terror filled scream ripped through the still of the night, sending Legolas's heart up into his throat as he leapt to his feet, his sword already in hand. Before his brain could process that it was nearly impossible for any threat to be within the tent, he was through the flap and staring wide eyed at the scene before him.

Hermione was barely able to stand on her own two feet, as she struggled against the blanket which had somehow wrapped itself like a snake around her legs. She was now sobbing in desperation and nearly fell when finally free, all the while talking to some imaginary being.

"How could you do this to us?" Hermione screamed, at no one in particular, as fat tears rolled down her face. "We trusted you, believed in you!"

"Legolas?" Gimli's axe lowered, as he moved slowly to Legolas's side. "What is the meaning of this?"

With only a slight shake of his head, Legolas let his friend know he was just as confused, if not more by what was unfolding before them. His eyes remained fixed on the girl's trembling frame as she swayed dangerously from one side to the other, and he prepared himself to catch her should she fall.

"You took away our youth, with your lies and schemes!"

"Is she talking to us?" The Dwarf asked in a hushed whisper.

Closing his eyes in understanding, Legolas swallowed hard. "I believe she's stuck in a night terror."

He could practically feel the accusing glare from his companion. "Your elfish potion has rotted her brain."

"Her brain is just fine. The potion doesn't force night terrors on a person." Legolas ground out. "They come from within."

Staggering away from her cot, Hermione tripped over her own feet, but righted before Legolas could reach her. "From the second we entered that school you were pulling the strings, manipulating us down the path you chose for us. I-I bet you even let that Troll in, and somehow managed to trap me with him."

Gimli's brow's rose to his hairline, as his mouth dropped open. "Troll?"

"But that wasn't enough was it?" Hermione's head jerked up, and if it hadn't been for the dazed look in her eyes, both men would've sworn she was awake. "Every year it was a new test, a way for you to determine our worth and loyalty."

"Perhaps we should wake her." Keeping his eyes pinned on the trembling girl before them, Gimli swallowed thickly.

"It's never wise to wake one who is dream walking." Legolas frowned.

"Says who?" The Dwarf snorted. "The same demented elf who created that brain rotting sleep potion."

"You act as though I intended to harm the girl." Snapping his attention to his friend, Legolas narrowed his eyes in irritation. "She was damaged when we found her."

"Don't get your pointy nose out of joint." Gimli grumbled. "I know you would never intentionally hurt an innocent."

Seeing the sincerity in his companion's eyes, Legolas was about to give a stiff nod when an object flew past his shoulder, and made a dull thump against the tent canvas. Spinning his attention back to the girl, he barely ducked in time before another well aimed item nearly struck his head.

Scrambling to the safety of the corner of the tent, Gimli sent Legolas a smug smirk. "Rethinking the dangers now?"

"You stole our youth!" Hermione's pained filled babble fell from dry lips as she blindly felt around the table for another object to throw. "We were just children, who only wanted to please you, and you used that against us!" Her hands found a tin cup and she wasted no time in throwing it. This time Legolas was prepared and caught it with ease.

"Hermione, you need to calm yourself." Taking a wary step toward her, Legolas kept his voice low and calm. The last thing he wanted to do was wake her, but perhaps he could calm her in her current state. Instead, her head snapped up, as her sleep glazed eyes burned into his.

"Calm? I need to calm myself?!" Anger seemed to pulse through her, as her tiny hands clenched and unclenched at her sides. "Do you have any idea what this last year has been like? No, wait! You're dead. You checked out while the rest of us are stuck fighting a losing battle against a blood hungry lunatic!"

Angry, fat tears fell from her eyes, and feeling slightly safe that she had stopped throwing things, Legolas took a small step closer. "Hermione, you are dreaming. None of this is real."

A look of confusion flashed across her pretty features, and for a slight second he thought he may have gotten through to her. Instead, she charged the distance between them and slapped him soundly across the face. "Stop! Stop lying. You're just trying to confuse me.

"You are safe, away from your war." Though the spot on his face burned from her blow, Legolas continued with the same calm tone.

"Safe?" Her delicate brows lowered a fraction, as his words penetrated her mind. "No one is safe. Do you have any idea what I was forced to do to my parents?" A mirthless laugh passed her lips. "Of course you don't. I erased myself from their lives. It took less than a minute to make them completely forget me. It was sickening, but the only way I knew they would be safe. I suppose you would have considered my actions to be brilliant. You always claimed I was the Brightest Witch." Her last words were filled with hatred and self-loathing. "I forced my magic on them. I am no better than you or him."

Legolas was at a loss, as he sent a silent look toward Gimli, who looked torn. With a sigh, he turned back to the trembling girl, wishing he knew how to end the nightmare. "I am sure they would understand-."

His words ignited a fire within her, and he jerked his head back before her palm once again connected with his face. The force of her swing, forced her petite frame to lose balance when it missed, causing her to lose her footing. On pure instinct, Legolas caught her around the waist before she fell to the ground.

"Don't touch me!" She shrieked, as she instantly began to thrash, trying to break free from his hold. Her bare foot smashed into his shin, causing both men to grimace. Legolas in pain, whereas Gimli knew the gel's poor appendage would surely smart for the next few days.

Holding on tight, Legolas pulled her closer to his frame, using both arms to hold her close. "You are safe." He whispered gently into her ear. Her struggles seemed to increase, and when her foot struck him again, he did the only thing he could think of to keep her from inflicting any addition injury to herself. Keeping one arm around her waist, her flush against his chest, he pulled them both down to the ground and wrapped his legs around her, cocooning her safely. He waited as she continued to squirm, fighting for freedom, and after what seemed to be an eternity he felt her struggles start to subside.

Slowly rocking them back and forth, he hummed softly into her hair, a melody his mother once sang to him long ago. The tears began to fall again from her eyes, as she shifted her face into Legolas's shoulder until she let out a shuddered breath and let out a soft sigh.

"You can stop cowering in the corner." Legolas said dryly, shifting his eyes to where Gimli still stood. "The storm has passed."

"I wasn't cowering." Pulling himself to his full height, Gimli sucked in his gut and pushed out his chest. Seeing the skeptical look upon his friends face, the Dwarf frowned. "I wasn't."

"As you say." Looking down at the girl in his arms, Legolas carefully moved his legs and shifted her to a cradle position in his lap. "Make yourself useful and help me get her back to the cot."

The shorter man's look of outrage quickly vanished as his eyes studied the still form. "What if she wakes? She could turn volatile again."

"Then I suggest we be careful not to wake her." Seeing that his friend wasn't moving any closer, Legolas let out a long suffering sigh. "I can't very well hold her until she wakes."

"I don't see why not." Gimli reasoned. "She looks peaceful."

Rolling his eyes, Legolas pinned his friend with a hard look. "I'm sure she'll be just as peaceful on the cot."

"It was your concoction that muddied her mind." Not appearing to take the Elf's dangerous glare seriously, Gimli crossed his beefy arms over his chest, a small smirk appearing upon his lips.

"It wasn't the-." His nostrils flared as he took a deep breath. "Are you going to assist me?"

"You said yourself the gel needed rest." A mischievous spark lit up Gimli's eyes. "Seems to me that she's rather peaceful resting in your arms."

Gritting his teeth, Legolas scowled first at his friend, then down at the bundle in his lap. He could feel the fabric of his tunic sticking to him from her tears. Her wild curls hid most of her face, but could feel her slow, rhythmic breaths. He could possibly rise to his feet, and make it the mere distance to the cot, without jostling her awake. The chance was slim, but the longer he sat there with her cuddle in his arms, the more uncomfortable he began to feel.

"Of course, I am sure with your Elfish finesse you could do this measly task with ease." Gimli mocked as he made his way to an over turned chair, righting it on its feet before taking a seat. "I would help, but as you're always saying, we Dwarves are a clumsy lot."

Of course his friend would bring up past taunts at a time like this. "I only said that because you were making enough noise to wake the dead."

"I was not!" Gimli snapped. "Not everyone has ridiculously long legs such as you. And for the record that no good Hobbit Pip tripped into me."

Shifting his legs slowly, Legolas held his breath as he moved them slightly to rise to his feet. Keeping an eye on the sleeping girl, he ignored the throbbing in his shins as he rose, while shifting an arm under her knees to support her lower half.

"Show off." Gimli muttered, with a shake of his head.

With barely a roll of his eyes, Legolas crept closer to the cot, pausing only once when Hermione let out a soft whimper. When she seemed to settle he inched closer, as he slowly lowered her onto the bed. Sighing in relief, he made quick work of the discarded blanket on the ground, tucking it safely around her.

"You slipped me something." Standing in the opening of the tent, Hermione let her heated gaze fall on the men who paused from sharpening their weapons to stare back at her wearily. "There's no need to deny it, my mouth tastes like a bouquet of lavender."

Clearing his throat, Gimli shot his friend a dark scowl. "Are you hungry lass? We've saved some food for you."

"Why?" Placing her hands on her hips, Hermione nearly growled in frustration. "Plan on knocking me out so soon?"

"Sounds like a solid plan." Gimli muttered under his breath, only to feel Legolas nudge him from behind.

"Hermione, we know you are put out with us-." Legolas's words were cut short as Hermione hobbled the distance from the tent to where he stood.

"Put out with you?" Her eyes flashed as she stared up at him. "I was put out with you when you stole my wand. I was put out with you when you decided to become a sexist caveman, telling me I had to obey you." Her hands flew up and did air quotes. "I want to bloody strangle you for serving me a Mickey this morning for breakfast."

"Technically it was yesterday . . ." Two sets of eyes bore in Gimli's direction. "Don't look at me like that, it was the Elf's fault."

"Thanks friend." Legolas snapped.

"What?" Gimli growled. "Are you denying it?"

Pursing his lips in a tight line, Legolas sent Gimli a threatening glance, before turning his attention back at the furious girl. "You needed rest."

"I needed rest?" Seething in anger, Hermione shook her head. "That's your excuse. Because you deemed that I needed rest, you put me in danger."

"How were you in danger?" Insulted by her words, Legolas muscles tensed.

"From you!" The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, and for just a millisecond shame pinked her cheeks. But it didn't last long after she reminded herself that the two were indeed strangers, and it would be dim of her to just openly trust they meant her no harm.

"What sort of danger are you accusing us of?" Closing the small gap between them, Legolas felt a small amount of victory when he forced her a step back. "Do you think we were going to kill you? We both know that cannot be the case, seeing how we could've been done with you the moment we found you unconscious."

Feeling his heart hammering into his chest, Legolas felt a fire of rage burning in the pit of his stomach. "Perhaps you are under the impression we plan on making you our slave." Taking another step forward he leaned down slightly, his lip curling in disgust. "Do we seem the types who need another to do our bidding?"

With a nervous shake of her head, Hermione was starting to realize how inappropriate her words had been. Anger seemed to seep from the tall man's entire being, as he took another step closer, his pupils dilating until his eyes almost appeared as dark pits.

"So you must think we had ill intentions to physically assault you while you slept." His words were nearly whispered, as his fists clenched several times at his side. "I have done nothing but try and assist you from the moment I laid eyes on you, and this is how you repay me?"

"I didn't mean-." Licking at her dry lips, Hermione closed her eyes. Of course that's what she'd meant. From the second she'd opened her eyes and the realization of their sneakiness hit her like a ton of bricks, the thought had been there. Now, she wished like anything to take back the careless words.

"I can vouch for my friend, he likes his woman with a little more hair." Moving his head, so his mouth was next to her ear, Legolas paused for a second to let his nearness unsettle her. "As for myself, I prefer women over little girls."

Not giving a chance to respond, or to let whatever feeble apology she seemed to be struggling with slip from her lips, Legolas spun on his heel and stalked to his belongings. With efficient ease he gathered his pack and weapons and stalked off.

The shame of her words, and the embracement of his final shot, left Hermione frozen in place. Blinking her tears back, she turned slightly to the Dwarf as he moved to the fire and took a seat.

"I – I . . ." She was what? Sorry seemed too inadequate. Ashamed? Yes, certainly. But again, that single word didn't seem to cover how she was feeling at that particular moment.

"The first thing you should know about Elves." Gimli said, his tone flat as he picked up a long stick and poked at the logs in the pit. "They take insult to the slightest of things. What you just implied wasn't slight, and I would suggest you think before speaking in the future."

"I didn't mean that you two would . . ." Again, the lie couldn't pass her lips, as she sunk down upon the ground defeated.

"Of course you did." Gimli muttered. "What kind of hell have you been living?"

"The very worst." Hermione sobbed, as she buried her face into her palms. "I am so confused."

"A little bit of advice." Sighing, Gimli rose and moved to the provisions. Grabbing a few pieces of dried meat, he made his way over and held it out to her. "Don't alienate the people who are trying to help you."

"But how do I know if you're helping me?" It was too much. Her head felt scrambled, as she tried to sort everything out. The last year had really done a number to her, and she wondered if she'd ever feel in control again.

Mulling over her question thoughtfully, Gimli humphed. "A good start, we didn't kill you."

His bland words brought a small smile to Hermione's lips. "Yes, I suppose that is a good start."

"We didn't steal that strange bag of yours." He pointed out.

"True." Hermione said slowly. "But he took my wand."

Tilting his head in agreement, Gimli tore off a large piece of meat. "Only after you attacked."

She silently conceded. If their situations were reversed, wouldn't she have done the same thing? Letting her eyes wander in the direction Legolas had stormed off, she watched as his figure disappeared into the forest. "How come you're not mad at me?"

"Who's to say I'm not." A growl passed over his lips, as Gimli nailed her with a dark glare. "One of us had to stay behind to keep you safe. Would you rather it have been Legolas?"

The image of his outrage passed before Hermione's eyes, and she gulped. "Is he the type who holds a grudge?"

Her words made the Dwarf sputter on his food. After a few hearty coughs, he started to laugh. "You have no idea."

It was by pure accident he'd located the campsite. After hours of wandering, he finally felt enough in control to return, only to remember the tent was invisible. If it hadn't been for the smell of a campfire, he may have searched all night.

Stepping through the boundary, Legolas paused as movement near the firelight caught his attention from the corner of his eye. Both men eyed one another, neither wanting to be the first to speak. Instead, Gimli lowered his eyes back to his axe as moved a stone across the edge a few times, then his thumb to test its sharpness.

"Dinner is by the fire." The Dwarf finally grumbled, raising his weapon to study by the fire.

"What feast did you prepare tonight?" Dropping his belongings back in their spot, while leaning his bow against a lone rock, he moved to where Gimli nodded. "Rabbit."

"Don't pout. It's all I could manage." Shrugging his shoulders, Gimli set aside his axe. "Couldn't wander too far from camp."

"Where is she?" Knowing exactly why Gimli wasn't able to distance himself from the tent, Legolas let his gaze flick to the open flap, already knowing the answer.

"Been hiding since you left." Folding his hands on his protruding gut, Gimli frowned. "I think she's a little embarrassed by her words."

Lifting a brow, Legolas bit into his meal. "Embarrassed or not, we both know she meant them. Thought we were capable of such a foul thing."

"We are." Gimli simply stated, chuckling when Legolas straightened and snapped his head over to glare at him in revulsion. "Don't look at me like that you stupid Elf. I didn't mean you or I would lower ourselves in such a manner. I was speaking to more as having the ability. Are you really going to sit glowering like some spoiled brat, and pretend such a nasty thing doesn't happen here on Middle Earth?"

Picking up a twig from the ground, Legolas twisted it until it snapped. "Knowing and being accused of it are two different things."

"She doesn't know what type of men we are." Gimli huffed.

"Since when did you become the voice of reason?" Typically Gimli was the one who went off on the smallest of things. Taking quick offense to even the smallest of looks.

"One of us needs to keep a calm mind." Gimli snorted at the thought. "But you better not get used to it, I don't much appreciate being the voice of reason."

Looking over his shoulder, Legolas sighed. "I suppose I should talk to her."

"It would make getting her to the White City a tad bit less tense." Gimli reasoned, pulling his pipe out of his breast pocket.