A/N: Irrelevant to most of the chapter, but you would think by now I would have pointed this out. For future reference, Naneth/Nana (Mother/Mom) and Adar/Ada (Father/Dad). Terribly sorry about that; any future references to elvish I will make a note of at the end of the chapter.

Almost a month had passed since Ithilwen saw Legolas for the first time in what she had come to call their "dream meetings", and in that time she had managed to complete her rendering of the elf for Fiona. She found it difficult to recall his features as the mornings rolled on, so it was with a grumbling stomach that she drug herself to her sketchpad to work. Not that she minded, anyway. Fiona was due back home two days prior from a special group cosplay shoot who had called ahead months before to secure an appointment with the photographer, but as it turned out, she opted to stay for the duration of the convention and snap candids. Just as well, it gave Ithilwen the opportunity to fine-tune her render. She had refused to let anyone see it before then.

"Knock knock, girlie! Guess who's back!" The voiced echoed from the front door.

Ithilwen turned her focus from her laptop to face the strawberry blond entering the dining room. "Welcome back. And it isn't hard to guess, seeing as you're the only one that calls me 'girlie', especially since I'm centuries older than you." Noticing her bags, she asked, "So what's the deal? You called me the other day to tell me that you were staying for the convention."

Fiona shrugged as she plopped the bags down on the table. Ithilwen slid her laptop over to give her more space. "It was alright, but there was some drama going on in the Artist's Alley about art theft or something and it killed the atmosphere. You wouldn't think it, but there are some geeks out there that go for blood in their fandoms."

"Nothing serious happened, I hope?"

"Nah, but a few tables did get shut down for the remainder of the day, and some guests were escorted out of the hall. So…."

"So….?" Ithilwen imitated with a raised brow.

"Did you finish it?"

"Finish what?" she asked innocently, just to agitate her friend.

"The drawing, duh!" Fiona nearly whined. "I've been waiting to nearly a month for you to finish it and I wanna see it!"

Ithilwen bit her lip to avoid laughing at the image Fiona displayed as she spoke. By appearance alone one wouldn't expect her to pout like a small child. She stood and left the room without a word, returning shortly with the sketch pad in her hands. Fiona's demeanor changed when she saw the spiral-bound book and bounced excitedly. "Since you can't seem to get it off your mind, you will be happy to know that it's finished."

"Yes! Now I finally get to see the man of your dreams!" Fiona was making grabby hands at Ithilwen.

"Elf, Fiona." A pause. "And he's not the man- er elf- of my dreams! He's merely in them! Like any other object or person!"

Fiona muttered something similar to "Sure, sure" as she popped the cover back and began to turn pages to the last used sheet. She didn't say anything when she reached the page that his portrait was on, which made Ithilwen curious. Her friend had seen her drawings before, and while she wasn't superb, she thought she did well. Ithilwen was about to ask why she wasn't speaking when Fiona did comment.

"Damn," the younger woman breathed.

"What? What's wrong with it?"

Fiona looked up from the drawing then at Ithilwen's confused expression. "Wrong? Wrong?! Chicka, there is nothing wrong with this!" She turned the sketchpad to face the elleth and asked, "So this is Legolas?"

Ithilwen nodded. Fiona could only reply with "Damn" again, which puzzled her. Why do you keep saying that then, if there's nothing wrong with it?"

"Because the elf is gorgeous!" Fiona nearly shouted. "Have you looked at this guy?! Ithilwen, this is the elf that you've been seeing and talking to in your dreams? You lucky girl."

"How does that make me lucky?"

"I know you're not frigid my dear, but you can not stand there and tell me that he's not the most beautiful man you've ever seen!"

"He's handsome, but I don't understand what the big fuss you're making it out to be."

Fiona groaned not unlike a grizzly bear. "Legolas makes Payne look like cow manure in comparison. Oh," she paused, distracted by the mortal's mention, "It's Valentine's Day. Does he have anything special planned?"

Ithilwen, used to her friend's quick changes in topic, scratched her head distractedly. "Actually, he called about an hour ago. He wants to take me out to dinner and I think we'll go to the movies afterwards."

"That sounds nice," Fiona nodded. "You don't sound very excited about it. Something wrong? You guys haven't been having problems, have you?"

The elleth shook her head quickly. "No, it's nothing like that. Things have been going rather well. I just don't understand the appeal of this holiday."

"It's a designated day to remind single people that they're single, a corporate candy endeavor, and for guys to buy their girls tons of flowers, chocolate, and stuffed animals so large they fill up the room. And pink. Lots and lots of pink."

"Is something wrong?"

Ithilwen's thoughts were muddled with a number of things, with the most recent being these new dreams when she met with Legolas. They were far from unpleasant, and over the past month the two elves had grown accustomed to the arrangement, going so far as to speak of their daily activities like old friends. With her naneth and best girl friend out and about, the dreams had helped fight off her loneliness. Payne's voice cut through them though, brining her back to the present.

"I'm sorry?"

"I asked if everything was alright. You seem kind of dazed this evening." Payne looked at her with concern.

Ithilwen shook her head slightly and forced a smile to her face. "It's nothing, I'm alright. There's just been a lot on my mind recently, that's all." She didn't realize that she was actually losing focus on the dinner they were engaged in. She wanted to speak to Payne about what was on her mind, but felt that the topic of dreaming of another male might end badly on a couple's holiday. It had been eating at her for days now; they were open with each other – well, him more than her because of her origins – but she saw no reason to not tell him. It wasn't as if she was cheating on him in her dreams. Right?

Payne seemed to take her façade as the truth. "I was worried that I had picked a bad restaurant and that you didn't like the food," he smiled, taking her hand across the table and squeezing it. "I was thinking about the movie afterwards. The Palladium has that new witch movie, Beautiful Creatures. Would you like to see that one?"

"That one sounds interesting," she agreed with a more natural smile.

He grinned more. "Great, if you'll excuse me for just a moment, I'll go reserve our tickets for Beautiful Creatures." Payne rose from his seat, then added, "Of course, none of these 'beautiful creatures' will be as beautiful as you tonight."

Ithilwen attempted to chuckle at his joke as he walked away, but when he was out of her sights, she groaned at the horrible joke he had made.

It was nearly 11 that night when Ithilwen was brought home. Payne left her at the front door with a kiss and the promise of calling in a few days to get together and do something. She kicked off her heels before entering, wiggling her sore toes with each step she took. She found Fiona in the den eating a bowl of popcorn with the television playing an overly dramatic romantic comedy.

"You're home," Fiona stated, turning her attention away from the television. "Somehow I figured you would be out later."

Ithilwen plopped down casually onto the couch beside her and stretched her legs. "What makes you say that?"

"I dunno," she shrugged. "You and Payne seem to be getting pretty close. I thought that maybe… well you know…" Fiona had no problems discussing intimacy, and from her tone, she wasn't far from being blunt about her comments.

"You must be joking," Ithilwen laughed. "Surely you remember what that level of a relationship means to elves?"

Fiona didn't say anything for a while, but then the realization dawned on her. "Ohhh. Right. Sorry. Wait, isn't that going to seem odd to Payne? You haven't told him the whole truth yet, have you?"

It was Ithilwen's turn to be silent. Fiona turned to face her friend directly only to see the troubled expression across her fair features. She didn't have to answer, the sprite decided. It was easy to see that she hadn't; that would require a lot of trust on his part not to go blabbing it around to his friends outside of Burgess. Fiona remembered how happy Ithilwen looked when she left to go on her date with the mortal, but now she was quiet and reserved about the matter. "Ithilwen?"

The elleth shook her head distractedly. "You're right Fiona. It is going to sound strange, but I don't even feel comfortable telling him that I'm immortal yet…and I'm not sure if I will ever be." She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "I don't think he's keen on the fact that my ears are pointed," she mumbled.

"Do you see this going far? And what do you mean by that?"

"Honestly? I am not sure. I don't forsee it going well no matter what I do. If I were to tell him, he could leave. If I don't, he could leave. If I do and he doesn't, he would still die one day, assuming we stayed together… and if we were married…."

"You would fade." Fiona nodded, understanding completely now. "But what was that about your ears?"

"Oh, that." Ithilwen chuckled. "On our first date, do you remember? He asked me why I never fixed my 'deformity'. Said he wouldn't be able to go through life looking like that."

The sprite huffed indignantly, then smirked as a thought occurred to her. "I bet Legolas likes your ears."

Ithilwen rolled her eyes. "There is nothing going on there. We barely know each other, and are just now reaching a point where we can call ourselves friends. Besides, there's Payne to consider."

"Who is either a jerk for saying what he did or is completely dense when it comes to tact."

Grimacing, Ithilwen reached over and grabbed a handful of popcorn from Fiona's bowl. "I'm going to go with dense and a problem with corny humor." Changing tactics, she continued. "I've been thinking about telling Payne about my dreams, what do you think?"

Fiona shrugged, defeated. "That I don't know. Do you think if he accepts the idea of the dreams that he might be more open to hearing about your real deal?"

"Possibly, but I was thinking of just speaking of it in general to begin with. It's not like I can hide it much longer. He caught me spacing out at dinner tonight and thought that he did something wrong." Ithilwen continued to speak of the night's events to Fiona late into the night. When she retired to her room to sleep, she found that she had a dreamless sleep, disappointingly.

In Lothlorien, the Fellowship's stay was nearing it's end. When Haldir was not out on patrol around the borders, he had been in counsel with the Lord and Lady of the Golden Woods. Each time he left feeling more frustrated. Now that he knew that his beloved and child were alive and safe, he desperately wanted to bring them back to middle-earth. For the first years after their disappearance, he had thrown himself into his duties to avoid the emotional turmoil of not knowing their whereabouts and potentially fading.

This new information made the grief return, but unlike before, he had something to look forward to, However, the halt of the Fellowship's journey had left him antsy, desperately wanting to take the ring from the hobbit and throw it into Mount Doom himself just so he could venture into the other realm and reunite with his family. On the other hand, there was a bonus to their lack of plans to Mordor, and it lied within the Prince of Mirkwood.

Legolas wasn't expecting the marchwarden to approach him one afternoon with a determined look in his eye. He was surprised to learn that his friend had a family, but could understand the grief of the subject being brought up. He was even more surprised to learn that the maiden he was meeting during his sleep was the granddaughter of Celeborn and Galadriel. But since that first meeting that afternoon, Haldir had sought Legolas out to inquire about his daughter, in hopes that he could learn about her and the woman she had become.

"How is she?" Haldir started their conversation that evening after the meal. The two had separated from the group and trekked through the forest.

"She is well," Legolas began. "She spoke to me of today being a special occasion in the mortal land that she resides."

"Oh?"

"She told me it is called 'Valentine's Day'. It is a day where traditionally couples bestow gifts to each other as signs of affection. Ithilwen told me that she does not understand the appeal of numerous pink hearts, but that the women of the land seem to expect them."

"Hearts?" Haldir was confused.

"They are not like the actual organ, I've been told." Legolas clarified. "Ithilwen does not seem like the type of elleth that expects such gratuitous gifts."

Haldir smiled. "She is a princess. She should be treated as such, and I will see to it when she returns that she is." He then frowned. "What of this mortal that is attempting to court her? Is he treating her well?"

Legolas sighed. He knew that Haldir would inquire as to this Payne boy, but he was not sure if the marchwarden would like some of what he has told his daughter. From the description that Ithilwen gave him, Legolas did not care much for the boy's behavior either, but he chose not to speak of the matter. He thought it better to give the boy the benefit of the doubt, since the two world's culture's obviously clashed. "For the most part, yes."

"Explain."

The prince inwardly cringed at the tone. "Ithilwen spoke to me of his mannerisms many times. She has told me that she believes he speaks before he thinks his words through-"

"What did he say to my daughter?"

Their walk had come to a stop by this point and Haldir looked downright furious. Legolas decided not to beat around the bush and cut to what he wanted to hear. "He asked Ithilwen why she never had her ears rounded off as if she were from the race of Man. I do not believe that she has told him of her true self, for fear that he will abandon her."

"It would be better for my daughter if she were to end the relationship with this… boy," Haldir spat. "My daughter will not do such a thing to her body to please that mortal! Morwen would see to it herself; where has she been when this boy is around our daughter?"

Legolas watched the marchwarden begin to pace to calm his nerves. "Ithilwen has told me that each time this boy comes to their home to call on her, Lady Morwen is not available. It seems that he is going out of his way to avoid her."

Haldir snorted uncharacteristically. "As well as he should. He had better be praising whatever higher power he prays to that I cannot do anything until this war is over."

"From our discussions, I do not believe that Ithilwen will stay with the boy. She has asked me for advice on what she should do, but I cannot offer anything that would not leave her upset. I do not wish to see her upset, but it may come to it where she has to make a decision that she cannot avoid."

The marchwarden returned to stand before the prince. Clapping him on the shoulder in a friendly gesture, he said "Let us hope that she does the right thing before it comes to that."

"I will do my best to help your daughter in any way that I can," Legolas offered. "This Payne would not know what to think if I could get to him for his disgraceful words against her."

Smiling once more, Haldir spoke. "For that, my friend, I thank you."

A/N: Have a special Valentine's day chapter, which lined up coincidentally. Sorry that it gets angsty for Ithilwen, but things will improve in time. So you know, I won't be writing up every meeting that Legolas and Ithilwen have; with as long as the War of the Ring lasts, any resting time the elf might have had would equal to a lot of useless filler chapters. (Kinda like Bleach – zing!) The next chapter might be a shorter one unless I can think of some modern-world dialogue to add; right now it's just the Fellowship preparing to leave Lothlorien. Also, I want to thank everyone who has faved/followed/reviewed this story! You guys rock, and it makes me giddy to see that someone has done one (or all three). I didn't think this would catch the attention it has, and besides my personal drive to continue it, you guys really inspire me too! So I'm going to go back to my homework and plan out the next chapter. :)