The offer still stands! If anyone is lovely enough to make me some kind of picture cover for this story, I'll be really grateful. I can't give you money, but I'd love to write a one-shot on whatever you want! I just really want a cover... REALLY BADLY.

And thanks to you readers. This story is nearly two years old. TWO FREAKING YEARS. It takes dedication to stick with a silly fanfiction for multiple years. You guys kick arse.

This would have been out a lot earlier, but I got decided to leave the country for a bit. That's life for you.

"Collin!" James hollered from down the street, waving like an idiot.

"James!" Collin yelled back, cheesing like a child on Christmas morning. The two friends charged each other in a great display of brotherly love. It would have been a great moment to witness, had their anticipated hug not been interrupted by a dwarf.

"Laddie!" Gimli laughed as he hugged the much taller man.

James skidded to a halt, his eyes wide in confusion as Legolas laughed behind him. "Dang, dwarves are great sprinters..."

Collin chuckled and returned the hug after giving James an apologetic shrug. "Glad to see you're alive, Gimli! Can't say I'm surprised, though. It takes more than a few orcs to take down a dwarf!"

"I couldn't have said it better myself!" The dwarf said with a big grin. His eyes flickered to me as I approached with several kids in tow, including a two-year-old I carried in my arms. "Practicing for a family of your own?" He asked.

My cheeks turned red at the thought. Of course we'd have a family! It was a given. For whatever reason, it took Gimli's silly comment to stick the idea in my head for good. A family of our own... Little Boromirs getting into mischief, and little Sophies hopefully getting on better than their mother in such a strange world. It seemed like such a far off idea, but in all reality it could be a mere year or two away. Marriage was just on my doorstep... My stomach churned with a mixture of excitement and anxiety. As much as I loved Boromir, the duties of a wife felt a bit overbearing for the moment. Throw in Collin's declaration of love just days before, and call me emotional. I didn't need such stressful issues in the midst of a war!

"No, Gimli." I replied in a more frustrated tone than I care to admit. "I'll have you know these kids are under my command, and I won't hesitate to make them attack you."

The dwarf nearly reached for his axe out of habit, but stopped himself when he remembered that we were talking about prepubescent Gondorians. "Easy, lassie! What's gotten into you?"

"Not food." I sighed. "And I certainly haven't gotten any sleep the past few days. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure everyone in this entire city has lost an impeccable amount of sleep, and we should all just remedy that, right now." The amount of circles under people's eyes was astonishing. I'd looked in the mirror and marveled at how sick I appeared. We all must have looked terrible, even Collin was looking a bit sleepy.

Legolas, ever the gentleman, promptly handed me a roll. "Here, this should keep you moving for a few more hours."

"Hey, that was mine!" James frowned, looking like he wanted to give the elf a broken nose to match his own.

"Yes, James." Legolas said smugly. "It was yours."

I could only nod in appreciation as I shoved the small roll into my mouth. It was the first bit of food I could eat without feeling guilty for depriving the children. I'd given them every scrap of food I could lay my hands on, and if I was ever going to find their parents I would need the energy. Only a tiny part of me felt bad for eating James's roll, but hey. A girl's got to eat.

"You know, I'm quite relieved that our dramatic hug didn't work out." Said Collin as he gave James a pat on the back. "I got shot, you know."

"Yes, I know." James sighed in response. "I was there, and I still feel bad about it."

"Oh, no!" Collin laughed. "I got shot again!"

"AGAIN?" The whole world seemed to exclaim. All of my world, at least.

Collin gave our friends a cheeky smile and nodded towards his back wound. "Twice, I think! It's all a bit of a blur."

"When did this happen?" Asked Legolas. "You were not in the battle."

"No, no I wasn't! I was in the pre-battle. You know, the battle before the battle?" Collin frowned a bit, remembering the day. "Actually, it wasn't as great as my tone suggests. It was actually quite terrible. More of a slaughter than a battle. I don't think we killed a single orc. Boromir's got some good wounds, too."

I could sense a long retelling of the story coming up, and I was really rather eager to get on with finding the kids' parents. "He did, and he's lucky to be alive. You both nearly got killed and I'd rather not relive it; not with all of this chaos around us. I'm sure Collin will tell you three all about it, but for now he needs to help me spread the word about these kids. The sooner we get them to their families the better."

Without warning James relieved me of the toddler in my arms. "Here, let me help you." He said as he gave the child a smile. "I love kids."

"Oh my gosh. James, you're a father!" Collin exclaimed. "I knew it all along, but it just now clicked!"

James laughed as he bounced the child in his arms. "Ah, Faelwen. Oh, I miss her. I only hope you get to meet her some day. I should like to see her some day soon, when this is all over."

As James, Collin and I began our trek through the city, all I could do was sigh and look towards the dark skies near Mordor with a mixture of sadness and impatience. "I can only hope that this will end soon."

It took only a few hours to find guardians for the children. Among the entire group of kids we had taken in throughout the battle, it was unbelievable how many had lost a parent, or both. Some were retrieved by aunts or uncles, others by old and weary grandparents. A few had some young adult brothers and sisters capable of caring for their younger siblings, and I was relieved to find that most of the kids had a place to go. Unfortunately, however, there was a single child who had yet to find anyone.

James, Collin and I sat on an old stone bench in the Houses of Healing's gardens. Between James and I sat little Nesta, kicking her feet at the air. We were all silent for quite some time, watching as day turned to night. Pillars of smoke rose as the soldiers began to burn what I assumed to be orcs, I didn't know. In all reality I was still staying away from the scene. I was trying to stay positive. It wouldn't be strange for Nesta's relatives to show up late. After all, I was expecting to have the kids overnight. The city was just attacked for crying out loud, people were busy. It had been a neighbor that sent Nesta into the Houses of Healing, and after a bit of inquiry we found that she hadn't been able to make it out of the lower levels. My friends and I were just trying to remain positive.

"So, you have kids?" Nesta asked, looking up to James.

"Only one." He replied with a kind smile. "She's a lot younger than you, though."

Nesta nodded, and after a short silence asked, "Is she in Rohan?"

"No," James shook his head. "She's with the elves in Mirkwood."

"Mirkwood?" Nesta's eyes widened. "Why is she with the elves?"

"Because she is an elf." I answered. "Half elf. Her mother is an elf."

She laughed at that. "Interesting. I've never heard of such a thing! Is she beautiful like the elves, or... Plain? More like you."

Collin nearly burst into laughter, but a quick glare from James silenced him.

"Well of course she's beautiful!" James said, doing his best to hide his wounded pride. "And I'll have you know, the ladies find me quite handsome."

It was Nesta's turn to laugh. "If you say so."

Collin didn't even try to hide his amusement, then. His body shook with laughter, but the shaking caused his wounds to sting and his merriment was cut short. "Oh, I like her. Do we have to give her back?"

I rolled my eyes. "She's not a pet, Collin."

We sat for what seemed like hours, until the sky went dark. Though James had left to help with the cleanup Collin, Nesta and I remained. The girl stared down at her dusty shoes, seemingly in her own world. It had to be hard as a child, seeing everyone else have someone to run to but no one for yourself. She was strong- I could see that. The kids here didn't have it like kids back on normal Earth. Well, former normal Earth. Middle-earth had become my norm. In any case, I almost related to the little girl. She was growing up in a rough time, and I didn't exactly have a spiffy childhood, what with a prick father. Different situations, but the sadness and struggle was still there. Some people just grow up too fast.

Collin suddenly let out the biggest yawn I'd ever heard in my life, and I'm sure that the rest of us would have jumped had we not been too tired to care. Nesta caught his yawn, and I finally noticed that I hadn't seen her sleep since finding her.

"Nesta, how long has it been since you've slept?" I asked, trying to calculate how long it had been since I myself had the pleasure of closing my eyes. The girl shrugged, and I sighed. "Come on, let's get going. It's about time we all get some sleep."

"What if someone comes?" She asked, watching the entrance to the gardens with eyes full of hope.

I couldn't help but feel pain at those words. While she was asking what if some one came, I was wondering what I would do if they didn't. Still, I gave her the most comforting smile I could and told her that they would wait, or come back again in the morning. She was hesitant to leave even then, but her tired limbs got the better of her. Collin took her to Gandalf's house while I went to search for Boromir at the top level. I was almost tempted to just go home without seeing him, partly due to my mind's choppy thinking and my red eyes, but also because I heard that Denethor was still raging over Gandalf knocking him out. He scared me when he wasn't angry.

The walk to the Citadel was a bit of a haze. My eyes were really starting to feel icky, and my brain was felt heavy. I don't even think I blinked- I very well may have been sleep walking. I even considered curling up on a nearby bench and sleeping the night away. The only thought that kept me from sleeping in a public area was the fact that I looked like doo doo and the Captain of Gondor's wife-to-be shouldn't spontaneously sleep in public areas. Not that anyone cared at that particular time. I just didn't want to get too comfortable with being American-casual in Gondor.

To my extreme delight, I didn't have to look at Denethor that day. The object on my mind was walking directly towards me the second I reached the seventh level.

"Oh, no. Never mind." I groaned as I quickly hid my face from Boromir. I looked terrible.

"What?" He chuckled, but inspected me nonetheless with concern. "Are you all right?"

"No. Nope." I shook my head and tried to turn around, but he gently spun me back to face him.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

It took more energy than I care to admit to shrug. "I don't remember. I don't remember my goal in finding you. Why can't I remember? Ah, well. But nice seeing you, anyways! I'm going to bed!"

"You can stay in my room, tonight." He offered. "I certainly won't be getting any sleep. I'll make sure to tell the servants so there's not a rumor going about that we're already sleeping in the same bed."

"We slept on the same cot once." I yawned as he nearly carried me towards his room. "You remember, don't you? Back when it was just our happy little group. But it was cold, and the hobbits were to my other side so it was hardly a scandal... Or more of a scandal. I don't know my brain feels weird."

"Are you even thinking about what you're saying?" Boromir laughed, and I shook my head sleepily.

Before I knew it the lovely man had walked me all the way to his even lovelier room, and that's saying something, since I think that Boromir is particularly lovely. He turned down the sheets and turned to help me in but I'd managed to find my way to the window. Like any sleepy person, my mind was hardly functioning yet I'd developed a strange inner depth. It was like a natural high, and for the slightest moment I remembered reading about how loosing too much sleep could have the same effect as drugs. In fact, I didn't read that. James had been the one trying to hallucinate by staying awake for three days in a row senior year. In any case, as quickly as the thought came it left, and I was left to observe the damaged Minas Tirith with foggy eyes.

It was beautiful, despite the destruction. I thought it just as beautiful as the day I'd first arrived, only not because of its ridiculous architecture and beautiful setting. When I first arrived I had no idea what the city would come to be in my life. It would be my new home- where my heart is. I had never intended to fall in love with its Captain, and its people. Even after a seemingly endless siege and countless losses, I found that I only found Minas Tirith more and more beautiful; not for its aesthetic value, but for its people. If the destruction had taught me anything, it was that no matter how hopeless things may seem there is always a chance for things to turn out all right. Not only that, but it taught me to admire the people of Middle-earth for what they were: strong, determined, and hopeful creatures that are not easily beaten.

"Isn't it wonderful how clear things are when you're half asleep?" I yawned as Boromir gently turned me from the window and towards the bed. "Why does it work like that? Why can't I feel so inspired when I'm awake?"

"Love, that sounds like a question for Collin." Boromir whispered as he pulled the covers over my arms. "Rest easy, Sophie."

"You're not going to go away again while I sleep, are you?" I asked, remembering the last time I really tried to sleep.

Boromir kissed my forehead and brushed my hair away from my eyes. "I think that I learned my lesson. I'll be right back here in the morning, I promise."

"Boromir?"

"Yes?"

"I miss Kristy..." I sighed, thinking that it would have been a good time for an old fashioned best friend snuggle.

"I know, Sophie. You'll see her soon."

James, Nesta and I sat together once again in the gardens, only this time our waiting was over. Collin had been inquiring after Nesta's parents to her neighbors, and he'd sifted through the remnants of her house. Unfortunately, things had not turned out the way we would have hoped. Of all the children we'd looked after, little Nesta was the only one who'd lost everything. Not a single member of her direct family survived, and we couldn't get into contact with any of her more distant relatives. She had fought the bitter tears that threatened to spill from her eyes, but it had been in vain. In the end she buried her face into James' shirt, and did her best to weep silently.

Collin stood against the garden wall and stared into the sky, and I moved to stand next to him. He'd been the one to deliver the news, and I could tell that he was thinking hard on something.

"What are we going to do?" I asked in a whisper, not wanting to alarm the girl crying nearby. "We can't just send her away."

"That's what I'm thinking about." Collin sighed. His eyes studied the girl for a moment before he turned to me. "Since it looks like my fighting days in this war are over, I was thinking that maybe I could adopt her."

"Adopt her?" My eyes widened. The idea was strange. "You want to adopt Nesta?"

"Why not?" He shrugged. "Everyone else is settling down, why shouldn't I? James has Maerwen, Kristy has Legolas, and you? You've got Boromir, now. No one needs me anymore, and it's weird."

In trying to keep the conversation from getting out of hand I left my argument to his last statement a mere shoulder-punch and I very stern look. He knew exactly what I was trying to get across: we all need him.

"You know that I didn't mean it like that." He argued. "It's just that... I don't know. I think it'd be good for me to have someone to look after; another little woman to run my life."

"Collin, adopting is a big step..."

"I know! But I think that it's the right thing to do." Collin looked at Nesta, and I could practically see her sadness reflected in him. He felt for her, and wanted to make a difference. I could understand that. "Besides," he shrugged. "She's already half grown. It's not like I'd be raising a baby or anything. I'll just be giving her a place to stay until she grows up and finds a warrior of her own. I want to do this, Sophie. She needs a father, and why shouldn't it be me? Wouldn't I make a good dad?"

"Of course you would..." He would be a fantastic dad. I didn't know what it was that I couldn't wrap my head around, but looking at my best friend then and there made me realize just how great of a dad he would be. Still, there was something about his restless personality that made it hard for me to grasp him actually becoming a dad. "I think you should keep your idea in mind. It's a good plan, but it's a bit too soon to be thinking long-term. There's no way we'll send her away, but I feel like you need to think about this some more. I mean, you can't go adventuring with a kid at home. You need a job, and a house to live in long-term. There's no doubt in my mind that you could pull it off, but do you really want to go through with it? Are you ready to settle down?"

"I think so." He nodded. "And besides, there will always be more time for adventuring when she's grown up."

"I know..." I sighed. "Just... Think about it."

I really forgot why I was having Sophie go looking for Boromir so I decided to write about it.

Sorry if I'm dragging it on. I'm having a hard time finishing this story, I don't want it to end. I may have another story to add on to this one, but I don't know. I've got three other fanfics that need working on, and my own original work to clean up, so...

Oh, and I've got another story idea for LOTR so yeah. Goodbye social life, no matter what I end up writing about.