I keep taking forever to update I am so sorry. I promise this story WILL be completed. Thanks for sticking with me.

Also, I'd just like to thank Lauren Stargazer again for the rad as hell cover for this story. I just looked at it again and it still makes me thrilled.

"I owe you so much, you know." Boromir said to Collin after yet another family meal that night.

In addition to Collin, Kristy, Nesta, and me, Faramir, Eowyn, and Boromir had decided to join us. I couldn't imagine a more colorful group in all of Gondor. Eowyn, Faramir, and Boromir were still recuperating from their wounds, as was Collin, though he preferred to pretend that his wounds didn't exist. Kristy still had the remnants of a nasty head wound, courtesy of Eowyn. Not only that, but our eyes burned from the amount of tears we'd spilled. I couldn't remember the last time I'd been so happy.

Collin was taken aback by Boromir's words, but he accepted them with a slight chuckle. "Uh, thanks! What did I do?"

"Oh, you act as though you don't remember! You have the scars to prove it." Boromir suddenly grew more serious. Asides from me, no one seemed to be paying much attention to the conversation. Eowyn and Faramir were speaking quietly at one end of the table, and Kristy was at the fire with Nesta, talking to her about the delicacies that were mozzarella sticks. She'd been not-so-secretly plotting to try to recreate as many Earth foods as possible, once things settled down.

"Boromir, you don't owe me anything..." Collin began, but Boromir was having none of it.

"Collin, you don't understand..." He said with a sigh. "My entire life has been spent under the darkness of Mordor. Every year it would grow darker, and hope became more scarce. I lived, year by year, watching the light drain out of Gondor with no hope of saving it. I never knew any different. I never truly hoped for anything to change, either. Of course, the idea of a better world was a lovely thought, but it didn't seem possible. Then all of this happened! To think that I would be a part of the mission to destroy the One Ring... To think that I nearly compromised that mission out of foolishness. I nearly died that day, Collin, but you saved me, only to have me throw my life away again at the behest of my father. Then you saved me again, risking your life for me once more. If it hadn't been for you, I would not be here. I would have died in the same, hopeless world that I'd been born in. I wouldn't have had the chance to see this world restored, but now I can. I've got so much to live for, and now I've got time. Twice you've saved my life. I can hardly imagine that I could say this enough, but thank you. Thank you so much."

Had I not already spent all of my tears, I may have broken down once more. My eyes felt thick and heavy, but my heart was warm and light. It felt as though my soul was ready to jump from my body, I was so touched. Regardless of what could have been between me and Collin, and the awkwardness that ought to have wedged itself between us, Collin was my best friend. We'd been friends almost our entire lives. He was a part of me, as were Kristy and James. They were all a part of my person, just as arms or legs are a part of a body. I could practically feel Collin's heart flood with emotions at Boromir's words, just as I could feel Boromir's adoration for this crazy, selfless man who'd saved his life. I loved these men. I loved them each differently, of course, but I loved them all the same. Had a table not been in my way I would have initiated a monstrous group hug.

"... but I don't even want to try to make a meringue by hand..." Kristy went on to Nesta, despite the divine moment of brotherly love taking place at the dinner table.

Collin was speechless: a rare thing. His eyes seemed glassy, as though tears were preparing themselves for launch. His mouth moved but no sound came out, until finally his conscience snapped back into his body.

"Oh," he muttered, still struggling with his words. "You're welcome." He said, and I could tell that he meant it with all of his heart. "So, now the next time I do something stupid, it's your job to save me!" Collin laughed, trying to break the emotional tension. He laughed awkwardly for a moment. "Please don't do that, I really don't want to have become a pincushion for nothing."

Boromir jokingly agreed to not save Collin's life, but I knew him better than to think that he'd let even a fly harm his friend. The topic quickly passed, and we eventually joined in Kristy's dramatic monologue about food. Even so, there was a certain something about Collin's smile that looked even brighter for the rest of the night, and when it came time for our friends to leave he gave Boromir a big hug.

"I'm proud of you," I whispered to him before going off to bed. He blushed, but said nothing.

Just a day after the emotional moment at dinner, all of Minas Tirith was preparing itself for even more tears. Some cried out for joy, but others shut themselves away and wept. Kristy, Collin and I walked to the Houses of Healing, hand in hand. The city was, in theory, celebrating the return of those brave warriors who had gone to fight. However, it was not easy for many to rejoice when so many who had left did not return.

We'd heard many things regarding the dead, and none of it good. The exact number of the deceased was not known to us, but it was said to be well over a thousand. From what I'd heard, nearly six thousand soldiers had gone to fight in the battle. Any amount of loss was heartbreaking, but to hear that over a thousand men would not come home was devastating. That's over a thousand families in mourning. We were lucky. We were not one of the thousand.

Kristy's hand squeezed my own as though I was all that held her to this world. Legolas himself had shown up on our doorstep, Gimli right beside him. Of course, Kristy was thrilled to see her beloved return, but her heart was not so easily satisfied. There was, of course, the matter of James. After inquiring about her brother, we learned that he'd been taken directly to the Houses of Healing, along with many other wounded. He was alive, our elf friend ensured us, but that was all he would say. Alive.

Alive was enough to give my heart a bit of rest, but not enough for the anxiety to subside completely. There had been something in our friend's voice that made me worry. We weren't allowed to go directly to James, as he required immediate care. In the meantime we'd asked about our other friends, and it almost seemed impossible to think that we didn't lose anyone. It turned out we were right, as Collin later discovered that some of his noble friends we'd met during our first visit to Minas Tirith had fallen in battle. He handled the news well enough on the outside, but I was sure that he'd shed his tears the moment he was alone.

James was not housed in his own room. The healers had moved him to an area with those who had already been tended to, and it was hard to spot him among the rows of wounded. When we did find him, we froze.

The left half of James' face was completely bandaged, as was his left arm. His only visible eyes had been looking down at his lap until we arrived, when it slowly made its way to Kristy's face. He gave her a weak smile, but she didn't return it. She moved to his side and lifted the blanket that covered his legs. Both legs were heavily bandaged, though just by looking at them I couldn't tell how bad the damage was. He was pale, too, his usually tan complexion whitened by blood loss. Kristy could only stare at him, her eyes focusing on the concealed part of his face.

"What can I say?" James began, his voice hard to hear in the bustling room. "I always wanted to be a pirate."

At that Kristy broke down in tears. She fell by her brother's side and wrapped him in as gentle an embrace as someone so emotional could manage. He winced, but did not stop her. His right arm pulled her close, and he buried his face in her hair to hide his tears. When she finally pulled away she held his hand, kissing it and undoubtedly cutting off its circulation with her tight grip.

"Good to see you, brother." Collin said with a smile, and James smiled back.

"Good to be back."

Short chapter, I'm sorry. I love you guys, the next chapter should be out within a couple of days.