A/N: There were so many drafts for this chapter that it took me forever to settle with this one. Enjoy!

He knew it was a bad idea from the start.

As Sauron flew down the halls, trying to keep his swimming vision alert for any threats, he felt his over-exhausted power failing him rather quickly. Sharp turn after sharp turn, the maia was beginning to wonder when an exit would appear. There wasn't even a window, for Eru's sake!

For a moment, Sauron felt himself beginning to black out as tunnel vision distracted his line of sight and his ears began to ring. He was slowing down considerably, and his hopes of finding the way out of Aulë's Halls were looking bleak.

He had dug his own grave, and he regretted every last bit of his decision. His decision of agreeing with Námo to return home, his decision to leave the comfort and solitude of his chambers to attempt going to the forge.

Everything.

With a sharp cry, Sauron's power finally faltered and he resumed his regular physical form, collapsing on the palace floor. Blood stained his porcelain skin and deep bruises caused him extreme pain, making him feel twice as vulnerable. Trembling with growing weakness and fear, he tried to run but to no prevail. Exhaustion glued him in place, where all he could do was lean against the wall and check his surroundings. When the area was clear, Sauron closed his eyes for a moment and tried to think clearly and steady his shaky breathing.

Things had been going alright. Most of Aulë's maiar accepted him back into their forge, though they remained wary and kept a distance from him. Sauron didn't mind or take any offense; they had a reason to still show fear around him, after all.

But the moment he saw Aissir, he knew things would take a dark turn. Sauron was proud of himself for being unbothered and collected in the beginning, but he knew there was going to be trouble when he realized the elder smith's intention and it had worked. He was foolish enough to let his plan work!

Sauron smeared away more blood dripping from his cheek and lips and struggled to stand steady on his feet. His left arm was in great discomfort and he knew it was broken in at least two places. His energy was spent, leaving the mortal injury to worsen rather than heal. His head still swam from the heavy paralyzing spell Aulë had attacked him with. But there was no way he could stay there. He had to keep moving, or else be caught again. The former lieutenant didn't know where to go, but anywhere was better than there.

If only he could find a bloody exit!

Sauron's ears began to pick up shuffling down the hall. He knew it was only a matter of time before someone would catch up to him. Adrenaline began to kick in again and it encouraged him to keep moving despite being in severe pain and on the brink of unconsciousness.

But the smith didn't have to run too far, for when he rounded one of the last corners of the golden halls, a strong hand snatched his uninjured arm and held him back. Panic took over Sauron as he immediately tried to swing at the threat with his injured arm, but missed entirely. Another hand caught his flying wrist and brought both hands behind his back, leaving the maia restrained and crying out from the broken limb being twisted. Adrenaline and anxiety made the yells of pain turn into those of protest, his cries leaving an echoed ring down the stone halls. Sauron gave up after minutes of pathetic attempts to break free, his energy completely spent. Even without looking, the maia knew who had stopped him. He knew he was done running and, with no choice, accepted his fate.

Needless to say, Aulë expected Sauron to fight, but he didn't expect to see him in such a horrible condition. The vala's eyes were wide with shock when he didn't see his son, but a cornered animal fighting for it's life.

Immediately, he remembered years ago when Eönwe had escorted Sauron back home after the War of Wrath. The maia was bound in chains produced from the same magic that had crafted Angainor. Sauron looked similar to what he did now, coated in blood and earth with an unrecognizable scowl upon his once innocent face. Every fatherly instinct made Aulë want to reach out to his son, to assure him that everything would be alright again, to hold him after ages of separation. But it was not Mairon that had returned home.

Sauron was a horrifyingly damaged version of the once kind-hearted maia and could not be trusted. He was a prisoner, and was to be treated as such. It pained the father having to be consistently reminded of that by his fellow valar.

However, now was different. Despite the brutal fight earlier and the attempted strike at the vala, Aulë's blood ran cold as the maia's cries were anything but threatening. What writhed in his grasp was not the soulless, deceiving Sauron.

This was Mairon, his son, that briefly met his eyes with a horrified expression that begged sincerely for mercy and forgiveness. Aulë nearly teared up at the very sight of it.

The vala tightened his grip when Sauron quickly looked away and tried one last time to pull away from him. "Easy now, calm down," he said peacefully, despite trying to calm his own anxiety. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Though Sauron gave up trying to fight against the vala, he refused to look at him again. The maia's already pale skin had turned almost sickly with lightheadedness, and the smith suddenly wondered how Sauron was even conscious after all that had happened.

"Aulë...I'm sorry..." the red-headed maia said fearfully. "This was not my fault...!"

Panic attack. He had seen similar panic attacks like this when the maia spent his first weeks in Mandos' and Estë's care. Sauron had agreed to rehab, but the distrust he had for the valar was strong. There was no threat from the former lieutenant, but Sauron couldn't understand why they wanted to help him rather than just let him rot in a cell for eternity. His anxiety had brainwashed him into thinking they would harm him in revenge of the evil he had committed in Arda. But that was simply not true.

Even with Aulë's presence there, it brought Sauron no peace. The valar had to sedate the maia to medically treat his spirit and it took weeks for him to eat one complete meal. The beginning of his rehab was anything but easy. But when the months turned into years, Sauron finally realized they meant him no harm and his unease around them had slowly disappeared. He naturally remained wary, but he was cooperative.

Aware of his son's fragile state of mind, Aulë took extra caution when Mandos had allowed Sauron to return home. His family had only interacted with him a handful of times since the maia wished to be left alone. But those few times they did associate with him, Sauron had acted in a suspecting, wary manner as he constantly looked over his shoulder. Aulë seen the same distrust against them as he had for Námo and Estë.

This time was no different. Except now, something crucial did happen that could jeopardize Sauron and the maia had a reason to be alert. Aulë understood the brief hostile defense, but he dismissed it almost immediately.

"It's alright, Mairon. I know what you're thinking, it's okay!" the vala tried to reassure.

"Please let me go..." Sauron repeated with a heavily shaking voice. He was afraid he would be sat before the Doors of Night in just mere minutes. With the bracelets having completely drained him from overusing his briefly regained power, it would be effortless for the vala to seize him.

But instead, Aulë had lowered himself onto his knees, still keeping a steady hold on his son's arms. Sauron continued to shiver as if he was coated in ice and he kept his head turned away.

"Mairon..." Aulë spoke quietly. "Mairon, my son, look at me."

When Sauron refused to look up, Aulë released his hold on one wrist and placed the hand under the maia's chin, turning his head to face him. He felt Sauron stiffen his neck and resist against the pull. The smith began to hear his son's shaky breathing intensify with teeth chattering loudly within a closed, trembling jaw. His nostrils flared and his eyes were sealed shut.

"Don't you dare fear me," the vala spoke sternly, "Calm down…look at me."

Sauron opened his eyes slowly, his golden irises matching his father's. His eyes were welling with thick, standing tears and it broke the smith's heart.

"Settle down now... breathe..." Aulë said. He loosened his remaining grip on Sauron's arm carefully, watching to see if the maia would try to run again.

Thankfully, he didn't. "Don't be scared; I know what happened. One of the smiths came to get me when the fight broke out and explained everything," The vala added.

He then considered all of Sauron's injuries, his eyes immediately diverting from the maia's bloodied face to the cradled arm he held close to his chest.

"Where are you hurt? What's wrong with your arm?"

"I...I'm alright..." Sauron answered. His voice was barely above a whisper. "I'm fine..."

Aulë nodded, accepting the answer for now though he knew he was lying. "You need to tell me if anything is broken or needs attention, you hear?"

But he could see Sauron tensing up again. "Master Aulë..." the younger dismissed the previous comment. "Please...That fight was a setup. I can't stay here…"

Aulë shook his head irritably. "Mairon, enough…" he interrupted sternly but not meanly. "We are going to sit right here, alright? We'll talk about it if you want, but you need to calm down. You're okay…nothing is going to happen to you."

Sauron's eyes widened when he realized his father now knew his greatest fear. His wary eyes were full of disbelief and unblinking as Aulë remained calm with reassurance. "I know why you are anxious...but do not worry. The Void will not be the answer to this nonsense, understand? I will not allow it."

Hearing those last words suddenly shattered Sauron's walls like thin glass, and his chest and shoulders shuddered heavily from breaths he didn't know he was holding. The thick tears that stood in his eyes began to fall as they sealed shut. The smith barred his teeth as he fought to keep his composure, but he was failing miserably.

He had feared the worst, knowing that the Void was an absolute promise by the valar as a consequence for something like this. To hear Aulë say the complete opposite allowed him to breathe easy again and to release the fear bearing down on him, even just for now. The former lieutenant could not believe after all the wrong he had done, his father was still there for him.

Silent, terrified sobs eventually pushed past Sauron's lips as he couldn't bring himself to calm down. He hung his head forward and allowed the hot tears to trickle down his nose and fall on the dusty ground. He was no longer afraid, but he was just so damn tired…

Sauron didn't even notice Aulë had moved closer to bring him into his arms. He was hesitant at first but eventually Sauron wrapped his arms around his father and held on for dear life, embracing the foreign feeling of safety.

It was also the first time he hugged his father in centuries.

Aulë placed one hand on the back of his son's head and held him close to his chest. Listening to him in such anguish completely devastated the vala, realizing just how mentally exhausted and broken his son was and all progress of his rehabilitation had a high risk of being lost.

"I understand you are scared," Aulë talked to him sympathetically. "All you had to do was walk away from that confrontation, Mairon. You should not have acted in such manner, but…I can understand why you did. Aissir will be facing consequences for this."

He only received more inconsolable tears. "What will happen to me?" Sauron cried softly. "The Void was promised, and the other valar will not be as understanding as you."

"Rest assured I will not allow that to happen, even if it means I must fight against the others, should they know about this. There will most likely be a punishment for the fight, yes, but the Void is not the answer."

Sauron nodded as he slowly calmed his breathing, resting his head against his father's shoulder. Though the anxiety was diminishing, Sauron couldn't stop the tears that fell lifelessly from his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Father...I'm so sorry..." the maia whimpered. "I'm truly afraid…"

"I know," Aulë replied. His heart warmed after hearing Sauron finally address him as his father, "I've noticed things have not been easy for you, and your rehabilitation is only further complicated by those who do not understand that you are not who you used to be."

Sauron listened quietly. "I'm not welcome here…"

"I am the one to say who is welcome here. These are my Halls. Your efforts have not gone unnoticed, Mairon. The other valar and myself were prepared for any signs of trouble, but this was truly unexpected. We knew this journey was not going to be easy for you, and we know the Darkness continues to plague you. That is why the Halls of Mandos took care of you and helped you heal, and why your mother and I begged Námo to let you return home rather than make you dwell the rest of your sentence there. I don't want to hear you say otherwise again. You belong here."

The maia nodded faintly in response. Aulë smiled.

"Good...I love you, my son. We all do."

'Son…' Sauron thought. The address hit him like a kick to the teeth. 'I'm a terrible son…'

Sauron emotionally sealed his eyes shut, having believed before that he would have never received his family's love again after all he'd done. He hid his face once more into Aulë's cloaked chest, embracing the comfort, though he kept telling himself he didn't deserve it. The material smelled of rich leather and the smoke of the forge with a hint of Yavanna's flower garden, the nostalgic feeling wanting to make the maia cry even more. Lavenders, roses, wildflowers…They were scents he remembered clear back to his childhood days. Aulë would spend hours tending to the gardens with his wife, while Sauron and his brothers played nearby. Those were much happier days.

"Did you hear me, Mairon? You need to calm down before you pass out. You need to hush…shhh…" the vala's voice sounded again quietly, snapping the maia out of his memories.

Sauron then noticed his consciousness was indeed faltering, with his vision unfocused and his hearing muffled. The panic had nearly disappeared, making the maia realize just how feeble his consciousness was at that point. His father had cradled his head against his shoulder, his hand gently placed against the side of his face as if shielding him from the outside world.

For many minutes, Aulë sat and simply rocked his son, hoping he would eventually drift to sleep. There was nothing but silence as the two ainur embraced each other's presence. Not once did Sauron's steel grip on Aulë's cloak loosen, and the smith didn't want him to let go. The vala wanted his son to hold on to him for as long as he needed. He was not going to lose him again.

Aulë had lost track of how much time had passed. The smith had eventually made himself comfortable with his right side against the wall and his head rested against it. All the while, he still had the exhausted maia hugged to his chest. He looked down and sighed heavily.

Sauron had finally fallen asleep; far from a deep sleep but a gentle one nonetheless. Aulë knew his son was tired just from the many nights he spent awake without rest, and to see him at peace despite the situation brought him happiness. The red-headed maia's eyes were sealed shut and his lips were parted slightly with his cheek pressed against Aulë's shoulder.

Even the steel grip on the vala's cloak had loosened and his hand lay relaxed on his chest.

Aulë took the opportunity to study the bracelets on Sauron's wrists. The first thing that caught his attention was the fact that they were no longer a shiny, beautiful gold. They were dull, almost grey in color. Carefully, Aulë held one of Sauron's wrists up to look at it more closely, and suddenly realized something else.

They were cracked, severely for that matter. It looked as if it would not take much for them to shatter.

Aulë was astonished. He realized that the fight with Aissir nearly destroyed the bracelets from Sauron's continued attempts to break free from them and fight.

'He has more power than I thought he did...' Aulë thought with major concern. 'These bracelets were designed to hold extreme power; to even seal the basic powers of a vala! And he nearly broke them completely...'

That's when Aulë also realized the reason why his son was weakened to this degree. The bracelets acted as a guard, shocking and draining the energy of the wearer if attempted to break free. He began to wonder how Sauron was even able to run away after the fight, let alone switch forms for as long as he did before the vala stopped him. Of course, his paralyzing attack on the former lieutenant didn't help the matter either.

He snapped out of his thoughts when Sauron started to stir in his arms. The maia stretched with a wince for a brief second before resting his head in a different position and drifting to sleep once more. Aulë comfortingly smoothed back his son's heavily tangled hair before closing his eyes again and attempting to also fall into a light sleep.

But minutes later, he was alerted with someone else's presence.

"Aulë?" a voice whispered, full of worry.

The smith looked over his shoulder to see Yavanna standing there in a state of shock. She was dressed in an emerald gown, her dark auburn hair flowing loosely over her shoulders. She had just returned from an audience with her own maiar when she came across her husband sitting on the floor. The look on her face read nothing but horror.

But Aulë only smiled calmly. "Don't worry, Love. He's okay," he assured her.

Yavanna exhaled in slight relief and got down on her knees beside the smith. She studied their son's resting form for a moment before tears filled her brilliant eyes. "Dear Eru, what happened?" she asked.

"There was a fight in the forge. I showed up just in time before things took a bad turn."

"A fight? Over what? I can't imagine how terrifying that must have been..." the queen sighed, "I told you it was a bad idea to let him go to the forge so soon, Aulë."

Aulë nodded in partial agreement. "Aissir wanted to prove Mairon was still untrustworthy. I should have listened to you, but I truly thought he would be okay. It took some time to calm him down, though. He was afraid of immediately being condemned to the Void."

Yavanna shook her head angrily. "That will never happen..." she hissed, "What has been done with Aissir?"

"He has been dismissed and was told not to return to my service."

"Very well."

"Have you seen Curumo?" Aulë suddenly wondered, "He was supposed to be in the forge today, and I told him to keep an eye on Mairon if he saw him. He wasn't there when I broke up the fight."

"He was with Aiwendil and two others just a short while ago. Curumo said he saw Mairon there, but there was no trouble so he left. I'm assuming the fight happened just after he took his leave, because he didn't know anything about it."

Aulë growled in irritation, feeling his blood boil. "Damn it, Curumo! I told you to stay with your brother!" he hissed under his breath.

Yavanna placed a comforting hand on the smith's shoulder. "It doesn't matter now- what matters is everyone is okay," she said. "Keep your voice low. Don't wake him up."

Aulë let his temper cool as he looked down at Sauron again. "He tried to escape but I managed to stop him. That's why we are out here. He was on the verge of falling unconscious, and all I wanted to do was help him. But my own son was terrified of me…" he whispered moreso to himself. "I have never felt such heartbreak in my entire existence. I pray you never have to witness that yourself."

Yavanna ran her fingers through the vala's shoulder-length hair comfortingly. "You're right, I wouldn't be able to bear the sight of it. But you are strong, Aulë. You've managed to deescalate the situation and calm him down. It's over now."

It's over now…

Aulë suddenly disagreed with that comment as his golden eyes focused on Sauron's wrists again. "My Love, look at these..." he pointed out the obvious cracks in the gold.

Yavanna immediately knew the danger in what she saw. "Mairon did that?" She asked in surprise.

"Yes..." Aulë looked at the queen with deep concern, "He could possibly have more power than either of us. Not only did he break these, but he was able to fight against my own spell when I tried to stop him from running from the forge. He should not be capable of doing either of those."

Yavanna glanced over with unease. "Should we tell Námo?"

"No! They did not break completely, and nobody was severely injured. Today's mishap stays in this House. I don't want to involve the other valar," The vala made his point strict and clear.

"But the bracelets are damaged. It won't take much-..."

"This will not happen again, even if it means I need to be there myself when Mairon goes to the forge! I will not let anyone's hate cause us to lose him again!" Aulë defended.

Yavanna nodded in agreement. They sat in silence for a few minutes more before Sauron started to stretch once more. The two valar watched in further silence as the maia's dull eyes opened to mere slits, barely awake.

"You fell asleep, Love. Are you alright?" Yavanna's gentle voice asked. She brushed a strand of hair from Sauron's sunken face and tucked it behind his ear, smiling lovingly.

Sauron didn't reply but let his eyes trail over his surroundings and to his father who continued to hold him close. Confusion was written obvious in his expression.

Seconds later, he let his head collapse against Aulë's shoulder again, his eyes sealed shut once more.

"I need to get him to his chambers so he may rest soundly. He will be exhausted for a long while," Aulë pointed out. Sauron never stirred when Aulë stood up and scooped his son into his arms with little effort. The vala shook off the numbness in his legs from sitting on the ground for so long as he and Yavanna started walking down to their Hall and to Sauron's chambers.

When they arrived, Aulë immediately set the maia down on his bed. It was then that he noted how Sauron's cradled arm had sept blood through his tunic sleeve. He wondered how he didn't notice it before. When the vala gently rolled the sleeve back, he flinched as the pale skin was black and blue and slightly disfigured.

Aulë sighed. "I knew it was broken…" he muttered. "I need to wrap his arm to stop the bleeding."

"Be careful. Don't wake him up."

Considering how lightly Sauron slept, Aulë gently wrapped gauze around the injured arm and held off cleaning it until he was awake and aware of the pain the medicines would cause. However, just the gentle touch of wrapping the gauze caused Sauron to jump and squirm with pain, but not once did he wake up. Aulë's studied the bruising, making a mental note that not only did the punctured skin need to be cleaned, but the broken bones needed to be set correctly too.

Dismissing the matter for now, the valar covered the maia up with a heavy blanket to encourage him to stay in a comfortable sleep. They would tend to the broken arm later. Yavanna sat on the side of the bed for a few minutes longer, suddenly unable to leave her son's side.

"Why would anyone want to see someone suffer like this?" she asked sadly. "I know Mairon still feels distrust towards us all, but he is trying."

"Some refuse to see that there is still good in his heart. But if there wasn't, he would not have surrendered to Eönwe after the war," Aule spoke softly. "The distance he keeps from us is concerning, but I wouldn't say he resents us. He's afraid above all else, knowing what the terms of his sentence are."

"The Void would be a good reason to be afraid."

"You know it's not the Void he fears," Aule shook his head. "It's what's in it already. I couldn't imagine a crueler fate than being sentenced with that hateful soul for eternity."

Yavanna looked up, realizing her husband's point.

"Let's leave him to sleep. We will check on him later on…" Aulë placed a hand on her shoulder. Yavanna followed him outside silently, closing the door behind them.

When the door was shut, the two valar walked into the dining room for a glass of wine and to further talk about the earlier incident. But they stopped immediately, seeing that an unexpected guest had beaten them there.

The married couple's hearts dropped, making eye contact with the very last person they wanted to see.

A/N: Part three will be posted soon! Thanks for reading!