Strange Allies

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A/N: First, to the people of Great Britain and London in particular – my sincere and heartfelt sympathy for the horrible, unthinkable outrage that has been perpetrated against your fine city. London is one of my most favorite cities in the world BECAUSE of the underground system.

You have my admiration at your determination to continue with your daily lives despite these barbaric attacks and I commend you!

I believe these author notes are going to be a bit longer than normal so please indulge me.

Bee - thank you! I'm glad you are enjoying it! Feel free to tell your friends! ;-)

Dragoneyez - Yes, I know. I feel so badly for Legolas but don't we all wish we had that sort of delimma? Two incredibly sexy elves vying for your attention? LOL! Indeed, we have not yet begun to angst!

JastaElf - Oh, I completely understand. I feel so badly for poor Legolas. There really is no excuse for their behavior IMO. But life is like that a lot of times - no easy choices, no black and white. Maybe that's what makes the whole story compelling is that it ISN'T easy and clear-cut. I don't take it as a flame at all and I wish I had some words that would make you feel better for The Sweet One. But I don't. I feel terrible about it but it's His Haughtiness' story and what he wants. *sigh* And he always gets what he wants in the end.

MarzBar - oh, I think he's just being a bit overdramatic there. He does not want to be parted from her and yet he senses he will be. He's desperate to keep her now that he has her. It's kinda cute, actually. Heeee! But don't tell him that! ;-)

Sandra - "story mom"??? WTF?? It's more like "poor hapless soul that has been plagued by Mr. Wicked - tortured incessantly day and night to write at his behest". LOL! Indeed, I appreciate that people express their opinion and I have to admit I am sometimes influenced by it. (As far as HE will allow it). :-/

Bi - OK!!!! Here it is! Enjoy!

Aragorndreamer - I don't think he ever will to tell you the truth. He's more of a "show" than "tell" kinda guy (elf). I think she gets the picture now. Sure took her long enough, eh? ;-)

Lady of the rings - thank you very much! I'm glad you are enjoying it! Pssst - tell your friends! ;-)

~~~

Annowe mewed helplessly as his greedy hands slid up her dress, roughly caressing her skin. What of Valinor? What if he went mad? What of Legolas?

But it was too late for him to fight his feelings and he blindly reached for her, needing to feel her desire touch him again. She trembled in his iron grasp, digging her fingers into his arms and feeling his tight muscles as she struggled to contain herself.

“Give it to me,” he breathed to her cleavage. “Let me feel your full desire for me again, Annowe.”

“But,” she hesitated frightened of the depth of her feelings now that she understood them. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

At her confession, he threw his head back and laughed wildly, his white teeth gleaming eerily in the firelight.

“Your desire will never hurt me, little one,” he assured her. “I want it. Give it to me.”

Still she hesitated. Where were Tom and Goldberry? Had he already gone mad? As if reading her mind, Haldir quickly stood up, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her boldly toward their room.

Annowe trembled in his strong grasp. They would be completely alone now. There would be no more excuses, no more secrets between them and yet her heart ached with regret and shame at what she had done to Legolas.

As the March Warden’s soft footfalls echoed down the hallway she began to shake in his arms as the guilt overwhelmed her. This needed to stop! She could not leave with Haldir. She could not abandon Legolas! It was wrong! No matter what her feeling for the March Warden were she could not simply run off with him!

“Haldir,” she said as he gently kicked the door shut behind them and lay her on the bed.

He buried his face in her neck and moaned softly. She was his now.

“Stop,” she breathed, pushing against his cheek. “Stop! Listen to me!”

Reluctantly he obeyed and raised his head to gaze into her eyes. “He left you, Annowe. Left you behind! He could have remained behind at Helm’s Deep to claim you and he did not! He knew, little one, he KNEW you would come for him and yet he left anyway,” he told her.

“But I cannot just abandon him! He had a quest to fulfill that is more important than me and you or me and him!” She reasoned.

Haldir sighed and closed his eyes as the frustration gnawed at him. Why was she still denying her destiny with him? How could she not understand?

“Legolas has his own destiny, it is true,” Haldir admitted. “He had a quest to fulfill. And he did fulfill it! When he arrived at Helm’s Deep, the Ring Bearer was no longer with them. His part was complete. He could have remained behind to wait for you and he did not!”

“What?” Annowe asked anxiously, squirming next him so she could get a better look at his face. “The Ring Bearer was not with him? What happened to him?”

“I do not know,” he said softly. “Legolas would not say. He said only that the quest was continuing. So he knew, Annowe. He understood that his part in that destiny was complete.”

“Then why did he leave?” She whispered. Why would he do such a thing?

Haldir gently caressed her cheek with his fingertips. “Perhaps his noble spirit would not allow him to remain behind to wait for you. I do not know,” he soothed her. “But I am here now and I want you.”

Indeed, he was. And Legolas was not. If it were true, if Legolas had known that his part had been fulfilled then why did he not wait for her? Had his part been fulfilled? Why did he leave?

Thoughtfully, Annowe smoothed Haldir’s silken hair over his shoulder watching as the moonlight twinkled on his hair and skin. If he was correct then Legolas could have stayed behind for her and he did not. She sighed. Why did this have to be so difficult?

“Do not fret for him, little one,” Haldir murmured against her cheek soothingly. “Do you believe that he could have made you happy?”

“I wanted to believe that,” she whispered guiltily.

“But do you believe it now after knowing what I have taught you?” He asked. “Do you believe he would be willing to learn it from you when he was frightened to learn it from me?”

Haldir pulled her close as she started to cry softly, pressing her face into his solid chest. She had wanted it so badly with Legolas but she knew Haldir was right and it made her heart ache even more.

“No,” she finally sniffed. “I don’t believe he would. But I wanted him to. I wanted to show him everything. I wanted to make him happy.”

“I know you did,” he agreed. “As did I. But if he is not ready for you then you will only make yourself miserable by staying with him. And he will know you are not happy.”

She nodded against his chest. Yes, it had almost killed her to keep her emotions under control when they had been on the scouting mission together. She would never be able to hide her newfound tricks from him – quite the contrary – she wanted to show him! But would he fear her now? Would he even attempt to break the bond between she and Haldir if he knew what it entailed? If he knew that he would be bound to her at such an intimate level?

Perhaps she had known the answer all along in her deepest heart and yet could not admit it. It would explain why she had been afraid to let Haldir see it when they had bonded. In some part of her she knew that Legolas would never accept her totally – she would have to hide her true uninhibited nature from him so she would not intimidate him until he grew to understand her if he ever did completely.

But Haldir did not fear her. He wanted her completely and totally! He reveled in her passion and tried to enflame it even more! Annowe squeezed him tightly and wiped her tears on his tunic as he held her patiently. Yes he was here and Legolas was not. And she still could not give herself to him completely. Not quite yet.

“I must give him the chance to break it,” she murmured against Haldir’s smooth throat. Why did this have to be so painful? She did not want to choose between them!

He sighed heavily. “I understand,” he answered regretfully.

“You are not going to try and stop me?” She asked in surprise, looking up at him anxiously.

“No,” he assured her. “I will not try and stop you. That would be pointless.”

A slight smile flickered over her face. Yes, he knew her all too well. That might not be such a good thing. He understood her for he was a creature very much like herself. Perhaps that is why she hated him so in the beginning. That and he insisted that she must want him despite her protests to the contrary.

“What are you thinking, little one?” He questioned softly seeing her expression soften.

Annowe could not suppress a snort. “Of how much I hated you,” she admitted.

Haldir chuckled wickedly and tenderly stroked her hair. Yes, she had hated him passionately. He had never known another creature so like himself and he knew he would not live without her. It had taken him many moons and two brushes with mortality to win her but he had. And he would not give her up! Let Legolas do what he would!

He would not press the matter now. No, he would let her return to Legolas and she would learn what he had known all along – that the young Prince had grown restless and yearned now for adventure and exploring rather than the quiet intimacy of another being.

Slowly, Haldir let his desire reach for her, caressing her like a whisper. She shivered in his arms and he smiled.

“I want you,” he murmured against her trembling lips.

~~~