The Forsaken
folder
-Multi-Age › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
9
Views:
3,625
Reviews:
85
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
-Multi-Age › General
Rating:
Adult ++
Chapters:
9
Views:
3,625
Reviews:
85
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own the Lord of the Rings (and associated) book series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Pizza and Tears
Disclaimer: (In the spirit of Crimson Starlight)
Shar: *whaps Jan on back of head, runs*
Jan: *takes off after Shar*
Erin: Those two ever give it a rest?
Shana: Not since they met face to face. I do think Jan kinda deserved that hit though.
Erin: True. She DID start it with that whole "clone" bit.
Haldir and Legolas: *run past, Hal carrying a bag of popcorn* CATFIGHT!!!!
Glorfindel: *walks in smiling*
Shana: *to Glory* Explain this to me. What is the draw of two women fighting? And how come you're not hot on Hal and Lego's heels?
Glorfindel: *shrugs* First question: dunno. Second question: Why would I deprive myself of the company of you two lovely ladies?
Erin and Shana: *blush profusely*
*screaming and slaps heard in background followed by sounds of cheering*
Shana: Bloody hell. I need to put a stop to this. *storms out*
Glorfindel: Shanastay owns nothing and no one and makes no money at all.
Erin: *grinning* She left us alone.
Glorfindel: Indeed.
Chapter 7: Pizza and Tears
“Shit!” Shar cursed openly, lunging for the phone. “Hal?” she asked apprehensively.
“Erestor’s awake and the pizzas I ordered are here. Would you snag them on the way up? Before you ask, he’s sitting up and talking just fine as well as being his usual calm, collected self.”
Shar let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Good. Not a prob,” Shar looked over at Sam, “You think E can handle the presence of our local ADHD poster child?”
Shar smiled at the sound of Haldir’s muted laughter. “She in a good mood?”
“That’s an affirmative.”
“As long as she doesn’t throw herself at him or do anything destructive, the positive atmosphere might help,” the former Marchwarden assessed.
“Alright. We’ll be right up,” Shar answered. The redhead hung up the phone and turned back to her friends. “Elena, you got any cash handy? Pizza guy’s at the gate,” she turned to the bouncing teenager, “and yes you can come.”
Sam executed a perfect facsimile of the “Haldir Maneuver” as she had dubbed the elf’s signature facial expression. “’ADHD poster child?’” Changing topics completely she asked, “Shar, what happened to your face?”
Shar gingerly touched the darkened mark on her face as Elena rolled her eyes, fielding the question, “Hon you ARE a bit, shall we say, high energy? And don’t worry about the bruise. We’ll explain later. NO, Hal did NOT hit her.”
Sam bounced on the balls of her feet again, grinning widely, “That’s me!” The teen paused for a moment, watching as Elena withdrew several twenties from her purse. Before the brunette could protest Sam snatched the money out of her hands and sailed out the door, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll grab the grub. Meet ya upstairs!” and was gone.
Shar released a long-suffering sigh. “I have no idea how her parents deal,” she pointed at Elena, “You hide the sugar when we get upstairs. We don’t need her any more energetic than she is. Oh, and remind me to lock the liquor cabinet.”
Elena’s eyebrows shot up at the last comment, nodding accession as the two women hurried out of the unit and up to Shar’s pad.
Upon entering the condo the two women found the raven-haired elf sitting in Haldir’s Lay-Z-Boy recliner, a blanket tucked around his legs, the former Marchwarden occupying a corner of the loveseat. Erestor looked calm and rested, nothing like wretched creature that had arrived during the night. He was still painfully thin, but the marks on his skin were less visible as well, but still there. The darkling elf looked up at their entrance, smiling at Shar in recognition before turning curious eyes on Elena.
Shar led the way into the living room. Stepping to the side she introduced Elena to Erestor with a sweeping gesture, adding almost as an afterthought the fact that Elena knew about the elves and could be trusted. Elena acknowledged the introduction with an inclination of her head, eyes lowered appropriately.
Shar moved forward, placing a chaste kiss on the raven elf’s forehead before settling on the loveseat next to her mate. Erestor’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment, enjoying the simplicity of the affectionate act. He looked up at the woman with sorrow in his eyes, his gaze drifting down to settle on the purpled bruise on Shar’s jaw. He wanted to apologize again but knew Haldir’s mate would have none of it.
Elena took a spot opposite them on the couch. Just as the women settled in a loud thump was heard at the front door followed by muted curses. “That would be Sam with the pizza.” This time Elena let out the sigh, waving for the others to stay seated as she answered the door. Before Elena got there another thump was heard, this time the cursing clear as the brunette yanked the door open.
Sam smiled up innocently at the taller brunette as Elena took the soda bottles balanced on top of the pizza boxes, leading the way back into the living room. In the meantime Shar had given Erestor a brief overview of the whirlwind that was Samantha, aka Sam. As expected the petite teen swept into the room, dropping the pizza boxes on the coffee table before standing, legs spread, hands on hips before the darkling elf and asked, “So… who the hell are you?”
Shar groaned in exasperation at Sam’s greeting, barely restraining Haldir from getting up and smacking the cheeky teen. The wide-eyed apprehensive look on Erestor’s face didn’t help matters. Shar was about to swat the girl herself when Sam smiled widely and stuck her hand out at the raven elf, “I’m Sam!”
Erestor smiled slightly, accepting the proffered hand, “I am Erestor.”
Sam pumped the elf’s hand for a moment grinning, “Pleased to meet ya!” She released his hand and bounced over to sit next to Elena who had retrieved paper plates and cups for everyone and was divvying up the pizza. The teen stuck her tongue out at Haldir as she dropped down onto the couch. “So E, you don’t mind if I call you E right?” she didn’t wait for an answer, “Do you prefer Supreme or Pepperoni Feast?”
Erestor blinked at the teen in confusion, not understanding the question.
Sam realized her mistake, covered quickly. “On your pizza. Do you like veggies and meat or just meat and cheese, i.e. Supreme or Pepperoni?”
Erestor smiled at the young woman’s seemingly boundless energy. “Pepperoni please.”
Sam grinned even wider, “An elf after my own heart!” She snagged a plate with pepperoni and a 7-Up, passing both to the wide-eyed elf.
“Thank you.”
“No problemo!” Eminently proud of herself, Sam smiled about the gathering, sticking her tongue out at the Marchwarden again before diving into her own slice of pizza.
Haldir let his head fall back against the loveseat, banging it for several beats. He lifted his head to murmur to Shar, “What IS her problem?”
Shar’s response was to pat his leg and offer him a plate of pizza, murmuring back, “You know she does it just to annoy you. Stop reacting and she’ll stop doing it.”
Elena hid her smile behind her pizza slice at the exchange taking place across from her. Sam knows just how to get to Hal. One of these days she’s gonna push him too far though.
The group partook of the food in silence, Shar keeping a close eye on Erestor making sure he did not eat too fast. The raven elf blushed when he noticed the woman’s gaze, consciously slowing down. Shar IS quite the nurturer. He sighed inaudibly, I came to the right place.
The conversation stayed light as Erestor caught up with Haldir and Shar about what had gone on over the past decade. The former councilor was heartened to hear of the twins and Haldir’s brothers as well as Glorfindel’s binding. The raven elf berated himself for having missed the monumental event. He wondered if his dearest friend would be able to forgive him for such a transgression.
Sam lightened his mood with a completely inappropriate comment about “Glory and Ann always ‘kissy-facing.’”
The notes of the raven elf’s laughter were softly musical, sweeping about the room. Shar closed her eyes at the sweet sounds, leaning back against Haldir, his arm across her shoulders shifting as the Marchwarden drew his finger through her hair, turning his head to place a light kiss on her head.
Sam caught sight of the subtle display of affection and choked on her soda, expelling a quantity from her nose. “PDA ALERT! PDA ALERT!” she cried, pointing at the pair.
Eyes rolling Elena reached out and smacked the girl on the back of her head, the elder brunette shaking her head as Sam cried out loudly, “OW!” rubbing the offended spot.
Shar heard Haldir’s muted groan and came to a swift decision. “Time for all good girls and juvenile delinquents to go home and get to their schoolwork,” she declared, standing up.
Sam opened her mouth to protest until she registered the look on Shar’s face. Closing her mouth with an audible click the teen stood, hung her head and showed herself out, muttering under her breath. Before she closed the front door she suddenly remembered her manners, calling out, “Nice to meet you E!” and slammed the wooden portal.
Shar winced, gritting her teeth as the walls literally shook from the impact before turning to Elena. “Could you go check on the program’s status? See if it came up with anything useful?”
The taller woman inclined her head. Turning to the raven elf she said her good-bye, adding, “You have friends here. If you need anything I’m in 429 downstairs.” Elena fixed Shar with a look that said, You better give me details later… before retreating to her own condo, closing the door with a barely audible click.
Apprehension suddenly filled Erestor’s mind. She’s going to want to know what happened, how I came to be in this state. I don’t want to think about that. I can’t deal with that. Not now. Not yet.
Finally alone, Shar decided it was time to cut straight to the heart of the issue. The petite woman turned and moved over to Erestor, settling herself in front of him so she kneeled before the councilor. She took the slender elf’s now trembling hands in her own and squeezed them reassuringly.
She waited until she felt Haldir settle in behind her before speaking softly and slowly. “Whatever happened to you must have been terrible for you to come to us in such a state.” Tears rose in the raven elf’s eyes and the woman reached up to brush them away before they could fall.
“I know you don’t want to talk about it, but you need to.” Erestor shook his head mutely, biting his lip. Shar smiled softly at him, “You don’t need to tell us any specifics of what happened.” The slender elf relaxed minutely for a moment. He stiffened again at her next words, “Not yet.”
Shar sighed softly. I just need a general idea of what you suffered so I can help you appropriately. The details can wait. How do I convey that without causing you to completely withdraw from us?
Squeezing his hands again, she met his eyes, holding the darkling elf’s gaze. “You know we only wish to help you, right?” Shar waited until he nodded mutely. “For me to help you, I need to know what kinds of abuse you were put through.” She hurried onward before he could protest, “I don’t want specifics. When you’re ready you can talk to either one of us or to whomever you wish about any details. Ok?”
Erestor relaxed visibly with her assurance as she continued, “I’m going to make this as simple as possible and as easy on you as I can. I’m going to ask you several yes or no questions. You can answer or simply shake your head. Alright?” Erestor nodded mutely.
Shar felt Haldir’s hands rest on her waist, silently supporting her as she took a deep breath and plunged forward. “I’ve seen the fading marks on your skin. Were you beaten?”
The councilor’s head dipped slightly.
That’s a yes. “Were weapons like knives used on you?”
The elf froze, his hands tightening on hers involuntarily.
That’s another yes. Poor E. “Last question.” The darkling elf seemed to sink back into the cushions with relief. “This is gonna be the hardest one.” He went rigid again. “Erestor, honey, were you sexually abused?”
The immediate reaction was all the answer the woman needed. The slender elf seemed to curl inward, turning his head away in shame, his face buried against his shoulder as tremors ran through his form.
Oh Valar! He wasn’t just assaulted he was raped. I don’t know how he survived such a thing, but I WILL make sure he recovers. Whoever did this will pay for their misdeeds!
The tall elf suddenly looked tiny as he released the woman’s hands and pulled his knees up to his chest, rocking back and forth. Shar immediately stood, getting out of the way as Haldir swept the shaking elf into his arms and walked backward to the loveseat, sitting down carefully.
The slender elf tried to push them both away as Shar settled next to her mate. Having been through this before, the couple was thinking the same thing, He doesn’t want to be touched, but he needs to be reassured that not all touches are bad.
The two proceeded to wrap the raven elf in a protective cocoon, his back to Haldir’s chest, his face buried in Shar’s shoulder, sobs wracking his body. The pair made soothing noises, stroking Erestor’s hair and back as the elf gave in to his grief, trying to pull him back from whatever dark place he had gone to.
******
A/N: Next up: Where is Erestor going to stay while he heals? The roommate Dani is only gone for a week…
Shar: *whaps Jan on back of head, runs*
Jan: *takes off after Shar*
Erin: Those two ever give it a rest?
Shana: Not since they met face to face. I do think Jan kinda deserved that hit though.
Erin: True. She DID start it with that whole "clone" bit.
Haldir and Legolas: *run past, Hal carrying a bag of popcorn* CATFIGHT!!!!
Glorfindel: *walks in smiling*
Shana: *to Glory* Explain this to me. What is the draw of two women fighting? And how come you're not hot on Hal and Lego's heels?
Glorfindel: *shrugs* First question: dunno. Second question: Why would I deprive myself of the company of you two lovely ladies?
Erin and Shana: *blush profusely*
*screaming and slaps heard in background followed by sounds of cheering*
Shana: Bloody hell. I need to put a stop to this. *storms out*
Glorfindel: Shanastay owns nothing and no one and makes no money at all.
Erin: *grinning* She left us alone.
Glorfindel: Indeed.
Chapter 7: Pizza and Tears
“Shit!” Shar cursed openly, lunging for the phone. “Hal?” she asked apprehensively.
“Erestor’s awake and the pizzas I ordered are here. Would you snag them on the way up? Before you ask, he’s sitting up and talking just fine as well as being his usual calm, collected self.”
Shar let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Good. Not a prob,” Shar looked over at Sam, “You think E can handle the presence of our local ADHD poster child?”
Shar smiled at the sound of Haldir’s muted laughter. “She in a good mood?”
“That’s an affirmative.”
“As long as she doesn’t throw herself at him or do anything destructive, the positive atmosphere might help,” the former Marchwarden assessed.
“Alright. We’ll be right up,” Shar answered. The redhead hung up the phone and turned back to her friends. “Elena, you got any cash handy? Pizza guy’s at the gate,” she turned to the bouncing teenager, “and yes you can come.”
Sam executed a perfect facsimile of the “Haldir Maneuver” as she had dubbed the elf’s signature facial expression. “’ADHD poster child?’” Changing topics completely she asked, “Shar, what happened to your face?”
Shar gingerly touched the darkened mark on her face as Elena rolled her eyes, fielding the question, “Hon you ARE a bit, shall we say, high energy? And don’t worry about the bruise. We’ll explain later. NO, Hal did NOT hit her.”
Sam bounced on the balls of her feet again, grinning widely, “That’s me!” The teen paused for a moment, watching as Elena withdrew several twenties from her purse. Before the brunette could protest Sam snatched the money out of her hands and sailed out the door, calling over her shoulder, “I’ll grab the grub. Meet ya upstairs!” and was gone.
Shar released a long-suffering sigh. “I have no idea how her parents deal,” she pointed at Elena, “You hide the sugar when we get upstairs. We don’t need her any more energetic than she is. Oh, and remind me to lock the liquor cabinet.”
Elena’s eyebrows shot up at the last comment, nodding accession as the two women hurried out of the unit and up to Shar’s pad.
Upon entering the condo the two women found the raven-haired elf sitting in Haldir’s Lay-Z-Boy recliner, a blanket tucked around his legs, the former Marchwarden occupying a corner of the loveseat. Erestor looked calm and rested, nothing like wretched creature that had arrived during the night. He was still painfully thin, but the marks on his skin were less visible as well, but still there. The darkling elf looked up at their entrance, smiling at Shar in recognition before turning curious eyes on Elena.
Shar led the way into the living room. Stepping to the side she introduced Elena to Erestor with a sweeping gesture, adding almost as an afterthought the fact that Elena knew about the elves and could be trusted. Elena acknowledged the introduction with an inclination of her head, eyes lowered appropriately.
Shar moved forward, placing a chaste kiss on the raven elf’s forehead before settling on the loveseat next to her mate. Erestor’s eyes fluttered shut for a moment, enjoying the simplicity of the affectionate act. He looked up at the woman with sorrow in his eyes, his gaze drifting down to settle on the purpled bruise on Shar’s jaw. He wanted to apologize again but knew Haldir’s mate would have none of it.
Elena took a spot opposite them on the couch. Just as the women settled in a loud thump was heard at the front door followed by muted curses. “That would be Sam with the pizza.” This time Elena let out the sigh, waving for the others to stay seated as she answered the door. Before Elena got there another thump was heard, this time the cursing clear as the brunette yanked the door open.
Sam smiled up innocently at the taller brunette as Elena took the soda bottles balanced on top of the pizza boxes, leading the way back into the living room. In the meantime Shar had given Erestor a brief overview of the whirlwind that was Samantha, aka Sam. As expected the petite teen swept into the room, dropping the pizza boxes on the coffee table before standing, legs spread, hands on hips before the darkling elf and asked, “So… who the hell are you?”
Shar groaned in exasperation at Sam’s greeting, barely restraining Haldir from getting up and smacking the cheeky teen. The wide-eyed apprehensive look on Erestor’s face didn’t help matters. Shar was about to swat the girl herself when Sam smiled widely and stuck her hand out at the raven elf, “I’m Sam!”
Erestor smiled slightly, accepting the proffered hand, “I am Erestor.”
Sam pumped the elf’s hand for a moment grinning, “Pleased to meet ya!” She released his hand and bounced over to sit next to Elena who had retrieved paper plates and cups for everyone and was divvying up the pizza. The teen stuck her tongue out at Haldir as she dropped down onto the couch. “So E, you don’t mind if I call you E right?” she didn’t wait for an answer, “Do you prefer Supreme or Pepperoni Feast?”
Erestor blinked at the teen in confusion, not understanding the question.
Sam realized her mistake, covered quickly. “On your pizza. Do you like veggies and meat or just meat and cheese, i.e. Supreme or Pepperoni?”
Erestor smiled at the young woman’s seemingly boundless energy. “Pepperoni please.”
Sam grinned even wider, “An elf after my own heart!” She snagged a plate with pepperoni and a 7-Up, passing both to the wide-eyed elf.
“Thank you.”
“No problemo!” Eminently proud of herself, Sam smiled about the gathering, sticking her tongue out at the Marchwarden again before diving into her own slice of pizza.
Haldir let his head fall back against the loveseat, banging it for several beats. He lifted his head to murmur to Shar, “What IS her problem?”
Shar’s response was to pat his leg and offer him a plate of pizza, murmuring back, “You know she does it just to annoy you. Stop reacting and she’ll stop doing it.”
Elena hid her smile behind her pizza slice at the exchange taking place across from her. Sam knows just how to get to Hal. One of these days she’s gonna push him too far though.
The group partook of the food in silence, Shar keeping a close eye on Erestor making sure he did not eat too fast. The raven elf blushed when he noticed the woman’s gaze, consciously slowing down. Shar IS quite the nurturer. He sighed inaudibly, I came to the right place.
The conversation stayed light as Erestor caught up with Haldir and Shar about what had gone on over the past decade. The former councilor was heartened to hear of the twins and Haldir’s brothers as well as Glorfindel’s binding. The raven elf berated himself for having missed the monumental event. He wondered if his dearest friend would be able to forgive him for such a transgression.
Sam lightened his mood with a completely inappropriate comment about “Glory and Ann always ‘kissy-facing.’”
The notes of the raven elf’s laughter were softly musical, sweeping about the room. Shar closed her eyes at the sweet sounds, leaning back against Haldir, his arm across her shoulders shifting as the Marchwarden drew his finger through her hair, turning his head to place a light kiss on her head.
Sam caught sight of the subtle display of affection and choked on her soda, expelling a quantity from her nose. “PDA ALERT! PDA ALERT!” she cried, pointing at the pair.
Eyes rolling Elena reached out and smacked the girl on the back of her head, the elder brunette shaking her head as Sam cried out loudly, “OW!” rubbing the offended spot.
Shar heard Haldir’s muted groan and came to a swift decision. “Time for all good girls and juvenile delinquents to go home and get to their schoolwork,” she declared, standing up.
Sam opened her mouth to protest until she registered the look on Shar’s face. Closing her mouth with an audible click the teen stood, hung her head and showed herself out, muttering under her breath. Before she closed the front door she suddenly remembered her manners, calling out, “Nice to meet you E!” and slammed the wooden portal.
Shar winced, gritting her teeth as the walls literally shook from the impact before turning to Elena. “Could you go check on the program’s status? See if it came up with anything useful?”
The taller woman inclined her head. Turning to the raven elf she said her good-bye, adding, “You have friends here. If you need anything I’m in 429 downstairs.” Elena fixed Shar with a look that said, You better give me details later… before retreating to her own condo, closing the door with a barely audible click.
Apprehension suddenly filled Erestor’s mind. She’s going to want to know what happened, how I came to be in this state. I don’t want to think about that. I can’t deal with that. Not now. Not yet.
Finally alone, Shar decided it was time to cut straight to the heart of the issue. The petite woman turned and moved over to Erestor, settling herself in front of him so she kneeled before the councilor. She took the slender elf’s now trembling hands in her own and squeezed them reassuringly.
She waited until she felt Haldir settle in behind her before speaking softly and slowly. “Whatever happened to you must have been terrible for you to come to us in such a state.” Tears rose in the raven elf’s eyes and the woman reached up to brush them away before they could fall.
“I know you don’t want to talk about it, but you need to.” Erestor shook his head mutely, biting his lip. Shar smiled softly at him, “You don’t need to tell us any specifics of what happened.” The slender elf relaxed minutely for a moment. He stiffened again at her next words, “Not yet.”
Shar sighed softly. I just need a general idea of what you suffered so I can help you appropriately. The details can wait. How do I convey that without causing you to completely withdraw from us?
Squeezing his hands again, she met his eyes, holding the darkling elf’s gaze. “You know we only wish to help you, right?” Shar waited until he nodded mutely. “For me to help you, I need to know what kinds of abuse you were put through.” She hurried onward before he could protest, “I don’t want specifics. When you’re ready you can talk to either one of us or to whomever you wish about any details. Ok?”
Erestor relaxed visibly with her assurance as she continued, “I’m going to make this as simple as possible and as easy on you as I can. I’m going to ask you several yes or no questions. You can answer or simply shake your head. Alright?” Erestor nodded mutely.
Shar felt Haldir’s hands rest on her waist, silently supporting her as she took a deep breath and plunged forward. “I’ve seen the fading marks on your skin. Were you beaten?”
The councilor’s head dipped slightly.
That’s a yes. “Were weapons like knives used on you?”
The elf froze, his hands tightening on hers involuntarily.
That’s another yes. Poor E. “Last question.” The darkling elf seemed to sink back into the cushions with relief. “This is gonna be the hardest one.” He went rigid again. “Erestor, honey, were you sexually abused?”
The immediate reaction was all the answer the woman needed. The slender elf seemed to curl inward, turning his head away in shame, his face buried against his shoulder as tremors ran through his form.
Oh Valar! He wasn’t just assaulted he was raped. I don’t know how he survived such a thing, but I WILL make sure he recovers. Whoever did this will pay for their misdeeds!
The tall elf suddenly looked tiny as he released the woman’s hands and pulled his knees up to his chest, rocking back and forth. Shar immediately stood, getting out of the way as Haldir swept the shaking elf into his arms and walked backward to the loveseat, sitting down carefully.
The slender elf tried to push them both away as Shar settled next to her mate. Having been through this before, the couple was thinking the same thing, He doesn’t want to be touched, but he needs to be reassured that not all touches are bad.
The two proceeded to wrap the raven elf in a protective cocoon, his back to Haldir’s chest, his face buried in Shar’s shoulder, sobs wracking his body. The pair made soothing noises, stroking Erestor’s hair and back as the elf gave in to his grief, trying to pull him back from whatever dark place he had gone to.
******
A/N: Next up: Where is Erestor going to stay while he heals? The roommate Dani is only gone for a week…