Peek-a-boo

Title: Peek-a-boo.
Author: Fishy (fishyz9@yahoo.com)
Beta: Kei.
Pairing: Erestor/Glorfindel.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Warning: AU, excessive cuteness.
Summary: Erestor spends an afternoon with baby Arwen, and falls head over heels. Prequel to 'Love and its Labours' But can stand alone also.

Peek-a-boo.

Startled, Erestor looked up when suddenly his office was so rudely and abruptly entered. Glorfindel, looking quite flustered and holding a whining baby Arwen, was surely the last thing he had thought to ever see.

“Erestor, my most lovely friend..." he began with what must have been his most charming of all smiles. "Would you do me but one quick favour?”

“Well, I'm actually rather...”

“Thank you,” Glorfindel intercepted. “If you would care for her for but a short while, I would be most grateful.”

“Oh, I don't…Glor…Glorfindel!” he stammered, following Glorfindel out of his office, his brow etched with worry. “Glorfindel! Get back here!”

“Erestor, I will return soon," the warrior called back, slowing his pace and walking artfully backwards with a hand cupped around the corner of his mouth. "Ten, twenty minutes, tops. I am needed urgently in the barracks, and I can’t take her with me, you understand.” He turned again to dash to the barracks, but paused at the corner upon hearing the advisor's voice call almost shrilly to him.

“B-but what are you doing with her in the first place?!”

Glorfindel sighed in frustration, needing to be somewhere else, but also owing Erestor some sort of explanation. “I offered to care for her this afternoon, her parents are enjoying a walk somewhere in the gardens…”

“Well, what of her brothers?”

“I have a feeling that may be linked to the ruckus taking place in the barracks as we speak! Please Erestor, I will be right back.”

“Nay, Glorfindel! This is…it is all quite unnatural to me!”

“You will be fine!” he responded.

“B-but I don’t know how to care for a child, Glorfindel!” he called desperately and even began to follow the warrior down the hall, but with the babe in his grasp he found it impossible to give chase.

He looked worriedly and somewhat apologetically down at the whining child in his arms.

"Oh dear," he murmured, not entirely sure even as to how one held someone so small.

He sighed deeply as he looked down into her upturned, expectant face. It seemed she shared his doubts.

Back in his office, he sat her down on his desk, and settled himself in the chair opposite to her, making sure to gently hold her steady, his hands to her sides.

“Right, now what do I do with you?”

Unable to stop himself, he smiled when he received a gurgle in reply.

“I suppose you are rather... pretty.”

“A-ga!”

“Your are most welcome, little lady.” He laughed quietly as Arwen waved her chubby little hands before him and smiled a wide, gap-toothed smile.

“I believe I am beginning to see how it is that you manage to ensnare all those grown elves into gibbering, baby-talking fools. You are quite the charmer, if I do say so myself.”

The baby shuffled closer on her behind, speaking her own language as she reached out for Erestor.

“Oh…ahm, are you hungry, I wonder? Ah…” He shot quick, uncertain glances around the room, and panic began to sneak up on him once more as she again started to whine and shimmied closer to stand up on wobbly, unsure legs.

“Careful now.” Having never let go of her sides, he helped her to stand and smiled as she tried, with the his support, to walk towards him. When she came to the end of the desk, she persisted and held her arms out further.

“Oh dear, what could be the matter now?” he muttered to himself.

Hesitantly, he lifted her before him and, catching on, pulled her against his chest. Immediately the babe snuggled close, chatting absolute nonsense into his ear as she began to tug on one of his formal braids. Erestor hissed and pried away her tiny but unnervingly strong fingers, and tolerated the abuse with mild amusement.

“Now is that any way for a lady to behave?”

After a few more experimental tugs to the dark hair, she settled down and contented herself with the collar of Erestor’s robe. He smiled and took a moment to breathe in the scent of the babe, which was indeed lovely.

He laughed ever so gently in surprise as she quietened down and, to the best of her ability, reached her arms around his neck.

“Oh….oh dear." he whispered, holding her close with uncertain hands, which at that moment seemed so large and clumsy. "I do believe I adore you.”

His hands, with the gentlest of all intentions, stroked her dark, fine hair. He smiled as he felt her head rest in the crook of his neck - her every movement felt as a feathery touch against the underside of his chin. It was...nice, to have one simply be dependant on him, as brief and unplanned as it may have been.

They spent the next few minutes that way, though the quiet, peaceful moment did not last long for, as any babe will, she grew curious and began to fidget. Whilst holding Arwen securely to his side, Erestor quickly cleared his desk of any sharp or possibly dangerous objects. Placing the amused infant upon the desk before him, he took one of his quills, said a silent goodbye and, after snapping off the sharp point, presented it to her.

Arwen looked with wide eyes at her new gift, but seemed quite confused as to what to do with it. Biting his lip, Erestor brushed the elaborately feathered quill gently against her cheek, and smiled brilliantly as she squealed loudly in delight.

His laughter turned to amused dismay a moment later as the infant decided to then chew the quill.

“Oh, I’m not sure you should do that, little lady.”

However, when he tried to pull away her new toy, she gave him the most sorrowful of all looks and, when that did not work, she threatened the advisor with a warm-up whimper. Erestor let go of the quill, and instantly she quietened once more. Oh, he was on to her. With a sigh he pulled at the large feathers to check that it was a good, sturdy quill. When he was sure that none of the small, bristly feathers would come loose, he gave Arwen free range with it, though remained alert so as to keep a careful eye on her.

Having distracted the youngling for the moment, and whilst keeping one hand upon her waist to hold her steady, he returned to the rather important document he had been reading before becoming so burdened with such precious cargo.

All went well for approximately five whole minutes, but soon the babe grew bored with her distraction and craved the attention of her minder. She again rambled in her incoherent baby talk, until finally Erestor looked up from his scroll and brushed the side of her soft, round cheek with his finger before directing his gaze back down to the desk. She was not impressed.

“A-ya….bbrrrmmm- ga!”

When Erestor did not look up a second time, she dropped her quill and leaned upon her hands to crawl to him. Unfortunately, her uncoordinated movements knocked over a small pot of ink, spilling it across the very parchment Erestor was reading.

“Oh damn!” Erestor exclaimed without thought, and quickly lifted the sodden parchment.

His curse, however, had been loud and startled young Arwen. She grew quiet and still, and to Erestor’s horror, began to whimper, and then cry

“Oh no, oh no, no, no, oh sweetheart, please, do not cry…” He pleaded, not even noting the endearment that slipped from his lips.

Desperately he picked up the discarded quill, twirling it before her in offering, and looked on in horror as she pulled it from his grasp and almost violently threw it aside.

“Oh dear.” Hesitantly he brushed her damp little cheeks with his finger tips, and felt an ogre as she seemed to cry with less gusto but looked quite sad.

Quickly he wiped at the excess ink with his sleeve, glad that the pot had not been full.

He tried to make reassuring noises, but eventually instincts took over and he tenderly pulled the infant into his arms and rocked her gently.

“Shh, it’s alright, little princess, I am sorry, please forgive an old fool.”

It took a while for her to settle, and when she did Erestor once again reached for that quill and playfully ran its feather along her bare arm in a ticklish manner. Relief filled him as she giggled quietly at first, and then louder as he continued his gentle assault. When she seemed once again reasonably content he set her upon his desk, and noted with dismay that there was ink upon her tiny hands.

Continuing to support her with one hand, he strained as he reached with his other to the nearby window sill, where a jug of cool water sat beside a glass. He then, with ease, pulled open one of his desk’s drawers, and took out a clean cloth. Wetting it, he took Arwen’s little hands in his own and, one at a time, gently wiped away the ink before it could make too much of a permanent mark. He smiled as she watched his actions with interest.

“Valar, your mother may very well kill me when it comes to your bath time, Arwen.”

As he gently wiped at one of her ink stained hands, he was not prepared for when her other dripping hand came - in quite a matter-of-fact manner - into contact with the side of his face with a splat.

He paused in his ministrations, and sighed. “I suppose I deserve that,” and took the other mischievous hand, cleaning it also.

“Ba-ya, ammnya! Ga!”

“I am not sure what it is you are saying, little miss, but I am quite sure it is not complimentary to myself.”

She ‘bounced’ on her behind as she waved her hands, and seemed once again quite content to be in his presence. Erestor took a moment to simply smile in genuine affection.

“You really are quite the heartbreaker.”

He furrowed his brow however, and then snorted in amusement, as the infant took hold of the hem of her tiny dress and pulled it up in front of her face, giggling, only to quickly pull it down a moment later.

“A-boo!” she managed and squealed happily, clapping her hands but missing each time before pulling her dress back up to hide behind.

Erestor laughed heartily as she repeated the process.

“I think I could go for a game of peek-a-boo.”

And that was the scene to which Glorfindel returned. He stood quietly for a moment, one hand covering his wide grin, as he watched Erestor play peek-a-boo with baby Arwen.

Erestor knelt on the floor, and Arwen sat upon the desk looking down with an excited smile. He hid behind one of his long sleeves, popping his head up with a brief little “a-peek-a-boo!”, making Arwen squeal loudly and giggle sweetly.

“Who was talking about Arwen?”

Flushing, Erestor quickly looked away. Turning his attention back to the babe sitting on his desk, he gently straightened the hem of her dress.

“Un-ga? Ga!” the little girl cried as she flailed her arms out, realising who it was that had returned.

“Hello sweetheart, come here, give your uncle ‘Ga’ a hug,” Glorfindel chuckled as he picked Arwen up from the desk and into his arms. He lifted her above his head and back down again, making her squeal happily. “Did you miss me, little bee?”

Erestor stood to the side, feeling out of place and, oddly enough, a little jealous. He smiled, however, when Glorfindel turned to him once more.

“I knew you’d fall madly in love, none can resist her charms.”

“Your words are all too true, I’m afraid,” Erestor smiled and shifted a little nervously, aware of his disheveled state.

“Well ah, thank you for looking after trouble here. I think she has developed a soft spot for you.”

“The feeling is mutual,” Erestor said softly, as he reached to gently touch one of Arwen’s hands.

“You know, you are welcome to come join us for the afternoon. I think she’d enjoy your company a little longer. So would I.”

Erestor allowed himself to direct a smile to Glorfindel alone, and seemed to actually ponder the offer a moment. “No I, I have a document to re-write,” he said as he unconsciously brushed his ink-stained cheek with the back of his hand.

“Ah, I see,” Glorfindel chuckled. “Well, if you change your mind we will be in my rooms. Won’t we, little one?” he asked the infant, momentarily bouncing her in his arms. “Would you like to say a quick good bye?”

“Oh, why not,” Erestor said, where in fact he wished for nothing more than to pull her back into his arms and run away with her.

He took her hand, bringing it to his lips and drawing her attention away from Glorfindel’s hair. “Good bye for now, little lady,”

“Little lady? Adorable.” Glorfindel said, smiling a small, private smile.

“I thoroughly enjoyed your company, Arwen. It was a pleasure.”

He briefly glanced to Glorfindel then and, ignoring the small bout of self-consciousness he felt at that moment, he pressed a brief kiss to her head, and then a little peck to her cheek. It was then that Glorfindel licked his lips and, taking advantage of their close proximity, whispered into his ear,

“You know, you are more than welcome to play peek-a-boo with me anytime, Erestor, if Arwen should ever be busy.”

Erestor pulled back suddenly, and was unable to hide his fierce blush or embarrassed smile from Glorfindel straight away. Especially when the warrior winked roguishly.

“Come on, you,” Glorfindel said to Arwen, though kept his eyes on Erestor. “We had better let Erestor get back to his work.” He looked down at the babe then. “And I will tell you of all the mischief you silly brothers got up to today.”

He looked to Erestor. “Well, thank you again, Erestor,” he said with what seemed like a lingering and perhaps suggestive smile, if such a thing could exist.

Erestor smiled and nervously flattened down one of his mussed braids behind his ear, feeling at that moment all too aware of his unkempt state. Glorfindel turned to leave then but, just as he stood within the doorway, he turned and held Arwen’s hand up in a wave, making Erestor chuckle softly. The warrior graced him with one more thoughtful, lingering look, and murmured two words.

“Unnatural indeed.”

When he was left alone in his office, Erestor seated himself behind his desk and was shocked to notice, for the first time, the great mess before him. With a soft smile, he held the quill that Arwen had loved so, and twirled it between his finger and thumb.
With a far away look, he sat thinking back over the lovely afternoon he had spent with Arwen, and then the few, brief, but to him intense, moments with Glorfindel.

He smiled wistfully as impossible thoughts and new dreams entered his mind. Eventually, with a small sigh he murmured his thoughts aloud, "I would love one, one of my very own."

The End