EXPLANATIONS:

DISCLAIMER: Let me write this and get it over with: If you recognize anything here from LOTR books by Tolkien or New Line Cinema, then I don't own it. The plot and original characters belong to me. Everything else is creditted to the wonderful Tolkien and the creativity of New Line Cinema.

THIS IS A COMPANION FIC TO CARPE DIEM! I have not given up on Carpe Diem so don't worry. But I have currently been working on a few tough chapters of that story and I need some time to think and organize my thoughts. Don't worry.

WARNING: This fic is extremely AU (alternate universe). It takes place during 2050 A.D. That is 47 years from now (2003). Technology has advanced so I have probably made some changes here and there. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T LIKE MODERN DAY LOTR FICS!!! Because you won't like this.

NOTES: This wasn't really inspired by anyone but it just suddenly came into my head one day. I haven't read any other modern day LOTR fics though there are probably several out there. If anyone knows any good ones, please tell me.

This story takes place 20 000 years or more after Tolkien's epic adventures of middle-earth. Now whom could possibly live that long? Elves of course! This will concentrate on several of the already existing elves of middle-earth (aka. Elrond, Galadriel, Celeborn, Elladan, Elrohir, Legolas, etc.). I'm not sure if Gandalf will make an appearance--- I simply have not decided. Believe it or not, there WILL be references to Arwen Evenstar and Aragorn II. They will not come alive again because I don't believe in a story where everything is happy-go-lucky and everything is perfect.

You MIGHT want to read Carpe Diem before you read this story but it's okay because I'm pretty sure you will understand without reading it.

But let me give you a basic summary of Carpe Diem (though the story is not complete yet) because I may make reference to that fic here: Many years after the departure of Celebrian but many years before the arrival of Aragorn II (Estel), the race of elves faced a relentless enemy with a powerful weapon: The ability to claim absolute control over one's mind. The elves (especially the family of Elrond) fought the evil and it was eventually defeated.

There are a few times in this story when I will refer to old characters from Carpe Diem: Elanor (she promised herself to Elrohir in Carpe Diem but they did not marry), Aikasse (an elf from my other fic who lost his elven instincts and power after being attacked, but he is still immortal), and Alcarin (the sister of Aikasse who is fond of Elladan).

REFERENCES:

Here's what you should know:

Characters (Given names from J.R.R. Tolkien)--->Alias(es)

Elrond Peredhil--->Dr. Ethan Parker

Celebrían--->Samantha Parker

Elladan--->Eric Parker/Agent 113/Agent E. Parker/Agent E. Frost

Elrohir--->AJ Parker/Agent 114/Agent A. Parker/Agent A. Frost

Legolas--->Luke Garcia/Agent 111/Agent L. Garcia/Agent L. Diaz

Galadriel--->Dr. Jacqueline Marshall

Celeborn--->Dr. Derek Marshall

Glorfindel--->Dr. Greg Edwards

Maglor

Elanor (O/C)--->Eleanor Perez/Agent 112/Agent E. Perez/Agent E. Chance

Aikasse (O/C)--->Jason Rodriguez

Alcarin (O/C)--->Alcarin Rodriguez

Erin Evans (O/C)--->is NOT Arwen Evenstar (you will understand later)

Aidan Ellis (O/C)--->is NOT Aragorn II (you will understand later)

Characters--->Occupation/Title(s)

Dr. Ethan Parker--->Doctor, Businessman/Entrepreneur, Richest Man in Chicago

Samantha Parker--->Lawyer, CEO/President of 'Chicago Justice' law firm, wife of Dr. Ethan Parker

Eric Parker (1)/Agent E. Parker (2) /Agent E. Frost (3)--->1: UCLA student, UCLA basketball team/2: Works for CIA, in connection with FBI/3: Known as this to the public, works for CIA, other information disclosed

AJ Parker (1)/Agent A. Parker (2)/Agent A. Frost (3)--->1: Harvard Graduate, PhD, but occasionally assists in teaching as a professor/2: Works for CIA, in connection with FBI/3: Known as this to the public, works for CIA, other information disclosed

Luke Garcia (1)/Agent L. Garcia (2)/Agent L. Diaz (3)--->1: Reporter/2: Works for CIA, in connection with FBI/3: Known as this to the public, works for CIA, other information disclosed

Agents 111/112/113/114--->Aliases for CIA agents

Dr. Jacqueline Marshall--->Famous French Psychiatrist

Dr. Derek Marshall--->Famous French Cancer Specialist in treatment (chemotherapy, cures, etc.)

Dr. Greg Edwards--->does research with Dr. Parker in 'Aiglin Institute' and Vice-President of 'Parker Corp.'

Maglor

Eleanor Perez (1)/Agent E. Perez (2)/Agent E. Chance (3)--->1: Yale Graduate, works for Dr. Ethan Parker, engaged to AJ Parker/2: Works for CIA, in connection with FBI/3: Known as this to the public, works for CIA, other information disclosed

Jason Rodriguez--->Defense Attorney

Alcarin Rodriguez--->Fashion Designer

Erin Evans--->CIA agent, co-worker of Agent E. Parker

Aidan Ellis--->Lawyer, works for Samantha Parker

Locations:

Langley, Virginia--->CIA headquarters

Washington D.C.--->FBI headquarters

Chicago, Illinois--->base of Dr. Ethan Parker's company, 'Parker Corporation' and the research clinic, 'Aiglin Institute', location of Samantha Parker's 'Chicago Justice' law firm

Los Angeles, California--->UCLA's location, part time home of Eric Parker

Boston, Massachusetts--->Harvard's location, part time teaching place of AJ Parker

Toronto, Canada--->a branch of 'Parker Corporation', part time home of Eleanor Perez

New York City, NY--->home of Jason and Alcarin Rodriguez, part time home of AJ Parker

Paris, France--->home of Doctors Jacqueline and Derek Marshall

MOST OF ALL, PLEASE NOTE… Remember this: IN THIS STORY, PRETEND THAT TOLKIEN NEVER WROTE THE LOTR BOOKS AND THAT TOLKIEN WROTE MANY FANTASY NOVELS, BUT NEVER ABOUT MIDDLE-EARTH. THE LOTR SERIES AND THE STORIES ABOUT MIDDLE EARTH NEVER EXISTED!!!

Remember that this story takes place modern day and a little into the future. That means the language may not be like the middle-earth language. (For example, they might say 'Oh God!' instead of 'Oh Valar!' There may be modern day cussing: f-ck, shit, crap, damn, etc.)

Thank you,

ChasingLiberty

Unfaithful

Chapter 1: Elladan is Eric Parker

A tall young man in a basketball jersey scored a basket from downtown. He pumped a fist. At first impression, he would entrance you. He was tall--- over six feet, he had well defined muscles though not overly bulky. The young man had dark raven hair just a little longer than usual that was cropped stylishly and held up by an Adidas headband. His gray eyes showed a gleam of passion and love for the game.

"I don't understand why you brought be here," complained Erin. "Why the hell would I want to watch a college basketball game?!"

The middle-aged man sitting beside her sighed. The man’s dark hair was graying and he had a moustache and a goatee.

"The game is not the point," he said sharply. "I want you to relax, take your mind off things."

Erin turned and glared at the man.

"Relax?" she said dangerously. "You want me to relax? Guess what? I have completely lost faith in the CIA! When my father was alive and healthy, you guys give me all this… 'Classified' shit! That funeral was my father's funeral, his death! He was in reckless danger and I was kept in the dark this whole time! Relax my ass!"

"I'm sorry," the man said, exasperated. "But his job was a secret and no one knew except a select few! It was not my decision."

The girl sighed again.

"I know, I know," she bit her lip. "It's just that, Mr. Hopkins… Look, my mother walked out on my family when I was four years old. I've gone through three stepmothers--- and none of them lasted. My father has been working for the United States Secret Service and CIA since before my birth. He has never been able to tell me much about his work because it's what they call 'Top Secret'. Now… I'm 21 and he dies on the job--- a job that I didn't know he was on."

Hopkins reached over and squeezed Erin's hand. "My dear, I am sorry," he said sincerely.

"Ms. Evans," he continued, "I was going to ask you something on behalf of the Director of the CIA. I doubt you will agree to this…"

"What is it?" asked Erin.

"We have a proposal," Hopkins said uncomfortably. "It is your choice of course… Director Bill Reinhardt has asked you to join the CIA."

"Pardon? Join the CIA?"

He sighed, "I didn't think you would agree. It's just that Reinhardt had a very high opinion of your father. Apparently your father had a high opinion of your skills. Reinhardt was very impressed and there have been talks about you joining since you were 17. If you choose not to join, I will tell Rein---"

"No," she cut him off. She looked down at the ground. "I want to join."

"You- you do?" Hopkins asked disbelievingly.

"This was my father's line of work," said Erin. "He had a high opinion of my skills? Then I will not disappoint him, Mr. Hopkins. Tell Reinhardt it's a deal."

"Thank you, thank you, Ms. Evans," Hopkins nodded eagerly. "Reinhardt will be most pleased--- and your father will be very proud of you."

Erin gave small smile. "I hope so."

They shook hands. "Welcome aboard, Agent Evans."

"Agent Evans… I like the sound of that," she commented, smiling.

They both fell silent as they turned their attention back to the basketball game. They saw the raven-haired young man dunk the ball. The stadium exploded in cheers. Erin stood up and clapped. She grinned.

"He's pretty good! I think I like basketball after all."

"Well I hope you will like him too," said Hopkins.

"What do you mean?" Erin asked curiously.

"Do you know who he is?"

"His jersey says he's 'Parker'."

"Ever heard of Dr. Ethan Parker?" asked Hopkins.

"Of course," Erin said, rolling her eyes. "Dr. Ethan Parker: Famous doctor, brilliant businessman, richest man in Chicago, one of the richest in the United States… Everyone knows Dr. Parker… Are you telling me…"

"Yes, this is his son, Eric Parker. Eric is a UCLA student--- He's brilliant like his father and as you can see, very athletic too."

"I think he's cute," said Erin, studying Eric. "Not my style, but definitely a hottie!"

"Just don't go broadcasting that around at work because it might be a little inappropriate to call a CIA agent a 'hottie'," Hopkins said wryly.

Erin gasped. "Oh my! You're kidding me!"

"Not at all."

"He's a student!"

"Yeah, well…" Hopkins tried to explain. "I don't know Erin. Agents are disguised as normal people; it works to their advantage. No one would suspect a college basketball player busting foreign mafias and things like that…"

"Good point," she paused. "Will I get to work with him?"

Hopkins shrugged. "Maybe," he said.

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Stopping for a second as he approached his dormitory, Elladan turned on his cell phone and punched in a few numbers. After a few attempts, he paced around, frustrated.

"Damn you piece of shit with no signal!"

Someone approached him.

"Problem, Eric?"

"It's nothing, Hart," Elladan said quickly. "Just that my cell phone driving me nuts!"

"No problem, use mine," replied Hart, thrusting his sleek silver cell phone to Elladan.

He smiled. "Thanks."

"Hello?" he heard someone answer after two rings.

"Alcarin!" Elladan said happily.

"Hi, Elladan," she replied, just as eagerly. "Congratulations, I heard! You guys won… I heard you played awesome."

"Thanks. I'm pretty elated myself right now!"

"I bet you are…"

"So… how was your day?" asked Elladan.

"New York is New York," Alcarin replied casually. "Some of my customers are off their rockers. They come to me for advice but some of them don't listen to a thing I say!"

"Is it dinner time for you right now?"

"Should be," she sighed. "But I have to take care of some unfinished business first. It’s been a long day… especially without seeing you!"

"I miss you too, baby."

Then, Elladan remembered. "I going to New York over the week-end."

"Really? Awesome!" Alcarin laughed. "Listen, El, I've got to go right now. I'll call you later, okay?"

"Oh yeah, no problem."

"All right. Don't let any girls get too close to you or I'll throttle them!"

He laughed. "No problem. I love you."

"Love you too. Bye."

"Bye."

Elladan handed the phone back to Hart. "Thanks buddy, I really appreciate it."

Hart nodded. "That was your girlfriend?"

"Yeah." He said, not caring to elaborate.

Elladan said goodbye before heading for his dorm. It was more of a fancy suite than a university dorm. On the mahogany door was an expensive looking computerized device. Elladan bent down so his eye was level to the lens of the device. A quick flash of laser light scanned the iris of his eye.

"Access approved," said the computer’s voice. "Welcome Eric."

The door automatically slid to one side, permitting a space for Elladan to enter the room. He walked in. The door closed behind him.

"Lock the door and dim the lights.”

There was a 'zap!' sound at the door and the bright lighting dimmed. "Procedure completed," said the computer.

Elladan plopped down on the couch, exhausted. He felt happy about his victory but did not want to join the party to celebrate. He looked around the room. It was painted a soothing blue. There was a home theatre system, a top-line computer, a large mahogany table along with other mahogany furniture, two comfy couches, TV, stereos--- the whole gist. And this was only one room. There was a large and spacious kitchen connected to this room. Elladan's top-class bedroom connected to a lavishing bathroom was also part of the package. He even had his own exercise and weight room. Compared to the other UCLA students, this was beyond luxury.

Known to other students and friends as 'Eric Parker', he lived in the most fancy residence building, the 'Franklin D. Roosevelt Building'. In this building, lived the high-society and the wealthy people. Most of them, Elladan found, were nice people but a few were snobby and haughty.

"Turn the TV on to the channel 33 news," he said to the computer.

The large screened TV turned on. "And next on CNN news, Chicago billionaire Ethan Parker has opened another branch of his company, 'Parker Corporation'. His company has met with great success and is still expanding. This new branch will be opening in Dallas, Texas. Meanwhile, Dr. Ethan Parker has a few comments about his research that has been taking place at 'Aiglin Institute'…"

Elladan saw his father's face appear on the television. Elrond's face was fair and pleasant. His voice was calm and controlled.

"I want to reassure everyone that our gene therapy experiments have met with great success so far," commented Elrond. "My partners and I are confident that in short time, we may be able to cure cancers using this new therapy."

The camera flipped back to the newscaster. "This is wonderful news for our world of advancing science and technology. Dr. Ethan Parker, who is already a Nobel Prize winner, is still making great leaps in our goal of conquering cancer. And next in the news, we have…"

Elladan zoomed out as the TV went on about other news. He was thinking about his father. Elrond, known as Dr. Ethan Parker to the world, was a very successful man in many ways. Several years ago, Elrond had received a Nobel Prize for being able to detect mutated genes in a fertilized egg and then manipulating and correcting the bad gene--- therefore avoiding birth defects and conditions such as Down's syndrome. Elrond's elven healing abilities came into great use, though the public knew nothing about that. All they knew was that he was a very gifted doctor and scientist.

Many millenniums of changing names, having aliases, lying to the world, life hasn't been easy for the elves. There were plenty of them, scattered around the earth, occasionally contacting each other. The elves had to be careful to not settle in one place too long or letting others onto their immortality secret. More than once, deaths had to be faked. Elladan and his brother, Elrohir often joked about their 'graves'.

"Turn the TV off."

After several minutes of silence, a 'ping!' was heard. "Phone call from Dr. Ethan Parker of Chicago," announced the computer. "Do you wish to answer?"

"Yes."

A screen flashed up against the wall. Elrond's face appeared. His father was sitting on a couch, making the phone call from his home in Chicago.

"Elladan."

"Oh, hi Father," he greeted.

"You’re speaking English these days?” Elrond's voice commented dryly.

"Well, people will find it strange if they hear gibberish all the time or if I call you 'Ada' or something," Elladan said indifferently. "So is there a reason you called me?"

"Am I not allowed to talk freely with my son?" Elrond raised an eyebrow.

Elladan felt slightly guilty. "I didn't mean it that way… It's just that you're usually very busy."

"Understood," Elrond commented lightly.

"You were on TV again."

"I was giving a public statement," replied Elrond. "But enough about my business… Congratulations on your basketball game."

"Thanks. UCLA has been playing great this season."

"I've heard," said Elrond. He paused. "I have to go soon but I just wanted to tell you that we're having Christmas this year in Chicago. I've called Elrohir, Elanor, several friends, and your grandparents. They're all coming. I hope you can spare some time during your vacation and come home, Elladan."

His father's voice was genuine and sincere.

"Of course, Father," he said and smiled. "I'd like to come home for Christmas."

"That's wonderful!" Elrond checked his watch. "I have to speak to a few media members. Bye, Elladan, I'll see you soon."

"Yeah," Elladan said softly. "See you soon, Ada."

The screen disappeared. After awhile, Elladan was getting up, reading to go out for lunch when the computerized voice interrupted.

"Phone call from Unknown. Do you wish to answer?"

Elladan smiled wryly. He knew it was someone from the CIA. With all their secrecy and classified business, they did not take any chances with revealing their identities. Somehow, they always screened the calls so that there would be no name or place recognition, and no visual--- only sound.

"Yes."

"Hello Parker," greeted a rich voice that Elladan recognized at once. It was his boss, Director Bill Reinhardt.

"Hello Bill," answered Elladan. It was forbidden to call his boss by full name whenever there was a possibility of somebody listening or recording. 'Bill' was the name the present Director had asked everyone to call him by.

"When you’re in New York over the week-end, I want you to meet a new co-worker there. I hope it will not be a terrible inconvenience for you nine o’clock on Saturday."

Elladan scowled. "You always know," he stated, annoyed. He had only planned the weekend New York trip a week ago but Reinhardt always knew one way or another.

"I always know," echoed Reinhardt. "A few things you should know… Her name is Agent Evans. I will get the address of your meeting place to you via e-mail.”

There was a pause. Then Reinhardt spoke, "Have a nice day, Parker."

Elladan felt slightly annoyed. His boss was okay and nice at times but his all-knowing attitude and mysteriousness could be rather annoying at times. Almost like his grandmother, Galadriel… But with Galadriel, it didn't seem as annoying.

There was no choice for Elladan but to obey Reinhardt. Reinhardt and a few select members of the CIA knew their secret. They knew about them being elves and their immortality. They told them they understood the importance of it remaining a secret to prevent uproar in the world. But they had made a deal: Reinhardt and the CIA would keep their secret if a few elves agreed to join the service and work for them. Elladan had no choice but to agree.

The CIA didn't know everything. Elladan told Reinhardt that there were only a few elves left in the world--- not many at all. They didn't know the full extent of elven abilities. They didn't know about their whole history dating back to middle-earth… However, they knew an important thing: their immortality. Since the elves did not fancy the idea of having scientists study them as lab rats, they agreed to the deal so the secret would be kept. The elven members of the CIA were Elladan, Elrohir, Elanor, and Legolas.

It wasn't all that bad. Being in the CIA had its advantages. The pay was good, some of the work was cool, and here’s the bonus: The CIA helped to cover them up if there were ever any slips. After getting to know him, Reinhardt wasn't that bad of a person. He can be shrewd and frustrating at times, but understanding and willing to listen too.

Straying away from his thoughts, Elladan turned on the radio to a song by LL Cool J. Relaxing, he rapped the song under his breath.

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Ada--->Dad

Author’s Note: LOL, I know in 2050, LL Cool J would not be performing. But hey, humour and just pretend that he’s a star in this time. I hope this story isn’t too cheesy for your liking. Just remember that 47 years from now, a lot of things have changed… like the population, the technology, the science, the fashion, etc.

Thanks to Kelly, my beta-reader.

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.

Unfaithful

Chapter 2: Elrohir is AJ Parker

Elrohir's nose twitched in discomfort. The pollution of the city was not very soothing for his elven instincts. His appearance has changed very little since the time of middle-earth. Elrohir's gray eyes showed more wisdom and experience but his appearance was still youthful. His once long, silky raven hair was now short and it framed his head with a crown of messy elegance and his body was still as strong and gorgeous as ever.

So what was he doing? He was in the middle of New York City, spying. Actually, he was working and this was his job. Elrohir was on a mission demanded by Reinhardt, the director of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency). So now, Elrohir is tailing a dangerous assassin named Rock when he would rather be having dinner with his friends, Aikasse and Alcarin (or otherwise known as Jason and Alcarin Rodriguez).

His nature and personality being as they are, Elrohir has absolutely refused Reinhardt to kill anyone. Therefore, his main job was to be a useful spy and intelligence gatherer (hence the purpose of the CIA) and his partner/co-worker would be the assassin if they ever needed to kill. Elrohir has worked with many agents, almost never staying with the same one. This time, his partner was a female, Agent Jennings, aka. Agent 231, aka. Agent Jackson. Sometimes, all the aliases and codes could be annoying. Jennings was the girl's real name, 231 is her code number, and Jackson is her public disguise name. Elrohir wanted to roll his eyes.

"Target spotted," he muttered into a concealed mike that was connected to an earpiece.

"Copy that," came Jennings' voice.

With a Team USA Olympic cap covering his face, Elrohir blended into the crowd as he followed Rock, walking several meters behind his target. He tailed Rock as the assassin turned a corner.

"He's definitely armed," Elrohir spoke into his mike. "I can tell he has a B 423 hand gun and that chain he's wearing on his neck? That's not normal chain--- There's a button on it to turn on the laser, which would be dangerous because it can cut through almost anything. I’d say it basically acts as a knife… Do you copy?”

"I copy… I’m ten feet in front of target, wearing the blue bandanna."

"Copy that."

They tailed the bulky man, Rock, as the assassin headed for the location of the Mayor of New York. The time to act was now.

"Cover me, Jennings."

Elrohir sprinted towards Rock and tackled the large man. Several passersby screamed. Elrohir tore the dangerous chain from Rock's neck and twisted the assassin's hand before he could reach for his B 423 gun. With a well-timed elbow into Rock's neck, Elrohir pulled out a pair of handcuffs and the assassin was cuffed before you could say, "busted". He and Jennings patted their unconscious victim to check for any other weapons other than the gun and laser chain. There were none. However, Jennings did find several documents and ID on Rock that could be useful to the director, Reinhardt.

"Don't panic people!" shouted Elrohir to the agitated crowd. He flashed his ID card. "We’re the CIA making an arrest! Everything is under control so please go back to your business!"

After the two agents had the assassin secured, delivered to the proper officials, and sent the documents Jennings discovered to the correct people, they had to do what was necessary at the end of every successful mission--- report in.

Elrohir pressed a button on his earpiece. "This is 114 and 231 reporting. Target captured, documents delivered, missions accomplished. This is 114 and 231 signing off."

He smiled and turned to his partner, Anastasia Jennings. Elrohir held out a hand.

"Well done, partner," he said, shaking her hand.

"Pleasure working with you," she replied.

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"Hello?" answered a casual voice.

"Hi, I'm calling from my cell phone," said Elrohir.

"Oh, hey! How did it go?" asked Elanor.

"Smooth as usual."

"You are such a show-off!"

"It's true!" protested Elrohir. "My missions are always done perfectly."

Elanor snorted.

"How's the Great White North?" he asked.

"Toronto's beautiful, though a little too cold for my liking," she replied. "I love this city though. My day was boring; I've just been doing some work for your father. Speaking of Lord Elrond, did he call you about the Chicago Christmas gathering?"

"He called me days ago," Elrohir said, smiling. "Home sweet home."

"I really like the mansion your father owns," continued Elanor. "It has that homely and elegant resemblance to the old home in Imladris…" She trailed off.

"Yeah, I guess," Elrohir, said sadly. "Too bad Imladris is long gone. But going back to my father's house in Chicago always feels like going home."

"Speaking of going home, is Elladan coming?"

"I hope so," Elrohir frowned. "He has missed a lot of family reunions these past years. However, I'm sure Father can convince him to come if he really wants Elladan home."

"You guys still as close?" asked Elanor.

"Yep! Our long distance phone bills are unbelievable. I think I still annoy him when I call early in the morning… he's on the west coast, a different time zone you know. Elladan still is teasing us! You know him, 'Why are you guys still unmarried?' and 'This has got to be the longest engagement in the universe!' Blah, blah, blah."

Elanor laughed. "Have you ever tried to explain to him why?"

"Yes, for the last 20 000 years or so!" Elrohir said exasperatedly. "I told him that once people get married, the fun stops. Then he asked me what I meant by 'fun' and well… I told him he was hopeless!"

Elanor burst out laughing once again. "Oh my! That's so hilarious!"

"I don't think he understands the procedure our parents went through to create the two of us! I tried to be subtle and told him that it all started when two people went upstairs alone behind closed doors and closed windows. Needless to say, he was horrendously confused. Then I told him that you need a girl and a guy to do something like this…"

"Stop, Elrohir! I am going to hurt myself, laughing!"

They exchanged some more carefree conversation before saying goodbye and hanging up. As always, after talking to Elanor, Elrohir felt much better and more refreshed. Elanor was a female elf he met in Imladris when he was just over 100. Slowly, they became friends… and then a more intimate relationship. Strangely to their family and friends, the two lovebirds never got married. They have been ‘engaged’ for almost 20 000 years but never officially wed. They tried to tell others that they would get married once they finish having 'fun'. Needless to say, they all understood what 'fun' meant.

Elrohir entered a bar, deciding to get a drink. Before he could open his beer or take a sip, he walked headlong into somebody.

"Watch where you're going," commented a low voice.

"Excuse me," Elrohir said shortly. "I was a little preoccupied, I did not see you."

"That's okay," the stranger said abruptly.

The strange man ordered a drink and then sat down on the stool beside Elrohir, making the elf feel slightly uncomfortable and even suspicious. He studied the man closely. The stranger had a messy mat of wavy black hair that was grown longer than normal on a man. There was something handsome about the man yet slightly menacing at the same time. And the appearance… the man looked so familiar to Elrohir who thought maybe he resembled an old friend from a distant memory. The Sindarin elf frowned. There was something different about this man…

"Hard day?" the stranger's voice cut Elrohir's thoughts short.

"Pardon?" he asked.

The stranger shrugged. "I like to have a drink after a hard day. It's been tough for me today."

"Oh," Elrohir said, rather unintelligently. "I'm fine. Just taking a break I guess… Are- are you from New York?"

"Oh no," the man said, shaking his head. "I'm a lawyer and I'm here on business terms. I work for 'Chicago Justice'. How about you?"

"I live in New York part time," Elrohir replied quickly. "Er… did you say you work for Chicago Justice--- the law firm?"

"Yeah," the stranger looked at him curiously. "I work for CJ which is owned and practiced by the wife of Dr. Ethan Parker, Samantha Parker." He paused and glanced at Elrohir again. "Do I know you?"

"Probably not," replied Elrohir. "But you seem to know my mother, Samantha Parker."

The strange man's dark brown eyes grew wide. "Samantha Parker is your mother? Then you’re the son of Dr. Ethan Parker! I have heard about you and your brother; you two are twins aren't you?"

Elrohir flashed a brief smile. "Yep, that's me. Nice meeting you… I’m AJ Parker," he said, shaking the man's hand.

"I'm Aidan Ellis," the man introduced himself, still looking at Elrohir with a slight note of amazement. "Wow, of all the people to meet in a bar… Anyways, call me Aidan. I hope you don't mind if I call you AJ!"

"Not at all."

They warmed up to each other rapidly and had an animated conversation. Elrohir felt that Aidan was surprisingly easy to speak, almost just like speaking to his own brother. And there was something so familiar about Aidan.

"I'm young for a lawyer," sighed Aidan. "I'm 27 right now. Your mother tells me I'm brilliant and all but not everyone else is that nice. Some of the older and more 'experienced' lawyers can be really snooty at times. Just the other day, one of them was jesting at my middle name." He paused. "You look pretty young for someone with a PhD and doctor's degree, AJ."

"I'm 25," Elrohir told him. He smiled. "The other 'experienced' lawyers are probably jealous that you got in at such a young age."

"That's what I'd like to think," grinned Aidan. "Like I said, some of them are so snooty! For example, that old lawyer jesting at my middle name was just batty." He screwed up his face to impersonate. "Oh my, Aidan boy! Telcontar is your middle name? Are you Italian? How odd and out of style that is!"

But Elrohir was not laughing as Aidan had expected. Instead, the elf (though Aidan didn't know about that) had turned pale.

"Is something wrong?" asked Aidan.

Elrohir shook himself out of his stupor. "Ex- excuse me," he blinked. "Wha- what did you say your middle name was?"

Aidan rolled his eyes. "Don't you make fun of it! My middle name is Telcontar. I have no idea what it means and neither do my parents. It's strange isn't it? My mother told me it was an old family name--- though she remembers nothing more than that… Telcontar… maybe it's Portuguese or something."

Elrohir stared motionlessly at Aidan for a while.

"Estel…" he whispered, not realizing he had said it out loud.

"Pardon?" asked Aidan, raising an eyebrow. "What did you say? Estel--- what is that?"

"Never mind," Elrohir said quickly. He smiled to reassure Aidan. "I was just wondering, will you be returning to Chicago soon?"

"Yes, tomorrow. I was catching up with a client today and I'm returning tomorrow. Any reason why you're asking?"

"I just thought that you're not too busy over the holidays, maybe you would like to come over to my home and meet my family," suggested Elrohir. "I think they would like you."

"Well, okay I guess," agreed Aidan, slightly surprised. "I think I would like that. Your mother's certainly very nice--- not to mention, really hot!"

Elrohir sniggered in spite of himself. "You realize this is my mother you are talking about?"

"What? She is so gorgeous!" defended Aidan. "How old is she? Over forty, right? But she could pass as half that age."

"Okay, okay!" laughed Elrohir. "Just reserve your judgment on my mother's 'hotness' while you're over at my house!"

"Yes, sir!" Aidan looked at him sarcastically. "Your house? Your home should be more appropriately described as a palace!"

This is definitely another Estel, thought Elrohir, watching the young man before him talk animatedly. He and Estel have the same spirits.

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Later that night, Elrohir flipped restlessly through some old files.  All there were was blank, blank, and blank. He sighed as he came to the last page of the record. It dated to late in the 17th century. But he found no correspondence to Aidan Telcontar Ellis.

He glanced at the last page of the thorough records his father had kept of the descendants of Aragorn and Arwen Evenstar. Elrohir remembered the despair and bitterness his family had felt towards the last known descendant of Elessar Telcontar and Arwen Evenstar. Their last recorded descendant lived in the 17th century and was named Avery Windsor. Avery was a selfish, conniving, and foolish man with a small mind. Elrond and his family had lost faith in the line after meeting Avery Windsor's family. They were bitter and had stopped recording the descendants from then on.

Aidan Telcontar Ellis, Aidan Telcontar Ellis, Aidan Telcontar Ellis… Elrohir repeated over and over in his mind. He just knew that Aidan had some kind of relation with his brother-in-law, Aragorn. It was interestingly enough that Aidan inherited the 'family' name of Telcontar, which by coincidence was also a name given to Aragorn that meant 'strider' in Quenya. And even Aidan's last name, Ellis… close to Elessar. Elrohir was almost positive that this Aidan was a descendant of Estel and his sister, Arwen Undómiel.

He sighed. It pained him to think about his long-lost sister. Arwen's death was so long ago yet still so painful to think about. Elrohir didn't want to picture his beautiful sister… dead and gone, and knowing that he would never be able to see her again. And Aragorn, Estel--- who was just like his real brother. Meeting Aidan was like seeing Estel alive again. He had to forcefully remind himself that Aidan was not Estel no matter how much alike they were. They had similarities but they were two separate and different people. Elrohir didn't want to risk the pain that would befall him if he got too attached to Aidan.

Elrohir turned on his computer and went online. He checked his e-mail.

To: ajparker@Harvard.edu.com

From: e_parker@ucla.edu.com

Date: November 18, 2050, 9:30pm EST

Subject: Coming Back to Chicago!

'Ro,

Surprise, surprise! Believe it or not, little brother, I'm coming home for Christmas! That's like… what? First time in five years that I've actually accepted an invitation? Yeah, it's been a little while hasn't it? I guess I do miss you all--- well not you of course! Legolas is invited. Sweet, I haven't seen him in the longest time. Glorfindel too! Bet Glorfy will be thrilled to see me… NOT!

Reinhardt can be so irritating at times! On Saturday and my first day in New York, I will have to meet some new co-worker, someone named Agent Evans. Damn! Oh well, I hope Evans isn't too bad. Her father, Richard Evans was a nice man. It’s pretty tragic that he died on the job.

Want to have another drinking competition with Legolas? LMAO, remember the last time?

-El-uh-dan (aka. Eric! Which is so much better than that gay-ass name of yours, 'AJ' or something stupid like that?)

P.S. How is sleeping at night without Elanor? Not too much 'fun' is it?

Elrohir rolled his eyes affectionately at the e-mail. His brother did not know how to be serious, thank goodness! At least Elladan was never short on humour. He returned a brief e-mail to Elladan. Then he pressed the 'compose' button and a fresh e-mail template came up. After putting this thoughts together, he sent a short e-mail to his father.

To: ethanparker@parkercorp.com

From: ajparker@Harvard.edu.com

Date: November 18, 2050, 11:25pm EST

Subject: (none)

Father,

I met someone in New York today by the name of Aidan Telcontar Ellis. He told me that 'Telcontar' was a name passed down in his family--- or something on those lines. I find it strange that he bore an uncanny resemblance to Estel's appearance and spirit. Aidan works for Chicago Justice and he seems to know Mother. Perhaps you could ask her to check on it! But I am almost positive that Aidan is a descendant of Estel, you would understand if you saw him.

Have you kept any records of the descendants of Estel and Arwen after the 17th century? Do you know who the descendants of Avery Windsor are? I was hoping you could give me a little more information… You should know that Aidan Ellis is returning to Chicago tomorrow--- and I will too around Christmas.. I invited him over for Christmas, I hope you don't mind!

-Elrohir

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Estel--->Hope

Telcontar--->Strider

Elessar--->Elfstone

Author’s Note: Ah yes, the appearance of Aidan Ellis, who has an uncanny resemblance to Aragorn II. Who is he and what does he have to do with the former King of Gondor? 25 is a pretty young age for someone to be a PhD and part time professor isn’t it? Well, just pretend that since ‘AJ Parker’ is the son of Dr. Ethan Parker, he is brilliant and he has connections from his father so that’s why he’s such a young doctor.

Thanks to Kelly, my beta-reader.

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.

Unfaithful

Chapter 3: Elrond Peredhil is Dr. Ethan Parker

To: ethanparker@parkercorp.com

From: ajparker@Harvard.edu.com

Date: November 18, 2050, 11:25pm EST

Subject: (none)

Father,

I met someone in New York today by the name of Aidan Telcontar Ellis. He told me that 'Telcontar' was a name passed down in his family--- or something on those lines. I find it strange that he bore an uncanny resemblance to Estel's appearance and spirit. Aidan works for Chicago Justice and he seems to know Mother. Perhaps you could ask her to check on it! But I am almost positive that Aidan is a descendant of Estel, you would understand if you saw him.

Have you kept any records of the descendants of Estel and Arwen after the 17th century? Do you know who the descendants of Avery Windsor are? I was hoping you could give me a little more information… You should know that Aidan Ellis is returning to Chicago tomorrow--- and I will too in a few days. I invited him over for Christmas, I hope you don't mind!

-Elrohir

Elrond frowned. Aidan Telcontar Ellis? Never heard of him. Unfortunately for Elrohir, Elrond could not help his son on this matter. He had not kept any records the descendants of Aragorn and Arwen Undómiel after meeting the despairing Avery Windsor. But Aidan must be one of Aragorn's descendants--- where else would he have picked up the name 'Telcontar'? And in the e-mail, Elrohir mentioned that Aidan worked for Celebrían. Perhaps his wife would know something.

Elrond printed a copy of his son's e-mail before shutting his laptop and going downstairs for breakfast.

Celebrían's back was to him as she placed scrambled eggs and orange juice on the table. Elrond snuck up from behind and kissed her softly on the cheek. He saw Celebrían smile.

"Good morning, meleth-nin," she said softly.

"It is always a good morning when I see you," he replied.

They sat down at the table to eat. After awhile, Elrond finally brought up the subject of Elrohir's e-mail. He handed the printed copy to Celebrían, who read through it swiftly.

"I- I do not know, meleth-nin," she admitted. "I've seen Aidan Ellis at work many times. Most of time, we simply exchange a short greeting or acknowledgement. I haven't paid attention to him or spoken to him face to face. I know that this Aidan lad is a very talented lawyer and very young too! I cannot quite remember… I believe he is in his twenties."

Elrond sighed. "Elrohir says Aidan bore quite a resemblance in body and spirit to Estel." He was silent as the thoughts about past events and grief flashed through his mind. The old pains had not faded.

Celebrían noticed as she reached over and took Elrond's hand in her own. "Oh, Elrond, I am sorry," she said, compassion in her voice. She leaned over and kissed her spouse's forehead. "I know how much Aragorn and Arwen meant to you."

Another stab of pain was felt at the mention of his long lost daughter. But he smiled to reassure Celebrían.

"Worry not, meleth-nin," he said softly, "for I have you here with me." Elrond had been separated from his wife for several hundred years at the end of the third age and it was nothing but joy to be with Celebrían again.

After awhile, Elrond glanced at the fancy digital clock hanging from the kitchen wall.

"Ah…" he pointed out, "I must leave for work. Thank goodness it is Friday but I still do have some work to do."

Celebrían smiled. "Have a nice day at work, Elrond! I will be leaving for my office in half an hour."

Elrond gave her a goodbye kiss before heading out the door to his sleek, new, top-lined red Mercedes-Legend, which was a lot more upgraded than the ancient Mercedes-Benz.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Eleanor Perez, Parker Corporation," answered a casual female voice.

"Hello, Elanor," Elrond greeted, amused.

"Oh, Dr. Parker," realized Elanor. "How may I help you?"

Elrond realized there must have been other people on Elanor's side or she wouldn't have addressed him as 'Dr. Parker'. "Just a small matter, Elanor. It is concerning the clinic in Montreal that you’ve told me about. They said they ordered the medicine from us but never received it. I believe we've gotten several complaints from the clinic! Has the problem been resolved?"

He heard Elanor scoff. "Everything is under control, Dr. Parker. The secretary who gave us the delivery address gave us the old address--- the one before they relocated. It was all sorted out and they have no more complaints, sir."

"That is good to hear, Ms. Perez… I suppose I will see you soon.”

"Goodbye, sir."

"Goodbye."

Elrond was just about to check his agenda when an employee interrupted him.

"Hello, Dr. Parker! I thought you would be at Aiglin Institute today!"

"Ah, Tom!" greeted Elrond. "What a pleasant surprise! Home in Chicago for the holidays I presume? It's nice of you to drop by the office--- I haven't seen you since you relocated to LA!"

"Good to see you too, sir," Tom replied, smiling. "I heard your research and developments have advanced wonderfully!"

"Yes, quite stellar," stated Elrond. "I have been spending more time in office than at the clinic lately due a new branch opening in Dallas. I've left the clinic in the very reliable hands of Greg." He mused for a moment, using Glorfindel's English name.

"And how is Dr. Edwards?" Tom asked, referring to Glorfindel.

"Excellent, though he has been spending so much time at the clinic lately that my wife has been asking me if he cooks dinner in the lab!" Elrond said lightly.

After his conversation with Tom, Elrond returned to his agenda and list of phone calls to make. He dialed a number and it was answered at the second ring.

"Aiglin Research Institute, how may I help you?" answered a nonchalant voice.

"This is Dr. Parker," said Elrond. "Is Dr. Edwards there?"

"Dr. Parker!" the secretary greeted respectfully. "I am sorry, sir, but Dr. Edwards is at the Medical Clinic today."

"Thank you," he said before hanging up.

He raised an eyebrow. Why would Glorfindel be at Aiglin Medical Clinic? There are two Aiglin buildings run by Elrond in Chicago--- Aiglin A and Aiglin B. One was Aiglin Research Institute where most of the research, developments, and advances are done. Aiglin Research Institute also accepted co-op students. Glorfindel was mostly at work in the research criteria. The other one was the Aiglin Medical Clinic, a huge building where they accepted patients--- most were long term and recommended to them from other hospitals. The Aiglin Medical Clinic was open to the public while Aiglin Research was not.

"Hello, Aiglin Medical Clinic," answered another secretary.

"This is Dr. Parker and I would like to speak to Dr. Edwards."

"Hold on for a moment, sir," she replied.

After some time of music playing in the background, a male voice answered the phone.

"Hello, Dr. Edwards here."

"Glorfindel!" greeted Elrond.

"Ah, Peredhil!" said Glorfindel cheerfully. "How are you my friend, Dr. Parker?"

"Fine, fine," Elrond said briskly. "Why aren't you at the Research Clinic today?"

Glorfindel was attempting to sound remorseful. "Well my friend, I was visiting a special patient and then I was calling County Services to report to officials."

"What? County Services?"

"There was a patient," explained Glorfindel. "It was a six year old girl with pancreatic cancer. She had bruises and marks all over her body--- which definitely wasn’t caused by cancer. It took awhile for the nurses to coax it out of her but she finally admitted to being abused by her father. Positively disgusting! The other doctors here contacted me and I came over. We filed child abuse to the Illinois Childhelp number. Afterwards, I had to spend some time comforting the little girl."

Elrond gritted his teeth. He always felt awful whenever someone was mistreated--- especially children. He could not withstand child abuse, not one bit. As a famous doctor, Elrond had always been outspoken on the issue.

"That's terrible," he finally said. “I’m glad the problem is resolved.”

"I know," replied Glorfindel. "At least the worst part's over. It's been reported and the child will be taken care of by the clinic for now. You should meet her, she's a really sweet girl…" He trailed off.

"That's good to hear,” said Elrond. “Glor… why don't you come over for dinner tonight?"

"Oh… that will be perfect."

"Good, now I've got to get back to work."

"Bye, Doc!"

"Right back at you."

Elrond worked diligently for the rest of the morning. After returning from lunch, he decided he could spare some time to find out more about this 'Aidan Telcontar Ellis'. Elrond typed in the address of Chicago Justice's official website. Afterwards, he used the search engine and found more evidence. He wrote down every little bit of information on Ellis he found.

Name: Aidan Ellis

Full Name: Aidan Telcontar Ellis

Age: 27

D.O.B: September 13, 2023

P.O.B: Toronto, Canada

Citizenship: Canadian

Resides: Chicago, Illinois

Family: N/A

Education: PhD, University of Toronto transferred to Yale University, Class of 2048

Occupation: Lawyer

Company/Corporation: Chicago Justice law firm, employed in 2049

Home Phone #: (773) 555-1708

Home Address: 45 Mueller Street, Apartment 1809

Work Phone #: (312) 555-8320 Ext. 165

Work Address: 1300 Covington Avenue, 4th floor, Room 414

Scanning through the results of the search engine, Elrond came upon an article in the Toronto Star dated less than a year back.

LOCAL MAN TO BE TRIED FOR MURDER

March 12, 2050-

Toronto, Canada

Today, local man, Lucius Ellis, age 58, was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Last October, Ellen Davies, age 24, was found dead in her apartment after being brutally raped and tortured. Photographs were taken during the sexual abuse and they were used to identify the killer. After over five months of endless searching and hunting by the Toronto police, Ellis was finally caught on the 401 freeway on route to Ottawa.

Ellis has denied all requests for interviews and has not spoken of the incident to media. One official commented, "We assure the public that Lucius Ellis will be dealt with accordingly for his crime. We also promise Ellen Davies' family that a fair trial will be held in justice of the victim." The police went on to say that Ellis could receive as much as a life sentence in prison.

The family of Lucius Ellis has not commented yet. Ellis tells officials that he has not spoken to any of his close relatives for the past few years. His son, Aidan Ellis, age 26, ironically is a lawyer who works for the Chicago Justice law firm in Chicago. Aidan Ellis has not commented on the charge thrust upon his father and has expressed himself unlikely to be present at the yet to be set trial date.

-Dolores Eaton, Toronto Star

Elrond gaped at the article, slightly disbelieving. Murder? Aidan's father? This was important information on Aidan though. He made a copy.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Elrond walked into the gigantic living room. The room was decorated to resemble the home he once lived at in Imladris. The antique furniture and the specially designed carvings and accessories had a slight elvish appearance to them. On the embroidered couch, sat a figure with long golden hair.

"Hello, Glorfindel."

Glorfindel was holding an old-fashioned elven bow in his left hand and an arrow in his right hand. He studied the instrument carefully, treating it like a long forgotten friend.

"It has been the longest time since I last shot an arrow."

"We have better weapons now, Glor," Elrond said lightly.

"Yes… guns, nuclear weapons, bombs…" Glorfindel sighed. "I almost miss the old-fashioned way of things."

He notched an arrow.

"Don't shoot!" warned Elrond, looking around at the expensively decorated room.

Glorfindel rolled his eyes. "Wasn't going to! Besides, I probably don't remember how anyway."

Elrond snorted. "You can't forget how to use a bow. It's one of those things when once you learn, you can never forget."

"I tend to get forgetful in my old age," joked Glorfindel. "After all, I am about 30 000 years older than most people!"

From another part of the house, they heard Celebrían call, "Dinner!"

After they settled down for the meal, the subject of Aidan Ellis came up. They began discussing after Glorfindel was told of Elrohir's e-mail.

"Now, I understand what Elrohir meant," said Elrond, pointing to a photograph of Aidan. "If he isn't related to Estel, then I'm an orc's uncle!"

"I haven't seen Aragorn in 20 000 years or so--- and probably never will again, but I would recognize him in an instant," added Glorfindel. "And this Aidan Ellis, while slightly different in appearance, definitely has some of Aragorn's blood in him."

Celebrían waited for both men to be silent before she spoke. "Aidan was not at work today so I couldn't see him personality. But I did poke around for a little more information. Elrond, I think that list you have is quite thorough but there are a few missed personal touches."

She paused. "I've never met King Elessar so I can't be the one to judge. I was around the office today and I asked a few of his co-workers and friends just to tell me a little about him."

"Apparently, Aidan Ellis is absolutely brilliant. He studied for a bachelor's degree at the University of Toronto before transferring to Yale. Afterwards, he went directly to study for a PhD at Yale. Between part time jobs and classes, he graduated in 2048. Aidan was recommended to Chicago Justice by numerous professors who had high opinions of him. He has been working at the company for almost two years. One of his co-workers described him as very hard-working and honest person. He's excellent with the clients. I was told that his sarcastic sense of humour was pretty famous around the office."

Celebrían continued, "Ellis has done many cases and he's quite experienced for a young lawyer. His friend told me that Ellis does not keep in contact with his father--- and I can understand why (-she glanced at the Toronto Star article-), and his mother died when he was young."

"Almost sounds like a reincarnated Aragorn by the description of his personality," commented Glorfindel.

Elrond frowned and nodded. "Celebrían, do you know anything about Aidan's mother?"

"Very little," she replied. "Name, Verstena. Maiden name, Taylor. Lived in Toronto her whole life and she died of leukemia in 2028, when Aidan was five."

"Verstena?" Glorfindel raised an eyebrow and Elrond looked up at the same time. "That's not an English name is it?"

Celebrían smiled smugly. "Don’t waste your brain cells geniuses! I’ve figured it out already. If you study the name closely, 'Verstena' is an anagram of 'Evenstar'. That’s too good to be a coincidence, isn’t it?"

"Very intelligent, meleth-nin," Elrond complimented her teasingly. He chuckled when Celebrían swatted playfully at his head before kissing his cheek.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Phone call to Dr. Ethan Parker from Dr. Jacqueline Marshall in Paris, France," said a computerized voice. "Do you wish to answer?"

"Yes," Elrond said immediately. Whenever Galadriel called him personally, it would be an important matter.

A screen showed up against the wall. Galadriel's face appeared. The former Lady of Lórien was as fair as ever. Her golden hair cut to slightly below her shoulder and she wore a silk blouse. Her face showed the usual ‘pleasant yet serious’ look.

"My lady," he said. "This was indeed unexpected. What do I owe you for this special call, Galadriel?"

"Elrond," she said in her rich and low voice, "I would have waited until the holidays to speak to you about this matter personally, but I believe this is urgent."

"What is it?" Elrond asked uneasily. What could it be, now?

"First, can you tell me, who is the director of the CIA?"

Elrond frowned at the strange question. "I cannot remember exactly but the name begins with the letter 'R' or something. The best people to ask are my sons since they work for the CIA. Why the sudden interest?"

"The mirror," stated Galadriel, letting Elrond digest the information. "The mirror showed a prophecy. I won't go through to whole thing but I've deducted and interpreted it into a short summary: The director of CIA is plotting something--- to harm you."

"Harm me?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. "The prophecy said the director of the CIA would harm me?"

"Not quite phrased in that way but that is the basic point," she replied.

"What is his motive?"

"Revenge."

"Revenge?" echoed Elrond. "I'm sorry, but maybe you should explain."

Galadriel shook her head. "I do not know, Elrond. But what I am sure of is that you will be in grave danger. There is something else…"

Elrond took a deep breath. "What is it?"

"I will recite to you the ending of the prophecy,” she said. Then her voice lowered to almost an eerie melody. “But beware, for a son will betray and a father will slay… And just when all is in despair, the sun--- the sun rises on the 51st year… Long ago, a promise was kept, and at sunrise a father repays his debt."

There was an ominous silence.

"What could this mean?" Elrond finally managed to say.

"That is what we will find out," Galadriel replied simply. Her piercing blue eyes rested on Elrond through the visual screen. "You have an obsessive enemy out there who will make attempts at your life. Keep yourself out of danger and study the prophecy carefully."

"The prophecy," Elrond muttered. Then he felt an uncomfortable stir in his stomach. "But beware, for a son will betray…"

He looked at Galadriel. "Do- does that mean…" He couldn't finish.

"I believe so," he could almost hear the tinge of sadness in Galadriel's voice.

"But why?" Elrond asked miserably to no one in particular.

"I do not know, Elrond, but do not tell Elladan or Elrohir about the prophecy. At least for now, do not tell them anything. My instincts tell me that they should not be forewarned about this…"

Elrond looked doubtfully at her but nodded.

"I will keep in touch with you," said Galadriel. "Good-luck Elrond…"

Then the screen went blank.

Elrond could not sleep. He pondered over and over again about the section of the prophecy Galadriel had told him.

But beware, for a son will betray (Elladan or Elrohir?)

And a father will slay… (Is he, himself the father? Did it mean his father? Or just a random father?)

And just when all is in despair,

The sun--- the sun rises on the 51st year… (Something is going to happen on New Year's Day?)

Long ago, a promise was kept, (Did he make a promise? Did someone make him a promise?)

And at sunrise, a father repays his debt. (Does he owe someone a debt? Does someone owe him a debt?)

But when at last Elrond drifted off, it was first part that disturbed him, 'But beware, for a son will betray…'

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Meleth-nin--->My Love

Peredhil--->Halfelven, plural

Author’s Note: I cannot write poetry at all so please excuse my pathetic rhyming in the prophecy! I can’t help it! Now, we have a little more information on Aidan Ellis. What about the elusive Erin Evans? Well, we’ll find out about her soon. How do you like Elrond’s occupation? Ha, ha, ha! Dr. Ethan Parker? How the heck did I get that? Oh well, I’ll never know.

Thanks to my Kelly, my beta-reader.

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.

Unfaithful

Chapter 4: Legolas Greenleaf is Luke Garcia

-Washington D.C.

“How was work?”

“Haldir, work is work.”

“Come on, you could do better than that!”

“Haldir! Please, I’m not in the mood!” Legolas said, exasperated at his persistent companion. “And why are you so interested in my business anyway?”

“FBI’s interesting,” Haldir replied simply.

“FBI’s damn boring,” grumbled Legolas.

“What? Tough day at work?” teased Haldir. “Come on, spill!”

“The director is an asshole,” grumbled Legolas. “His overlarge head is twice the size of his ass. It doesn’t matter whether you do a good job or not, the frown on his face is carved in. I have never seen him with a different facial expression.”

“Ha, ha,” Haldir said dryly. “Was Tenet that nasty to you?”

“Let’s just say that when I delivered the CIA’s papers to him, he sneered and told me there were holes in the research. Like I could do something about it! I’m not even in charge of filing reports! Asshole…”

“Did you tell him that?”

“Tell him what?!” Legolas asked, annoyed.

“Tell him that you couldn’t do anything about that.”

“Does Tenet look like someone that could be explained to?”

Haldir rolled his eyes. “If it were up to me, I could have done a better job to smooth things over… By the way, what did you say to him?”

“I told him he didn’t have to act like an asshole to someone who’s working to bring reports to him.”

“You said that and called him an asshole?” Haldir raised an eyebrow. He snorted and shook his head.

“What?!”

“If you treated him with a little more respect, he might have treated you better,” Haldir explained patiently.

“I’d like to see you try!” shouted Legolas, shooting darts at his friend.

“Like I said, I would have if given the chance---”

“Yeah, well you’re not the one who has to deal with him so shut up!”

Haldir frowned. “Why are you shouting at me?”

“Because I’m pissed!”

“Well good for you!”

Legolas glared at him. “Fuck you.”

“Fuck you back!” Haldir shot evenly.

They glared icily at each other for a few moments. Legolas took a deep breath. He glanced at Haldir and then burst out laughing. Even Haldir could not resist a smile.

“I- I really hate you sometimes, you know that?” Legolas managed to choke out in between laughter.

Haldir shook his head but grinned. “Nah, you love me!”

Legolas good-naturedly punched his shoulder. “I do not!” he protested.

They walked in silence for a few moments before Haldir spoke again. “I’m hungry.”

Legolas snorted. “All you ever think about is your stomach.”

“Let’s stop for lunch,” persisted Haldir. “I’ll let you choose the place.”

“About time you let me choose. We’re going to Tim Horton’s.”

“Fine, whatever.”

They walked into a large Tim Horton’s restaurant. The expensive glass building was one story high and had the large, red words, ‘Tim Horton’s’ plastered above the front entrance. The two friends walked over to a free ordering station. Legolas pressed the ‘order’ button.

“Tim Horton’s. May I take your order?” said the machine’s voice.

“Number eight deluxe meal, medium coffee with milk and sugar, and an apple fritter,” Legolas said clearly to the machine. “That is all.”

“That will be $12.95 US,” said the machine. “Cash, credit card, or debit card?”

“Credit card.”

Legolas slid his VISA credit card into the slot.

“Payment accepted. Change: none. Please wait for your order.”

In less than thirty seconds, the flap of the machine opened and a tray with Legolas’ order slid out.

“Thank you for eating at Tim Horton’s. Have a nice day.”

Haldir ordered next. After both meals were ordered, they sat down at a glass table.

“These machines are so much more efficient and faster than the old way of using cashiers,” commented Haldir.

“Definitely,” agreed Legolas.

“But unfortunately, no more hot girls to take our orders,” Haldir said sadly. “I miss that. The machines aren’t as attractive as they were.”

Legolas snorted. “Whatever, Haldir.”

Haldir was about to speak when a cell phone rang.

“Oops, that’s mine,” Legolas said, pulling a cell phone from his backpack.

“Hello?” he answered.

“Don’t move,” a low voice warned him.

“Who is this?” Legolas asked, frowning. “Rein---”

“Quiet!” hissed the voice on the other end. “Don’t move.”

Legolas froze. When Haldir opened his mouth to speak, he made a single gesture to cut his friend off.

“Look straight ahead,” continued the person at the other end of the phone, Reinhardt. Legolas followed the order and stared directly ahead. He found that he was staring at a man with a red cap. The man in the red cap looked directly at him with menacing eyes.

“He is going to shoot you,” Reinhardt warned him.

“What?” asked Legolas, completely confused.

“Quiet,” Reinhardt ordered again. “Watch him.”

The man in the red cap shifted his face so that Legolas could see him clearly. It was the man he had delivered a report to Director Tenet about.

“He’s after you,” Reinhardt said needlessly.

Legolas felt a burst of anger rise in his chest. “Why,” he hissed, “did you not tell me of the dangers ahead of hand?”

“You could have panicked,” Reinhardt’s voice was almost amused. “Believe me Luke, in my experience, I find that agents work better when they are not fully aware of the danger they’re in. In a way, you can say we are protecting you, Diaz.” The director used Legolas’ code last name.

“Protect my ass!” seethed Legolas.

“Keep alert,” warned Reinhardt. “He is going to shoot you.”

“Oh that’s excellent,” Legolas muttered sarcastically. “But I assume that’s not all what’s important to you.”

“Indeed, no,” there was a note of amusement in his boss’s voice again. “I want you to arrest him.”

Legolas said a very colourful word before turning his attention back to the man with the red cap. He noticed the man was reaching inside his jacket to pull out a gun. His elven ears caught the sound of the gun cocking. Seizing Haldir shoulder, he pulled both of them under the table as a shot rang out. It was followed by a succession of several more gunshots. The customers screamed in panic and scrambled around for cover.

“Wait for me here,” he ordered Haldir before darting away.

In the confusion and commotion, Legolas made his way quickly towards the man with the gun. From his crouched position, Legolas grabbed the man’s leg and pulled him to the ground. The man grunted as he fell to the ground. He fired a shot that missed Legolas’ face by inches. The former Mirkwood elf wrested the gun from the man’s grasp. They struggled for a few moments before they both got to their feet.

The man lunged at Legolas, who spun out of the way. Then, the keen-sighted elf took out a concealed knife and smirked at the man. He used his free hand to hit the man’s chest and then slammed the man against the wall. Legolas pressed the blade of the knife into the man’s neck.

“Why don’t you hold up your hands and surrender?” he snarled at the man. “If you don’t, I’ll have no choice but to hurt you.”

But the man pushed Legolas’ knife aside and scrambled away. Another gunshot rang inside the restaurant. This time, it was Legolas who fired a shot. The aim was directly at the man’s right leg. The man howled in pain before falling to the ground. In an instant, Legolas strode over to the man and had him cuffed.

Legolas pushed a lock of blonde hair behind his ear and pretended to smile hospitably at his victim.

“I am sorry,” he smiled pleasantly. Then he frowned and seized the man’s neck and slammed him hard against the floor.

“But I did say that I would have to hurt you if you didn’t surrender,” he continued nastily. “So I’m sure you would understand why I needed to fire a shot at you, jackass!”

Legolas turned to Haldir. “Wait for me at my hotel while I take this knucklehead into custody.”

Haldir simply nodded.

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“A fucking horrible day!” Legolas groaned as he flopped onto his bed. The phone rang and he groaned again.

“Answer the phone,” Haldir said to him.

Picking up the old-fashioned receiver like it was a poisonous snake, Legolas answered it casually.

“Hello?”

“You didn’t report within an hour,” said a stern voice. Legolas wished dearly to thud his head against the wall.

He sighed. “Fine! Fine! Sir, this is 111 reporting in. Mission completed successfully and the subject is in custody.”

Reinhardt chuckled. “That will do, Luke… I can see you’re not having a good day?”

“No, sir,” sighed Legolas. “I am not.”

“Well, good work.”

‘Thank you, sir. This is 111 signing off.”

They hung up. Less than a minute later the phone rang again.

“What is it this time?” Legolas sighed halfheartedly into the receiver.

“Legolas?” asked the voice on the other end.

“Elladan?”

“Yep, it’s me,” the voice laughed. “So, why are you being so rude, Agent Garcia?”

Legolas didn’t answer but made an angry noise.

“Legolas, my friend, you are grumbling,” Elladan pointed out innocently. “It is rather an uncomely noise!”

Legolas was just on the verge of growling when Haldir grabbed the receiver.

“Hi, Elladan!” he said brightly, shooting Legolas a look.

“Haldir, is that you?”

“Happy to hear from me?” he teased.

“Ha, ha!” Elladan replied dryly.

“So, what did you call about?”

“Nothing much, I just wanted to talk to Legolas.”

“Thanks a lot!” Haldir said, pretending to sound offended. He thrust the phone at Legolas.

“Elladan? What’s up?”

“Guess where I am.”

Legolas rolled his eyes. “I won’t even try.”

“Party pooper… I’m in New York!”

“New York?” asked Legolas. “Did you transfer schools again?”

“Hell, no,” Elladan said pointedly. “I’m here visiting Elrohir, Aikasse, and Alcarin.”

“Ah…”

There was a pregnant pause. “So, Legolas… who’s your girl of the week?”

“Elladan!” he said indignantly. “I’m not the one who made out for ten hours straight with a Prom Queen.”

“Hey! It was all in the line of work!” Elladan shot back. “At least I have a steady girlfriend.”

Legolas snorted. “Does Alcarin know about that chick secretary you hung out with when Reinhardt asked you to find out some password codes? Or that surfer girl you met when you tried to bribe the hideout address from her? And don’t forget the tennis chick you kissed in the storage shed.”

He heard Elladan scoff. “I only did all that because it was my job!”

“Your job?” Legolas asked disbelievingly. “Your job was to make out with every hot female you run across?”

“No,” Elladan emphasized pointedly. “I do everything in my power to complete my task! I got the codes from that chick secretary didn’t I? And I got the hideout address from that cute surfer didn’t I? And about that tennis chick, I did arrest her and that murderous fiancé of hers afterwards!”

“After you finished kissing her.”

“Hey! It’s not like I enjoyed it,” Elladan protested as Legolas snorted disbelievingly. “I had to get her to trust me so she would tell me where her fiancé was!”

“I suppose her fiancé was none too happy to hear what you did?” Legolas grinned.

“He wasn’t too thrilled,” Elladan replied casually.

Legolas scoffed. “Pardon me for asking, Elladan, but do you even remember every single girl you’ve done something to in your lifetime?”

“How the hell could I keep a track of that?” demanded Elladan. “From middle-earth until present day, the list of girls would be endless!”

“Oh Gods, Elladan! What do your parents think of that record?”

“It’s not like I tell my parents everything I do,” said Elladan, making it sound obvious.

“Speaking of your parents, are you returning to Chicago for Christmas?”

“Actually, yeah, I am.”

“Seriously?” Legolas raised an eyebrow. “You mean, unlike other times, you’re not too busy or something?”

“Ha, ha--- no,” Elladan said sarcastically. He paused. “Oh gee whiz. Look at the time I have to go! I’m meeting this agent at a restaurant…”

“Meeting an agent?”

“Yeah, my new co-worker or something,” explained Elladan. “A girl named Agent Evans.”

“A girl?”

“What’s your point, Legolas?” he asked impatiently.

“A girl, right?”

“Gosh!” exclaimed Elladan. “Give it a rest, will you? Anyways, I’ve got to go.”

“Fine.”

“Bye then.”

After they hung up, Legolas grinned and turned towards Haldir. He shook his head.

“You up for a little traveling?”

Haldir arched an eyebrow. “Are you paying for my insurance?”

Legolas rolled his eyes.

“Chicago, here we come.”

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Author’s Note: LOL, a really pointless chapter! I have no idea why I put Haldir into this story. Oh well… I guess I was just in shortage of a character. Next chapter will be when Elladan meets Erin Evans. Hmm… I’d say he’d be more than shocked. What about you? So who exactly is this strange girl, Erin Evans? Tune in next week on 2050 A.D. and find out! J/K! I’ll try to get the next chapter up soon.

Thanks to Kelly, my beta-reader.

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.

Unfaithful

Chapter 5: “History” Lessons and Erin Evans

Elladan was walking past the area called ‘Old New York’. At least, the non-destroyed section of Old New York. The buildings here still stood tall, though they were shabbier and more worn than they had been at the start of the 21st century. What transpired at the start of the 21st century was what had set off a chain of events that the people are still mourning and paying for. The destruction of the twin towers was only the beginning of the long and terrible years that would follow. Those long and terrible years turned into a war, now known as ‘The Great War of Power’.

On September 11, 2001, two monumental buildings of Old New York were destroyed and the Pentagon was attacked, all at the hands of terrorists. This was followed by a mission in Afghanistan, and was then followed by a war in Iraq in 2003. By the end of 2003, the world thought the terror of the new millennium was over. How very wrong they were... Between 2003 and 2010, the years were peaceful but tense. There was no blood spilt between nations, no wars, and no bearing of arms. What the public was aware about was the political heat in between nations and alliances. First there were the Americans vs. the Middle East and the Americans vs. North Korea. There were many threats of war and bombing, but nothing resulted.

Then, the political battle became stronger. The battle for superpower heated up. By 2015, the world knew that it was North America against the Russian Federation. No one is quite certain what sparked this all. At the end of the 20th century and very early in the 21st century, Russia and America were quite friendly and respectful to each other. However, between politics, sports, and different opinions from the two powerful nations, the disagreements and hostility between them grew. The first thing that came into action was the war of words.

With every single president that dwelled in the White House and every single president that came into power in Russia, the battle continued. The words and threats were succeeded from the former president to the next, to the next…

Ten solid years--- from 2021 until 2031, those years became known as ‘The Great War of Power’. From the beginning, the two sides began seeking alliances and powerful allies. The United States found allies in Canada and Mexico. Eventually, they became known as ‘The North American Alliance’. That bridge of friendship still exists today. The Russian Federation created an alliance with France, and many other European nations. The first few years, Great Britain chose to remain neutral and support neither side. But when they were bombed and attacked by several Middle Eastern and Asian countries, The North American Alliance offered support and protection. Less than a week after the attack, Britain had announced their official alliance to the North Americans.

Exactly what kind of damage had been inflicted during those ten harsh years? Just imagine this: Almost half of New York gone, Detroit completely in ruins, White House and parts of Washington bombed, biological attack on North-eastern United States and Ontario, Canada, half of Vancouver destroyed, burnt crops in the prairies of Canada, cities in Russia in ruins, destroyed sections of Paris, polluted beaches in Europe, and diseases spreading relentlessly everywhere. And that is just to begin with. Even the countries and areas that were not directly involved in The Great War of Power were greatly affected. Economies and businesses collapsed… and the population depleted by millions.

The war was eventually brought to an end. The last large attacks took place on American and Russian soils. Nuclear bombs were aimed at several large metropolitan cities of the United States. But the plan was changed and diverted for some ‘undisclosed reason to the public’. Apparently, something malfunctioned (which turned out to be quite fortunate) in the systems and plans, and the nuclear bombs that were aimed at LA, New York, Chicago, and Washington were diverted to the sparsely populated and desert lands of the United States. Even so, the damage was severe enough. Phoenix, Arizona was hit, as were several states in the central area of the U.S. Jenson, the president at that time, was killed during the attack because he happened to be visiting Phoenix. The radioactivity caused diseases such as leukemia to spread rapidly like wildfire. The North American Alliance retaliated by unleashing nuclear weapons on Russia and France. Those countries too, like North America, experienced similar consequences.

Fortunately, the new leaders that rose after the attack heeded the cries of their people and decided that enough was enough. Enough lives had been lost, enough land and pride had been destroyed, and enough people had been poisoned by hate. On August 11, 2031, the presidents of the United States and Russian Federation came forward and signed a treaty and agreement of peace between the two nations. While each still blamed the other, we all came to the final decision that there would be no more wars or weapons unleashed against each other. Many years later, the experts came to the conclusion that the enemy was neither the United States nor the Russian Federation--- but rather ourselves.

The damages and aftermaths were severe. After all the papers were signed, all the politics taken care of, all the costs and damages accessed, there came the rebuilding. From 2035, after four years of diligent paper signing and organization, until 2045, were ‘The Years of Rebuilding’. In a way, it was like a country starting all over again. Cities and buildings had to be built again, crops were grown once more, and the people needed healing. Thus came the great era of scientists and doctors. New cures and vaccines, more developed technologies, and new discoveries and medicines had been progressing rapidly since the beginning of the 21st century. The world needed every bit of knowledge and intelligence they had to repair the civilizations that had been damaged through greed and hatred.

Even today, in 2050, the world is still recovering from past wounds. The lands that were touched by nuclear weapons are now called, ‘The Unreachable Lands’. No one is permitted or even dares to go anywhere near those fields of radioactivity. Even the sleek supersonic aircrafts dare not fly over the poisoned lands and must fly around such areas. Scientists say the land glows an ominous and eerie shade of light at nighttime.

It became a habit for everyone to check the weather channel first thing when they wake up so they know the forecasts of air quality. There is hardly a single person who doesn’t listen to the broadcasts about air quality. When the weatherman says the air of that certain area is touched by radioactivity that day, everyone heeds the warning and wears facemasks that day. There are even days called the ‘Off Days’, when the people would not be allowed to leave their house due to the danger of radioactivity in the air that day under the order of the law. No one is to disobey and leave his or her shelter without permission on those days under the threat of severe punishment. In the beginning, Off Days were more frequent. Now, there was only an Off Day once every so often.

The remaining elves were also greatly affected during The Great War of Power. The diseases and radioactivity may not affect them, but many friends and kin were separated by political boundaries. Many of the elves also perished during the bombing and attacks. A few elves were suspicious that Gandalf had something to do with the change of course of the nuclear bombs aimed for the large American cities--- which was a ‘mistake’ that could have very well saved tens of millions of lives and the future of a country. Somehow during those perilous years, Gandalf managed to keep in contact with the Peredhil family and always warn them of dangers ahead of time. About a few years after The Years of Rebuilding began, Gandalf stopped contacting them.

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Dirt collected on the black, leather, hiking boots of Elladan. Even decades after the area had been severely bombed; the ruins were never completely cleaned out. Gravel was picked up by the cold November wind and flew several feet before falling back down to the ground. People often coughed and wheezed when they walked by this area of Old New York.

There was an insistent beeping noise. Elladan glanced down at his messenger-cell phone device. Reinhardt had sent him a message. ‘Agent Evans and Hopkins will be twenty minutes late.’ The former Lord of Imladris (Author’s Note: After Elrond departed west, someone must have been in charge of Rivendell. I am assuming that Elladan was the eldest son and therefore he must have ruled after his father.) shrugged and entered the bar. He sat down at a table and watched the news.

“…The Atlanta Thrashers are playing phenomenally and they are leading the NHL’s overall standings!” said the sportscaster enthusiastically. “That concludes our sports news. Back to you, Desiree.”

The screen showed an attractive young woman who was the news broadcaster. “Thank you, Ed. We will now return to the top stories of the hour. The man who was hospitalized earlier this week turned out to have been traveling too close to the Unreachable Lands. He was contaminated by the radioactivity. Doctors under heavy protection are now treating him under quarantine. The security to ensure that no citizen’s life is to be endangered by going near the Unreachable Lands has been increased…”

There was another beep from Elladan’s messenger device. ‘Agent Evans and Hopkins have just entered the door.’

Elladan casually turned around in his seat. And sure enough, he saw the senior CIA member, Hopkins walk through the door, accompanied by a tall woman wearing a visor, Agent Evans. They walked over to Elladan’s table. Hopkins shook his hand.

“We meet again, Eric,” he greeted the elf.

Elladan smiled. “Good to see you too, Mr. Hopkins.”

“Thank you,” said Hopkins. He turned towards the girl. “This is your new co-worker and partner.”

“I’ve heard,” said Elladan, glancing at the tall woman Hopkins had gestured vaguely at.

Agent Evans smiled. She held out a hand.

“I watched you play basketball, Eric,” said Evans, shaking his hand. “You’re amazingly talented! I think I will enjoy working with you.”

“Oh,” said Elladan, slightly surprised. “I guess you know me already. I’ll just reintroduce myself anyway. Eric Parker, Agent Evans.”

“It’s Erin,” Evans said quickly. “The name is Erin Evans but call me Erin.”

She sat down in the seat opposite of Elladan.

“Phew! It’s hot in here,” she grinned, taking her visor off.

He blinked. Elladan was momentarily speechless, almost disbelieving what he was seeing in front of him. He hadn’t been able to have a good look at her face until now. Evans’s raven black hair was tried neatly into a ponytail. Her face was fair and bright and her hazel eyes were shining vibrantly. She looked like a friendly but stubborn person… scarily reminding Elladan of someone else he once knew very well.

“Is something wrong?” asked Evans in a concerned voice.

“I- I…” stuttered Elladan. He shook his head. “Ex- excuse me, what’s your name again?”

Evans rolled her eyes but grinned. “Erin Evans, dope head!”

Oh Ilúvatar! Definitely like someone Elladan once knew.

“Hello? Eric?” she tried to get his attention. “Eric!” She snapped her fingers.

Elladan blinked. “Excuse me. I- I’m sorry. I just temporarily… hallucinated,” he said lamely. He got up from his seat. “Excuse me for a moment, there’s something I need to do. I’ll be right back.”

His strides were swift but he heard Evans’ comment as he left. “Tell me Hopkins, is Parker always that air headed?” In spite of himself, Elladan felt the desire to laugh at her comment.

He exited the bar quickly and leaned against a nearby bus station booth. There was someone he needed to contact: Elrond. It was Saturday; his father must be at home.

“Home of Dr. Ethan Parker, Chicago, Illinois,” he said quickly into his cell phone.

The phone made a few ‘thinking’ noises before an answering machine’s voice answered.

“Dr. Parker is not available at this moment. Please leave a message.”

“Is Samantha Parker available?” asked Elladan.

“No, she isn’t,” replied the answering machine.

“Can you tell me how I can reach them?”

“Please state your name.”

“Eric Parker,” said Elladan hurriedly.

The ‘thinking’ noises emitted again and this time, it was a person who answered.

“This is Aiglin Research Institute,” answered the voice. “Oh, hello Eric.”

Elladan wanted to groan. “Hello, Celebdacil,” he said in a relatively calm voice.

Celebdacil was an elf employed by Elrond, mainly to work as a clerk or secretary. Celebdacil was a former elf of Lórien, born in the second age. Elladan had only mingled with him a few times and was already in Celebdacil’s bad books along with his brother, Elrohir. The only few times Elladan had ever spoken to Celebdacil was always concerning money, therefore earning him the impression as a spoiled brat. What Celebdacil didn’t know was that Elladan and his brother had always let Elrond take care of finance and the money they made (though the responsibility was thrust upon Elrond mostly due to laziness on behalf of the twins). Of course, the compensation and money the twins made were kept in separate accounts from Elrond’s but Celebdacil knew nothing about that. His impression was that Elladan and Elrohir were dependant brats always asking their parents for money.

“How much money is it this time?” sighed Celebdacil. The last time Elladan had called, he had asked for a usually large sum of money. Elladan could almost see Celebdacil shake his head. “Elladan, the money your parents make are through hard work…” The former Lórien elf went on for some time before Elladan finally cut him off.

“I need to speak with my father,” he said abruptly.

“Lord Elrond has granted me permission to give you whatever amount of money you demand, any time you ask,” Celebdacil said grudgingly, clearing disagreeing with the elf-lord’s decision.

“This is not a money matter,” said Elladan exasperated. “Get my father on the phone right now!”

“I am sorry Elladan but your father is currently attending a very important meeting and I do not wish to interrupt.”

“Well guess what? I’ve just made the call for you,” said Elladan snappishly, losing all patience. “Just tell him that his son needs to speak with him.”

“Fine!” snapped Celebdacil. Before being put on hold, Elladan thought he heard Celebdacil mutter something that sounded distinctly like “spoiled brat”.

After a pause, Celebdacil was back. His voice was smug, “I’m sorry, Elladan, but your father cannot spare time from his meeting to speak to you.”

Elladan vented air through his nostrils. “Well tell him he either answers the damn phone or I’m not coming home for Christmas!”

Celebdacil made an angry noise. “As you wish,” said Celebdacil in a forced calm voice.

The next time the phone was picked up it was Elrond who answered.

“What is it?” asked Elrond, his voice impatient. “What could be so important, Elladan?”

“You’re going to want to hear this, Father,” said Elladan quickly. “I just met that new CIA agent, Erin Evans. You are not going to believe this Father, but… I- I think she’s… she’s Arwen.” He finally blurted out.

There was a moment of silence when time seemed to have stopped.

“Father?” Elladan asked tentatively.

There was a long pause before Elrond answered. “What makes you believe she is Arwen?” He said the name cautiously.

“Her appearance, her aura, everything!” exclaimed Elladan. “Her hair is the exact shade as mine and her face could be mistaken for Arwen’s! But her eyes are different… they’re green.”

“I thought I had gone crazy!” he continued. “But Evans could have been a mirror image of my sister! There are a few obvious differences but the resemblance is too close to be a coincidence. Not in any of the other descendants of Estel and Arwen have I ever met someone who is so similar in appearance!”

“How do you know?” asked Elrond flatly.

Elladan paused to think about the question.

“I just know,” he said quietly. “I wouldn’t lie about this, Father. This is too important. But I just know there is something of Arwen inside Erin… It’s like how I always knew when my sister would be approaching me--- there was no logical explanation, I just knew it was Arwen.”

“I don’t doubt your judgment,” said Elrond, meaning it as a halfway apology. Between Aidan Ellis, the prophecy from the mirror of Galadriel and the painful remembrance of his daughter, he was not in the best of moods.

“I- I don’t think I can talk to her,” said Elladan.

“Go back inside, Elladan,” said Elrond firmly. “Don’t fluster her or pester her with questions. Talk to her just like you’re having an ordinary conversation.”

When there was silence on the other end, Elrond sighed. “I know it’s hard, but try to calm down and just let her talk. Can you do that?”

“Yeah, I think so,” said Elladan doubtfully.

“Okay… I’ll talk to you soon?”

“Yeah. Later, Ada.”

“Good-luck Elladan.”

When Elladan returned, he only hesitated for only half a second before opening the door and sitting down at the table again.

“Sorry about that,” apologized Elladan. “I had to make an important phone call.”

Erin looked at him skeptically but didn’t comment.

He gestured vaguely at her. “Well, uh…” he racked his brain for something to say. “Let’s get to know each other! I mean… we’re going to be working together aren’t we?”

Erin frowned slightly at how uncomfortable Elladan seemed. But it didn’t bother her too much; a lot of males were flustered when they were in her presence. She grinned.

“Well, what do you want to know?” asked Erin.

“I know your name and that’s about it,” Elladan said lightly. “So… where’re you from?”

“Los Angeles,” replied Erin. “You go to university there---”

She said it the same time when Elladan commented, “I go to university there.”

They laughed and at once felt more at ease.

“So, Erin, know any other agents?”

“Well now, I know you, and Mr. Hopkins here of course,” she gestured to the middle-aged man at their table. “I’ve known Mr. Hopkins for a long time. He was a friend and co-worker of my father.” Elladan noticed how she winced slightly at the mention of her father. “I know Reinhardt--- he’s the one who hired me. Oh, and I’ve met Davenport already!”

“You’ve met the executive director?” asked Elladan.

“Yeah,” replied Erin. “Liam Davenport isn’t it?”

“Did you find Davenport interesting?” grinned Elladan. “He’s got a really odd personality, doesn’t he? His mood changes so quickly--- and never get him angry unless you have earplugs on you! He’s happy and cheerful one second and he’s all stormy the next. I don’t think he likes me very much!”

Erin laughed a sound that was so familiar to Elladan. “I’m in his good books, Eric. Unlike you, I think Davenport actually likes me.”

“I wouldn’t be on it,” said Elladan. He snorted. “Davenport can turn the switch in a second.”

Erin shook her head. “What do you have against him?” she rolled her eyes. “He’s nice to me… And Davenport’s pretty handsome too…”

“Handsome?” asked Elladan, staring at Erin skeptically. “Isn’t he a little too old for you? He’s forty something isn’t he?”

“Thirty-nine,” corrected Erin immediately.

Elladan just grinned again. “Keeping a track of that aren’t you?”

“Eric!” she protested. She swatted at him.

“Just kidding, girl!” laughed Elladan, trying to fend himself off.

Maybe he could talk to her after all…

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Author’s Note: Believe it or not, in the beginning, I was going to have one of the twins dead. I wanted to have Elladan choose the fate of mortals and then later died as a man. Then I realized I couldn’t bare killing one of them! Heehee, so that plan was officially aborted! How was the “history” lesson in this chapter? I put the word history in “quotations” because it’s not really the history for us, but rather the future. Remember, I do not predict prophecies and I know nothing about the future and very little concerning politics! So please spare me the axe when it came to creating a world of terror in this story. I have absolutely nothing against North Americans, Russians, the French, the British, Asians, and Middle Easterners. Don’t sue me! I just needed a little drama and dilemma is this story.

Thanks to Kelly, my beta-reader.

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.

Unfaithful

Chapter 6: An Untimely Death

The black hood he wore hid most of the man’s face, for only his mouth was visible. He leaned back casually in the leather chair as he surveyed his office disdainfully. With a wry and almost sarcastic smile on his lips, he sat up again and extinguished his cigarette. There was a knock at the door.

“Enter,” said the man.

The door slid smoothly to one side and a dark figure stepped into the room. The man at the desk smiled.

“Ah, 19,” he greeted. “Welcome.”

“You called, sir?” asked the melodious voice of the man that had just entered.

“Indeed I did, 19.”

The dark figure sat down in a seat before the man at the desk. He shifted nervously in his chair.

“Well... have you decided?” asked 19.

“Yes... almost,” was the vague reply.

“Sir, what is your decision, then?” asked 19.

But the hooded man did not answer. He was thinking intently.

“I have narrowed it down to a few possibilities,” said the man slowly. “I have narrowed it down to family members only.”

“But sir!” gasped 19. “His family members will never comply to your plans!”

“You will have to trust me on this matter,” replied the man, smiling.

“Why not a close friend or something?”

“Oh?” said the man, amused. “And who would you suggest, 19?”

“Well, I don’t know,” replied 19 nervously. “Perhaps Luke? Or Dr. Edwards?”

“Luke is out of the question,” said the man simply. “You weren’t there during the days of the Fellowship. You don’t have a measure of where Luke’s loyalties lie. He wouldn’t do such a thing. I have thought about him but I see hardly a chance of Luke doing this for me.”

“And Dr. Edwards?”

“He’s a little too hard to reach,” said the hooded man. “He works for our ‘target’ and he may spill the secret out. We need someone who is close to the ‘target’ enough to know about him but not too close so that the ‘target’ would be able to study this person too intensely.”

“But you said a family member,” said 19, confused. “Wouldn’t a family member be too close to the ‘target’? I doubt his wife would do something like that...”

“I am not thinking about Samantha,” interrupted the man abruptly. He smiled again. “I was more pointing towards one of the his sons.”

“Eric or AJ?” 19 raised an eyebrow. “Sir, surely there must be others available---“

“I’m very well aware of that,” said the hooded man sharply. “But one of his sons would be perfect. They know their father well enough to be oriented in his habits. But they are also far enough to be free from their father’s grasp at times. Who else would be better to use as a puppet than Eric or AJ?”

19 was silent. Then--- “Shit,” he muttered.

The hooded man leaned forward. “You doubt my judgment?” the man said dangerously, twirling his thumbs.

“No, sir,” replied 19, almost hesitantly. “I am simply curious at the layout of your plan, that’s all.”

There was complete silence for a moment.

“Tell me, 19,” the man finally said in an amused voice, “are you up for this job?”

19 sat up a little straighter in his seat. “Certainly, sir.”

“Good,” replied the man, smiling once more. “Then tell me, between Eric and AJ, who have I chosen?”

“Perhaps AJ... He is quieter,” said 19. “He’s shyer than his twin and probably won’t be as resistant.”

But the man waved a dismissive hand. “No, 19. You don’t know AJ the way I know him. He can be downright stubborn during the worst of times. When his mind is made up, don’t even try to persuade him to another decision. No... AJ is positive about where his loyalties lie. He would not do anything against his father. AJ would not believe in any story we cook up...”

“So you’re saying... Eric?” said 19 incredulously.

“Precisely,” replied the man. He smiled his thin smile again. “Eric is emotional, and he acts quickly. All we need is a story to make him believe and then he is ours. Of course, 19, I would need you to keep a leash on him in case something goes wrong. But do not fear, I have it all planned out.”

19 settled his eyes on the hooded man. “What would you like me to do for you right now?”

The man looked out the window, at the bustling street beneath him and the chatters of the people. He turned back to 19.

“I need you to track him down for me,” said the man. “He is in New York right now. But don’t disturb him yet... I have to take care of some other business first. But once Eric is back in LA or Chicago or wherever he decides to go--- I need you to go to him immediately.”

19 nodded and stood up. “Yes sir,” he said.

Then he hesitated. “About your other business sir, who- who did you hire?”

19 couldn’t see the man’s face clearly but he could almost sense that the hooded man had raised an eyebrow.

“There is no need to hire anyone,” replied the man at last. He made an impatient noice. “There is no need to hire an assassin... I will take care of it myself. I trust this task to no one else.”

19 looked at him doubtfully but did not speak.

“You’re dismissed, 19,” said the man, waving a dismissive hand at him.

19 inclined his head slightly in respect before walking out of the room.

After 19 left, the hooded man turned back to the CIA files of Eric Parker he had on his desk. He briefly scanned through the top of the first file. It was rather uninteresting.Name: Eric Surname: Parker

Date of Birth: July 31, 2023

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois

Citizenship: American

Race/Division: Caucasian

Education: UCLA

It went on to list several plain facts about Eric Parker, including his parents, his residence, and other information. The man flipped to another page of the CIA files. Here, it got interesting…FOR CLASSIFIED EYES ONLY Name: Elladan

Surname: ???

Aliases: Eric Parker, Eric Frost

Agent Code: 113

Date of Birth: Third Age 130

Place of Birth: Imladris/Rivendell, Europe

Citizenship: Imladris/Rivendell

Race/Division: Elves/Sindarin

Education: ???

The list was quite long, detailing much information on someone by the name of Elladan. There was a timeline of his life, including many facts concerning the elves.

The hooded man smiled. “I’ll have many things in store for you... Eric Parker,” whispered the man. “You are going to help me carry my plans.”

A paper from the files slipped to the marble floor as the hooded man tried to gather them up. On this page of the Eric Parker files was the picture of a different man… with a profile underneath the photograph:

Name: Ethan

Surname: Parker

Date of Birth: May 12, 1997

Place of Birth: Chicago, Illinois

Citizenship: American

Race/Division: Caucasian

Education: Harvard Medical School, PhD

Relationship to Subject: Father

“Ah... Dr. Parker,” said the man, bemused, “What would you think of your son now?”

Beneath his hood, a private smile played on the man’s lips.

It’s perfect, he told himself, and it’s the perfect choice. Eric would do this… he would not be insistently loyal to his father. And then I would get my revenge… That’s right, Elrond, you are going to get what you deserve, and your son is going to help me with that.

All I need, to get Eric, is a story for him to believe…

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Haldir yawned.

“How much longer, Legolas?”

“An hour,” replied the former Mirkwood elf.

“Damn, I hate flying,” grumbled Haldir. “And you could have chosen a supersonic plane, but no, you had to get tickets for one of these old planes!”

“It’s only a few hours in the air, Haldir,” said Legolas, raising an eyebrow. “If I didn’t know you better, I would say you have a fear of flying.”

“I do not,” Haldir denied immediately.

Legolas simply smiled secretly to himself.

“Washington to Chicago is not a long flight,” said Legolas.

“Yeah, for you it isn’t,” grumbled Haldir.

“Turn the TV on or something,” suggested Legolas, pointing to the television screens the plane had installed for every single passenger.

Haldir put on a pair of headphones and took Legolas’s advice by turning on the TV. First class seats definitely had its advantages...

“Let’s see what’s on the news,” said Haldir.

The sports broadcaster was talking away, “The New Jersey Nets are currently in a five game losing streak…”

Suddenly, his face disappeared in midst of a sentence.

The camera turned to CNN reporter, Gloria Arbor as she appeared on the screen. “We bring breaking news to you… This just came in…”

“CIA director, Bill Reinhardt was murdered earlier this afternoon. His body was found in the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia. The cause of death was said to be poisoning. Experts and CIA staff are almost certain that Reinhardt was poisoned by a fellow staff member who is in close connection with him. The officials are currently studying the list of suspects…For the time being,  executive director, Liam Davenport will replace Reinhardt as director of the CIA. That is all news we currently have on the murder of Director Bill Reinhardt, there will be more updates during the primetime news. Tune in then…”

“Shit,” Haldir summed it up in one word.

Legolas was too shocked to say anything.

Bill Reinhardt dead? How could this happen? Reinhardt had been in contact with Legolas just yesterday. Who would have close enough access to Reinhardt to poison him… and so quickly too? There was certainly trouble stirring inside the CIA…

“He was your boss, wasn’t he?” asked Haldir, his fair features drawn into a frown.

“Yeah, that’s right,” replied Legolas slowly. “But how…?”

“And why?” asked Haldir

Legolas couldn’t answer any of his or Haldir’s questions. How could Bill Reinhardt be dead? Who killed him and for what reasons? These questions plagued the mind of Legolas. While the man, Reinhardt, could be irksome at times, Legolas also knew of Reinhardt’s understanding side… Who would kill Reinhardt? Why?

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In Chicago, Elrond Peredhil understood it no better than Legolas. Something was wrong, very wrong. And Elrond knew it. But what was wrong? He just couldn’t put a grasp on it. He stared disbelievingly at the TV screen. This was all wrong. Elrond had only had this feeling a few times during his lifetime… the fading of the powers of the Valar, the ruining of Valinor, the unbalances of power, and all those other times in history when terrible things were about to happen... This dreaded feeling in Elrond was rising.

He hadn’t forgotten Galadriel’s words… “The director of CIA is plotting something--- to harm you.”

But was there a glitch in the prophecy? Did something go wrong in the course of fate? This wasn’t supposed to happen, was it? If Reinhardt is dead, then whom is the prophecy pointing to?

There are so many questions.

What to do? Elrond asked himself.

There was nothing really… nothing but to simply wait… wait and see.

Tomorrow morning, he would contact his sons, and request for their return to Chicago immediately. He would not tell his sons about the prophecy, as Galadriel warned him, but he had a feeling that Elladan and Elrohir would be needed at home.

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Author’s Note: What happened? Did something truly go wrong in the course of fate? Well, you’re going to have to wait and find out… Who is the ‘hooded man’? Who is 19? What is in store of Elladan? Hmm… just wait. You’ll know soon! By the way, who wants to guess right now, considering that I have made it clear that Elladan is the chosen twin by the bad guys to betray his father… WILL ELLADAN BETRAY ELROND? When you review, give me an answer… hopefully with an explanation… though I can accept a simple yes or no answer too. I already have my mind made up on this matter--- let’s see if you guys can amuse me, or *gasp*, even change my mind on the matter!

Thanks to Kelly, my beta-reader.

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.

This chapter of Unfaithful is dedicated to calenore, who has read and reviewed every single one of my stories, and who has never wavered in support. Thank you.

Unfaithful

Chapter 7: From Trivia to Shadow Demons to Housebreaking Demons

Erin Evans plopped down in a seat between Elladan and Elrohir. She felt completely worn out--- that included her muscles, her body, and even her mind. Reinhardt’s death had been a sudden surprise for all of them. She wanted to sleep but she could not; her exhausted yet restless mind was keeping her awake. Erin turned and groaned, trying to ease her sore back and block out the noises emitted from the engines of the plane. At the sound of her groan, Hopkins peered around Elrohir and glanced at Erin.

“You all right, Erin?” he asked concernedly.

Erin waved a dismissive hand. “I’m fine,” she replied. Cocking her head, she said, “Tired, exhausted, constant head rushes... yeah, but I’m fine.”

Hopkins snorted rather unprofessionally.

“Try to sleep.”

“I can’t,” growled Erin, glaring at him.

At this, Elrohir sighed and looked up at her--- Elladan turned around also.

“Well... what do you want to do?” asked Elrohir.

Erin shrugged. “Whatever.”

Hopkins peered at the pile of cue cards Elrohir was holding in his hands.

“AJ, what are those?” asked Hopkins curiously.

“These?” asked Elrohir, holding up the cue cards. Hopkins nodded. “They’re a kind of trivia my father made up,” he explained. “We often quizzed each other with these when we were young, didn’t we Eric?”

“Yeah,” replied Elladan, smiling mysteriously. “We made up all these new questions when we were bored. It’s a good way to remember facts.”

“Very interesting,” said Hopkins, bemused. He nodded towards Erin. “Why don’t you two test her for fun?”

Erin scowled. “What is this? Testing my IQ?”

Hopkins chuckled. “Go on,” he encouraged. “Just try her. I guarantee you, she can be quite difficult at times.”

Elladan raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, here we go,” he began. “Question One: What is a megaparsec?”

Elrohir frowned at him. Did he really expect Erin to answer that correctly? But they were surprised.

“3.26 million light years,” she answered immediately and then smiled smugly at them.

Elladan glanced at his brother, who looked disbelieving.

“Not bad, Erin,” commented Elladan wryly.

The twins took turns asking Erin questions.

“What’s E=mc2?”

“Einstein’s equation.”

“What does E stand for?”

“Energy.”

“m?”

“Mass.”

“c2?”

“The square of the velocity of light in centimeters per second.”

“What is the square root of 5?”

“2.236.”

“The novel, Mrs. Dalloway, is written by which famous female author?”

“How the heck would I know that?” demanded Erin. “Am I supposed to remember every single female author in the world?”

“What’s the capital city of Texas?”

“Who knows...?” grumbled Erin, glaring at Elrohir. “Probably Dallas or something.”

“What is the scientific name for the ‘suicide bags’ inside a white blood cell?”

“Lysosomes.”

“What is the capital city of Canada?”

“I am not any good at geography. Toronto--- no wait; Ottawa... I think.”

“What is 589 times 896?”

“527, 744.”

“What year did Sir Isaac Newton die?”

“1727.”

“The British people loved Queen Elizabeth I and named the years of her reign after their beloved queen. What did they name the time of her rule?”

“Haven’t got the faintest idea. The Queen Elizabeth Reign?”

Elrohir snorted. “Ha, ha,” he commented dryly.

“Name a book written by Professor J.R.R. Tolkien.”

Erin frowned, trying to think. “I don’t read fantasy but I know he wrote a series... can’t remember the name though. Maybe it’s Harry Potter.”

“There are four dimensions; the first, the second, the third, and the fourth. What is the first dimension?”

“A line: ----“

“What is the second dimension?”

“Well, you would square the line so the second dimension is a flat square.”

“The third dimension?”

“You’d square the square so now you have a bottom, sides, and a top. For example: a cube.”

“Fourth dimension?”

“I guess you would square the cube. But you can’t exactly draw it. I guess you would say the fourth dimension is time.”

“Who was Thomas Jefferson?” asked Elladan.

“Some important, historic American guy,” replied Erin vaguely.

Elladan laughed. “Sorry, but that would not be the correct answer.” He turned towards Hopkins.

“Former American president,” Hopkins replied promptly, stealing a smug glance at Erin. “He wrote the American Declaration of Independence in 1776.”

“Recite to me the beginning of the Declaration, starting with: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident...’”

When Erin shrugged indifferently, Hopkins answered for her.

“We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. --- That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers---”

“Okay, okay, I get the point!” Elladan chuckled, cutting him off. “That’s good, that’s good enough.”

Elrohir grinned. “I see what you mean, Mr. Hopkins,” he said, pointing at a scowling Erin. “Her--- I wouldn’t want to teach. She’s brilliant in her own terms, but definitely a little one-sided.”

“Math and science are her specialties,” explained Hopkins, delighting in Erin’s grumpiness. “But when it comes to literature, history, or geography, don’t expect her to be a help.”

An hour later, the four of them were silent again. They grew tired of the trivia and resumed staring ahead blankly, waiting for the plane to reach its destination. Erin vented air from her nostrils impatiently.

“Just a little longer,” said Elrohir, cutting off Erin before she could even ask the question.

“Why did I let Eric drag me on a plane to Chicago?” groaned Erin.

“Because I have nothing to do and you have nothing to do. Therefore two people with nothing to do have no better option than to travel to Chicago,” replied Elladan exasperatedly.

“You obviously failed math,” sniffed Erin.

Elrohir and Hopkins laughed.

“You’ll like Chicago, Erin,” said Hopkins, trying to soothe her impatience. “I think you will like the city a lot. Maybe you will even get to met Dr. Parker--- I know how interested you are in his work.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Erin, looking a little less put off.

“We can arrange that,” Elladan butted in. “My father would like that...”

He and Elrohir exchanged secret glances... knowing that Elrond would be interested in meeting Erin for more than one reason.

The engine of the aircraft rumbled gone, heading west for Chicago. The passengers aboard were either sleeping or resting; none were aware of the darkness that was following them. These shadows were odious, restless, and full of malice. They hid themselves well... traveling across the land in their own means, without the uses of vehicles or aircrafts. Everywhere they went, hatred and destruction followed. They were heading for Chicago.

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Aidan Ellis wasn’t much of a night owl, but he had worked overtime that evening and was now heading home at a rather late hour. He felt uneasy as he walked down the street, heading towards his apartment. The streetlights seemed unusually dim, not giving off much brightness at all. It seemed so dark outside. No, Aidan was not afraid of the dark. It was not the dark that scared him, but rather the cold feeling he had inside--- that something dangerous and evil was close by, waiting for the exact moment to bear down on him.

He shuddered and clutched his case envelope tighter. Keep it together, he ordered himself sternly. This is all crazy. There is nothing dangerous here. Keep it together.

He turned around a corner, peering uneasily down the empty street. He walked slowly, dreading the fact that his footsteps were so clear and crisp in the cold November air.

Suddenly, he froze on the spot. He thought he heard an eerie swishing sound.

He glanced around in all directions, and saw nothing. He continued walking--- but a little while later, he halted, hearing the mysterious swishing sound again...

“Who- who’s there?” asked Aidan, his voice quivering slightly.

There was no answer.

“Come out, wherever you’re hiding!” ordered Aidan. He turned his head in all directions but there was no one there.

“This is your last warning! Show yourself now!” he shouted.

Then, the swishing noise came again, approaching him. Aidan shivered, not from just the cold temperature but from the darkness he felt approaching.

Swish! Aidan gasped and whirled around. He thought he saw a shadow move out of sight. He was shaking in fear. Swish! The noise came again! Aidan could feel his heart pounding painfully inside his chest.

The chilling coldness increased by several times. Aidan could feel that the ‘thing’ was so close...

Then, out of nowhere, a hideous black shadow swooped down upon him! --- Aidan shouted in surprise and fear. He ducked as the shadow swiped over his head, missing by only inches. This was no ordinary shadow... This one was dark--- too dark, and it carried a stench of evil. Aidan opened his eyes a crack and saw the shadow clearly; saw its piercing red eyes and the dark, engulfing, black wings.

The shadow made a terrifying noise and attacked Aidan. This time, they came into contact. It was not like any contact Aidan had ever experienced before. There was no physical feeling, not like a punch in the face or the bruising of a knee--- Like nothing before it, this shadow entered Aidan’s body. He could feel it thrash inside him and trying to drain his energy. The more life he felt being sucked out of him, the stronger the demon grew. Aidan gritted his teeth and screwed up his eyes as he tried with all his might to repel the shadow away. But he was not strong enough to resist it.

Oh no, I don’t want to die now! Aidan thought desperately.

As his energy was leaving him, Aidan thought he heard footsteps approach him. Was it another enemy? The despairing thought plagued his mind.

Later on, all he knew was that he saw a dark figure approach them--- and that the figure held out something in his hand: a vial... that contained the strangest thing imaginable: light. A light brighter than any other artificial light Aidan had ever seen in his life. He saw the figure flash the vial at him. The last thing Aidan remembered was the wraths of the shadow leave him as the luminous light lit up the dark street. He did not even see the face of his savior before he fell into unconsciousness.

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Legolas turned off his television and was ready for a well-deserved night of sleep. It was most likely that everyone in the hotel was asleep and off exploring dreamland--- all except for him.

There was a thump as something heavy hit the door.

Legolas grimaced. Okay, so maybe not everyone was sleeping peacefully.

“Haldir, you could just ring the doorbell like a normal person, you know!” he said exasperatedly.

He wrenched the door open and was prepared to face his companion. But when he looked out the door, it was not the overly cheerful face of Haldir, but the unconscious body of a wounded man.

“Oh shit!” said Legolas, covering his mouth with a hand.

The man had unruly black hair and a young face. He appeared to be exhausted--- not likely to wake any time soon. Legolas bent down to check his pulse. The man was alive; the pulse was weak but still there.

Legolas glanced down both sides of the corridor as he picked the man up. He saw no one. Who had dumped this mortal against his door?

Laying the weakened and unconscious man on his bed, Legolas finally got a good look at the man’s face. The former Mirkwood elf nearly stumbled when he realized the ever so familiar features on the man’s face. Deciding that he would sort this out later, Legolas checked the man’s body over. There were no physical injuries but Legolas was appalled at how weak and almost lifeless the man’s fëar was. Remembering the healing training he had received in his warrior days, Legolas tried to pour some of his own energy into the man. Strangely, he did not feel the man’s spirit strengthen.

Legolas frowned in frustration. It seemed as if there was something in the man that was blocking Legolas’s healing abilities. The Silvan elf suddenly grimaced. His nose twitched slightly. That was strange, he thought to himself. Legolas thought there was the familiar stench of either orcs or Uruk-hai on the man. How odd that was... There has been no orcs around for more than 10 000 years, but Legolas recognized their horrible signature stench in an instant.

A wallet was sticking out from the man’s pocket. Legolas picked it up curiously and found an ID card. The name of the man was Aidan T. Ellis and he worked for Chicago Justice.

After a few more minutes of trying to heal Aidan, Legolas told himself that this was beyond his skill. Only one person could possibly help the man... and Legolas knew where to find him. The elf didn’t hesitate for a fraction of a second before putting on a coat and leaving the hotel, carrying the unconscious man with him.

He hated to disturb Lord Elrond in the middle of the night but this was an emergency.

~*~

After awhile...

The airport was lit cheerily as the bustle of people departed from the plane. Most were puffy eyed and yawning widely from the tiring flight. Several passengers greeted family and friends happily and then headed home or to a hotel for a long rest.

Elrohir yawned widely.

“I’ll never ever travel this late at night again,” he confided. “Ever.”

“I think I’ve got a brain overload,” added Elladan. “Too much information crammed inside here all at once.” He pointed to his head.

They were close to the exit when Hopkins nudged Elrohir.

“Look out,” warned Hopkins.

But it was too late. A fast moving figure tumbled into Elrohir, knocking the Sindarin elf into Erin.

“Watch where you’re going!” snapped Erin.

A cap hid the man’s face as he skittered away without a single glance at Erin or the rest of them.

“Nuts,” said Elladan, shaking his head. “You guys okay?”

“Yeah, whatever... that damn crazy guy,” grumbled Elrohir, rubbing his sore neck. “Let’s get out of here.”

The four of them made it outside where long lines of taxis were waiting to take the passengers to their destinations. That was when they parted ways. Hopkins and Erin decided to get a separate taxi to their hotel while the twins prepared to go home to their parents’ house.

Elrohir settled down in his seat. “It’s cold,” he complained. He rummaged around his coat pocket for a pair of gloves. Instead, he felt his hand connect with a piece of paper. Elrohir pulled it out curiously. How did this get in here? He unfolded it and read the note swiftly.

Parker,

A Shadow Demon attacked Aidan Ellis on Mueller Street earlier tonight. He is exhausted but safe. You should keep sharp eye on him--- the enemy is after Ellis. Don’t be so sure that someone will be there to save him next him.

Ellis was delivered ”Agent Diaz“.

From,

A Friend

P.S. Here’s a hint: Use the light from the star of Eärendil to repel them.

Elrohir stared at the piece of paper. His hand shook slightly. At first, he felt immense guilt at the fact that he wasn’t able to help Aidan; that the only connection to his foster brother had almost been lost. Then he felt nervousness rise in his stomach. Shadow Demons... what were they anyway? Were they a new breed of dark creatures? He was positive that he had never heard of them before. Elrohir’s stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought of the enemy being after Aidan. His heart pounded uneasily at the fact that whomever the enemy was, they already knew the supposed heritage of Aidan--- it was uncanny, especially when Elrohir had just discovered this a few days ago. The thought of spies tailing him entered Elrohir’s mind. Whoever’s behind this must be cunning...

Then, realization dawned on him. A recent scene suddenly surfaced in Elrohir’s mind. The man who ran into me at the airport... He must have slipped the note into my coat pocket, he thought. He had no idea who the man was... They never got the chance to see the man’s face.

Elrohir no longer felt exhaustion. There was something he needed to check out. He turned to Elladan.

“I need to explore a place before we go home,” said the younger twin abruptly.

Elladan frowned. Explore a place? In the middle of the night? Had his brother gone completely crazy?

“You want to explore Chicago at three in the morning?” asked Elladan, looking absurd. “Excuse me while I savor this moment of mentality. Should I even ask why?”

“There’s no time right now,” said Elrohir impatiently. “Aidan has been attacked and I need to check a place out, all right?”

“What?”

He ignored Elladan and leaned over to speak to the taxi driver.

“Drop me off on Mueller Street.”

“Elrohir!” Elladan cut him off. “What happened? What do you mean Aidan has been attacked? Attacked by whom?”

“I- I don’t know,” said Elrohir at last. He took a deep breath. “Go home and tell Father. This is important! Please, Elladan!”

The older twin glanced at his brother warily.

“Okay...” he agreed hesitantly.

“I’ll explain everything later,” said Elrohir rushed. “I promise!”

A while later, the taxi came to a stop at a corner, halting at Mueller Street.

“Thank you,” said Elrohir breathlessly to the driver. “I’ll see you later, Elladan,” he said quickly to his brother.

The taxi drove away, leaving Elrohir in the middle of the street, which was barely lit by the dim streetlights. He walked down the street carefully, checking for any signs of disturbance or clues. If there had been evil here before, Elrohir did not sense it right now.

He had almost reached a large apartment building on Mueller Street when he nearly tripped over something on the pavement. Elrohir bent down: On the ground was a large yellow envelope. He studied it closely; the caption on the envelope read: Case 1869. Beside it was a company’s stamp.

Bingo. Elrohir smiled grimly. He had seen his mother’s work more than once. The signature seal and stamp bore the block-lettered words, Chicago Justice.

Aidan must have dropped this when he was attacked, he mused. Elrohir picked up the envelope. As he was putting it into his coat pocket, a strange sight made him freeze on the spot... On the pavement, carved on the exact area where the envelope had laid, were elvish runes.

“Shadow Demons,” Elrohir translated, reading the runes slowly.

He traced his hand over the marks. The carvings looked too exact and too perfect to be done by a person. When his hands came into contact with the runes, he shuddered at the coldness and malice he felt engraved into the words. Elrohir sensed these feelings ever since the orcs, Uruk-hai, and Balrogs vanished. The searing pain of hatred was the signature of the slaves that followed the former Dark Lord, Sauron.

Elrohir grimaced and pulled away immediately. Taking the envelope with him, he ran away from Mueller Street at top speed. All he wanted was to get away from that dreadful place.

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“Thank you, sir,” said Elladan tiredly but politely to the driver. He handed the man several twenties, knowing that it was more than the fee. “Keep the change.”

Clutching his luggage, Elladan trudged tiredly down the path to his parents’ mansion. The home was large, and it even bore a resemblance to the Last Homely House that they had lived in during the times of middle-earth. The property was large and luxurious. It was located just slightly out of downtown Chicago, which was a convenience for both Elrond and Celebrían.

Rustle rustle.

Elladan was at the door when he heard rustling sounds. He whirled around and dropped his luggage and bags on the porch. He strained his elven instincts, trying to sense something. There were the pattering sounds of footsteps heading around the front of the mansion. Slowly, Elladan followed.

Turning around to the back garden of the house, Elladan glanced around. There! On a spiraling staircase outside of the house were three black-cloaked figures. The black-cloaked demons were terrifyingly dark, blending into the night. They were completely clad in black, and the only things that stood out were their burning red eyes. They were heading up the stairs, trying to reach the balcony so they could enter through the glass door.

“Shit!” cursed Elladan, speeding up as he ran up the spiraling staircase. He heard a shattering sound as the demons broke the glass door.

This was why Reinhardt used to endlessly remind him and other CIA agents to always carry weapons on them. Elladan was thankful for Reinhardt’s reminders at that moment. He whipped out a handgun. Taking quick aim, he fired several shots in succession, taking out one of the demons. The other two demons groaned menacingly, thrashing around, trying to locate Elladan, who was sure that the noise had pretty much woken everyone in the house.

The elf quickly dived through the shattered door, going after the housebreakers. The two remaining demons clawed around the room, denting the hard wood floor and breaking the ornaments that decorated the furniture. Elladan ducked as a beam of red light ejected from one of the demon’s eyes. The laser light hit the glass sculpture behind Elladan and it exploded into a thousand small pieces. Definitely not good, thought Elladan, grimacing.

He fired several shots again. It took over five bullets to kill the second demon. Unfortunately, those were Elladan’s last bullets.

“Damn!” said Elladan. “This is when I wish I had one of my elven swords on me...” he muttered.

He looked frantically around the room, trying to find means of defending himself. As he attempted to make his way across the room, the last remaining demon gave an almighty roar and launched itself at Elladan. The elf ducked but the demon clamped down on top of him. With a quick fist to the demon’s body, Elladan managed to free himself.

Running to the opposite wall, Elladan grabbed one of his father’s antique bows, deciding that Elrond wouldn’t mind him using it if it meant saving his life. The demon, with an inhuman speed was already bearing down on Elladan as the elf notched an arrow. Elladan kicked out sharply at the demon and released the arrow at the same time.

It was impossible to tell if it was a fatal wound or not, for Elladan had no idea where the creature’s vital organs were located.

Several moments later, Elladan felt despairing fear, as the demon did not appear to be badly injured. He braced himself for a hand-to-hand combat as the demon strode towards him again.

“Come with me, elf!” hissed the demon’s terrible, scratched voice. His breath carried a note of doom.

Before the demon could move, there were several flashes of red light as the sounds of gunshots rang in the house. Elladan buried his head in his arms and ducked low as the bullets were aimed at only a few feet away from him. The black-cloaked creature screeched one last time... before keeling over onto the marble floor.

Raising his head at last, Elladan saw who had come to help him.

A golden-haired lady in a white nightgown was holding a gun firmly in her hand. She was beautiful and terrible at the same time. Her face showed no relent or mercy as her eyes flashed dangerously.

“Mother?” said Elladan softly.

She lowered the gun and smiled fondly, --- her facial expressions changing immediately. No longer did Celebrían’s face look cold when her eyes rested on her son.

“Welcome home, Elladan.”

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Fëar--->Spirit, singular

Author’s Note: Hmm... It’s not every day when a mother saves her son from the enemies... Or maybe it is common--- I don’t know. How did you like the trivia? LOL at Erin for being so smart at math and science but knowing nothing when it comes to literature, history, and geography! Anyways, Legolas was never told about Aidan so you can imagine how freaked out he was when he saw him! Of course, our ever so thoughtful warrior elf would put aside his confusion to save someone’s life. Any idea who it was that saved Aidan? --- By the way, yes, the light in the vial is the radiance captured from the star of Eärendil. They’re “Shadow Demons”, I guess they don’t like light very much. *Smirks* Just so you know now, Shadow Demons and the plain Demons Elladan encountered later are different. (Hint: You can’t come into physical contact with Shadow Demons but you can with just plain Demons.) Interesting how the elves sense Shadow Demons/Demons with the same essences as they do with orcs/Uruk-hai/Balrogs... and how they recognize them as slaves of Sauron.

Trivia Answers: (Ones that Erin did not answer correctly...)

Which famous female author wrote the novel, Mrs. Dalloway? Virginia Woolf

What’s the capital city of Texas? Austin

The British people loved Queen Elizabeth I and named the years of her reign after their beloved queen. What did they name the time of her rule? The Elizabethan Age

Name a book written by Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. I don’t know... you tell me!

P.S. You should know that math and science are also my specialties... though I wouldn’t say I am as hopeless as Erin in literature, history, and geography. In one way or another, I enjoy all subjects (well gym is still the best!). Science is definitely the best academic subject!

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.

Author’s Note:

This is not an update!!!

I need a little help. I’m going to ask a few questions and just give me your opinion. When you have your answers, press the review button and tell me what they are. Some of these questions may seem a little strange... you may not understand the reason I’m asking them... or at least, not right away. I may or may not take your suggestions.

1. If someone had to invent a time machine, whom would you choose to invent it?

a) Elrond

b) Glorfindel

c) Galadriel

d) CIA agent

e) Other (please state person’s name)

2. If Aidan had to visit a Canadian city, which city would you choose him to visit?

a) Ottawa

b) Toronto

c) Vancouver

d) Montreal

e) Other (please state the city name)

3. If I decide to allow one of Maglor’s brothers to be alive along with Maglor, which brother would you prefer to have alive?

a) Maedhros

b) Celegorm

c) Caranthir

d) Curufin

e) Amrod and Amras

f) None of them

4. If I need a female Sindarin name (not already used by an existing character in this story) that begins with the prefix, celeb, suggest a few to me: (PLEASE suggest good ones!)

________________, ________________

5. If I need a female modern-day name (not already used by an existing character in this story), suggest a few you would like me to use: (PLEASE by original... I prefer to not have a name like Mary or Sarah suggested over and over again... Maybe names like Audrey, Renée, or something interesting.)

________________, ________________

6. Which character would you like to see more?

________________

7. Would you like to hear my explanation of what happened to Valinor, the powers of the Valar, why the dead from the Hall of Mandos ceased to be resurrected, and etc.?

a) YES! NOW! I can’t wait any longer!

b) Yes, soon.

c) Yes, whenever you decide to tell us.

d) I don’t really care.

e) No, it’s not that important to know. What matters is the story at hand, not some stupid history lesson.

8. Do you want Elladan to betray his father? (Note: I have my mind made up on this matter so it probably wouldn’t matter much on what your answer is... But I would like to hear your opinion.)

a) YES, of course! It makes it all the more dramatic.

b) Yes, he’s a jerk; he’ll definitely go against Elrond.

c) Yes, but not under his own will.

d) Yes, he did, but there’s more to it. It’s not what appears on the surface.

e) NO WAY! Elladan would never do something like that!

f) No, he managed to resist the temptation but was hurt in the process.

g) No, someone else stopped him just in time.

h) No, he didn’t, but there’s more to it. It’s not what appears on the surface.

i) I couldn’t care less.

9. How long do you want Unfaithful to be? (Note: I have planned it out and it is very long right now. I want your opinion.)

a) Make it a serial and split it into several fics.

b) LONG, VERY LONG!

c) Still going by your storyline, try to make it as short as the story would allow.

d) However long you planned it.

e) Length doesn’t matter to me.

10. LOL, I just had to throw this in: What is your favourite school subject (academically... otherwise I would answer gym)? (It’s almost back to school time, I’m just curious... nothing to do with this fic, really!)

a) Math

b) English/Literature

c) Science

d) History/Geography

e) Français or other second language class

f) I hate school.

Thank you ALL so much! Your opinion would help a lot in this matter. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed Unfaithful... the support has been wonderful!

Love,

Alexis

This chapter of Unfaithful is dedicated to Mira (website id: Mira14), who has not only reviewed almost every chapter of my stories, but has also complimented me to death with e-mails of support. Thank you, Mira, for never ceasing to encourage me.

Thank you ALL so much for responding to my questionnaire. It will certainly help me make a few choices! And for those of you who have asked me why Maglor hasn’t showed up yet, he has. I don’t think you’re aware of it, but he has appeared in the story already. Don’t worry; he will play a pretty big role. It was interesting how almost all of you want Glorfindel to invent the time-machine-like device. Another note: I inserted someone by the name of Renée in this chapter. It may seem insignificant right now but there’s a reason why I put her in this story... and it is not for the sake of killing spare time.

By the way (and I’ve had a few people pointing this out to me), I know that Elanor (she’s a character from my other story, Carpe Diem) hasn’t made much of an appearance but she will. Just be patient for a while… after all, I have planned this as a very long story.

Unfaithful

Chapter 8: Agent 19

The volume of the footsteps grew louder.

“Why have you been messing around Mueller Street?” hissed a cold and measured voice as Elrohir came to a sudden halt.

Before you could blink, Elrohir had pulled out a hand gun and was now aiming between the eyes of the stranger.

“Put that thing down!” ordered the stranger, who was clad in black, including the mask that covered his face. The dress-up made him appear as a typical Chicago criminal.

Elrohir ignored him. “Why were you following me?”

The stranger did not even flinch, or in fact show any sign of fear when Elrohir threatened him with the gun. “I wondered what your reaction would be after you read my note,” answered the stranger calmly.

Elrohir lowered his weapon slightly, but frowned.

“You sent me that note?”

The stranger chuckled. “Yes, in fact I did. When I ran headlong into you at the airport, I found the perfect opportunity to slip you a warning.”

Elrohir eyed him suspiciously. “Who are you?” he demanded.

The man flashed an ID card at him. “CIA special agent. My work is classified and top secret. But you can call me Agent 19.”

Elrohir stared. “I see… you’re a CIA agent,” he said slowly, reluctantly putting his gun away. “Who sent you?” persisted Elrohir.

“My boss,” said Agent 19 impatiently. “Who else?”

“Your boss ---Davenport?”

“That’s right,” Agent 19 said coolly. With a mask covering his face, only Agent 19’s two dark brown eyes were visible to Elrohir. “You haven’t answered my first question, AJ, why were you on Mueller Street?”

“The note you wrote told me Aidan was attacked on Mueller Street,” said Elrohir defiantly. “Naturally, I had to come and check it out.”

“That’s really stupid, Parker,” said Agent 19 bluntly, folding his arms. “No one gave you the permission to explore Mueller Street, especially when a dangerous attack had just taken place.”

Elrohir glared at him. “No one forbade me to either,” he shot back evenly.

Agent 19 looked at him seriously. “This is not a joke, AJ.”

“I’m not laughing, Agent 19,” snorted Elrohir.

The dark stranger shot him a strange look. “Davenport told me you would be difficult.”

Elrohir rolled his eyes. He sighed exasperatedly. “What do you want from me?”

“Nothing more than to give you a warning,” said Agent 19 patiently. His deep, intense brown eyes bored into Elrohir. “You want to be careful, AJ. The streets are not safe at night. You saw the markings of that Shadow Demon didn’t you? More will be around soon.”

Forgetting his aloofness to Agent 19, Elrohir couldn’t help but be intrigued. “What are Shadow Demons?”

“They are foul creatures, bred by their master,” replied Agent 19 indifferently. “They are made of evil and hatred, and they can suck life from living things. Shadow Demons only work around at night, they can not withstand daylight.”

There was something very strange about the way Agent 19 spoke. Elrohir was slightly bothered by the fact that the agent spoke about magic and ‘Shadow Demons’ like he wasn’t surprised at all. Even the top secret CIA agents who knew about the elves, immortality, and magic were often surprised and slightly disbelieving at any slight mention of magic.

It’s nothing, Elrohir told himself as he shook off the suspicion.

“Was Aidan all right, then?” he asked worriedly.

Agent 19 hesitated. “Well I’m not sure what you mean by all right. He was exhausted and de-energized, but he was alive and he will recover. I delivered him to Agent Garcia.”

“Agent Diaz,” corrected Elrohir out of habit.

The special agent simply shrugged. “I don’t see much anonymity in calling Luke by his disguise name right now. Aliases aren’t going to fool the enemy for long.” Then he shook his head. “Never mind about that, AJ. What’s important is that there will be no lasting harm done to Aidan. Agent Garcia has probably delivered him to Aiglin Medical Clinic already. Under the care of Dr. Parker, Aidan will recover in no time. However, these days you need to tread carefully, especially after the sun sets.”

“So at night, Shadow Demons are nearly invincible?” asked Elrohir.

“Not invincible,” said Agent 19, shaking his head. “Check the note I wrote, AJ. The light from the star of Eärendil can repel them… I’m not sure why, perhaps it is because of the love and hope the star represents. Shadow Demons cannot understand these things; that may be the reason for their destruction once you shine the light upon them.” He cut himself off when he realized the strange look on Elrohir’s face. “Something the matter, AJ?” he asked smoothly.

The elf had narrowed his eyes. “Yes, in fact something is wrong,” he replied coolly. “Tell me, Agent 19, how is it you know about the star of Eärendil?”

There was a long moment of silence from Agent 19, who was pondering how to respond the question.

“The CIA knows everything,” he replied at last.

Elrohir glared at him. He hated that phrase Reinhardt had always used. Whenever someone replied to him like that, he knew they were not telling the whole truth.

“Well, that’s just it, Agent 19,” said Elrohir coldly. “The CIA doesn’t know.”

Elrohir could almost sense the agent raising an eyebrow beneath the mask.

“Maybe the CIA doesn’t know, but I know,” stated Agent 19 calmly.

“You’re a mortal, you shouldn’t know,” demurred Elrohir, staring warily at the CIA agent. “Who told you?”

But Agent 19 simply shook his head. “You don’t trust me do you, Elrohir, son of the Peredhil?”

Elrohir took an involuntary step back. He shook his head violently. “How is this possible?” he demanded. “How do you know all this? Even Reinhardt did not know and he was the only one we spoke directly to about our secret!”

Agent 19 smiled mysteriously as he began backing away from Elrohir. “I can’t tell you right now, AJ, but just trust me.”

He turned to face the former Imladris elf for a brief moment. “Look after the two mortals, Elrohir.”

Before Elrohir could answer, the agent had camouflaged himself among the shadows and disappeared moments later. Elrohir glanced around but could not track down the agent. For a mortal, Agent 19 definitely had the most amazing stealth Elrohir had ever seen.

“Trust him? He wants me to trust him…” muttered Elrohir annoyed. “How can I trust a mortal, who works for the CIA, calls me Elrohir, knows more than he’s supposed to, warns me about danger, and then flees away?”

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Aiglin Medical Clinic:

“How are you holding out?”

“Okay I guess.”

“How’s the patient?”

The second girl sighed. “Better, I think. You can never be too sure. He was so ghostly pale when they brought him in. It must have been something very serious if Dr. Parker had to personally treat him in the middle of the night.”

The first girl gave her friend a reassuring smile. “If Dr. Parker is treating him, he’ll be better in no time, Renée.” She gestured to a chair. “Sit down, girl! You look completely worn out. Night shifts just don’t agree with you.”

“Tell me about it,” muttered the second girl, Renée. “You look fine yourself.” She looked her friend over. The first girl’s chocolate brown skin was luminous and her cheeks glowed healthily. Her dark brown eyes were full of life and showed no exhaustion for one working so late into the night.

“I’m used to it, girl,” she shrugged. “What can you say? I’m a night owl.” She smiled. “I love staying up at night... it was a nasty habit of mine as a kid that I never got rid of.”

“Well bully for you, Charlene,” grumbled Renée.

The dark-skinned girl, Charlene, patted her shoulder. “Oh ease up, Renée,” she said cheerfully. “You’re new--- you’ll get used to it. Besides, you can always resort to daytime shifts if it starts killing you.”

“Way to go with the optimism,” said Renée sarcastically. Then she smiled. “Actually, I would have changed to daytime shifts long ago but that would mean I could no longer accompany you.”

“You’re a sweet girl at times, Renée,” smiled Charlene. “I used to be an angel when I was your age... but that was a long time ago.”

“Not that long,” Renée pointed out. “You’re only 28, Charlene. That’s not too old.”

Charlene snorted. “And you’re 18, Renée.”

Renée opened her mouth to say something but Charlene cut her off.

“911 alert,” said Charlene quietly, peering over the younger girl’s shoulder.

Renée grinned and whirled around. “Who is it?”

911 alert was a code she and Charlene made up. They would whisper it to each other whenever a hot guy approached. The alert had never been whispered in the middle of the night until now.

“Newcomer I guess,” said Charlene, eying the young man. “I don’t remember him visiting before. Oh man, Renée, are you seeing this? He is damn hot, this one!”

The young man had short raven black hair that crowned his head with a messy kind of elegance. He was very tall and carried himself gracefully. Renée noticed the bandages that were wrapped around the man’s right leg and right hand. But it appeared that the injuries did not bother him too greatly.

“How may I help you, sir?” asked Charlene, at the same time nudging Renée meaningfully.

“I am here for an appointment,” answered the young man in his smooth and low voice.

“At four in the morning?” said Charlene, raising her eyebrows.

“It’s an appointment with my father,” he shrugged. “I can come in anytime really.”

“Is your father a patient?”

“No, he’s a doctor.”

“Okay, I am going to confirm your appointment, sir,” said Charlene. “Please state your name and your doctor.”

“Eric Parker and I’m here to see Dr. Ethan Parker,” he replied.

For a moment, both Charlene and Renée froze.

“Oh... I-I’ll go confirm that for you,” said Charlene at last. She turned to leave but not before giving Renée a prodding look.

Renée quickly went back to studying the clipboard in her hand, though her mind was clearly elsewhere. Eric Parker leaned against the desk and cleared his throat softly. Renée’s head snapped up.

The young man grinned and held out a hand. “Hi, I’m Eric.”

“I know,” said Renée without thinking as she shook his hand. But to her relief, Eric did not take offense.

He laughed lightly. “I guess you do, Renée.”

“How do you know my name?” she asked curiously.

Eric pointed to her badge, ‘Renée Forsythe, DA’.

“Oh right,” muttered Renée, glancing at her badge.

“What’s a DA?” asked Eric.

“Doctor’s Assistant,” replied Renée shortly. She had not meant to sound impatient but the snappy voice always surfaced unintentionally when she didn’t know how to deal with a stranger, especially a good-looking one.

Eric noticed her dismissive tone and he raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

Renée was positively dying and Charlene could not have come back at a better time.

“Well, Dr. Parker is in the intensive care unit, ward 143,” said Charlene. “Wear this, it is your clearance pass,” she explained handing him a silver bracelet. “Renée will escort you.”

If looks could kill, Charlene would be six feet under from the venomous glares Renée shot at her. But Charlene simply rolled her eyes and gave an encouraging smile. Renée would have gladly thumped her head against the wall.

“Follow me, Mr. Parker,” she said stiffly.

“It’s Eric,” he corrected.

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The moment Elrond left Aidan’s room; Legolas approached him immediately. The blonde elf had not slept a wink. His fair golden hair was frazzled but he did not seem to care. His face showed the utmost concern.

“How is he, Lord Elrond?” he asked immediately.

Elrond hesitated for a moment. The silence hung in the air. Legolas dreaded the answer.

“He is stable,” said Elrond slowly. He rubbed his temples slightly.

“But...” prodded Legolas, knowing there was more to it.

“Not in here,” said Elrond, peering down the hallway. He took Legolas’s arm and led him into Aidan’s room. “Sit down,” he said, pointing to a chair beside Aidan.

Elrond leaned against the wall. He sighed. “It was really lucky thing that you found him in time, Legolas. If you had waited a little longer, Aidan’s condition would have been beyond recovery. There was something that drained almost all of his energy...”

Legolas nodded, at last realizing how serious it had been. This did not raise his spirits at all; instead the fear inside him grew.

“He will be okay now?” asked Legolas uncertainly.

Elrond gave a small smile. “Yes, Legolas, be assured. Aidan will recover. For a few days, he may feel a lot more tired than he would like but he will definitely be thankful that he is still alive.”

The younger elf did not reply. The flickering flame of thought in the back of his head would not fade away. Before, Aidan’s condition had been too critical for his musings to bother him too greatly. But now, the thought spread through his brain like wildfire. It was like an unveiled longing that refused to fade away.

“Does something still bother you, Legolas?” asked Elrond gently.

Legolas took a deep breath. “Yes,” he said slowly. He directed his gaze to Aidan... to the young man’s shaggy black hair, familiar face, and his haunting resemblance.

“Who is he?” asked Legolas, his voice was hoarse. “And I don’t mean ‘who’ by his name. Who exactly is he? He- he looks like someone else...” He felt the lump in his throat rise and he could not continue.

“He looks a lot like Estel doesn’t he?” said Elrond quietly. The elf-lord watched as Legolas tried to push his pain from the past behind him. It was when Legolas lifted his head to face him that Elrond saw the wild desperation in the younger elf’s eyes.

“But he isn’t,” said Legolas flatly. He turned his gaze away from Aidan and stared at the floor. “It doesn’t matter, Lord Elrond, he is not- Aragorn.” He said his friend’s name like it was word that was seldom used.

“Elrohir did not tell you?” asked Elrond quickly. Legolas’s head snapped up.

“Tell me what?”

“This will take awhile,” he sighed. “Just sit back and listen Legolas. I didn’t know that Elrohir had not told you yet... But you deserve to hear this.” Elrond paused. “You were right about something, Legolas. Aidan Ellis is not Aragorn, but he is Aragorn’s latest descendant. And as you have already noticed, Aragorn’s genes run quite strongly in Aidan. Almost kind of a miracle if you think about it...”

“How did you find him?” asked Legolas, still staring doubtfully at the unconscious Aidan.

“I didn’t find him,” replied Elrond. “Elrohir ran into him a few days ago completely by chance. Aidan was on a business trip in New York and he happened to meet Elrohir in a bar.”

“And imagine the chances of that...” said Legolas wryly. “Of all the people you could meet in a day, Elrohir just happened to cross paths with the descendant of Aragorn.” Though his voice came across as almost sarcastic, inside, Legolas knew the truth. There was no way to deny it the moment he saw Aidan’s face.

Elrond surveyed the younger elf for a moment. He could almost see the internal struggle Legolas was fighting. He wanted to truly sympathize with Legolas because he knew himself what unfading pain felt like... forever pounding into your very soul.

“Aidan’s middle name is Telcontar,” said Elrond quietly. “Now why would someone living in 2050 have a Quenya middle name that happened also to be the name of King Elessar’s House?”

Legolas stared straight ahead, unresponsive.

“When he wakes up, you can talk to him,” suggested Elrond.

When Legolas opened his mouth to reply, he was interrupted by a sharp knock at the door. A girl poked her head in. She wore no makeup and her wheat blonde hair was fixed hastily into a small ponytail. On her uniform was a Doctor’s Assistant badge.

“I am sorry to interrupt, Doctor, but your son has arrived,” she said, opening the door to let the tall young man behind her enter.

“Eric!” Legolas recognized him immediately.

Elrond smiled also. “Thank you, Renée.”

The girl gave a short nod of acknowledgement before closing the door behind her.

“Hiya, Elladan!” said Legolas, clapping his friend’s shoulder. “Didn’t expect you to arrive at four in the morning.”

“It wasn’t exactly in my itinerary,” replied Elladan wryly. He turned to his father.

“It’s wonderful to be back, Father,” he said smiling. He embraced his father, who returned the warm welcome.

“I’m glad you’re home, Elladan,” said Elrond. He took a good look at his son. “I haven’t seen you in five years... and seven years before that.”

Elladan smiled sheepishly. “Well, I’m a bit of a wanderer... I get carried away with all the missions.” He sat down in a stuffed chair and grimaced as he tried to shift his right leg.

“Let me take a look at that,” ordered Elrond. While he was fixing Elladan’s injured leg and hand, he noticed the stench of evil left on the injuries that was not unlike the shuddering signature of evil that touched Aidan.

“What happened, Elladan?” asked Legolas.

“I had a fight with a couple of demons and it didn’t turn out quite the way I wanted,” responded Elladan. “I was lucky Mother came to help me just in time. Damn demons...”

“Demons?” asked Elrond. He frowned questionably at Elladan.

“After the demons were killed, Mother and I found elvish runes burnt into the floor. They said ‘demon’ and we think it’s their signature. But here’s the strangest thing; when I first scented the demons, I thought they were orcs. Unfortunately, the demons are stronger creatures than orcs.”

Elrond pondered Elladan’s words for a moment. Everything was coming together, confirming his fears.

“Who could be setting these demons loose?” wondered Legolas aloud. “Did demons attack Aidan also?”

“I don’t know,” said Elladan, shaking his head. “What I do know is that I haven’t felt this way since Sauron’s reign of terror in the Third Age and Melkor’s attack on Valinor and middle-earth late in the Fourth Age. But whoever ordered the attack on Aidan must have spies everywhere. No one is supposed to know about Aidan’s heritage.”

Elrond did not speak. He was trying to come to a decision.

“It’s not safe anymore,” he said slowly. Elladan and Legolas looked at him immediately. “Galadriel warned me about this.”

“What did Grandmother say?” asked Elladan, his voice quivering slightly.

Suddenly, a dark look crossed Elrond’s face as his eyes rested on his son.

“Darkness is rising,” said Elrond, choosing his words carefully. “Galadriel saw a prophecy in the mirror. It told her that an old threat would return to haunt us all.” He carefully left the part about the plot to harm him. Thankfully, neither of the two younger elves found anything amiss. “I won’t go through the whole prophecy for you, but the safety of Aidan and Erin is essential.”

“Erin?” questioned Legolas.

Elrond and Elladan exchanged looks.

“We have a lot to explain to you, Legolas,” said Elladan at last.

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Author’s Note: Ugh, horrible chapter! It didn’t turn out the way I wanted it to. Anyways, this chapter was supposed to tie a few things together and arouse a few suspicions at the same time. I really don’t know if I’ve accomplished that. Oh well, wish me better luck on the next chapter!

Thanks to Kelly, my beta-reader.

If you haven’t replied to my questionnaire yet, PLEASE DO SO! It would help me a lot to hear your opinions.

PLEASE REVIEW!

References to the Lord of the Rings (i.e. characters, places, events, etc.) are Copyrighted © Professor J.R.R. Tolkien. Original characters, plots, and events are Copyrighted © 2003 Alexis Delaflote, all rights reserved.