Summary: In the spring of 2012, four American children find themselves thrust into an unfamiliar world and part of an unexpected adventure.  This story is AU, and blends Lord of the Rings book-verse and movie-verse.  This story also contains a lot of spiritual and religious content as a part of the AU elements.

Disclaimer: The world of Middle-earth and all its peoples belong to the estate of J.R.R. Tolkien; the three films of The Lord of the Rings​ belongs to New Line Cinema and to Peter Jackson.  This story is not for profit, but is a gift for the enjoyment of those who read it.

Citations: In most chapters, there will be some quotations directly from both the books and/or the movies.  Quotations from Tolkien's books are in italics, and quotations from the movies are underlined.  Occasional quotations from other sources as well as silent dialogue, words spoken in emphasis, and passages from the Bible will also be in italics, and those citations will be footnoted at the end of each chapter in which they occur. We will also footnote research sources and credit the ideas of other people.

Thanks: We would also like to acknowledge the invaluable help of our beta, Linda Hoyland, another well-known and prolific LotR fanwriter, whose many wonderful stories also grace this site.

Chapter 100: What We Do

Jennifer recovered her wits first.  She looked at Megan and made a shushing gesture by putting her finger over her mouth, shaking her head and winking, since she was standing out of her mother's sight.

Gail didn't notice, as she was looking at Steve, expecting an answer.

Steve shook his head.  "Nothing much, just that Jennifer was telling us she's expected at her dormitory soon for a small birthday celebration for one of her friends."

"Oh, that's nice.”  She smiled at her older daughter.  "Which one of your friends?  Is it Lalaith?"

Nodding, Jennifer furrowed her brow.  “You know, I don’t know whether to take her a gift or not.”

"It couldn't hurt," her father said.  "After all, everyone likes presents."

"But not everyone in Middle-earth likes them on their birthday," Joey interrupted.  "The hobbits have always said it was rude to give someone a present on their birthday.  It has to be the day before or after!"  He paused, and then added, "Or else before noon on their birthday."

"That's true," said Kevin.  "But they also said only hobbits have that custom."

The family moved to sit down, and Gail said, "Well, how about a custom from our home, something simple you could do for her right now?"

"What do you mean?" asked Jennifer hopefully.

"Well, there's a desk by the window, and some stationery, quills, and ink inside the drawer.  You can't buy a card, since that's not a custom here.  Why don't you sit down and write her a little birthday note, and maybe draw a small picture on it?  Make her a birthday card.  That's a custom from home, and I am sure she would appreciate it."

Jennifer gave her mother a quick hug.  "Mom, you're a genius!  Thanks!  I'll do it right now."  She quickly went over to the little desk and sat down, opening the drawer to get out the supplies.  While Jennifer applied herself to the task, Gail and Steve sat down on the settee.  Megan quickly ensconced herself in her mother's lap, and Kaylee snuggled up against her father on the other side.  Kevin took a nearby chair, while Joey flopped down on the floor between his parents.

"So, Joey?" Steve said.  "What were you up to, while we were doing business with Princess Lindiriel?"

With a laugh, Joey grinned, remembering the unexpected encounter with Menelcar.  "You won't believe this one!  We set out with Lord Faramir and Lady Eowyn for some boring meeting, but then we ran into an old friend of Pippin's!  Did you know a couple of years ago, Pippin almost ran away from home to be a minstrel's apprentice?"*  As he regaled his parents and Kevin with the tale, and they listened with wonder to the story, Jennifer finished inking her little card, and then, quietly leaving it on the desk to dry, she went to sit next to her mother and listen as well.

"So, I left when Pippin started tuning that fiddle, and me and Gimli went to go see the guesthouse…"

"That's really neat!  There were some minstrels over in the camp across the river.  I wonder if he was there?" asked Jen, from her spot at the desk.

"I don't know," answered Kevin, "but I hope we can get to meet him, too."  He paused and glanced out the window.  "Oops!  It's almost sunset!  I need to go find the captain.  I think I might be on watch tonight."

“If we don’t see you back here tonight, we’ll see you tomorrow, son,” Steve said.  Kevin rose and said good-bye to his family, before heading out the door.

“Funny thing is, Menelcar didn’t look like the minstrels I’ve seen in pictures or on TV,” Joey said thoughtfully.  “You know—like the ones in the Middle Ages.”  He looked at Jennifer.  “I wish you could have met him, too, Jennifer.”

“Well, maybe soon, we’ll all get to meet him,” Gail said, and her husband nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, I’m looking forward to meeting this professional singer,” Steve said.

Joey grinned.  “A professional singer and musician!”  He and the others laughed.  “You won't find him touring and holding any big concerts, though!”  The others laughed.

“Nope, nor cutting any CDs, either,” Gail added, with an amused smile.

Rising to her feet, Jennifer returned to the desk, where she picked up her card and checked to see that it was completely dry.  On the outside, she had sketched a poppy, with the petals in red ink, and the leaves and stem in green; in red ink, she had also drawn a tiny heart.  On the inside, she had written in Westron: ‘Dear Lalaith, thank you for being a good friend to me in hard times.  I hope that you are having a wonderful birthday!  Happy birthday, and many happy returns!

‘Love, your friend,

Jennifer’

She took the card over to her mom for approval.  “What do you think, Mom?” she asked.

Gail looked it over, inside and out, and smiled at Jennifer.  It was clear that Gail could not read the message, since she hadn’t had the time to learn to read and write Westron as the children had, but she definitely liked the picture that Jennifer had drawn.  “I would certainly like it, and I’m sure Lalaith will, too.”  She handed it back to Jennifer, who smiled.

“Thanks, Mom.”  Jennifer returned to the little desk to fold and seal the card with a little wax from the candle.  It seemed that Middle-earth didn't use envelopes.

Gail glanced down as Megan shifted her position.  The three-year-old was drifting off.

Kaylee sat up and yawned.  As she did so, she moved her head from her father's side.  "Oh!  I have something sticky in my hair."

She put her finger to the side of her head and frowned, sucking her finger afterwards.  "Oh, it is sticky!  I think I got honey in my hair."

"Probably after lunch."  Gail sighed.  "Steve, would you put Megan to bed, while I take Kaylee to the bathing room?"

"Of course," he said, standing up to swap children.

Kevin and Joey walked out into the corridor with their mother and sister as Gail went down the corridor to the large bathroom.  The boys said, "Good night," to their mother and sister and continued on to their nightly duties.

Gail ushered Kaylee into the bathroom, as the brothers continued on their way.

"I'm glad Megan didn't say anything else about Mom's birthday," said Kevin, as soon as he was satisfied that their mother was out of earshot.  "She would have let the cat out of the bag, for sure."

"I know,” said Joey.  "By the way," he added, "when is Mom's birthday, now that we are here?  I am pretty sure we've missed it here."  He thought for a moment and shook his head.  "I’m pretty sure we did."

Kevin nodded. "I am fairly certain we've already missed Easter here, too.  The calendar is so different.  But Dad's been keeping track of the days in the calendar at the back of his notebook.  We missed last year's Easter, and we’ve also missed Mom's birthday, but it still seems like we are still going to celebrate Easter here, though we are off by a couple of weeks.  It's still spring here, anyway."

Joey grinned.  "Yeah, well, one thing’s for sure—Mom will really be surprised, won't she?"

Kevin laughed.  "She sure will, since it won't actually be her real birthday!  I'd bet you dollars to doughnuts that she hasn't even thought about her birthday at all!"

Both boys laughed as they reached the doors of the Citadel.  As they parted, Kevin to head for the Guardsmen's tower, and Joey to go back to Boromir's quarters, they said, "Good-night."

-oo000oo-

Steve did his best to take Megan without awakening her.  She stirred slightly, and then looked up at him.  

"Daddy?"  Her tone was puzzled.  "Where's Mommy?"

Steve chuckled.  "We traded.  I'll be putting you to bed tonight.  Mommy had to go wash Kaylee's hair.  She got it all sticky with honey at lunchtime."

"Oh.  OK.  I like when you do it sometimes," she said.

Steve pulled Megan closer with his right arm, and then he used his left hand to open the door to the room shared by the two little girls and Mairen.  The room was semi-dark, lit only by the moonlight through the window.  He saw that Mairen had thoughtfully laid out the little girls' nightgowns on their bed, before she had gone to find Avorn.  There was certainly enough light to see by.  He helped Megan to undress and picked up the nightgown.  It was one that Mairen had sewn for her—plain white linen, with short sleeves.  There was a small spray of blue flowers on the yoke that Kaylee had added.  "I can put it on, Daddy!” Megan protested.  “I'm a big girl."

Steve sat back as she wiggled into it.  “You certainly are,” he told her, when she had finished.  “You’re my big girl!”

Steve moved the other nightgown to the foot of the bed.  It was the one that Kaylee had made by herself, under Arwen’s instruction in Rivendell; she hadn’t outgrown it yet.  The stitches on the little daisy Kaylee had added to her own nightgown were less perfect than the stitches on the recent one for Megan.  Steve smiled with pride at how much his middle daughter had improved over her time here, and not just in her sewing skills.  Thank you, Lord, he silently prayed, for all my children have learned in their time here.  When we go home, I don’t know what You’re going to have them do with the lessons they’ve learned here, but I thank You for giving them the chance to learn them.

Megan slipped off the edge of the bed and knelt beside it.  She folded her little hands together and bowed her head.  Steve knelt next to her, placing his arm around her shoulders.

"‘Now I lay me down to sleep.

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

Watch over me all through the night,

And wake me with the morning light.’

“Bless Mommy and Daddy, and Jennifer and Kevin and Kaylee and Lucy, and Mairen, and Frodo and Sam and Merry and Pippin, and Aragorn and our angel Gandalf and Legolas and Gimli, and Lady Arwen and Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn and Lord Glorfindel, and Avorn and Radagast and Lord Elrond, and the other kids we met today.  In Jesus name…wait, Daddy—did I miss anyone?"  She raised her head to look at Steve as she asked him that question.

Steve stifled a chuckle.  "I don't think so, kitten."

"Well, just in case.”  She bowed her head again.  “Anyone else I forgot.  In Jesus' name, A—a—a—men."  

He had pulled down the covers, so he helped her up and into the bed, where she scooted up by the wall, so Kaylee wouldn't disturb her when she came in.  Steve gently raised the covers over her shoulders, and then he bent over to kiss her on the forehead.  She returned the kiss on his cheek.

He whispered, "I'm glad you remembered Mommy's birthday, munchkin."

"Me, too," she whispered back.  "Love you, Daddy." 

"I love you too, Megan," he whispered back.  "Good night."

Her eyes were already drifting shut.  He paused a moment by the door and then slipped out, leaving only a sliver open, so he could hear her if she called out.

Thank you, Lord, for my baby girl, he thought, as he sat down on the settee, and pulled out his notebook to jot down the day's events, as he'd done every day ever since they had found themselves in this strange world.

-oo000oo-

*Told in Dreamflower’s story, “Life of a Bard,” (http://storiesofarda.com/chapterlistview.asp?SID=2760) which is posted here on Stories of Arda.