A/N: I took a few liberties with the descriptions of the characters, but I believe they still stay true to the books' descriptions. I also apologize for the length of my chapters. They're short, but it's the easiest way for me to write currently.

Goldberry was a beautiful woman with a sweet, musical voice that made me instantly at ease. She was a tall, thin woman with beautiful features and golden hair that hung to her waist in loose waves. Her dress was a beautiful shade of forest green with slivers of silver thread running vertically along the fabric. A belt of golden lilies and light blue forget-me-nots hung low on her hips and a single white lily was pinned to her hair above her left ear.

Tom introduced me to the woman and explained that I was lost, which made Goldberry jump out of her chair and rush to my side. "Oh, you poor dear. The forest is a terrible place to get lost in at night." She looked into my eyes, searching, and then smiled. "You are very welcome here."

"T-Thank you," I stammered awkwardly, flashing her a confused smile.

The woman escorted me to a chair and gestured for me to sit down. Tom then reappeared, though when he had left I wasn't sure, and offered me a mug of water. "Oh, gosh. Thank you, sir," I mumbled in surprise as I wrapped my hands around the mug.

"Please, Tom'll do."

I nodded in understanding and let my eyes fall to the rim of the mug. Goldberry brushed past me, her dress moving against her legs the only sound she made, and then sat down on her own chair beside Tom. I took a sip of the water and then lightly cleared my throat.

"So then, Miss Diana Scott," Tom began slowly. "You have no knowledge of where you are or how you came to be in the Barrow Downs. Your attire is certainly not of any I have seen in Middle Earth yet. And yet you seemed to recognize me and addressed me by name."

My heart clenched and my breath stuck in the middle of my throat. I avoided Tom and Goldberry's curious eyes and instead focused my gaze on Tom Bombadil's brightly colored shoes.

"Miss Diana?" Goldberry asked softly. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye. "I can tell that you are very lost and frightened, but I promise you that we aren't here to judge or harm you. We only want to help you, if we can."

"Am I dreaming?" I wondered.

"Why would you think you are?" Tom questioned.

I chewed nervously on my lower lip for a moment. "Never mind," I sighed with a shake of my head. I thought for a few seconds and then looked back at my two hosts. "Um, what… What year is it?"

Tom raised an eyebrow at me. "3002."

"O-Okay. Um, just a second." Placing the mug of water on the floor next to my chair, I reached into my shoulder bag and pulled out my largest book and quickly flipped to the back. I rapidly turned page after page until I found what I was looking for. My eyes scanned over the timeline, searching for the number 3002, and finally landed on a few lines that made me gasp. "Oh."

The book read:

3001 – Bilbo's farewell feast. Gandalf suspects his ring to be the One Ring. The guard on the Shire is doubled. Gandalf seeks for news of Gollum and calls on the help of Aragorn.

3002 – Bilbo becomes a guest of Elrond, and settles in Rivendell.

"What month is it?" I asked, my gaze still locked on my book.

"January. The exact date is January 3," Tom replied hesitantly.

I looked up from my book in shock. "What did you say?"

"January 3, my dear."

"That's the exact same day I left," I breathed.

"Left?" Goldberry repeated. "Do you remember where you left from before you came here?"

A pounding ache began to settle in my skull just above my eyes. I quickly stuffed my book back into my bag and then pressed my palm to my forehead. Goldberry pushed herself out of her chair and slowly approached me with one arm stretched in my direction.

"Are you alright, Diana?"

I groaned in pain and leaned forward, the floor swaying beneath me. "My head," I said through my teeth. "I-I don't feel good."

Then the floor came rushing up to meet me, and my head burst with pain for a second before I blacked out again.

I was standing in a beautiful city that I had seen many times before back home: Rivendell. The sun was just coming over the horizon, birds were singing and flying from tree to tree, and behind me I could hear light footsteps.

"You were never meant to come here," Galadriel whispered, her voice sending a chill up my spine.

"Then why am I here?" I asked.

She stood beside me and looked over what we could see of the city. "I do not yet know. Many things remain to be seen, things not even I or Lord Elrond can foresee. But you bring great change with you, Diana Scott, that much is certain."

"Will I ever go home?"

Galadriel turned to look at me and her eyes turned soft and gentle. "That too I cannot tell. But I suspect that your home must remain nothing more than a memory."

"I'm scared."

The elf reached out her hand and brushed her fingers against my cheek with a comforting smile. "I know you are afraid. Find comfort in the friends you will make and know that if I can, I shall help you. It would be wrong of me to refuse you aide when coming to Middle-Earth was not of your doing."

"Thank you," I told the elf.

"This is real. As much as you may want this world to be but a dream, it is a dangerous reality and you must understand that." She drew her hand back and nodded at me. "Until we meet again, Diana. I wish you good fortune."

My vision tunneled and zoomed out like a camera lense. The sensation of falling from a great height overwhelmed me and I cried out in terror.

I woke with a start, my eyes flying open and a strangled gasp escaping my lips. Goldberry was by my side in an instant with a damp cloth, which she pressed to my forehead. Her other hand rested firmly on my elbow and kept me from lashing out.

"You were dreaming," she said softly as she dabbed the cloth against my skin.

"Galadriel," I gasped. "It was Galadriel."

"The Lady of Light?"

I pushed the woman's hand away from my face and sat up, realizing that I was still on the ground where I had passed out. A pillow had been placed under my head and a blanket spread across my legs and waist. I kicked the blanket off and scrambled to my feet, swaying dangerously at first.

"Miss Diana, you must lie down!" Goldberry insisted. "You hit your head against the floor very hard."

"My bag? Where's my bag? You can't-." I held my hand against my throbbing forehead and took a hesitant step forward. "You can't read it. You can't."

"Your books are safe."

I shook my head. "But you can't read them," I repeated.

Goldberry stood and gently took my hand in hers. "Then I won't," she told me with a smile. "I promise."

"Tom Bombadil… He can't-…"

"Then neither will he. I promise. We would not compromise your trust, Miss Diana. Now please, lie back down and rest. You'll feel better."

I slept without any dreams that night and woke midafternoon the next day. Tom Bombadil was singing to himself in another room and outside I could just make out the sound of Goldberry humming. I pushed myself to a sitting position and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

Glancing down, I spotted my bag and sighed in relief. Another mug of water had been placed a few feet away from my spot on the floor, along with a plate of bread and cheese that I gobbled up in a few seconds.

I slowly pulled myself to my feet, stretching and letting out a long yawn. I picked up the blanket and wrapped it around my shoulders and headed for the front door. Pushing it open, I saw Goldberry outside humming and dancing in the grass, which was mysteriously free of snow considering the month. She spun around on her toes and stopped with a grin when she spotted me.

"Oh, you're awake!" I smiled and nodded. The blonde woman stepped forward and grasped my hands. "Tom was hoping you would wake soon. He wanted to talk to you some more. Perhaps we can find some friends of yours who can help you back home?"

"I don't have very many friends," I admitted. Here or back home, I added to myself. "But… Galadriel. The lady Galadriel is… sort of a friend." Do dreams count as making friends? I wondered.

"Tha's a very impressive friend, if you don't mind me saying so," Tom said from behind me.

I turned around to face him and felt my cheeks flush. "She's more of an acquaintance, actually. Sort of."

Goldberry gently pushed her palm against my shoulder, gesturing for me to walk back inside the house. I walked back to my chair and sat down with crossed legs and the blanket still wrapped around me. Although I loved winter weather, it was too cold for me to be wearing just a t-shirt.

"The woods of Lothlórien are a long journey from the Barrow Downs, Miss Diana," Tom explained as he sat in his own seat. "Do you know of anyone else who could help you?"

I shook my head. "No. I don't know anyone here."

"Goldberry told me that you dreamt about the Lady of Lórien last night."

"I did," I answered shyly with a short nod.

"And she is your acquaintance?"

"Well… Kind of."

Tom raised an eyebrow at me like he did the previous night. " 'Kind of'?" he repeated slowly.

I sighed heavily and looked away towards the door. "It's difficult to explain and even if I could explain it, you wouldn't believe me. You'd probably think I was crazy."

"I have seen many things in my life, young lady. There is not much you could tell me that would make me think you crazy."

Something was tugging at my heart, urging me to tell Tom Bombadil the truth. I didn't want to keep secrets from him or Goldberry, especially after they had treated me so well and looked after me. I struggled with the words for a few long moments and tried to find a way to explain my predicament without sounding completely insane.

"You're a fictional character and you're not supposed to exist," I finally blurted. "And I'm not from Middle-Earth."

Tom raised both his eyebrows that time. "Not from Middle-Earth, hm? Then where exactly are you from?"