A/N: I've been watching "LOTR2: tT" and the little special features… I am actually listening to "Gollum's Song" right now, via-DVD. I've been inspired ^_^ Woot! So here, my dear reviewers, is the long-awaited next chapter to New Allies. These people aren't mine, but you'd know that if you bothered to read the authoress's notes lol… I'm at home with the flu, so now I'm writing. WOOT! Oh, if you're wondering how people have managed to traipse from the Dwarf caverns to… wherever the heck we are now… uhm, just go with the flow, ok? Sorry, that's about all I can say… On with the chappy!

Separate Paths

"Oi, Pip! Lookit that, it's that girl!"

"Aye, it is, it is! Wake up! Wake up, uhm… What was her name, Merry?"

"Hermione, wasn't it? Something 'round that, right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Oi, Hermione, Wake up!"

"Wake up! Wake UP!" Merry yelled to Hermione, who was tied to an Uruk-Hai next to him. The Uruk-Hai (a particularly ugly fellow by the name of "Snortz" …not that anyone cares) snorted at him, but did not speed up in anyway.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Now Merry and Pippin were chanting together, both struggling to be heard over the constant and nearly rhythmic tramp-tramp-tramp of the Uruk-Hai's many marching feet to wake Hermione up. "Wake up! Wake up!"

Hermione began to stir, but just barely. Snortz had long ago grown tired of her high-pitched shrieks as he hoisted her away from the familiarity of Ron and the safety of Aragorn and Legolas, and had silenced her with a rough backhand. A large goose egg of a lump had swollen up on the witch's temple, proof of the Uruk-Hai's brutality.

"Wake up!" Merry cried, staring intently at her, as if his gaze alone would wake her.

"Wake UP!" Pippin echoed, although his voice held a level of deep panic that Merry's had not, his voice climbing the octive.

The terror in Pippin's shriek seemed to do the trick, because Hermione tilted her head back a bit and blinked at them blearily. "Ron?" she asked, her voice garbled and full of slumber.

The two hobbits exchanged a glance, then looked back at her. "Uhm, not exactly…" Pippin muttered to her, barely loud enough to be heard, as Merry rolled his eyes. "It's us, Meriadoc Brandybuck and Peregrin Took. You remember, right?"

Snortz grunted at the hobbits menacingly, then picked his pace up a bit, putting distance between the young witch and the small hobbits. Hermione blinked again, then began to struggle weakly, feeling ill from the increase of motion. She was, of course, ignored.

"Oi! HERMIONE! COME BACK HERE!" Merry yelled after her, before turning to Pippin. "She may be able to get us out of here, Pip."

Pippin goggled at his friend. "She could? How? I mean, it's nice and courteous to be waking her up, but now she's gone ahead… how can she get us out?"

"The stick!" Merry cried, like a contestant on a muggle TV show… not that he was aware that he was doing such a good impression.

"Ooh! Of course!" Pippin blinked. "…Uh, what stick?"

"THE STICK SHE WAS USING TO MAKE THINGS MOVE!" Merry yelled, suddenly realizing why Pippin was oft called "Fool of a Took" by Gandalf.

Several Uruk-Hai stared at Merry after his odd outburst. Merry glared back at them with all the defiance his boy-like Hobbit face could muster. The Uruk-Hai went back to jogging.

"Erm, of course… what other stick could you have been talking about?" Pippin asked nervously, trying to cover up his blundering, albeit short term, memory.

Merry struggled to peer over the shoulder of the Uruk-Hai he was tied to, trying to see Hermione. He noted that she was several paces ahead of them, and the distance was continuing to lengthen. The hobbit sighed dejectedly, and turned to his friend. "This just isn't our day, Pip."

~*~*~*~

Aragorn, Legolas, Ron, and Gimli tracked the Uruk-Hai as best they could. Ron, even though they would never have told him to his face, out of courtesy, was slowing them down. He could not run for long distances, he could not run fast, and he had no tracking skills of any type. The boy was, in other words, a burden, even though he could transfigure things into the occasional flask of water… although the water had an odd taste, and Aragorn and Legolas had taken to pouring the water out when Ron wasn't looking- Gimli gladly drank whatever was offered.

While Aragorn listened to the tales the rocks shared, Legolas had drawn Gimli aside. "Gimli, have you noticed the boy is… lagging?" the elf asked gingerly, raising his eyebrows towards Ron, who was still over twenty yards behind and staggering, his hand clutching an apparent stitch in his side.

"Yes, master elf, I have. What do you propose we do?"

Legolas's brow furrowed briefly in concentration, before smoothing back to normal. "I shall carry him."

Gimli snorted. "How long do you think you could carry him before your arms began to cramp?" he asked derisively.

"That's where you come in."

"It is?"

"Yes. We shall take turns carrying the youth." Legolas said matter-of-factly.

The dwarf raised a bushy eyebrow at his companion. "And what of Aragorn?"

Legolas shuffled his feet and looked at the gangly rider. "He is weak enough as it is. Even though Aragorn would probably gladly take a rotation in carrying the boy… I fear it could kill him. He is not as strong as he once was; you know that as well as I."

Gimli nodded, and looked at Aragorn. To an onlooker, it would have appeared that the gangly man had collapsed on a rock into sweet oblivion, but Gimli knew that Aragorn was merely listening intently. The ranger was able to run for days straight, but he seemed very malnourished. Yes, the burden of carrying the boy may very well end him, thought Gimli.

Ron, breathing hard and now using both hands to clutch the cramp in his side, arrived to where the elf and dwarf were conferring. "W…what's… up… guys?" he asked, each word punctuated by gasps.

"Nothing, Ron." Legolas said, smiling kindly.

"Oh…" Ron said, struggling to return the smile before he sat down- hard- on the ground to attempt to rest. He sat for a moment, struggling to breathe.

It was at almost the exact same time as Ron sat down that Aragorn stood up. "Their march has quickened." he announced, then took off again.

Ron groaned, and watched Aragorn begin to increase the distance between them. As he stared at Aragorn's retreating back, he was briefly struck by the resemblance to Harry- shoulders stooped, head down. Ron was so entranced by the resemblance that he completely missed the glance that Legolas sent to Gimli, and the dwarf's curt nod in response.

"Away we go, Ron." Legolas said, then leaned over, and hoisted Ron onto his shoulders before continuing to run.

"What…are… you… doing?" Ron gasped.

"Giving you a break, master wizard." Legolas said.

"…Oh…" Ron replied weakly, to tired to fight for once in his life. Leaning his head tiredly on Legolas's shoulder, he watched Gimli struggle to keep up.

~*~*~*~

Harry was not enjoying himself.

He supposed this was a great adventure, a wondrous learning experience, and who knew what else. But, none of that really mattered to him. He was not enjoying himself, to be perfectly understating. What DID matter was how lonely he was without Ron's wisecracks or Hermione's occasional sadistic humor. He missed his friends terribly, and his hobbit-y guides were no substitutes.

Frodo and Sam kept mostly to themselves, neither bothering to really try to include Harry in anything. Sam occasionally would pause to help Harry if he stumbled, but the hobbit's mind was obviously on his life-long friend. As for Frodo…

As for Frodo…

Well, Frodo was a different case all together. He had seemed nice enough at first meeting, but every so often an odd glint would worm its chilling way into his eyes, and he would snap at Harry to keep up, or insult Sam in such cruel manners that harry was reminded quite forcefully of Snape.

Harry knew he would have to keep an eye on Frodo.

~*~*~*~

A/N: Ok, I know the Harry-Sam-Frodo part was short, but I promise it'll be longer once Gollum/Smeagol pops up. This is not slash, nor is it going to be, in case you're wondering. This story is pretty much going to follow the movies, so once we clear LOTR2, then we'll have to wait for LOTR3 to come out before the story continues, ok? I hope you liked this chapter, please review!