Note: None of these are my characters! Thank you to those who helped me to figure out what to do next. Sorry this took so long! Elvish speech is in ''. POVs are marked with *. This was started before the revised 'Falling Tears' and it is the sequel to the original version. This is the final chapter!!! Takes place a day later, near sunset. Sorry for the short ending… there will not be a sequel to this fic. I don't think this is a good ending myself, but I had to finish it.

Hope

Part 10

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Aragorn

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Gimli and I had finally caught up with the Orcs and Uruk-Hai, and were waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

I was stunned to see Merry and Pippin both were bound and gagged, sitting next to where Legolas lay on the ground. Even from this far away distance, I could see the ashen color of their faces, though I did not understand it.

Neither did I understand why I had seen no movement coming from Legolas, save for a faint rising and falling of his chest. Very few bruises were on him; at least, there were few that I could see.

Both myself and Gimli crept up to the camp silently, where we could plan out our next moves. I was stunned to see that Legolas' eyes were closed, and sweat dripped off his brow. A gag kept him from speaking, but his hands and feet were untied.

That was a surprise, for most Elves, in this position, would not simply just lay there, unless something was seriously wrong. That fact worried me greatly, so I kept an eye on him, while watching for a lull in the dutiful Uruk-Hai guard, who stood over the two Hobbits.

My lover was being completely ignored… so that made me even more uneasy. Why would they ignore such a beautiful Elf, who just lay there?

"Why isn't the Elf moving?" Gimli muttered softly. "I don't like it; not at all."

I looked and Gimli. "I don't know," I admitted. "I'll find out, though, when we free them. The Orcs will have to sleep soon, even though the Uruk-Hai do need little rest."

Gimli nodded, but his eyes were troubled. I was certain that mine were no better, as we watched… and waited.

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Gimli

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I didn't like this at all. Legolas looked like little more than a corpse to me, which had me on edge. I could sense that Aragorn was severely concerned, though he tried to stay focused on the rescue attempt.

As for seeing Pippin and Merry again… it was like a dream. I had honestly thought that the two Hobbits would have been killed as soon as it was learned that they did not possess the Ring.

Now my fears lay with the unmoving Elf. What had been done to him, I wondered. Even if we rescued him, would he live… or die? I was not sure of that, but I knew that he would not live very long as a prisoner of the Uruk-Hai and Orcs.

No, I told myself sternly. Stop thinking so grimly; Aragorn is here, after all, and he is a good Healer. He will not let Legolas die like this; he loves him too much.

And when the Elf was better, I was going to slap some sense into him for making me worry like this. Of course, that would be after I apologized for what I had said.

I was relieved when the Orcs finally went to sleep, because it was time…

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Aragorn

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When the Orcs finally fell asleep, I gestured to Gimli. We were only going to get one chance at this, and if we were caught, it was all over.

I silently went through the forest to the other side of the camp, and Gimli stayed where he was, waiting for my signal.

I lay down on the ground and slowly made my way forward, glad that my clothes and skin was covered with dirt, for I blended in very well with it.

I reached Merry and Pippin first, and relief shone in their eyes, as I silently drew a small dagger and began cutting through the ropes that kept them from escaping. To my surprise, the two exchanged a glance, a nod, and then looked at me. Both shook their heads and inclined them towards Legolas.

I frowned, shook my head, and finished cutting through their ropes. The Hobbits instantly dropped to the ground next to me, for they did not want to draw the attention of the Uruk-Hai, who had all gathered over by the fire, where they feasted on something. Even their guard had gone, so my job had been easier.

"Gimli is waiting for you behind the tree over there," I mouthed to them, gesturing to the other side of the camp "I will get Legolas; you two crawl slowly over there, and try not to get seen."

The Hobbits nodded and did as I bid, and I waited until they were gone, before I began moving towards Legolas. I had to stop, however, as a Uruk-Hai approached Legolas, who stirred restlessly.

A silver knife was drawn, dripping some kind of potion from the blade. I silently drew Anduril, waiting, just in case…

The knife was aimed directly at Legolas, and as the blade lowered, I sprang to my feet and deflected it with Anduril. The potion made the knife blade slippery, however, and it slid down and nicked my right hand, which I was holding Anduril with.

I ignored it and brought Anduril up, quickly slitting the foul creature's throat. I was lucky that he had been surprised by my sudden appearance, but I heard the yelling coming from the other Uruk-Hai, which woke the Orcs. They all began rushing towards me at once.

I could fight… or I could flee, taking Legolas with me. If I fought and lost, who knew what he would go through?

My decision made, I jammed Anduril back into its sheath and scooped up my unconscious lover. Then I bolted away, heading away from Gimli and the others.

After I had been running for over fifteen minutes, I finally began feeling sick and weak, so I glanced around desperately for a hiding place. I was lucky, for I found a small cave, with a few bushes covering the opening.

I gently made my way through, carrying Legolas with me. We had just made it inside when I heard the sounds of the Uruk-Hai running past.

I dared not move for a while, until I finally lowered Legolas to the ground and began inspecting him. I felt strange, slightly ill, but it was not too bad. I was more concerned for Legolas than myself.

He groaned faintly, and I placed a hand over his mouth to stifle the groan, as more foul creatures ran by, still searching for us.

A muffled sound came out of his mouth, as he moved his lips weakly.

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Legolas

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I had been unconscious for what seemed to me a very long time, indeed. The knife that had stabbed me had not killed me, though it had poisoned me. It had taken all this time for the poison to be neutralized by my healing ability, which was the reason I had remained unconscious.

I fluttered my eyes open, and saw Aragorn kneeling beside me. 'H-How did you get here?' I questioned softly, feeling much better than I had.

'I rescued you, along with Merry and Pippin. They are with Gimli right now,' he murmured, though I saw a slight wince cross his face.

'What's wrong?' I asked, concern in my voice, for I loved him so…

Aragorn sighed and held out his hand; a cut was on it, covered by a familiar potion. It was the same one that had incapacitated me.

'That tis an Elven poison; it should not affect you,' I told him, confusion in my eyes. Until I saw the wince on his face, and I knew. 'You are part Elven, aren't you? At least a half Elf,' I accused, shock and hurt in my voice.

'Yes,' he answered. 'Tis why I heal very fast, though only Gimli has ever caught on to my secret. Until now.'

I frowned, and struggled to sit up. 'Why didn't you tell me?'

Aragorn sighed again. 'Would it have made a difference, Legolas?'

'I…' I was not sure what to say to that. No, it would not have made a difference, but it would have eased my worries over losing Aragorn, and I told him as much.

'Tis not the kind of thing you can mention in an ordinary conversation, Legolas,' he replied. 'I did plan to tell you, when the Quest was over.'

I nodded slowly, as I gazed at my lover. 'The potion should not affect you as badly as it did me, for it is only meant for Elves.' I began digging through the small bag he had around his waist, until I came up with a few herbs that would help his symptoms. He ate them, grinning at me, until in one swift movement, Aragorn had my hands pinned to the ground, with me under him.

A soft, surprised sound escaped from my lips, until Aragorn covered them firmly, running one hand through my hair, and the other holding my hands down against the ground.

Part of me couldn't believe he was doing this now. I had just recovered from being poisoned, and he had been poisoned as well…

But part of me liked this, as I teased his lips with my tongue, until they parted to let my tongue enter.

'Now, Aragorn?' I whispered carefully, before his tongue began ravaging my own mouth. He did not seem to care that both of us had grime and dirt clinging to our clothes and skin, as he shifted position on me slightly.

Aragorn rocked his hips into mine, causing a low groan to emerge from my throat. 'If you want to,' he whispered back, sliding the hand in my hair down to my shirt, slipping it underneath to feel my bare chest, and my muscles, until he began playing with the waistband of my leggings.

'Yes, Aragorn…' I breathed. 'You seek to kill me slowly…' I arched towards him, and struggled against the fierce grip that held my hands. I wanted him now, not with these slow, agonizing touches.

But he had the advantage, for my strength was not quite back to normal yet, and I was obliged to lay there, as he carefully removed my leggings, tugging them off with his free hand. Aragorn then did the same to his own, before he tenderly made love to me, making us both forget obligations, pain, and suffering…

I would have done the same to him, if we had not heard the sounds of Gimli, Pippin, and Merry approaching. They were distinguishable from the Orcs and Uruk-Hai, for they did not tread as hard on the grass and other small flowers as the foul creatures tended to.

Aragorn quickly released me, and the two of us quickly fixed our clothes, before we took the time to share a sweet, stolen kiss. What was supposed to be a short kiss turned into a long one, which was broken by the sounds of the brush being moved aside.

"I told you I heard something," Pippin said triumphantly, before he froze.

Merry gasped, "Aragorn? Legolas?"

Gimli sighed and shook his head. "Come on, lovebirds. The Uruk-Hai and Orcs left, still believing that they were chasing you."

Aragorn and I pulled apart, though we automatically held each other's hand. Neither of us said anything to the Hobbits; we would explain it later.

"Shouldn't we get some rest sometime tonight?" I questioned, as I stepped out of the cave with Aragorn. I stopped walking and looked up at the pitch-black sky. Then I saw a shooting star go by. I felt Aragorn's arms slip around my waist, as I made a silent wish on the star.

Oh star streaking across the night sky… please keep shining on strong and give hope to Frodo and Sam, wherever they might be… and let them be safe…

The End