A/N: Well, this is my first self-written LOTR fic, so bear with me here. My other fic is under my friend's account. It is called "To Sink Or Swim" and YOU SHOULD GO READ!! -pants- Well, now that I've gotten that out of my system. If you want to see my rules, go to my Pokemon fic, "Lavender Journey" Also, this fic takes place between the destruction of the Ring and when Frodo and the Elves and Bilbo leave for the Gray Havens. Enjoy!

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Prologue: A Sad Farewell

Eighteen-year-old Merylin Issacs woke up with a start. Her green eyes fluttered open to reveal to her that she wasn't in her room. The walls were painted a light shade of gray; the ceiling was an even lighter shade. The windows were dark, a sign that the sun had long since set. A mirror was on the wall across from her. She brought a hand up to her face, and a sharp pain made her stop. She glanced down to see an I.V. stuck in her arm. At the foot of her bed was a clipboard.

"Where am I?" she said quietly. "What happened?"

She closed her eye for a moment, trying to sense her body. Her left arm felt heavier than usual. She opened her eyes again and looked at her arm. A large bulky cast had been put on.

Meryl slowly sat up. As she looked around, she realized where she was. "A hospital room," she stated to herself. "I'm in a hospital room."

She glanced in the mirror in front of her, and was appalled at what she saw. A large bandage covered her left cheek, while smaller ones dotted her face. Her forehead was bruised black, with a purple hue.

The door opened and a boy walked in. He had dark brown hair and eyes of an even deeper shade of brown. As soon as he saw her, he said, "Thank God. Meryl, you're awake!"

"Hello Andrew," Meryl said weakly. "How's my big brother doing?"

Andrew glared at her. "I've been spending the last few days worrying myself sick about you. Mom has been in hysterics ever since you came in. Dad too, although he doesn't show it as much."

Meryl blinked. "Andrew, what happened? Why am I here?"

Her brother was startled. "You mean that you don't remember?"

Meryl shook her head, making her light brown hair fly in all directions.

Andrew took a deep breath. "Monday evening, you and Brian went out for the evening. You went to a restaurant, to celebrate his baseball team's latest victory against the Eagles. You were on your way home, when a drunken semi driver swerved and cut into your lane. It was too late for Brian to step on the brakes, and you crashed. Your car flipped and fell in the ditch."

Meryl was stunned. She couldn't remember a thing. "H-How's Brian?" she asked, her voice trying to make its way around her clumsy tongue.

"He still hasn't woken up," replied her brother, looking down at the floor. "He's in worse shape than you are."

"What do the doctors say?"

Andrew remained silent. Meryl knew something was wrong. "Tell me, Andrew!" Her voice was frantic. "You know something."

"He broke his neck in the crash. Badly. He only has a thirty percent chance of surviving. That's very low, Meryl."

"But there is still a chance." Tears filled the girl's green eyes, but she refused to let them spill over. She quickly wiped them away, determined not to let her brother see. "When can I see him?" she asked shakily.

"Only his family can visit him," said Andrew sadly. "His parents have been in to see you, though. They're just as worried about you as our parents are."

Footsteps echoed down the hall as two forms filled the doorway. They were a man and a woman. The woman gave a cry and ran forward, hugging Meryl with all of her might. "Meryl! Meryl!" she sobbed. "Thank God you're all right."

"Speak of the devil..." Andrew said to himself.

"Mom," said Meryl, her voice shaking, "you need to let go. I can't breathe."

Meryl's mother instantly stepped backwards. Her husband came forward and stroked his daughter's hair.

"We were so worried about you," he said softly. "You've been out for four days."

Meryl nodded. "I know. Andrew's been enlightening me." Her eyes dulled noticeably. "Although I don't like what I heard."

"We'll leave you alone, dear," said her mother quickly. "You need your rest."

Andrew interjected. "But she just-"

He was silenced by his father's look. "Meryl has been through enough for today. She needs to rest and catch up to her health."

His wife nodded. "Yes. We need to go." To Meryl she said, "We love you honey. We'll be back in the morning."

Meryl nodded. She eased herself back into the bed and closed her eyes. Her family left the room, with Andrew being the last one to leave. He turned the lights off, letting the room turn to darkness.

"Lisse' olos," he said in Sindarian, the Elvish language that he and his sister used ever since they had been first introduced to the Lord of the Rings a couple of years ago. "Sweet dreams."

His sister didn't reply, for she had already been claimed by the realm of sleep. Andrew took one last look at her before closing the door softly behind him and walked down the hall with his hands in his pockets. ******************************************************************

Meryl was awakened by pounding footsteps down the hallway. There was frantic knocking on her door, before the person behind it opened it. It was Andrew, a joyous look in his deep brown eyes.

"Andrew," scolded Meryl, "you woke me up."

"That's the point."

"What's going on? Hurry up and tell me because I want to go back to sleep."

Her brother grinned. "You won't want to when you've heard."

"Well, if you tell me, then I would know!"

"He's awake. And he's asking for you."

Meryl snapped to attention. All thoughts of going back to sleep were instantly banished. "Brian?"

"Who else?"

Meryl fought to get up, but a sharp pain in her arm made her stop. Again, she had forgotten the I.V. She grimaced and asked, "You think that you could help me?"

"Sure." Andrew left and returned with a wheelchair a few minutes later. He wheeled it to Meryl's bedside. Meryl slowly sat up and eased herself into the wheelchair.

"Andrew, you think that you could wheel my I.V. along?"

Her brother nodded. "No problem. Knowing you it'll take you a while to figure out how to move."

Meryl grinned mischievously. "Be careful. You never know when I might decide to roll over your foot. Now hurry up, I want to see Brian."

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The boy lay limp in his bed. The only signs that showed that he was alive was the machine that monitored his heart rate, and the fact that his eyes were open and he kept saying one name. Meryl. He had to see Meryl.

There was a knock at the door. A doctor walked in. "Brian? Meryl is here."

A wheelchair was pushed in by a tall boy that Brian recognized. It was Meryl's brother. He was wheeling a girl in with his right hand, with an I.V. in his left hand. She had a broken arm, and bandages all over her face, along with many bruises. The I.V. was attached in her right arm.

"Meryl?" he asked weakly. "I didn't recognize you under all of those bandages. You are a lot prettier with them on."

An amused smile played on Meryl's lips. "That's my Brian, always the sweet talker."

Andrew pushed Meryl to Brian's side and quietly left the room, leaving the two alone. He closed the door softly behind him. He figured they had a lot to talk about.

"Meryl," breathed Brian. "I see that you have a broken arm."

Meryl smirked. "What wonderful observation you have Brian. And I see that you have a broken nose." She reached out and touched the materials that encased his nose with her broken arm. She leaned over and kissed his cheek.

He smiled weakly. "A lovely result of colliding into the steering wheel," he said sarcastically. "Although I would have preferred a broken wrist like yours."

Meryl's smile disappeared. "Oh, Brian. Look at you," she whispered. "You don't deserve any of this. It should have been me driving."

Brian shook his head, which was difficult for a neck brace kept him in position. "If you had been driving, it would be you in this bed. I don't want that. Better me than you."

Tears filled Meryl's eyes and overflowed, causing small rivers of the salty water to flow down her cheeks. They slowly dripped onto the sheets that covered Brian's body.

With a heavily bandaged hand, Brian slowly wiped the tears from Meryl's eyes. "There, there, my dear," he said softly. "You wouldn't have a marker on you, would you?"

Through her tears, Meryl gave a slight smile and retorted, "For what?"

"I wish to have the honor of being the first of signing your cast."

Meryl looked around the room. There was a clipboard on the table across the room, loaded with blemish-free paper. The table was filled with colorful drawings. Strewn all over the table were permanent markers, each with a name on them, saying, "Megan."

"I take it that your little sister was here."

Brian nodded. "When I woke up, the first thing that I saw was a picture on my chest. It was of a boy with my broken nose. It said, 'I love you Brian.'"

"How adorable."

Brian grinned and said weakly, "You have to admit, she's pretty smart for a three year old."

Meryl smiled and nodded. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine," he replied with not that much conviction. He sounded tired and weak. He changed the subject quickly. "Grab me the black marker and give it to me."

Meryl nodded and did as he requested. She went over and picked up the black marker. She then went back to his bedside and handed it to him.

"Thanks," he said. "Give me your arm."

Meryl stuck out her arm to Brian. He pulled it gently towards him and began writing. "Close your eyes Meryl. I want this to be a surprise."

"Do I have to?"

Brian nodded, which was difficult with his neck brace. "I want it to be a surprise," he repeated.

Meryl closed her eyes. "Hurry up."

She could hear the scratching of the marker against her cast. Brian's touch was gentle. She could hear the steady beeping of his heart monitor. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"No," his voice was barely a whisper. "I'm almost done. Hang on." He seemed like he was pleading. The beeping on his heart monitor slowed, but Meryl didn't notice, for she was deep in thought.

Finally Meryl heard his last scratching. "Can I open my eyes now?"

"Go ahead." Now his voice was a whisper. "Read it, and remember it, all right?" The heart monitor slowed even more and suddenly it stopped. There was a continuous beeping sound.

Meryl opened her eyes. "Brian? Are you all right?"

He lay against the pillow, his face was white. His blue eyes were closed, and his chestnut hair had lost its shine. A thought clutched Meryl's mind. Was he...?

"Brian?" she asked fearfully. "Brian? Brian!" She shook his arm. He didn't move. She put her ear on his chest, above where his heart was. There was no beat. Frantically she put her cheek next to his mouth. No breath tickled the skin.

Tears flowed freely down Meryl's face. "BRIAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!" she screamed.

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Pretty good for a first chapter? Okay, now scroll to the bottom of the page. You see the little button that says review? Good. Press it and give me your reviews.

By the Lion's Mane,

Leo