The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
by Wolfram_and_Hart

Chapter 1: The Prologue

The World is changed.

I feel it in the water.

I feel it in the earth.

I smell it in the air.

Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.

It began with the forging of the Great Rings. 3 were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings.

7 for to the Dwarf Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And 9 were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else, desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and will to govern each race.

But they were all of them decieved, for another ring was made. In the land of Mordor, in he fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged in secret a master ring to control all the others. And into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice, and his will to dominate all life. One Ring to rule them all. One by one, the Free Lands of Middle Earth fell to the power of the Ring. But there were some who resisted. Under Lorne the elf king and Richard Wilkins the King of Gondor, a Last Alliance of Men and Elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the slopes of Mount Doom they fought for the freedom of Middle Earth.

The snarling hoards of Orcs charged into the ranks of the Last Alliance, the Elves and Men let loose volley after volley of arrows into the Dark Forces, but they just kept coming. As the Alliance broker the ranks of the Evil Soldiers, they began hacking and slicing any Orc that moved. They were greatly outnumbered but their resolve was steadfast and they continued fighting until it looked like the forces of Mordor were ready to retreat.

Victory was near, but the power of the Ring could not be undone.

Out of the teaming masses of vile creatures came the one figure in all of Middle Earth that could make the blood of any living being freeze in it's veins. A tall figure clad in cold steel armor. At least 20 feet tall, carrying a mace that was 6 feet long. On the finger of his right hand was the Ring of Power. An evil presence was felt by everyone who looked upon him because they knew who they looked upon. The Dark Lord Sauron had arrived. He swung his mace into the ranks of the last Alliance sending 20 soldiers at a time, flying through the air. King Richard Wilkins could not bare the thought of this evil thing winning. He raised his sword, Narsil, and charged the Dark Lord. Silently vowing to take down the wretched being or die trying. With a flick of the wrist, Sauron's mace sent the King flying into a rocky hillside, killing him instantly. The King's son, Riley, rushed to the body of his father as Sauron regarded him with cruel amusement.


It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Riley, son of the king took up his father's sword.

Riley, filled with indignation, grabbed his father's sword and made ready to challenge the Dark Lord. As he lifted the sword Sauron's massive foot came down on the blade and shattered it to pieces. The Lord of Mordor reached down to crush Riley's skull with his own hands but, as he did Riley swung the broken sword and cut off all Saurons fingers including the one that held the Ring. Sauron screamed in pain, convulsed and exploded with such massive force that it knocked everyone within 2 miles to the ground.

Sauron, the enemy of the Free Peoples of Middle Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Riley, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever. But the hearts of Men are easily corrupted, and the Ring of Power has a will of its own.

Riley picked up the severed finger that held the One Ring. The finger crumbled to dust, leaving only the Ring in his hand. Riley looked at it and realized that he could never destroy it. Such a powerful thing should be kept as proof of his glory, in recognition of Sauron's downfall. As he and his army rode home, he wore the Ring on a chain around his neck as a trophy. As they passed the river Anduin, they were ambushed by Orcs. They came at the Gondorian Soldiers from all directions. Riley realized that he had to survive for the sake of the kingdom. He took the Ring from the chain, slipped it on his finger and became instantly invisible. He slipped past the Orcs and dove into the river. As he swam past a few of the Orcs the Ring slipped off his finger and the Orcs saw him. He tried to swim faster but the Orcs were too quick and fired three arrows into his back.

It betrayed Riley to his death. And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the Ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer.

"My preciousssss".

The Ring came to the creature Gollum, who took it into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. And there it consumed him.

"It came to me. My own. My love. My own. My precioussss. Gollum!"

The Ring brought to Gollum unnatural long life, for 500 years it poisoned his mind. And in the gloom of Gollum's cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear. And the Ring of Power perceived its time had now come. It abandoned Gollum. But something happened then the Ring did not intend; it was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable. A Hobbit, Joyce Summers of the Shire.

"What's this?" Joyce asked herself as she felt through the darkness of the cave. She picked up the object that she was grasping and got a better look at it. "A ring, huh." Suddenly she heard a blood curdling shriek from somewhere else in the cave.

"LOST! MY PRECIOUS IS LOST!"

For the time would soon come when Hobbits would shape the fortunes of all.

Chapter 2: A Long Expected Party


It had been years since Joyce had found the Ring in Gollum's cave. After she returned to the Shire she started a family, she had two daughters and lived in a Hobbit hole in Sunnydale; the nicest province in the Shire. Life for Hobbits was simple, they valued peace and quiet and they all share a love of things that grow. Joyce was a saint of a lady, but her daughters were the scourge of the Shire. Buffy Summers, Joyce's eldest daughter was the most headstrong Hobbit ever known, she was the strongest Hobbit in Sunnydale, she always said that one day she'd be known as a slayer of evil monsters, she would sneak out at night all the time. Especially to see Spike. Spike, so nicknamed for fending off a wolf with a steel spike, had known Buffy since they were children. And noone in the Shire had ever seen any 2 Hobbits more in love; even when they fought and acted like they hated eachother it was plain to see that they were crazy about eachother. Dawn, on the other hand was a terror. She invented the term kleptomaniac and ,with her friend Andrew, she always managed to swipe the best vegetables from Farmer Maggot's crop.

Today was a very special day in the lives of the Summers family, it was Joyce's 111th birthday and rumour had it that a very close friend was returning to the Shire.

Buffy sat beneath a tree enjoying the sunshine, when she heard a familiar voice singing in the distance. She jumped up and ran towards the voice till she saw him; an old (well not to old) man with glasses, dressed in a grey robe and a pointed hat riding in a wagon towards the Shire. She hadn't seen him in so long she couldn't wait to talk to him.

"You're late." Buffy said calmly to the old man.

"A wizard is never late, Buffy Summers. Nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to." the man said sternly. The 2 of them just stared at eachother for a few moments till they could help but burst out laughing.

"It's great to see you Giles!" Buffy said as she jumped at him and gave him a huge hug.

"You didn't think I'd miss your mother's birthday?" Giles said smiling. Buffy took a seat next to him on his wagon and they rode into the Shire. "So how are you and your mother and sister doing?"

"You know Dawn, she and Andrew have been nothing but trouble. Mom's got the whole place in a uproar. Half the Shire's invited to the party tonight, and everyone else is showing up anyway. She's up to something, she thinks I don't notice."

"Really?" asked Giles.

"It's your fault you know."

"Beg your pardon?"

"Before you came along we Summerses were well thought of. Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected, she always said you were a bad influence on me and Dawn."

"If you are refering to that business with the dragon, I was hardly involved. All I did was give your mother a little push out the door."

"Well, you're still considered a disturber of the peace around the Shire."

"Yes, well then. Are you still seeing that bastard Spike?"

"Giles! Spike can be a good man once you scratch the surface."

"You couldn't convince me that boy is any good if you scratched down to te bone."

"Well, he and I are together and there's nothing anyone can do about it."

"Indeed." Giles said as he cleaned his glasses. They rode on and set off a few fireworks for some kids who saw them ride by. They were near the Summers home when suddenly something jumped out of a bush and scared the bejesus out of the Hobbit and the wizard. Spike laughed at his little scare.

"Spike!" Buffy said annoyed, glaring at the blonde Hobbit.

"Sorry luv, couldn't resist givin' Rupes here a good fright." said Spike, laughing at the flustered wizard.

"Must you always get your kicks by annoying me, Spike?" Giles asked dryly.

"Of coarse not, I also get my kicks when Buffy comes to my place for a bit of the rough and tumble." said Spike, smirking as Giles paled.

"I did not need to hear that." said Giles, once again cleaning his glasses.

"Um, he means training." said an embarrassed Buffy. "He and I spare, practise fighting moves."

"I'd wager she could take down a full grown troll." added Spike, with an amount of pride."Luv, I need your help with some stuff for your mum's party."

"Ok Spike," She gave Giles a quick hug and climbed out of the wagon. "I'm glad you're back Giles."

"So am I Buffy, so am I" Giles said watching Buffy and Spike run away. He finally reached Casa de Summers on Revello Drive, looking forward to seeing Joyce again. He went to the door of the hobbit hole and knocked on the door.

"NO THANK YOU!" came Joyce's voice from inside "WE DON'T WANT ANY VISITORS, WELLWISHERS OR DISTANT RELATIONS!"

"An what about very old friends?" Giles called back to her. The door flew open and Giles came face to face with his dearest friend.

"Rupert?" Joyce asked, not believing her eyes. "Rupert Giles?!"

"Hello Joyce." said Giles, grinning from ear to ear. "It's so good to see you."

"I know, i missed you too." said Joyce as she hugged him.

"111 years old, who'd believe it?" Giles said as he looked at her face for the first time. "You haven't aged a day." She really hadn't, she looked the same she did 60 years ago when they first met.

"Come inside." Joyce said as she ushered her oldest friend into her house. "Can I get you some tea or hot chocolate? I got little marshmallows."

"No thank you." said Giles, when suddenly they heard shouting and banging at the door.

"I'm not at home." Joyce whispered "It's the Sackville-Summerses, they want the house. I've got to get away from my relatives, they come knocking all the time never give me a moment's peace. I want to see mountains again and finish my book."

"So your going through with your plan?"

"Yep, everything's ready for tonight."

"I think Buffy and Dawn suspect something."

"Of coarse they do, they're Summers women. Not some bimbo Meers girls from Initiative."

"They'll miss you. They both love you you know." Joyce looked a little saddened at that statement.

"Yes they do, and I love them too. They'd probably go with me if i asked them. I know Buffy always talks about being a slayer of evil monsters, I think in her heart she still loves the Shire. The woods, the fields, the little rivers. I'm old Rupert. I know I don't look old, but I feel it in my heart." as Joyce turned, Giles noticed her hand in her pocket grasping something with white knuckle grip. "I feel think. Sort of stretched like a small amount of butter spread over too much bread. I need a vacation, a very long vaction. I don't think I'll be coming back. In fact I don't intend to."

***later at the party***

It was a great party; the music was playing, people were dancing, Joyce was telling some children stories, and Giles was setting off his famous fireworks. Buffy went from th dance floor to where Spike was sitting with a mug of ale.

"Come on Spike, dance with me." she said feeling the music. Spike shifted nervously, he wasn't the kind of guy who danced in public.

"Not bloody likely. I think I'll just have another ale." he said looking away.

"Oh no you don't!" Buffy said as she dragged him out onto the dance floor. Nobody noticed as two Hobbits snuck into Giles' wagon and started looking through the fireworks. Dawn and Andrew knew Giles always kept the best fireworks for last and were determined to find a good one.

"No get a big one, Andrew." Dawn ordered, as Andrew pulled out a big red firework shaped like a dragon. They snuck into a tent at the edge of the party and set it up. After they set it up Andrew lit it.

"Done." said Andrew happily, as Dawn looked upset.

"Your supposed to stick it in the ground!" Dawn said angrily.

"It is in the ground." Andrew said defensively.

"OUTSIDE!" Dawn shrieked.

"THIS WAS YOUR IDEA!" Andrew let out an unmanly scream as the dragon rocket shot into the air. The firework burst into a huge spectral dragon that swooped down on the partygoers before summersaulting into the sky and lighting up the night sky with great bursts of color.

"That was great! Let's get another one." Dawn said excitedly, before she felt a strong hand grab her ear.

"Dawn Summers and Andrew Wells, I should've known." Giles said scoldingly as he sent the busted hobbits to wash the dishes from the party. Once everything settled down Joyce got up to make her speech.

"My dear Summerses and Harrises! Wells and Maclays! Meerses! Finns! Rosenbergs! Jenkinses! Burkles! and Wyndam Pirces!

"Wyndam Pryces!" said a voice from the crowd.

"Today is my 111th birthday. But eleventy one years is still not enough time to spend with such wonderful Hobbits. I don't know half of you half as well as I should like and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve."Joyce continued to the now confused audience. "I have things to do. I put this off to long. I regret to announce that this is the end, I'm leaving now. I love you all, Goodbye" she finished as she disappeared.

***at the Summers house***

Joyce took the Ring from her finger and reappeared in her home. She began to get her things together when Giles appeared.

"I suppose you think that was rather funny?" Giles said shortly.

"I know, I know 'magic has consequences'. It won't happen again. You will keep an eye on my girls, won't you?"

"Both eyes, as often as I can spare them."

"I'm leaving everything to Buffy."

"Including that ring of yours, is that staying to?"

"Yes, it's in an envolope on the fireplace." Joyce said distracted, until she remembered something. "Wait, it's not there. It's in my pocket. That's strange." She held the Ring in her hand and looked at it with desire shining in her eyes. "But after all, why shouldn't I keep it?"

"I think you should leave it here Joyce, is that so hard?" Giles asked.

"Well no...and yes" Joyce said sounding increasingly aggitated. "I don't feel like giving it up. It's mine! I found it! It came to me!"

"There's no need to get angry." Giles said, becoming more unsettled.

"Well if I'm angry it's your fault!" Joyce said, voice dripping with venom. "It's mine.My own. My precious."

"Precious?" Giles said now deeply troubled. "It's been called that before, but not by you."

"ARGH! WHERE THE HELL DO YOU GET OFF TELLING ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY OWN THINGS?!" Joyce screamed, eyes full of rage.

"I think you've had that ring long enough." said Giles sternly.

"YOU WANT IT FOR YOURSELF! YOU BASTARD!" Joyce yelled,

"JOYCE SUMMERS! DO NOT TAKE ME FOR SOME CONJUROR OF CHEAP TRICKS!" Giles yelled. his voice becoming deeper and the room growing darker. "I AM NOT TRYING TO ROB YOU!" Giles anger deflated and he became the same Giles she knew. "I'm trying to help you. All the years I've known you, we've been friends. Trust me please, let it go." He said as he comforted Joyce.

"You're right Rupert, the Ring must stay here." she picked up her pack and walked to the door.

"Joyce." Giles called after her. "You still have the Ring in your pocket."

"Oh right." Joyce smiled guiltily and pulled the Ring from her pocket. She grudgingly let the Ring fall to the floor with a heavy resounding thump. She walked out the door, a weight lifting off her shoulders "I thought up an ending to my book. 'And they lived happily ever after to the end of their days.'Goodbye Rupert, take care of my girls." and with that, she walked into the night.

"Until our next meeting." Giles said silently. He turned back into the house and stared down at the Ring. He was filled with dread, hoping his suspicions were wrong. He reached down to pick up the Ring, when suddenly an image flashed through his mind. Giles had a vision of an Eye, made of fire and an unspeakable evil came from its gaze. And it was gone again, leaving Giles very troubled. He cleaned his glasses with such vigour he almost broke them.

"Mom! Mom!" Buffy called as she came running into the house and saw Giles. "She's gone, isn't she? She always talked about leaving so much, I disn't think she'd really do it." she looked at Giles who seemed deep in thought. "Giles?"

"Hmmm?" Giles turned to Buffy and noticed the Ring in her hand."She's gone to stay with the elves. She left you the house and all her possessions." Giles held up an envolope and Buffy set the Ring in it. "The Ring is yours now. I think you should put it somewhere out of sight." he said handing her the envolope. "I'm afraid I must be going myself."

"Why? Where are you going?" Buffy asked a little upset.

"I have some things to look into."

"What things?" she said becoming more confused.

"Questions that need answering."

"But you just got here. I don't understand."

"I'm sorry Buffy. Keep it secret. Keep it safe." Giles said and then he was gone. Buffy sat on the floor, tears falling. Her mother had vanished and now the closed thing she ever had to a father had left to.

"Buffy! Buffy have you found her?" asked Spike as he ran into the house. Spike noticed that there were tears in her eyes. "What's wrong luv?"

"Mom's gone without telling me and now Giles is gone." Buffy sobbed. Spike's heart broke as he hugged her.

"I'm sorry pet, but don't you worry. You still got me and Dawn and everybody. We'll stay with you." He said soothingly, stroking her hair as she cried.

Chapter 3: The Shadow of the Past

disclaimer: If I owned Buffy or LOTR would I still have trouble car payments?


Giles the Grey rode to the city of Minas Tirith, and the most complete library in Middle Earth. If there was anywhere he could get info on the Ring, it was there. As he reached the bourders of the city, he saw the dark clouds over Mordor begin to rumble with thunder and in the distance he saw an irruption from Mount Doom.

"Oh, as usual, dear." said Giles as he rode into the city. He searched the archives of the recorded history of Middle Earth for anything that refered to the Ring. For days he poured over books and scrolls until he finally stumbled onto the account of Riley, the last King of Gondor.

"The year 3434, of the Second Age. Here follows the account of Riley, High King of Gondor, and the finding of the Ring of Power. It has come to me, the One Ring, it shall be an heirloom of my kingdom. All those who follow in my bloodline shall be bound to its fate, for I will risk not hurt to the Ring. It is precious to me, though I buy it with a great pain. The markings on the band begin to fade. The writing which at first was clear as red flame, has all but disappeared, a secret now that only fire can tell." Giles had his answer, he returned to his horse and began riding back to the Shire.

***The Bronze Dragon Inn in the Shire***

"...to heal my heart and drown my woe.
Rain may fall and wind may blow,
But there'll still be many miles to go!
Sweet is the sound of the pouring rain,
And the stream that falls from hill to plain.
Better than rain or river swells
Is a mug of beer inside this Wells!" sang Andrew, who had had way to much beer. It was a normal Tuesday night in the Shire; Buffy, Spike, Dawn and Andrew were having a drink in the Bronze Dragon, not a care in the world. But talk in the pub was drastically different than normal for the Shire, all around there was talk of big trouble coming.

"There's lots of strange travelers passing through."

"The mountains are teamin' with goblins."

"War's coming."

This change in mood was very unsettling for the Summerses, Spike, and Andrew, so they just finished their drinks and headed home.

"What do you think Mom's doin'?" Dawn asked Buffy.

"Well, she always talked about how great staying with the Elves was, so she's probably having the time of her life." Buffy said after thinking for a moment. "I still miss her though."

"Me too." replied Dawn "Hey, maybe when Giles comes back we can show us where that is so we can go visit her."

"Yeah. that'd be good." Buffy said.

"Talkin' 'bout Joyce?" asked Spike, Buffy and Dawn knodded. "She was a decent lady. Miss comin' over, havin' a cuppa and talkin' with her."

"Yeah, and I bet you really miss grilling her for info on Buffy." said Dawn smirking, as Spike gared at her and Buffy looked wide eyed. "Oh yeah, she told him your favorite color, your favorite shop, your favorite food, where you hid your diary..."

"WHAT?! My diary?!" Buffy practically yelled.

"No, that was just me having fun, but the rest is true." Dawn said still grinning.

Spike went home as Buffy and Dawn got to their house on Revello Drive, as they walked inside Buffy got the strange feeling that she was being watched. After Dawn went to bed, there was a knock at the door. Buffy went to the door and opened it to reveal a very disheveled Giles.

"Is it secret?! Is it safe?!" Giles asked urgently. Buffy knodded and went to the trunk where she put the envolope with the Ring in. Giles jumped as he heard a sound outside. Buffy finally pulled out the envolope, which giles snatched out of her hand and threw into the fire place.

"What are you doing?" Buffy asked, pretty shocked that Giles had showed up in the middle of the night and threw her mother's old ring into the fire. They watched as the paper burned and disintigrated, revealing the Ring, unharmed. Giles reached with the metal tongs and pulled the Ring from the ashes of the envolope.

"Hold out your hand Buffy, it's quite cool." She hesitated but held out her hand as Giles dropped it into her palm. It shocked her that it really was cool. "What can you see? Can you see anything on the Ring?" Giles asked. Buffy turned the Ring between her fingers, it looked like a plain old ring.

"Nothing. There's nothing there." Buffy said, much to Giles' relief. But then something happened. "Wait, there are markings on it. It looks like some form of Elvish, I can't read it."

"There are few who can." said Giles, his heart sank as his worst fear was confirmed. "The language is that of Mordor, which I won't speak here."

"Mordor?!" Buffy was shocked. She had always heard of Mordor, but she always thought it was just a made up place. She heard about how the sun never shown there, about vast Orc infested deserts full of fire and ash, a dark place ruled over by an evil so great that Hell itself feared him. And now the closest thing to a father she ever had was telling her that she was holding a ring from that place.

"In the common tongue, it says 'One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them.' This is the One Ring, forged by the Dark Lord Sauron in the fire of Mount Doom. Taken by Riley from the hand of Sauron himself."

"My mom found it in Gollum's cave." Buffy said with growing fear.

"For all these years the Ring lay quiet in your mother's keeping; prolonging her life, delaying old age. But not any more, Buffy. Evil is stirring in Mordor. The Ring has awoken and heard its master's call."

"But the stories I heard say he was destroyed. Sauron was destroyed when he lost the Ring." Buffy said. Suddenly they both heard a low hiss from the Ring, causing Buffy to quickly put it on the table.

"No Buffy, the spirit of Sauron indured. His existence is boud to the Ring, and the Ring survived. Sauron has returned. His Orcs have multiplied. His fortress, Barad dur, is rebuilt in Mordor. All Sauron needs is this Ring and he will cover all the lands in darkness. He is searching for it. All his thought is bent on reclaiming it. And the Ring yearns to return to his hand. They are one, the Ring and the Dark Lord. Buffy, he must never find it. Ever."

"OK, we'll put it away. We'll keep it hidden. We'll put it in a box, bury it and never speak of it again. I mean it's not like anyone knows it's here, right?" Buffy asked, disturbed by Giles' silence. "Right Giles?"

"There was someone else who knew that your mother had the Ring, the creature Gollum." Giles said gravely " I looked everywhere for him, but Sauron found him first. He had Gollum tortured for God only knows how long. Eventually, through the screams and innane babble, they discerned 2 words; 'Shire' and 'Summers'."

"Shire and Summers?! But that means they'll come here." Buffy realized horrified, all her friends were now in jeopardy cause of that Ring. "Take it Giles. You're the smartest wizard in the world, you'll know what to do with it."

"No Buffy, I can't." Giles said fearful of the idea.

"You have to Giles." Buffy said holding out the Ring.

"You can't ask me to take that Ring." Giles said struggling not to lunge at the Ring.

"I'm giving it to you!" Buffy said

"DON'T TEMPT ME BUFFY!" Giles yelled flat out refusing to take it. Buffy looked really freaked out, if Giles was scared this was REALLY bad. "I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe. I would use it from a desire to do good, but it would use me to return to Sauron and unleash a power to terrible to imagine."

"But it can't stay in the Shire, if he knows it's here he'll send some goons to find it. It can't stay here."

"No, it can't." Giles stated sadly. Buffy realized that the Ring was left to her, this was her responsibility.

"What should I do, Giles?" Buffy asked, resigned to her situation.

"You must leave, as soon as possible." Giles replied.

"Where do I go?" Buffy asked as she packed a bag.

"Get out of the Shire and go to the village of Bree. There's an inn there called the Hyperion, I'll be waiting there for you."

"The Ring will be safe in Bree?"

"I don't know, Buffy. I don't have any answers right now. I'm going to see the head of my order, he's wise and powerful. He'll know what to do. You'll have to use a different name, 'Summers' won't be safe outside the Shire. Only travel during the day and stay off the road."

"I can cut across country easy." Buffy said as she grabed her pack and put the Ring in her pocket. Giles smiled fondly.

"Buffy, hobbits really are amazing creatures. You can learn everything about them in a month, and yet after a century they can still surprise you." As Giles finished talking, they both heard a rustling in the bushes outside. "Get down!" Giles whispered. Giles raised his staff and crept towards th window. He swung his staff into a bush and heard a voice yelp. He reached into the bushes and dragged the offender through the window, becoming enraged when he saw that it was Spike. "Damn you Spike!"

"Sorry Rupes, didn't want to interupt." Spike said annoyed at the wizard's hand on his neck.

"Stalk much?" Buffy asked, annoyed and releaved that it was Spike.

"Sorry pet. I heard you two talking and couldn't help meself."

"What have you heard?" Giles asked tersely.

"I heard some stuff about a ring, a Dark Lord, the end of the world and Buffy eaving the Shire. Which brings up the point, why are you leaving?"

"I have to Spike, the Ring can't stay here." Buffy explained.

"So you're going to go out into the big bad world by yourself, to a place you've never been to before with a ring that the ultimate evil is willing to kill for?"

"There's noone else who can do this."

"Wrong, I'm coming to." Spike said wrenching Giles' hand away from him. "If you think I'm going to let you go through this alone you're daft."

"I can't ask you to go with me, Spike." Buffy said, not wanting to put her friends in danger.

"That's why I din't ask, I'm going with you. You know I love you, and I'm not letting you go alone. So sorry luv, you're stuck with me." Spike said smirking. Buffy was feeling more comfortable that someone was coming with her.

"What about Dawn?" Buffy asked, knowing her sister would be pissed.

"We'll leave her a note. Besides, she and Andrew will find stuff to do."

"Very well, if you two are going you had better go now." Giles said. Buffy grabbed her pack and Spike packed some extra food and tools. Giles walked them to the edge of the Shire just as the sun rose. "Be careful, both of you. The Dark Lord has many spies in his service, including birds and animals. Is it safe Buffy?" Giles asked, Buffy patted her pocket to say yes. "Never put it on. The Ring's power will send out a mystical shock wave that will draw the agents of Mordor to you. Always remember; the Ring is trying to get back to Sauron, it *wants* to be found." Then he looked to Spike. "Keep her safe Spike."

"Till the end of the world, even if that happens to be tonight." Spike replied. Giles mounted his horse and rode away, leaving th two hobbits alone in the woods. "Well, guess we better be off then."

"Thanks for coming Spike." Buffy said gratefully.

"Hey, can't let you have all the fun and adventure without me, now can I?" Spike smirked as they walked on

Chapter 4: Black Riders and Strider

Disclaimer: I don’t own jack.

Giles rode through the forest towards Isengard, the abode of the head of his order, Ethan Rayne the White. He rode through the archway of the wall encircling Isengard, through the gardens and up to the steps of Orthanc Tower.

“Smoke rises from the mountain of Doom, the hour grows late, and Giles the Grey rides to Isengard seeking my council. That’s why you’re here, isn’t it Ripper?” asked the white wizard, descending the stairs toward Giles.

“Good to see you Ethan, I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.” Giles said urgently.

“What can I do for you Ripper?” Ethan asked intrigued.

“Well, you can start by not calling me Ripper.”

“Oh come now Rupert, you earned that name. Even I couldn’t take down Eyghon.”

“Still, not my finest hour. But that’s beside the point; I have news about the Ring.” That got Ethan’s attention.

“I’m all ears, Rupert.” Ethan said. The two of them walked through the gardens as Giles told of his findings in the Shire.

“You’re sure about this?” Ethan asked as he finished the tale.

“Beyond any doubt.”

“So the Ring of Power has bee found.”

“All these years, it was in the Shire, right under my nose.”

“And yet you never had the brains to see it. Bloody hell Ripper, I told you that Hobbit weed would make you senile.”

“We still have time, if we work quickly we may still be able to stop Sauron from regaining the Ring.”

“Time? What time do you think we have?” Ethan said as he and Giles entered the tower. “Sauron has regained much of his former strength. He can’t take physical form yet, but his spirit is still as powerful as ever. In his fortress of Barad-Dur, the Dark Lord sees all. His gaze pierces cloud, shadow, earth, and flesh; sooner or later his sight will fall on the Ring.” Ethan noticed the worried look on Giles’ face. “You know what I’m talking about Ripper; a Great Eye, lidless, wreathed in flame.” Giles remembered the flash he had when he touched the Ring, that was he same image he had in his vision.

“The Eye of Sauron.” Giles said horrified.

“He has recalled most of his servants and allies, he has regained control of the areas where he held much sway in the past, and he is still gathering all evil in Middle Earth to him. Soon he will have assembled an army so great that no power in the world will be able to stop him from bringing an end to the world as we know it.” Ethan said gravely. Giles was a little unsettled by Ethan’s sudden knowledge of Sauron’s affairs.

“How do you know all this?” Giles asked.

“I’ve seen it.” Ethan said, pointing towards an object covered with a cloth.

“You’ve been using a palantir? Ethan, that’s a very dangerous tool.” Giles said uncertainly.

“What’s wrong with it?” Ethan asked walking towards the palantir and pulling the cover off it. “We’re here to run the first line of defense against evil, why shouldn’t we use whatever means necessary to keep tabs on the biggest evil there is?”

“Not all the Seeing Stones are accounted for Ethan, for all we know Sauron’s using it to spy on us!” Giles quickly put the cloth back on the palantir, suddenly getting a flash of the Eye of Sauron. Giles stared at the covered stone; unnerved at the vision he just received.

“Time’s already up Giles, Sauron’s forces are already on the move. And I’ve been told that the Nine have left Minas Morgul.”

“The Nine?!” Giles asked alarmed.

“They crossed the Isen River on Midsummer’s Eve.” Ethan said sitting in his throne. “They are searching for the Ring, and when they find it they’ll kill the one who carries it.”

“They’ve reached the Shire! I must warn Buffy! See you later Ethan.” Giles said turning to the exit. But as he reached the doors they snapped shut and locked. He tried for another door, but it shut and locked to. Suddenly all the exits were shut and locked.

“Did you honestly think a female Hobbit could stand against the power of Sauron? No one can stand against him and survive.” Ethan stated matter-of-factly. Realization hit Giles like a ton of bricks. Oh God, no! He’s the wisest man I’ve ever known, it can’t be. “There’s no hope in standing against the power of Mordor. The only hope is to join him, and that’s what we must do, Ripper. We must join Sauron. It’s the only option, my friend.”

“Tell me, my friend, when did Ethan Rayne, the wise and powerful, become a sniveling toady to that scum?!” Giles said, rage boiling over. He pointed his staff at Ethan and sent him flying with a blast of magicks. Ethan stood up and sent Giles flying onto the hard floor and then up on the wall.

“I gave you the chance to survive, Ripper. But, as usual, you have to do things the hard way.” Ethan knocked Giles unconscious with one more bolt of magic.

***A Farm On The Shire***

Buffy and Spike had been walking for hours, luckily they still had the map to Bree or they’d be lost by now. Spike looked up from the map to see that Buffy was nowhere in sight.

“Buffy? Buffy! BUFFY!” Spike called out, when Buffy suddenly stepped out from behind a cornstalk. “I thought I lost you.”

“Lost me? We’re still in the Shire.” Buffy replied nonchalantly.

“Yeah, I know, but with everything going on, I want to keep a close eye on you pet.”

“I heard, ‘till the end of the world, even if that’s tonight’. I know you mean it to, but what could possibly happen while we’re still in the Shire?” Buffy asked, as two figures crashed into her and they fell to the ground. “I had to ask.”

“Well, here you two are. I get a note from my sister that she and her unofficial boyfriend are leaving home and will be gone for a few weeks, and now you two are messing up our fun.” Dawn said glaring at her sister, trying to pick up the vegetables her and Andrew took.

“You two have been nicking Farmer Maggot’s crop again ‘aven’t you?” Spike asked smirking.

“It’s just a few carrots.” Dawn said innocently.

“And some cabbages. And the mushroom we took last week, and the 3 bags of potatoes we got the week before. And…I’ll be shutting up now.” Andrew babbled.

“Dawn, you and Andrew should go home.” Buffy said sternly.

“No. If you and Spike are going somewhere so am I.” Dawn said stubbornly.

“Niblet, Buffy and me aren’t going on a picnic. We’re going to be in real danger and we don’t know when we’ll be back, so…” Spike was cut off by the sound of shouting of one seriously pissed off Farmer Maggot.

“GET OUT OF MY FIELDS YOU LITTLE BASTARDS!”

“That’s our cue to run.” Andrew said dropping the stolen produce, running after Dawn, Spike and Buffy. “Don’t you think this guy’s overreacting just a little bit?”

“Why, just cause you two have been stealing half his harvest for they last zillion years?” Buffy asked sarcastically. They ran through the field, and came out on the side of a steep hill. Buffy, Spike and Dawn stopped in time, but Andrew slammed into them and all four of them went tumbling down the hill.

“Um Spike, get your hands off my chest.” Buffy said, buried under Spike, Dawn and Andrew.

“You know Andrew, it’s times like this that make me wonder why we keep you around.” Dawn said climbing off of Spike’s legs.

“I swear Bit, with that little bugger as your partner in crime, I’m surprised you don’t get caught more often.” Spike said helping Buffy up.

“Hey! It was just a short cut.” Andrew said in a huff.

“A short cut?” Buffy said glaring at Andrew. “To what, exactly?”

“Mushrooms.” Andrew said, pointing to a patch of mushrooms under a tree.

“Oh, mushrooms!” Dawn said, running over to pick some with Andrew. As her sister and her friend picked a few mushrooms, Buffy felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She looked down the road towards the trees, and felt something coming.

“I think we should get off the road.” Buffy whispered to Spike.

“All right luv. Hey Nibblet, Whelp, Buffy thinks we should get off he road!” Spike called over to the other hobbits.

“In a minute, Spike.” Andrew called back. Buffy looked back up the road, and heard the most earsplitting scream she ever heard. Her blood ran cold; she turned, ran to her friends and grabbed Dawn and Andrew by their shirts.

“GET OFF THE ROAD! NOW!!!” Buffy yelled, dragging Dawn and Andrew off the road and under a tree, closely followed by Spike.

“What’s your problem, Buffy?” asked Dawn, agitated.

“Shhhh! Don’t talk, any of you!” Buffy said as they huddled under the tree. They sat there and listened, becoming aware that the birds had suddenly stopped chirping and the sun hid behind a cloud. Suddenly they heard the clomping of a horse; they looked through the roots of the tree and saw a huge black horse, and the scariest rider they’d ever seen. He, or it, was dressed in a black cloak that reached down to the ground, a hood drawn over its head hiding its face. They looked as it turned and saw only darkness when they saw the opening of the hood, but they felt a cold pair of eyes staring back.

The Black Rider dismounted, its armor heavy clanging, it glided to the tree where the four hobbits were hiding and bent over it. They began to hear a swift intake of breath from the rider, like it was sniffing for something. They also began to notice that the presence of this creature was affecting the area; they watched as bugs began to crawl away from the thing as fast as they could, the tree was starting to rot and cover with frost. Buffy suddenly felt a strange urge to put on the Ring. She felt like she had to put it on and disappear, she felt like the thing could see her through the tree, she had to escape. But Spike suddenly grabbed her hand, and the feeling went away. She pocketed the Ring, but the thing was still there. Dawn took the sack of mushrooms and threw it hard into the bushes on the other side of the road. It got the attention of the Black Rider and it turned, got on its horse and rode away.

“What was that thing?” Dawn asked, petrified.

“That must’ve been one of ‘em.” Spike said to Buffy.

“We got to get going.” Buffy said running into the woods, followed by Spike.

“What was that thing, Buffy? And what was it looking for?” Dawn asked, running after them.

“Go home Dawn!” Buffy ordered, still running.

“No! What was that thing, and what did you mean ‘one of them’?” Dawn said catching up with them. “That Black Rider was looking for something, or someone. What’s gong on, Buffy?”

“Dawn, please just…” But the sight ahead cut off Buffy’s statement. “Get down!” They all fell to the ground, hiding behind the bushes. Up ahead, was the black rider, still looking around. They waited till it rode out of sight, and then started walking. “Dawn, you and Andrew have to go back home and stay there. Spike and me are in enough trouble and I don’t want you involved in this.”

“Bull, you’re my sister and I am not leaving you!” Dawn said stubbornly.

“Me neither. It’d be like Superman leaving the Justice League before a fight with the Legion of Doom.” Andrew said, receiving stares from the other Hobbits. “What?”

“Where do you come up with that stuff?” Spike asked.

“I have a lot of time to write.” Andrew said embarrassed.

“Right. Go home.” Buffy said finally. “ Come on Spike, we have to get to Bree. Bucklebury Ferry isn’t far; maybe we can loose those things on the river. We shoulda brought weapons ”

“ Little late to think about that, Slayer.” Spike said picking up the pace.

“Buffy, what the hell is…AAAAAAAHHHH!” Andrew screamed like a girl, as the Black Rider appeared in front of them. The four Hobbits ran like they never ran before, with the Black Rider right on their heels. They made it to the Ferry, but Buffy was still running from the Rider.

“BUFFY COME ON!” Spike yelled, undoing the rope. Buffy ran down the dock and leapt into the ferry, landing between Dawn and Spike. The Rider rode to a halt at the end of the dock, and screamed its blood-curdling scream.

“How far to the nearest crossing?” Buffy asked, still staring at the Black Rider.

“Brandywine Bridge, 20 miles down stream.” Dawn answered. The Rider turned and rode away, but after it galloped off two other Black Riders followed it. “There’s more then one of those thing?! Why are there more than one of these things?!”

“This is gonna be harder than we thought.” Spike muttered as they floated down he river.

***The Gates of Bree***

The four Hobbits stood in the pouring rain at the gates to the village of Bree, still watching for any signs of the Black Riders. Buffy looked around and saw the coast was clear.

“Come on.” They rushed towards the gates and knocked. “Hello?” Buffy called. A door opened and a gatekeeper looked out.

“Hobbits. What business brings you to Bree?” the Gatekeeper asked.

“We going to the Hyperion, our business is our own.” Buffy said, hurriedly.

“All right, young miss, I meant no offence. It’s my job to ask questions after dark. There’s talk of unsavory folk around. Can’t be to careful.” The Gatekeeper said, letting them in. The four hobbits walked nervously through the streets of Bree; they’d never seen so many big people before. The darkness and the rain made the whole thing feel like a bad dream. They wandered a little till they found a large building with a sign that said “HYPERION”. They entered the inn and walked to the counter.

“Excuse us.” Buffy called. A blonde woman looked over the counter and saw the Hobbits.

“Good evening, I’m Anne. If you’re looking for a place to stay, we’ve got some nice cozy, Hobbit sized rooms available. May I have your name please?” Anne asked.

“My name is Glory. We’re friends of Giles the Grey. Can you tell him we’ve arrived?” Buffy said quickly.

“Giles? Giles…Oh! I remember, he had glasses and a pointy hat.” Anne said remembering I haven’t seen him in months.” Buffy felt her heart sink.

“What do we do now?” Dawn asked.

“We wait for him.” Buffy said, getting them a table. For the next hour they sat there, hoping that Giles would turn up soon. “ Where is he?”

“He’ll be here, pet.” Spike said comfortingly, as Dawn sat down with, by Hobbit standards, a huge mug of ale. “What the bloody hell is that?!”

“This, my friend, is a pint.” Dawn said sipping from it.

“It comes in pints?!” Spike and Andrew said in unison “ I’m getting one.” Said Andrew excitedly.

“Get me one to.” Spike called after him. But then he saw something that had bothered him for a while now. “Buffy, see that guy in the corner?” he said indicating to a man on the other side of the room. “He’s done nothing but stare at you since we’ve been here.”

“Excuse me, who’s that guy in the corner?” Buffy asked Anne.

“He’s a ranger, he lives around here. I never heard his real name, but everyone calls him Strider.” Anne said. Buffy looked at “Strider”, he made her feel uneasy. Or maybe that was the Ring. But then she heard something that jolted her to reality.

“Summers? Sure I know a Summers. She’s over there, her name’s Buffy Summers.” Andrew babbled. Buffy launched from her seat and ran over to Andrew. As she grabbed at Andrew, she slipped and fell, sending the Ring flying. Buffy reached to grab it as it slid on her finger, making her disappear. She looked around; the world had suddenly gone dark, everything looked blurred and shadowy.

“You cannot hide.” Said a deep voice from behind her. She turned and looked into the gaze of a gigantic Eye, made entirely of fire.

“I see you!” The Eye said coldly as it came closer to her. “There is no life in the void. Only death.” Buffy backed away from the Eye, and wrenched the Ring from her finger. She looked around, relieved that she was back in the real world, but her relief was short lived. The strong hand of the man Strider grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her into a room.

“You draw to much attention to yourself, Miss ‘Glory’.” Said Strider. “You need to be more careful with that trinket.”

“What who-ket?” Buffy asked, “I don’t have anything.”

“Sure you don’t. I can avoid being seen if I wish. But to completely disappear, that’s a rare gift.” Said the ranger, as he removed his hood.

“Who are you?” Buffy asked backing away from him.

“Are you scared?” Strider asked. Buffy nodded. “Well, not nearly scared enough. I know what’s hunting you.” Strider started walking towards her, when suddenly something jumped out of the shadows and knocked him down. Strider looked up and saw a pissed off blonde hobbit pulling back to punch him and a two younger hobbits holding a bar stool and a candelabra.

“If you hurt her, I’ll kill you Peaches!” Spike said angrily. Strider held his hands up in surrender and they backed off.

“You’ve got courage, but I’m afraid that won’t save you. You can’t wait for Giles here anymore, Buffy. They’re coming.” Strider said getting up.

The Gatekeeper suddenly heard a snorting of horses outside; he went to the gates and opened a peephole. He looked wide-eyed as four Black Riders charged in over the gate, crushing the Gatekeeper. They four Riders rode to the Hyperion and dismounted. They swept into the in without a sound, Anne cowered under the counter as the dark figures glided towards the rooms. The Riders entered a room with four Hobbit-sized beds and drew their swords. They crept silently to each bed, swords raised. And they began stabbing and slashing the beds, and what lay in them, to pieces. After a few minutes they pulled the blankets off to reveal several shredded pillows. The horrible things screeched as they threw the beds against the wall. In Strider’s room, four Hobbits were awoken by the ungodly screaming of the Riders.

“What are those things?” Buffy asked.

“They were once Men, Great Kings of Men. Then the Dark Lord gave them nine rings of power. Blinded by their pride and greed, they took them without a second thought. One by one they fell into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will. They’re the Nazgul, the Ringwraiths. They aren’t alive or dead, they just exist by the will of Sauron. They feel the power of the Ring every second, and they will never stop searching for you till they get it. Get some rest; we have a long way to go tomorrow.”

The next day, the five of them set out.

“Where are you taking us?” Andrew asked.

“Into the wild.” Strider said shortly.

“How do we know Captain Forehead over there is a friend of Giles?” Spike asked Buffy. “For all we know, this guy’s one of the guys lookin’ for the Ring.”

“I don’t think so. I think we can trust him.” Buffy replied.

“You’re just sayin’ that cause you fancy him.” Spike said bitterly.

“I do not!” Buffy said, not entirely telling the truth.

“Where’s he taking us?” Andrew asked.

“To Caritas, Mister Wells, to the House of Lorne.”

“Caritas? We’re going to see the Elves!” Andrew said excitedly as everyone groaned

Chapter 5:A Knife in the Dark


Disclaimer: I don’t own Buffy or LOTR, how many times do I have to say it?

***Isengard***

“The power of Isengard is at your command, Sauron, Lord of the Earth” Ethan called into his palantir. After a moment, the Eye appeared in the seeing stone and addressed the White Wizard.

“Build me an army worthy of Mordor.” Came Sauron’s voice from the palantir.

“As you command, my lord.” Ethan said, as the vision of the Eye vanished. Ethan turned as he heard some of his Orcs come into the room.

“What orders from Mordor, my lord?” an Orc asked. “What does the Eye command?”

“We have a lot of work to do. Call everyone to the gardens, and bring ropes and axes.” Ethan commanded. Once the Orcs were assembled outside, Ethan addressed them. “The Lord of Mordor has commanded that we build him an army worthy of serving him. We must begin fortifying Isengard, and we begin with getting rid of all this loathsome greenery. Rip down every tree and begin chopping them into firewood.”

“Yes master!” the Orcs chorused. For the next few hours, the Orcs pulled, chopped, and burned down every tree in Isengard and began digging the caverns where they’d begin preparing Ethan’s army. And high up, on the pinnacle of Orthanc Tower, Giles watched as his once most trusted friend, began building a war machine to serve the Dark Lord.

“I can’t believe this! How could Ethan do this?!” Giles fumed, as he sat heavily on the roof. “I have to warn Lorne, I have to get to Buffy! And then I have to give Ethan a good being killed.”

***A few miles from Weathertop***

“This is unbearable!” Andrew whined. “This Strider guy is the most barbaric person I’ve ever met!”

“Will you quit it, Andrew? God! Can’t you just get past the second breakfast crap?!” Buffy asked exasperated.

“It’s not just the second breakfast, or the elevenses, or luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner or supper; it’s the principle of the matter!”

“Why didn’t we leave him in the room when the Tazkul, or whatever they are, chopped the beds up? Here,” Dawn said as she picked an apple and threw it to Andrew. “Eat that and shut up!”

“Come on, Hobbits!” Strider called back. “We’re here!”

“We’re where?” Buffy asked, looking around not seeing where they were.

“Weathertop.” Strider said, indicating to the ruins on the hill ahead. “The great watchtower, Amon Sul, stood here before the Nazgul burned it down and took the palantir kept there.”

“Took the what?” Dawn asked Strider.

“The palantir, a seeing stone that could show you anything in the world.” He explained. “Come on, we’ll rest here tonight.” They climbed onto a ledge and set up camp. Once they were set up, Strider pulled out four short swords and handed them to the hobbits. “These are for you, keep them close. I’m going to look around, stay here.”

“Bossy ponce ain’t he?” Spike sneered as the ranger left. For a few hours it was quiet, the hobbits were even able to dose off for a while; but they hadn’t counted on the stupidity of Andrew. Buffy, Dawn and Spike woke up to the sight of Andrew making a huge fire, and burning some of their blankets in the process.

“What are you doing?!” Buffy hissed at the infuriating hobbit.

“I thought it would be nice if I cooked some bacon for you guys when you woke up, but I think I put to much fuel on it before I started it.” Andrew said embarrassed.

“You idiot! Did you forget that there are nine baddies in black cloaks that are looking for us?” Dawn raged “And that a fire in the middle of nowhere might attract attention?!” As Dawn finished the ear splitting shriek of the Nazgul rang out. The hobbits looked over the ledge and saw five large shapes heading towards the hill. “I’m thinking we run now?”

“Sounds like a plan!” Buffy said as they ran up towards the ruins on the top of the hill. They drew their swords and huddled in the ruins of the watchtower, looking around for the Black Riders. Buffy turned and saw them, five tall dark figures with long swords drawn, advancing on the hobbits. They closed in, looking ready and willing to tear them apart.

“You sods want a fight, you came to the right place.” Spike said brandishing his sword. He swung his sword at the wraiths, he put up a decent fight but in the end he was thrown aside. Dawn and Andrew were swatted away before they could lift a finger. They continued towards Buffy, she knew why they singled her out. She ran behind the ruins of the structure, closely followed by two of the Nazgul. As they turned the corner, Buffy jumped from her hiding place and sent a slab of stone falling on top of them. The others ran after her, she crawled between one’s legs and stabbed upwards, bringing on another awful scream. Buffy ran back to her friends to see if they were hurt, but when she turned around she saw all five coming at her like nothing phased them.

Buffy backed away from the wraiths, sword still at the ready. She was surrounded, but they can’t catch what they can’t see! She pulled out the Ring, getting the attention of the tallest Nazgul. He held out his sword and pulled out a dagger as he descended on the hobbit. She put the Ring on her finger and disappeared, but the Nazgul were still there. But instead of five figures in black cloaks, she saw five ghostly beings clad in pale ripped garments; these were the men they were before they became wraiths. The tallest one moved forward, lowering his blades and smiling warmly.

“Hello Buffy.” The wraith said in an almost friendly tone. “I am the Witchking of Angmar, but you can call me Marcus Hamilton, and I believe you have something that belongs to an associate of mine.”

“From what I’ve heard, he’s not so much as an associate as you’re master.” Buffy said disbelievingly.

“Well let’s not argue semantics. The point is, you have something you don’t really want and my associates and I do want, I’m saying that if you want to just forget all this mess and just go home, all you have to do is just put that Ring in my hand and you’ll never hear from us again.”

“What, I give you the Ring, you guys go away and never bother us again?” Buffy asked.

“You have my word.” The wraith smiled and nodded

“Bite me!” Buffy said, spitting in his face. The big bullshit smile still on his face, the wraith plunged the short blade into her shoulder causing her to scream in pain.

“Well, can’t say I didn’t try. I’ll be taking that Ring now thank you.” The evil figure said reaching for her hand. But as he reached for her, something flew out of nowhere and began fighting of the Nazgul with a sword and a torch. Buffy ripped the Ring off and screamed again as the pain from her stab wound flared again.

“Buffy!” Spike screamed as he rushed to her side, cradling her in his arms as she lost consciousness. Strider fended off the wraiths and went to tend to Buffy. “Help her!”

“She’s been stabbed by a Morgul blade, it’s coated with a dark mystical poison.” Strider said picking the writhing hobbit girl up. “She needs Elvish medicine. We have to hurry.”

“We’re six days from Caritas! She’ll never make it!” Andrew cried in despair, but he was cut short by Spike grabbing his shirt and shaking him.

“DON’T YOU DARE SAY THAT! SHE’LL BE FINE NOW MOVE!!!” Spike yelled desperation evident in his voice. Buffy clung to Strider as he held her, his strong arms comforting her in her agony.

***Isengard***

Ethan the White regarded his operation with pride; his Orcs were turning out armor and weapons by the hundreds, the trees of the surrounding area were now burning in his furnaces, and his breeding pits were yielding the horrible Orc-Man hybrids called the Uruk Hai. Soon he’d be ready to wage war and acquire the power Sauron promised him.

Giles sat on the summit of Ethan Rayne’s tower, surveying the now barren Isengard. His thoughts turned to Buffy, and the burden he’d forced onto her shoulders.

*What have I done? Buffy is just a Hobbit! A remarkably brave Hobbit, but even so how could he ask her to get involved in this? Thank heavens Spike is with her, he’d throw himself off a cliff before he’d let anything happen to her. I’ve got to get out of here and help her, but how?*

Giles was shaken from his thoughts by a moth fluttering around his face. His salvation! Giles caught the moth in his hands, and whispered to it before letting it fly away. But just as he felt like this situation wasn’t so hopeless, he turned and saw Ethan standing before him, a mocking smile on his face.

“Hello again, Ripper. Time for some more convincing.” The White Wizard said as he cast a few painful spells on his former colleague. Giles screamed in pain as the torturous magic coursed through him, hoping to God that moth got the message.

Chapter 6:Caritas

Buffy awoke from a nightmare to the searing pain from her stab wound, she felt like she was sitting in ice water but a red hot poker was stuck in her chest. She gasped and convulsed violently in Spike’s arms.

“Buffy?! Buffy?! Please luv, stay with me!” Spike pleaded before she lost consciousness in his arms. “Buffy?! She passed out and she’s cold! Help!” Spike said desperately to Strider.

“Is she going to die?” Andrew asked terrified.

“Worse, she’s passing into the Shadow world. If she doesn’t get the proper help she’ll become a wraith like them.” Strider said gravely. “Do any of you know what the Athelas plant is?”

“Yeah, Kingsfoil, I smoke it all the time.” Spike said hurriedly.

“It might help slow the poison, help me find some.” Strider paused as the scream of a Nazgul was heard in the distance. “And hurry!” Strider and Spike ran into the woods, leaving Dawn and Andrew to watch over Buffy. After a few minutes Strider found some of the plant, but as he began cutting it, he felt a sword blade pressed to his throat.

“A ranger caught off his guard? I’m disappointed.” Said a familiar female voice.

Buffy slowly regained consciousness and was greeted by the sight of a tall, beautiful woman with dark hair ride towards her. She dismounted her horse and leaned over the sick hobbit. “I’m here to help you, Buffy. I am Cordelia, follow my voice and come back to us.” Her words soothed Buffy a little bit, and the mashed Athelas made her wound feel better.

“Who’s she?” Dawn asked to no one in particular.

“I think she’s an Elf.” Andrew said, spellbound. “Just like the ones in Buffy’s mom’s stories, except, you know, they were mostly guys.”

“Oh God, we’re losing her. We need to get her to my dad.” Cordelia said as Strider put Buffy’s limp body onto her horse. “I’ve been looking for you guys for like three days! Five of the Nazgul are close by, I haven’t seen the other four.”

“Where are you taking her?!” Spike said, not knowing if this Elf girl could be trusted.

“I’m taking her to Caritas where they’ll be able to heal her.” Strider said to the irritable hobbit. “Stay with them Cordy, I’ll send horses back for you.”

“I’m a faster rider than you, I’ll go.” Cordy said as she mounted the horse and held onto Buffy.

“It’s to dangerous.” Strider said holding the horse back.

“And staying in the forest is safer?” Cordy asked sarcastically. “Look, she’s dying! If I can get her across the river the power of the Elves will protect her. I’m not scared of evil guys who can’t go out without their tacky cloaks.” She said, leaving no room for argument.

“Hurry, don’t look back.” Strider whispered, as Cordelia and Buffy rode off and disappeared into the woods.

“Are you off your bird?! Those wraiths are still out there!” Spike yelled, having just watched some Elf ride off with a dying Buffy.

“Cordy’s tougher than you’d believe, Spike.” Strider said, becoming increasingly annoyed by the blonde hobbit. “She has a better chance of getting her there then even I could. She’ll make it.”

Cordy rode through the trees as fast as her horse could go, looking over her shoulder for any sign of the Ringwraiths. She was already half way to Caritas, but her luck ran out as she looked and saw a flash of black behind a tree.

“Oh crap!” Cordelia said under her breath, indicated her horse to speed up. She looked around and saw that there were three Black Riders gaining on her, screaming their evil scream. Cordy rode between the trees, hoping to confuse and lose them. She managed to get two of them to run into a tree, but they quickly got back up, followed by three more. She rode into a patch of trees with low branches, hoping their cloaks would get caught, no such luck. After a few more attempts to lose them, Cordy was horrified to see all nine Nazgul were right behind her. Two rode right beside her and tried to grab at Buffy, Cordelia swiped a dagger at their hands and sped up. She finally rode through the river, the Nazgul right behind her. They rode up to the riverbank and pulled out their swords.

“Give us the Hobbit, Elf bitch!” commanded one of the Wraiths.

“You want her? Come get her!” Cordy said unsheathing her own sword. The Nazgul began to cross the river, and Cordelia began her trap. “Nin o Chithaeglir, lasto beth daer, Rimmo nin Bruinen in Ulaer!” She chanted in Elvish, and the river answered. A huge wave rose from the river, and headed for the Ringwraiths. White horses seemed to appear in the wave as it crashed down on the nine Riders and washed them away. But the victory was short lived, Cordy looked at Buffy and saw her breathing had become gasps and her eyes stared into space. “No! No! Buffy, don’t give up! Not now!” Cordy felt a knot in her stomach as she whispered desperately. “What grace I have, let her have it. Spare her.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Buffy felt warmth and light again. She opened her eyes slowly; her vision still blurred, and noted the unfamiliar surroundings.

“Where am I?” Buffy asked herself.

“You’re in the House of Lorne,” said a familiar voice, she turned to see Giles sitting by the bed she was lying in. “And it is 10 o’ clock in the morning, on October the 24th if you want to know.”

“Giles?” Buffy asked, confused.

“Yes Buffy, it’s me. And you are very lucky to be here, a few more hours and you would’ve been beyond our help. You are so remarkably strong.”

“How long have I been asleep?” Buffy asked sitting up in the bed.

“You’ve been recuperating here for three days, but you weren’t alone.” Giles said pointing behind Buffy, she turned to see Spike, sitting next to the bed asleep. “Spike refused to leave your side once he got here. He held your hand, talked to you, hoping you’d wake up.” Buffy smiled, patting Spike on the shoulder to wake him up.

“Huh? Wha…BUFFY!” Spike screamed as he saw she was awake and embraced her for all he was worth. “Thank God you’re awake!”

“Well I’m glad to be awake Buffy myself. Oh man, do I have bed hair?” Buffy asked, hugging Spike back.

“You’re beautiful as ever, pet.” Spike said, as they pulled apart.

“Oh, I see our little patient is feeling better. Would you like anything, Sweetcakes?” asked a strange green person in a bright blue robe.

“Who’s that?” Buffy asked Giles and Spike.

“I’m Lorne, your humble host and Lord of Caritas. I must say you are a real fighter puddin’, not everyone can take a Morgul blade and stay looking fabulous.”

“Um… thanks.” Buffy said, not knowing what to say.

“You rest up Sugar, I’ll be seein’ ya.” Lorne said before leaving.

“Well, he’s… different.” Buffy said, after Lorne left.

“Yeah, but I still like him better than that Strider poof.” Spike said standing up. “I’m gonna go tell Andrew, Dawn and your mother you’re awake.”

“My mom’s here?” Buffy asked, excited at the prospect of seeing her mother again.

“Yes she is, she was here to while you were asleep.” Giles said standing to leave as well. It was all I could do to convince her to get some rest last night. If you’ll excuse me, I have some business to discuss with Lorne. It’s wonderful to see you’re alright, Buffy.”

“Great to see you to Giles, but why didn’t you meet us at the Hyperion?” Buffy asked, the thought had bothered her for a while now.

“Oh, I am sorry Buffy, I was delayed by a very serious matter.” Giles said, recalling his escape from Isengard

***Flashback to Giles and Ethan on the tower***

Giles’ body was wracked with pain from the torturous magic from Ethan Rayne. He had been thrown against the wall and floor, his flesh burned and his mind a haze.

“A friendship with Ethan Rayne isn’t the kind of thing you just walk away from, Rupert. You and me were always friends, so why can’t you see the truth?” Ethan asked as he threw a fireball at Giles, “The truth, old friend, is that there is no hope in fighting Sauron. He won’t be stopped, not by you, not by the Elves, not by Men, and certainly not by your little friend the Hobbit bitch.” He said as he suspended over the edge of the roof. “It’s over Ripper. You can be smart and embrace the power of the Ring; or you can be your stupid self and embrace your destruction.” Ethan said as he flung Giles face down on the floor.

“Ethan, you’re the one who can’t see the truth.” Giles said as he lifted his head up, noticing the large eagle flying towards Orthanc. “There is only one Lord of the Ring. Only one who can bend it to his will. And he does not share power!” He spit out as he jumped of the pinnacle of the tower and onto the Great Eagle Gwaihir’s back. Gwaihir flew away with Giles to freedom, leaving a furious Ethan at the tower.

“You had your chance Ripper. But I have to kill you now.” Ethan said gritting his teeth.

***Caritas***

“BUFFY!” Dawn and Andrew cried as they launched themselves at Buffy, smothering her in a huge hug. “I thought we lost you.” Dawn said, tears of joy welling up in her eyes.

“Don’t worry Dawn, I’m here now. Summers women are tough, remember?” Buffy said hugging her sister. “Mom?” Buffy said as Dawn pulled away, revealing their mother, Joyce Summers, looking a little older than the last time they saw her.

“Buffy!” Joyce cried as she ran as she ran and hugged her eldest daughter like there was no tomorrow. “I’m so glad you’re alright.” She said, with tears in her eyes.

“I’m fine Mom.” Buffy said, enjoying the feeling of being in her mother’s arms again. “How’ve you been, have you been here all this time?” Buffy asked as they separated.

“Yep, and I finally finished my book.” Joyce said, handing a leather bound book to her daughters.

“There and Back Again, A Hobbit’s Tale by Joyce Summers.” Dawn said reading the title. “This is great Mom.”

“I meant to go back to all the places I went last time. Mirkwood, Lake Town, the Lonely Mountain; but I guess I couldn’t outrun age forever.” Joyce said pointing to her crow’s feet and wrinkles that were beginning appear.

“We missed you.” Buffy said as Joyce put her arms around her girls. “Do you ever miss the Shire? Or being with us?”

“All the time. I love you two with all my heart, and after seeing what happened on the way here, I’ve never been more proud.”

After some more rest, Buffy decided to explore the palace of Caritas. It was beautiful, waterfalls, the Elven architecture, the music; Buffy had never seen anything like it. After looking around, she ran into some old friends.

“Willow! Xander!” Buffy yelled as she turned the corner to see a dwarf and a red head Elf. “I missed you guys, how you doin’?”

“Buffy, I missed you so much!” Willow squealed as she stooped and hugged Buffy. “I can’t believe nobody told me you’d be here.”

“Buffy, I haven’t seen you since Jesse and me visited your mom.” Xander said, hugging the hobbit. “So what are you doing here?”

“I got chased by Black Riders.” Buffy said casually. Willow and Xander’s jaws dropped.

“The Nazgul are after you?! I’ll turn them into toads!” Willow raged.

“You can turn things into toads now?” Buffy asked.

“I’ve been studying up on magic.”

“Oh, cool!”

“Hey Buffy!” Came Spike’s voice from down the walkway. “Who are these two?”

“This is Willow, the Elf Princess of Mirkwood and witch; and Xander the master carpenter and Dwarf warrior. I met them when some of my mom’s friends were visiting.”

“You mean the friends from her trip to Lonely Mountain?” Spike asked.

“Yep.” Buffy nodded.

“Well nice to meet you Red, Whelp.”

“Hey, I am not a whelp!” Xander said angrily at the blonde hobbit. He turned to Willow and whispered “Um, what’s a whelp?”

“Well, I’ll let you all catch up, I’ve got to pack.”

“Pack? Why are you packing?” Buffy asked,

“Well, since we did what Rupes wanted and got to Caritas, I assumed we’d be heading back to the Shire soon.” Spike explained. “Nice meeting you.” He called as he walked away.

“Who was that?” Willow asked, not recognizing Spike.

“That was Spike, he’s a friend from the Shire.”

“You mean a friend off the boy variety?” Willow asked, grinning.

“What? No! He’s just a friend. He’s just a guy who I hang out with, that’s all.” Buffy said, blushing slightly.

“Yeah sure.” Willow said smirking.

“Well, I’m gonna go explore this place some more, see you later.” Buffy said leaving the Elf and the Dwarf.

She walked around a little more, until she saw the dark haired Elf, Cordelia, sitting on a bench by the river.

“Hello, Cordelia.” Buffy said, to the tall brunette.

“Hi, good to see you’re doing better. So, do you like Caritas?” Cordy said, offering Buffy a seat.

“Oh it’s great, I bet it’s even better to live here.”

“Yeah. So, once the Council is over what are you and your friends gonna do?”

“Council?” Buffy asked, confused.

“My father, Lorne, called a big meeting, there are Elves, Dwarves and Men coming to it. I think it’s about what to do with the Ring.” Cordy explained.

“Oh. Well honestly, I just wanna head home. I’ve always been excited by the idea of going on an adventure like my mom did, but after the one I just had, I’m ready to just go home.”

“I don’t blame ya, what you went through is more than most humans I’ve seen can take.”

“Yeah, but there was one upside to all this. That Strider guy, he’s such a hottie.”

“Oh yeah,” Cordy said smiling “ Defiantly a vision of hotliness. And that blonde guy who sat at your bedside, if he were a little taller, whoa!” They continued their girl talk, as Lorne and Giles looked on from a balcony.

“She’s getting stronger already, she’s one tough cookie.” Lorne said smiling fondly at the Hobbit below.

“That wound will never fully heal. She’ll carry it the rest of her life.” Giles said sadly.

“She’s had the Ring for so long and still the crumpet hasn’t given in. Strong and cute, very good combo.” Lorne said, fixing himself a Sea Breeze.

“It’s to big of a burden, she never should’ve had to bear it in the first place. We can’t ask any more from her or her friends. After the Council I want her, Dawn, Andrew and Spike to be taken home.”

“Fine with me, but Giles sweetheart, we still got a lot to do for the big to do. Sauron’s troops are being called up and he’s spying Caritas with his not so little Eye. And now you’re telling me Ethan Rayne is playing the part of Judas Iscariot. All signs point to a fight that’s gonna ruin everybody’s summer plans.”

“I’m afraid it gets worse.” Giles said grimly.

“Of coarse it does.” Lorne groaned, drinking the last of his Sea Breeze.

“Ethan has been using his magicks to cross Orcs and Goblin Men, he’s breeding an army in the caverns of Isengard. And from what I saw, these creatures are very strong and fast. Once he’s created enough of these ‘Uruk Hai’ as he calls them, he’ll be coming for the Ring.”

“This is to big a deal for just the Elves. Sure we’re strong but we can’t take on Mordor and Isengard together. Giles, I’m sorry but the Ring can’t stay here.” Lorne said standing next to Giles. Down at the entrance to Caritas, more people were arriving. Messengers, representatives and ambassadors from Dwarves, kingdoms of Men, and other Elves were gathering for the Council to discuss how to deal with the coming war. “This threat is bigger than anything Middle Earth has ever faced since the last time Sauron tried to destroy the world. This isn’t just about us, it’s about everyone, and everyone has to decide how to put a stop to it. The Elves’ time in this world is over, we’re gonna be leaving soon, then who’s gonna take care of this? The Dwarves? They may know how to make great jewelry, good buildings and a fantastic Sea Breeze, but they can’t hold the weight of the world.”

“We must trust the strength of humanity.” Giles said.

“Humans.” Lorne smiled ruefully. “Some of my best friends are humans, but as a whole they’re weak. I hoped against hope they’d prove themselves, but, and it hurts to say this, but it’s because of humans the Ring still exists. I was there, Giles. I was there three thousand years ago when Riley took the Ring. I had a front row center seat to see the death of the strength of humanity.”

***Flashback to after the Last Alliance’s battle with Sauron***

“Riley, come on!” Lorne said heading up the side of Mount Doom, followed by Riley. “We have to finish this.”

*I led Riley into the chamber where Sauron made the Ring, the fissure in Mount Doom Sauron called the Hellmouth. It was the one place where the Ring could be destroyed.*

“Riley, this is it.” Lorne said as he and Riley entered the fiery Hellmouth.

“This is what?” Riley asked, confused.

“This is where this all ends! This is where the Ring has to be destroyed.”

“Destroyed? Why, Sauron’s gone, what does getting rid of this accomplish?” Riley asked, his hand clutching the Ring.

“He’s gone now, but as long as that Ring exists he can return. The Ring is Sauron!” Lorne called over the roar of the fire, seeing the Ring’s influence beginning to affect Riley. “Throw it in the lava, and Middle Earth will never have to go through this nightmare again. Throw it in the fire, Riley, destroy it!” Riley looked at Lorne, then at the lava, then at the Ring. He felt the power of the Ring; he saw what greatness he could have if he kept it.

“Destroy it!” Lorne cried desperately. Riley looked Lorne in the eye, his gaze was cold and distant, his hand clenched around the Ring.

“No. The Ring is mine!” Riley said coldly, a dark look on his face. He slipped the Ring on his finger and vanished.

“RILEY! NO! RILEY, YOU CAN’T!” Lorne called out, but Riley was long gone.

***The Present, Caritas***

“Riley kept the Ring, and the royal line was broken. Not your standard ‘Happily-Ever-After’ that usually comes after a big fight with the bad guy. If Riley had listened, it would’ve ended right there and none of this would be happening. But it didn’t, and now evil’s back and planning to set up franchises all over.” Lorne said sadly, making another Sea Breeze. “The strength of humanity ain’t what it used to be. They’re scattered, divided and big with the moral ambiguity. Hell, if only they were all like Buffy, I’d say Hobbits should get to run the planet.”

“Yes, I agree that human beings aren’t perfect, but there is someone who can unite them. Someone who can return the strength and dignity to the human race. Someone who can reclaim the throne of Gondor.” Giles said, Lorne knowing well who he was talking about.

“I know, I just wish I could convince his royal broodiness he’s that someone.”

Later that night, after everyone went to sleep, Strider sat in the halls and read for a while. He looked up from his book when he heard footsteps coming towards him, he saw a man with brown hair walking over and looking at the mural of the battle between the Last Alliance and Sauron’s armies. The man turned, feeling someone watching him, and saw Strider sitting there.

“You’re not an Elf. Who are you? The man asked.

“I’m a friend of Giles the Grey, who are you?” Strider asked.

“Then I guess I can trust you, friend. I’m Lindsey.” The man said before something caught his attention. He looked on the alter near by, and saw a handle of a sword and several shards of steel “Wow, the shards of Narsil. The sword that cut the Ring from Sauron’s hand.” He picked up the handle and ran his finger on the blade, drawing blood. “Still sharp after all these years. Too bad it’s just a broken heirloom now.” Lindsey said, placing the sword back onto the alter. He turned and left before the handle wobbled and fell to the floor with a clang. Strider walked over, picking the sword up and putting it back.

“Sorry, if I knew I was interrupting Brood Fest I would’ve knocked.” Said Cordelia, who walked in. “What are you so afraid of? You’re Riley’s heir but you’re not Riley. Just cause he screwed up doesn’t mean you will to.”

“I’m his descendent, his blood is in my blood. The same weakness flows through my veins, and I don’t know if I’ll make the right decision or the same mistake.” Strider said, avoiding Cordy’s eyes. Cordelia walked up to him and looked him in the eyes.

“The future isn’t set in stone. You’ll face the same enemy Riley did but you’ll defeat him once and for all. He doesn’t own us, and he never will.” Cordelia said, leading Strider into the gardens. They walked out onto a bridge and held hands. “Do you remember the first time we met?”

“How could I forget, I thought I was dreaming.” Strider said, staring into her eyes.

“That was a long time ago, do you remember what I said to you?”

“You said you loved me.” Strider said remembering. “You said you bind yourself to me, even if it meant giving up the immortality of your people.”

“And I meant it. I’d rather spend a lifetime with you, than all eternity without you.” Cordelia said, slipping something into Strider’s hand. He opened his hand to reveal her necklace; the Evenstar pendent. “I choose a mortal life.”

“You can’t give me this.” Strider said, realizing she was, in essence handing over her immortality.

“It’s mine, and I’ll give it to whoever I want to. Just like my heart.” Cordy said, pulling him into a kiss.

Chapter 7:The Council of Lorne

Disclaimer: Joss and Tolkien own this stuff, not me.

The next day, Caritas was in complete disarray. The representatives gathered on the terrace, as did Giles and Buffy. Lorne entered wearing a bright yellow robe, accompanied by his cousin and chief guard, Landok.

“Hello and welcome to Caritas.” Lorne greeted the Council. “Many of you know me, and know that I’ve called you here to discuss serious business. As you are all aware, Mordor has been getting strong again. And anyone who knows anything about Mordor knows that equals a not fun time. The apocalypse is right around the corner, and nobody is gonna be safe from it. So we have to stick together in this or we stand as much chance as a plate of cocktail weenies with Oprah Winfrey. As I understand it, many of you have news of Sauron’s activities in your homes, so I’m opening up the floor.” Xander stood up, addressing the Council.

“A few weeks ago we got a visit from a weird guy on a horse, he said he was from Mordor and had a message from Sauron himself. He wanted us to join with them; he said if the Dwarves joined Mordor there’d be a lot in it for us. After we said no he left, two days later we found the bodies of our friends hung at the gate, with a note that said ‘you had your chance’.” Xander finished and sat down, as Willow stood up.

“Mirkwood has been infested by evil spirits and creatures for years, but it got better after we got rid of Cyvus Veil, one of Sauron’s warlocks. But recently Orcs and dark magic have overrun the forest, we’ve been able to hold them off so far but it’s obvious they’re getting stronger. My cousin Amy led an assault on the dark forces and she was turned into a rat; we’re still trying to change her back.” Lindsey, one of the men from Gondor, stood up, as Willow sat down.

“I just got through a big battle when I was called here. The city Osgiliath was under siege for weeks and we lost more than half our men before we were able to drive the Orcs back. I barely got out alive myself, and it was obvious they would be back when they got reinforcements. The next time they attack, we won’t be able to stop them from taking over the city.”

“I was afraid of that, it seems Sauron means serious business. But there is something that we know that he doesn’t; we have what he’s looking for. Buffy, be a dear and set the Ring down here.” Lorne asked, motioning to the stone pedestal. Buffy stood up and walked over to the pedestal; she set the Ring on it, feeling like she just set down a hundred pound weight and sat back down.

“Well, I’ll be damned. It’s true.” Lindsey whispered. The members of the Council, shocked at this development, looked uneasily at each other and Ring. “I had a dream, but now I think it was more of a premonition. The sky in the east was dark, and a small light shown n the western sky. I heard a voice screaming ‘you’re doomed, Riley’s Bane has returned.” Lindsey never looked away from the Ring as he spoke, he seemed mesmerized by it. He slowly walked closer to the pedestal and reached for the Ring.

“Lindsey no!” Lorne said loudly. Giles took a deep breath and began speaking.

“Ash nazg durbatuluk, ash nazg gimbatul,” Giles said in a deep and powerful voice. The sky grew dark and a crack of thunder was heard. The Council members became confused and scared as Giles continued. “Ash nazg thrakatuluk, agh burzum ishi krimpatul!” When he finished, the sun came back out, and Giles looked ready to collapse.

“No one has ever used that language in Caritas.” Lorne said, still regaining his strength.

“I’m sorry, but unless we do something it won’t be the last time it’s used here. It will only be a matter of time before the Black Speech of Mordor is heard everywhere in Middle Earth. We can’t use the Ring, it’s completely evil.”

“It’s a gift. It’s a chance at winning on silver platter. Why don’t we use it? My father, the Steward of Gondor, has been keeping the armies of Mordor in line for as long as I can remember. Our people’s blood, sweat and tears have been keeping all your homes safe from their troops. This is Sauron’s weapon, I say we use it against him.”

“You can’t use it! No one can wield the power of the One Ring.” Strider said indignantly. “Sauron is the only one who the Ring answers to, anyone else who thinks they can control it is deluding themselves.”

“Well what do you know about it, you’re a ranger and last time I checked rangers weren’t experts on the Ring.” Lindsey said, liking this Strider guy less and less.

“He isn’t just a ranger!” Cordelia said angrily, standing up. “He’s Angel, son of Angelus, and you owe him your respect and allegiance.”

“Angel? The Angel?” Lindsey said in disbelief. “This guy is Riley’s heir?”

“And heir to the throne of Gondor.” Cordelia said, pride swelling. Buffy’s eyes widened as she realized he was a hottie and an honest to goodness king.

“Gondor doesn’t have a king, and it doesn’t need one.” Lindsey said coldly to Angel as he sat down.

“That aside, Angel is right. We can’t use it.” Giles said, trying to get back to the real issue.

“Then we only have one option, we gotta destroy this baby.” Lorne said looking at the Ring with hatred. Lindsey sighed in exasperation; these idiots were throwing away their best chance at beating Mordor.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” Xander asked standing up. He picked up his axe, walked over the Ring and swung it down on the Ring as hard as he could. Buffy gasped as a vision of the Eye of Sauron flashed in her mind. The axe blade shattered to pieces, the handle swung back and hit Xander right between the eyes, but the Ring didn’t even have a scratch. The Council was stunned, an axe Dwarf’s was one of the most dangerous things on earth, but the Ring was still in one piece.

“It can’t be destroyed that way.” Lorne said to the stunned dwarf.

“I got it.” Willow said standing. She chanted and her eyes turned completely black. “DESTROY IT!” Willow sent a wave of magic at the Ring; it hit the Ring and flew back at Willow sending her flying into the wall.

“Everybody stop and listen to me!” Lorne called as they revived Willow. “The Ring can’t be destroyed by anything we do to it. This evil knick-knack was made in the fires of Mount Doom, and that’s the only place it can be destroyed. It must be taken into Mordor, to Mount Doom, into the Hellmouth itself and thrown back into the fires where it came from. Someone here has to do it.” The silence of the Council was deafening. Everybody looked at each other, no one wanting to be the one who did it. It stayed quiet for a while till Lindsey spoke up.

“Are you nuts?! You don’t just walk into Mordor. The Black Gates are guarded by more than just Orcs, there’s evil in Mordor none of us can imagine. Sauron’s Eye watches everything that goes on there, every minute of every day. The place is a desert wasteland, infested with every type of evil creature you can think off, it’s full of fire, ash and dust from Mount Doom. Evil isn’t just in the inhabitants, it’s in everything in Mordor, the ground, the sky, the air you breath is poisonous and evil. You couldn’t do it if you had 10,000 men and even then it’s suicide.”

“Haven’t you heard what Lorne’s been saying? The Ring must be destroyed!” Willow said angrily, standing up.

“I suppose you think you’re the one to do it? And what happens if we fail? What happens when Sauron takes back his Ring cause we were stupid enough to bring it to his back yard?!” Lindsey said harshly to the red head Elf.

“Hey, don’t talk to Will that way!” Xander said, getting in Lindsey’s face.

“No one’s doing the ‘I’ statements.” Willow said as she saw the Council degenerate.

“Do you people realize while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron’s power is growing?” Giles said angrily, standing. “We have to do something, or we’ll all be wiped out!” The entire Council proceeded to become an all out yell fest.

Buffy sat in her seat, staring at the Ring. She felt like she could hear the Ring laughing as the Council argued. She remembered all she saw since she and her friends left the Shire; the Nazgul looking for them as they hid, the ear splitting screech, being stabbed by the Morgul blade, and nearly dying. She had seen what real evil could do, and she could only imagine what it could do to the people and places she cared about. She wanted nothing more than to let someone else deal with this, go home and forget this ever happened; but she couldn’t turn her back on what was obviously her responsibility. She took a deep breath and stood, her mind made up.

“I will take it!” Buffy called out, not getting anyone’s attention. “I WILL TAKE IT!” Giles heard her this time, his heart sank. He felt like a father who just found out his child was going to war, but he knew, deep down that Buffy was the only one who could do this. He turned to her, a mix of sadness and pride in his heart. “I’ll take the Ring to Mordor.” Buffy said, getting the attention of the Council. Everyone looked stunned, this little hobbit girl was volunteering to take on the biggest evil in the world. Lorne, Angel, Cordelia, Willow and Xander looked at her with amazement, speechless at her courage. “But, I kinda don’t know the way.”

“I’ll help you through this Buffy,” Giles said, standing next to her. “No matter what.”

“If I can protect you, even if I don’t make it, I will.” Angel said walking over. “You have my sword.

“And my bow and magics.” Willow said joining the group.

“And my axe.” Said Xander taking his place by Willow.

“All our lives are in your hands now. If this is the way it’s gonna be, I’ll make sure it’s done.” Lindsey said as he walked over.

“One bloody minute!” came a familiar voice from behind a bush. Spike sauntered from behind his hiding place and stood next to Buffy. “Buffy’s not goin’ anywhere without me!”

“I guess not, Spikester” Lorne said, amused. “It seems it’s impossible to get you away from her, even when she’s summoned to a secret council and you aren’t”

“Hey, we’re coming to!” Came a voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see Dawn and Andrew running to the group. “And you’ll have to knock us unconscious to stop us.”

“Yeah, and besides, you’re gonna need people of intelligence and bravery on this sort of mission. Quest. Thingy.” Andrew said, unconvincingly.

“Well, that rules you out Andrew” Dawn said giving Andrew a look.

“Nine companions.” Lorne mused. Buffy, Spike, Giles, Angel, Willow, Xander, Lindsey, Dawn and Andrew. “Ok then, you shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!”

“Cool!” Andrew said grinning. “So… where are we going?” Andrew asked, receiving a slap on the head from Dawn.

"Middle Earth is doomed." Giles mumbled under his breath.

Chapter 8:The Ring Goes South

Disclaimer: I own Buffy and LOTR, and while I’m at it, I also own Coca Cola, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Playboy, and Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory and I’m the second cousin to the President. You probably don’t believe me, and you shouldn’t cause I’m lying. Duh!

The day after the Council, the nine members of the Fellowship prepared for their journey.

Spike awoke as the sun rose, he looked around the terrace and saw a blonde figure sitting and watching the sunrise.

“Buffy?” Spike called, Buffy turned and saw Spike walking towards her. Spike had never seen Buffy like this, she always had a carefree demeanor but now she looked so solemn and unsure. “What’s on your mind, pet?”

“I’m scared, Spike. We’ve been through a lot these past few weeks; I wanted to protect the people I loved so I could deal with it. But now these guys trust me with the weight of the world.” Buffy said as Spike sat next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. “What if I screw up? What if I can’t do this and the world ends? Everything will be destroyed and it’ll be my fault.”

“You listen to me, Buffy. I’ve never met a stronger Hobbit than you; if I trusted the world with anyone it’d be you.” Buffy smiled, feeling better knowing there was someone who really believed in her. “Besides, not like you’re going alone; you got me, your little sis, Giles, that bugger Andrew, your friends the Elf and Dwarf, that poofter Angel and that guy from Gondor. We’ll get to Mordor, destroy the Ring, kick the Big Bad’s ass and be back in time for dinner.”

“I hope you’re right. Well, I guess we better get ready.” Buffy said as they headed back to their rooms.

“This is a dream.” Angel said as he felt a hand on his face.

“Then it’s a hell of a good dream.” Cordy said, as Angel opened his eyes.

“You always said this day would come, when we go our separate ways.” Angel said sadly.

“This isn’t the end, it’s just the beginning.” Cordelia said as Angel stood up. “You have to go with Buffy, that’s your destiny.”

“Unless you’ve had one of your visions, I doubt it.”

“You’re already on your path, and it includes this stuff with the Ring, same as it involves us.” She said, turning to face him. “If you can’t trust anything else, trust in us.”

“I do.” Angel said as they pulled into a kiss.

Angel went to visit the grave of his mother, Darla, one last time before leaving. He read the inscription on her grave, a phrase he’d memorized years ago. “If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.”

“Your mother wanted to protect you, and she knew Caritas has always been a sanctuary.” Lorne said, appearing behind Angel. “She knew that because of who you are, you’d never escape your destiny. We have the skill to reforge the sword of your ancestor, but you’re the only one who has the power to wield it, Angelcakes.”

“I don’t want power, I never have.” Angel said, uncertainly.

“Maybe not, but you’re the last of your bloodline. If you can’t nobody can. But that’s not the only thing I want to talk to you about.” Lorne said pointedly.

“Cordelia?” Angel guessed, Lorne nodded.

“Yep, the Elves’ time in this world is about to go for a curtain call. Cordelia’s time here will be over soon.” Lorne said, hating to have this conversation. “I’m asking you to let her go, Angel. I know you love her, but if she stays… well you know what happens.”

“She’ll live out a mortal life, and eventually die.” Angel said, his heart in a vice.

“She told me that she’s staying because she has hope, but I know she’s really staying for you. I love you like a son and I know that Cordelia loves you, but I can’t let my little girl stay here and die. She belongs with us; she belongs on a ship to the Undying Lands.”

“I know. I love her, Lorne, more than anything.”

“I know it’s hard, I may be immortal but I know what it’s like to lose those I love. I know you care about her, I just hope you care enough.”

“Before I leave, I’ll talk to her.” Angel said, heading out to get the rest of hid gear ready. Angel walked through the corridors of Caritas, until suddenly he heard a voice behind him.

“You leaving and you’re not even gonna say goodbye? Boy, you never run out of things to piss me off. You’re lucky I love you or you’d be in trouble.” Cordy said throwing her arms around his neck.

“I’m not coming back, Cordy.” Angel said morosely.

“Oh come on, you’ve been fighting evil your whole life. You’re a champion Angel, you’ll survive.”

“I don’t mean that, I know I can survive in a fight.”

“Well then what do you mean?” Cordelia asked, confused.

“You have a chance at a better life, without war or despair or death. You deserve more, Cordelia.”

“What are you talking about?” Cordelia asked

“You’re immortal, I’m not. I love you but I can’t let you throw you’re chance away to stay here with me. It was just a dream, Cordy.” Angel said, fighting back tears. He held out the Evenstar necklace in his hand. “You should have this back.”

“It was a gift, keep it.” Cordelia said, a tear running down her cheek. “And for future reference, girls don’t like guys who break up for their own good.” She said before storming off.

“I still think we’re making the wrong choice.” Lindsey said to Willow as he got his gear on. “The Ring is…”

“Evil, pure undiluted evil. I could taste it, and believe me evil isn’t full of chocolaty goodness. Getting rid of it is the best thing that could happen.” Willow said, indicating the conversation was over.

“Buffy, Dawn, I have something for you.” Joyce said, leading them back to her room. “Back when I went on my trip with Giles and the Dwarves, I got this.” Joyce opened a trunk and pulled out a strange weapon; a scythe with a, ax blade on one end and a wooden stake on the other. “I named it ‘Sting’. Here.” Buffy took the scythe from her mother, staring at it in amazement.

“Wow, it’s so...wow!” Buffy said, holding “Sting”.

“It was made by the Elves, the blade glows blue when Orcs are near by. If it glows, you both have to be extra careful.”

“We’ll be careful Mom.” Buffy said

“There’s something else, here.” Joyce pulled out two mail shirts, made of silver looking metal. “These shirts are Mithril, light as a feather and as hard as dragon scales. Put these on under your shirts, it’s better than a full suit of armor.” Joyce gave the Mithril shirts to her daughters, who pulled off their clothes to put them on. As Buffy pulled off her shirt, Joyce saw the Ring on the chain around Buffy’s neck.

“Oh, my old Ring!” Joyce said, suddenly twitching. “Do you think maybe I could hold it one last time?” Buffy looked worryingly at her mother, and backed away slightly. Joyce wasn’t happy. She snarled and grabbed at her daughter, for a split second Buffy thought she saw fangs and dark circles under her mother’s eyes. Joyce reverted back to herself, hand clapped over her mouth in horror. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I brought you into this. I’m sorry that you’re involved in this.” Joyce sat down on the bed, facing away from Buffy and Dawn. “I’m sorry for everything.” She said as she burst into tears. Buffy and Dawn rushed to her and enveloped her in a huge hug.

“We’ll get through this Mom.” Dawn said, rubbing her mother’s shoulder.

“We love you Mom.” Buffy said as she and Dawn kissed her goodbye and went to join the rest of the Fellowship. Everyone had assembled in the courtyard; Lorne and the Elves of Caritas had all come out to see the Fellowship of the Ring off.

“The Ring-bearer is about to embark on a long and dangerous journey, those of you who go with her, you are only asked to go as far as you can.” Lorne said ceremoniously. “I wish you all a safe journey; the blessings of the Elves are with you.”

“Lead the way Buff.” Dawn said, smiling at her sister. Buffy turned and looked into the faces of her friends and began walking to the entrance. Angel took a last look at Cordy, who still had tears coursing down her cheeks, turned and followed the rest of the Fellowship.

“Which way is Mordor, Giles, left or right?” Buffy asked as they came to the entrance.

“Left.” The Fellowship began marching from Caritas into the great unknown, the sound of Lorne singing “The Impossible Dream” being heard in the background. They marched for hours, through forests, over hills and across plains. The strangest group of travelers anyone has ever seen; 2 Hobbit girls, 2 Hobbit guys, a wizard, an Elf witch, a Dwarf, the warrior of Gondor, and a would be king on a quest to save the world.

“We must keep on course, we head west of the Misty Mountains for 40 days. With any luck the Gap of Rohan will still be open; once we pass that, we turn eastward to Mordor.” Giles said, addressing the group at their camp.

“Why would the Gap of Rohan be a problem?” Buffy asked.

“Ethan Rayne is stationed near Rohan, but as far as I know he hasn’t attained much control over the area.” Giles said.

“We’re on a dangerous secret mission. A heroic quest of destiny against the ultimate evil. The fate of the world hangs in…”

“SHUT UP ANDREW!” The group shouted to the hyperactive Hobbit.

“How the hell do you put up with him?” Lindsey asked Spike.

“After the urge to kill him subsides you learn to tune him out.” Spike said, groaning.

“Point of order G-man, if you asked my opinion,”

“Which nobody is.” Spike said snidely. Xander continued, glaring at the blonde hobbit.

“…It looks like we’re taking the long way around. We aren’t to far from the Mines of Moria, my cousin, Jesse, would be happy to help us.”

“No, Xander, I think we should avoid that route.” Giles said, avoiding Xander’s gaze.

“Why? OK, going under ground isn’t for everybody, but Moria is like the tazmahal of the Dwarf world. If we just…”

“No Xander!” Giles said, indicating the subject was closed. “We’re not going through Moria unless we have no other choice. In the mean time, I think we should get Dawn and Andrew trained in combat. Since we will be facing the legions of Mordor, they’ll need to be ready to fight.” Giles said standing up.

“I can fight already.” Dawn said, everyone looking at her. “I’ve been learning from Spike.”

“You’ve been teaching my baby sister how to fight?” Buffy asked Spike, scowling at him.

“Hey, the Nibblet wanted to know how to defend herself. ‘Sides with all this going on, it’s a good thing I did.” Spike said, smirking.

“Uh guys, not to break up this discussion or anything, but it looks like it might rain.” Andrew said, looking at the sky.

“What are you talking about?” Willow said, looking up into a sky with no clouds in sight.

“Over there. Andrew pointed to the south, a strange cloud was moving towards them “That cloud has been moving pretty fast so I think we might wanna get ready for rain.”

“That can’t be a cloud, the wind is blowing south and it’s heading north.” Lindsey said, suddenly uneasy. Willow stood up and looked with her Elf eyes, she gasped as she got a better look.

“It’s not a cloud, it’s a flock of crebain! Hide!” Willow ordered, panicking.

“What’re crebain?” Dawn asked, ducking under a rock.

“Evil black birds, they work for Ethan Rayne.” Angel said hiding under a boulder. The Fellowship grabbed their gear and hid as the flock of evil birds descended on their campsite. The Fellowship watched from their hiding places as the flock of birds swooped down, circling the hill and cawing loudly. The sound of flapping wings slowly receded; Giles stuck his head out and saw the crebain flying away.

“Ethan’s spies. That means the Gap of Rohan is being watched.” Giles said as the rest of the group came out. “The mountain pass through Caradhras is our only option.” They hiked up the mountain pass, through the snow that covered the mountain. As they came to a steep hill, Buffy slipped and began to roll down the slope till Angel caught her.

“Oh no!” Buffy said, searching her pockets. “The Ring! Where’s the Ring?!” She and Angel looked back up the hill, and saw Lindsey picking up the Ring and chain from the snow.

“It’s weird, you know.” Lindsey said, seeming in a trance, his eyes fixed on the Ring. “We’re on this big mission, all secret and dangerous. And the cause all this trouble is this little thing.” He said, raising a hand to touch it.

“Lindsey!” Angel called, snapping Lindsey from his trance. “Give the Ring back to Buffy.”

“Sure,” He said, walking lowly down to them. “I don’t care.” He said holding out the Ring, Buffy snatched it back quickly. Lindsey smiled in a friendly way and trudged back up the hill, Angel, seeing him leave, let go of his sword.

Meanwhile, miles away, the flock of crebain returned to Isengard with news for their master.

“So Ripper, you’re going over Caradhras.” The treacherous wizard mused. “But what happens if you can’t get over the mountain? Will you risk going on a more dangerous route?” Ethan climbed to the pinnacle of Orthanc tower and began chanting a curse to bring down a massive storm onto the mountain.

The Fellowship was halfway up the mountain, but conditions were getting worse. A blizzard had kicked up and they were trudging throw snow banks as high as their shoulders. The Hobbits had to be carried by the taller members of the group, except for Spike who insisted on doing it by himself. The only one who was unaffected by the weather was Willow, her Elf nature allowing her to walk on top of the snow. Willow walked to the edge of ledge they were on and listened to the howling wind.

“I hear something!” Willow shouted over the storm. “There’s a voice in the wind!”

“It’s Ethan!” Giles called, as a boulder cracked loose and fell past the group.

“He’s trying to bring down the mountain!” Lindsey called, Dawn and Andrew shivering in his arms. “Giles, we have to go back!”

“No, we can make it!” Giles shouted back. “Willow, help me!” Giles and the Elven witch began a spell to stop the raging storm Ethan was sending at them. Their combined power was strong, but not enough to counter the wrath of Ethan’s storm. Lightning began striking, the wind picked up and the earth began to shake. A bolt of lightning hit the side of the mountain and sent an avalanche down on the Fellowship, burying them in snow.

After a minute, the group began to emerge from the snow, except for one missing Hobbit. They looked around and saw no sign of Spike anywhere.

“Spike? Spike?” Buffy called through the storm. “Spike! Where are you?!” The rest of the Fellowship looked around and still didn’t see the bleached Hobbit.

“I don’t see him.” Angel said, looking around. “I’m sorry.”

“No.” Buffy said, digging frantically in the snow. “He’s got to be here somewhere.” The others couldn’t bring themselves to voice the idea that Spike was gone. Buffy dug through the snow looking for her friend. She had almost given up hope when she uncovered a hand under the snow. “Spike!” She doubled her digging and Angel joined in until they uncovered Spike, he was unconscious, covered with snow and his breathing was shallow. Buffy rubbed Spike’s face until his eyes slowly opened.

“Buffy?” Spike asked weakly. “What happened?” Before Spike could get an answer, Buffy threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight.

“Don’t you ever scare me like that again!” Buffy said, close to tears.

“We have to get off the mountain!” Lindsey shouted over the wind. “We can head for the Gap of Rohan, the west road will take us to Minas Tirith!”

“No, the Gap of Rohan takes us to close to Isengard!” Angel shouted.

“If we can’t go over or around the mountain, we go under it! The entrance to the Mines of Moria is at the base of this mountain!” Xander shouted his two cents. Giles’ mind filled with uncertainty and doubt about the options.

“Moria, you’re afraid of that place aren’t you, Ripper?” Ethan said, looking through a book of Middle Earth history. “You know that the Dwarves dug to deep into the earth and set something loose. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad dum: the vile evil thing from the ancient world. The one thing on earth, besides Sauron himself, that could strike fear into your heart.” Ethan said smugly, looking at an illustration of a great demonic being made of shadow and flame.

“Buffy,” Giles said with a small tremor in his voice. “As the Ring bearer, you should decide the best course of action.”

“We can’t stay here much longer!” Lindsey called, as Dawn and Andrew shivered, becoming more and more pale. “These Hobbits won’t last much longer here!”

“Buffy?” Giles asked, dreading the answer. Buffy looked around at her freezing companions, including the near frostbitten Spike she still held in her arms. She thought hard for a few minutes and came to the only decision she could.

“We should go through the Mines.” Buffy said after some deep thought.

“All right then.” Giles said, fear and doubt swelling in his heart.

Chapter 9: A Journey in the Dark

Disclaimer: I’m gonna say this slow so you get it. I. Don’t. Own. Anything!

The Fellowship made their way to the entrance of Moria, still keeping an eye out for anymore of Ethan’s spies through the mist. They came to a passage at the base of the mountain, near the ruins of an ancient aqueduct that indicated they were getting close.

“Buffy, come help me with something?” Giles called back to Buffy. She hurried to the front of the group, Giles waiting for her. “How’s your shoulder feeling?”

“Still hurts, but it’s better than it was.” Buffy said, unconsciously rubbing her wound.

“And what about the Ring?” Giles continued in a whisper. After a moment of silence, Buffy responded.

“It feels heavier than it did when we left.” She said quietly.

“I was afraid of that, its power is growing. I’ve felt it as well. You must be careful, Buffy.” Giles said, as the rest of the Fellowship went on. “Evil will be drawn to you, and I fear it may come from within the Fellowship.” He said, looking suspiciously at Lindsey.

“Then who am I supposed to trust?”

“Yourself, Buffy, you must trust in yourself.” Giles said, taking a deep breath. “Buffy, there are many powers in the world, some are good, some are evil. Some are stronger than myself, and some I have yet to face.”

“What are you saying, Giles?” Buffy asked, but Xander’s excited ranting cut off the answer.

“The walls of Moria, dude this is so cool!” Xander said, looking in awe. They stood before a huge cliff side by a lake, shrouded in fog.

“It’s a cliff side, how amazing.” Spike said unimpressed, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Dwarf doors are invisible when they aren’t open.” Xander explained, as they walked along looking for the entrance.

“Quite right, if the secret way to open them is forgotten, their own makers can’t find them let alone open them.” Giles supplied.

“The staggering intellect of the Dwarves, the glorified bricklayers.” Spike muttered, Xander glaring at him. The Fellowship walked along the lake, looking at the rock face for some kind of doorway.

“Here, I think I’ve found it!” Giles said, examining a section of rock with markings in a strange substance. “Ithildin, ingenious, it can’t be seen unless it reflects the starlight or moonlight.” As if on cue, the moon shown down and revealed the door. The door was outlined by a Dwarf design of ithildin; two columns and an archway, with trees’ branches entwined around them, a crown with 7 stars floating above a hammer and anvil.

“The inscription says: ‘The Doors of Jonathan, Lord of Moria. Speak friend and enter’, fascinating.” Giles said, studying the entrance.

“I wonder what that means.” Dawn thought out loud.

“Oh it’s really quite simple. If you are a friend of the Dwarves, you speak the password and the doors will open. Well, best begin.” Giles said raising his staff. “Ihr Goetter, ruft Euch an! Verbergt Euch nicht hinter falschen Gesichtern!” Nothing happened

“Krv drpglr pwlz chkwrt strplmt dwghzn prqlrzn lffrmt plzt.” Still, nothing happened.

“Is Mr. Giles saying a spell or having a stroke?” Andrew asked, earning a glare from Giles. Giles pushed against the doors, not budging an inch. “What are you going to do now?”

“Hit your head against these doors, Andrew!” Giles said, exasperated. “And if your hard head doesn’t shatter them, and I am allowed a moment’s peace from your foolish commentary, I will try to find the right words.” For the next few hours, the Fellowship sat by the doors while Giles continued to go through his knowledge of ancient words and spells.

“This is getting ridiculous, if Rupes doesn’t know how to open the doors, then there isn’t a way to open them.” Spike said under his breath.

“What are you doing?!” Andrew asked shrilly, catching the rest of the group’s attention. They turned to see Andrew running over to Angel and Bill the pony.

“I’m letting Bill go.” Angel said slowly.

“What?! Why?!” Andrew asked, wrapping his arms protectively around Bill’s neck.

“We can’t take a pony through a mine.” Angel said, with the tone of voice used when trying to calm down a child.

“But Bill’s smart, and brave.” Andrew said, tears welling in his eyes.

“I know, but the mines are still no place for a pony, even one as ‘brave’ as Bill.” Angel said, trying to keep Andrew from making a scene.

“Bye Bill, I’ll always remember you.” Andrew whispered, hugging the pony with tears streaming down his face.

“Don’t worry Andrew, Bill knows the way home.” Angel said, rolling his eyes.

“That boy needs serious help.” Willow whispered to Xander.

“Or a life.” Xander supplied. Dawn, feeling bored, threw a rock into the lake. Andrew was about to throw one as well, but Angel grabbed his hand.

“Don’t do that.” Angel said, looking suspiciously at the water.

“Oh, this is hopeless!” Giles said exasperated, sitting down. Buffy looked at the inscription on the doors, the wheels in her head beginning to turn. Angel watched as a ripple appeared in the lake, and then another one at the other end of the lake. Andrew looked at the lake, suddenly scared, something was under the water.

“Wait, I get it!” Buffy said, realizing the trick of the inscription. “It says ‘speak friend and enter’, so what’s the Elvish word for friend?”

“Of coarse!” Giles said, slapping his head, “Mellon!” The ancient doors creaked and slowly opened, Giles placed a magic crystal in his staff to light the way as they entered.

“Oh man this is great! I’ve always wanted to come back here; the roaring fires, the great architecture, the malt beer. It’s a Dwarf’s paradise, my cousin Jesse’s home and they say it’s just a mine.” Xander said, bragging about his heritage.

“You’re right, ‘mine’ doesn’t seem accurate,” Lindsey said, looking around the dimly lit cave. “Slaughterhouse seems more accurate.” They looked around and saw bodies strewn around the cave, and by the looks of them they’d been there for a while. The bodies of dozens of Dwarves and Orcs littered the chamber, the result of a hard fought battle or a horrible massacre.

“Oh God no!” Xander cried, desperation and panic in his voice.

“These arrows,” Willow said, inspecting an arrow from a body. “Goblins did this!” Willow threw the arrow away, and drew one of her own with her bow. Angel and Lindsey drew their swords as the group began to back out of the chamber.

“We head for the Gap of Rohan, this was a mistake.” Lindsey said, as they exited the cave. As they backed out, Buffy suddenly fell over like something grabbed her from behind.. The Fellowship looked and saw a long tentacle wrapped around her ankle pulling her towards the lake.

“Oh great!” Buffy said, pulling out Sting. She swung the Elven scythe and sliced the tentacle in half. It slipped back under the water, only to be replaced by 10 more. “Oh crap!” The tentacles whipped through the air and sent the other Hobbits flying, before three of them wrapped around Buffy’s legs and waist and hauled her up in the air. She thrashed and tried to swing Sting, but the tentacles knocked the scythe from her hands. As the tentacles moved Buffy away from the shore, a huge shape appeared in the water; a giant octopus like creature whose tentacles were now reaching into her clothes, most likely searching for the Ring.

“Hey, let go!” Buffy yelled at the monster, grabbing and pulling at the tentacles. The thing retaliated by opening its huge, tooth filled mouth and began lowering her towards it. “A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE NICE!!!”

Spike, Angel and Lindsey ran into the water and began hacking at the thing’s tentacles; Willow enchanted an arrow with an blinding spell and fired it between the monster’s eyes, the magic blocking the creatures vision. The thing lashed out blindly as they others continued to chop off it’s arms, until Spike used Sting to slice the tentacles that held Buffy, letting her fall into Angel’s arms.

“Everyone in the mines, now!” Giles shouted. The Fellowship ran through the entrance, closely followed by the monster as it groped its way towards them. The monster was to large for the doorway, as it slammed into the wall it caused a cave in that buried the creature and the only way out. The crystal in Giles’ staff gave off light again, showing a huge pile of rocks where the entrance used to be, an unmoving tentacle of the creature sticking out from the rubble.

“I’m afraid we have no choice, we must face the long dark path of Moria. All of you have to be on your guard, there are much worse things than Orcs in the deep places in the world.” Giles said, his low voice loud against the deafening silence. “Everyone be quiet, it will four days to reach the other side, and it would be best if we try to remain inconspicuous.”

The Fellowship continued through the caverns of Moria, past boulders and huge caves and a few underground lakes. After a day or so of walking, Giles stopped the group to examine something. Giles pointed out a vein of silver substance in the rock wall.

“The mines here were not filled with gold or jewels, but something much more important; Mithril silver.” Giles said, increasing the light on his staff. The Fellowship looked to the side and saw they were standing on a ledge overlooking a vast, seemingly bottomless, mine shaft. Many more levels for the miners to work lined with ladders and scaffolding stretched down into the dark abyss, chains for hauling up loads still hung over the vast chasm.

“Our heroes look in awe at the vast, ancient mines of a Dwarf kingdom. Once a place of endless excavation of precious metals…” Andrew prattled, till Spike grabbed him by the shirt coller.

“If you don’t shut up, I’m throwin’ you over the edge.” Spike said, smirking at the boy’s horrified reaction.

“Joyce had two shirts of Mithril mail that Snyder gave her.” Giles said, leading them on.

“Really?!” Xander asked, awestruck. “Wow, that’s a gift most kings would kill for!”

“I know,” Giles said. “I never told her this, but both shirts were worth ten times value the Shire and everything in it.” Buffy and Dawn stared at each other in shock, realizing they were wearing those shirts. They continued through the dark passages until they came to a fork in the tunnel, there were three archways and Giles said something that meant they were stopped for a while.

“I don’t remember this place.” Giles said, sitting by the archways. The rest of the group decided to take a rest till Giles could remember.

“Are we lost?” Andrew asked.

“No.” Dawn said.

“I think we are.”

“Shhh! Andrew, Giles is trying to think, be quiet!”

“Dawn?”

“What?”

“I’m hungry.”

“Shut up!”

“OK.”

Buffy sat against a rock, but she jumped to her feet as she saw something in the cavern below moving. She went up to where Giles was sitting and talked.

“There’s something down there!” Buffy said urgently.

“It’s Gollum.” Giles said, nonchalantly.

“Gollum?” Buffy asked, surprised.

“He’s been following us for three days.”

“He escaped Sauron’s dungeons!” Buffy said.

“Did he, or was he set loose?” Giles thought out loud. “And now the Ring has led him hear. He will never be rid of his need for it.” Buffy looked back down into the caverns, thinking about the story her mother had told her. About how Gollum had tried to kill and eat her, anger grew in her mind thinking about it.

“He hates and loves the Ring, as he hates and loves himself. Smeagol’s life is a sad story.” Giles continued, off Buffy’s surprised look. “Yes, his name was Smeagol before the Ring twisted him and drove him insane.”

“Pity my mom didn’t kill him when she had the chance!” Buffy said bitterly.

“Pity?” Giles said, looking surprised at such a hateful comment from her. “It was pity that kept your mother from killing him. Many who live deserve to die and many who die deserve to live, could you give either to them?” Buffy hug her head. “Don’t be so eager to judge who lives and dies, even someone like me can’t predict how everything can end. Something tells me that Gollum has a part to play in all this. Before this is over, your mother’s pity may decide the fate of the world.”

“I wish my mom never found the Ring.” Buffy said sadly. “I wish this whole thing never happened.” Giles looked at the despair in her face and put an arm around her shoulder.

“So do I, anyone who lived to see such times would wish the same but that’s not their decision. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us. There are other forces at work in this world besides evil. Your mother was meant to find the Ring, which means you were also meant to have it. Someone must have great faith in you to trust you with this destiny, just as I do.” Buffy smiled through the tears, hugging Giles. “Oh, it’s that way!” Giles said suddenly pointing to one of the archways.

“He remembers!” Dawn said getting up.

“Well no actually, but the air doesn’t smell so bad down this passage. When in doubt, follow your nose.” Giles said as the Fellowship descended down the stairway. “I think we can risk a little more light. Behold, the great Dwarf city, Dwarrowdelf.” The light of Giles staff shined through the vast hall; giant pillars, a hundred feet tall, stretched as far as the eye can see, a vast forest of great stone structures extended forever in every direction.

“OK, now this is impressive.” Spike said, awestruck. The Fellowship walked through the huge halls, staring in reverence at the ancient city of the Dwarves. As they trekked through the huge chamber, Xander suddenly bolted away from the group towards a doorway. The rest of them turned and saw the doorway, bodies and arrows littering the area around the door. They followed Xander through the door, finding a large room with bodies and weapons everywhere and a large stone tomb.

“No! Oh God, no!” Xander said, kneeling beginning to cry. Willow put a comforting hand on his shoulder as he cried, the rest of them seeing the inscription on the crypt was the reason for his sadness.

“Here lies Jesse, Lord of Moria.” Giles read. “He’s dead, I was afraid of this.” Giles stooped and picked up an old book from the grasp of one of the bodies, it seemed to be a record of the Dwarves who lived there.

“I think we should get going.” Angel said, looking at the carnage left from the long over battle.

“They have taken the bridge and the second hall.” Giles read aloud from the book, getting the attention of the Fellowship. “We’ve barred the gates but cannot hold them for long.” The group began glancing around; half expecting the ones who did this to jump out any second. “The ground shakes. Drums, drums in the deep. We cannot get out. A shadow moves in the dark.” Giles continued, as Andrew began looking at the bodies. “We cannot get out. They are coming!”

By now Andrew’s curiosity got the better of him and he touched the arrow sticking from the chest of a body near an old well; as he touched it, the body fell into the well dragging a large metal bucket with it, causing long loud clanging and crashing sounds that seemed to reach every part of the underground city. The Fellowship glared at the idiotic Hobbit, as he smiles guiltily.

“You idiot! Next time throw yourself in and rid us of your stupidity!” Giles said harshly, turning to leave.

Boom

They all heard it, slowly turning towards the sound coming from the well.

Boom

They looked around, panicking.

Boom-boom Boom-boom-boom

It was getting louder and faster with each minute.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM

“I think Andrew just woke the bloody neighbors.” Spike said, seeing the blade on Buffy’s scythe glow.

“Orcs!” Angel said, Lindsey ran to the doors and peered out into the halls, narrowly missing two arrows.

“They have a cave troll, just great!” Lindsey said as they began bracing the door. A few axes and a chain were put through the door handles but they still heard the Orcs outside banging against them. The Fellowship drew their weapons, preparing for the fight. Buffy raised her scythe, Willow pulled out her bow, Xander raised his axes, Angel, Giles and Lindsey drew swords, and Spike, Dawn and Andrew drew their short swords, all ready to kick evil ass.

“Come on boys,” Xander snarled. “There’s still one Dwarf in Moria who you haven’t fought!”

The screeches and snarls from the Orcs were heard, as they began chopping through the door. Willow fired her arrows through the holes in the doors, but they kept attacking the door. They stood, their weapons drawn until finally the door burst open.

Chapter 10:The Bridge of Khazad dum

Disclaimer: Me: Hey, Joss and Tolkien! Do I own Buffy or LOTR?
Joss and Tolkien: No.
Me: Didn’t think so

The doors burst open and dozens of growling, snarling Orcs charged into the room ready to kill the intruders. The Fellowship charged into the fray, well except for Andrew who hid behind Dawn. Angel and Lindsey started slashing through the Orcs with their swords, Xander launched at them with his axes, Willow sent her magic arrows turning some of them to stone and Buffy led the Hobbits in a charge.

An Orc charged Angel, but he easily behead it, spewing black blood on Angel’s sword. Andrew ran towards the entrance of the chamber, only to see a huge troll on a chain smashing through the doors. Willow fired a fire arrow into the troll’s shoulder, but its massive hand put out the fires and swatted Willow away. The beast looked down and saw Andrew, it swung its mace down, narrowly missing the hobbit. Andrew jumped between the troll’s legs, but the troll saw him and cornered him. It was about to stomp him when Angel and Lindsey yanked on its chain, it turned and whips Lindsey with the chain across the room. Lindsey looked up and saw an Orc standing over him with a dagger in hand. Angel saw the Orc out of the corner of his eye and threw a knife into the Orc’s neck.

The troll lumbered forward and swung at Xander, hitting Jesse’s tomb and knocking the Dwarf down. The troll continued swinging at Xander, but it kept missing him and hitting the Orcs. The troll grabbed Xander and was about to crush him when Willow sent two arrows into its head. The troll retaliated on the Elf by swinging its chain at her, but Willow jumped onto its head and shot an arrow into the back of its neck.

“I think I’m getting the hang of this.” Andrew said proudly, hitting Orcs on the head with a pan from his pack.

Buffy, Spike, and Dawn were cornered by the troll; it swung its mace and shattered the walkway as the hobbits jumped out off the way. Buffy hid behind a pillar from the troll, but it found her and lifted her into the air.

“Let go, Olaf!!” Buffy yelled, swinging Sting at the troll’s fingers allowing her to fall. The troll began to raise its mace, but Angel jumped in and stabbed it in the chest before it could swing. The infuriated troll, barely fazed by the spear, threw Angel across the room with a flick of the wrist. Buffy ran over to him, but he was knocked unconscious. She turned and saw the troll, having pulled the spear from its chest, pulled back and ran the spear into Buffy’s chest.

“BUFFY!” Spike and Dawn yelled in unison, seeing the spear and the look of pain on her face. The troll smiled as the Ring-bearer fell to the ground. The Fellowship stared in shock as Buffy gasped as the spear hit her.

“You bloody bastard!” Spike yelled as he jumped onto the troll’s back and began stabbing the monster’s head. The troll flailed its arms to try and reach Spike, but whenever it got close he sliced one of its finger. The rest of the Fellowship continued hacking and slashing at the troll as Spike continued stabbing, until Willow fired an arrow into its open mouth and into its brain, killing it. They looked around and saw that all the Orcs were either dead or ran away, and they all rushed to Buffy. Angel and Spike got there first, turning her over, seeing her gasping for breath. The spear hadn’t gone into her chest; she just got the wind knocked out of her. “Thank God you’re alive!” Spike said, so relieved he had tears in his eyes.

“I’m not injured, and I have no clue as to how.” Buffy said, looking around.

“That spear could’ve killed a horse, hell it could’ve killed 6 horses.” Angel said in disbelief.

“What’s that?” Spike asked seeing something glittering under her shirt. Buffy lifted her shirt to reveal the Mithril hit her mother gave her.

“Mithril, wow!” Xander said, amazed. “You never cease to amaze me Buff.” But their relief was short lived, clanging and snarling could be heard coming from another passage, more Orcs were coming.

“Come on, we must reach the Bridge of Khazad dum, it’s the only way out!” Giles said as they ran into the great hall. Dawn looked behind them, seeing that more Orcs were chasing them. They were coming out of the woodwork; they jumped out of cracks in the floor, they ran out of passageways, they even crawled out of the ceiling. In moments, the Fellowship was surrounded by hundreds of them, all growling and brandishing their swords and spears. As they closed in, a loud, deep rumbling was heard from somewhere in the chamber. A red light appeared, as the sound grew louder. The Orcs panicked and retreated as the red glowing came closer.

“What the hell is this?” Lindsey asked. Giles didn’t answer; he closed his eyes and gathered his courage, unwilling to accept what was coming.

“A Balrog, a demon of the ancient world.” Giles said grimly. Willow looked at Giles, horrified at the idea. “We cannot fight this thing, run!” The group ran away from the fiery glow that spread across the pillars, they hurried through a small doorway as the growling continued. They ran into a cavern, lit by fires deep beneath them with a stairway leading to the Bridge. “You need to lead them, Angel. The Bridge is near.” Giles said to Angel, earning a confused look from Angel. “Just do it!”

They ran down a flight of stairs, the roaring of the unseen Balrog resonating through the cavern. They were halfway down the stairs when they came to a part where a section of the stairs was missing. Willow jumped across the gap with ease, but as she landed an arrow hit the side of the stairs. They looked up and saw Orc bowmen shooting at them. As Giles jumped, Willow took out her bow and fired an arrow right between an Orc’s eyes. The Orcs kept firing; when one was killed another took its place. Lindsey, with Dawn and Andrew in his arms, jumped next, almost being hit by an Orc arrow. Angel was about to throw Spike across the gap, but the headstrong hobbit jumped it without a thought. Angel turned and tried to pick up Xander, but he also refused.

“Nobody tosses this Dwarf!” Xander said, jumping and nearly missing. Angel and Buffy were the only ones left. They prepared to jump, but the smashing and rumblings of the Balrog had released a large boulder and it knocked more stairs off. The gap now stood at least 30 feet across. The Balrog’s smashing sent another rock that broke the stairs behind Angel and Buffy, the section they stood on wobbled over the abyss below. Angel took Buffy in his arms and leaned forward as the stairs fell forward, they jumped into the waiting arms of the Fellowship and continued running.

“Everyone, over the Bridge! Hurry!” Giles ordered. Giles turned and saw a huge wall of fire behind him, and then he saw the Balrog itself. The giant creature leapt through the fire, shrouded in shadow, ash and smoke, large horns curved around its head, fire bursting through its skin. Giles ran after the Fellowship, the Balrog hot on his heels. They got to the Bridge, a narrow stone bridge barely two feet wide, as the demon arrived. Giles turned to face the monster once everyone else had made it across.

“You cannot pass!” Giles said, raising his staff and sword. The Balrog spread its wings and stretched its arms, releasing a burst of flame from its body. The light from his staff brightened, encircling the wizard in a ball of light. “I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the Flame of Anor. The dark fire will not avail you, Flame of Udun!” The ancient evil formed a fiery sword in its hand and swung down on Giles. The Balrog’s sword shattered on the light from the wizard’s staff, it roared violently. “Go back to the Shadow!” The Balrog would not be denied; it formed a whip of flames, snapping it against the stone ledge. “YOU SHALL NOT PASS!” With the last of his strength, Giles drove his staff into the bridge as the demon stepped on it, causing it to collapse beneath its feet. As Giles turned, the demon’s whip lassoed around Giles leg an pulled him off the Bridge.

“GIIIIIIIIIIILLLEEEEEES!” Buffy shouted as Angel held her back. Giles grabbed at the edge of the Bridge, but he couldn’t hold on. He looked at Buffy and said one final message.

“You’ve made me so proud.” Giles said almost whispering, letting go of the Bridge. The Fellowship watched in shock and horror as Giles fell into abyss and out of sight.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!” Buffy screamed, her body wracked with pain at loosing the closest thing to a father she’d ever had. The Fellowship ran out into the bright day, each in a state of shock and sorrow. Dawn and Andrew just held each other as they cried, Spike sat stunned that Giles wasn’t there any more. Lindsey held Xander back from rushing back into Moria and kill the Orcs. Willow never really thought about death since she was an Elf but now that she’d seen it was like she couldn’t breathe. Angel never expected this to happen but as the new leader of the group he had to be strong.

“Willow, get Andrew and Dawn up, we need to get going.” Angel said to the Elf.

“Give them a minute to grieve, they just lost someone they loved for God’s sake!” Lindsey said, angry at Angel’s callousness to their sadness.

“By sundown this place will be swarming with Orcs, we have to get to Lothlorien before then. The Elves there will help us.” Willow coaxed Dawn and Andrew to their feet, hugging both of them tight. Angel saw Spike was already standing, but deep sadness shown in his eyes. But where was Buffy? Angel looked around frantically, and saw Buffy standing own the hill facing away from the group.

“Buffy?” Angel called, seeing her. Buffy stood there, tears running down her face. It was like loosing her father; she had lost the one of the few people who believed she could do this. She felt like the whole world was falling down. Giles was gone and a little part of her died with him.

Chapter 11: The Mirror of Tara

Disclaimer: I don’t own Buffy or LOTR. I’m just using the characters and story for fun


The Fellowship had been walking for a while, the death of Giles still fresh in their minds. The Hobbits had yet to speak, and the others weren’t exactly feeling chatty either. Buffy was taking it the hardest; she felt responsible for the Fellowship, she chose to take the Ring and they all chose to go with her. Her own sister was faced with life threatening danger just by being there. She should’ve gone alone, but she wasn’t strong enough to go alone. And her friends were paying for it. She knew that’s what they were thinking, inside they knew that she was the reason that Giles was gone.

Angel led them down the mountain to the forests near Lothlorien, trees were a strange green/golden color and all around them they felt powerful magic. The air seemed to be filled with so much mystical power it made Willow lightheaded, they felt like something was watching or trying to reach them.

“Stay close together.” Lindsey said to the hobbits. “They say an great sorceress lives in these woods, an Elf witch of terrible power.” He continued, earning a death glare from Willow. “I’ve heard that anyone who looks at her falls under a spell and are never seen again.”

“Hey!” Willow said angrily. “Don’t talk about things you don’t know about! She’s the most wonderful Elf ever and she’d turn you into a toad if she wanted to but she’s to nice to do that!” then she stormed off.

“Word of advice,” Xander whispered to Lindsey. “Don’t disparage Elves in front of the red head. It gets messy.”

“Buffy…” Buffy looked around, not seeing the source of the voice. “Your coming to us is the footstep of doom.” Buffy realized the voice wasn’t coming from someone else, it was in her head. “You bring great evil here, Ring-bearer.”

“Buffy, are you alright?” Spike asked as Buffy snapped out of her trance.

“Yeah, I’m…I’m fine.” Buffy said avoiding Spike’s eyes.

“Fine I won’t badmouth the Elves.” Lindsey said, turning to see two arrows aimed at his face. The Fellowship looked around and saw that they were surrounded by a dozen Elves, all aiming their bows at them ready to shoot.

“No offence man, but we could’ve shot you in the dark.” Said a dark haired Elf, who seemed like the leader. “Hey Angel, long time no see. Still Mr. Cheerful I see.”

“Nice to see you again, Doyle.” Angel said to the Elf.

“Come on then, we need to talk.” Doyle said, they continued through the woods, escorted by the troop of Elves. After nightfall they arrived at an outpost of Lothlorien and made introductions. “So Angel, you and Willow I recognize but who are all of you?”

“I’m Xander, I’m Willow’s friend. And a Dwarf.” Xander said, shaking Doyle’s hand.

“Can’t remember the last time I talked to a Dwarf, you guys still make great liquor?”

“Do you still drink to much?” Xander retorted, both of them laughing.

“Hey Doyle, how have you been? Been keepin’ the big and scaries in line?” Willow asked, hugging the Elf.

“Oh yeah, buggers just can’t take a hint.” Doyle smiled. Doyle turned to the four Hobbits and froze, a look of fear on his face. “Why am I sensing a very not good feeling coming from her? Oh no, she has it doesn’t she?” Doyle asked pointing at Buffy. “Angel, I need to talk to you in private.” Angel and Doyle walked away form the group.

“Doyle, we need to stay here, just for a while.” Angel said once they were out of sight.

“Are you crazy man? You brought that…that thing here?!” Doyle asked incredulously.

“We need your help, Doyle. We’ve lost a close friend, Orcs are looking for us, we’re hungry and tired and we need to regroup.” Angel retorted. They continued arguing while the rest of the group sat and waited. Spike looked at Buffy, hating the look of despair on her face. She was always so carefree and now she looked so destroyed, it tore his heart out to see her that way.

“Buffy, I know how hard this must be for you.” Spike said, sitting next to her. Buffy looked at the ground, not wanting him to see the tears in her eyes. “You don’t have to hide from me.”

“I’m not hiding.” She said, shortly.

“It wasn’t your fault, Buffy. Giles knew the risks of being on this mission. He died so that you could live, he wouldn’t want you to give up. You’ve already got enough weight on your shoulders don’t carry needless guilt.” Buffy turned to him, a deep sadness in her eyes. Before he could stop her, she leapt at him and kissed him hard o the lips. She pulled away, realizing what she’d just done.

“I’m sorry.” Buffy said, putting space between the two of them. Spike went after her.

“Buffy?” Spike asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sorry, with Giles gone and everything, I’m not in the mindset of making good decisions.”

“I know, you need me Buffy, you can come to me.” Spike said, leaving her alone.

“I know, thank you.” She said, but he didn’t hear her.

“Ok gang, if you’ll come with us, we’ll get you to someone who can help.” Doyle said, returning with Angel. The Fellowship stood and followed the troop of Elves deeper into the woods, until they reached a glade of trees that stretched high above the rest of the forest. “Caras Galadhon, the Elves’ heaven on earth. Domain of Tara, Lady of Light.”

They were led to the twisting stairways that wrapped around the huge trees, and ascended high into the higher reaches of the trees. The forest kingdom lit by the moon and many magic silvery lights, sending a pale blue light in the night. They were led to an archway, where a glowing Elf woman with deep blue eyes and dark blonde hair greeted them. This was the Lady Tara, the Elven Queen of Lothlorien.

“The Evil One knows you’re here. I’ll give you shelter from him for a time. Where is Giles? I couldn’t sense his presence when you entered here.” She turned to Angel, reading his thoughts she saw the awful truth. “No, please don’t tell me he’s gone.” She said visibly upset.

“We went through Moria,” Willow said sadly. “We ran into a Balrog down there, and it killed him. We never should’ve gone that way.”

“Giles never did anything needlessly, he knew in the end he might have to choose between his friends and himself. He made the only choice he could, and if you live then it wasn’t in vain.” Tara said comfortingly. She turned to Xander. “Don’t let the loss of Khazad dum take your heart, Xander.”

“What do we do now? Without Giles, there’s no hope.” Lindsey said, sighing.

“Hope isn’t so easily taken, he died to give you hope. A long as your friendship holds, then you can still make it through this. The darkness isn’t unstoppable, you can still beat it. Tonight, you will stay here under our protection. Doyle, show them to their rooms.”

“Yes ma’am.” Doyle said, ushering the Fellowship to a place for them to rest. Later that night, they heard an Elf choir singing a sad song in Elvish.

“What’s that?” Andrew asked.

“A funeral hymn for Giles.” Willow said, tears streaming down her face.

“What’s it say?” Andrew prodded.

“I can’t…” Willow said, her voice cracking. “It’s to soon.” On the other side of the veranda, Angel and Lindsey sat, admiring the view.

“You should get some rest, this place is safe.” Angel urged.

“I’m not getting any sleep tonight. When you hear someone’s voice in your mind, you suddenly become wide awake. She said that there’s still hope, but I can’t see it. My dad is a noble man, a good man. But with the way things are, I don’t know how much longer he’ll be around. The people are losing faith in their homeland, and I want to change that. I want to restore my home’s pride and glory, even if it’s the last thing I do. Have you ever seen Minas Tirith, Angel? The great city of Gondor, the flags waving in he wind, the White Tower shining in the morning, there’s nothing like it.”

“I was there once, a long time ago.” Angel said.

“I miss it, I miss my dad, my brother and my wife. I’m looking forward to getting this over with so I can go home.”

“Me too.” Angel said, leaving Lindsey to his thoughts. After the rest of the Fellowship had gone to sleep, Buffy sipped out for a walk. As she went on, she noticed a glowing white figure walk through the glade, Lady Tara. She followed her, being as quiet as possible, but Tara knew there was someone there. After a few minutes, she came to a pedestal with a silver basin resting on it. She walked over to a fountain and filled a pitcher with water, then turned and looked Buffy in the eye.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be following you around. I’ll leave you alone.” Buffy said, about to leave.

“No, stay. There’s something I need you to see.” Tara said, pouring the water into the basin. “Look into the mirror.”

“That’s not a mirror, it’s a bowl of water.” Buffy said walking towards her. “What am I gonna see?”

“I can’t say. The mirror can show the past, the present and the future, but it depends on the viewer which to show.” Tara said, giving Buffy a box to stand on so she could see over the top of the pedestal. Buffy looked into the water and it began to ripple. She saw her friends all looking sad and lost, resurrecting her guilt from before. It changed and showed her the Shire, the Bronze Dragon, her house; but it changed again. The normally peaceful Shire was being attacked; buildings were on fire, Orcs were killing and capturing anyone they came across, and finally the now desolate Shire was filled with Hobbits in chains and Orcs with whips. And for some reason a man with cheese walked among the Orcs. The image faded, replaced by the image that haunted her thoughts since this began, Eye of Sauron. The Ring suddenly felt heavier, like it was being pulled towards the Eye in the water. Buffy panicked and fell backwards from the mirror; the images still fresh in her mind.

“I know what you saw.” Tara said, helping her up. “It’s what will happen if this quest fails. The Fellowship is breaking. He will try to take the Ring, you know who I mean. The Ring will try to destroy them all, just as it’s trying to destroy you.”

“I don’t think I can do this,” Buffy said, teary eyed. She reached in her pocket and held out the Ring. “You’re wise and powerful, you could take the One Ring.”

“You offer it to me?” he asked, waking towards her. “I don’t deny that I have wanted this. In place of the Dark Lord, YOU WOULD HAVE A QUEEN! NOT DARK, BUT BEAUTIFUL AND TERRIBLE AS THE DAWN ” Tara said, her whole being changed. Her kindness and warmth had vanished; her eyes and hair became black, her voice deep and harsh and her light becoming sickly green. “TREACHEROUS AS THE SEA! STRONGER THAN THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE EARTH! ALL SHALL LOVE ME AND DESPAIR!” As she finished, the evil vision left her, and was again Tara. Buffy looked at her, speechless. “I pass the test. I’ll diminish, and go to into the West, and remain Tara.”

“I can’t do this alone.” Buffy said, deeply troubled.

“You’re a Ring bearer, Buffy, to bear a ring of power is to be alone.” Tara replied, revealing a ring on her finger. “This is Nenya, the Ring of Adamant, and I’m its keeper. You were trusted with this task, and if you can’t find a way, no one will.”

“I know what I have to do, I’m scared to do it.” Buffy said, looking ashamed.

“Fear is natural, even the Elves have fear. What counts is whether or not we let that fear control you. You have such strength in you, he has always seen it.” Buffy looked up at Tara, surprised that she knew about that, and she knew exactly who “he” was. “Even the smallest person can change the coarse of the future. You thing you know what’s to come? What you are? You haven’t even begun.” Tara aid, leading the Hobbit girl back to her room.

Chapter 12: The Great River
Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Dawn broke over Isengard; the Orcs still slaving away preparing Ethan’s army.

“Do you know how the Orcs first came into being?” Ethan asked the first and strongest specimen of his new breed of Orc. “They were Elves once, taken by the dark powers. Tortured and mutilated.” The creature grinned at the thought. “A ruined and terrible form of life that, thanks to me is now perfected. You are my fighting Uruk Hai, and you are to be my general.”

Ethan raised his staff and began to give his great soldier a pair of huge horns and enlarged his muscles. “You are now called the Beast, who do you serve?”

“Ethan Rayne!” The Beast roared, as Ethan led him back to the rest of the Uruk Hai. The others were armed and branded with the symbol of Ethan’s White Hand, and assembled before their master.

“Hunt them down! Don’t stop until they’re found! You don’t know pain and you don’t know fear. You will taste man-flesh!” Ethan said, addressing the horde of evil monsters, who all roared in approval. He turned to his appointed general, the Beast and whispered. “One of the Hobbits has something very valuable to me. Bring any Hobbits you find to me, alive and unspoiled. Anyone else you can kill, just make it painful.” The wizard said with relish. The Beast led a troop of a hundred Uruk Hai out of Isengard and began their search.

As the sun rose in the sky over Lothlorien, the Fellowship began preparations to leave. Tara had called them together to present them with some parting gifts.

“These cloaks are some of the finest ever made by Elves, may they shield you from unfriendly eyes.” Tara said, as the Fellowship put them on.

“These are the daggers of the Noldorin,” Tara said, handing them to Dawn and Andrew “This isn’t the first time they’ve seen war. Don’t be afraid, you will find your courage.”

“For you Spike, Elven rope made from hithlain.” Tara said, handing Spike the rope.

“Uh…thanks. You wouldn’t happen to have any of those shiny daggers left, do ya?” Spike asked, receiving a smirk from Tara and a slap on the back of the head from Buffy.

“Buffy, I give you the light of Earendil, our most beloved star.” Tara said, handing her a small vial of clear glowing liquid. “May it be a light for you in dark places, when all other lights go out.”

“I have nothing greater to give, than the gift you’ve already been given.” Tara said to Angel, looking at the Evenstar pendent around his neck. “I’m afraid, for her love Cordelia’s grace will diminish.”

“I’d have her leave, and be with her people. I’d have her packed and on a ship to Valinor.” Angel said.

“That’s her choice to make. You have a choice to make to Angel, you can rise above all your predecessors since the days of Richard Wilkins or fall into the rising darkness with all that remains of your kin.” Tara put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “Goodbye, we won’t meet again, Elessar.” Angel turned to join the rest of the Fellowship, but Doyle stopped him.

“Listen Angel, your gonna run into some real trouble further down river.” Doyle said, pulling Angel aside. “The eastern side of the river is crawling with Mordor Orcs and the west shore isn’t much better. We’ve had sightings of strange Orc-like creatures bearing the mark of the White Hand of that Rayne bastard. For the most part, Orcs aren’t terribly fond of going out in the sun, but it doesn’t affect these things.” Doyle pulled out an Elven dagger and gave it to him. “You’re being followed, watch out.”

“Goodbye Willow,” Tara said to her fellow Elven witch, presenting her with a bow. “I want you to have this Galadhrim bow. Once this is over, I want you to return here. I have a lot to show you.”

“Thank you, and I will.” Willow said giddily, blushing furiously.

The Fellowship was led to the docks on the river Anduin. They were given three boats, each stocked with provisions.

“Ooh, lembas!” Willow said holding a piece of bread. “Elvish way-bread. One little nibble is enough to fill the stomach of a grown man, or a large dwarf.

“Uh oh.” Andrew said, leaning over the edge of the boat and vomiting.

“You should’ve said that before he ate four loaves.” Dawn said, making a face.

The Fellowship began rowing down the river, the Elves of Lothlorien all there to wish them bon voyage. They floated down the river till nightfall, when they made camp on a small island of land in the river. Lindsey and Angel watched as a rotted log floated down the stream, a small pair of hands clutching it.

“Gollum.” Angel said turning to Lindsey. “He’s been following us since Moria. I hoped we could lose him on the river, but he’s more clever than I thought.”

“What if he leads the enemy to us? It’ll make this even more dangerous.” Lindsey said, as the log ran ashore, Gollum nowhere in sight. “Minas Tirith is the safer way, and you know it. We can regroup there and then go to Mordor with more strength.”

“No, there’s no strength in Gondor that can help us.” Angel said shortly.

“You trusted the Elves but not your own people?” Lindsey asked, becoming more and more frustrated with this ranger. Cause that’s all he was, a ranger. He and his father were the ones who had the courage to lead Gondor. “Yeah there’s weakness in humanity, but there’s courage to. You just don’t want to see it! You’re afraid of who you are!”

“I’m not taking the Ring within a hundred miles of your precious city!” Angel said angrily, walking away from Lindsey. Buffy sat on the other side of the camp, her thoughts a mish mash of guilt and anxiety. She felt the weight of the conversation between the two men on her mind; she remembered that Tara said that the Fellowship was breaking and the Ring would try to destroy them all. She was putting them all in danger, as long as they stayed with her they were at risk. Giles died because he came with her. She should have gone by herself.

“Have something to eat, luv.” Spike said, jolting her back to reality.

“No thanks Spike.” Buffy said, turning away.

“Buffy, you haven’t eaten anything since we left Lothlorien, and you haven’t been sleeping since Moria.”

“I’m fine.” Buffy said turning away.

“No you’re not, pet. You kissed me last night.”

“Spike, when I kissed you…you know I was thinking about Giles.”

“I always wondered about you two.” Spike said, trying to joke.

“Gross Spike; I was depressed and vulnerable, ergo bad kissing decisions. I’m sorry if you thought it meant more.”

“ It’s not that, I know that you weren’t in the right mind when we kissed. That’s what I want to talk to you about. You can’t keep punishing yourself, Buffy this isn’t your fault. You can talk to me; I’m here to help you.” Spike said, imploringly.

“You can’t help me, Spike. Leave me alone.” Buffy said, lying down. Spike sighed and left Buffy to a sleepless night. The next day they continued down the river, until suddenly they came upon one of the most breathtaking sights in Middle Earth; the Argonath. Two colossal statues on either side of the canyon, representing Gondor’s kings Riley and Forrest. The awe-inspiring sight was beyond anything the members of the Fellowship had ever seen. They came ashore down the river from the statues, just up stream from a huge waterfall.

“We cross the river tonight. We’ll hide the boats and continue on foot to Mordor from the northern side.” Angel said to the group.

“Oh really?” Xander asked, sarcastically. “Just a little trouble of getting through Emyn Muil, a huge maze of razor sharp rocks. And after that little walk, it gets even better! We get to hike through stinky marshes as far as the eye can see. We should do these little trips more often.”

“That’s the plan.” Angel said, glaring at the Dwarf.

“We should go now.” Willow said urgently to Angel.

“No, Orcs patrol the eastern shore, we’ll need the cover of darkness.”

“It’s not what’s on the east shore that bothers me. Since we left Lothlorien I’ve had the feeling that we’re being watched or followed. Something’s coming Angel, I feel it.”

“Where’s Buffy?” Andrew asked looking around. The rest of the Fellowship looked around alarmed. Angel looked and saw that Lindsey was also nowhere to be seen. Spike jumped up and ran into the woods, looking around frantically for Buffy. Some distance away, Buffy walked past the ruins of an old structure. She thought about everything that happened since they left, but was startled by the sound of footsteps. She whirled around and saw Lindsey gathering firewood.

“You shouldn’t go off alone, especially you.” Lindsey said, noticing her expression. “Are you alright, Buffy?” Buffy looked at the ground. “I know why you wanna be alone. You’re suffering, I see it all the time.”

“Yeah.” Buffy said, as she continues walking.

“Do you think that maybe you’re going through this for no reason?” Lindsey asked walking after her. “There are other options, Buffy.”

“I know what you’re thinking, Lindsey, and I’d say it was the right idea except the warning in the back of my mind.”

“Warning against what?”

“Against taking the easy way out.”

“We’re all scared, Buffy. But we’re letting that fear control us. The Ring is our only hope, and our fear is making us get rid of it. Don’t you see how crazy that is?”

“There’s no other way.”

“I only want to be able to protect my home and people!” Lindsey said, throwing the wood down in frustration. “I know what Giles and Lorne said; that the Ring will corrupt its bearer, but you’ve had the Ring since this all started and you haven’t turned evil. Please Buffy, at least let me try my plan. Let me borrow the Ring.”

“No.” She said, backing away.

“Why are running away? I’m not a thief.”

“You’re not yourself, Lindsey.” Buffy said, still putting distance between them.

“What chance do you think you have?” Lindsey asked in a cold harsh voice. “They’ll find you and take the Ring! And you’ll beg them to let you die before they kill you!”

“I think I should go.” Buffy said turning away.

“You stupid bitch!” Lindsey spat out, running after her. “You only have it by some accident. It could’ve been mine! It SHOULD be mine! Give it to me!” He yelled lunging at her. He wrestled her to the ground and tried to grab the Ring. “Give it to me!

“Get off!” Buffy screamed, clutching the Ring in her hand and hitting him with the other.

“Give it to me!”

“No!

“GIVE IT TO ME!” Lindsey shouted, but as they struggled Buffy vanished. He looked around for a second, and received a punch in the groin. He looked around for any sign of movement. “So that’s it! You’re taking the Ring to Sauron! You’ll sell us out! You traitorous bitch! I’ll kill you if I ever get my hands on you!” he screamed as he tripped. The fall knocked him out of his temporary insanity. “Buffy! What have I done? Buffy! Buffy come back! I’m sorry! Buffy!” but the Hobbit was long gone.

Buffy ran to the top of the old ruins of Amon Hen with the Ring on her finger. She got to the top and looked and saw the evil spread. She saw the mountains crawling with Orcs, she saw Isengard preparing for war. She saw smoke rising from the Elf realms to the north, and evil men allied with Mordor attacking the southern lands. Then she had a vision of the great dark land of Mordor; she saw the huge volcano, Mount Doom and the countless evil things that inhabited the land. And finally she saw a colossal fortress, the Dark Tower of Barad Dur. It was at least ten times the size of the statues they saw earlier; suddenly she saw the summit of the tower and came face to face with the Eye of Sauron.

“So, you seek to defeat me?” An evil voice asked, apparently coming from the Eye.

“We’re going to defeat you.” Buffy said, but her fear didn’t le her sound convincing.

“What, you think you can use my Ring against me?” It asked, laughing maliciously. “None can wield the power of the Ring, except me. You’ll fail, little Hobbit. You’ll fail and I will overrun this earth. The blood of the world will be on your hands, think about that when my servants are torturing your friends.”

“There’s only one thing on this earth more powerful than evil, and that’s us!” Buffy said indignantly, taking the Ring off. She came back to the real world, making her slip and fall to the ground.

“Buffy?” Came a voice from behind her. She looked around and saw Angel.

“The Ring’s taken over Lindsey.” She said standing up.

“Where’s the Ring?!” Angel asked walking towards her.

“Stay back!” Buffy said, pulling out Sting.

“Buffy,” Angel said, holding up his hands in surrender. “I swore I’d protect you no matter what.”

“Can you protect me from yourself?” Buffy asked, showing him the Ring. “Would you destroy it?” Angel walked towards her, his eyes glued to the Ring. He reached for her hand, and closed it. He pushed it back to her.

“You’re going on alone, aren’t you?” Angel asked, already knowing the answer.

“I can’t risk anyone else I care about.” Buffy said sadly, but resigned to her decision.

“I would’ve followed you to the end, even if I didn’t make it.” He said sincerely.

“I know. Take care of my friends and my sister. And keep an eye on Spike, he’ll kill me for this.” Buffy hugged Angel, he kissed the top of her head and stood.

“Go Buffy!” Angel said, drawing his sword. Buffy looked confused, but then saw the blade of her scythe glow. Orcs were near by. “Run Buffy, now!” She ran off in the other direction, while Angel turned to face the Beast and his Uruk Hai.

Chapter 13: The Breaking of the Fellowship
Disclaimer: My last name isn’t Whedon or Tolkien, ergo I don’t own LOTR or Buffy.
(Uruk Hai are a type of Orcs, incase you aren’t familiar with LOTR)

Angel raised his sword as the Uruk Hai charged, a smirk on his face as he cut the first two down. They outnumbered him at least 10 to 1, they forced him up the stairs of the ruins. He hacked and slashed through the Orcs as they came up after him.

“FIND THE HOBBIT!” The Beast ordered his troops. “FIND THE HOBBIT!” The other Orcs began running to search for the woods for Buffy, but Angel dove from the ruins and sent many tumbling to the ground. Willow and Xander, hearing the commotion, join the fight. Willow killed several of the foul monsters with her quick bow-work while Xander landed blow after blow on them with his axes. Buffy ran through the trees, thus far being able to evade the Uruk Hai. She hid behind a tree as they ran past her; she looked and saw Andrew and Dawn hiding under some fallen trees, beckoning to her.

“Buffy, hide here quick!” Andrew called. Buffy shook her head slowly, looking Dawn in the eyes. “What’s she doing?”

“She’s leaving.” Dawn said, seeing the anguish in her sibling’s eyes.

“What?! No!” Andrew exclaimed, jumping from the hiding place.

“Andrew!” Dawn said, trying to pull him back. The two Hobbits looked up the hill and saw several Uruk Hai running towards them. Dawn decided to give her sister a chance to get away by distracting them. “Run, Buffy! HEY YOU, OVER HERE YA STINKY BASTARDS!”

“YEAH, I’VE SEEN FLOWERS SCARIER THAN YOU!” Andrew shouted, joining in. The two ran away, the Uruks chasing them, letting Buffy run the opposite direction. “It’s working!”

“I know it’s working, now RUN!” Dawn ordered as the creatures gained on them. The battle rages back on the hill; Angel, Willow and Xander continue to fight the Uruk Hai. Willow, in one quick move, stabs one with an arrow then fires it into another. Angel and Xander continue their sword and axe work and take out more off them. Dawn and Andrew ran across a stone bridge only to see more Uruk Hai coming towards them; they were coming from behind and in front of them, they were trapped. An Uruk with a huge axe charges them and prepares to swing, but Lindsey takes him out. Lindsey fended off the Orcs, but more were closing in.

“Run!” Lindsey ordered as he killed another Uruk. Willow continued to fire her bow, killing a dozen Uruk Hai in two minutes, including the one that had Angel cornered. They looked around and saw most of the Uruk Hai were nowhere to be seen, they looked around and heard a horn blowing from the direction they saw the Orcs running.

“That’s a Horn of Gondor!” Willow said, as they began running after the monsters.

“Lindsey must be in trouble.” Angel said as they fought through the Uruks towards Lindsey and the Hobbits. Lindsey stood before Dawn and Andrew, fighting Orc after Orc that tried to reach the Hobbits. A few Uruks who weren’t quite dead tried to get Lindsey from behind, but Dawn and Andrew killed them with the daggers Tara gave them. The Uruk Hai continued to charge at the three members of the Fellowship, the Beast watching all the while. The Hobbits began to throw rocks at the Orcs, knocking a few down but they kept coming. The Beast, tired of this inconvenience, took out his bow and fired an arrow into Lindsey’s left shoulder. Lindsey gasped and fell to his knees as the bolt entered, the two Hobbits staring at him in shock. Lindsey summons his strength and continues fighting; the Beast wasn’t pleased and fired another arrow into his stomach. Lindsey fell again, looking at the bewildered Hobbits. They couldn’t take on a troop of these monsters, he couldn’t let them down, he had to protect them.

“No, you’re not taking them!” Lindsey growled through the pain, as he swung his sword into another Uruk Hai. The Beast took aim and fired one last shot into his chest, and this time Lindsey didn’t stand up again. Dawn and Andrew raised their daggers and charged the Uruk Hai, but were easily swept up and carry them away. They try to struggle but it’s no use against these evil creatures. The Beast walked up to Lindsey, who was obviously on death’s door.

“You failed, now you die.” The Beast chuckled as he raised his bow again. As he pulled the arrow back, Angel tackled him from behind sending him to the ground. The Beast was stronger than the others, almost like his body was made out of stone. The Beast threw Angel against a tree and threw his two-pronged shield at Angel, pinning him to the tree. The Beast took its sword and swung to chop off his opponent’s head, but Angel slipped out from under it as the sword connected. The Uruk Hai captain grabbed Angel by the neck, strangling him. Angel pulled out Doyle’s Elven dagger and stabbed it into the creature’s thigh. The Beast let Angel drop and pulled the knife out.

“You need not be my enemy.” The Beast said, licking the blood from the knife.

“I know, but you just really piss me off!” Angel said standing. The Beast threw the knife at him, but he batted it away with his sword. The Beast rushed him, pulling out a dagger that seemed to be carved from stone. Angel ran his sword through the Beast’s body, it just smirked at him and pulled the sword deeper. It swung at Angel with its stone knife; instinctively he grabbed it and plunged it into the Beast’s body, producing an agonizing roar. Angel pulled out the sword and swung it wide, severing the Beast’s head. Angel turned from the Beast’s carcass and ran to Lindsey. Lindsey looked pale and his breathing was becoming more and more shallow.

“They took Dawn and Andrew!” Lindsey sputtered as blood dripped from his mouth. “Where’s Buffy? Did they get her?”

“No, Buffy’s going alone.” Angel said, pulling him into a sitting position.

“I’m sorry. I tried to take the Ring from her. I’ve failed.” Lindsey said, beginning to slip away.

“No Lindsey, you fought bravely. You didn’t fail.” Angel said, trying to remove an arrow from Lindsey’s body.

“Leave it.” Lindsey said, pushing Angel’s hand away. “I’m a goner. Angel, it’s over. The world will end and everything I left behind will be gone.”

“I don’t know what strength I have in my veins, but I won’t let Minas Tirith or our people be destroyed.”

“Our people?” Lindsey asked, reaching for his sword. Angel placed the hilt of his sword into Lindsey’s hand. “Our people. I would’ve gone with you to the end, my king.” And he passed. Angel stood up, seeing Willow and Xander standing behind him, each deeply sad.

Buffy stood by the boats, the Ring in her hand and tears rolling down her cheeks. She was afraid to do this alone, but what choice did she have? If they stayed with her, they’d all die. It was better this way. She remembered her conversation with Giles in Moria.

“I wish my mom never found the Ring. I wish this whole thing never happened.”

“So do I, anyone who lived to see such times would wish the same but that’s not their decision. All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.”

Her mind was made up, she’d continue alone even if it killed her. She put the Ring in her pocket and began pushing a boat into the water. As she stepped into the boat, she felt a strong hand grasping her arm. She turned and came face to face with Spike.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Spike asked, his face hard and stern.

“I’m going to Mordor.” Buffy said, climbing into the boat. Spike jumped in after her. “Spike, go back, I’m going to Mordor alone.”

“Of course you are, and I’m coming with you.” Spike said, grabbing a paddle.

“Spike, you don’t know what you’re saying!” Buffy said, trying to take the ore from Spike.

“I know exactly what I’m saying, Buffy.” Spike said resolute. “I’m coming with you.”

“Spike, you’ll die! Giles died and Lindsey’s evil; if you come with me you’ll die, and I can’t lose anyone else I care about.” Buffy said, imploring him to leave.

“Knew you cared.” Spike said, holding her shoulders looking her in the eyes. “I promised you, Giles and myself that I’d stand by you no matter what and I intend to keep it. I know that you think that this is your fault, but it’s not! If it’s anyone’s fault it’s the bastard who made the Ring’s fault. I told you that I love you more times than I can count, I care about you more than you realize and I’m not going anywhere. I’m going with you, Buffy. Till the end of the world, even if that happens to be tonight.” Buffy looked into his eyes, and she knew he meant it. She pulled him into a tight hug, sniffling into his shoulder.

“Are you sure Spike?” Buffy asked, one last time.

“You couldn’t drag me away.” He said, his voice solid, his mind made up. “Now, let’s get goin’.” He said, breaking the hug and beginning to row.

Angel set Lindsey’s body into one of the boats and sent it floating down the river in a funeral act. As Angel watched the boat float over the falls, Willow and Xander started pushing the third boat into the water.

“Come on, Buffy and Spike are already on the other shore!” Xander called. “Anytime man!” Angel stood there, saying nothing.

“You mean we’re not going to follow them?” Willow asked, surprised.

“No, they’re fate isn’t in our hands anymore.” Angel said, putting on Lindsey’s gauntlets.

“Then it’s all been for nothing. Great! The Fellowship has failed.” Xander said, kicking a stone.

“No it hasn’t,” Angel said, putting a hand on their shoulders. “Not if we continue to fight evil. We won’t abandon Dawn and Andrew to torture and death, not while we have strength in our bodies. Leave everything that isn’t necessary, we travel light. Let’s hunt some Orc!” Angel said; running in the direction the Uruk Hai went. Willow and Xander looked at each other, and smirked.

“Sounds like a plan.” Xander said, as the two of them took off after Angel. Buffy and Spike hiked to the top of a hill overlooking the rocky slopes of Emyn Muil. In the far distance they see a mountain range shrouded in dark clouds, Mordor.

“Mordor, it’s a long way.” Buffy said, looking into the distance.

“Well maybe I underestimated how long it would take us. We’ll kick the Big Bad’s ass and be home around breakfast the next day instead of dinner.” Spike quipped, bringing a small smile to her face.

“I hope the others will be safe.” Buffy said.

“Don’t worry, King Broody will keep ‘em safe.” Spike said, standing next to her.

“We probably won’t see them again.” Buffy said, sadly.

“We may, Buffy. We’re a lot stronger than we look.”

“Spike.” Buffy said, looking into his eyes. “I’m glad you’re with me.” The two Hobbits climbed down the hill, to Mordor and to stop the apocalypse.

THE END