A/N: Yes. It's here ;) Enjoy!

"Finally," Boromir breathed resignedly. He adjusted the straps on the armor—a little big, but it worked. Eowyn, furious that I had been allowed to fight, had made it through finding me some armor without hitting me. And I was lucky; this stuff had been made for a woman. Luckily for me, warrior maidens were heard of (if uncommon) in Rohan, and Boromir had managed to find and fit the heavy metal to me. I could move freely, but my movements were slow and awkward. Boromir's expression remained distant and cool.

"There, now," he said, his voice a little bitter. "You're all ready to die."

I flinched, glaring. "I'm not going to die," I said, sharper than I intended. I sighed.

He must have realized what he had said; Boromir's eyes widened and his face lost its harsh quality.

"No," he murmured, almost to himself. He looked ashamed. "No, of course not. We'll watch over you."

My throat tightened. Dammit, why was I getting all teary now? It wasn't like it was anything special, the boys watching out for me… I was their friend, and they expected the same from anyone else—in the unlikely case that they needed watching out for. It wasn't anything to cry over.

As Boromir scrutinized my face, he groaned and rubbed his temples. "You don't have to do this, Elaina. Any of it." His eyes darted to the entrance of the caves, where people began to file in. "Should the Uruks… should all else fail, you can help the women and children get out. You can do your part."

I shook my head. I wanted to be with him, wherever that may be. I had not snatched him from the jaws of death just to let him out of my sight again.

"No. I'm staying with you."

He paused, and then nodded resolutely.

In little more than an hour the atmosphere changed drastically. Everywhere people scrambled—soldiers for weapons and armor, children and others unable to fight into the caves, and officers off to form the defense. It seemed the only ones unfazed were Legolas and Gimli, who sat unbothered in a corner bantering like there wasn't an oncoming DOOM. Damn elves. Damn dwarves. Damn Dark Lord!

Aragorn was, of course, the de facto second-in-command; he could barely rest a moment before a new problem or situation needed his attention. Boromir and I were at a loss for what to do—both of us seemed like tether balls on the end of the rope. I paced, back and forth, in front of Gimli and Legolas. Boromir leaned against the wall, watching me with apprehension.

My heart pounded. It was twilight. An hour. Maybe less, maybe more.

"Ugghh. I want chocolate." My voice shook.

The elf snickered. Actually snickered.

"YOU can laugh! I feel like I'm going to throw up Eowyn's stew! And not because of the flavor!"

Gimli let out a short bark of laughter. I felt like punting him over the wall.

I felt a firm grip on my arm, and turned to see Boromir's unreadable face. "Come with me."

Before we left, I caught Legolas and Gimli exchange meaningful glances… something I would have to talk with them about later. Grr.

We wound up taking a flight of stairs up to a guard post, deserted and elevated from the buzzing of an army below. From here, a clear view of the plains before Helm's Deep was visible; the sky was dimming and the stars were coming out. I shivered as the slightest breeze blew my hair back, thinking of what would lie below this tower very soon: enemies, the dead, and the fighting…

"For Eru's sake, Elaina, stop thinking so hard! You're making me more worried than I should possibly be." He slumped down on the wall, one palm supporting his chin. I heard a deep sigh escape him.

"I can't help it. It is my first battle, remember?" Trying to regain some of my flippancy, I exhaled my shaky breath and forced a light tone. "Besides, it's you I'm worried about. You're the one with the shitty luck."

He laughed.

Oh, no. Funny feeling returning. Shit.

"Come here," he beckoned, still smiling. Not noticing my discomfort, he scooted closer. And suddenly I was more aware of him than I had ever been since we met. His shoulder, warm against mine, sent funny prickles of electricity down my arm.

Gah.

"Listen to me, Elaina," he began, voice gentle but firm. "There is only one thing I need you to remember."

He was making any short term memory pretty damn difficult right now.

His eyes met mine, and somewhere in the grey there was a command. He wasn't requesting anything.

"You focus on keeping you alive. I'll be with you. We all will. But you think only of survival. You stay focused, you don't panic, and you keep up the fight." His tone was like silk and steel. "I promise you right now, you will be alive tomorrow."

I managed to choke out an "okay." Boromir relaxed, and I almost jumped when his hand closed around mine.

Why, why, why God did you choose to taunt me with this… it was unfair how much I couldn't have him. Off limits, my mind screamed. You're a lunatic! He sees you as a responsibility, someone to keep out of trouble—not to cover in whipped cream and…

SHIT. Thoughts under control. Thoughts under control.

Damn teenage hormones.

I made an effort to control my voice, though my words came out oddly strangled. "Got it. Kill orcs. No ADD. Survival mode."

He grinned, nodding. Observing the off quality in my expression, he threw me a curious look. "What is it?" Probably thought I was still scared.

Oh, I was. But orcs were on the Z-list.

"Nothing," I said. I hesitated before I finally asked to go back to Legolas and Gimli. He agreed, though I thought I could detect a hint of reluctance.

When we returned, the elf and dwarf made no effort to hide their curiosity. I flushed red, glaring daggers at the elf. After a moment (in which I was certain he rummaged through my head like a sack of potatoes) he scowled back. Looking around, he suddenly smiled THE smile.

Let me explain. THE smile gets people in trouble. It is a dirty, devious elf smile. Haldir flashed THE smile after letting a squirrel loose in Pip's bed. Elrohir and Elladan flashed THE smile when Glorfindel discovered his shampoo replaced with chili powder. Legolas flashed THE smile when he set up Gimli to promise a visit to Mirkwood.

Needless to say, I was suspicious as hell.

The elf lightly indicated a pair of Rohirrim to our left, across the courtyard. The pretty woman and the tall warrior seemed to rather stubbornly joined at the lips, with no sign of stopping. It was obvious this was the 'final kiss' of the parting sweethearts.

"Nothing like a battle to force certain… feelings… to the surface. Na vedui! They have been waiting. Isn't that sweet, Elaina?"

I forced myself to hold back a particularly nasty Sindarin reply I learned.

"Sweet." My teeth gnashed. Gimli smirked.

Legolas sprang up lightly, beckoning the dwarf. "Come, Gimli. We must go find a good spot on the wall. No—no, Elaina, don't get up. We shall save you a space near us." They were off without so much as a second glance.

Boromir leaned against the wall, eyeing the couple. He put on a good poker face, but his pink ears gave it away.

This could get no worse. I let out an inward groan.

"Well, they seem rather occupied," I muttered, throwing caution to the wind. "Wish I had something to do while waiting for imminent doom."

To my horror, Boromir turned to me with raised eyebrows. "Do you now?"

I blushed, avoiding his eyes. "Well, obviously I had something a little different in mind…" I laughed nervously, stupidly going on. "But, hey, whatever floats your boat…"

He chuckled, now openly observing them. "It is sweet. And sad. Elves have that damnable way of picking out the most sentimental parts of the most straightforwardly red-blooded activities."

I nodded weakly.

"Come on," he finally said, and without hesitation Boromir reached for my hand. "It's dark. I think it's time to go up to the wall."

I allowed myself to be led away, like a small child afraid of getting lost.

In a way, I was.

Shit, shit. It's night. I can barely see a far off pinprick of light. Torchlight. Uruks. Gah.

"Crap," I whispered, running my hand through my hair. I caught a snarl in the unkempt strands, barely registering the pain. "Crap, oh crap!"

Boromir, to my left, glanced at me. He didn't look so great either, to tell you the truth. The faint rays of a crescent moon illuminated his pale, nervous face. A few spaces down the row, I heard Gimli complaining that he couldn't see a damn thing, and that 'thank you very much, but I do not need a box!' I almost laughed at their absurd arguing.

"Elaina," murmured Boromir, shifting closer to me, "This is purely hypothetical but, supposing there is the smallest chance we might die—"

Oh, good. I already like where this is going. My stomach felt like a floor show of acrobatic flips and tricks.

He continued, and I met his eyes—sensing something strange in his tone.

"Supposing we won't get another chance to talk…" He gulped. Really, he actually gulped. Boromir had my full attention now, and I was insanely curious as to what was so important that it reduced this macho man into… well, a kid suddenly thrust into the limelight.

"I want you to know… You are very… special to me."

Oh, wow. Coming from anyone else, that line would sound so cheesy—but from him? It almost killed me how genuine, almost vulnerable he sounded.

But special in what way? Like, 'You saved my life, and I owe you one big,' or 'I want you.' Okay. Maybe not that far, but you get the idea.

"Huh." Was all that came out. I gave myself a mental slap on the face. I am soooo articulate.

I must've looked like some strange fish, gaping stupidly, because he relaxed enough to laugh a little. The nervous quality was still there, but he gazed at me honestly and openly, as if to gauge my reaction. And he was smiling.

"Hypothetically," he murmured, his voice gaining confidence, "This is our last half hour together." He inched closer, and now he was more facing me than the wall. His grey eyes were strangely intense and warm. "Legolas was right. Don't you think we should say what's on our mind before we… ah, what was that phrase you used? 'Kicked the pale?'"

"Uh. Bucket." Gah.

"Yes." He took my hands. "Kick the bucket." He was melting me with a new smoldering look that instantly banned my mind to the gutter.

"Right," I said, exhaling shakily. "Can I say something?" My voice trembled.

He nodded, waiting calmly but tensely.

"I like you. Very much." Of all the ridiculous…

"Good. Can I say something?"

Nod yes. There's a good girl.

I waited, but he only bent his face closer to mine, stunning me with his eyes. He hesitated for only a single moment before I realized what he had to say didn't need to be said aloud at all— but spoken in a different way.

It was very gentle, and yet with Boromir everything held an undercurrent of intensity that seemed to mirror something inside. I responded eagerly, bringing my hands up to touch his face— to find that this was real. He deepened the kiss, and suddenly I was flooded with a feeling that was, in essence, him: bright, engaging, and unafraid.

I was walking in a strange new land, but it was home.

We broke apart at the sound of a delicate elvish cough, and I blinked slowly as if waking from a dream.

No way did I just do that. Must not squee.

Legolas looked so smug that, kissing-high or no, I would smack that silly look off his face in two seconds flat. Gimli blushed furiously. And even better—Aragorn had walked up inconspicuously with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Oh, God, kill me.

"Well," sighed Boromir contentedly, "Warg's out of the cage now." The boys incredibly all wore the same content expression that seemed to telepathically congratulate Boromir on a job well done. I held back a moan.

"Yeah," I agreed impatiently, "Show's over. Nothing to see here."

Aragorn chuckled, throwing us one last grin before moving on to prepare for the battle. Gimli patted Legolas's back and muttered something like 'There! Happy now, Lad?' before steering him back to their spots. I groaned, putting my hands on my hot face.

Boromir laughed, and I couldn't help but feel a deep satisfaction at the sound. Pulling my hands off my face, he laid a single kiss on my forehead. We turned, and I was strangely happy staring up at the dark, cloudy sky. The enemies with their torches in the distance were only flashes of orange on the horizon, and I was happy to be here where most would give anything to leave.

I wondered, as we both stood comfortably close together, how I would ever pull off keeping my focus now.

A/N: Delivered! I am so eager to hear what you say about this bit. Seriously, a review will go a long way for the next one; tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, and what you want to see next!

PS—I did not forget about Haldir and Co. Hot blond Elves to reappear next chapter! Shazaam!