McDonald's

"Oooh," Elladan said, swerving around a semi like a NASCAR driver. "Food."

Legolas closed his eyes and gripped the door handle. "You cannot call anything they serve in those places food."

"Sure you can," Elladan said, changing lanes, neatly cutting off a Ford Explorer and swerving into the exit. "Besides, you don't know what it means when it says 'food' on the signs."

"Yes, I do. It means those awful fast food places."

"You're spoiled," Elladan said firmly. "You're used to living on your father's private little island and getting the good stuff."

"Yes, I am."

"There's a Perkins," Elrohir said.

"Too slow," Elladan replied, and pulled into the McDonald's parking lot. "We want fast food."

"That is not food," Legolas argued.

"Spoiled, spoiled, spoiled," was the twin's reply, before he bounded energetically out of the car and practically skipped for the door. Elrohir shrugged and followed.

He watched with distaste as the sons of Elrond loaded up on fast food. French fries that had probably never seen potatoes, cheeseburgers that had probably never seen any part of a cow. He wrinkled his nose in disgust and ordered a salad.

"What are you, an Elf or a rabbit?" Elladan asked in an undertone. "It's not like it's going to hurt us."

He shook his head, glancing up when one of the employees came up to clock out. Her hair was stuffed up under the hat, which was hiding her eyes. She turned and spoke to one of the managers, then laughed. The laugh seemed familiar, for some reason.

The manager laughed, as well. "Go on, Kayli, get out of here. Enjoy your two days off."

He shook his head as Elladan and Elrohir gathered up their...food and headed back out to the car. Coincidence. Kayli was a common enough name in these times.

As they walked back out to their vehicle, he saw the girl walking to hers. She tugged off her hat, tossed it into the passenger seat, talking on her cell phone. She had large, beautiful blue eyes.

Familiar eyes. Hadn't he seen ones just like them for more than sixty years?

She laughed and tugged the ties out of her hair, spilling it down around her face. He went very still, just staring at her, his expression stunned.

"Legolas? Legolas, what's wrong with you?" Elrohir demanded. "We've got to make up for lost time. Will you drive?"

Elladan thumped his brother. "You are not letting the Granny Prince drive!"

He shoved away from them and started towards her. Elladan grabbed his arm. "Uh, hello? Your Highness? Where are you going?"

"'Dan, stop him," Elrohir said urgently, trying to unload his armful of food into the car. "Don't let him near the girl!"

"What would he want with the girl? He doesn't even look at girls!"

The girl laughed again, raking her fingers back through her hair. Elladan went very still. "Legolas, no. You cannot," he snapped, dropping into Sindarin.

"Release me," he snapped. "Don't you know who that is?"

"Aye, we do," Elladan said. "Which is why you cannot do this."

"I cannot spare her? Look at her! She is not prepared for the horrors she'll face!"

"She is made of stronger stuff than that," Elrohir said firmly, gripping his other arm. "As you very well know."

"Release me."

"No," Elladan snapped, and thumped his forehead. "Think, mellon. You wish to spare her, but for all we know 'twas having her aid which turned the tides of the war against Sauron. It could have been her presence that granted us victory. If you spare her the horrors, you may also grant Sauron his victory."

"And cost us all our lives," Elrohir added. "Think of the Kayli you knew, the one you loved so much. Would she ask this of you?"

"Of course not."

"Are you so desperate to forget her, then?" Elrohir asked harshly.

Legolas's head jerked around, his eyes meeting his friends. Elrohir was almost grateful to see the rage in them. "How can you ask me that?"

"Is that not what you are trying to do? If you spare her all the horrors, you also spare her all the happiness. She loved you, mellon, and, to her, that more than made up for any hardship. For all we know, were we to leave her in this world, she would die."

He relaxed, tugging his arms from their grasp. "Aye. I understand." He gazed at her a moment longer, drinking in the woman he would never see again. "Let us go."

He got into the car, leaned his head back, and closed his eyes, pretending he did not hear their sighs of relief.

Or Elladan's mutter of "Sure would have been embarrassing to get arrested for beating him within an inch of his life in a McDonald's parking lot."

End