Here it is guys...the last chapter...I can't believe it's finally over...

WOW! I hope you enjoy...

Epilogue

The last thing they saw was a bright flash of white light, and then just as fast as they could blink, Niori, Jane, Carla and Erin were out of Middle-Earth and back in the living room of Carla's house.

At first, the girls looked around in wonder, trying to decide (and hoping just a little) this was just a dream, and that they were still in Middle-Earth. Finally, the knowledge that they had left Middle-Earth, and the friend they had made forever, came.

" Oh my God," Erin whispered, her face looking about to break, " I left them…I actually left both of them,"

" It's ok Erin," Jane whispered to her, " They'll be alright. Frodo will take care of Elijah, and you as well as I do, that you could have never truly belonged in Middle-Earth. None of us did,"

Carla had wandered away a bit, looking through her house, as in trying to get it to feel like home again. Niori hadn't really moved yet, only to extend her hand in front of her. She gazed down at the ring; Legolas's birthday present to her, with longing eyes and a silent tear running down her cheek.

" OH MY GOD!" Carla cried suddenly, causing everyone to look up at her. She stood with her mouth hanging open, a look of surprise splashed across her face. She was staring at the digital clock on her phone, " It's only been three days! Since we left here, it's only been three God damn days!"

" What! That's impossible! We were in Middle-Earth for over a year!" Jane exclaimed.

" Time must pass different here than it does there," Erin spoke quietly causing silence to ensue.

" Welcome home guys," Niori said, looking up at them, tears still lingering in her eyes.

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Exactly a year to the day of their return to their world, Carla, Jane, Erin and Niori were all piled into Niori's car, riding towards their new college.

The four sat giggling nervously as they rode along the lonely strip of highway. All of them were going to the same college; they had even bought an apartment to share. After all they had lived through, how could they split up now?

" I am so physed! We are finally out of high school and into college!" Jane cried excitedly.

" It's still school," Carla mumbled under her breath.

" I have waited for like my whole life to go to college," Niori sighed, shaking her head, but then turning her attention back to the road she was driving on, " but now it doesn't seem like that big of a deal. I mean, all we've been through, all we've experienced, how can I get excited about school?"

They were al silent for a moment. It was the same for all of them. Ever since they had gotten back fro Middle-Earth, all four of them had felt so out of place. They had started school a week after returning (still High school), but none of them thought good grades or school dances were important anymore.

Erin had fallen into a deep depression that she still wasn't, or would ever be, totally over. She had been sent to the school guidance councilor so many times over the course of the year, the student body thought she had been committed. Slowly, over the passing of time, Erin started to go back to normal, but it still seemed, and would always seem, that a huge piece of her heart was missing.

They didn't fit in with anyone from their own time anymore, and they could no longer relate to people their own age. How could they be happy here with all they left behind? Now they all questioned their decision to leave…even though they knew they would have felt this alienated in Middle-Earth too….

Jane had fallen from straight A's, to barely passing with 60's in every class (Except gym, which she made a perfect mark). Things like school no longer mattered. After repeatedly insisting to her parents that she was not doing drugs (the only thing they could think of for her lack of interest in EVERYTHING), she had been sent to a therapist. All of the 'sessions' consisted of Jane sitting there without saying a word (except maybe an occasional 'go to hell!'). And even through all that, it only made her feel even more out of place…weirder. Jane wished, more than anything that she had stayed in Middle-Earth.

Carla went into her own world most of the time, and tried to ignore a lot of things she used to love. Sure, she was glad she could watch TV or have pizza again (Wouldn't you be?), but they didn't seem…as great anymore. The one thing she truly excelled at (and tried at) after they returned was her archery class. In fact, by the time she started class again, she blew the archery teachers away. When anyone commented on how good she had gotten, Carla would cast her eyes downwards to hide her sadness. Not to mention she missed Eomer like hell! None of the guys she knew even compared to him! It wasn't fair! Why had she had to leave the perfect guy?

During the first week of school, Niori had been approached by a group of the most popular girls in school, who were dying to know who the hot guy she had been with seen with all summer had been. Unable to control herself, Niori buried her head in her arms and started to cry. It was the first time she had cried since they got back and it was also the last time those girls ever talked to Niori, thinking she was crazy. Also, after the first gym class, everyone wanted to know where she got the huge ass scar across her stomach. When she wouldn't reply, rumors started to go around. Most of them were basically, Niori hooked up with hot guy over summer, hot guy attacked Niori and left really bad scar ("Where do they come up with these things!" Carla asked after hearing one of the rumors). Niori didn't (or possibly wouldn't) acknowledge them the rumors and her whole personality had changed…she was no longer the red hot party girl, but as she became known by the guys at their school, a ice queen. When one of them asked her out, she always said she was busy, and when they inquired about what she was busy with, she always said that she was 'waiting'. Like she had promised Legolas, she was waiting for him to find her…even if she'd have to wait forever…

So here they were now, changed and different from the time that the fellowship had first arrived in Carla's closet. They were going to a place that no longer mattered to them and feeling empty…empty like they had for the past year.

" I wonder what Elijah looks like," Erin whispered softly, breaking the silence that had settled over the car, " he's a little over a year (by our world's standards) now…"

" Oh Erin," Niori spoke, feeling tears come into her eyes over her friend's sorrow, " Elijah's beautiful. You know that…you've always known that Elijah will grow up to be beautiful and happy…you told us that you had seen it our last night there…"

" I wish," Erin whispered softly, " God I wish that I…that we, could see them again. I wish that we could all be together again…me and Frodo and Elijah…with all of our friends from Middle-Earth. I wish that you guys to be together with the ones you love again…I wish that we could feel like we belong again…"

A split second passed from when the words left Erin's mouth, and then there was a brilliant flash of white light.

The End

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An- Well, here it is guys…the last author's note that you'll get from us. It's hard to believe that this story (Lord of the rings: 2003) began on January 4th 2003, and ended now, on July 10th 2005. We started this fic at Jane's house during a sleepover when we were on a caffeine high…and now look at it. It was the longest story any of us have ever written…and we're so proud of it that you'll never imagine it. It was a long and bumpy road, but here we are now…finished. Speaking of finishing, I guess we should address how this story ended. You've read what we've had to give you in Niori, Carla, Erin and Jane's story…and now it's your turn to decide how their story ends. We ended it this way, because there would have been no way to please y'all. Some of you wanted the girls to live happily ever after, and others didn't want this story to turn into a typical Mary Sue fic. So here's the answer…let you decide the girls' fate. Now it's up to y'all to decide weather or not the girls get their wish and their happy ending…or weather their car just exploded (or something along that line). We can't tell how much you guys, the reviewers, mean to us. Without you guys, our story would have never gotten told. It's been both an honor and a pleasure to have you read and enjoy our story. We hope that we'll see you all reading again, maybe on our own individual projects, but you never know…maybe we'll write something together again. Maybe Niori, Carla, Erin and Jane's story really isn't over yet…maybe there's another chapter to their story…

But anyway, it's time to say goodbye to all of you guys, THE BEST REVIEWERS EVER! Hope to see you around Fanfiction sometime…and hope you enjoyed this story, in which we have thrown everything we've got into.

We love you guys (Not in that way, sickos! LOL!),

Niori

Erin

Carla

Jane