DISCLAIMER: I do not own "The Lord of the Rings" (books or movies) or "Avatar: The Last Airbender" or "Harry Potter" or "The Chronicles of Narnia" or any other book and/or movie I happen to mention

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Random idea I had, and I know that I have been submitting stories, and not keeping up with them, but this idea has really been developing in my mind, and I had to get something down. From the "Avatar: The Last Airbender" cast, this will mainly focus on Zuko, and my OC from "The Games We Play", Jasmine. I will also be combining the Lord of the Rings movies and the books. Some of the characters will merge, others will stay strictly one way or another. For example, Aragorn's character will be from the movies because, personally, I thought that Peter Jackson's interpretation of Aragorn was more humble and human than the one in the book. Just a personal preference.

SUMMARY: At the height of their journey to find the Avatar, and restore honor to the Fire Nation, Jasmine and Zuko are dropped into a world that is in the midst of it's own war: Middle-Earth. Together, they learn to trust, they learn to love, and they learn to fight for a cause that held the fate of an entire world.

P.S. If you haven't read "The Games We Play", and you don't intend to, here's a little back story about Jasmine. Jasmine has been a servant all of her life, and was born into a family of servants. Her mother was the hand maiden to Fire Lady Ursa, and thus had very strong ties in the palace. When she was five and Zuko was six, she was given to him as a playmate. What started as just a weak bond between servant and master sprouted into a strong, and vast friendship. This relationship was often made a bit complicated by the fact that Jasmine's father was the leader of the Fire Nation Resistance, and she was often sent on little info. gathering missions for him, forcing Zuko along. He never told her secret, and carried it to the grave with him. When Zuko was thirteen, and challenged to an Agni Kai by Fire Lord Ozai, Jasmine defended him, and almost put the Fire Lord on his back, but was defeated by trickery and deceit. As punishment, she was banished along with Zuko. Three years later is where our story begins.

CHAPTER 1: Concerning Hobbits, Wizards, and Firebenders

It was a pleasant September morning in the Shire, in Gandalf's opinion. The road was clear, and easy going, and the wind from the West was cool and comforting. It was a good day to visit Hobbiton, and his old friend, Bilbo. It was his 111th birthday, after-all.

Suddenly, the oddest noise reached the old wizard's ears. It was like someone had suddenly fallen out of a tree, and landed roughly on the ground below. Even odder, however, were the voices that followed.

"Alright. What just happened?" asked the voice of a young female. There was a loud grunt, and then a rough male voice responded.

"How am I supposed to know? By Agni, that hurt. And where did that hole come from, anyway?"

"Well, Iroh did hint at something about 'watching your step'."

Iroh. Gandalf knew that name all too well.

"Besides. I don't think we fell down a regular hole." said the female voice. There was wonder and fear in her voice. There was a moment of silence, and Gandalf assumed that the young pair had just now noticed exactly where they were.

"Great. We're lost." said the male voice. Then, there was a sound like he had kicked the trunk of a tree with his foot, and then a painful groan. Whoever this young man was, he was filled with far too much anger.

"Calm down, Zuko. We aren't lost...yet. Let's just walk around until we find someone, and we can ask for directions. Okay?" The young man let out a somewhat forced sigh, then responded "okay".

Gandalf could hear them start to walk, and decided that this would be his perfect cue.

"Wherever we are, it's beautiful. There's this type of relaxation in the air. Don't you feel it?" said the female.

"I'm never relaxed, Jazz. You should know that about me by now."

Gandalf could tell from their voices that they were getting closer, so he started to whistle loudly to alert them to his presence. The walking sounds stopped.

"Wait, do you hear that?" asked the male voice.

"Someone's whistling. There must be a road near by."

"Hurry, before we miss them."

There was the sound of hurried feet, then two rather out of place figures emerged from the brush close to the road. One was a beautiful young girl with tan skin and thick, black hair that fell around her shoulders like a cascading waterfall. The other was a young man with short cut hair and distinctive golden eyes. Also, he had a terrible looking burn that covered the left side of his face. Yet, under the pain and strength that he openly displayed was a regal fire that burned. Actually, he reminded Gandalf of someone else he knew. Both were wearing a thick, green hued garb that did not fit the era at all.

Gandalf pulled on the reigns of his mule, stopping the cart directly in front of the young people from another world. He took the pipe out of the side of his mouth, letting out a thick puff of smoke, and eyed the strangers with a slightly amused eye.

"Well. What have we here? And so far from home?" The young girl spoke first.

"Sir, my name is Jasmine, and this is...Lee, and I'm afraid we're rather lost. You see, we fell down this hole..."

"One moment, dear." interrupted Gandalf. "That young man's name isn't Lee. It is Zuko." The young man in question tensed up, and Jasmine had to subtly rest her hand on his shoulder to still his movements.

"How do you know that?" asked Jasmine with a suspicious eye. Gandalf laughed some, and took another puff from his pipe.

"My dear, I know a lot of things. But, as far as the issue of me knowing his name goes, I could hear you talking from the road. This is the Shire, after all. Very little escapes the ears of another."

"Wait, did you say the Shire?" asked Jasmine. Gandalf nodded very matter-of-factly.

"Where the bloody earth is the Shire?" asked Zuko, crossing his arms.

"Why, in Middle-Earth, my boy. On the Western hemisphere, about two months march from the Gulf of Lhun, to be exact."

The children stared back at him with completely blank faces. It took Gandalf a minute to realize that this wasn't resonating with them.

"Oh, right. Excuse me, I forgot that you two had an incident with a rabbit-hole. You are not from here, are you?" They both shook their heads.

"We're from the Fire Nation. Even though considering the way this is going, you probably have never heard of it." said Jasmine with a sad look.

"No, no, in fact one of my closest friends is from the Fire Nation. Iroh the Dragon of the West is what we used to call him in the old days. That was before he became such a prominent general and his son passed away. I haven't heard from him since then."

"Iroh's my uncle!" said Zuko, practicly jumping out of his skin. Gandalf slowly took the pipe out of his mouth, and focused his eyes on the young man. Now, he saw it.

"You don't say. You do look a bit like him." Gandalf paused a moment, and removed his pointed blue hat so he could run his hand over his aging hair. "How about this? I am on my way to Hobbiton to celebrate an old friend's birthday. Why don't you two ride along with me? Find you some food, and lodging. And maybe I could answer some of your questions, and you could answer some of mine."

Zuko and Jasmine looked at each other, communicating on a level that years of friendship builds. Then, after a moment, they turned back to Gandalf and nodded. Gandalf smiled triumphantly.

"Brilliant! Go ahead and move all of those things around. I've never been much of a light traveler, I'm afraid. Old habits and all. By the way, I am called Gandalf the Gray in these parts. But you can just call me Gandalf."

-888-

This was by far the strangest day Zuko had ever had. And he had some doozies. First off, he finds out that not only was the Avatar in Ba Sing Se, but he had lost his bison. Then, he had a ridiculously large and unnecessary fight with Jasmine over her relations with some guy she had met at the tea shop. And then - to top off the whole damn thing - they both fell down this random "rabbit-hole" and now they were traveling down a deserted road towards someplace called Hobbiton with a weird old man who smoked too much. Oh, and he said that he was a "wizard", whatever that was. Yep, a regular day in the life of Zuko.

"So, how do you know Iroh?" asked Jasmine, who was sitting in the front of the cart, next to Gandalf. Zuko sat in the back with the fire works. Over the past hour, Jazz and the old man had become rather close. She had a thousand questions for him, and he was more than willing to answer.

"My dear, some friendships transcend worlds. Iroh and I are both part of a very secret, honarary society."

"The Order of the White Lotus." said both Jasmine and Zuko simultaneously. Gandalf glanced at them both, then took a puff from his pipe.

"Well. I guess it's not that secret anymore." Jasmine and Zuko glanced at each other, smiling. He had no idea.

"Anyway, we have been friends ever since. I am the one who introduced him to his wife, back when I visited the Fire Nation on a regular basis. Along with Albus Dumbledore and Andrew Ketterley. We were all very close once before things..." For a moment, Gandalf became quiet. There was a look of somewhat regret on his aged face. Jasmine was about to say something when Gandalf's face lit up again.

"Ah! Look, here we are. Welcome to Hobbiton. Now, be warned, the Hobbits of the Shire are not very prone to change, or strangers. In fact, I am formally known as a disturber of the peace after I, um, encouraged Bilbo Baggins - a prominent Hobbit here in the Shire - to go on a small adventure with me. Nothing major, just a few dragons and trolls, really quite peaceful. Don't expect them to have a better response to you."

"Don't worry," said Zuko. "We are used to cold welcomes."

-888-

Jasmine had met some small people before, but this just took the cake. They were like small, hearty, somewhat pleasant children. But she hadn't received such a suspicious welcome since the Southern Water Tribe. Also, all of the homes - at least she thought they were homes - were built into hills with only the wide, round doors showing.

"What did you say these...people were called again?" asked Jasmine of Gandalf.

"They prefer to be called Hobbits, but they are also known as Halflings in other parts of the world. However, they are mostly believed to be legend the farther away one travels, which is not surprising. Life in the wide world goes on much as if it has past age. Full of its own comings and goings, scarcely even aware of the existence of Hobbits...for which I am thankful."

"I certainly wouldn't believe it if someone told me." said Zuko as he stared down an older looking Hobbit who had permanent frown wrinkles on his aging face. "What are you looking at, old man?"

"Zuko, be nice." snapped Jasmine.

"He was glaring at me!"

Small Hobbit-children came out of the very earth, it seemed, and began to chase after the cart shouting "G for Grand". Jasmine waved at the small children, and Gandalf grinned.

"You actually seem rather welcome here, Gandalf." said Jasmine as she caught a flower that a yellow-haired girl with emerald eyes threw at her.

"Only among the children. They have heard stories of my fire works. If you stay for the party, you'll be able to see them." Jasmine and Zuko glanced at each other, and all they could do was shrug.

"Yeah. Maybe."

Soon, the cart arrived at one of the larger holes in the hill with a sign hanging over the door that read "Bag End". Gandalf climbed down from the cart, and tied the reigns off to a fence post. He motioned for Jasmine and Zuko to climb down after him, and they followed him up the finely trimmed trail to the front door. Gandalf knocked loudly on the large door with his staff, and then waited.

"No thank you! We don't want any more visitors, well wishers, or distant relations!"

Jasmine and Zuko exchanged worried glances, before turning back to stare at the door.

"And what about very old friends?" asked Gandalf, with the hint of a laugh in his voice. There was a moment's pause, and then the door practically flew open. In its entrance stood a Hobbit who could have been a cross between forty and seventy for all Jasmine knew. He had a mischievous smile, and a pleasant twinkle in his eye. Yet, Jasmine felt like there was a weight holding him down.

"Gandalf?" he asked with wonder in his eyes.

"Bilbo Baggins." answered Gandalf with a wide smile. Gandalf bent down a bit to embrace Bilbo in a tight hug. It was then that Bilbo noticed the two young people who had been out of sight behind the tall wizard.

"Gandalf, you brought visitors?" asked Bilbo. Gandalf turned around to glance at the two, then turned back to Bilbo.

"Travelers I found on my way here. It seems that they have lost their way." Bilbo's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Well then, you brought them to the right Hobbit-hole! Come in, come in, I'll find you some food."

-888-

Zuko thought of Bag End as the type of home that his Uncle would like to keep someday: packed to the roof with maps and books, and other things that were just unmentionable. Everyone accept Bilbo had to crouch low in order to avoid hitting their heads on the banister.

"Tea? Or maybe something stronger. I've a few bottles of the Old Winyard left, 1296...a very good year. Almost as old as I am. It was laid down by my father. What do you say we open one?" Bilbo suddenly dissapeared into another room.

"Um, I don't believe the children drink, Bilbo." said Gandalf.

"Actually, I think I need a swig of something stiff right about now." Zuko commented quietly. He groaned loudly when he suddenly ran into a hanging chandelier. He smirked in Jasmine's direction when he heard her giggle at him.

"I was expecting you sometime last week." said Bilbo's voice which was resonating from somewhere in the vast estate. "Not that it matters. You come and go as you please. Always have done, always will. You've caught me a bit unprepared, I'm afraid. We've only got cold chicken, bit of pickle, some cheese here. Oh no, that might be a little risky."

Jasmine smiled as she listened to Bilbo's light rambling. So much Iroh. She suddenly stopped in front of a large red book that sat on an aged desk, surrounded by smaller books, maps, and other miscellaneous papers. Jasmine ran her hand over the thick binding, relishing its feel. Curiosity getting the best of her, she hooked her fingers under the front cover, and slowly began to pull it back.

"Jazz, where are...?" Zuko suddenly appeared around the corner. Jasmine quickly shut the book, turning her back to it. Zuko stared at her for a moment, questioning the wide smile on her face that usually signalled that she had just done something that she was not supposed to do.

"What were you just doing?" he asked.

"Nothing." said Jasmine, shaking her head.

"We've got some raspberry jam and apple tart...got some custard somewhere." echoed Bilbo's voice once again.

"Um, we better go find Gandalf." said Jasmine, hurrying past Zuko.

"Wait a second, were you just looking through this old man's things? That is so rude." Zuko nudged Jasmine slightly in the shoulder, signaling that he was joking. Jasmine smirked in his direction.

"Oh please, like you weren't thinking the same thing."

Somehow, Zuko and Jasmine found themselves in what they suspected to be the main kitchen of Bag End. Bilbo was bent over a cupboard, moving these around, and tossing things out.

"Not much for Afters, I'm afraid. Oh, I've just found some sponge cake! Nice little snack. Hope it's enough." Bilbo straightened himself up - at least as much as he could at his height - and turned around to face his guests. "I could do you some eggs if you like?"

"Just tea, thank you." said his three visitors at the same time, Gandalf appearing out of nowhere. Bilbo jumped slightly, but then calmed when he became caught up in preparing tea. Jasmine, Zuko, and Gandalf tried their best to squeeze into the large, by Hobbit standards, table that sat in the center of the kitchen.

"So, you two," said Bilbo as he sat down a large pot of tea and three cups on the table. "Tell me about yourselves. I mean, it is not very often that travelers find themselves lost on the East Road. They are either coming or going, I'm afraid. Mostly going, these days."

Zuko took a sip of his tea, and then tried not to gag. He never realized how good his Uncle's tea was until he tried someone else's.

"Well, " *gag* " Mr. Baggins,"

"Oh, please, call me Bilbo." Zuko glanced at Jasmine.

"Alright...Bilbo. We aren't exactly from around here. Wherever here is. Apparently we were the victim of a...?" He motioned towards Gandalf, asking him for the correct term.

"Rabbit-hole." he responded. Zuko threw his hand up in a sarcastic display of sudden realization.

"Ah, yes. A rabbit-hole. In the meantime, I am still trying to convince myself that this is all just a really bad dream, left over from a really bad night."

"What he means to say," Jasmine interrupted before Zuko displayed even more of his brilliant sarcasm. "What he means to say is that we aren't exactly sure how we got here, or where we are exactly. We're from a place called the Fire Nation in a world that exists in a whole different realm, apparently, if I am understanding what Gandalf said to me earlier, and had an issue with some kind of portal."

Bilbo simply stared at the children for a moment, slowly stirring a small spoon around in his cup of tea.

"I understand if this is way too much to take in right now - we still aren't quite in the clear about everything..."

"Oh no, dear, it's not that at all. In fact, I had my own run-in with a rabbit-hole once. Ended up in a place called Oz. Terrible place, they actually mistook me for a Munchkin. Munchkin? I have never been more insulted."

There was suddenly a loud knock at the door, and Bilbo forced himself flush against the wall, almost as if he wanted to melt into it. Zuko and Jasmine immediately set their senses into fighting mode. A few months of running and hiding did that to a person.

"Bilbo Baggins, you open this door! I know you're in there!" shouted a gruff sounding voice from outside that could have possibly been a woman.

"I'm not here." whispered Bilbo. Jasmine tried to stifle a giggle. Finally, the knocking ceased, and the group assumed that the unwelcome visitor had passed on.

"I've got to get away from these confounded relatives, hanging on the bell all day, not giving me a moment's peace. I want to see mountains again, Gandalf - mountains! And then find somewhere quiet where I can finish my book."

"You mean to go on with your plan, then?" asked Gandalf who had once again pulled his pipe out of some fold in his sleeve.

"I do. I made up my mind months ago, and I haven't changed it." Gandalf sighed, betraying whether he was truly pleased with the whole situation or not.

"Very well. It is no good to say anymore. Stick to your plan - your whole plan, mind - and I hope it will turn out for the best, for you, and for all of us."

Suddenly, the sound of the front door opening reached the ears of the fellowshiping company, and not soon after, another Hobbit appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

Jasmine would later remark that she thought he was rather handsome. He was an average height for a Hobbit, yet a few inches - maybe centimeters - taller than Bilbo. He had thick, dark, curly hair, and startling blue eyes filled with wisdom beyond his years. The wonder of youth shone about his features, but there were still slight hints that he had been thinking too much for his own good.

He stopped directly in front of Gandalf, and crossed his arms as if he was very disappointed.

"You're late." he said with a tone similar to that of a mother chastising her child. Gandalf looked up from his pipe, a cloud of smoke dispersing about his head.

"A Wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisley when he means to."

They both stared at each other for a moment, creating a very odd scene for Jasmine and Zuko who could only see a tall, mysteriously intimidating man, and a Hobbit having a staring contest. Finally, the tension broke when they both broke into laughter, and Frodo proceeded to embrace Gandalf.

"It's wonderful to see you, Gandalf!"

"You didn't think I'd miss your uncle Bilbo's birthday party, did you?"

"Frodo has been obsessing almost as much as I have." remarked Bilbo. "A great help he has been to me. Without him, I have no idea how I would have organized the seating arrangements. I seem destined to sit the Proudfoots with the Hornblowers, who haven't been on exactly friendly terms ever since that situation at the wedding. It would have been all out war if Frodo wasn't there to help me."

"Well, it is my birthday party, as well, in a sense. I would rather not see anyone dumped into a barrel of Brandy at my own birthday party." It was just then that Frodo noticed the two young visitors sitting at his kitchen table.

"Oh. Hello. I'm sorry, I didn't know we had visitors."

"Frodo, this is...um. I'm sorry I don't believe I ever did catch your names." said Bilbo, motioning towards Zuko and Jasmine.

"I'm Zuko, and she's Jasmine." answered Zuko, who seemed a bit more pleasant in Frodo's presence. The boy just radiated calm.

"Ah, yes. Zuko and Jasmine! They are friends of Gandalf, and will be our guests for a while. It seems they have wandered off the beaten path. I believe we have some Man-sized rooms made up. Come, follow me, and I can show you to where you'll be staying before I forget."

Zuko and Jasmine left Gandalf and Frodo along, and proceeded to follow Bilbo down a long procession of winding hallways before they reached an end. Bilbo pulled a large key chain, weighed down with near forty keys, out of his pocket, and fiddled around with it for a moment before coming to the right key.

"Right, here we are!" He unlocked the large door, revealing a room with ceilings just high enough for Zuko to stand up straight, and twin beds that they could actually fit in. There was a small chest at the foot of each bed, and a small table in between the beds with an unlit lantern, and a few leaflets of parchment, with a matching feather pen.

"Not very kingly, I'm afraid, and a bit dusty. We don't have very many visitors who require a room of this specificasion at Bag End." commented Bilbo while he wiped his finger over a section of molding on the wall, revealing a thin veil of dust.

"Oh no, it's fine, trust me." said Jasmine. "We've had far worse lodgings."

"Thank you very much for your hospitality, Mr. Baggins. We do not know how we can ever repay you." said Zuko with a slight bow. Bilbo shrugged his shoulders in a way very characteristic of old men who had seen it all and still wore a smile on their face.

"Oh please, my boy, there's no need. Any friend of Gandalf's is a friend of mine. And please, call me Bilbo. Now, I'll leave you two to get settled. Dinner will be served within the hour." Bilbo gave one last nod of welcome, before closing the door behind him.

Jasmine chose one of the beds, and fell back on it, relishing the feel of the soft mattress.

"It has been so long since I've actually slept on a mattress. I think I might just skip dinner, and sleep for the evening."

"We've got bigger concerns, Jazz." said Zuko as he sat on the edge of the opposite bed. "First off, now that we're here, how are we going to get back? Fall into another random fox hole, or whatever the bloody thing's called?" Jasmine sat up, and sat opposite Zuko.

"Honestly? I don't think we are going back anytime soon. I mean, we have seen far too much - been through far too much - to chalk this all up to coincidence. I believe we have some kind of a purpose here. I can feel it."

"But we have a purpose back home. The longer we stay here, the more time the Avatar is going to have on us. He may have even left Ba Sing Se by now!"

"Zuko, we have to keep our minds open here. Besides, the time may travel differently here than it does in our world. Like when Iroh was telling us about when he traveled to the Spirit World; he said he was there for weeks, but when he came back, only a few hours had passed. Let's just go with this, for once."

Zuko looked up at Jasmine, staring into her dark brown eyes, and he found faith in them. Not faith in the Fire Nation, or Gandalf, or even Mr. Baggins in his grandeur, but in him. He would walk into the fire for that faith.

"Fine. Alright. I'll try to just...go with it. But, we'll need to ask Gandalf about a way home eventually."

"Oh, of course. I just hope Iroh's alright. He's probably so worried about us." Zuko snorted, and ran his hand over his hair.

"Knowing him, he's probably one who opened the mouse hole in the first place."

"Rabbit-hole, Zuko. It is called a rabbit-hole."

There you go, the end of chapter one, and it was a long one. As you can probably tell, I picked and chose some of the lines from the LOTR books and movies that I wanted to use, and kind of meshed them together. I hope no one minds. So, please, please, please review, and thank you for reading!