Hello all! First off please rate and review! Secondly, I do not own Fili or Middle-Earth sadly. Thirdly, hope you enjoy!:)

"Sirena!" A light voice called out in stark contrast to the relative calm that was before.

The girl in question turned sharply having jolted slightly in alarm. She watched on with an amused yet tired smirk as a blonde girl came running toward her, the girl's hand waving madly in the air. Stopping short the blonde girl placed both hands to her knees, bracing herself as she breathed deeply attempting to regain the breathe she had lost. "Hello Lily, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh shove it." Lily said playfully, her green eyes dancing with humor. Straightening Lily fixed her clothes, patting away the nonexistent stray hairs. "I've been calling you."

"Have you?" Sirena asked a brow raised delicately.

"Yes! In fact I have been calling you for the past 10 minutes. But noooo, you just didn't want to hear me and I had to run to catch up. Do you realize how idiotic I looked?" Lily asked dramatically.

"No more than normal I suppose." Sirena muttered to herself good-naturedly knowing that Lily would hear her. With a nod of her head Sirena turned from her friend continuing to walk. The library was crowded, well no more than usual on a Friday night, as most students were preparing to go out, shoving aside homework until Sunday night.

"Are you alright?" Lily inquired, flicking her white blonde hair over her shoulder with huff. The girl followed after her friend confidently, glaring down any student who dared to look at her even mildly annoyed.

"Of course." Sirena said in a clipped tone. Sighing wearily she pushed open the heavy door letting the warmth of the night air hit her face. She straightened her school bag over her shoulders looking out into the dark of the night comfortably. Ignoring Lily's quizzical look, she headed down the stairs following the light from the post lining the walkways of the small college campus as she made her way back.

"Sure sure, then why didn't you wait for me?" Lily asked pouting as she followed beside Sirena looking out every now and then into the darkness warily.

"Sorry." Sirena stated not sounding sorry in the least. "I didn't hear you." She added attempting to sound less annoyed as she followed the path up a slight hill.

"Didn't hear-didn't hear me?!" Lily asked incredulously, her voice reaching a higher octave than natural. "We were in a library! Which might I remind you, you dragged me to. How did you not hear me!? I was sitting across from you!"

"I was spacing out Lily, calm down." Sirena laughed out passing through the residential area that bordered the college.

"You seem to be doing that a lot lately." Lily muttered under her breathe as she crossed her arms over her chest in a pout.

"What was that?" Sirena asked curiously, looking sideways to her friend.

"Nothing." Lily muttered mutely.

Sighing Sirena placated. "I'm very sorry dearest Lilian." Holding up her ID over the scanner, Sirena pulled open the door to their apartment building.

"Don't call me that." Lily replied annoyed, dropping her arms. "You know I hate my full name."

Smiling, Sirena chuckled walking over to an elevator, pushing the up arrow, waiting for the elevator to arrive. "Sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, now tell me the truth." Lily persisted causing her friend to groan out in open annoyance.

"Lily." Sirena pleaded.

"No Sirena. We are roommates, I can hear you toss and turn at night, you won't get out of this one. Now tell me." Lily demanded looking over her friend, well down. Sirena much to Lily's amusement was incredibly small in stature, her height only reaching around five foot. If that did not make many a male wish to run to her rescue then her princess like qualities- as her friends liked to say- would. She had long black hair that fell in gentle waves down her back, paired with her heart shaped face, button nose, and delicate brows and lips the girl to Lily was a walking princess straight from a fairy tale. She was, what Lily believed, the perfect damsel in distress of fairytale stories. Smiling Lily tiled her head at her small friend watching as her dark black hair glimmered in the florescent light, giving off a blue-ish tint, yes she was a magical princess from a far off land reasoned Lily.

Sirena ran a hand through her thick hair, giving it a more tousled wind-blown effect than it already had. "I'm fine Lily, honestly." Sirena watched as the smooth silver of the elevator doors opened slowly to make way for the very hospital like feel of the elevator itself. Stepping inside she pushed the 10 button watching it light up for a moment before the metal doors clicked smoothly, the feeling of being lifted reaching the pit of her stomach. "It's just that time of the year. Happens every year."

"You mean your birthday. Which might I remind you dearest Sirena should be celebrated?" Lily reasoned grabbing her smaller friend's shoulders asking the girl slightly, hoping to knock some sense into the girl. For all the years that Lily had known Sirena she never was able to fully wrap her mind around Sirena's refusal to enjoy her birthday.

This discussion was nothing new to Sirena, she could see the telltale look of an oncoming argument in Lily's eyes. Sighing she placed a delicate hand over her friends, pushing them away from her arms. "My birthday, the anniversary of my mother's death." Sirena trailed off casually, already turning away from her best friend.

"She loved you! Sirena I do not understand this, she gave you the ultimate sacrifice, a life for a life." Lily pleaded already seeing the blood rush to her friend's pale face, tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Of course, Lily wished to push farther too finally make Sirena see her reasoning but upsetting her friend so close to her birthday was not something she wished either.

"Please Lily, we have had this discussion one too many times. I understand what you are trying to say, truly I do. But you do not see it from my point, it is my fault that my father could not grow old with my mother. My fault that she was never able to give him any more children. Dying while giving birth isn't something that I can just get over." Sirena said smoothly, almost leaping from the elevator once it reached their floor. She could feel Lily's frustration behind her but paid it little mind, instead she focused on making her way to their apartment, quickly fishing out her keys. The girls were in their junior year of College and had rented a two person apartment together for the year, many of their other friends lived somewhere else in the same building. Lily was a pre-optometry major and was not looking forward to the task of applying for grad school. Sirena on the other hand was a triple major in history, sociology, and business. She likewise was not looking forward to the process of applying for Law school but it was another step to becoming a voice for others.

"I know, I'm sorry Sirena." Lily said closing the door behind them gently, looking over as her friend's stiff shoulders relaxed ever so slightly. "So I suppose you don't want to go out tonight?"

Sirena ignored the hopeful tone in Lily's voice, she was a lost cause for parties. She only went out for special occasions and the basement of someone's house was not one. "No." Walking over to the kitchen she filled a glass with water taking a slow sip from it before turning back to her friend. "Look I've been at the library for the past four hours, and it's already midnight so I think I'm just going to turn in."

Lily nodded her head sadly and watched as her friend dumped the rest of the water into the sink leaving the glass in its shiny depths before heading toward the bathroom. Sighing the blonde leaned back against the table crossing her long legs in front of her as she heard the shower turn on. She knew something else was bothering her childhood friend but would let it drop for her sake.

Sirena had not outright lied to her friend, she always got nightmares around this time of year. Though, Sirena conceded, they were not like this. And of course, Sirena had to admit that she wasn't entirely sure if she could consider her resent dreams nightmares, in fact they were somewhat of a relief from her normal nightmares. After all there was only a bit of fear in tripping through the wilderness, true it usually happened at night and scared her somewhat but as of yet nothing had happened to her in these dreams. Turning off the water, Sirena walked over to the mirror studying her reflection. Her normally pale skin seemed ashen white, clammy and unhealthy from stress and lack of sleep. Her cheeks were slightly hallowed and dark bags hung heavily under her opal eyes.

"Sirena?" Lily called through the door, knocking as she did so.

"Yeah, sorry I'm all done." Sirena replied opening the door, letting the steep seep out. She met Lily's worried eyes unabashedly.

"You sure you don't want to go out? The lacrosse guys are having a party, and you know them, it'll be good." Lily offered lightly.

"No thanks." Sirena said shaking her damp hair. "You should go though, if it's a lacrosse party Kyle will probably be there."

Lily sniffed slightly at her friends smirk. "He's a soccer guy." She reminded Sirena looking away, a red blush painting her tanned face.

"Yeah, but he rooms with a lacrosse guy so he'll be there." Sirena urged making her way around her friend, a hand above her head waving her off. "Go, have fun. Wear that new outfit you just got."

"The green one?" Lily yelled over her shoulder entering the bathroom, pulling out her make up from the drawers.

"Yep! Oh, and that black skirt would go well with it." Sirena stated opening the door to her room silently.

"But, it's leather!" Lily complained. "And it'll be hot in the basement."

Shrugging Sirena turned toward her friend leaning on the doorway. "Ah, then it's up to you. But if you do wear that skirt he won't be able to keep his eyes off of you."

"It's not his eyes I want on me." Lily mumbled making Sirena roll her eyes and turn into her room closing the door behind her.

Walking over to her mahogany dresser, Sirena toweled her hair attempting to dry it but was much too tired to do any more than leave it slightly damp. She pulled out a long green nightdress from one of the drawers, one her friends had bought her for Christmas. It was made from a sheer lace that hugged all her curves, and had a large slit up to her hip. Small straps hooked over her shoulders, plunging down into the back giving showing most of her skin, much the same in the front giving ample view of her cleavage. She had been dating a guy for nearly five months and this was her friend's hint that she should hurry and sleep with him. Sirena had accepted the gift but refused the advice saying that something was off about the guy. She was right of course, when she found him having sex with another girl only a few nights later. She should have been crushed and hurt, but she didn't really care, though they had spent five months together she didn't feel a connection with him. Her friends couldn't have cared less about her indifference, they had raged on him for months after that, making his life a living hell. Sirena lied in her bed exhausted, closing her eyes and letting the dark of dreams come to her.

…

Opening her eyes warily, Sirena once again found herself in a forest. Letting out a deep breathe, she startled to see that her breathe made an appearance in the night, her body gave a quick jolt. Startled Sirena looked around the forest noting the ground and trees were covered with a thick blanket of snow, more falling in thick flakes from the sky. Cursing she reached up a shaking hand toward her head, finding that the once damp hair was quickly freezing in place. She looked down at her feet noticing that they were pained slightly, and bright red.

"Great! Just great! I'm in a forest, and it's snowing, in October!" Sirena yelled out into the night, she barely heard herself over the howling wind. She whipped her head around in all directions her eyes desperately searching for any source of light which would hopefully promise warmth or at least shelter. Marching through the snow, she walked blindly hoping and praying desperately to find help as her body was slowly slipping into a cold sense of numbness. She knew she was dreaming and she desperately hoped that meant her body was fine.

A small glint caught her eyes, with her arms wrapped tightly around her body, she made her way through the snow toward it. It was small but she hoped desperately that it was close for she wasn't sure how much her body could take. She walked for what felt like hours though in al realism it was most likely minutes, and watched as the small glimmer became larger and larger.

A small barn sat amongst the pillowing snow, the light having shined through some of the cracks in the wood. It was too dark for her to tell how large it was or how sound but she cared little. Even if it did look forbiddingly abandoned she surged on ahead, pushing the old doors open. She quickly shuffled in, closing the doors behind her roughly a resounding bang echoing through the small barn. Only once inside the shelter, running her hands over her arms, did she look around to check for any obvious danger. Her teeth chattered loudly, though not loud enough for her not to hear the quick sound of movement.

"Hello!" Sirena called out into the damp barn, the wind howling outside. She felt uneasy in the building, ominous shadows being cast out, giving it a much less welcoming feel than before. "Is anyone here?" Stepping farther into the barn she peered around curiously, her ears eager to hear something over the beat of her erratic heart. "Please, I don't mean any harm, I'm just trying to take some refuge from the storm outside." Stepping farther and farther into the barn, Sirena looked about curiously.

"Don't move." A voice commanded from the shadows. Sirena obeyed immediately, the hairs on the back of her neck standing in fear. She resisted the urge to turn toward the voice in fear, though she did not the low rumble the voice held. Male definitely. "Do you have any weapons on you?"

Snorting Sirena resisted the roll of her eyes, she knew was to come. She turned toward the voice, brow raised hoping he would see. His voice was low, it rumbled in her own chest, but more than that it held a somewhat honeyed tone, if she could she would describe it as a smooth gravel. "Does it look like I have any weapons on me?"

For a moment there was silence and Sirena bit her lip in worry, perhaps she had pushed her luck with the male. "I suppose not." He finally replied a chuckle filling the air. He continued to gaze at her from the shadows to discern if she was truly no harm. She had long dark hair that at the moment was slowly melting, wetting her skin and clothes, if one could call that clothes, even more than they were already. Though she hadn't placed quiet where he was hidden she had turned enough so that he could see her profile. Her back was almost completely bared, the dress she wore swooping low at the bend of her back. Likewise ample cleavage was showing, as was much of one her legs. The dress she wore had no sleeves, and from the thigh down was completely see through. Tilting his head his eyes traveled up the curve of her neck to her face and with it her eyes. Which startled him, as they looked like the blue/green opals sold around his town.

Sirena whipped to the side when she heard hesitant footsteps making their way from the shadows. What startled her the most of the man in front of her was the fact that he was not much taller than her. The second thing she noticed, other than his very muscular figure, was the strange clothing he wore. To her he looked as if he had just come from one of renaissance fairs her friends had taken her to. He wore a long blue shirt that reached mid-thigh, with thick brown pants. Bulky boot reached high on his legs, probably resting somewhere below his knees she assumed. Over his shirt he wore a jacket type thing over it, it was brown and reached down past his shirt though it was open and Sirena could see that it was fur lined. A thick belt reached around his tors, weird marks carved into it. Over all of that he had on what looked like a cloak, that people in old movies wore. Sirena eye's travelled slowly up over the man before finally resting on clear blue eyes that looked back at her both amused and kind. Blushing she looked away almost frowning when she noted that his golden blonde hair, dark with water, was long brushing his shoulders, and pulled back into an intricacy using braids and beads. A light scruff covered his face. He looked young she supposed, but the sword in his hand made her step back warily.

The man chuckled very aware of Sirena's scrutiny and fear of him, and he refrained from squirming under her gaze. He stepped forward slowly noting how she stepped back as he did. Bowing low at the hip he spoke.

"Fili, at your service."