Authors Notes : Don't ask, don't tell.

Chapter 27

The tiara was gorgeous in the morning sun, and Kat couldn't help but marvel at it. Delicate silver flourishes, arches, and wherever two of the arches met a small clear jewel was placed, it was small, but intricate, and beautiful.

" What on earth?" Kat said in wonder while picking the tiara up gently. " Where did you come from?" She asked in wonder, as if expecting it to answer her.

Kat got up slowly, brushing the grass and dirt off of her elven tunic. " I really have to get a new one of these" she said to herself, " perhaps I can make one. . ." Kat's mind was instantly taken away with thoughts of how she could make a more practical outfit for herself. She idly played with the tiara in her hands while she pondered.

The setting was perfect for soul searching, or outfit searching, absent mindedness in general for that matter. It wasn't actually a clearing she had found, more like a small gap in between two large tree's and a boulder, due to the width of the two tree's it created an area just big enough for her to lay out in. The view from the top of the boulder was what kept her in place.

The sun was clearly visible in the sky, and the green treetops were a sight to be seen, but it was the color of the sky that Kat was most amazed by. In the early hours of the morning, with the dew still wet in the grass, Kat couldn't help but stare at the purple, pink, and blue in the sky, they mingled together, almost making as new color. Inhaling the fresh morning air she felt rejuvenated, ready to deal with anything, who needed guys anyway?

Kat hopped off her rock with a renewed purpose, she knew what she had to do.

Back to the Group

Jem was pacing, hyperventilating, basically flipping out, in the nice sense of the word. " She's a drama queen, she has to do this to me, she's out to get me, WHY ME!"

" Calm down, you know what they say about stress." Gimli remarked, watching the girl pace was making him a tad sick. Gimli had been absent the pat few chapters, where had he been? Like the author, his wherabouts the last few days/months may never be known.

" Where have you been recently?" Jem asked, taking her mind off Kat for the moment.

" Wouldn't you like to know. . ." Gimli did an evil little dwarf laugh and disappeared into the shadows.

" Sometimes he scares me." Legolas commented with a small shiver.

" Miss me?" Kat asked, coming out from the trees.

The group looked on in shock.

What. Had. She. Done.

" What have you done!" Jem asked, shocked beyond words, though obviously not literally.

"Like it?" Kat twirled for the group. " I made it from the elements, and my old elven clothes." Kat was wearing a very unique outfit indeed. Where the needle, thread. and extra fabric came from, who knows, the point is, she made it all by her lonesome. It is truly amazing the things you can do when you convince yourself you're amazering ( yes, amazering) .

Kat was wearing mostly green, brown, but there was some gold as well. Kat's pants were loose enough to jump, and move quickly, yet tight enough that you could see her figure, a long, fringed dress seemed to be over the pants, going down to mid thigh. It was cut jaggedly and was longer on one side than on the other, it was short sleeved, and dress like, it was also a mixture of colors, light and dark green, a lighter brown than the pants, and specks of gold in places. There was a longer sleeved shirt underneath the dress, lighter green and brown, with hints of red in places. When Kat twirled the gold specks sparkled in the sun, and the fringe of the dress twirled outwards.

" Its. . . different" Aragorn said, after a long pause.

" I want one!" Jem said eagerly. " How'd you make it?" Jem was entranced by the golden sparkles. . .so many sparkles. . .

" Its my own unique clothing line, I call it Kat Wear. Why? Because it's cool to have your name in the label, and simply " Kat" seems cliched." Kat was now swishing the material back and forth, hypnotizing poor Jem.

" I want one, I want one, I want one. . . " Jem was now completely bewitched.

" Where have you been?" Legolas asked, finally regaining his senses.

" Out, about, in the woods, being one with nature, getting down with my bad self." Kat smiled.

" You had us all worried sick, especially Jem!" Legolas motioned to Jem, who was still staring at the dress.

" Yeees. . .woorriied I was. . . " Jem mumbled.

" Why are you talking like Yoda?" Kat asked, suddenly becoming worried by her friends behavior.

" Wha? Oh, sorry, i'm fine, hehe, can you make me one of those outfits?" Jem was now coherant, and able to follow the conversation.

" Sure, gimme a few hours, and your current clothing, and i'll whip you up a dream" Kat was beaming with her own abilities.

" What do I do while I don't have the clothes?" Jem asked, aghast.

" Well, I doubt dancing in the clearing is the answer you're looking for. . ." Kat began to laugh at the look on her friends face.

" KAT! Be serious!" Jem's face was turning beet red.

" I am being serious! Ok I vote, you stay in a private area, and be vewy vewy cautious." Kat began to walk to Legolas.

" As for you, we have some talking to do." The self confidence that was somehow radiating off of her was astoundingly different from her behavior the past few weeks.

"All right, i'm at your service" He followed her into the woods, and Jem was left standing there attempting to thik of a very private area she could stay for a few hours.

" Did you just see that?" Aragorn asked Jem.

" See what?" Jem was still lost in thought.

" That whole scene. . . it was very unlike Kat." Aragorn was befuddled.

" Clothes change everything" Jem explained, thinking of her new outfit, soon to come.

In The Woods

" What exactly is this about?" Kat asked, producing the tiara from behind her back.

" Kat, I love you. I want you to know how deeply I care about you, I want you to keep the tiara, my father wanted me to give it to Adrianna, but I never even considered it. I am sorry, impossibly sorry for not believing you about Adrianna, but I had known her so long, thought her incapable of the wrong you were accusing her of, I shouldn't have doubted you, or at least been more willing to listen. The fault is mine, and i'm willing to spend as long as you want begging for your forgiveness, just please tell me I have a chance of at least becoming your friend once more." Legolas inhaled deeply, he had long planned this apology, and waited with bated breath for her reply.

Kat was too astounded for words, it was the sweetest thing she had ever been told, and while most of his speech was still ringing in her ears, the part that kept repeating was ' I love you' . No one had ever told her that before, other than family, and never L-O-V-E, when people told her that, it was always " I luv you" never " love" , luv is the love you feel for friends and family, but LOVE, love is something entirely different. Kat had never been LOVEd, it was amazing, shocking, she was flying! But wait- she's supposed to be MAD at him. Oh HOW to stay mad once he's said that!

" Well?" Legolas was anxious, he couldn't say that huge speech, only to have her stay mute.

" Ummmm" Kat was rendered speechless, she couldn't figure out how to pretend she was mad, when she was far from it. " I begrudgingly accept your apology. . . but you have to make it up to me." Kat figured that should work nicely.

" Anything, ANYTHING, just say what you desire" Legolas was happy beyond reason, she forgave him, thank the stars, she forgave him.

" I'll think of something, but for now, lets just say we are fine." Kat was happy, it worked, out, no drama, no tears, just. . . fine! Something HAD to be wrong, nothing was ever fine. . .

Back in the Clearing

" I think they're gonna be ok" Jem said, lounging on her new favorite rock.

" Nothing can tear those two apart, its in the stars" Aragorn was smoking his pipe, he had the sinking feeling he was forgetting something.

" Is there something we should be doing? I feel like I should be doing something. " Jem sat up, rather anxiously.

" Yes, I feel it as well." Aragorn began to pace, desperately trying to remember.

" Feed the dog. . . wait. . .no. . ." Jem was thinking out loud, and seriously confusing Aragorn.

" Oh dear god"