Remember How I Love You (Sequel to 'Through Fire and Water')

Night Time

Legolas' P.O.V.

Oddly, it takes me no time at all to fall asleep. I had expected to do what I have done every night since my fight with Ana, every night since she...

What I mean is I had expected to be lying awake tonight and finding it impossible to turn my brain off, tossing and turning deep into the night until I am eventually overcome by sheer exhaustion, whether it be physical exhaustion or, more likely, emotional. However tonight all I had to do was lie down in bed and I was asleep within minutes. That should have been a sweet blessing, the numb of unconsciousness briefly removing the pains I feel, the constant fears and doubts which are eating away at me.

Instead of a blessed state of oblivion I only find myself thrown even further into my mind, dreaming.

I don't dream for long, not long enough for a complex dream anyway, but it's long enough as far as I'm concerned. I jolt awake, a scream conjured by my own imagination still ringing in my ears. The dream, so vivid only seconds ago, is already fading and I hardly even remember what woke me.

The fire has burnt down to nothing more than a pile of glowing embers and so the room is in almost complete darkness. I lie in bed, staring up at the darkness above me, unable to make out if the dark mass I see is the ceiling or just a lack of light. Time ticks by, a few seconds slowly slipping away when it feels like it should have been minutes. The darkness refuses to recede, day stubbornly insists it's not coming yet. Outside I can here rain.

Eventually, although I probably shouldn't use that word as it has probably been less than 10 minutes, I give up on lying here and drag myself out of bed. I swing out of bed and walk across the room, half-heartedly chucking a log onto the fire as I pass which sends up a shower of sparks. Running a hand through my hair I find it knotted and horrible so I grab my hairbrush from the dresser and drag it through the tangles. It's a mundane activity but right now it brings memories rushing back.

Flashback to a little after the ring was destroyed, during Ana's recovery.

Legolas' P.O.V.

"Lovely" I say to Ana, referring to the way she looks in the pale blue dress she just put on, however the single word does not even begin to descried how I think she looks. Seeing Ana wear normal clothes again after so long of her curled up in hospital gowns brings it crashing down on me just how beautiful she is. Ana moves over to the dressing table, still rather unsure on her feet, and picks up her hairbrush. "Your hair doesn't need brushing, you look lovely as you are" I say, getting up and walking over to her.

"My hair always needs brushing" She replies, dragging the hair brush through her hair. The sound the brush makes as it is forced through the knots hurts me to listen to and so I speak up.

"Don't do it like that" I say "treat it gently. Here, let me show you"

I take the hairbrush from Ana's hand and gently take a lock of her hair, carefully teasing the brush through it.

"When did you become such an expert at hair?" she asks, obviously surprised.

I smile "Have you seen my hair?" I ask in a light-hearted tone "It takes more than just pure willpower to keep it this well managed"

"But we've known each other for months and I haven't once seen you brush your hair"

I gather my courage, take a deep breath and prepare to reveal something which will almost certainly get me teased. "I'm a warrior, and more fundamentally I'm a guy who was attracted to a girl and was trying to impress her, I didn't think it would help my image for you to see me brushing my hair"