follow your heartlines , FRODO

Lena chuckled as she entered the potions store. She was chuckling because she knew that Patricia - who she was playing hide and seek with - would never think about looking for her there. After all, it was a very well known fact Lena hated potions because it annoyed her, and she would always try her best to stay away from it.

Hiding behind a pile of supplies, Lena shut her eyes, hoping that Patricia wouldn't come along soon. She did not expect anyone to call out her name, though.

Frodo didn't even know what he was doing in the Potions store. Then he realized that he had been wandering around aimlessly for the past two hours and ended up here. He shoved his hands into his pockets and sighed sadly as he entered the shop. Ever since he came to know about Kait, he felt like a part of him was dead. At this point, he could only hope that she was alive and fine.

He was about to pass the aisle of supplies when suddenly he spotted an all too familiar blond head. "Lena?" He called out. "Is that you?"

Lena pressed a finger to her lips. "Frodo!" she whispered loudly, though one can hear the siren tones she was desperately trying to mask. "For heaven's sake, I'm playing hide and seek! Shush!" She then beckoned Frodo to come over and talk to her at a quieter volume so that it is harder for Patricia to find her, and so no one would alarm her. Plus, she wanted to talk to him about a few... private things.

"How has your summer been so far?" she loudly whispered, constantly glancing over her shoulder just in case someone was after her or something like that.

Frodo smiled softly at the Uchitel's behaviour and went over to her hiding spot. "I'm sorry, I didn't know. I promise not to make noise," he murmured as he sat down next to her. "So, who are you playing hide and seek with?" He asked with a raise of his eyebrow.

"My summer's been okay, I guess. Didn't go home, though." He shrugged and hugged Le tight, as though she the only comfort now. He remembered that he hadn't told Le about his mother's death but didn't feel like bringing it up. If she asked anything, he was willing to answer. "How's your summer been?"

Lena beamed when Frodo asked her about who she was hiding from. "Patricia Alexis Vorstenbach!" she gleamed, "she's my new sister-in-law. She just graduated Hogwarts. She was a Gryffindor." She had to stop there or else she would start talking on and on about her; she was one of her biggest heroes.

Lena received Frodo's hug gratefully and she tightly hugged him back. She missed these hugs. "Why ever not?" she whispered, "did something bad happen?" She sighed, thinking back on her own summer. She had been plagued with constant nightmares about him dying and her dying and... Leon. "IkilledsomeoneandIfeelreallyguilty,"she muttered, quickly saying it all so it all slurred onto one big word. "ChuckhasbeenowlingmeandIthinkwe'refriendsagain - bigshockIknow - andheknows, but I'm scared."

Frodo grinned as he watched Le talk about her sister-in-law. He kissed the top of her head and replied, "Well, congrats to your brother and congrats to you for getting a wonderful new family member. How old is your brother?" He asked. He got the feeling that she wanted to talk more and honestly, he wouldn't have minded it.

He rubbed the back of his neck, a sign of nervousness, and sighed deeply before responding. "Yes, something did happen and I'm just not ready to face it. I told my sister not to go back home as well, so she's staying at Hogwarts." He knew that if either went home for the holidays, it would be horrible because of their father. As Le finisher her rant, he stared at her in shock. He was used to Kait talking like this when she was hyper, so he was able to decipher the words. "You k-killed s-someone?" He stuttered and ran his hands through his hair. He became more shocked by the next sentence. "You mean, you're friends with the guy who broke up you and Rhys?" He asked, feeling slight anger at the fact. He shook his head and muttered, "Oh God Le..." Pulling her closer to him, he hugged her once more.

"Alex and Patty are nineteen, I think," beamed Lena, unsure exactly how old they are. They might as well be four hundred and three and she would not know it. Age didn't matter when it came to love, anyway. She held Frodo tighter, desperate for some stability in her mind for just a few moments. It was no secret she thought he was the definition of 'mentally stable'.

"Where are you staying?" Lena asked out of concern, her eyes looking up at his, blinking like there's no tomorrow. "If you and your sister need a place to stay, then you can stay at Patty's place. She won't mind. Plus, Anya's there too, so you can get some sanity while Pat, Alex and I throw rocks at each other." She chuckled, thinking of what would happen if Frodo got hit by one of their rocks. Ouch. "Yeah. I killed someone who tried to kill me when I was seven. Fair trade, don't you think?" gleamed the blonde Uchitel, her eyes sparkling with excitement. Her glimmer faded when Frodo mentioned his name. "Don't you dare mention his name, okay?" she sighed, a tear rolling onto her cheek, "you know I still love him like he's my everything. The thing is, he's my world, like it or not." She clutched her father figure tighter, desperate. "Yes. Charles and I are friends. Partly because of a bet to see if he can get the girl he fancies by the end of third year," muttered the blonde, playing aimlessly with Frodo's shirt.

"Well, at least you know the estimate number," Frodo teased. He hugged Le just as tight and rubbed her back reassuringly. He loved the Uchitel with all his heart and he hated to see her like this. She would always be his little sister and he felt worse knowing he wasn't being much of a help.

"I'm staying at the school itself for the time being. But thanks for the offer because I just might take it after while," he replied with a chuckle. "Throw rocks at each other, huh? Sounds like fun," he commented with a playful sarcasm. "And at this point, I pity Anya." He shook his head, feeling more and more shocked at the situation. "Why on earth did he try to kill you?!" He exclaimed in anger, trying not to make too much noise. He couldn't imagine the thought of Le getting killed and he subconsciously held her hand tight. His expression softened and he wiped away her tear. "I'm sorry, won't happen again," he murmured. "Of course I know that, I wouldn't expect any less." He breathed in deeply before replying, "Well, as long as he doesn't hurt you again, I guess it's okay. But this is his last chance."

Lena chuckled. "Well... I suppose that's good, but I know Alex is older than Pat by a little bit," she added, holding her brother righter. She knew he was trying a little too hard to look happy, and out of first-hand experience the blonde knew he wasn't at all. But if he wanted to say nothing about it, well, she wouldn't push.

"You have to take me up on the offer; the house would be so much livelier with you - and your sister - around!" she yelled, waving her arms around like a madwoman to emphasize her point. Or at least, it was an attempt to. She shrugged her shoulders. "We all have pretty good aim, so you better watch out!" she chuckled, winking playfully. Her facial expression quickly turned into one of pain. "How dare you pity Anya? Pat, Alex and I are three of the most fun people in the world!" She raised an eyebrow. "If someone tried to kill you when you were little, wouldn't you want to fight back and give them a taste of their medicine?" She ignored the mentions of his name aside and took a deep breath in explaining it all to Frodo. "I owled him, and we yelled - not literally, but on paper. We might as well have sent Howlers instead - and in short, I agreed to help him on a bet. Stupid, eh?" She tilted her head to one side, curious.

"You might want to be a little less animated if you don't want Pat to find you," Frodo commented as Le flailed her arms about. He shook his head in disagreement. "I think me and my sister would just make the atmosphere seem depressing. She's really not doing well but at least she's with some of her friends, so I'm a little relieved," he admitted and leaned his head back against the shelf. "I have no doubt that you could kill me." He told half joking, half serious. "How is it fun when you throw rocks at people?" He asked with a light laugh. He stared at her for what seemed like an eternity, before replying, "And how did you achieve this?" He asked hesitantly, as though he was afraid to hear her answer. "You better not end up in Azkaban," he murmured. "Somehow, I cannot believe that you are helping him. Unless of course, there is a catch...?"

Lena blinked curiously at Frodo, trying to figure out what he meant before nodding and pressing a finger to her lips. "I hope the fact that she knows I would never hide here - and the fact I hate Potions - helps too," she whispered, staring at Frodo. She smiled, "I don't know much about your sister. Do you mind telling me more? It might help to calm your nerves." She held his hand tighter in response, trying to comfort him and tell him that yes, she'll stay with him. She giggled at his next words. "I told you: in the Hayes House, we have a motto. And that is: we're all mad here. Therefore, that is why we're crazy," she explained, her eyes gleaming with pleasure. She raised an eyebrow skeptically at her brother. "I'm Lena Vorstenbach. I can do anything I bloody want."

"Well, I hope it works in your favour or she might figure out that you are trying to trick her," Frodo teased. He smiled lightly upon hearing Le's request. "Her name is Monae and she is 11 years old, going to be 12 next month. She was my-" He stopped mid sentence but continued "-was my mother's favourite. Pretty much everyone could see the affection between them. She is much more fun to be around than me, but when she's angry or upset, she's as silent as the dead," he told with a forced laugh. "Oh, I already figured that motto after I met you," he grinned fondly. He sighed and said,"I know who you are, that is why I find it hard to believe that you are helping him without something being there in it for you." This time he looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

SLena cheekily grinned at her brother. "Nah. She's not that clever," she whispered, winking, "it's not an insult, though. It's true. I mean... she gets good grades, but her common sense is more than a little off." Her eyes widened when Frodo talked about his sister. "Monae," she repeated quietly to herself. She looked up at him and muttered, "That is a pretty name." She nodded when she listened to Frodo's kind voice talking about his sister. "I can tell that you're scared for her, but I've got your - and her - backs. If you need anything, you know what to do." She smirked, "Well... I can't help him all that much when I'm in Hogwarts, now can I?" She laughed bitterly at her success of tricking her friend. "He doesn't know I've signed up for it, and I have no means of telling him."

Frodo rolled his eyes good naturedly and commented, "You always think that everyone except for you doesn't have much of a common sense. Besides, your family right? All members are same, I suppose," he playfully nudged his sister's shoulder. "Thank you, I will definitely tell her that," he smiled. "I'm scared for her because she still hasn't gotten over the fact that our mother is no more," he admitted in a small voice, half hoping the Uchitel didn't hear him. He hugged her closer and rested his cheek on her head, forcing himself not to cry. "I know you have. And I will come to you incase I need any help." He promised. Le was one of the few people he trusted with his life and he wouldn't hesitate to ask her for anything. "That still doesn't explain what you are doing to help him." he pointed out. "And in one way, I'm glad he doesn't know."

Lena shook her head. "Frodo," she began, "even her husband says so. And he's known her since she was eleven..." She paused for a moment, because it bore an uncanny to her relationship with... you-know-who, the way they got along. She wiped a tear from her eye and continued to listen to her brother talk about his sister, and her eyes widened when he mentioned how his mother had... had... well, she supposed she shouldn't repeat it in front of him; from the sound of it he had been through a load of things this summer and she shouldn't pressure him to do anything he didn't want to do. She chuckled. "If he asks you anything - since you two are in the same house after all - say nothing about this, okay?" she mumbled, her eyes narrowing into her brother's eyes to intimidate.

Frodo couldn't help but laugh at Le's statement. "Well, if her husband thinks that, then who I am to argue, huh?" He asked, grinning. "Hey, no shedding tears, okay?" He told his sister quietly, even though he felt like doing the exact same thing. He sighed and went on to explain further. "My mother committed suicide because she found out that my father was cheating on her for nearly three months. And not just with..." he trailed off and shook his head. He suddenly felt the familiar pain that occurred when he had told Kait. "Of course I didn't tell the truth to my sister but as far as we are concerned, we are not going back home..at least for a while." He took a deep breath and forced a smile on his face. "You do know that you can't intimidate me like that, right?" He teased.

Lena laughed, because that was the only thing she could do without bursting into tears. "Well, my brother isn't exactly the person with the most common sense either, so that's debatable," she mused. Even though her brother had told her not to, she burst into tears anyway because she was so scared and she felt like she needed to cry and all those resemblances are hitting her like bullets. She cried louder when Frodo talked about his circumstances because she was crying for him and she held him tighter in her arms, as if she was scared he would die along with his mother. Her throat couldn't swallow - or it felt that way - and she had a little difficulty in breathing and she howled for her brother. She nodded when he asked her his question and she continued to cry like a desperate maiden.

Frodo's eyes widened slightly in surprise at Le's outburst and he instantly regretted telling her. He hated to see her in pain, especially if he caused it. He pulled her onto his lap and held her face in his hands. Wiping away her tears, he told his sister softly, "I'm so sorry Le, I didn't mean to make you cry." He felt his own tears fall but he didn't care. It reminded him of what his mother did and just for that moment, he felt angry. She was obviously frightened but he was unsure as to why. "Hey, what's going on sis? Is there something you want to tell me, apart from what you already said?" He asked quietly and rubbed her back soothingly. "You know that I'm not going anywhere, right?"

Lena shook her head in defiance at her brother's remark that she shouldn't cry. She had to cry, she had to for him. She knew that Frodo wouldn't cry, so it made sense his little sister did it for him. "I'm crying for you, Frodo," she wailed, trying to make her words recognizable in the midst of all her sobbing and weeping, "if you won't cry, then I will! That's what sisters do, don't they?" She then heard her brother crying too, and she tried to wipe the tears out of her eyes so she could be strong for him. After all, it was the best thing to do for now, right? She shook her head fiercely again. "No!" she exclaimed, "nothing is going on. Apart from the killing Leon and being friends with Ch - Prentiss again." She swallowed, her throat dry with guilt.

"Why are you crying for me?!" Frodo asked in surprise. "You know I hate to see you cry, so I really wish you wouldn't," he told in a low voice. "And besides, I did cry...a lot actually," he admitted as he remembered the condition in which Kait had found him in. He couldn't recall the last he had cried so much and now he felt guilty for making Le feel bad. He shook his head in disagreement. "Little sisters don't need to cry for such unimportant reasons." Sure, it was of course a big deal to him but as far as Le was concerned, she didn't need to feel sad because of him. "Are you sure?" He asked once more, looking at her suspiciouly, as though to say, 'Don't even bother trying to lie to me.'

"Because I'm your sister, and out of my experience little sisters are supposed to be the unstable ones that cry all of their brother's tears!" exclaimed the young blonde, swearing below her breath every time she could sneak a word in. She ended up crying silently, because she remembered she was supposed to be playing hide and seek with Patricia and she still didn't want to be found. "Really?" she asked, on the remark of her brother crying. It was so alien to see Frodo do anything but comfort people and laugh at other people's jokes even when they weren't funny because that was all Lena could imagine him doing. And that was all she had ever seen him done, actually. She nodded, and buried her head in his chest.

Frodo couldn't help but chuckle at Le's logic. "Now there's something I haven't heard before," he told with a small grin. He kissed her forehead and hugged her tight. "Of course I cried, why wouldn't I? I mean, how could I not..." He grew quiet again and wished this was some sort of twisted nightmare. "I'm sorry Le, but I can't be strong every single time. Sometimes even I need to let go," he murmured and pushed her hair from her face. "You know I love you, right?" He asked with the hint of a smile. "Don't ask me why, but I do," he said trying to make her smile as well. "Thanks for listening, and I promise I'll do my best to get you out of this."

Lena nodded firmly at Frodo's remark. "That's because no one no one has my rather strange yet correct sense of logic, my darling brother," she chuckled, her eyes still puffy and rather red from all of the crying. She nodded again when her brother explained how he couldn't be strong all the time, and even though it went without saying she understood what he meant. "I know," she whispered. Her face beamed when he told her he loved her, though she knew full well he meant in a sister like way. "I love you too!" she replied back in enthusiasm. "I love you because... you're amazing!" She nodded again, for about the umpteenth time. "No worries!" she piped up.

"Strange yet correct, huh? Yeah, sure," Frodo commented teasingly and shook his head amusedly. He smiled humourlessly and muttered, "I think guys are supposed to be tougher than this and not so sentimental, but I don't think I can ever be like that." He laughed at Le's response. "Of course I'm amazing! I'm here with you right now, aren't I?" He grinned.

"So, did you get accepted for the exchange program?" He asked curiously. "Even though I'm going to miss you so much, I hope you did because I think it would do you some real good," he told sincerely.

Lena scoffed. "Fine," she snapped, "strange yet rational? But I wouldn't call myself rational... so, methodological?" The Uchitel couldn't believe how calm she sounded; it was the calmest she had ever been in the entire conversation, or as much of it as she had bothered to remember. She laughed, "You're Frodo Moria. You're a guy that is allowed to be sentimental because your girlfriend is Kaitlen Gem who is just as unstable as I am, if not more." She raised an eyebrow. "You think?!" she snapped.

"Of course I did!" Lena laughed, gesturing to her clothes. "This is what I got from Patricia. Pretty, isn't it?" She stroked the smooth fabric that covered her body, sighing. She nodded. "I think it's going to do some good for me, too..." she smiled, sadly.