"I am glad to know your lessons with Faer go well," Elrond said a week later. "He sent me a note to remark upon how well you have been doing."

"And I am glad to know the pain in my arms has reduced to a dull ache," Elladan replied, rubbing his left arm with a grin.

"It will soon be gone all together," Elrohir said.

"No," said Elladan. "Faer will up the exercise to bring the ache back as soon as it fades. You know he will."

Elrohir returned to his pencils with a depressed expression. The tips were dull, and the pile was separated into dulled pencils, and the sharpened pencils. He held a slender knife in his hand, scraping the edges of the pencil away to form a sharp tip of lead. The shavings gathered before him on a piece of paper to be thrown into the fire.

"It will be time for your book learning to begin soon," Celebrian said from her chair behind Elladan.

"Already?" said Elladan in dismay, twisting to look at his mother.

Celebrian smiled. "Well, I did say soon, you know."

Elladan ran the file across his nails, examining the jagged edges he was smoothing out after cutting them. "How soon do you mean?"

"Well," said Celebrian. Her voice cut off, and Elladan jerked around in time to see his mother slump forward in her chair. His eyes widened.

Elrond sprang from his chair and ran to Celebrian's side, his fingers feeling for her pulse. He let out a sigh of obvious relief when he felt it, and some color seeped back into his paled cheeks. Both twins abandoned their activities to stand beside their mother.

"Is she all right?" Elladan asked.

Elrond opened his mouth to reply, but a low moan stopped him, and he leaned down to help his wife sit up, and lean back into her chair. Celebrian blinked around at her husband and sons.

"The world simply . . . dimmed," she said with a weak smile. She turned her head to sip water from the glass Elrond held to her lips. "I will be all right."

"All the same, I think a trip to the healers would be in order," Elrond said.

Celebrian's hand fluttered through the air. "Do not be ridiculous, Elrond. I am sure there is a perfectly reasonably explanation. It may have been something I ate."

"I find that highly unlikely."

"I consent to be examined, but by you alone," Celebrian said, with a coy smile.

Elrond turned to the twins. "Please take your activities out of this room. Your mother and I need to discuss private matters."

"I hope you feel better," Elrohir said, as he collected his pencils, and the knife. He and Elladan paused in the doorway to look back at Elrond hovering over Celebrain's chair. Their mother blew them a kiss before they closed the door and walked away.

"Do you think it was something she ate?" Elladan asked.

Elrohir shrugged. "I do not know. But I hope she is not sick."

"It will be dinner time in a few minutes," Elladan said, glancing at the grandfather clock they passed in the hall.

"I wish ada had not sent us out of the room," Elrohir grumbled. "She is our mother as well as his wife, and if he cares about her as much as we do, he might let us stay with him."

Elladan trailed his fingers along the wall as he walked. "I suppose that may have been to much to ask."

"I should have asked," Elrohir said.

Elladan glanced at his twin. "Do you want to return to the living room?"

"Yes," said his twin. "I am worried about naneth."

"Me to," said Elladan.

"Elladan! Elrohir!"

The twins turned at their father's voice as it came up the hall, and saw Elrond standing several yards away.

"It is dinnertime," Elrond said.

"Is naneth all right?" Elrohir asked, as he turned around, depositing pencils and knife on a table in the hall to take up to his room after the meal.

"Yes," said Elrond. "She insists to feeling as fine and fit as ever."

"I suppose you must have lost the argument," Elladan answered with a grin as he ran to catch up with Elrond.

"Oh, the battle is not over yet," Elrond admonished. "Now come; Celebrian is waiting at the table."

Elladan and Elrohir slid into their seats at the dinner table, noticing the color had returned to her cheeks as they glanced at their mother. Elrond asked the valar for their blessing upon the table, and picked up the first plate. His fingers were halfway to the platter of meat, when Celebrian suddenly clapped a hand to her mouth and fled from the room.

"Valar preserve us!" Elrond exclaimed. The plate in his hand crashed to the floor and shattered into pieces as he hurled his chair back, and sprinted after his wife.

Elladan and Elrohir followed their father into the hall, hearing sounds of retching coming from the door to the tiled bathroom. The elflings peeked into the room, and saw Celebrian leaning over the sink, heaving. Elrond's hand rubbed her back as he stood beside her.

"The smell of the food—just made me—sick," she gasped, reaching for the pitcher of water to rinse her mouth out with.

Celebrian set down the pitcher, and straightened up, drying off her lips with the towel hanging beside the sink. She turned around and walked to the door. "I will sit down in the living room for a bit; eat dinner without me."

Elrond looked at the twins. "You heard your mother."

"But, ada," Elrohir began.

"No buts," said Elrond.

"I am not hungry," Elrohir said.

"I know you are worried about me," Celebrian said, tousling Elrohir's hair as she passed. "But little elflings need their food."

"I am really not hungry," Elrohir insisted. "Worry has robbed my hunger."

"Elrohir," Elrond said. "Listen to your mother. She is not feeling well, and your disobedience will not help her recover."

"Yes, ada," Elrohir said, retreating into his shell at the firm rebuke. His feet dragged as he and Elladan made their way back to the dining room.

Elladan rested his cheek on his hands and stared at the food on the table as he sank into his seat. The mouthwatering smells had reduced to nothing. He reached for a piece of flatbread and nibbled on it.

Twenty minutes of silence later, Elladan had barely made it halfway through the piece of bread. He pushed his chair back, left the bread on his plate, and made for the door. Elrohir was right behind him.

The twins were astonished to reach the living room, and find all signs of worry gone. Elrond and Celebrian broke apart from their kiss, wide smiles on their faces. Husband and wife knelt down to clasp the hands of their sons, and announce to their confused faces, "We are having a baby!"

Elladan blinked. "You are?"

Celebrian patted her stomach. "Yes. It is growing inside me, Elladan. Soon you will have a new little brother or sister!"

"It cannot be a nice baby if it made you sick," Elladan said doubtfully.

"I was sick when you were growing inside me," Celebrain replied, patting his cheek. "But only for a few short weeks. It is all part of having new life inside you."

The twins exchanged glances before meeting the glowing eyes of their parents. After a moment they shoved aside all doubt, and joined in a warm, group hug.

Another elfling is on the way. Will knowing their sibling is to be spanked as well finally be the end of the line for Elladan and Elrohir?

Thanks for reading; I love you all!