“I have a surprise for you.”

Glorfindel had a grin on his face and his hands held behind his back.

“Is it a kitten?”

Immediately, the seneschal furrowed his brow and frowned. “How did you know?”

Glancing up from his paperwork, Erestor replied, “Last night I was talking about the fact that the library cat was not a good mouser anymore, and that she just sits on a chair near the fire and allows the rodents to chew holes in my books. Furthermore, Lindir told you that he was looking for homes for the litter of kittens his cat recently had. I simply deduced. Reasoned it out is all. Also, it meowed when you came in.”

Glorfindel brought the tiny mewing poof of fur in front of him. “I suppose you do not like it.”

“On the contrary.” Erestor set aside his quill and held out his hands. Settling the kitten into the advisor’s palms, Glorfindel stepped back again. “Have you a name for him?”

“Nay. He is your kitten. You should name him,” answered Glorfindel.

Erestor smiled. “Thank you,” he said, placing the little cat onto his lap. The feline found the softness of the robes to his liking, and after kneading out the wrinkles with his tiny clawed paws, decided that with all the excitement he had best take a nap.

“Were you at least a little surprised?” asked Glorfindel. “Just a teeny bit surprised?”

“If I lied and said I was, would it make you feel better?” pondered Erestor, already back at work.

“No,” admitted Glorfindel. “I suppose not. But next time,” he vowed, “I will surprise you.”

“I wish you luck in your venture,” called out Erestor as the blond was leaving the room. A moment later, Erestor looked up, and seeing that the seneschal was gone, smirked and resumed his task once more.

“I have a surprise for you.”

Glorfindel had a smile on his face and his hands were clasped behind his back.

“Is it fireworks?”

Shoulders slumping, Glorfindel’s jaw dropped open slightly and his eyes were disbelieving. “How did you know?”

“Well,” began the advisor as he flipped to the next page of the ledger, “I noted that Mithrandir arrived this morning, and also that last night you left dinner early and you were absent from the Hall of Fire. This morning I looked for you at breakfast, and later at lunch, and just now at supper, but you were missing the entire day. The day was clear, the sky blue, and you know how much I love a good show of Mithrandir’s rockets. Basic logic. Anyone could figure it out in time. Also, you’ve a smudge of soot from one of them on your left cheek.”

Removing his hands from his pockets, revealing the dirt on them of helping to set up the display, Glorfindel said sadly, “I suppose you are too busy to watch.”

“On the contrary.” Erestor closed the ledger and stood up, shooing the growing kitten from his lap. “Should we watch them outside, or here in the house?”

“Here it is less crowded and the noise not as loud,” decided Glorfindel as the pair walked to the large windows on the west side of the library. Erestor’s office was in the back, where it was quiet, and so he did not have to constantly run to the library to fetch books and scrolls. The advisor bent down and picked up the kitten, holding him and scratching behind his ears as the show began.

At some point, Glorfindel had managed to place his arm around Erestor’s shoulder as the dull but loud booms and excited pops of the fireworks made their way to their ears. In the darkened sky, they watched the brilliance of Mithrandir’s creativity. As the show ended, the kitten leaped away, seeing something in a corner that caught his eye.

Erestor sighed as the final explosion of blue and silver dazzled the crowd before the sparks fell like shooting stars out of the heavens. “Thank you,” he said softly, as if any noise might ruin the fireworks from coming back again next year.

“Were you at least a little surprised?” asked Glorfindel. “Just a teeny, weensy bit surprised?”

Erestor made an apologetic face and shook his head. “I could pretend to be.”

“No,” Glorfindel said firmly. “I have plans that one day, I will surprise you, and I intend to do just that.”

“I hope you do,” said Erestor as the blond left the library. A moment later, Erestor looked over his shoulder, and seeing that the seneschal was gone, smiled and went back to his desk.

“I have a surprise for you.”

Glorfindel had a grin on his face and his hands held something in a sack.

“Is it a blanket?”

“Honestly!” Glorfindel just shook his head and sighed.

Erestor was fighting back his smirk as he closed the book he was reading. “Well? Is it?”

Looking down at the sack with a forlorn expression, Glorfindel asked, “How did you know?”

The book was set back on a pile of others as Erestor folded his hands. “A few months ago you said you were looking forward to the turning of the leaves because you like the crisp air and the harvest and the scent of fruits being boiled for canning. I told you that this year I was not looking forward to it, for the head librarian has come to the conclusion that a fire burning in the hearth of the library is too dangerous. Therefore, I was expecting to have a number of long, cold nights here to look forward to. I had a feeling you might find a remedy for my situation. And,” added Erestor, as seriously as he could, “you had a pair of crochet hooks tucked in your pocket the other day at council.”

The sack was resting on the floor by his feet, and Glorfindel raised his hands to cover his face. “I suppose you are going to tell everyone about this now.”

“On the contrary.” Erestor lifted the cat from his lap and placed him upon the warm chair, then approached Glorfindel. Crouching down beside the sack, Erestor untied it and drew forth a black blanket that had been skillfully weaved to make it appear as if it was a night sky with fireworks bursting within. “Do you mind if I use it right away?”

“Please do!” Glorfindel smiled warmly as he watched Erestor draw it around his shoulders and snuggle against it with a fleeting shiver.

“Thank you,” whispered Erestor as the cat jumped off of the chair and Erestor sat down again. He drew the blanket closer around him. “Did you make it all by yourself?”

“Celebrian helped me with the edges,” Glorfindel said with a slight blush to his cheeks. “Are you sure you like it?”

“Yes.”

“Is it warm enough?”

“Yes.”

“Were you at least a little surprised?” asked Glorfindel. “Just a teeny, weensy itsy bitsy, bittley bit surprised?”

Unable to keep from smiling, Erestor’s hand snuck out from beneath a bit of the blanket. “Maybe... just a little,” he said, showing a space between his fingers of no more than an inch.

“Next time,” Glorfindel declared, “you will be absolutely and totally surprised.”

“Promise?” Erestor was cuddling the cat on his lap as he looked up hopefully.

“Yes.” Glorfindel picked up the sack and took it with him, taking one last look at Erestor on his way out.

“You better hurry up,” said Erestor after Glorfindel was gone. “If you take much longer, I shall just have to surprise you first!” A moment later, Erestor looked shyly away from the door with a grin and turned his head to breath in the wonderful scent of Glorfindel that permeated the yarn.

“I have a surprise for you.”

Glorfindel had a smug look on his face and his arms were crossed over his chest.

“Is it... uhm… ” Erestor let go of the bottom edge of the scroll he was reading, and pulled his blanket closer around himself. “What is it?” he asked as the cat pounced upon the desk and swatted the scroll with his paw.

“You do not have a guess?” The seneschal looked positively pleased as Erestor shook his head. “A-ha! Then I have finally surprised you!”

A number of heads turned and shushed the blond, and he bit his lip, but continued to grin.

“I am perplexed,” admitted Erestor. “Normally, you come at night, not during the day,” he answered in a hushed voice. “Normally, I have some idea, but today I am stumped. You are correct; I have not the faintest clue as to what your surprise is.”

“Excellent,” said Glorfindel. “Come to my rooms this evening and I will give it to you.”

With that, Glorfindel turned on his heel and began to leave.

“Wait just a minute!” Erestor’s sudden outburst caused the cat to bolt from his desk, and also for him to be shushed at this time. With the blanket still around his shoulders, Erestor followed Glorfindel into the hallway. “What do you mean ‘come this evening’? You are making me wait?”

“Well, if you want it now-,” Glorfindel said, looking away.

“I do!” insisted Erestor. “I have spent the last three months trying to figure it out!”

Proudly, Glorfindel smiled. “Three months, eh?”

“Three whole months,” repeated Erestor. “Three excruciatingly long months. Three agonizingly, practically unbearable, months!”

“I am so sorry you had to wait for so long,” said Glorfindel with complete sincerity, “but I am overjoyed that for once I have finally surprised you.”

“Actually, you have yet to surprise me,” Erestor reminded him pointedly. “All you have managed to do is puzzle and upset me.”

“Upset you? Good heavens, no, we cannot have that.” Glorfindel got a wicked look in his eye. “Would you like your surprise now, then?”

“Yes, please,” insisted the counselor.

“Right here? Right now?” Glorfindel was stalking closer to the counselor, whose back was against the wall. Erestor nodded. “You want me to give it to you here?”

“Yes,” said Erestor as Glorfindel advanced, and pressed him against the wall, hands firmly on the advisor’s hips. The blanket slipped from his shoulders as he was soundly kissed in the middle of the hallway. A few other elves stopped what they were doing, while others poked their heads out of their offices upon hearing the murmur in the corridor.

Glorfindel and Erestor managed to ignore them all. “Are you surprised?” questioned Glorfindel. “Because you do not look it.”

“May I have another surprise before I answer that question?” asked Erestor. The pair kissed again, and then Erestor said, “I hate to disappoint you, but I had a feeling we were going to end up in this position.”

“Seems like I shall never win this game,” sighed Glorfindel.

“Who is to say that you lost?” Erestor pulled the blanket up to keep it from falling all the way to the ground. “So... is there still another ‘surprise’ in your bedroom?”

“I doubt it is a surprise now,” mumbled Glorfindel, “but... we can go and take a look... as long as you promise to act surprised...”

“I shall do my best,” offered Erestor.

For a few steps, they walked quickly down the hallway, hand in hand. As if a sudden thought struck him, Glorfindel stopped and unexpectedly lifted Erestor into his arms.

“Oh!” Erestor’s arms somewhat instinctively wound around Glorfindel’s neck and he laughed. “Careful, you caught me off guard!”

“Off guard... as in... to ambush... to... surprise?” Glorfindel flashed a cheeky grin to the elf in his arms.

“I knew you could do it!” Erestor told him as Glorfindel hastily carried him down the hallway to what would soon be their rooms.

:: The End ::