Elrond's vacant eyes slowly regained their awareness as the scent of fresh bread, honey, and apple tarts assaulted his senses. As he became aware of his surroundings, he closed his eyes and stretched. When he opened them again, he was blessed with the vision of golden beauty shining brightly before him.

He winced as Glorfindel stepped out of the sunlight. 'I thought that Arien had brought the Sun down to warm me with its pleasant heat, but 'tis only you,' Elrond said in a teasing tone.

'How amusing you are this morning, Elrond,' Glorfindel chuckled as he set the tray down on the bed. 'Move over,' he said to Elrond as he tried to slide into bed. 'You always take up the entire bed.'

'It is my bed, so I may take up as much of it as I wish,' he said in a lordly manner as he reached for the tray. 'Who invited you here?'

'You did, my Lord Elrond,' Glorfindel replied. Elrond grinned as the blond elf placed a light kiss on his temple. 'Who else would deign to bring such a testy Elven-lord breakfast in bed?'

'No one but you, my love,' Elrond said as he pulled the tray onto his lap and picked up an apple tart. 'I did not mean to sleep so late into the morning.'

'It matters not,' Glorfindel said as he plucked a small loaf and the honey from the tray, ignoring Elrond's glare. 'There is nothing to do that is of urgent need. The first of the snows have begun to fall around Imladris. Elrohir and Elladan rode in early this morning after finishing a final sweep of the borders, and there was nothing of note to report. It seems that the Orcs have begun their hibernation for the winter.'

'It is just as well,' Elrond sighed. 'I hardly rest my sight on my sons anymore, unless it is during the winter months. I understand their need for vengeance against those who stole their mother's vitality, but I fear that one day their quest will end their lives.'

'They shall not be leaving again until after the spring thaw, so you have a little time to try to hammer some sense into them. Not that you will be successful. They are just as stubborn as their father.'

'I might resent that if it were not the truth,' Elrond chuckled. 'Thank the Valar that Arwen takes after her mother.'

'Yes, it is nice to see that at least one person in this family is capable of reason,' Glorfindel replied, ducking Elrond's half-hearted backhand.

'Since there is nothing to do this morning, did you have something in mind?' Elrond asked.

'Yes, as a matter of fact, I do.' Glorfindel laughed aloud as Elrond's hand slowly crept up his thigh. 'That is not exactly what I had in mind, as pleasing a thought as it is. What I have in mind is a surprise.'

'I am torn between whether I should be excited or terrified,' Elrond quipped. 'Your surprises tend to fall into one of those categories.'

Glorfindel stuck his tongue out at him. 'You should be excited.'

'You said the same thing last time, and we both ended up making fools of ourselves in front of the entire populace,' Elrond pointed out to him. 'That was the last time I ever let you coerce me into drinking the wine that Thranduil sends us.'

'It is not my fault that you are a horny drunk who cannot control himself and where he demands sex, but I can assure you that nothing that will happen today will be remotely like last time. I promise that you will enjoy this day.'

Elrond eyed him skeptically, but he nodded. 'Very well, I will trust that my dignity will not suffer irreparability in your hands. Do what you will.'

Glorfindel pressed a kiss to Elrond's lips as he stole the last of the apple tarts. He jumped off the bed before Elrond had a chance to snatch it back. 'You will not regret it, my love. Have a nice, long bath, and wear those blue robes that I adore, and wear your hair down. I will be back for you when all is ready.'

Elrond nodded once and sat back, chewing the last bite of his apple tart as he watched his lover stride out of the room, his arse swaying just a little more than strictly necessary. Elrond growled as his cock twitched with interest. He would have to speak with Glorfindel about wearing those tight leggings without a proper robe, Elrond thought to himself as he reached for his loaf of bread and smothered it with honey.

Two hours later, Elrond was sitting on the bed, running a comb through his hair with slow, easy strokes and humming to himself. A long soak in a bath was just what he needed to remove all the tension in his body.

Elrond chuckled as he put the comb aside and lay back on the bed. Glorfindel always seemed to know exactly what he needed. How he had ever managed without him, Elrond did not know. Glorfindel had been there for him through everything, through most of the joys and sorrows in his life, and the thought of Glorfindel not being there sent shivers down Elrond's spine.

'You are thinking too hard, Elrond,' Glorfindel said.

Elrond lifted his head to see the blond Elf standing in the doorway, an amused expression gracing his beautiful face. 'I will refrain from harming myself, I promise you,' he replied.

'I take it that you are finished with whatever preparations you wished to accomplish.'

'You are correct, my Lord. Now come here so that I can bind your eyes,' Glorfindel said, grinning wickedly as he held up a delicate blue scarf.

Elrond snorted. 'I do not do exhibitionism, no matter how persuasive you might be.'

'I assure you, my surprise has nothing to do with sex, though I would not object to a little bondage afterwards. No, this is to keep you from seeing anything before I wish it. Now, come along and be a good little Elven-lord.'

Elrond sat up and released a long-suffering sigh. 'Very well. The things I do for you,' he muttered as he walked over to his lover. 'I do not know why I bother with you at all.'

'Because you adore me,' Glorfindel replied as he twirled Elrond around and tied the scarf around his eyes. Can you see anything?'

Elrond snorted at Glorfindel's response, though he didn't deny it, and said, 'No, I cannot. Lead me where you will.'

Elrond walked next to Glorfindel, trusting his lover not to run him into a tree as he guided him through the woods. They had left the house some time ago, and at first Elrond had some idea of where they were going, since he knew his land better than anyone, but then Glorfindel had spun him this way and that, walked him one way, then doubled back and went another way, until he couldn't figure out where he was, much less where they were heading.

Half an hour later, Elrond detected the scent of cooking venison in the air. 'Where are we?' he asked. Perhaps his lover had set up a picnic for them, which was something that they had not done in quite some time.

'All in due time, my love,' Glorfindel whispered in his ear, sending a shiver up Elrond's spine. 'We're almost there.'

Elrond waited patiently as they came to a halt, enduring Glorfindel's fussiness at positioning him just so if it meant that he would finish all the quicker.

'Close your eyes,' Glorfindel said as he reached up to untie the knot in the scarf.

Elrond did as ordered, sighing softly as the scarf was removed from his eyes.

'Open your eyes,' Glorfindel said.

Elrond opened his eyes as he felt Glorfindel take a step back. He nearly gasped aloud as he took in the sight around him.

They were in a clearing near the waterfall closest to the house. Tables had been set up with Rivendell's finest cloths, and many of them were covered with food.

More important to him, however, were the people that were present. All of Imladris had been invited to the clearing. Elrond doubted there was a single Elf left in the house. His attention was fixated on five people in particular, though. Both his sons were there, which wasn't a surprise, but the presence of his daughter, and of Celeborn and Galadriel, were.

'Ada!' Arwen's voice rang out as she rushed to him, forgoing decorum and flinging her arms around his neck. 'I missed you. Are you surprised to see us?'

Elrond hugged his daughter back. 'Indeed I am. What brings you here?' He turned to Glorfindel, looking at him with confusion. 'What is all this?'

Glorfindel chuckled. 'Surely, Elrond, tell me that you did not forget what day this is?'

Elrond thought for a few moments until realization dawned. 'It is my begetting day. I had forgotten,' he said. 'It has been long since I celebrated this day.'

'Yes, and I thought that it was time you celebrated it again. There is nothing amiss in the world that needs your dire attention, your family is present and accounted for, and you, my love, need to learn to relax again.'

Elrond raised an eyebrow and stared at his lover. 'Perhaps I do not celebrate because you do more than enough celebrating on your own.'

'Which one? As you well know, I have two, and I celebrate both to the fullest. There is one advantage to dying and being reborn again…twice the gifts."

Elrond laughed at Glorfindel's statement as he went to greet the Lord and Lady of Lothlorien. 'Galadriel, Celeborn, how good it is to see you again. It has been too long since we've seen each other last.'

Galadriel gave him a benevolent smile. 'Considering your penchant for coming only when in dire need, it is no surprise that we have not seen you. We, however, could not let this day pass again without celebration. We come bearing gifts, my son.'

Galadriel stepped back so that he could see the two mallorn saplings nestled between two tables. 'Arwen told us of your desire to plant within this clearing, and I thought that mellyrns would look perfect here, and perhaps it would remind you to come and visit your family more often.'

Elrond blushed at the slight chastisement. Only Galadriel could make him feel like a young Elf with his hand in the honey jar. 'I shall endeavor to do better, my Lady,' he said, taking her hand and kissing it.

Galadriel laughed and waved him away. 'Go, mingle and enjoy yourself for a change. We will be here all winter to make you feel guilty for ignoring us.'

Elrond did as he was told, and soon he was swept up in the flurry of activity. He ate heartily, danced with Arwen and Galadriel, and with Glorfindel a time or two. He took part in the archery contests--only to be humiliated by his sons, who had been taught by the best, namely Haldir. He did, however, manage to best Glorfindel and Celeborn in the sword-fighting, so he did not feel so bad.

The hours flew by quickly as song, dance, food, and games flowed and melted into each other. Often Elrond would just sit back and watch his people, his family and friends, enjoy themselves. He had not felt this carefree, this unburdened since the day of his wedding to Celebrian. Even his joy at finding love with Glorfindel had been marred by the grief of his children for their mother's demise.

'You are thinking gloomy thoughts, my love,' Glorfindel whispered in his ear. 'Today is a day of joy. Sorrows can take leave at the door until tomorrow.'

Elrond smiled and grasped his lover's hand, sliding his fingers between Glorfindel's. 'It has been a wonderful day. I am glad that you arranged this surprise for me.' Elrond leant over and placed a long, but chaste, kiss upon his lover's lips. 'I shall have to thank you thoroughly and properly when we are alone tonight.'

Glorfindel groaned aloud at the promise. 'I can honestly say that this night will not come soon enough. I think I'd best get us some wine before I decide to drag you behind the trees and ravish you this moment,' he said low enough so only Elrond could hear.

As Glorfindel hopped out of his chair and walked across the glade, Elrond yelled, 'I wouldn't mind if you did!' He laughed when he saw the blush run up the back of Glorfindel's neck and light up the tips of his ears. The look of amusement on Celeborn's face and the identical looks of queasiness on all three of his children's was enough to send peals of laughter echoing through the dell.

The party lasted long into the night, breaking up only two hours before the Sun would rise. Glorfindel and Elrond were last to leave the clearing, aside from those who had volunteered to clean, as Elrond wanted to thank all the guests for coming, since many had made the long journey from as far away as Lórien and the Grey Havens.

Finally, they reached the sanctuary of their own chambers. Elrond stood in the middle of the room and started unfastening his robes as Glorfindel shut the door behind them. Elrond smiled as strong arms wrapped around him from behind and a warm, wet mouth trailed kisses up his neck and then nipped at his earlobe.

'Was it a good day? Truly?' Glorfindel asked.

'Yes, it was,' Elrond murmured, turning his head to place an awkward kiss on Glorfindel's left temple. 'I hadn't realized how much I missed having all my family with me. Thanks to you, they'll be here for the season, and I am grateful for that.'

'You are most welcome, my beautiful Elven-lord. Would you like to bathe, or do you have something else in mind?'

Elrond groaned as Glorfindel's strong, firm hand slid down his torso and cupped his semi-erect cock. He stepped forward and away from Glorfindel long enough to slide his robes down his arms. Letting them pool at his feet, Elrond removed his shirt with one swift motion, turning only then to face his lover.

Glorfindel had not been idle, and he had removed his own robes and shirt. Elrond took a moment to admire his lover's smooth, muscular chest. The vision of Glorfindel was something that he would never take for granted. Unable to keep away from the blond a moment longer, Elrond stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Glorfindel's chest, nuzzling the long, silky locks and inhaling deeply his lover's scent. 'I love you, Glorfindel,' Elrond murmured. 'I would prefer to go to bed. I want you to make love to me tonight.'

Glorfindel captured his lips in a kiss so passionate that the tips of his ears began to tingle. 'The pleasure will be all mine.'

Elrond raised an eyebrow. 'I certainly hope not, my love,' he said as he pushed Glorfindel toward the bed.

Glorfindel grinned and turned them around. He pushed Elrond onto the bed and dropped to his knees, removing one of Elrond's boots, then the other. Elrond lay back on the bed, waiting patiently as Glorfindel removed his own boots. Their years together had taught Elrond patience, because Glorfindel refused to do anything until he was ready, and to rush things would mean that Glorfindel would take all the longer. At times that torture was exquisite, but tonight Elrond just wanted to feel his lover deep inside him.

'Thinking deep thoughts, my love?' Glorfindel asked teasingly.

Elrond looked over at his now naked lover and smiled. The beauty of Glorfindel was unsurpassed. 'I was simply thinking of you, as always.'

'I am flattered,' Glorfindel said, as he crawled onto the bed. He moved up the bed like a cat, until he straddled Elrond's thighs. He reached out with one finger and slowly and lightly trailed it up and down the Peredhel's still-clothed erection. He chuckled at the strangled groan that emanated from Elrond. 'I love the little noises that you make, but I like it all the more when you scream.'

'Yes, as does the rest of Imladris, I am certain,' Elrond replied, raising his hands to rest on the pillows above his head to resist the urge to curl his fingers in Glorfindel's hair and bring that wicked mouth to his cock.

Elrond watched as Glorfindel's teasing fingers slowly plucked at the fastenings on his leggings. He almost shouted with glee as his lover finally finished after several minutes of teasing and started peeling them off his body.

Elrond let out a shuddery breath as they were completely removed and Glorfindel slowly kissed his way back up his legs, lapping at the sensitive skin behind his left knee, nibbling on each of his inner thighs, swiping his tongue across the crevice of his arse just behind his bollocks, and finally sucking Elrond's sac inside his mouth, tonguing his balls.

Elrond couldn't keep himself from releasing a loud moan, one that he was certain would be carried out the window and down into the courtyard, but he could not bring himself to care. 'Glorfindel, please,' he all but yelled as his lover's mouth left his sac.

'All in good time, my love,' Glorfindel whispered as he started crawling up Elrond's body again, placing a kiss on the tip of his lover's erection. Glorfindel slid his tongue up his lover's abdomen, dipping it briefly into the Peredhel's navel. 'Oil?' he asked.

Elrond reached over to the bedside table with a shaky hand as Glorfindel continued his exploration. He almost dropped the bottle when his lover nipped at his right nipple, but was able to keep the liquid from spilling. 'Here,' he said, thrusting the bottle in his lover's line of vision.

Glorfindel gave him a wicked smile as he moved back to settle between Elrond's legs. 'You are impatient tonight, are you not? Normally I would make you wait, but I do not think I can wait that long.'

Elrond breathed a sigh of relief. He did not think that he could endure a long wait. He spread his legs and lifted his hips in hopes of giving his lover a little more incentive to hurry.

Glorfindel laughed loudly. 'You are too obvious, but I promise to hurry,' he said as he popped the cork loose.

Elrond slid a pillow under his back as his lover coated his fingers. He lifted his legs and groaned as two fingers slid inside him and headed straight for his gland. 'Oh, yes, right there, 'del,' he cried out. 'I need more, now!'

'Now I know that someone heard that,' Glorfindel said with a grin. 'I suppose that I should acquiesce, since I do not think that you want Celeborn pounding on the door, demanding that you be silent.'

Elrond glared at his lover. 'Actually, Celeborn would most likely demand that you get on with it, so that he can get some peace from my incessant noise,' he said, watching as his lover took his time coating his erection with the oil. A raised eyebrow and an amused smirk as the stroking was slowed to a crawl was all the response that Elrond received, so he decided to try a different approach. 'Please, Glorfindel,' he all but whined. 'I need to feel you inside me. It has been such a lovely day, and you do not wish to ruin it, do you?'

Glorfindel rolled his eyes and shook his head. 'By the Valar, Elrond, that was the most pathetic thing that you have ever tried. As it is your begetting day, however, I will let that pass just this once,' he told Elrond as he positioned his lover's legs over his shoulders.

Elrond smirked. 'It worked, and that is all that counts as far as I am concerned.' He wrapped his fingers around his lover's long, blond locks and pulled him closer, pressing their lips together as Glorfindel's cock nudged at his entrance. Elrond hissed with both discomfort and pleasure as Glorfindel slowly eased into him, pulling back and thrusting forward until he was buried deep inside him.

Elrond kissed his lover's hair as Glorfindel buried his face in his neck. He loved these few moments of their lovemaking, to feel Glorfindel so deep inside him that it seemed as if they were one person. Not even Celebrian had made him feel this way, as much as he had loved her. Sometimes Elrond wished that time would stand still so that he could treasure this moment forever.

Slowly, Glorfindel pulled out and pushed back in, setting a languid pace, allowing their pleasure to slowly build upon itself. Elrond slid his hands down his lover's back, caressing each bit of skin that he could reach, as their mouths moved together in soft, endless kisses.

It seemed like hours that they moved together, neither eager to see their coupling come to an end. All too soon for them, their bodies began to scream for release, and Elrond reached for his own erection, stroking himself as Glorfindel moved to rest his weight on his hands and pound into him.

Elrond cried out Glorfindel's name as he came between them, coating his hand and both their stomachs with his release. His hand fell to the side and he closed his eyes, riding out the waves of his orgasm as Glorfindel sought his own release. He sighed with contentment as he felt his lover tense, and he fancied he could feel Glorfindel release his seed inside his body. He brought his clean hand up to stroke his lover's back as Glorfindel's body shivered with the last waves of his orgasm.

The only regret this night, as every other night they were together, was when Glorfindel slipped out of his body. His legs, however, did not lament it. He pulled them off Glorfindel's shoulders as the blond moved to gather a cloth from the table on his side of the bed. Elrond closed his eyes and allowed his lover to gently clean him, and when Glorfindel threw the cloth onto the floor, Elrond took his lover in his arms and kissed his forehead as Glorfindel rested his head in the crook of Elrond's arm. 'I do love you, Glorfindel, more than you will ever believe.'

'And I love you. It has only ever been you, and it will remain so,' Glorfindel said sleepily. 'Goodnight, my beloved.'

'Goodnight, 'del.' Elrond smiled as his lover's breathing evened out. Yes, it had been a good day, indeed.

END