So here we at last! The sequel has arrived! Already I'm apologising for a late update. I meant to post this yesterday but never found a spare moment to sit down at my laptop I'm afraid. Big thanks for all your support with 'Jinxed' and fingers crossed you loved this one just as much xx

The One Two Years Later

I'm not sure what woke me up.

One of things that hadn't changed about me was the fact that I didn't wake up until late morning. My brain never seemed to kick in until at least ten o'clock and the thought of leaving a warm bed was enough to send shivers down my spine.

That and the fact I had Fili's arms around me.

Looking over I couldn't help my smile as I saw Fili's sleeping face. It felt strange calling him my husband even though two years had passed since our wedding. Licking my lips I forced my gaze away from Fili and looked over at the cup on my bedside table. Doing my best no to wake Fili I pushed his arm away and sat up. Pulling the glass towards me I looked and frowned when I saw several leaves lingering at the bottom – the remnants of Dis' contraceptive drink she'd given me on my wedding day.

Putting the cup back I made a mental note to wash it out before Fili saw. Several months ago he'd first brought up the subject of raising a family and although I'd done my best to show enthusiasm I still wasn't sure.

It wasn't that I didn't want children. It was more a case of I still didn't feel ready. Although I was now eighty three – or twenty two if I was back in my old world – I still felt too young to be a mother. But then eighteen years of listening to your own parents bitching about teen mums was enough to make me wait until I was at least close to thirty. And yet Fili's eyes had lit up like a beacon every time he spoke of having children – I couldn't bring myself to take that light from his eyes. Licking my lips I moved to get out of bed when Fili's arm around my waist tightened. Rolling my eyes I looked over to see him staring at me with a small pout on his lips.

"Morning love." Kissing his nose I allowed him to pull me back under the covers. Fili held both of my hands in one of his whilst stroking my face with his other.

"Is it morning already?" He winced and I shook my head; unable to help myself.

"Shouldn't have had that drinking contest last night!"

"I wasn't going to let Kili beat me on my birthday." He gripped me hard and I could see the smile playing on the corner of his mouth. Every time I saw Fili smile I was always reminded of when I first met him and I truly believed in incapable of smiling. Leaning back I winked at him.

"Aye…but it wasn't Kili who beat you was it?"

He shook his head before pouting. "Where the hell did you learn to drink like that? Even Dwalin wouldn't be able to hold that much ale!"

I taped my nose mysteriously before taking several strands of Fili's hair and running my fingers along them.

"Your mother is a font of information Fili." At this he chuckled before muttering something that sounded very much along the lines of "of course".

Pulling the blankets over my chest I wanted nothing more than to shut my eyes and sleep for several more hours. I could tell Fili was thinking along the same lines because he drew me close against him; pressing a kiss against my neck. That action never failed to stop the heat flooding my body and before I could stop myself my hands were making their way under Fili's shirt. As his lips moved up and down my neck I could hear moans coming from the back of his throat.

"I haven't got to be anywhere this morning." He winked at me and I couldn't help my blush. Over the past two years Fili had perfected the art of seduction and although I wanted nothing more than to lie with him again, I was already forcing myself away from him. Slipping my hands out of his, I hurriedly turned around and scrambled out of bed.

"Such a tempting offer love." I kissed his forehead. "But I'm afraid I have other things to do this morning."

Placing a hand on his heart Fili feel back in mock despair. Shaking my head I said nothing as my fingers hurried to undo my hair that had been bound in a thick plait to keep it tidy. As it fell over my chest and back and bit my lip wistfully. Out of the corner of my eye I was aware of Fili getting out bed and my brain suddenly remembered the cup. Grabbing it I walked as fast as possible into our bathroom and hurriedly washed it under the tap. Even after two years the sight of plumbing in Middle Earth still threw me off a little.

Satisfied the glass was clean I left it on the side and pulled my nightgown over my head as I walked towards my wardrobe. I heard Fili wolf whistle behind me and I threw off the urge to turn around and face him. It had taken me a good six months to get comfortable with showing him my body. I wasn't bothered about most of my scars given how they had faded. But it was the scars he had never asked about the always worried me. The cigarette burns on my hips and the welt on my thighs. No doubt Fili assume I'd got them through healing people.

There was no way I was telling him the truth.

As I slid a tunic over my head I burst into laughter when Fili groaned from behind me. Shaking my head I struggled into a pair of trousers whilst turning round at him.

"Now you know how I feel when you put your shirt on each night?"

Smirking he sat up and reached out to me. Taking his hand I gripped my boots whilst Fili pulled me back onto the bed. Pressing our foreheads together I couldn't help my little gasp as our bond swelled. It still sent little flutters in my stomach every time I thought about how I was connected to Fili unlike anyone else. He ran his fingers along my face.

"Let me braid your hair." He mumbled. "I haven't done it in so long."

"Because three days is an eternity." Rolling my eyes I turned around and leant against him. As ever Fili's fingers were quick and precise. Patiently I allowed the braids to fall against my face; only moving when Fili slid the clasp in at the back.

"Did you guys ever take a special course on braiding? I mean I know you've had forever to be good but you put me to shame!"

Snaking his arms around me Fili grinned. "It's one of my many talents love. Anyway you aren't that bad. You braid my hair wonderfully."

"Yeah after a million tries." Shaking my head I reached over Fili and took his braid beads on my hand. Two of them were shinier than the others and as I looked at them I remember the beam on Fili's face when I'd given him his birthday present. I'd been worried it wouldn't look like much. A couple of beads were nothing when people back on Earth were getting cars and phones every other day. But I'd forgotten what braiding meant to the dwarves and to be given new beads was clearly an important thing.

Moving around I hurried to braid Fili's thick mane of blonde hair. I'd meant what I said earlier about having things to do and my brain was already regretting my promise to help Oin in the infirmary. As the last bead slid into his hair I moved to go when he grabbed my hand tightly.

"Must you go?"

As ever I could hear the protective streak within him. Fili squeezed my hand but I gently took his wrist.

"I have to. Oin and Dorni can't cope by themselves and the apprentices are out of their depth with this illness."

"Do you have any idea what it is?"

I shook my head, "Oin's been meaning to look into it but so many people have been coming in he hasn't had time. What's the point in having healing powers…?"

"If you don't use them." He finished. We'd had this conversation so many times I wasn't surprised he knew my words off by heart. Fili let go of my hand but I could see in his eyes he wanted me to stay here.

"Just…don't do too much okay? I meant in when I told you it hurts me when you make yourself ill."

Nodding I hurriedly kissed him on the lips before crossing our room and heading out into the corridor.

When I pushed open the infirmary doors I wasn't surprised to see a huge crowd of people. I could see the apprentice healers running around handing out tonics and bandages for those who weren't badly injured whilst the bulky figure of Dorni was shepherding those with this mysterious illness into a long line. Flashing him a quick smile I weaved through the crowd in the hope of finding a certain deaf healer.

"Oin!"

At my voice Oin's eyes lit up and he grinned at me. "Morning lass. How are ye?"

Nodding I hurriedly tied my hair back and slipped my wedding ring in my pocket.

"How are things here?"

Oin bit his lip before drawing me to one side.

"To tell the truth Juliet…I'm getting more and more worried about this new illness. I can't identify it and there's no clue as to its source."

"How many people have been ill?"

"Just under a hundred or so."

Screwing my face up I did my best to work out how bad that was. Erebor housed around a hundred thousand dwarves. When looking at this a hundred ill dwarves sounded like nothing. But as I looked at the fear in Oin's eyes I wondered if this new illness was far more serious than a simple cold. Running a hand over my face I gently pushed him aside to sit at his desk. Oin said nothing as I grabbed a pen and some parchment.

"Give me the symptoms." My eyes never left my paper as I began scribbling what little I knew. I couldn't look up this illness if I knew nothing about it. Clearing his throat Oin did his best to speak slowly enough for me to follow.

"People have been complaining of headaches, coughs, sore throats, mild fevers. These then develop into more serious fevers. Rashes appear on people's arms, legs and neck along with blistered skin."

He paused as he allowed me the chance to catch up. My pen flew across the page whilst I was doing my best not to think too much about the state some of these people were in. Oin cleared his throat.

"Lastly it's followed by blindness, convulsions and…" He trailed off at this. I didn't need to hear him say the word. As I wrote it out I gave him a nervous look.

"How many have died?"

"About ten or so. And many more are steadily on the way there. We're trying everything we can but half the time it does nothing and the other half just makes their illness worse."

"Right," Getting to feet I blew on the wet ink before folding the parchment up and sticking it in my pocket.

"I'll go to the library. See what I can find."

Oin nodded when we both froze as people began shouting behind us. As I heard the sound a woman crying my hands began to shake. Nodding at Oin I hurried forward to see a woman holding a young dwarfling in her arms. He clutched at his mother as tears fell down her face. Taking her arm I gently moved her to the corner of the room and sat down by the child.

"What's his name?"

"Ferin." The woman could barely get the worlds out and as Ferin lay limply against her my eyes widened as I saw the rashes on his neck and wrists. Behind me I was aware of Oin finding water and salve whilst I placed a hand on his forehead.

"He's burning up. How long has he been like this?"

"About a week. The rashes appeared last night. I thought it was just a fever until now. Will he be alright?"

I shrugged my shoulders. I wasn't going to give this woman false hope. Not when her child was involved. Turning my back on her I looked over at Oin.

"How long have people lasted?" I did my best to keep my voice down but I had to repeat myself several times for Oin's benefit. He sighed.

"The rashes appear after a couple of weeks. After that it depends on how the person's immune system is. Some last another week, others just a couple of days."

At this I turned around and took another look at Ferin. Licking my lips I patted Oin on the shoulder.

"I'll be as quick as possible."

I'd never run so fast in years. I was aware of people calling out to me and I wouldn't have been surprised if Kili and Fili were among those. But I didn't have time to wave never mind chat. Skidding around the corner I froze as my mind went blank.

Of course it would. The one time I needed to get the library as quickly as possible I would forget the way. Rubbing my hands together I shut my eyes in the hope I could picture the route. I'd spent hours looking at a map of Erebor and with a lot of help from Fili and Kili I'd finally memorised the way.

"Juliet?"

Spinning round I saw Bofur grinning madly at me. Licking my lips I wondered if I should just swallow my pride and ask for directions. I was halfway to making my decision when he winked at me.

"Lost are we?"

Sighing I forced myself to nod. "I need the library. Like, I need it now!"

He frowned at my impatience but I didn't have any time to explain. Wringing my hands nervously Bofur gave a small whistle.

"First left second right."

"Thanks." He said something in return but I didn't catch it as I was already running. In a couple of minutes I was pushing open the library doors, conscious of my heart pounding against my ribs. Licking my lips I leant against the door to catch my breath – full confident I'd have a heart attack very soon if I had to do this every day.

"They'd better have the bloody answer!"

Shaking my head I straightened up before entering. All around me other dwarves were sitting at the desks or in huge armchairs with books in their hands. Flashing silent smiles to several I hurried through the huge passages until I found the one I was looking for. I'd been blown away by the helpful signage in this place. Each subject was clearly marked out and even in the low light the books were easy to find.

"If only our college library had been this helpful."

Ignoring the 'shush' behind me I began scanning the shelves earnestly, pulling out anything that seemed vaguely related to what I needed. In the end I had to stop when I had a pile of a dozen or so books by my feet as I knew I'd never be able to pick them all up. Gritting my teeth and ignoring the strain on my back I took the books to the closest desk and opened the first one. The writing was so spidery it was a nightmare to try and decipher and not for the first time I longed for the typed pages of Earth books. At least they were easy to read.

The hours passed by and I could feel my eyes shutting every few seconds. Pushing stray hairs from my face I pulled yet another book towards me as I saw with a sinking feeling I was halfway through my pile and I'd seen at least five more books back on the shelves. Shaking my head I flicked past pages filled with information I'd already read until something caught my eye.

The Red Plague

Frowning I began reading. At first I wondered if I was barking up the wrong tree. But as the list of symptoms began to look steadily familiar I gripped the book tight.

"It is still unknown as to the original source of this plague although many argue it has spread from north of the Grey Mountains and is named for the blood red rashes and blisters it causes on a persons' skin."

Licking my lips I looked further down the page to see if it had a possible treatment.

"The most recent case of the Red plague was in the middle of the Second Age in the year 2189 that saw the deaths of two hundred thousand people. Since then there have only ever been isolated cases in the northern regions."

"Shit!" Looking up I was relieved no one heard me. Turning the page I couldn't stop my hands from shaking.

"Attempts to seek a cure have vanished over the years as no reports came of new outbreaks. However there have been stories of a flower that blooms in the Grey Mountains that may hold the properties needed to cure victims of the plague. However it resides in an impassable mountain formation that has claimed the lives of many."

Shaking my head I looked down at the drawing. So someone must have at least seen the flower if they were able to draw it this well. For a second I wondered if I was looking at an image of a daisy. It's bright white petals and pale yellow centre was so much like the flowers that had covered the park near my home. But on closer look I saw the petals were a lot fatter and the thin stalk was covered in short thorns. Getting to my feet I turned and hurried back towards the main doors. As I did so my brain was trying to keep the image of the flower in my mind whilst the rest of my mind couldn't get that number out.

Two hundred thousand. Twice the population of Erebor.

The infirmary wasn't any quieter as I came back. Oin was busy trying to soothe Ferin who was now lying in a bed with his mother and Dorni holding him down. As his thin body convulsed again I stared blankly at his mother's face. She wasn't crying anymore and I could tell she knew her son didn't have long left. Oin placed a cold cloth on his forehead before looking up and hurrying towards me.

"Did ye find anything?"

I nodded. "We have a bit of a problem."

Oin frowned as my hands began to shake. Without wasting another minute I told him everything I had found. I told him about the last case of the plague and about the flower. Oin's face got paler with every word and when I finished he pulled Dorni towards us. Giving the dwarf I smile I was aware of Ferins weak cries in my ear.

"You need to keep the infirmary for people who have the plague. Anyone else will have to treat themselves as best they can." Dorni urged. Oin nodded.

"Tell the apprentices to start moving people out if they aren't showing any of these symptoms."

As Dorni headed off I looked Oin up and down. Already my brain was cramming itself with knowledge of plague cases back on earth.

"We need to contain this as best we can. Every healer needs to have a change of clothes they use only in here. Use aprons if you can and everyone needs to wash themselves before they leave."

Oin blinked at the authority in my voice and I blushed as I remembered who was the main healer out of us was. However he was slowly nodding.

"What else?"

"We'll let Thorin know. We need to try and keep those who are ill separated from the others. Anyone who shows the first sign of illness needs to come here immediately."

"I'll get on to it lass." Oin frowned at me, "Juliet go home. Ye look shattered."

Shaking my head I pushed past him and moved back towards Ferin. His skin was a lot paler than before and I could see the blisters forming on his skin. His mother gently rocked him and although I knew this would no doubt be the last time she held her son I couldn't help but make a note to tell her she had to remain in quarantine now. Ferin gave a weak cough before his body convulsed violently before lying perfectly still.

His mother didn't make a sound at first. She just hugged her son as tears fell down her face. I could feel my own eyes welling up and it was only when she began screaming did the sobbing start. Oin pulled me away as he and Dorni did their best to prize Ferin from his mother's hands.

I didn't say anything as I pulled one of Fili's spare tunics on. It fell past my knees and I decided to remain as I was. My body wasstill cold from my bath and I'd already chucked my clothes on the fire just in case. Holding my shaking hands against my body I knelt on the bed and began rocking back and forth. Before I could start crying my hand flew to my pillow and brought out the teddy bear Bofur had made two years ago. Even though I was an adult I'd missed the comfort of my teddy bear from home and so had been desperate to get a new one. This one was a lot fatter than my old one and very well made. Holding it against me I allowed my tears to drop onto its fur as I rocked back and forth.

"Juliet?"

At Fili's voice I froze. Hurriedly wiping my eyes I turned away so he wouldn't see how much I'd been crying. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. How was the council meeting?"

"We've received word from the Iron Hills. They've been experiencing orc attacks and Thorin agreed to send help. We'll be leaving in a couple of days."

I nodded. "Who's coming?"

"Thorin, Me, Kili, You, Tauriel, Gloin, Gimli, Dwalin, Bofur and Oin if he can be spared."

As he spoke Fili moved so he was sitting before me. I did my best to hide my face in the stuffed bear but Fili's hands were already pulling it away and lifting my face up.

"Love? What's happened?"

I shook my head but my mouth was already telling him everything. About how people had been dying and how I'd discovered it was the same plague that once killed hundreds of thousands of people. Fili didn't say anything as I spoke. Only when I got to Ferin did I sense he wanted to talk. But he sat back in respective silence.

"He was...was so small! And so young! Oh Fili you…you should have…seen his mother! He just died! Just…just like that!"

The bear fell from my hands as Fili pulled me into a hug. Burying my face in his shirt I could feel his arms tighten around me as though he could protect me from everything else. As my tears slowly subsided I eased back and smiled thinly at Fili.

"So that was my day."

So one chapter in and we're already experiencing feels! I'm so sorry everyone. Hope this has kept you interested enough to keep reading. There will be a few chapters before the actual main bulk of the story happens just to get us all back into the swing of things so apologies if this seems a bit slow to anyone. Let me know what you all think xx