Fili and Kili belong to the master J.R.R. Tolkien but all original characters and storylines belong to me.

A/N: This story is an AU and takes place pre-journey. There are some small spoilers but they're minimal.

The Last Night

Fili watched as his brother drank and laughed at the table with the humans of the tavern. Normally he'd be joining in, providing a secondary party to his brother's acts of mischief but tonight was not the night. Tomorrow they would set out for the town of Hobbiton to find the burglar for their quest, it would be the first trek of many that would lead them home. Home...the word had so much meaning, so much myth attached to it. He and his brother had never known home like their father or Thorin had. No, they'd not even been a gleam in their father's eye when home was taken from them and their people were forced to become traveling laborers and blacksmiths. It was a life he and his brother had always known but they'd also known there was something more, something greater...home.

"Are you going to join us Fili?" At the sound of her soft, lilting voice he turned to see the smiling face of Arien, daughter of the town blacksmith and the most beautiful creature Fili had ever lain his eyes upon.

"In time sweet Arien, I think my brother is celebrating enough for the both of us." He said with an easy smile and Arien's eyes moved to his brother as her smile widened.

"I see that my friend." She watched his brother for a long moment and Fili felt the familiar pain and longing in his heart. He had eyes only for her and her heart belonged to his brother. "Come with me Fili! It's time to celebrate!"

Arien held out her hand to him and he could not refuse her. She led him through the crowd in the tavern with a grace borne of many nights in that tavern after hard days working in the forge. Once they arrived at the table Kili left his human compatriots and grabbed his brother by the shoulders, grinning all the while.

"I am glad you decided to join us brother. Drink up! We have but one night and we must make it count!" He squeezed his brother's shoulders before he reached up and grabbed a flagon of ale from the passing wench's tray and handed it to Fili. "Drink and be merry brother, soon we will find our home."

At Kili's insistence Fili took his ale and took a long drink while his brother cheered and felt some of his somber mood melt away. The night was meant to be a last hurrah in the village and he was going to enjoy it. He toasted Kili and Arien before he finished his ale. He had a lot of catching up to do if he wanted to catch up to his brother.

...

Kili followed her out of the tavern doors. It had been their unspoken agreement that if she left he would follow. Now he followed her around the corner of the tavern and down the path until they reached the back of the forge where their rooms were located, the location of so many of their private rendezvous. When he finally caught up with Arien he found her seated by the fire, the embers shining a light on her face that seemed to emphasize her beauty. He went to her and sat, unsure of how to continue. She saved him from the task.

"Do you remember the day we met?" She asked him and Kili smiled as he reached out to take her hand in both of his. Her hands were as rough and calloused as any blacksmith's and unlike the hands of any woman he'd known. Her hands were so uniquely hers "I remember well, you and Fili were the first dwarves I'd ever seen I was fascinated by you and the finely crafted metal you wore. I watched you from the shadows as you showed my father how you worked metal. It was like watching a wizard knit the stars. I hit my brother in the head with a mug so I would be the one to work your bellows. Father was not pleased."

Kili brought her hand to his lips before he began to trace her callouses. He'd miss holding her hand in his like this, kissing the rough spots and finding those small veins of smoothness. Over the years he'd grown to know her hands as well as his own, in fact he'd grown to know most of Arien as well.

"I lost my heart to you that night when you found me at the embers. You were so kind, helping me breathe life into the dying fire. You also breathed life into my soul." She leaned down to kiss him and he allowed himself to get lost in the sensation of her soft lips. Arien was such a contradiction. Her hands rough and strong, she could curse like the foulest dwarf and tell the bawdiest tales but she had the softest lips, tenderest heart and sweetest voice. She had captured his heart as readily as he'd captured hers.

The kiss deepened and he brought his fingers to the bodice of her dress and in a move practiced a thousand times he undid the laces. If this was to be the last night he could lay with her he would take his time. There was still plenty of moon left in the sky.

…

"Why do you have to leave me?" Arien asked as she rested her head on his chest following their lovemaking and Kili sighed.

"This is our quest my dear Arien. We are to reclaim our home once lost. You have heard the story countless times." He explained and felt the first of her tears fall on his chest.

"I love you Kili, I have for so long. I don't know how to do anything else. I can't lose you." She moved from her position against him and sat up, pulling her shift over her like a blanked and Kili rose as well.

"And I love you, but this must be done. We have a chance to reclaim our home, we have a chance to find where we truly belong. If this could be done without leaving you, I would do it but every great reward demands a sacrifice." He told her with fire in his eyes and she moved to him again, allowing him to hold her once more.

"You are my home Kili, I belong with you and with Fili. We three could form a strong house. We could make a home of our own." She pleaded with him and he pulled her face to his and pressed their foreheads together.

"You are my love, my heart beats for you." He whispered before he pulled away but kept his hand to her cheek. "But, my destiny lies in Erebor."

"I cannot change your mind can I?" Arien asked and Kili shook his head.

"No my love, tomorrow we travel on." He gave her a saddened version of his smile and she rested against him once more.

"Promise me you will return to me." She pleaded quietly and he kissed her head.

"If I can, I will. I swear this to you." He swore and she cuddled close to him as she cried again. Her heart was breaking and he could not mend it.

…

"Ready brother?" Fili asked as he walked to his brother who was strapping his supplies to his pony.

"Nearly, what about you?" He asked and Fili took a bite of his apple before he spoke.

"I need to go back to the forge and retrieve our last week's wages then I will be ready to set off." He explained and Kili gave him a sudden, pleading look.

"Please don't wake Arien. Last night we said all we needed to say. I do not wish to break her heart further." Kili pleaded with his older brother who gave him a look of understanding.

"I will leave her to sleep, you have my word." With a nod Fili turned and walked back to the forge where he stopped in his tracks when he noticed Arien sitting by the fire. When she heard noise her head popped up and she looked at him.

"Fili..." She whispered sadly as she rose and walked toward him. "I thought you had already gone."

"Not yet, we need our wages before we go." He explained and Arien nodded before she untied a small leather pouch from her skirts and handed it to him.

"Here they are, I put some extra coins to see you through." She told him but before he could protest she knelt and held his hand in hers. "Please take it Fili, this is the only way I can help you on your journey."

"If this is your wish." He told her chivalrously and she smiled at him as her eyes watered slightly.

"I want you to know that I love you Fili, love you as dearly as the moon loves the night. Kili may have a piece of my heart but you have a piece of my soul. Come back to me or life will be a shadow of what it once was." She told him before she leaned closer and pressed her lips to his.

The kiss was chaste but Fili savored it. His loyalty to his brother prevented him from making his feelings known but now there was no barrier. She loved him too and her kiss proved as much. She said he had a piece of her soul, he knew that she had a piece of his. When they moved apart he took his free hand and ran his rough fingertips over her cheek.

"No matter what happens dear Arien, know that I love you and have from the start. You made this place the closest thing to a home I have ever had and I will miss you with every step of the journey. Take care and promise me you will live on because you carry a piece of us with you." He leaned forward and up and kissed her forehead before he reached into a pocket and withdrew a small ring of silver. "Kili and I forged this together, wear it and think of us often."

Arien had tears pouring from her eyes as she moved the ring over her finger and marveled in it's beauty. Looking at it was like looking into the dwarves' souls.

"I will never take this off. Remember me, dear Fili, and please do not let Kili forget me." She pleaded and Fili smiled at her before he tied the leather pouch to his belt and settled into his cloak.

"We will never forget you dear Arien, keeper of our hearts and souls." He gave her one last smile and a bow before he left the forge and Arien broke down, knowing in her heart that she'd never see them again.

Fili took a deep breath as he walked back to his pony and saw Kili giving him a knowing look but the younger dwarf said nothing and merely nodded before he mounted his pony. Fili nodded back and did the same. Once they were seated they started off and walked the road that lead them out of the town. As they crested the last hill they stopped their ponies and turned back one last time to see the town they were leaving behind, the place they'd almost had a home.

"Do you think we will be back?" Kili asked his brother and Fili just looked forward pensively.

"I do not know brother, I do not know." Fili said softly before he turned his pony around and started off, not looking back.

Kili stayed in his spot for a moment longer, watching the smoke stack rise from the forge. Part of him knew he'd never be back but he knew Arien would go on and be stronger than before. She carried his heart within her chest and there was nothing stronger than a Dwarven heart.