Almost a hundred and fifty years had passed in Middle Earth until Fili, Son of Lindin and Dis, joined his family in afterlife.

#

His mother, princess Dis, daughter of Thrain, son of Thror, had left Middle Earth half a century before him.

Many said that Dis had died of a broken heart, slowly and painfully, after her whole family had left her and she had watched Fili rule the Blue Mountains in peace and prosper, but with a heart turned to stone. Only few knew that she had been suffering from a long illness and had finally given in during a cold winters night.

It had been Fili who had found her in the morning, her body cold and stiff already. But unlike lesser kings, Fili had not turned cruel and ignorant in his grief. Although aloof and distanced, he was a good ruler and allied kingdoms could be sure of his support in time of need. He was also host to his cousin Gimli and his best friend, Legolas. Of course, Fili remembered the elven prince and he still did not like him. But he was loyal to Gimli and the two had become inseperable. Fili felt a sting in his heart everytime he looked at the two of them. They reminded him of himself and his younger brother Kili. Before Kili had met the elf Tauriel. Before Kili had died in the Battle of the Five Armies.

Fili still felt anger and grief when he thought about elves. Middle Earth was changing. The time of the elves was over and the men became the strongest people in Middle Earth. Filis scouts had reported that the lady of Lothlorien and her husband, lord Elrond and many other elves had left Middle Earth for Valinor. The only powerful elf left in Middle Earth was king Thranduil, of all elves.

Again, he had done nothing to support the free folk of Middle Earth in the battles against the dark lord. Again, he had turned his back on those in need. But at least this time, many other elves had supported the quest of Bilbos nephews. Elrond had held council over the one ring, Lothlorien had offered shelter to the ring bearer and his companions and they has sent a small army to the aide of men at Helms Klamm.

But then again, what had the dwarves done? Gimli had been sent to Rivendell and he had supported Bilbos nephew with all his might. But the dwarves had fought only when their home, Erebor, had been attacked. And at a high cost. Fili knew that the Iron Hills and Erebor did not have the strength to defend another full scale attack on both again in the next few hundred years. Half their armies had been erased in the attack of the Easterlings and orcs when the One Ring was destroyed. The Blue Mountains were weak as well. Their army was only a few hundred dwarves strong. They only had the advantage of the mountain as a fortress. When they closed the gates, nobody could enter.

The dwarves had become a small and introverted group in Middle Earth, people without much influence. Most men only heard from them in tales and stories and so they faded into legend. Fili, Thorin Stonehelm and Gimli would be the last known male descendants of the great Durin, only Thorin Stonehelm having fathered children. But the line of Durin would of course live on through Thorins daughters, whose children would follow Fili onto the throne one day. Gwen, daughter of Thorin, son of Thrain and her husband Niar were living in Ered Luin and had supported Fili whenever they could. But even they could not fill the void in his life.

A moon before his own death, Fili walked through his kingdom in the Blue Mountains. He passed Thorins Halls as well as Branns Halls. With a sad smile he remembered his uncle and his human wife. They had faded into legend way faster than Fili had expected. His uncle had been the legendary, but mad, king of the dwarves, the greatest king of Durins line, but also the most cursed one. His love to a human woman had becom a tale as wonderful as the tale of Beren and Luthien. But still, most dwarves rather stayed in their mountains and stayed away of humans and elves. Sometimes Fili thought that his line was the only one drawn to non dwarven races.

Thorin had married Brann, Kili had married Tauriel and Gimli was best friends with an elf. Fili frowned as he remembered that his uncle had married a second time, also a woman from the race of men. A woman who had reminded him of Brann. Fili and Dis had warned him, but he had not listened. In the end, the woman had killed him, because she had realised that he still loved Brann and not her. Dis had smiled desperatly and bitterly as she had heard of her brothers death. Only alone in her chambers she had mourned him and had shed tears.

Fili looked at his own life since the death of his uncle. He had never married. He had no friends, for he was king and could only afford advisors. He missed the old times at the side of his brother, but he knew that even if Kili had survived, his love to the elf would have torn him from Filis side.

The king of the Blue Mountains was tired. Tired of life and alone in his grief. He had seeked death, but death had tricked him countless times. As a fierce and strong warrior, king Fili had thrown himself into battle countless times, but no enemy had gifted him with an honorable death.

A hundred years after the destruction of the One ring, Fili, king of the Blue Mountains, died peacefully in his sleep.

#

Fili woke up with a start. He was on a white and warm shore, his feet dangling in the water and sand flowing into his braids. Fili looked up into the bright blue sky and wondered. Where in Durins name was he? Slowly, he sat up and looked down at himself. He was wearing a simple white tunic and dark trousers. And no boots. No boots. Where were his boots? Fili looked around, until his eyes met a pair of naked feet beside him. As he looked up he chocked on air.

'Finally! It took you ages to join us here!' Dis, Filis mother pulled him up as if he was a mere dwarfling and nearly suffocated him in a warm and tight embrace. 'They will be so happy to finally see you again!'

'They?' Fili did not understand. 'Where am I? These are not Mahals Halls!'

'No, they are not.' Dis smiled. 'Who would you want to meet there? We are all here!'

'Who is "we" and how many is "all"?' Fili frowned. 'Amad, please tell me where I am.'

'You are in Valinor, Fili.' Dis told him with a happy smile. 'You are dead, like the rest of us.'

'I realise that.' Fili nodded. 'But why am I at the shore and not in a dark mountain with roaring fires?'

'Ah, Mahal is a very thoughtful Maker.' Dis smiled. 'Brann waited here for your uncle. She was not granted to enter Mahals Halls until he came. But with time, this shore filled with more and more members of our family and Mahal granted us to take this shore as our own. We welcome the souls which pass the shore to the halls of Mahal or the last destination of men, elves and hobbits. And we decided to stay.'

'Stay. Here.' Fili felt lost. He was finally dead. He had the chance to see his family again, but still, it did not feel right. 'I hate the sea. And I hate sand.'

Dis shook her head and smirked. 'You will get used to it. And nobody would force you to stay. We all may come and go as we please. Tauriel moves back and forth and also Bilbo...'

'Bilbo is here?' the thought of the former burglar made Filis eyes gleam. The fact that the she elf was also there, was of no interest to him.

'Yes, he and some of his kin...' they approached the cottage at the rim of the forest and Fili could see two hobbits sitting in front of it, smoking and laughing. As they walked nearer, Fili could hear one of them grumbling.

'Merry?'

'What?'

'I am hungry.'

Fili looked around and found a basket with apples only a few feet beside him. He took an apple and threw it between the hobbits. The two hobbits were startled and the hungry one looked up into the sky with a surprised expression.

Dis chuckled and Fili managed to smile at the clumsy hobbit.

'Merry, Pippin!' Dis called out and made them jump.

'Lady Dis!' they greeted in union.

The hungry one eyed Fili curiously. 'Who is that? He looks grumpy.'

Fili frowned and made the hobbit hide behind his companion.

'This is Fili, my son.' Dis explained to them.

But this time the other hobbit spoke. 'Are you sure, lady Dis? Bilbo told us so much about him. He does not look like Kili's brother. The one Mahal feared to grant to die, for he would only bring mischief into his kingdom of afterlife.'

'I beg your pardon?' Filis mouth gapped open.

'The great Mahal himself held his protecting hand over you, so that you would have a long life.' Dis told him with a scolding look towards the nozy hobbits. 'I can only guess, but maybe he feared that you and your brother would be reunited immediately and turn his kingdom upside down.'

'Have we ever?' Fili could not help but smile. He was angry about the fact that the Maker had protected him from death, while the only thing he had wanted for decades was to die. But on the other hand he was relieved to see his family again.

'We were told that you were like Merry and me. That is - as we were fauntlings, of course.' the hungry hobbit told him cheekily.

'And you are?' Fili asked and caused the hobbits to bow.

'Pippin Took!' the small hobbit grinned. 'At everyone´s service!'

'Meriadoc Brandybuck!' the other one answered and shook his head about his friend´s greeting. 'This is not the correct greeting, Pip.'

'Never mind.' Dis waved her hand. 'Have you seen my other son?'

'He is back there, with her.' Merry pointed behind the cottage.

'Better not go there!' Pippin called after them and sqeaked as Merry apparently hit him over the head. 'What?'

#

'Sweet Mahal, they are really like me and Kili as we were dwarflings.' Fili grinned as he followed his mother around the cottage.

'As you were dwarflings? Very funny.' Dis snorted and peaked around the corner to make sure that they did not disturb Kili and Tauriel. They were not. Tauriel had already left to visit her people and Kili sat on a bench, obviously bored. He threw his runestone up and caught it again, like he had done in the dungeons of Mirkwood. And like back then, it slipped out of his hand and rolled over the floor.

It was Fili who stopped it. Kili's eyes had followed the stone and slowly, his gaze wandered up the foot which had stepped onto his rune stone. Up the leg, the waist, the middle, the shoulders. And then he saw him.

Kili's brow eyes widened and he cried out in surprise, making all the flying creatures of the forest flee into the blue of the sky. Fili nearly fell over as Kili threw himself into his arms and nearly crushed his bones in a tight and never ending embrace. Fili wrapped his arms around his younger brother. Who needed to breathe? They were dead already.

Dis shook her head in amusement and left her sons, who were still hugging each other.

#

'Are they still out there?' Brann asked in worry.

Dis had returned to the cottage long ago, with a happy smile on her face. The sun had already set in Valinor and Fili and Kili were still standing where Dis had left them. Outside of the cottage in each others arms, hugging. None of them had let go of the other.

'They might not be able to die, but they will at least catch a lumbago if they continue hugging themselves like this. We will have two Durins in pain here, I think you know what that means. I swear, the males in this family are the only creatures in Valinor who think they might die simply from a cold. Or a pulled back. Or a splinter in the foot.'

'Oi!' Frerin called over from the table, where he was sitting with his brother Thorin. 'We are not that bad! And the splinter was Merry!'

'Yes, you are.' Brann, Dis and Zial answered simultaneously.

'Wait, you can get sick here?' Fili entered with a bright smile. He had still been the bitter and joyless king when he had arrived in Valinor, but rejoining his brother had done him well. He was able to smile again and his face alread hurt from the forgotten expression.

'Fili!' Thorin and Brann rushed towards him and hugged him, the rest of the family following.

The Maker, Mahal, pinched his nose and sighed. After Merry and Pippin, he now had Fili and Kili within his kingdom. He was not sure if he would survive that.

#

'We are all going to die!'

'We are already dead, you moron!'

'Shut up, Kili!'

'You shut up!'

'Boys! Stop this instant! I will wake up your mother!'

'Too late!'

Thorin covered his face with his pillow and groaned. 'Why, Mahal?'

Brann laughed and grabbed her clothes. 'Your nephews are reunited, the days of peace are over, my love.'

'Why?' Thorin groaned into the pillow and sighed as Brann laughed even harder.

'Come now, my grumpy husband.' Brann pulled the pillow away and kissed her husband on the nose. 'We should look what is going on. It sounds as if the kitchen is on fire.'

Thorin grumbled into his beard and walked out the door, leaving a grinning Brann behind. As she heard Fili and Kili curse and shriek from downstairs, she grinned brightly. Thorin had walked down butt naked.

'Aunt Brann! Get some clothes down this instant! Oh, my eyes!' Kili yelled.

'What? Not the first time I've seen that.' that was Dara's voice.

Brann shook her had in amusement and grabbed Thorin's clothes to throw them into the faces of Dara and Kili.

#

Fili walked down the shore of Valinor and gazed down into the horizon. He was happy and at peace for the first time in ages. He and Kili had nearly burned down the kitchen this morning and Thorin had given them a good scolding while he had gotten dressed.

Fili did not know who had smoldered more, the kitchen or Thorin. He had forgotten how moody Thorin could get if he was woken up too early. This scene had made him remember the happy times of his childhood, when Thorin and Brann were freshly married and had helped his mother Dis raise him and Kili after Lindins death. Dis had been strong and brave, raising them albeit her grief and pain. But today, all this pain was forgotten. They were united in death.

Fili laughed as he felt the weight of his brother crash against his back. The two brothers walked down the shore together, making up for the time they had been apart.

Dis and Thorin stood by the shore and watched them laugh.

'I am so happy.' Dis sighed. 'Who knew that I needed to die to be this happy. And I am so proud of my boys. Thank you so much for raising them with me.'

'You have every right to be proud, little sister.' Thorin smiled. 'And I only supported you. You raised them by yourself. All of this, what they achieved, what they left behind, all of this is you.'

Dis let out a happy sob and embraced her brother.

'Oi! Durin group hug, wait for me!' Frerin yelled and slammed into his brother and sister, almost sending them sprawling onto the sand.

By the cottage, five hobbits stood in the shade and smiled at the united family.

'And you said that nobody was as bad as Merry and Pippin, uncle Bilbo.' a dark haired hobbit with nine fingers stated in amusement.

#

'Wait a minute! You threw Ori's skull down the mines and woke up an army of goblins?' Fili shook his head at Pippins story. 'You got to be joking!'

'I only barely touched the arrow stuck in the skeleton of...Ori? Dear Yavanna, it is scary that you actually knew that dwarf...' Pippin looked pale. 'Was he a friend? Is he here as well? I need to apologise for causing his head to fall off.'

Kili chuckled. 'I am sure that Ori will forgive you. At least you did not damage his hands. He needs them to write. Does he still write?'

'He sent a letter last week. Maybe he will come and visit. Dori and Nori are driving him insane.' Brann informed them. 'He would be grateful for some inspiration. He wanted to write about the journey of the one ring.'

'We can help him with that!' Pippin bounced up and down in excitement. 'We remember the whole journey! And we will not exaggerate, we promise!'

'I will not exaggerate, I would not say the same for Pip.' Merry grinned.

'We will invited Ori over, soon.' Brann promised and smlied as she had an idea. 'When we are at it...we should invite both companies. The company of Thorin Oakenshield and the fellowship of the ring. We are all family.'

'A great idea, my love.' Thorin smiled and rubbed his hands. 'I look forward to meet this great king of men, Aragorn.'

'I am not sure if both your egos would fit into this cottage, my king.' Brann smiled. 'But I also look forward meeting little Gimli again.'

'Little Gimli?!' Pippin spit out his ale and Merry laughed. 'Litttle Gimli!'

'Oh dear, I am afraid that Gimli has a new nickname now.' Dis sighed.

'Better than elf friend Gimli.' Thorin grumbled and earned a playful slap from Brann.

'Legolas, his mother and Tauriel will also be here. Behave, my bear.' she scolded him.

'Speaking of bear, what of Beorn?' Kili asked his brother.

'Beorn is with his family.' Fili informed him. 'But I do no know where the skinchangers stay in Valinor.'

'None of us does.' Brann shook her head. 'They may be with us all the time, in their animal forms.'

'I have three hairs on my chst, I am a bear...' Pippin began to sing. 'What?'

The cottage burst into laughter and Mahal slammed his forehead into his hands.

A little fluff for New Years. TheOppositeOfSinister asked for a Fili/Kili reunion and there it is :) Happy New Year everyone!