A/N: Thanks so much for the continued interest and patience guys! I can't tell you how much it means to me, you guys are truly amazing! And I'm terribly sorry about how long the chapter took; the writing/editing just wasn't cooperating. In the future, I will update at least once a month, if not more, so expect to see a lot of progress!

Special thanks goes to my mom for explaining/describing the process of buying and selling a house.


Chapter 6: Cracks on the Surface

He glanced at the clock, acknowledging the time that read there- 5:47.

They would be cutting it close.

Shoving aside the empty roll of shipping paper, Thorin smoothed a white mailing label onto the brown surface, the sense that he was out of time prompting him to increase his pace. Of the three boxes, only one remained to be wrapped.

"Dis, I need another roll of that paper!" he commanded.

"There's one behind you," Dis answered, swiftly filling in the required information on the label. "What time is your flight?"

"Seven forty-five. But there's still customs, and getting the boxes checked in," Thorin muttered. It would be a miracle if he managed to avoid encountering any delays.

Tossing a smile in his direction, Dis said reassuringly, "We have plenty of time."

Grunting, dismissing her consolations, he didn't give voice to his thoughts. He would need to contact Fili, see if he had managed to talk to Kili, and have his nephew arrange a meeting for tomorrow. It was imperative that a decision be made about whether or not to seek help from Gandalf's friend, but even more so, he needed to look into the files. Dis had titled Nori a hacker, but the truth was that the man was an expert in computer forensics and a general technology whiz (who also happened to dabble on the wrong side of the law). Giving him the benefit of the doubt, Thorin wasn't always comfortable with turning a blind eye to his employee's vices, but he needed him, if only to produce answers where others couldn't.

Once he arrived at home though, he would take the boxes to the company. Sleep wasn't for him tonight, too many questions revolved around his head, and until he looked over Frerin's data again, for himself, he wouldn't be able to relax.

"Is there anything else you need to take?" Dis asked, capping the sharpie and surveying the three boxes.

"No, this is all." Hoisting up the first box, Thorin loaded it in Dis' car, before coming back for the other two. Everything he had brought with him, from his original trip to visit Gandalf, had already been packed. All that was left to do now was go to the airport.

"Dis, are you ready?" he called, returning to the house.

"Yes," she replied, coming to the entry way. Holding the door for her, Thorin preceded her to the car, getting in on the passenger side as she locked the front door. Taking the driver's seat, Dis backed out smoothly, the silence lasting only until they had started down the road.

"I'll keep you informed on how selling the house goes," Dis offered.

"You've already made arrangements?" Thorin asked, surprised that she would've taken the initiative.

"Not yet, I was waiting to tell the boys, but now that they know I'll be starting the process."

"Have you spoken to a realtor?" he queried. "Or even decided where you'll move to?"

Dis nodded. "Yes, I've spoken to one, and I'm going to stay here. My home is here, and I've already found a place on the other side of town that fits my needs."

"Did you make an offer on it?"

She tossed a grin in his direction. "That'd be a little premature of me, don't you think?" she teased lightly.

"If you're serious then it's best to get it taken care of," Thorin answered nonchalantly. "The earlier the process is started, the easier it will be."

Subtly rolling her eyes at his solemnity, she replied drily, "Yes, Thorin, I made an offer. We'll be negotiating further, but it's in escrow. I'll be meeting with the bank and signing the papers later this week."

"Good. Do you-?"

She cut him off from voicing the thought. "No, Thorin. I don't need your help paying for it. I have more than enough to cover it, and once I sell the house I'll have a comfortable amount to live off of."

"And have you decided how you want to sell your house?" he pressed, bringing the conversation back to her first statement, filing away her answer for future reference.

Exhaling, she admitted, "No."

"Then let me handle it," Thorin requested, lowering his voice.

It would be hard on her, selling the house and moving away from it, though she concealed the fact well. He remembered the enraptured look on her face the day she came home and announced her engagement. A surge of pride had filled him at the news and Frerin's grin had been wide enough to split his face in two. Her joy had only increased tenfold after marriage, and it had continued to grow with the birth of her sons. Although her happiness had faded in volume, the deaths of husband and brother taking their toll, the house was still the house that she had shared with her spouse, and Thorin didn't want to make things any harder on her than they were already bound to be.

Biting the inside of her cheek, a troubled expression edging in on her carefully shielded emotions, she nodded firmly. "All right. But you better promise to keep me posted."

"I wouldn't dare to do otherwise," he replied, a small smile quirking up the corners of his mouth.

"Just what I want to hear," she responded, returning his smile.


Parting with Dis at the security check point, Thorin was grudgingly relieved at how smoothly things had gone. There hadn't been any complications with getting the boxes checked in, and the security was a breeze, leaving well over fifteen minutes until the boarding call came. More than enough time to call Fili and relay his directions, and have the meetings arranged for tomorrow.

"Fili, are you at home?"

"Yes, I am."

"Good. I need you to contact Balin and Dwalin, tell them I want to speak with them in the morning, and that it's confidential. Then I need you to speak to Nori, and have him ready to come in tomorrow afternoon to look over those files that Balin has been going over."

"Is there any particular reason I should give him?" Fili questioned, jumping in on Thorin's momentary pause, knowing that his uncle usually liked to provide an idea of what he needed from his subordinates.

"For now, it's just general, I'll be able to give him more details once I've seen the problem myself," Thorin replied heavily.

"Anything else?" Fili asked.

"And send out word that there'll be a general meeting, for tomorrow evening, but only among my group of confidantes. It's not a mandatory meeting, so for those who are dealing with business out of town, they don't need to come."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Thorin confirmed.

"Did your trip go well?" With the purpose of the call completed, Fili relaxed into conversation, albeit, in a faint hope of satisfying his curiosity as to Thorin's reasons.

"Gandalf proved worthwhile, once again," Thorin conceded. "Although I can't say I'm fond of his suggestion. But we'll decide tomorrow how to respond to it. For now, I'm glad that collecting Frerin's data went well."

"You visited Dis?" Fili asked, surprised, not having been aware before of Thorin's side trip.

"It would've been easier if you'd been there when I called," Thorin gruffly reprimanded, pretending to scold, comfortable with having some fun with his nephew now that he didn't have any important matters pressing upon him. "I was hoping to catch you before you left, or even your brother, but I was too late in both cases. Did you get a chance to speak to him about what I asked you to?"

"Yes," Fili replied slowly. "I don't know how I did in explaining it, but he's attune to it."

"You're certain?"

"Well, he didn't say it outright, but it was obvious."

"If you're positive," Thorin replied doubtfully. "But we'll talk about this in more detail. I want to make sure he's ready, and is aware, before I bring him in."

Fili didn't respond, and Thorin released a slow breath, rubbing the side of his nose. This wasn't about him questioning Fili's word. This was about inviting Kili to be a part of his work. The quiet on the other end of the line told him everything he needed to know, and he could only hope that the bone-headed stubbornness of his nephews would be overcome.

Mercifully, an announcement, warning that the plane would begin boarding in five minutes, came over the speakers.

"Fili, my flight leaves in a few minutes, and like I said a moment ago, we'll discuss this later. I'll see you in the morning."

"See you then," Fili replied, the line clicking as the call ended.


oOo oOo oOo


"I'll text you the details tonight," Gimli informed, lightly tossing his car keys from hand to hand as they left "Lights Out", the local laser tag zone.

The sunset was far along into its last stages, twilight tingeing the eastern sky indigo, turning the western mid-height mauve where the colors merged. The chill that had pervaded the air during the spring was almost non-existent, a key indicator to the approach of summer, encouraging youth to stay out longer, and bringing a more exuberant sensation of life to the city. It also promised that tomorrow night would be a good night for the midnight premier.

Their shadows fading the further they walked from the building, skirting a rush of hyper teenagers heading in, the conversation between them had dropped drastically from the level it had been earlier as they prepared to go their separate ways.

Glancing at Kili out of the corner of his eye, he asked probingly, "Have you asked your girl yet?"

Rolling his eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets, Kili's gaze went to the sky, keeping his voice studiously joking as he replied. "Seriously? You've been keeping me busy all evening! I haven't even had the chance!"

"Well, get on it then!" Gimli retorted. "But I expect to hear her answer tonight, that way I can make plans accordingly."

"If she says no, I won't text you," Kili rejoined impishly.

Examining his friend, considering him, Gimli recognized that Kili had something on his mind, and didn't want to talk about it. As much as he would've loved to pry it out of him, he reluctantly decided to leave it alone. Kili could be notoriously closed mouth when the mood took him.

"You'll be hearing from me," Gimli pointed out, pretending to threaten him.

"So you've said," Kili smirked.

Shaking his head with a grin, Gimli headed for his truck, calling over his shoulder, "See you tomorrow!"

Waving to the red head's back, Kili withdrew his own keys from his pocket, and went to his car. Moodily climbing in, a shadow falling over his face, the thoughts he'd been holding at bay swirled into prominence. Damn Fili, him and all his superior ways, for telling him about Middle-Earth and Thorin's Dysfunctional Reality theory. He didn't need to have it cutting in on his life any more than it already did. If knowing about it prompted reactions as strong and vivid as the one he'd had this afternoon, then he wasn't sure if he wanted to be a part of it.

Thoughts analyzing the vision he'd had at the archery range, he pulled onto the road, the familiar thrum of energy from his car having a calming effect. The fifteen minute drive back to his apartment would be plenty of time to ponder the issue at hand.

While Gimli was around, it had been easy to ignore all inklings of Middle-Earth, tucking away all thoughts of it until later. Did Fili experience it this strongly? Was it even normal to have one play to a majority of his senses? If it happened like this once, would it only become even more powerful? Or was this just a fluke?

Stopping for a red light, he slumped down in the seat, fingers drumming the steering wheel furiously, a physical vent for his racing mind. It didn't make sense as to why it had been so clear. Before, they had always been vague, fleeting, something easily ignored again. Nameless, it had only been a random, unexplainable occurrence, an abnormality that hardly called for professional opinion. With a name it became a vast, wondrous, possibility that couldn't be fully grasped.

But he needed answers. Answers that he would have to acquire on his own. Going to Thorin or Fili was not an option, it was too likely that they would hedge around the matter, and he didn't know if he could approach Dis about it. He hadn't thought to ask Fili if Dis was sensitive to it before he left. Even if she did know, though, he wouldn't ask, simply because he didn't want to put her in the position of having to go behind the other's backs.

Parking in his spot, Kili jogged to his door, taking the stairs three at a time as a result, in a hurry now that action could be taken. Impatiently unlocking the door, pulling out his phone as he stepped in, he thumbed it open as he headed to the kitchen to rummage something up for dinner. Settling for the pizza he'd picked up the night before, he placed the remaining slices on a plate and popped them into the microwave.

Leaning against the counter, he found Tauriel's number and opened messages. It was dismal how few there were, with a total of three, and only the top text exceeding ten words.

Thumb hovering over the keyboard, Kili briefly considered his options before typing out the message that seemed to be the least painful. At the very least, it would tell him whether or not he should proceed to directly ask her to go on a date. And if her answer was negative, then no harm done, and he could forget about the double-date with Gimli and his girl. Maybe if he got the courage again, he would even ask Tauriel out again at a future point in time. Sending it, satisfied with his decision, he pocketed his phone.

Reclaiming his warmed pizza, Kili took it with him into his room, and set up his laptop. First thing first, see what the internet knew about Dysfunctional Reality.

His plan of action was simple: Begin with the obvious, a.k.a. Dysfunctional Reality, and work his way down until he found something. Middle-Earth, de` ja vu, warped reality, alternate universes, those would be his starting points, the keywords to search. And if they produced nothing, than he would use another angle, see what came up when he googled his uncle and brother, even Thorin's company if it came down to it. Whatever it took to get a lead.

But it turned out that such extremes were not necessary.

Slumping in the folding chair he kept at his desk, tucking a leg underneath him, Kili typed 'Dysfunctional Reality' into the search bar, the white Google page disappearing after a few seconds to be replaced by web links. Pages' describing reality TV shows came up, information on dysfunctional families, the definition of the word dysfunctional, and quotes telling the truth of reality; senseless facts that merely served to delay him. Scrolling through, fragments of articles, brief glimpses of phrases, caught his eye, each becoming more pointless and unnecessary than the last. Fili had said that there were thousands out there who belonged on Middle-Earth, most unaware of their bereaved heritage, and it looked like no one had taken the time to put it on the World Wide Web.

Clicking through the results, his eye was drawn to a site titled 'Reality Displaced', and eagerly opened it.

The home page loaded swiftly, immediately confirming the fact that it contained information on what he wanted, proclaiming it with the opening question: "Ever get a sense of de `ja vu, or the feeling that this isn't the right world?" Poorly phrased as the question was, it's only purpose being to attract people who had experienced those situations, the rest of the page wasn't bad, although it didn't tell Kili anything that Fili hadn't already told him.

Roughly designed, visible evidence of being a work in progress, it was hardly flashy or eye catching. In the upper right hand corner, there was a live chat window, allowing conversation between guests and a chance for moderators to answer questions more in depth, but the purpose of the site was explaining the essentials of Dysfunctional Reality.

Surprisingly, there was nothing written that mentioned Thorin's involvement in discovering, and making known, the existence of Middle-Earth. And a quick glance at the other tabs on the site informed him that it was the same throughout. It only told the basics of how the theory worked and how to recognize symptoms.

Browsing the site, skim reading and acknowledging that it contained information he already knew, Kili paused at the top of the page, examining the live chat feature. The time stamp indicated that activity had become sluggish, but the number telling how many people who on the site suggested that there were still others around. Mentally shrugging, reassured that it was open to anonymous guests partaking in the chat feature, Kili entered an unassuming name (following the nature of the ones already in use) and typed out a message:

LaserArcher"Anyone miss home?"

Prepared to wait a few minutes, expecting it really, he was amazed at how quickly a response came back.

TechnoFreak "Yeah. Had a 'moment'?"

Pausing, a frown creasing his brows, Kili didn't want to outright claim yes, when he had no idea what the other guy, "TechnoFreak", was talking about.

LaserArcher"…Maybe…"

TechnoFreak"Have you had any before?"

LaserArcher"I'm not sure. "

TechnoFreak"PM me."

Leaving the main page, it took some trial and error to figure out how to access the private messaging, causing some doubt on whether it would work as a guest, followed by another pause as he considered what to enter into the body of the message.

LaserArcher

"How can you tell when you've had a 'moment'?"

TechnoFreak

"Firstly, are you familiar with the term 'Dysfunctional Reality'?"

LaserArcher

"Yeah, I know of it."

TechnoFreak

"So a 'moment' is the term we use to describe when Dysfunctional Reality has happened. Namely, the moment when someone, such as yourself, encounters it."

LaserArcher

"Does it ever happen as more than just a feeling?"

TechnoFreak

"You've experienced more? Just a suggestion, but you should talk to Wisecrack, he knows more about this stuff than I do. You gonna be here a while?"

LaserArcher

"I'm not going anywhere."

TechnoFreak

"I'll have him message you. Expect to hear from him in less than 10."

Sitting back, exhaling sharply, Kili ran a restless hand through his hair, pushing it back from his face. So far so good. If "Wisecrack" could provide answers to his questions, it would exceed his expectations and save him the chore of trying to dig up more information.

Guiltily recalling that he'd texted Tauriel, Kili snatched up his phone, excitement pulsing through him when he saw that she had replied. Hope surged through him, a grin stealing across his face, as he typed back his reply.


oOo oOo oOo


Locking the planetarium door behind her, Tauriel slipped the key into her pocket, gaze going to the sky to search for the first stars of the evening. Polaris wouldn't be visible yet. Contrary to common belief, it wasn't the brightest star in the sky, Sirius held that distinction. But it wouldn't be seen in the summer sky. Though it was the time of day when one could hope to see it, the dusk well progressed towards night, the setting sun was bright enough to block it out. Given another couple of hours, it would be momentarily visible, and by then the constellations would be detectable.

Flipping her hair behind her shoulder, Tauriel continued looking up as she walked to her car, the shadowed branches of the trees weaving a crisscross pattern, leaving patches for the violet azure sky to peep through, not noticing the car that waited beside hers.

Tonight would be a good time for star gazing, she mused. She'd have to double check the lunar chart, but she was confident that it was waning.

"Tauriel."

The quiet voice jolted her from her contemplations, drawing her gaze to the figure who had stepped out of the other car. Expression as grave as ever, eyes dark in the late light, pale hair swept back, it was a surprise to see her friend there, but this wasn't the first time he had shown up unexpectedly. If she'd been paying attention, she would've recognized his white FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept before he had to say anything.

"Legolas," she greeted, a fond tone entering her voice and a small smile tilting up the corners of her lips. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering me," he explained, holding up his iPhone for clarity. Shutting the door, he crossed his arms and moved to lean against the back of his car. Studying her, keen eyes easily reading her, his voice held no accusation as he questioned, "Why have you been avoiding me?"

"I was busy," she answered quietly, deftly turning aside the question. "I had classes today, and I need to work. I haven't exactly had a lot of free time on my hands."

A slight smile appeared, and he pointed out cunningly. "Since yesterday, Tauriel? I'm not that oblivious," he added, silently informing her that she could trust him, that it was okay to put her confidence in him.

Subconsciously adjusting her purse, the fringe of her side bangs falling into her face; Tauriel replied coolly, "It's nothing."

A soft chime, followed by a vibration that ran from her handbag to her shoulder, filled the void in the conversation. Not glancing at him, she pulled out the mobile device, faint color rising when she read the name on the screen.

"Something of interest?" Legolas asked casually, watching her closely.

Glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, catching the sharp under current to his words, she swiftly read the text message, biting her lower lip to keep from blushing any more than she already was. The text read: "Kinda short notice, but are you available tomorrow night? –Kili"

"Just from a friend," she answered neutrally, her voice coming out faint in the effort to control it.

"It is the same friend from yesterday?" Legolas pressed, arching an eyebrow, playing along with her decision to act as if it was inconsequential.

Shooting him a look, she refused to answer, knowing that he would already have figured it out with or without a reply. Flipping the phone open, her fingers hovered over the keypad, hesitating a second before typing out her response: "Maybe, why?"

Sending it off, she faced Legolas with a hand on her hip, teasing him as she used her childhood name for him. "Lego, are you jealous? Because I am an adult now, and fully capable of being on my own."

He made a face, composure slipping at the distasteful nickname. Most of their childhood had been spent in each other's company, alternating between playing each other's favorite games and arguing over whose turn it was to decide. But when Tauriel had first learned how his name was spelled, she had immediately christened him Lego, to which he had retaliated by calling her Tar. And the names had stuck. Until they became teens, they were referred to collectively as Lego and Tar. But the names had swiftly ended when they realized that the nicknames were no longer conventional.

"I don't know, Tar," he replied drily. "As the elder by two years, I believe my actions are justifiable."

Grinning slightly, shaking her head, Tauriel removed her keys from her purse, fiddling with them, and joined him in leaning against his car, the quiet jingle filling the silence. "All right," she conceded, nudging him with her shoulder. "What is it that you came to say?"

Ducking his head to hide a smirk, amused by how well she knew him, chest rising in a small sigh, he scuffed the ground thoughtfully. "My father wants you to come over for dinner. He's not pleased with how you've been keeping your distance," he explained lowly.

"What time do I need to be over?" Tauriel asked resignedly, knowing that it wouldn't be wise to ignore the summons.

Checking the time on his iPhone, Legolas confided humorously, "Initially, you were supposed to arrive by seven, but seeing as that's eight minutes away, I think seven thirty will be acceptable."

"All right, let me run home and change, and I'll see you there," she replied, giving him a hug before going to her car. As she unlocked it, Legolas opened his car, keeping an eye on her to make sure she wasn't locked out. Once she was in, he waved and pulled out. Waiting until his taillights were out of sight, she refrained from pulling out her phone and looking at Kili's response although she desperately wanted to, preferring to make absolutely certain that he wouldn't see her actions.

Impatient anxiety influencing her pulse, making it speed up, a small grin crossed her face, warmth filling her as she read the message.

"I'd like to take you out to dinner and then a movie. As a way of thank you."

"Is that all?" she typed back, nerves on end by the boldness of her answer. She could easily picture him clumsily trying to phrase it right, his expression a mixture of eager shyness, brown eyes soft with fervor. Though it was a reaction equal to a school girl, she found her thoughts straying into daydreams, imagining conversations with him, learning about his life, and maybe even having her love reciprocated. But as much as she enjoyed her fantasies, she also tried to keep them at an arms distance, sensibly reminding herself that this was not a fate guided romance out of a fairytale.

And strangers shouldn't be trusted.

Setting the cell phone on the dash, where she could easily see it when he replied, she backed out, heading for home, certain in the knowledge that for all of her reasoning, she couldn't resist the allure of her dark eyed stranger.


oOo oOo oOo


Returning to the laptop, he suddenly sat upright, startled, and jolted back into the purpose that had first driven him here. Three minutes had not yet passed since "TechnoFreak" had last messaged him, but "Wisecrack" had already contacted him.

Wisecrack

"Hey, Techno said I should talk to you. So what's up?"

LaserArcher

"I had a 'moment' that's what. Ever experienced one as more than just a feeling?"

Wisecrack

"Occasionally. I'll need more details though."

LaserArcher

"Okay, how about your friend turning into a medieval warrior fighting a feral beast?"

Wisecrack

"Sound and everything, not just visual?"

LaserArcher

"Yep. Got any info on it?"

Wisecrack

"Well, that takes the cake. Can't say I've had any like that, so sorry, I don't. Have there been more than one like that?"

LaserArcher

"No, it was the first."

Wisecrack

"Interesting. Do you have moments often?"

LaserArcher

"On and off, not usually though."

Wisecrack

"Any triggers?"

LaserArcher

"Don't know. Explain?"

Wisecrack

"A trigger is something that almost always brings about a reaction. Places, circumstances, faces, a sound… It can be pretty much anything. It's believed that triggers happen because of their connection between a person and Middle-Earth, it's just an idea now, but it's proven consistent so far."

His talk with Fili. Kili scowled at the screen, a thought nagging him, trying to remember anything that would confirm it. Was it possible Fili was a trigger? He wasn't sure; there were a handful of moments where he could specifically recall sensing something, and in the case of the enhanced vision from the afternoon, that he could directly relate to being influenced from the conversation to the airport.

LaserArcher

"In that case, no, but I know what led to it. You must get a lot of practice giving answers."

Wisecrack

"Lol, not really. Usually I talk to people who are hearing about it for the first time, although I can't say I'm the greatest at that position. How about you though, what brought you to this site?"

LaserArcher

"My brother was giving me gyp, so I came looking for answers."

Wisecrack

"I hear you. Haven't gotten along with my own sib in years."

LaserArcher

"Hey, here's another question for you, will 'moments' always come in this fashion?"

Wisecrack

"You mean with such clarity? Chances are no. I've had a couple that were strong visual warps, complete change of scenery and clothing style. But they weren't twice in a row, and haven't affected the normal ones."

LaserArcher

"Do you know if it's possible? Or know of anyone to continue having them like that?"

Wisecrack

"Hey, I only dabble with computer coding and enjoy virtual chats, I hardly know everything. If you get lucky and end up being the rare person who can feel Middle-Earth so closely, then you'll be the first that I've heard of."

Kili grinned slightly, getting the sense that "Wisecrack" was gently reminding him that he was only human, and was wary of Kili misunderstanding him. Satisfied that his questions had been reassured for now, he typed back:

LaserArcher

"Fair enough."

Wisecrack

"Don't forget to inform me if you do, haha ;)"

LaserArcher

"Totally lol. So what prompted you to create this site?"

Wisecrack

"Well, let's just say I've been helping to work on the inside for years. Have you had a chance to research the whole 'Theory'?"

I'm going to be; Kili mused, but kept his answer simple.

LaserArcher

"No, I haven't."

Wisecrack

"Tell you what then, look up Reality_of_Middle-Earth. It should take you to a site called Oakenshield. You'll know it's the right one if it has a page about Thorin Durinson. Now, the main site itself doesn't talk about Dysfunctional Reality, but I can give you a promo code that'll give you access to those pages. You'll find everything you'll need to know."

"If only you knew," Kili commented aloud wryly.

He imagined the response he'd receive if he confessed that Thorin was his uncle would be highly comical. It was almost tempting to see what would happen, but he didn't. The promo code would be of help and he dutifully jotted it down. If the details of Middle-Earth were hidden as "Wisecrack" had claimed, then that would explain why he'd had so much trouble finding anything about it.

LaserArcher

"Okay."

Wisecrack

"I gotta go, but hit me up the next time you're on, or if you have any questions Techno is usually around, or you could talk to Logistic. But I'll see you around next time."

Wisecrack's icon went dark, signaling that he had left, and a moment later Kili closed his browser.

Disinclined to continue chatting, not that he had anything against "TechnoFreak", he was content with the outcome of his search. Setting the promo code where he could see it, Kili deviated from his course to the living room, to drop his plate off in the sink, before relocating to the couch. Sprawling across the breadth of it, using the remote to select the next episode from the list of recorded programs, he hit play. Checking to see Tauriel's reply, as the show went through its theme song; he was in time to see the screen light up with a new message.

"Is that all?"

Grinning slightly, amused by tease in her words, he typed back:

"If you really want to know… but I kind of want to surprise you, so could you just give me an answer?"

Abrupt as it was, there was a wait of several minutes before two messages came in quick succession.

The first one read: "Is that supposed to reassure me? Didn't your mother teach you about strangers?"

And the second one said, in a milder tone: "But yes, I'll go with you. And, I reserve the right to say no for any reason."

"My mother did warn me about strangers, but I don't think the warnings apply one's rescuer. And let me reassure you in that it's a double date, so hopefully you won't have to say no. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow," he sent back with a grin.

Switching to Gimli's number, he confirmed, "We'll be there tomorrow."


oOo oOo oOo


It was past midnight by the time Thorin arrived at his company's building. Oakenshield was the face of his business, presenting a front on two bases, the main one being a security division, selling to Homeland Defense, with the secondary branch a defense research facility. A majority of the employees, though, were unaware of its real purpose, of the fact that his degree in weapons technology meant little to him and that he would have long ago dedicated his entire resources into his life's project. Approximately less than thirty percent were even sensitive to Middle-Earth. It was hard to say, but he estimated that about half of that percentage knew about his search for it.

Driving up to the back of the dark building, Thorin unlocked the back door and fetched a moving dolly, unloading the boxes from the back of his car and toting them inside.

No light illuminated the interior, the silence heavy as a tomb, but Thorin was at ease in the familiar halls of his company. When he had first taken up Frerin's work, he had struggled to find balance between the project and the work he had studied for. It had been mere chance, and a blessing in disguise, when he'd found the commonality of the two, and forged a path that swiftly turned out answers. With over twenty-five years' worth of time being poured into it, one could say that the results were insignificant, but Thomas Edison had argued against that opinion perfectly when he had said: "I have not failed, I've just found ten thousand ways that don't work."

Taking the elevator up to his office floor, Thorin's eyes narrowed, expression becoming grim, rage curdling in his stomach as his knuckles whitened around the dolly's handle. Mid-way down the hall, the door to his office stood open, a broad band of light falling across the dark floor. Barely audible sounds came from within the room, enough to tell him that someone was there.

Abandoning the dolly, he carefully opened the elevator's fire extinguisher case, taking out the emergency crowbar. Impromptu weapon in hand, he stalked towards the intruder.


A/N: I'll be editing this chapter again later, there's a lot that I skimmed over (kind of under the weather here, so I'm rather out of it). Thanks for reading, and I'll see you guys in the next month! Until then.