Thanks again to all of you who are following the story. I hope you are enjoying it. Thank you also for your kind comments. Several of you have given me a few ideas to add a little more depth to the story. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

Tauriel was pleased with her new clothes. They felt so much better than the ones she had outgrown. She had kept mostly to green outfits. They reminded her of the green wood's where she had lived her entire life. However, she had picked out a dark blue tunic that reminded her of the tunic Kili had been wearing when she first met him.

She loved strolling through the woods at night, just outside her apartment. She would gaze into the starlight and whisper to her stomach in Sindarin, the legends and stories of her people, her child's people.

She rubbed at the bump that was her child. It had recently started moving and kicking and she was awestruck by the movements she felt in the swell of her stomach. The child was so alive.

Tonight she sat in a small clearing, looking up into the night. Her hands rested on her stomach and she felt the movements of the child. She wondered about him. As far as she was aware, there were no other half dwarf, half elf children. She had heard of several elf and men children and she had heard a few stories of dwarf/men children, but she could not recall any dwarf/elf children. She wondered if the child would be tall like an elf, or shorter, like a dwarf. Would it have her flame red hair or Kili's dark brown? Would it have Kili's hands? Would it be able to grow a beard? There were so many unknowns.

She worried for her small child and wondered if he would ever be accepted by Fili or his people. The only way the child would ever be accepted was if Fili accepted it first. The others would follow Fili if he did. Right? She only could hope. The child did not deserve to grow up being hated by his own kin. But to be honest, she wasn't sure if her own people would be any better.

Tauriel heard a noise. She turned her head, closed her eyes and listened. Heavy footsteps were coming her way. Three sets of dwarf footsteps by the sounds of it. They were a noisy bunch. She backed away, into the shadows and waited for them to pass. Tauriel recognized one of the dwarfs as they got closer. It was Nori. She didn't know the other two.

"Can you believe we've got a stinking elf living under the mountain?" one of the dwarves said. "What's this new king thinking?"

"Thorin," hiccupped the other dwarf, "never would have allowed it. He would have sent that elf scum right back where it belongs, to that spider-riddled Mirkwood."

"And, word has it she's pregnant with a dwarf's baby. What dwarf in his right mind would even think of doing that with an elf? It's disgusting," the first dwarf said.

Tauriel felt her face flush in anger. How dare they say that? She knew better than to do anything, though. She could never betray Fili's trust by attacking one of his subjects. She closed her eyes and tried to force the words out of her mind. She thought of Kili's face. His wonderfully handsome face, deep voice and gentle touch. Kili had loved her. She concentrated on that.

"That baby of hers should be thrown into the lake. No abomination like that should be allowed to live." The second dwarf spoke.

Tauriel was furious now. Those dwarves could say what they wanted about her, but they had no right to say that about her baby. She felt her fists ball up in fury.

"Oh, look, Nori's not talking," the first dwarf laughed. "What's the matter Nori? Oh, wait, you're a friend of the elf-loving king, aren't you?" They both laughed. "You probably agreed with him giving protection to this horrid elf and her brat." The dwarf grabbed Nori. "Don't you!"

Nori pulled himself free. "Don't you dare say anything against Fili ever again!" Nori spat in anger.

"What's wrong Nori? Is the little abomination yours?" The second dwarf shoved Nori.

"Protecting the elf, are you?" They pushed him again. Nori fell.

"Protecting the elf and my king? Yes I am!" and with that, Nori launched himself at the other two dwarves. They all fell to the ground. There was a lot of shouting. Fists and feet were flying. Tauriel debated getting involved. After all, it was her they were so angry about. Moments later Tauriel watched as one of the dwarves caught Nori and held his arms back. The other dwarf punched Nori in the stomach. He fell against the dwarf holding him. They were about to deliver another blow to Nori's face when suddenly the dwarf felt a cold knife at his throat.

He froze. Nori looked up to see Tauriel, her head close to the dwarf's ear, her dagger at his neck.

"I don't think that's a good idea, do you?" she whispered.

In the stunned astonishment of the two dwarves, Nori was able to whip around and grab the dwarf who had been holding his arms. The dwarf groaned in pain as Nori held his arm at an odd angle, tightly behind his back.

Nori growled. "Don't you ever speak out against my king, my friend, or her child, cause if you ever do, you will meet my fists just before being locked into the dungeons for treason. Get me?" He pulled at the dwarf's arm again.

There was a strangled cry of agreement from the captive dwarves. Nori and Tauriel let go of the other two. They both fell to the ground in surprise before picking themselves up and running off.

Nori was ginning until he looked at Tauriel. "I could have handled it," Nori said.

"I know," Tauriel smiled. "But with the baby, I've been feeling rather sluggish lately and I wanted to see if I could still sneak up on my prey and get a knife at his throat without him noticing and I was very pleased to find out that I still can."

Nori grinned at her. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"No, thank you, for sticking up for me. I knew when I asked Fili if I could stay that this wouldn't be easy. I don't like anyone saying rude things about me, but I can handle it. But when they are hateful towards my child," Tauriel let the sentence hang in the air for a moment, "that I can't stand. No one can say those awful things about my baby."

Tauriel wiped a tear from her cheek. Nori didn't say anything. He wiped his hand at his lip. It was bleeding.

"You're hurt?" she asked.

"Just a scratch," Nori replied.

"Come back with me. I've got an herb you can put on that lip." Tauriel started walking to the small cave that led back to her apartment.

"That's not necessary," Nori said, but followed her anyway to the hidden door. He never would have known the door was there and strongly suspected she was the only one who could access it.

Her apartment lamps bathed the room in a soft, golden glow, much like her quarters in Thranduil's kingdom had been. She opened a chest and pulled out a linen bundle. From the bundle, she produced an herb leaf. She placed it into his hand.

"Hold this over your lip. It will stop the bleeding and reduce the swelling."

Nori did as he was told. "Tauriel, I'm sorry about what you probably heard."

"What? You sticking up for me?"

"No. Me not sticking up for you sooner. I let them say a whole lot of mean, rotten things and I'm sorry I didn't stop them earlier."

Tauriel smiled. "It's alright, Nori. It's an awful position for you to be in. I'm sure you have no love for me after what I did to you all in the forest and if we're honest, you probably feel about me the way your two friends did."

Nori's head snapped up. He had felt like that, until he heard them saying those things out loud, then he realized how awful it was. How awful they were. How awful he had been. "I don't hate you. I'm mad at you for keeping us locked up and I hate Thranduil, but I don't hate you." He truly felt sorry.

"Thank you, Nori," she said.

Nori nodded and smiled. Then he turned and left her. From that moment on, the dwarf and the elf held each other in higher esteem.