I've posted this twice and only now noticed that it hasn't bee showing up so if you are interested, here is where i would post updates if chapters are taking longer than usual.
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Kili POV

My body begged for rest after riding all day on the pony. Gandalf called to set up camp from the lead and I gratefully slipped out of the saddle. It seemed everyone was a little sore because there rest of the company broke out in groans and curses. Only Tauriel seemed to be unfazed by the long ride. I stretched my back and unsaddled Lily. Dwalin was quick to get a fire going and Ori helped Bofur to get dinner started. The rest of us tended to the ponies until they were brushed down and fed. I finally sat down near the fire and stretched out to lay my head on the soft grass.

"How does your leg feel?" I had to suppress my groan as Tauriel stood over me. Gandalf had gotten her all worked up and worried over my wound.

"As I've said numerous times today, it is fine." I raised my head to look at her. It was difficult to be annoyed with her when she looked so concerned, but being asked the same question numerous times in one day starts to get irritating. When my answer did not ease her worry I smiled. "My back on the other hand is in desperate need of a massage."

"Kili, I am serious," she said sternly. I groaned.

"Gandalf! I'm going to punch you right in the beard," I laid my head back down and closed my eyes. "Tauriel, you healed it yourself, it is fine."

"I am not a practiced healer. If it is causing you any discomfort, it should be looked at." She continued to argue.

"Well, I can pull down my trousers for you to take a look, but I feel that may be a tad bit inappropriate." I fought back. The company broke into laughter but Tauriel was silent. I became worried that I would open my eyes to find a very angry elf glaring at me, so I kept them closed.

"Do not fear, young Tauriel," I heard the wizard speak. "If he hasn't been turned into a wraith by now, it is doubtful that the process will happen."

"I'm not so sure Gandalf," I mumbled. "I'm getting some dark signals telling me to light your hat on fire."

"You are a stubborn little.." he raised his voice at me.

"You are the bloody one who got her all worked up and now you're agreeing that I'm fine?!" I finally opened my eyes to glare at him.

"I merely suggested that you allow Lord Elrond to inspect the wound!"

"Which I will bloody do, but we can't do much about it now can we?" I challenged.

"Maybe there is something wrong with him," Fili walked to stand beside me. "You are rather cranky tonight."

"You could try giving me a hug." I didn't expect him to actually act on it, but the next moment I felt his full body weight on my stomach. I groaned in pain and went to shove him off. "Oi! I was kidding!"

"It takes some time to get used to dwarves," Bilbo offered Tauriel a smile. Thankfully she had relaxed slightly and smiled at the hobbit.

"How long did it take you master hobbit?" she played along.

"I'm still working on it," he laughed. "You know, they almost got me eaten by a troll once."

"Excuse me," Fili turned to him. "I do believe you share much of the blame for that master Baggins."

"You and Kili told me to go after the ponies!" he complained.

"Aye but we didn't tell you to get caught," Fili chuckled.

Ori began bringing bowls around the fire until everyone was served. Bilbo continued to reminisce in tales of our journey. He had changed so much since we first met him many months ago. He wasn't nearly as timid as he had been as he told the elf of our adventures. I curiously glanced at her while he spoke. She looked intrigued, and almost jealous as he talked about all our adventures and places we've been. She had told me that she had hardly ever seen anything outside of Mirkwood before she met us. I was thankful that she was finally able to branch out into the world. I remember the times when mum kept me inside while uncle took Fili out on quests when I was younger. I had hated being cooped up in the mountain, knowing my brother was out there having on adventures without me.

"I told you to stay on the path!" Gandalf sighed as they began to fill him in on our adventures after he had left us in Mirkwood.

"They were in a dark part of the forest that is still cursed. They were quite delirious by the time we found them," Tauriel offered some help.

"You mean before you captured us!" Dwalin growled. I sighed out of irritation with the old dwarf. He would take quite some time to get used to the idea of having an elf around. He knew how to hold a grudge.

"They saved us from the spiders," Ori tried to defend her. I smiled at the young dwarf, he was one of the first in the company to show support for her.

"Then they turned on us and threw us in their dungeons!"

"Oh quit your whining, Dwalin. We would have never made it out of that forest if they hadn't found us." Fili told him. I was impressed that he was willing to stand up to the older dwarf. Dwalin was someone we both grew up with and we had nothing but respect for him, but holding onto his hatred would get us nowhere. Before either dwarf could argue further, Gandalf insisted on hearing the rest of our tale. The sun had set by the time they made it to the end of the story.

"It is hard to believe that the dragon truly is dead," Gandalf admired. "One less evil to deal with in this world. What of your tale Lady Tauriel?"

She stiffened at her name and glanced at the wizard. "I do not have a tale to tell."

"I find that hard to believe, my lady. Thranduil spoke very highly of you after the battle and anyone able to capture his son's attention is no one of little value. I've known Legolas for many years to know he is not easily impressed." I didn't intend to glare but my eyes involuntarily locked on the wizard. What was he trying to imply?

"I grew up with Legolas. After my parents were killed in battle, Thranduil offered me shelter. They were the closest I had to family." Tauriel stated. My heart dropped within my chest. How could I have never inquired about her past? She had taken so much time to learn about us and yet I didn't even think to consider her family. "I did not venture outside of Mirkwood often, that is until the dwarves entered our Kingdom."

"I see. And how did you come by the gift of healing?"

"I have only trained for a few years in medicine," she nervously glanced at me. My heart tumbled and I wanted to kick myself for being so grumpy with her earlier. I hadn't intended for it to be directed at her but judging by her expression that is the way she had taken it. I wanted to apologize but Gandalf interrupted my thoughts.

"You do not give yourself enough credit young elf, fighting off Morgul poison is no easy task. You should take pride in your work," he assured. She frowned and avoided our gazes. I had the strong urge to walk over and pull her into a hug. I suspected she might allow it, had we been alone, but at the moment all attention was on her and it was obvious that she did not enjoy it. Luckily for her, Gandalf stood and declared it time to rest. Everyone began preparing makeshift beds for the night while Tauriel volunteered to take watch. She gathered her weapons and found a spot away from the group to sit and watch over the area. Only Dwalin objected to having her take the night-watch, but Gandalf scolded him until the stubborn dwarf finally laid down in his bed. It only made sense, she did not need sleep. Before long everyone was fast asleep. My body was exhausted from the day's ride and I was more than ready to close my eyes and fall asleep. The only problem was I couldn't.

I replayed my actions from the day over and over. Every time she had tried to ask me about my wound I either hushed or waved away her worries. She was only concerned and even after everything she has done for me, I pushed her away. I sighed deeply, knowing that sleep would not come easily tonight. I glanced up to look at her to find that her eyes were once again fixated on my leg. When she noticed my stare she quickly turned to hide her gaze. I groaned and forced myself off the ground. She looked at me in surprise as I tiredly walked over to her.

"Alright, you win. Give me a dagger."

Tauriel POV

The others were fast asleep and I was left to watch over them during the night. I had to feed the fire shortly after they laid down, for the night was cold and I did not want them to be uncomfortable. When I was certain that they were all fast asleep, I carefully paid attention to Kili. The wizard had rekindled my concern over the wound. I was foolish to believe that I could handle healing it properly. I should have asked Thranduil to look at it while we were in Dale but I was far too confident in my work. He appeared to be comfortable but he had not denied earlier that the wound still bothered him. He sighed heavily and turned his head to look at me. I quickly tried to hide my gaze but he had already caught me staring. I knew he was frustrated with my question but I could not help but worry. I had risked much so that he could live, and it troubled me that he could brush it off as if it were nothing. He groaned and pushed himself off the ground.

"Alright, you win. Give me a dagger." I glanced at him, confused. Why would he want a dagger? He sat down beside me, leaving very little space between us. My heart jumped at the sudden warmth and I looked at him questionably. He only smirked and held out a hand. "Come on, hand it over. Or are you still worried about giving a dwarf a weapon?"

I ignored his joke and slowly reached for one of my knives to hand it to him. He took it and aimed the point of the dagger at his wound. I gasped and reached to stop him but he only chuckled.

"Relax," he cut a small slit in his trousers and pulled the fabric back to reveal the skin beneath. "How does it look?"

Realization swept over me, he wanted me to check his wound. I looked in his eyes for a moment to find one of the softest expression I had ever seen on the dwarf.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. I looked at him questionably. "For being so rude earlier. You only wanted to help, and I just pushed you away. It was inconsiderate of me."

I gently pulled back the cloth to get a better view of the wound. Receiving the apology felt strange. It is true that a part of me had wanted one but the other knew I should have stopped pushing him much earlier. "I am sorry too."

"Don't be," he flinched when my fingertip accidently brushed the wound. I glanced at him worriedly but he only smiled. "It's okay, still a little tender is all."

"I should put something on it for the pain," I reached into one my packs for some herbs that I had packed for the journey. He started to protest but something stopped him and he simply nodded. I crushed the herbs and mixed them with some water before returning to his leg. He held the cloth back for me to apply it to the wound. When I was about to touch the leg I became nervous. It was absurd, I had healed many others before including Kili himself. Yet in this moment he was not in peril and the environment was calm, I was nervous to touch his skin. I pushed aside the nerves and as gently as I could I put a dab of the ointment on the wound. It did not look as bad as I had feared, but he still gave a hiss involuntarily from the pain as I spread the herbs across the wound. The flesh around the area had healed for the most part, but as Gandalf pointed out the wound itself would require more time to heal.

"So, how does it look?" He asked curiously. I pulled out some wrappings to cover the hole he had torn in his trousers.

"Better, but I still hope you will allow Lord Elrond to look at it," I requested.

"Anything my lady wants," he smiled. I nearly rolled my eyes to tell him I was not his lady, but a small part of me rejoiced at the title.

"Lift your leg," I commanded him. When he did I began wrapping his wound.

"Tell me about your parents," he whispered. I stopped what I was doing to look in his soft gaze. "I want to know more about you."

"There is not much to know," I told him plainly. It was true, most of my life had been spent training before the dwarves had entered our woods. He gave me an encouraging smile to continue. I smirked and returned to finish binding his leg. "I was very young when they passed, I hardly knew them. I am told that I look like my mother, but I remember inheriting my hair from my father. I do not remember much of them, but I remember they loved me. I can faintly remember them telling me so before they left to fight in the battle that killed them, but I was very young and I do not remember all of the details. Everything else is a blur, but I do remember King Thranduil holding me as I cried in his arms the night they told me that my parents would not be returning home."

I nervously glanced up at him. It dawned on me that this was not a conversation I should be having, it was extremely personal and not something others wanted to hear. "I am sorry, I should not have told you that."

"It's okay," he insisted but I shook my head.

"Thranduil says it is disrespectful to speak of the dead," I said sadly. It was a custom I had never understood. I loved them, even though our time was brief. I wanted to remember them.

"Tauriel, you should not keep things like this locked away. It isn't healthy," he gently grasped my hands. I let him hold them but I avoided looking into his eyes. "When my father died it nearly broke my mother. I was too young, but Fili was there for her. If he hadn't been, I don't think she would have made it through. You cannot bury times of sorrow, especially alone. Any parents of such a fine warrior deserve to be remembered."

I blinked back tears, refusing to let them fall. He had already seen me in that state far too many times. I smiled and lifted my head to meet his gaze. "I think you would have liked them."

"Of course I would," he chuckled and glanced down at our hands. His hands twisted until our fingertips aligned with each others. I found it interesting how large his hands were for a dwarf. He turned his hands to entwine our fingers. It was only a simple act of intimacy, yet my heart began to race at the sensation. His eyes lifted to meet mine. I thought of my parents and curiously wondered what they would think if they could see me now, willingly holding the hands of a dwarf and enjoying it all the same. Would they approve?

Unlikely, I thought. They were close to Thranduil, if they were alive today they would likely agree with the temperamental King and would find my actions to be foolish. I wished they were here now. They would be able to tell me more about these feelings that coursed through my body. For a moment I imagined them telling me they were real, for I was tired of holding them back. Especially now as he locked our hands and tenderly gazed at me, but hold them back I must. How could I be certain that my heart was true? The few elves that courted during my youth spent years before they decided to marry. I've known Kili for a very short time, and yet my heart yearned for his nearness like nothing before. For that one moment, I nearly gave into the sensations that begged me to lean closer. Then the snoring began. The sudden noise from one of the sleeping dwarves startled me enough to pull my hands back, causing Kili to chuckle.

"How are you going to listen to that all night?" I faked a smile to hide my disappointment that the moment was over. I breathed quickly and I hoped he thought it was from being startled, and not from the rush of emotions that raced through me.

"You should rest," I told him. I thought he would fight more on the matter, but he was clearly tired from being unconditioned to ride all day. He stood slowly and began walking back to his bed. He made it a few steps before turning towards me and in a voice full of exhaustion, he bid me goodnight.

A/N: I've had a couple questions/comments on the Figrid aspect of this story so I want to address it so I don't disappoint anyone. This story is a Kiliel fic, with very slight Figrid moments. I do plan on writing a shorter Fili/Sigrid version of this exact story but not until this one is finished. So if you are reading this solely for the Figrid, I'm afraid you might be disappointed. I have a couple scenes planned where the two play a bigger role but that comes later in the story. I hope this helps for people who were wondering about the pairing's involvement in this story, but I'm going as fast as I can to get this stuff out to you guys I promise. Midterms are almost over so you shouldn't have to wait as long for the next one, yay! Happy Ash Wednesday!

Review Replies – If for some reason you don't find your name, it is because I fail as a person and did not see it so please call me out on it so I don't miss it again :)

Thanwen –Thank you very much!

Jamie – I got the rest of your review, hooray! I enjoy your theories but I went it a bit of a different direction, but I hope you like it nonetheless. Thanks for the support!

Mfaerie32 – I put a Figrid note up for everyone, but yes as of now I can think of two scenes that will for sure be incorporated into this story but most of my ideas for the couple don't really fit into this story. So far, yes there are very very tiny hints which will evolve into more when we return to Erebor but I don't want to say much more on that so I don't spoil too much ;) Hope this eases your concerns.

Oud – Dwalin is going to take a little more work to undo his "crankyness" towards Tauriel but I think he would come around. Thanks very much!

Sofasoap – Your welcome! I put a note up about figrid, but I'll promise you at least two scenes that will show major Figrid moments in this story but most of their times together don't fit in this story.

Ambereyes55 – Thanks!

Celebrisilweth – lol I've envisioned several hilarious moments where Gandalf learns everything since the movie

WoodElfJedi – I apologize for any offense! I guess my defense would be that he has been raised to view elves as cold, hard creatures so although he is a sweetheart, I assume his verbiage would not always be perfect. I fear you may not enjoy this chapter due to Kili's slight out of character grumpiness but I felt it was necessary for this chapter but I hope it didn't seem too off. Thank you very much for the tips on the midterms, most of it is over but still have a little bit to go yet :D

Touchedbygrace – Indeed, I couldn't allow him to leave without a few dwarven escorts! Lol Your welcome and thank you!