„How is she doing?" Gimli asked Legolas.
"Are you his lawyer or my friend?" Legolas demanded.
"Both, but right now I'm a very worried friend." Gimli explained.
"She's sad, depressed, and mumbling bullshit about how she loves him." Legolas admitted after a moment of silence.
"Are you going to file a complaint?" Gimli asked.
"I want to but she refuses." Legolas admitted. "He's been stalking her for years, who knows what he could do to her next. He's sick and should be sent to jail."
"He's just a stupid kid madly in love." Gimli pointed out. "He would never hurt her, in fact he's already been protecting her at school that last year."
"He was doing what?" Legolas demanded, so Gimli told him about the deal with Azog, and Legolas was shocked to say the least.
He rushed back to her room and immediately demanded "Why haven't you told me anything about what happened last year?"
"What do you mean?" Tauriel whispered.
"Tell me everything about some Azog from your school." Legolas demanded.
"There's nothing to tell, he got expelled after bullying many kids at school." She curtly told him.
"I'm not interested in just some kids at school. Tell me about what he did to you." He looked sternly at her. So she finally started talking, about the notes, about the molestation, about the harassing, and stalking. She told him what happened later, which now she knew was Kili's doing. "So you're not going to file a complaint because your long time stalker saved you from your harasser?" Legolas asked her crossly.
"No, I'm not going to file a complaint because I love him." She replied and Legolas looked as if her case was hopeless. He slammed the door behind him.
. . . . .
Gimli snuck into her room some time later. She was an equal mess like Kili, she was holding up a bit better, however he could see she had been crying. She was still holding the album to her chest and laying on her side.
"Can I take a look?" He gently asked and took the album from her. He started flipping through the album, only to see some of the best works by the kid. The photos were beautiful, showing her in all her beauty. Those were not just photos a typical stalker would do, they were works of art. Looking at them and remembering Kili's state, Gimli realised the boy wasn't lying he really loved the girl.
"You like looking at this photo?" He glanced to the wall and the huge photo hanging there. She just nodded.
"You love him, don't you?" He asked gently and hugged her. And she hold on to him and cried. "I've tried to be mad at him, but I can't." She started sobbing. "I love him so much, and I can't live without him." She confessed. "But I don't know if I can trust him anymore. He admitted he never wanted to tell me about it, and I'm so angry now."
"Can you blame him for not wanting to tell you? Things were going well between you two, he was happy and so were you. You both probably didn't notice, but I've noticed you've been getting close." She gently hummed in admittance. "He was terrified you'd find out, so he wanted to hide it. He was scared you would stop seeing him and leave him." He made her realise.
"But I can't just go and talk to him, I've said some really bad things to him." She started sobbing more.
"Well, I think you should. You're holding much better than he is, and you are a mess." Gimli admitted harshly. "I don't think he can live without you, and I'm scared he might chose not to." She looked at him terrified with what he just suggested.
. . . . .
"I want to talk to him alone." Tauriel said still holding onto Gimli's hand, as they were standing in front of Kili's door. "And no matter what happens I don't want anyone to come near this room, can you promise me that?" She whispered.
"I'll make sure no one bothers you both." Gimli promised.
She hesitantly took the handle into her hand and opened the door, and immediately she locked the door behind her, and Gimli walked away to keep an eye on Fili and Legolas in the living room.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Fili asked.
"You're all fucked up and crazy." Legolas told them.
"Just shut up both of you and watching TV, go swimming or to the gym." Gimli told them. "I promised her no one of you will bother her right now, and I'm going to keep my promise."