24 Hour Coffee Shop
Tauriel slowly woke up. Everything was soft and she had the vague sense that she had overslept. She stretches and wakes with a start when she almost falls off the edge of the bed. Her eyes fly open and she is greeted with the sight of her bedroom in Thranduil's house. It has not changed since she left for boot camp years before. The walls were covered with movie and band posters and there were a few Guard recruitment ones as well. Between the posters evidence of the dark green paint peeked through. It took her several moments to remember why she was here. Bright sunlight filters through the dark brown gauzy curtains.
Tauriel checks her phone for the time and any missed messages only to be met by a red, blinking battery symbol; reminding her that she does not have a charger. She half falls half stumbles out of the bed and makes her way down the hall. She tightens the drawstring on the pajamas that she had to steal from Legolas' room after she had learned that none of the things that she had left here fit anymore.
Tauriel had told him that she was fine and that he could leave before she shut to the door of the police cruiser. Officer MacThelion had not listened; he had climbed out of the cruiser to stand by the hood of the car. Tauriel glanced back at him and fumbled around for her keys.
"I know I still have a copy," she assures him as she flips through her keys.
"It's fine. I just want to make sure that you get inside," the officer assures her.
Tauriel is trying another key when the porchlight turns on and the door opens.
"Tauriel. What are you doing here? It's after midnight." Thranduil is holding a red plaid robe shut over his pajamas, his pale hair is messily pulled back into a bun, and his reading glasses sit low on his nose. It is clear that he must have been lying in bed and doing some reading.
"Hi, ada," Tauriel says quietly as a wave of exhaustion washes over her. "I need to stay here for the night and maybe the next few night as well."
Thranduil looks from Tauriel to Officer MacThelion who is still leaning against the black and white car. "Why? What's happened? Are you alright?" Thranduil asks with concern. His brow furrows and he tucks his glasses into the pocket of his robe.
"Can I tell you in the morning? Right now I just really need some sleep."
"Of course," Thranduil wraps his arm around Tauriel's shoulders and leads her inside. Tauriel gives the officer a weak wave, which he returns. "Thank you, Officer." Thranduil says and gives his own wave before shutting the front door and locking it.
Thranduil pulls her close with one arm. "Are you sure you're alright?" He peers at her.
Tauriel nods. "I just need some sleep. I promise I'll tell you in the morning."
Thranduil nods, but the lines of worry and concern do not smooth away with Tauriel's assurances. "If you're sure…" he trails off and presses an affectionate kiss to her hair before releasing the one armed hug.
"Goodnight, ada."
Thranduil watches her climb those stairs. For a moment, he feels as if he is watching a much younger Tauriel climb the stairs with a stuffed hippo bumping up the stairs behind her as she holds one arm. Then she is the woman again. There is no stuffed animal, but her footsteps are just as heavy and slow as they had been that night. He listens to the crunch of gravel as the police cruiser pulls away down the long driveway and to the creak of the floorboards as Tauriel walks down the upstairs hallway.
He returned to his own bedroom and many hours later, after listening to Tauriel pace and dealing with his own inability to sleep and listen to Legolas drunkenly stumble up the stairs and start snoring shortly thereafter, Thranduil walks down the hall and looks in Tauriel's open door. The room is lit by moonlight. He had kept her room unchanged in case she wanted to come home for whatever reason. Several times, he had considered turning it into a guest room while keeping her personal style, but he always changed his mind. Seeing her safely tucked into her single bed beneath the brown plaid comforter gives him a modicum of comfort, he likes having the children safe under his roof. He leans against the doorjamb and watches her sleep until he finally heads back to his own bed to sleep.
Tauriel passes Legolas' room on her way to the back stairs that lead to the kitchen. She glances in to see him sprawled on top of his blankets and snoring. One of his shoes is just outside the door and he is still wearing the other shoe. Tauriel can detect a whiff of alcohol coming from his room. It is unlikely that he will wake up any time soon.
Tauriel makes her way into the kitchen. The clocks reveals that it is just past 9, she was expecting it to be far later. Thranduil, however, is already sitting at the table reading the morning paper. His blonde hair is even more disheveled than it had been the night before.
"There's coffee in the pot," he informs her, "and creamer in the fridge." Other than this information Thranduil waits until Tauriel has had a chance to make and mostly consume a slice of toast with grape jelly and a cup of coffee.
"Tauriel," Thranduil says quietly. "What happened?"
Tauriel quickly summarizes what happened after she found the broken window. Thranduil has nothing to say until she tells him that the police think that it was a Halloween prank.
Thranduil scowls, "Breaking into someone's house is not prank. It's a crime. Throwing toilet paper in people's trees or calling them to ask if their refrigerator is running are pranks. Breaking and entering is not."
"I know, ada," Tauriel says placating. "They said that they'd have some CSIs down to dust the door and window, and other "obvious" places for fingerprints. But they don't expect to find much. If it was a prank they might find the fingerprints, but it is unlikely that those prints will take them back to anybody."
"I'm sure they won't be trying very hard to solve this especially if nothing is missing and no one was hurt. I could call up…"
Tauriel cuts him off. "Don't."
Thranduil frowns. "What?"
"Please, don't," Tauriel repeats. I don't want you putting undue pressure on this. If the fingerprints go nowhere then they go nowhere. I don't need or want you sticking your nose in and causing problems for them."
Thranduil has the grace to look mildly chastised. "I just want to help. Someone broke into your home, Tauriel. What do you think would have happened if you had been home?"
"That it wouldn't have happened," Tauriel snaps.
Thranduil snaps back, "But what if it wasn't just a harmless prank!"
Tauriel prepares a retort, but thinks better of it. She sighs; it was this constant butting of heads that created the tension that partially led her to seek out a house of her own. "I'm sorry. I just…" she spreads her hands in her loss for words.
Thranduil reaches across the expanse of the dark mahogany table to squeeze her hand. "I know. But, in all honesty, I do think you should move back home."
"I can't," Tauriel replies.
"Why ever not? There's a car you can use for work and leisure, and I haven't touched your room."
Tauriel smiles a little. "I had noticed the last part. I wouldn't have minded if you had put a bigger bed in there. A single is rather cramped after getting used to a much larger bed."
"I suppose I could do that," Thranduil concedes. "But only if you promise to spend more time around here and will use it occasionally. I'd also prefer it if you'd help re-do it."
"Ada, I'm horrible at decorating. You've seen that room, right? My house has a few posters slapped up on the walls and some table lamps. That's my idea of decorating."
"Yes, well, its more 'you' than a decorator I pay could do."
"Does that mean I get paid to do this?" Tauriel asks slyly. "I also like my house. I like sleeping there."
"No." Thranduil replies. He sighs, "Will you at least considered staying here for a few days until you get that window fixed? I'd also like it you got a bit of a security system."
Tauriel groans.
"Nothing fancy," Thranduil continues. "Just cameras for each door and a lock system that alerts you when its unlocked, if a door has been forced or a window has been broken, or if there is smoke from a fire."
"That sounds pretty fancy," Tauriel says skeptically.
"It's nothing compared with what I have here or at my office. Plus," Thranduil holds up a hand with a single finger raised, "It would make me worry less, which means I would nag you less."
"Why didn't you lead with that?" Tauriel laughs a little.
"I was hoping you would be more worried about your security than about my worrying, to be honest."
"I'll be fine," Tauriel assures him. "Now, you said I could use a car. I'll need one to go down to my local precinct to make an official statement, plus they wanted me to do a walkthrough of the house to see if I notice anything that has been disturbed."
"I think it might be better if I accompany you."
"No, that's alright," Tauriel says quickly.
An hour later, she finds herself sitting in the passenger's seat of Thranduil's silver sedan. The hood ornament – many tined antlers – glint irritatingly in the low autumn sunlight. Legolas had woken up and insisted on joining them as well. However, he is already half asleep in the back seat with his head resting against the window.
At the local precinct, Tauriel repeats what she told the officers the night before. The send an officer with them to do a walkthrough of the home.
"So, besides the couch nothing has been disturbed?" the new officer asks, he is younger than the two that showed up the night before, but his badge reads MacThelion as well.
"I'm not even sure about that," Tauriel corrects him. "I can't remember if the pillows were positioned like that or if they were even on the couch."
The officer nods. "That's it." He rummages in his pockets until he finds a business card. "This is a company that can replace the broken window. But, as it is the weekend they probably won't be able to get to it until Monday at the earliest."
Thranduil interrupts before Tauriel can say anything. "I've told her that she should get an alarm system. Don't you agree that that would be wise?"
"It would be," the officer concedes. "But I would actually suggest a dog over the alarm system or in conjunction with it. It doesn't really matter how large the dog is because it is usually the barking that scares away potential intruders."
"We should get you a dog as well," Thranduil addresses Tauriel.
"We're done with our investigation on site meaning that you are free to enter the building to retrieve any personal belongings that you may need until the window is fixed. An officer will contact you if we have any further questions and with any updates that we may have." Then the officer turns to leave.
"Do you need anything from inside?"
"Pajamas that fit would be a good start. And a few other things."
Tauriel quickly gathers some clothes, a few books, and the charger for her phone. Once they are driving back to Thranduil's house Tauriel sits and stares at her phone with the feeling that she has forgotten something.
As soon as they are back at Thranduil's home Tauriel retires to her bedroom, plugs her phone in, and waits for it to power on so she can check her messages. The phone buzzes when it powers on, but then it keeps buzzing as text messages and missed phone calls come in.
/ I'm leaving now to come get you. See you soon! /
/ Tauriel? There's police tape on your door. Where are you? /
/ Can you call me when you get this? I'm getting worried. /
There were also several missed calls and a voicemail to the same effect of the texts. She gets a sick feeling of guilt for missing Bard's messages and for forgetting about watching scary movies with Bard and his children.
/ Sorry. My phone died. /
/ I can explain what happened over a call. It's a bit too complicated to explain through text. /
Tauriel puts the phone onto the dresser – as far as the cord will reach – and starts pacing the room waiting for the telltale tone of a text message or phone call. Instrumental music drifts down the hallway from Legolas' room. Tauriel shuts her door in an attempt to preserve the quiet that she had grown used to living on her own. The dulcet tones of a guitar are still audible, but she can tune it out.
Tauriel does not even have time to establish a pacing path before her phone rings. She snatches it up and answers.
"I'm so sorry. My phone died…"
"It's fine, Tauriel," Bard interrupts. "I'm just worried about you. Are you okay?" The sounds of his footsteps as he paces can be heard over the line.
Tauriel summarizes the events of the previous evening after he dropped her off and of today. "My uncle is insisting on an alarm system and a dog," she concludes. She keeps attempting to pace only to be jerked up short by the charging cord.
"That's a good idea. Anything to keep you safe."
"I don't know what kind of dog I should get though." Tauriel rubs her forehead.
"I can probably help you find one if you would like."
"That would be fantastic. I've never had a dog so I wouldn't know what I would be looking for."
After that the conversation turns towards more mundane everyday things. Bard tells her how Sigrid attempted to make fried eggs that morning.
A/N: We're actually almost to the peak of the Bolg part of the storyline. I'm really excited! I've had this planned since I wrote the first chapter even though I wasn't sure how I was going to get there.