A/N: Heyho everyone! I have not died or destroyed my computer. Still, I haven't updated in over a month and all I can say is SHAME ON ME and I'M SO SO SORRY!

Reasons? Two things happened: First, I'm moving from England to Germany and spent about 1.5 weeks traveling through Scotland. Which was amazing but also exhausting and didn't really leave me with a lot of time/motivation to write. Secondly (please don't judge me), I accidentally fell into the very deep, dark pit that is Durincest. Those people who actually know me: *blushes and hides under a rock*

Anyway, I'm back now and will not, I promise, leave you hanging for such a horrible amount of time ever again!

So- ENJOY!

Warning: This might stretch the T rating a little!

Replies: Thank you to all of you who took the time to review this story! I promise that next chapter I'll be writing proper responses to all of you but for now I'd rather write chapter 22 :)

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Chapter 21: Developments

The next day, Harl left and Kíli felt the weight of the Misty Mountains lift from his shoulders when the other dwarf took a turn and vanished from view. The past day had been one of the most horrible ones among all the bad days of his life and Kíli was more than glad that it was over. In fact, he almost felt like celebrating and said as much, telling Bilbo he'd try and shoot something for dinner. That, however, was before he remembered that he had nearly shattered his hand the day before but he managed to talk Tauriel into going hunting in his stead. The elf had difficulties stifling her own laughter at his ridiculous attempts of charming her into it but still put on a show of letting him "convince" her.

In the end, the two of them made their way towards their favourite hunting grounds and Bilbo waved them off with a laugh of his own. Kíli was nearly bursting with energy and even his hand didn't do anything to subdue his mood.

Hunting with Kíli had quickly become one of Tauriel's favourite activities. While the dwarf could barely contain his excitement on the way into the woods, he was able to remain perfectly immobile and silent the moment they spotted game. He was already making plans for the time his brother visited and it made Tauriel laugh more often than not. Of course she knew that he was happy here, with her, but knowing that he'd be seeing his brother soon was something that would have him in high spirits for a while. Still, a part of her also dreaded the visit because it meant they couldn't hide their relationship much longer. While they hadn't discussed it properly yet, Tauriel had a feeling that it would be impossible to keep it from the King under the Mountain and, more importantly, his mother. The elf knew that the dwarf king trusted her and while he might not be delighted at seeing his brother wed an elf, she was quite sure that he'd come to terms with it sooner or later. The brothers' mother, however, was another story. Kíli had told her about his mother, of course and she seemed like a lovely woman but she was also fiercely protective of her children and Tauriel couldn't forget the attitude Thorin Oakenshield had had towards her kin. How much different could his sister's be? Much, she hoped. She was incredibly grateful that Kíli would be visiting his mother before she came to the Shire because no matter how nervous she was, he had to feel much worse and she had a feeling that he was eager to get it over with.

Soon, they were huddled behind a thick, green bush, two pairs of eyes set on the clearing right in front of them. A couple of days ago Kíli had seen a small flock of fat and delicious looking birds and he had been eager to come to the spot again. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't wield a bow at the moment but was content with watching the elf beside him getting an arrow ready. He was sure that he'd never grow tired of the way the wind gently dishevelled her hair and, dropping his focus on the clearing, he reached out, winding a strand of the long red waves around one of his fingers.

"Kíli…", Tauriel hissed, attempting to make it sound like a warning but it came out more amused than annoyed and he shot her a toothy grin.

"I haven't played with your hair in ages!", Kíli complained and Tauriel snorted. It had only been a day but of course he'd never see reason, so she shrugged and let him play with her hair, hoping he'd let go before she moved in order to lose her arrow.

When she didn't respond, Kíli returned his focus to the clearing and just before he could nudge her in warning, Tauriel let go of her arrow, hitting the pheasant that had waddled out of the thicket right in the chest.

With a triumphant grin she turned to Kíli, pleased to find him staring at her in awe. Of course he knew that she was beyond good with bow and arrow but it always delighted him to see her succeed.

"Good enough for you?", she asked with a smile.

The dwarf nodded and before she could move to collect the dead bird, he was pulling her down.

"Always", he murmured against her lips.

His brain vaguely registered the sound of her bow clattering to the ground when her hands moved up to cup his cheeks.

Her eyes fluttered shut the moment their lips connected and a happy sigh escaped her.

Kíli chuckled, pulling back a little.

"There are other things I haven't done in a while", he whispered and, opening her eyes, she quirked an eyebrow at him.

"Like what?", she said softly, knowing exactly what he meant.

She felt a little silly but finally having some privacy after almost two days of horrible tension was too good not to give in to his little game.

"Are you becoming forgetful?" he teased, pressing another kiss to her lips, this time with a little more force. Tauriel hummed against his lips.

"I fear you'll have to remind me", she murmured, getting down on her knees in order to give him better access to her body.

"Too bad", he grinned, his hands gently removing her hands from his cheeks and placing them around his waist. Without further ado she pulled him flush against her and they both giggled a little. Kíli was itching to burry his hands in her hair.

"I thought you wanted to go hunting?" Tauriel interrupted him in his movement, arching an elegant eyebrow at him.

"Yes, but it's so boring when I can't use a bow myself", Kíli whined. "Besides, the bird's already dead, it's not like it's going to go somewhere."

Against her better judgement she allowed him to pull her just a little closer. She would have been lying if she had said that she didn't crave the intimacy anyway. Her eyes drifted shut when his hands became occupied with her hair and she moved forward a little, trusting that he'd be there, waiting for her to close the distance between their lips. A happy sigh escaped her when his lips began to move against hers and his hands began doing the most wonderful things to her ears.

"I will miss this," Kíli murmured, once they both pulled back in desperate need for air.

"Hmmm", was Tauriel's only answer as she pulled him back. He was talking too much. Better put the days till he'd be leaving to good use. The dwarf seemed to agree and it took them quite while before Kíli decided that Tauriel had been sufficiently reminded of how much he loved her and how good it felt to have some time for kisses, caresses and affectionate words.

Dinner that night was a merry affair. Bilbo prepared a proper little feast with the pheasant and Kíli actually tried to help him, being a distraction more than anything as he happily chattered away, talking of this and that and throwing smiles at Tauriel whenever he thought Bilbo wasn't looking. The hobbit let him believe in his success and quietly giggled to himself whenever he knew Kíli wasn't paying attention to him. He had a feeling that Tauriel caught on to his act pretty easily because she threw him a n amused wink when Kíli bustled into the garden, looking for some fresh herbs.

"Has he been like that all day?", Bilbo asked, throwing some potatoes into a pot of boiling water. Tauriel nodded with a smirk.

"Can't believe we actually caught something", she explained and Bilbo chortled happily.

"It's good to see the two of you…" Bilbo hesitated before clearing his throat and continuing, adding "… back to normal."

Tauriel sighed. "Feels good as well. I just hope not all of his kin will be like that", she confessed. Bilbo looked at her worriedly, very well aware of how much thought she must have given the issue.

"Hm, won't be easy, I guess but I'd bet Bag End and my entire share of the treasure on his brother not … being like that."

He didn't miss the hopeful smile that settled on Tauriel's face and he smiled back in what he hoped was an encouraging way.

"I hope so. I mean, they're closer that anyone I know and… I would never forgive myself if I … if they…", she struggled to finish the sentence but Bilbo seemed to understand what she was trying to say.

"It'll be fine, I promise", he said, not knowing what made him so sure but as far as he was concerned there was nothing that could bring the two brothers apart, not even Kíli's somewhat untraditional choice of partner. He said as much to Tauriel and was glad to see that she relaxed a bit and right before Kíli strolled back into the kitchen she got up.

"Thank you, Bilbo. Sometimes it's… hard", she said hesitantly.

"It will be fine", Bilbo repeated and couldn't help laughing when he saw Kíli entering the room, his eyes lingering on the elf. He was unaware of the conversation they had just had and quickly dashed over to Bilbo, pressing the herbs into his waiting hand.

In the blink of an eye he was back, standing in front of Tauriel who was seated on a low chair. He didn't say anything and was just staring at her, a foolish smile fixed on his face.

Hearing Bilbo's laughter, Tauriel grinned at her lover and moved forward, catching his lips in a light kiss.

Bilbo's grin widened at the display of affection as the pair had been extraordinarily careful not to kiss or get too close when anyone else, himself included, way near by.

They ate late that night, all drinking a little too much ale than was good for them and even Tauriel, who had developed a taste for the strong cider that could occasionally be found in the Shire, was well into her cups when they all decided to call it a night. Bilbo had been quick to disappear into the kitchen, leaving the couple some much-anticipated privacy. The way to their bedroom had never seemed so long to Tauriel and in the end she couldn't help herself and stopped walking, stumbling down to kneel in front of Kíli.

"Eager, are we?", he murmured, barely able to control the tremor in his voice.

"I don' t hear you complaining", she teased and drew him in for a heated kiss, her fingers making short work of his belt, creeping under his tunic. She took immense delight in the way his breath hitched against her lips and when they finally drew back and Kíli stumbled a few steps away from her, taking her in. She was beautiful. Her cheeks were flushed and her lips a little swollen from their previous kiss. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were sparking in the darkness.

"You are so beautiful", he murmured, drawing a shy smile from Tauriel. She reached out for him but he surprised her by taking a few calculating steps towards her, only to move closer to their door.

"Come one, then", he teased, making her giggle a little, shyness forgotten.

The next morning they both felt much better rested and Kíli swore to himself that he'd never abandon sharing a bed with Tauriel again, not matter who was visiting. Her warm skin against his was still the most amazing feeling to him and sometimes, in the early hours of the morning when she was still slumbering, he got lost in sheer bewilderment at their relationship. How a creature as fair as Tauriel could willingly spend years of her life with him was beyond him. The uncomfortable thought of her immortality was something that did, in fact, occur to him, but he pushed the thought away in favour of nibbling a pink mark under her collarbone.

Ten days later they found themselves in almost the same spot where they had found the pheasant, though this time evening was getting closer. They had raided Bilbo's pantry (with his allowance, of course) and set out to have a picnic under the stars. Well, and maybe Kíli was a bit too much in love with Tauriel and really wanted to do some stargazing with her. Besides, she would look utterly lovely in the bright light of the stars she loved so much.

What had started as a merry affair soon turned heated when Tauriel began nibbling the juicy grapes they had brought in the most suggestive manner, making sure that Kíli's eyes were fixed on her when she innocently licked the juice from her fingers. She didn't know where it came from, this need to tease him, but it was too much fun not to. She loved how he was desperately trying not to gape at her openly.

Shooting him a wink that made his cheeks flush and his insides tingle, the elf reached for the wine skin they shared and drank deeply. Setting it back down she licked her lips. Much too her delight Kíli had given up his battle with decency and his eyes were fixed on her face.

"Tauriel…"

By the Valar, he sounded like he was barely able to stop himself from lunging at her.

Tauriel smirked.

"Yes, meleth nin?" she asked much too innocently for him to believe her.

Shoving the half eaten loaf of bread out of the way he crawled over to her and in one swift movement he was pinning her down to the ground.

His knees were straddling her waist and he was looking down at her with a mixture of love and lust that made her forget their surroundings effectively.

"One day, you're going to drive me insane with all your teasing", he growled, earning a breathy laugh from her. Her beauty was beyond anything he'd ever seen and he promised himself that he'd never forget the way she looked that night. Her red hair fanned out around her head, dwarvish braids only too obvious, a teasing smirk on her lips and her eyes were shining like the brightest stars.

"Maybe that is what I want", she suggested, reaching up to pull him down. Kíli followed her lead without protest and he couldn't suppress the desperate whimper that escaped him when she crushed their lips together.

Tauriel felt like she was bursting with desire. Sure, she had wanted to tease her lover but the way his tongue moved against hers reduced her to a mess of sighs, whimpers and soft moans.

Neither of them knew how much time had passed when the elf shifted and sat up a little. Breaking their kiss she leaned her forehead against his, both breathing hard. She could feel his arousal and was quite sure that he was very well aware of the effect he was having on her.

"We shouldn't…" he began suddenly, still trying to catch his breath.

"Not here", she added; brining her mouth back to his, drinking in the little chuckle he mustered at her interruption.

Very slowly, Tauriel lowered herself back to the ground, pulling Kíli with her in the process, her lips never leaving his. She was so lost in their kiss that she didn't expect the ground to hit her quite so hard and in an effort to make herself more comfortable, she let go of him for a moment, Kíli looking at her with a dreamy smile and she shifted a little, accidentally rubbing her core against his arousal.

Kíli watched in amazement as her eyes slammed shut, a surprised "Oh" leaving her kiss-swollen lips. Slowly, his expression changed into a wolfish grin, which was soon replaced by a helpless groan, when Tauriel experimentally pushed up against him again, eyes wide and shining in the light. Encouraged by her movement, he met her careful thrusts. In a very distant part of his rapidly fading consciousness he thought that maybe they should get back to Bag End but every reasonable thought left him when Tauriel continued to move underneath him, all soft whimpers and glowing skin.

They had never done this before. Of course they had used their hands to pleasure each other, soon followed by their mouths, eager to caress and taste every inch of flesh but for some reason the rough feeling of cloth covered grinding was delightfully new and raw.

Getting home was really not that important anymore, Tauriel thought when Kíli finally started meeting her thrusts and they figured out a rhythm that brought them both pleasure. Every moan and whimper she uttered was answered by a groan and she was sure that neither of them would be able to last much longer, especially not after all the teasing she had indulged in earlier.

Desperate for the feeling of his lips on her, Tauriel sat back up abruptly, never breaking their contact. When their lips met, he suddenly stopped moving.

"Why are you stopping?", she panted, too close to care about how needy she probably sounded.

"Thought not here?", he answered, trying hard to catch his breath. Had she been a little less distracted, Tauriel would have noticed the amount of strength it obviously cost him to try and be reasonable but she was paying a lot more attention to the lovely friction their were creating and utterly missed it.

"Don't care", she hissed against his lips, punctuating each word with a lazy thrust of her hips.

"Tauriel", he began, his voice heavy with desperate longing, "you're going to be the death of me", he murmured before crashing his lips back to hers.

It didn't take long before she was tumbling over the edge, muttering a string of intelligible words, his name among them. The moans that fell from her lips had him follow her soon, spoiling his breeches in the process. He was dimly aware of the fact that he'd have to wash them before he left tomorrow but for the moment he couldn't possibly care less.

Once Tauriel had caught her breath and managed to get a clear thought, she burst out into light laughter. It seemed like she couldn't control herself and when Kíli raised an eyebrow at her she only laughed harder. He looked at her with a smirk.

"I will miss this", he said softly before joining her chuckles.

"Me too", she managed to say before he kissed her, only making her laugh harder. After a while she had sufficiently sobered up and, looking at him her expression changed from wild happiness to something more solemn.

"And I will miss you."

Kíli could only nod at her admission. It was going to be odd not to spend every day in her presence.

"But I am happy that you will see your family", she added after a moment of quiet thinking.

"Me too…" he began and his expression became serious as well. He was well aware of how the curves of her body pressed into his but now was not the time to cherish them again. Maybe later when they were back in Bag End, he thought.

"Will you tell her?" Tauriel asked finally, voicing the question that had been on her mind for the past weeks. She was nervous about the answer but knew that it was high time to address the issue.

"Yes". His answer was only a whisper and he sounded less than excited about the prospect of explaining to his mother why exactly he intended to marry an elf of all creatures but then a smile broke out on his face.

"Yes, I will tell her and she will probably be horrified."

Tauriel didn't understand why that was a reason to smile but couldn't help giving him an unsure smile as well. Of course she didn't know that he had, in fact, picked the gems and materials for the courting beads and, always hiding his efforts, he had even started designed them. What had started out as doodles on a spare piece of parchment had soon become an entire collection of designs and while he was admittedly a little scared of telling his mother about Tauriel and his entirely honourable intentions towards her, he couldn't wait to start forging the beads.

Far away, in the kingdom under the mountain, Fíli was starring at his brother's letter. There was something off about it, and even though he gave a detailed account of Harl's visit (and his feelings about it), his plans to visit their mother and his delight about finally having found work in a forge, it felt like he was avoiding something. The blond dwarf was fairly certain that his brother was hiding something in plain sight and he didn't know how to feel about it. Instinct told him that it was nothing to worry about but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing from the picture.

With a sigh he grabbed a quill and jotted down a quick letter to his mother.

Dear Mother,

Kíli has agreed to us meeting at the hobbit's house in the first week of November. I will arrange a caravan that will allow you to travel without having to worry about your belongings and am looking forward to meeting you.

Your son,

Fíli, King under the Mountain.

It still felt a little foreign to him to use his title but he knew that his mother was secretly very pleased to read it. He truly couldn't wait to leave the mountain for a few weeks and to see his family again. His mother had been worried sick while they had been on the quest and it was a welcome opportunity to reunite in private. Well, and his brother, his brother was an entire different matter.

Fíli didn't wait long before he made his way to meet Balin in order to go through his travel plans again, determined to make sure he'd arrive at Bag End before his mother would in order to have a talk with his brother.

Your messenger has insulted Tauriel. I had a talk with him about that.

His brother's words wouldn't stop replaying in his head. Something was off about them. Shaking his head he sent a mental plea to his brother.

Don't do anything stupid, Kíli.

A/N2: What do you think? Did you like it? Will you forgive me for not updating for such a long time? Also - I'm in a good mood for writing and will immediately start/continue chapter 22. Let me give you a hint: We're about to meet Dís!