Legolas found Ruby lying on her side by a stream, her head propped on her right hand, her left lazily playing with the water. He lowered himself to sit by the river, resting his back on a larger stone as she sat up and looked at him. He had a fresh tunic on, and no stains marred the silk. Good.

"I sense you're distressed." He said after a while. "What happened?" he watched her struggle with words, digging her blackened thumbnail into a river stone.

"I went to the mirror." She finally disclosed. "It...showed me I'm on the right path. At least that's what I understood."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Legolas took the rock away from her and covered her thumb from view. He felt it shift back to its human form in his palm, but did not release her hand.

"It is." There was something she wasn't telling him. He waited patiently for her to continue. "Did you know..." She took in a shaky breath. "Did you know that Thorin was not cured of Gold Sickness? That he would relapse, had he not died?" Legolas frowned slightly at the mention of her previous love.

"I'm sorry." He meant it. Not for Thorin, but for how she would have suffered.

"Don't be." Ruby fiddled with a small button on the hem of his sleeve. "I saw what would have been, had I stayed in Erebor with him." She did not look him in the eyes, choosing instead to prod curiously at a bruise on his chin. He shrugged her hands off and forced her eyes on his. An inquisitive eyebrow was raised. Sighing she continued, but her eyes roamed the glen to avoid his. "Fili had a daughter. His wife died at birth, and the child had complications, so I shared my blood with her to help her survive." Her eyes glazed over as she stared at a highly uninteresting moss covered stone nearby. "Her name was Amber. Her eyes were just like mine, when...well...they were golden." Ruby still knew not to blurt their secret weapon out loud.

"That's not so bad. Did you know you could do that?" Legolas rubbed her back soothingly.

"No. I have to do some research on it later. I'm assuming the information is in Erebor, since I wouldn't have travelled to Tamriel, had I stayed there." Ruby looked back at him, then lowered her eyes again to his sleeve button and resumed fiddling with it. "Anyways, Kili managed to wed Tauriel, but they were shunned. I didn't even see them, or their children. And Thorin...Thorin had that look in his eyes again...he...he..." Ruby closed her eyes tight and let out a shaky breath. "He was angry at your father." She stopped talking.

"That's not much of a surprise." Legolas tried to lighten the mood. "What was the problem this time?"

"You were sick. Thranduil had stopped all trades and blocked the routes in his kingdom." Legolas gave up on trying to save his button from her incessant fiddling as she ripped it out with her shaking hands and looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Legolas, you were fading." A cold silence passed over them. Legolas blinked, trying to wrap his head around the new information. He cleared his throat in an attempt to articulate some form of response, but couldn't. Ruby continued. "You looked horrible. I went to see you, but I was too late." Legolas pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her.

"None of it really happened, it's all right now. Look at me." She still would not look him in the eyes. "Meleth nîn, look at me." He wiped her tears away. "I'm right here. See? None of it happened."

"But it could have!"

"And yet it didn't. You said so yourself, the mirror showed you are on the right path." at her sniff, he tried a different approach. "It pains me to see you like this." That seemed to do the trick. Ruby sat up straighter and wiped her face with her sleeves. "There you go. All better." She kept looking at him in a strange way. Legolas sighed and flushed. "You really had no idea how much I've always loved you." It wasn't a question.

"How could I have been so blind?" she frowned and shook her head.

"I honestly haven't a clue." They chuckled. "But you know now."

"Hm." She lowered her head. Uttering a low curse under her breath, she saw she had successfully ruined another tunic of his. His arm where she had held on to earlier was bleeding again. Legolas watched her as she took a deep breath and wordlessly started unbuttoning his shirt, carefully checking his bandages and unwrapping the reopened wound. She tutted and grimaced at it. A stream of water became airborne and flew to the gashes on his arm. He closed his eyes and sighed in relief as the cold compress touched his skin.

"This is going to take some time." she sighed, inspecting the damage. The salve she normally used was working far too slow for her liking. She needed to find an alternative. "You shouldn't have held on to me."

Legolas had enough of her complaining. He gripped the back of her neck and pulled her face close, touching their foreheads together and looking her in the eye. Blue anger met multi-coloured confusion.

"Stop it. I could not bear living another second, knowing that I could have saved you, but didn't." Ruby saw a fiery spark that did not belong in his sky blue eyes, but seemed to come from his very soul. That spark triggered something in Ruby she had not felt in a long time. She searched his eyes, uncertain about her reaction to his intense stare, but he broke it, lowering his gaze to her lips, then back to her eyes, a question written clearly in them.

Ruby was still dazed at his words, so he slowly closed the distance between their faces, softly and briefly touching his lips to the corner of hers. He pulled his head back a little, their noses still touching, to gauge her reaction and saw her eyes had closed.

Legolas, being an Elf, did not measure time as other creatures did, but those few seconds waiting for her reaction seemed like eons to him. After over seven hundred years of friendship...of teasing, flirting and leading each other on, he had lost his chance to be with her when Thorin came along and snatched her from him. He had accepted it, mostly because he blamed himself for waiting so long, and because if the Dwarf made her happy, he would respect her choice, as long as she was not hurt. But then, he passed, and Ruby isolated herself in Fangorn, keeping even him away. The few times he saw her, she had been a shadow of who she once was. Legolas was ready to bet she would not survive another century. As they engaged in this quest together, he watched her, sometimes being caught staring, sometimes catching her staring, until he decided he would wait no longer. In Moria, they had nearly kissed, had a noise not alerted them to the danger they were in. He wanted to respect her, and give her time to grieve for Gandalf, but he allowed himself this small selfish act.

Her lips had been warmer than he expected, but that was no surprise. He wanted to feel them again, on his lips, on his skin, to touch them with his fingers, memorizing their taste and texture, but he still had a shred of self control. As he still held on to her nape, his thumb caressed the back of her ear, where her accursed braid had been, and took in a shaky breath in relief that she had not redone it. He called to her in her language, eager for a reaction, his thoughts torturing him.

"Dovahmiin?" he whispered. Her eyes fluttered open, glowing red orbs staring intensely back at him. She did not answer him. Instead, her hands carefully rested on his chest, the stream of water still cooling and cleaning his arm, though its path was uneven and shaky, as if it took a lot of concentration on her part to keep it moving. She leaned closer and grazed their lips, again closing her eyes in bliss. Legolas felt the tip of her tongue slide over his lower lip before it was taken between her own.

They both sighed, as if in relief at a weight being removed from them. In a way, it was, the tension between them was starting to bother even the clueless Hobbits.

Their kiss was slow, deliberately mapping each other's lips. Lithe, muscular arms wrapped around a thin waist, bringing the Dragon closer to the Elf, as delicate but strong arms stretched and coiled carefully around a bandaged burnt neck. Ruby was pulled, having to swing her right leg over Legolas' lap as he hoisted her up and closer to him, their chests pressing against each other's. Legolas parted his lips and silently asked for entrance as he ran his tongue over the small scar on her lip. A hot tongue met his, tangling, slowly gaining speed and fervour. A whimper escaped Ruby's throat as she felt his hands roam her back, long fingers tracing her scars through the dress' thin silk. Her own fingers buried themselves in Legolas' hair, running her nails lightly through his scalp and down his neck to his shoulders. A pained hiss made her come back to her senses and unlatch herself from him.

"Draaf. I'm sorry, Legolas, I forgot." She put a great deal of distance between them as she lowered her gaze to assess the damage she had done with her nails. Legolas would have none of that and gripped her hips, pulling her flush against him, making them both gasp at the intimate contact. He captured her lips again, still gripping her hips and keeping her from leaving. Ruby turned her head and broke the kiss, but Legolas merely lowered his head and latched his lips to her neck. "Legolas..." a soft sigh spurred him on to nibble at her skin. He was pleasantly surprised to feel her jolt at his ministrations, even more so when he nibbled a bit harder, making her grind her core down on his growing hardness. "No. Stop." Ruby managed to gain control and firmly pushed him away. Legolas looked up at her, ready for her rejection.

"Dovahmiin, please. Don't do this. Gin iallon." He begged, his eyebrows turning up in a pleading arch.

"I must." Ruby took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply. Legolas eagerly melted into the kiss, wanting to savour what little affection she could give him, but it did not last long. "I won't have you bleeding all over my bed tonight." She smirked at him, knowing what foolish fears had manifested in his mind. He exhaled and closed his eyes in relief, a chuckle escaping his lips.

"You enjoy torturing me, Dovahmiin." He stole another kiss before Ruby released his face to take his arm and study the now clean wound. She settled herself onto his lap, allowing him to stroke her thighs.

"Why are you calling me that now?" she asked, turning his arm a little.

"Ai! Don't pull the skin!" Legolas frowned at the unpleasantness on his arm, but allowed her to continue, digging his fingers into her flesh.

"I'm so sorry, shir." Ruby had a pained expression on her face.

"Don't be." Legolas did not want to see her troubled over him. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers again. He felt her smile against him, but push him away to continue tending to him.

"Ful laagnu. Let me think." She scolded.

"I can't." He kissed her again, leaning further forward to catch her lips in her halfhearted attempt at avoiding his kisses. "Ci sui 'lî erin lam nîn." He kissed her again, and this time, she finally melted into him, though still avoiding his burns. "Dovahmiin." Her name dropped from his lips with a sigh as she pushed him back to lean against the stone to continue her work.

"What prompted you to change the way you say my name?" she repeated her question from before.

"I wish to learn your language. Dovahzul was it?" He asked. At her nod, he continued. "You speak Sindarin nearly perfectly, yet I only know a few words in your tongue. I want to be able to speak with you."

"You already can speak with me, silly." She smirked.

"Intimately." He leaned in closer, but did not kiss her this time. He looked into her eyes and blinked in that adorable way he always did when he was thinking hard. "Zu'u hind soven voth hi."

Ruby smiled in surprise. Though his Dovahzul was butchered, and still carried a heavy Sindarin accent, she understood his meaning. She kissed him softly.

"Ruz Zu'u fen mindov hi." She whispered. Legolas wrapped his arms around her and pulled her flush against himself. She looked into his eyes and blinked slowly. "Miin."

Legolas remembered her explaining to him what her name meant. Dovah meant Dragon and miin meant eye. He repeated. Ruby smiled and leaned in, touching their noses and rubbing their tips softly together.

"Sumaar."

Again, he repeated. As she leaned closer still, he realized these lessons were not going to be easy to concentrate. She grazed their mouths together and whispered against his lips.

"Zahr. Kroslen."

He did not repeat this time. Catching her lips with his own, he was surprised to feel her hot tongue invading his mouth momentarily, only to have her suck on his own tongue and nibble at it. She released him and continued trying to teach him words.

"Vun." She ran her tongue over his bottom lip. "Rax." Was the next word, with a nibble as a clue to its meaning. Legolas got an idea. He could potentially embarrass himself, but he had to try.

"Zu'u..." He swallowed and tried again, trying not to flush in embarrassment. "Zu'u kovir rax."

Ruby froze for a moment. Legolas swallowed, waiting for the laughter. Ruby's eyes flashed red for a moment, then went back to their twinkling everchanging colours. A sultry grin spread over her face.

"Vir pogaas dreh hi kovir rax?" She asked slowly, a hint of a doubt in her eyes. Legolas had to think hard on her words until he understood.

"Zu'u kovir..." he struggled to find words, and Ruby nibbling on his jawbone wasn't helping. "I think I still need a few more vocabulary lessons." He managed to croak out as he tilted his head back to give her access to the little bit of skin on his neck that wasn't damaged.

"Then let's continue." She trailed her tongue up across his cheek and reached the lobe of his ear. Ruby knew that Elves' ears were the most sensitive parts of their bodies, and Legolas knew she knew. Her tongue vanished inside her mouth as it skimmed the long arch of his helix, lightly nibbling with her teeth safely tucked behind her lips. As she stopped near the shell of his ear, she breathed out in a sigh: "Honiir."

Legolas was bursting apart at the seams, his fingers clutching her rocking hips over his member, his face screwed up in concentration so as to still pay attention to that damned word.

"Hon—honi—" he tried in vain. A hot tongue dipped into his ear and a breathy chuckle set his brain on fire. She repeated the word, slowly, enunciating every letter. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "Honi-iir"

"No. Concentrate. Make a full sentence." Ruby stopped rocking against him, but kept talking against his ear, taking care not to hurt the sensitive appendage.

"Zu'u kovir rax nau honiir." He managed to get out, his face flushed half in embarrassment, half in arousal. A sharp cry escaped his lips as Ruby darted forward and took the very tip of his ear between her teeth and bit down, albeit lightly. Her lips wrapped around the still trapped cartilage and sucked, her tongue flicking the point in her mouth. "Mîruin, avo dharo!" to his dismay, Ruby pulled away with a wet smack, his ear slipping from her mouth and her hips lifting from his as she rose on her knees and broke all contact with him.

"Wrong. Language." Ruby panted above him, ignoring his hands trying to pull her back down. Instead, she shifted and pushed at him, so that he was lying on the grassy floor, her hand on his unhurt shoulder, still fighting his pulling hands.

"Ruby, please..."

"What do you want?" She leaned down but did not allow him to close the space between them. "Tell me, in Dovahzul."

Legolas frowned. This was not fair. He shifted and used his weight against her to roll them over and pin Ruby down, his hipbones pressed against the apex of her inner thighs. He rocked against her, the soft cotton of his trouser and thin silk of her dress doing nothing to help with the friction they wanted.

"Fos dreh hi laan?" Ruby panted, turning her face away from Legolas as he lowered himself to kiss her. He knew Ruby would not yield until this 'lesson' was over, so he stopped to think, resting his forehead on the crook of her neck.

"Zu'u..." he started, searching for a word. Lifting his head, he looked to Ruby for help, but she only raised an eyebrow at him. He sighed, racking his brain for an answer, but gave up as Ruby started rocking her hips again. He stilled her movements with his hand and looked down seriously at her. She stopped, a curious frown on her brow. "Zu'u..." he pulled her hand and laid her palm against his heart.

"Hil." She pressed harder on his chest.

"Zu'u hil hi." Legolas licked his lips and swallowed nervously. "Fah gut tiid." He saw the red glow flicker and fade from her eyes, flecked chestnuts seemed to be staring into the very depths of his soul, and corrected his butchered excuse of a phrase.

"Zu'u lost lokaal hi fah rinik lingrah tiid." She said slowly. When he repeated, a shiver went through her. Slowly, Ruby slipped her hand from his and took his wrist, placing his palm on her own chest and covering his hand with hers. "Zu'u ahk lokaal hi."

Legolas could not believe his ears. Surprise, relief, happiness and love filled him to the brink of his existence, and all he could do to demonstrate that was a breathy exhale as he blinked in that unique way Ruby was so fond of. She raised her hand to hold his cheek.

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to realize." She caressed his face. "I'm sorry I hurt you." Legolas knew she did not only mean his physical wounds, but he shook his head and leaned down to kiss her sweetly.

"Don't apologise." He kissed her again. "You followed your heart to what provided you happiness at the time. I'm just glad it led you to me, even as long as it took."

"I'm so sorry." She repeated.

"Stop." He scolded her. Instead of trying to talk to ease her mind, he lowered his whole body and pressed himself flush against her, trapping her between him and the forest floor. She did not seem to mind, and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him even closer than was possible. She moaned as his left hand ran down her leg to her ankle, slipping under the hem of her dress and slowly pushing the fabric up, his long fingers greedily feeling every inch of skin exposed to him as their tongues fought over dominance. His hand wrapped around the back of her thigh, just below her bottom, and he shifted her, so as to better rest against her core, rocking forward and sliding her back upwards against the forest floor. Their kiss broke at a throaty moan escaping her, and Legolas groaned into the crook of her neck at the incredible Heat flowing off her in waves.

"Monah? Monah, where are you, supper is nearly rea—" Aragorn stopped, rooted to the spot, his eyebrows raised in surprise and a flush on his cheeks at what he had walked into. He turned on his heel and walked back into the woods.

Legolas and Ruby lay frozen, listening to his footsteps. When they were sure he was gone, a common sigh was released between them.

"He's going to kill me." Legolas whined into Ruby's shoulder. She chuckled as she pushed him off her and sat up, adjusting her dress.

"No. But he will have some choice words for you, I'm sure." She watched Legolas stand and accepted his hand as he hoisted her up. Ruby bent down to pick up his tunic and turned back to see him snapping his eyes up to her face, a sheepish grin in place. "Especially if you keep doing that." A pouty smirk spread across her face as she sashayed closer to him and helped him with his tunic. "I'll try to calm him. And you try to calm yourself before you follow." Her eyes snapped to the bulge in his pants before she stood on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to his lips. Legolas took a deep breath and watched her leave.

"Enjoyed the show?" He asked, as soon as her footsteps could no longer be heard. Turning his eyes to the left, he saw Haldir emerge from the treeline.

"Indeed. You should have seen her hunting. Do you know what you're getting into?" The Marchwarden leaned against a tree and smirked at him.

"More than you will ever know. Treasure your memories with her. That is all you will ever have." Legolas left. He was in no way threatened by the Marchwarden, or jealous of him. He knew very well that Ruby had had other partners. She had needs. He did the same, and knew she was aware of that.

Translations:

meleth nîn - my love

Gin iallon. - I beg of you.

Ai! - Ouch!

shir - dear

Ful laagnu... - So restless...

Ci sui 'lî erin lam nîn. - You are like honey on my tongue.

Zu'u hind soven voth hi. - I wish secret with you.

Ruz Zu'u fen mindov hi. - Then I will teach you.

Miin - Eye

Sumaar - Nose

Zahr - Mouth

Kroslen - Lips

Vun - Tongue

Rax - Teeth

Zu'u kovir rax. - I enjoy teeth.

Vir pogaas dreh hi kovir rax? - How much do you enjoy teeth?

Honiir - Ear

Zu'u kovir rax nau honiir. - I enjoy teeth on ear.

Avo dharo! - Don't stop!

Fos dreh hi laan? - What do you want?

Hil - Heart

Zu'u hil hi. - I heart you.

Fah gut tiid. - For far time.

Zu'u lost lokaal hi fah rinik lingrah tiid. - I have loved you for a very long time.

Zu'u ahk lokaal hi. - I also love you.