Getting closer to 17,000 views! Had a day off yesterday which is why I'm able to update a lot quicker than I have been doing recently.

Unicornsinpink300 – It felt a bit like that when I was writing it. I just felt that they deserved a whole chapter together after everything they've been through.

Raven – Always nice to have yet another lover of this story. Hope it never disappoints.

Bunny's daughter – If it's any consolation I was crying when I started writing it.

Marina Oakenshield – I've never done anything before and had it called perfect so BIG BIG thanks for that comment – means so much to me.

Not Out of the Woods Yet

As the sun set over Laketown, silence coursed through the main room of Bard's house. Kili had no idea where the bargeman and his son were but as he kept his gaze on Arianna he hoped the two men stayed away from the house for as long as possible. Arianna's fingers brushed against her new braid and Kili kissed her cheek lightly,

"What does, miz sanazyung mean?" Arianna's tongue struggled to form the word and Kili grinned at her; a slight blush on his cheeks,

"Literally it means perfect love he whispered. It's the most powerful name for the one you love," he gazed into Arianna's blue eyes as she smiled up at him,

"Who'd have thought dwarves could be so romantic," she winked at him and Kili gave her a playful frown,

"I'll have you know we're very romantic," he kissed her ear and as she rolled away from him a thought suddenly struck Kili. Bard may not be at home; but the remainder of the company were. Knowing his older brother, Kili knew Fili would be barging in any minute. Running a hand through his hair Kili forced himself to sit up. Arianna frowned at him but he gave a shrug,

"We'd better get dressed," he whispered, "We don't want to others barging in at the wrong moment do we?"

Arianna nodded and sat up with her back to Kili. As he looked at her scarred back Kili's breath caught in his throat. The blood and bruises may have gone but Arianna's skin was still covered in long, thin scars that were left over from the goblin's whip. Placing a gentle hand against her back he noted Arianna's body stiffen at his touch. Pulling her mother's necklace from his neck Kili kissed the back of her hair as he dropped it round her neck,

"We can never repay you for what you did in Goblin Town," he muttered into her ear. Arianna took his hand and gripped it tightly,

"You've already done more for me than you could ever know my love," she kissed his nose before turning back round and pulling her trousers and boots on. Kili watched her for a few minutes before his eyes widened at the sound of a door opening and Bofur's voice trailing through,

"Do ye think we could maybe make use of the kitchen…" he trailed off and both Kili and Arianna blushed deep red as they saw Bofur staring at them. The dwarf swallowed nervously before bending down to pick up his hat that had rolled towards the main living area. As the toymaker moved back towards the door Kili leaned forward,

"Bofur don't tell…" he sighed as the dwarf shut the door behind him, "the others," he ended. Arianna pulled her shirt over her head and frowned at him,

"What is it?"

Kili shook her head, "Fili's about to give the biggest telling off I think I'll ever get from him,"

"Why…?" Arianna trailed off and she looked down at the bed, "Is it about…are you not supposed to do it in your culture before marriage then?"

Running a hand through his hair Kili pulled on his own tunic and sighed. He placed a hand on Arianna's shoulder,

"Not exactly. It's not illegal to be intimate before marriage…but it is frowned upon a little bit. I personally don't think it makes much difference, but dwarves are very traditional at times,"

"You're telling me," Arianna muttered as she laced up her tunic. They both looked guiltily at each other as they heard Fili's voice,

"They were WHAT?"

Arianna and Kili looked at each other, "3, 2, 1," they mouthed before the door burst open and three dwarves and Bard's two daughters stormed in. Fili's face was like thunder and Arianna immediately felt guilty about what had happened last night. If she had known then she would never have pushed for her and Kili to lie together. Bofur and Oin took a step back whilst Fili stared at his brother and Arianna. The two moved away from the bed and whilst he was pleased to see his little brother was able to stand without so much as wincing; Fili couldn't help but noticed their flushed faces and guilty looks,

"So it's true then?" he glowered. Kili opened his mouth but Arianna got there first,

"Fili…I didn't know that it wasn't…proper for this to happen in your culture,"

For a few seconds all Fili did was look from guilty face to the other. As his face broke into a smile both Arianna and Kili's shoulders sagged with relief. Pulling his brother close Fili hugged Kili tightly,

"Congratulations are in order I suppose," he whispered. Kili sighed at his brothers words. True he and Arianna had practically got engaged through their actions; but Kili didn't want it to be like that. When the time came to ask her then he would do it properly. Stepping away from Kili, Fili eyed him carefully,

"Thorin will kill you when he finds out," he said; the laughter gone from his voice. Kili nodded his head from side to side,

"Maybe. On the other hand, how can he kill me if he doesn't actually know?"

"Kee," Fili rolled his eyes in annoyance but Bofur just pushed past him – a huge smile on his face,

"What does it matter?" he cried, "It couldn't have happened to two better people,"

Arianna laughed as the dwarf gave a playful bow before stepping back. Her eyes immediately spied the small figure of Tilda who was hiding behind her sisters skirts. Giving the child a warm smile Arianna watched as Tilda inched forward. Bending down to one knee Arianna allowed Tilda to come to her,

"You killed all those orcs?" the girl said; a huge look of awe on her face. Arianna nodded and Tilda gave her a shy smile before looking back up at Kili,

"Is that your husband?" she asked innocently. Arianna blushed although she bent her head to avoid laughing. She didn't dare look round at the others although she could imagine their faces. Kili would have gone bright red whilst the other three would have been trying not to laugh. Sigrid grabbed Tilda's shoulders,

"Tilda! Don't be so nosy," she scolded. Arianna shook her head,

"Don't worry about it," she said to Sigrid before giving Tilda another smile,

"He's not my husband," she leant closer to the little girl in a conspiratorial manner, "Or at least, not yet,"

She laughed at Tilda's wide eyed smile before getting to her feet and putting and arm around Kili's waist. As he pressed his mouth to hers Fili rolled his eyes,

"Not again!" he groaned, "Are you two going to be like this all the way to Erebor?"

Arianna shrugged and Fili shook his head,

"Well could you at least go into another room so we don't have to watch?"

Kili's eyes lit up and he took Arianna's hand, "Do we have time?" he winked at her but she pulled away from his grasp and sighed. They would have to be leaving for the mountain soon. Assuming Thorin and the others had killed the dragon.

"It's nice to see you looking healed master dwarf,"

Everyone spun round as Legolas and Tauriel stood in the doorway. Arianna sighed as the dwarves instantly tensed their muscles – waiting for a fight. However she pushed past them and stared at the severe looks on the elves faces,

"What is it? Are the orcs dead?"

Legolas sighed and ran a finger along his bowstring,

"Almost…we killed any that tried to escape from Laketown…however," he shuffled his feet and Arianna was surprised at how awkward Legolas looked. Tauriel placed a hand on his shoulder,

"However, one orc managed to escape Laketown…and we think another is hiding in the town somewhere,"

Kili's grip on Arianna tightened and she sighed. He gave her a strange look – a look that got even stranger as the saw the lack of surprise on the others faces,

"What is it?" he leant closer to Arianna, "What are you not telling me?"

She took a deep breath, "The orc that stayed here…I'd hazard a guess he's here for me,"

Kili nodded, remembering the words the huge orc had spoken when they were trying to escape the wood elves. As he looked at both Legolas and Tauriel he couldn't help but smile at the irony of the situation they were now in. He pressed his lips to Arianna's hand,

"So we start heading towards Erebor," he said; his voice filled with certainty, "If we can get to it before the orcs discover us then we'll be safe,"

Arianna shook her head, "What about Sigrid and Tilda?" she bent close to his ear to avoid the two girls hearing her words. Kili gave a guilty sigh and nodded.

"So what do we do?" Bofur asked the worry evident in his voice. Kili shook his head and pressed his forehead to Arianna's,

"Why is it we can never have a single day without something happening?" he mumbled crossly. Arianna snorted with laughter before turning to the others,

"How could you miss one orc?" Oin asked Legolas, his forehead frowned in annoyance. Legolas stiffened at the dwarf's tone but Tauriel gave Oin a calm smile,

"There are many places to hide in this town master dwarf. We were a little busy trying to kill the ones that were attacking us to worry about anything else,"

Oin frowned as he tried to hear the elf's words through his battered ear trumpet. He gave a small nod and Arianna drew close to Tauriel. Looking up at the she elf she gave a grim smile,

"It's heading this way isn't it?" she sighed as Tauriel nodded. Sigrid pulled Tilda close to her and Fili gave the older girl a reassuring smile,

"Don't worry," he said, "We won't let anything happen to you,"

Sigrid nodded but Tilda gripped her sister's skirts tightly. The dwarves clustered by the two elves. Arianna noted how they were all still glowering at Legolas and she sighed – thanking Valar that Thorin wasn't here right now,

"We came here to warn you," Legolas's eyes flashed, "We lost his trail somewhere near this house. If he is after Arianna then this is where he'll come. He knows you travelled with us and it's possible he didn't see you leave the house with us,"

Nodding to herself Arianna looked down at herself. She still had her sword and two long knives. The dwarves had next to nothing,

"Sigrid," the girl jumped at the sound of her voice and Arianna gave her a winning smile,

"Are there any weapons in this house? Anything at all?"

"Just the ones the dwarves rejected earlier," Sigrid replied bluntly. Arianna gaped at the news. Turning to the four dwarves behind her she rolled her eyes,

"You of all people refused weapons?"

"They weren't proper weapons," Oin protested. Arianna shook her head,

"Well right now there all we've got,"

As the dwarves picked up various objects from the previously rejected pile of weapons Bard had offered them earlier, Arianna saw Tauriel and Legolas standing in the doorway. She would have gone over to talk to them if their mouths hadn't been pressed together.

"What's the matter?"

Arianna looked up as both Kili and Fili sat on either side. She shook her head as Kili lant against her shoulder; he stared up at her with wide eyes and she laughed,

"Don't even try it. Puppy dog eyes have never worked on me,"

"If they work on Dwalin then they'll work on anyone," he replied with a cheeky grin. Arianna opened her mouth to ask what he meant but then decided against it,

"I just feel…responsible for all of this," she admitted. Fili gave her an understanding nod,

"I thought we'd been through this Arianna. None of this is your fault,"

She looked up at him with a grateful smile. Kili nudged her as Legolas came over. The blonde elf looked at Kili's hand that was linked with hers and gave Arianna a small smile before squatting down,

"What's the plan then?" his voice low. Arianna saw Tauriel standing in a corner talking to Oin and Bofur about something. Gripping Kili's hand she frowned at the elf,

"Shouldn't this be your area of expertise?"

He shrugged, "You were an assassin. I figured that you had a good head for strategy,"

"Right," Arianna swallowed nervously and Kili squeezed her hand encouragingly. The three of them got to their feet as Arianna racked her brains,

"We should wait for him to come. Sooner or later he'll find the house. Also, we need to make sure Sigrid and Tilda are safe,"

Kili looked past Arianna and saw Sigrid rooting around for something in a cupboard. Arianna followed his gaze before smiling at Legolas,

"With any luck the orc won't know that you've told us. He won't be expecting an attack,"

As Legolas gave a satisfied nod Arianna watched as Fili handed Kili his chain mail coat. As he slipped it on she gave him a soft smile before helping him to do up his belt,

"As nice as this is…I did love your leather one," she grinned at him and he smiled,

"Don't worry…I've got spares back home," he pulled her close and wrapped an arm around her,

"Don't so anything rash," he pleaded. Arianna raised an eyebrow,

"You're telling me not to be rash?"

Kili kissed her hand, "Please. I don't want to have to go through the pain of losing you again," he sighed, "Just be careful,"

"Kili please," Arianna kissed his forehead, "I'm always careful,"

As she moved away towards Sigrid, Kili sighed,

"I know. That's what worries me,"

Arianna watched as Sigrid placed a long object rolled up in a blanket on the table. As the girl unwrapped it Arianna's eyes widened at the black bow that lay before her,

"This was my father's very first bow," the girl explained, "He kept it all these years…as a reminder that everything starts from somewhere. It's bit worn and there are only a few arrows but…it should do,"

Arianna shook her head as Sigrid pushed the bow in her direction,

"I can't take this,"

"Can you shoot?" the girl asked. Arianna nodded and Sigrid smiled, "Then you're taking it. No arguments,"

Arianna gently held the bow in her hands as she strapped the quiver to her back. The sound of a knife made her look up and she watched in interest as Sigrid pulled a wicked looking dagger from a sheath on her belt. Arianna frowned and Sigrid shrugged,

"My father gave me this two years ago. He taught me how to use it…should any one try and attack me." She grinned, "Although I don't think he ever imagined it would be used for this,"

"Where's your sister?" Arianna realised with a jolt that Tilda wasn't clinging onto her sister. Sigrid winked,

"I told her to go and hide. I said that it was a game and that no matter what happens she mustn't make any noise else she'll be found and she'll lose," the smile vanished from Sigrid face,

"It's my way of saying "stay safe else you'll get killed,""

Arianna placed a hand on the girls shoulder. She was full of admiration for Sigrid's actions. If more women were like her then maybe men would stop trying to take advantage of women. Sigrid gave Arianna a determine grin as Arianna slung the bow onto her back,

"I won't let the orc get you or your sister. I promise,"

Sigrid nodded gratefully as she and Arianna headed to where the others were waiting. Fili eyed the bow on her back and Arianna smiled,

"Just borrowing it,"

"Why do you get the bow?" Kili asked. Arianna snorted at his tone. He was like a little boy who wanted to join in the game his friends were playing. Meanwhile, the dwarves were staring at the knife in Sigrid's hand and Bofur shook his head,

"Remind me never to underestimate any lass I come across from now on," he chuckled and Sigrid gave a nervous smile. Sensing the girls fear Arianna nudged her,

"Stick with Bofur and Oin," she whispered, "They'll keep you safe," Sigrid nodded and as she moved towards the two dwarves Kili faced Legolas,

"So what happens now? We all wait here for the orc to appear?"

"Of course not," Tauriel interjected. "We hide. We wait for him to come before we pounce,"

Kili opened his mouth but his brother shook him,

"It's not the best plan," he admitted, "But we don't have much time,"

Tauriel nodded before pointing to Oin, Bofur and Sigrid,

"You two wait in that room over there, me and Legolas will…" she broke off as Arianna shook her head,

"What is it?" Kili inched closer and his heart sank as he saw the look in her eyes. It was the exact same look she'd had when the goblins had been threatening Ori. He gave a low growl,

"Arianna…"

She held up a hand to shut him up, "The orc's here for me. Let me draw him out. Let me deal with it,"

Fili shook his head, "No…it's too dangerous,"

"How is it? It's one orc against one assassin," Arianna sighed as the others began shaking their heads,

"Look," she said desperately, "I don't want to see any of you get hurt because of me. I won't go through that again," she stared hard at Kili, "Just…trust me on this. Please?"

Arianna watched as Tauriel muttered something to Legolas who nodded before giving Arianna smile,

"We'll guard the front entrance to the house,"

"You can't be serious?" Kili burst out. Legolas frowned but ignored the dwarf's anger. Fili pulled his brother back and Arianna stepped towards her One.

"Trust me Kili," she whispered. With a shaky nod Kili allowed his brother to pull him back. However, at the last moment he grabbed Arianna and pressed his mouth against hers,

"I love you," he said thickly, "For all eternity,"

"Very sweet brother," Fili sighed as they drew apart, "Now can we get on with it?"

Tauriel flashed Arianna a smile as both she and Legolas stepped outside and began heading down the stairs that led from the house. Oin and Bofur began leading Sigrid towards the room she shared with her sister whilst Arianna took a few deep breaths,

"What about you two?" she looked over at Fili and Kili. Both were holding pike hooks and Arianna sighed at the smile on Fili's face,

"I thought we agreed…" she began. Fili gave a shrug,

"Changed our minds," he grinned at her, "If you think we're letting you take this on by yourself then you don't know us at all,"

"Which would be awkward…considering you've been travelling with us for months," Kili chimed. As she looked at the two brothers Arianna felt touched by their loyalty. Placing a hand on each of their shoulders she winked at them,

"If either of you die…it's on your conscience," both brothers nodded

"Of course," Kili said with a smile plastered over his face. Arianna shook her head,

"I'm starting to think you're only staying for the fun of it," she muttered. Fili shook his head,

"You've fallen for a smart woman here brother," he grinned, "She's figured us out already,"

Arianna opened her mouth to say something when the three of them froze. No one said anything as the sound of heavy footsteps came from above them,

"He's on the roof," Kili whispered. Arianna nodded and began moving towards the bed. Fili frowned at her but she made frantic hand signals,

"Take him by surprise," she mouthed. He nodded and began pulling Kili in the other direction. Arianna crawled underneath the bed whilst the two brothers hid behind a small table in a corner of the room. As she tucked her feet under the bed Arianna's whole body tensed as the orc jumped through the hole in the roof. She gagged at the stench of blood and as she peeked out from her hiding place she watched as the figure of Fimble began moving round the house. The orc sniffed at something and Arianna shot back as he moved in her direction. From her vantage point she could see both Fili and Kili watching her,

"Whatever happens," she mouthed slowly in order for them to understand, "Do nothing."

Fili nodded and Arianna noticed he tightened his grip on Kili's arm. As the footsteps moved ever closer to the bed Arianna pulled one of her knives out silently and rolled onto her back. She began counting in her head as the orc moved closer and closer. As the footsteps stopped by the bed Arianna's heart slowed. Gripping the knife in her hand she took slow, shallow breaths. She could hear Fimble sniffing the air and only when utter silence feel did her blood freeze. Fimble grunted and moved sideways and that's when Arianna knew.

She knew she'd been found.

Quick apologies for the chapter title. It's not great but does sum up what happens so…

Another cliff-hanger! I'm sorry guys but you should know by now how much I love them! Lot going on in this chapter and hope no one minds Legolas and Tauriel getting in on the action once again. As always let me know what you think because (as I say way too much) your comments mean so much to me.