Renee: I'll start by saying I had just finished this chapter when I got your review, I'm so glad I saw it before I posted it. I'm glad you liked the last moment, it was one of my favorites between them. I was excited to write this chapter, I've been waiting to give them a baby. To answer your question i do not have a tumblr, I've been very tempted though.
Three weeks later
Eleni stirred feeling something on her belly and hearing something faint. It took her a few moments before she realized she was hearing a slight whispering as a hand stroked her stomach, and a few moments longer before she could understand what was being said.
"Your grandmother made you a little bear, as black as Beorn. Your mother loves him very dearly. He's a very big man and an even bigger bear, but he's really very nice."
She smiled at hearing Fili talk to their son, his head resting on her stomach as he whispered quietly.
"We're all very excited to see you, your uncle Kili can hardly stop talking about the great warrior you'll be. It's alright if you're not, you may be more like Ori. But your mother and I will love you no matter what."
Eleni listened without moving, knowing this was between him and their son. He continued rubbing her stomach, the baby was still as though he was listening too. It was a long while before Fili spoke again.
"I love you," he whispered. "I promise I'll do my best to be a good father. I remember only vaguely my own and my uncle loved Kili and I, but he was hard on us. I won't be like that, I'll let you know you can make mistakes. That you don't always have to be strong."
Tears sprung to Eleni's eyes as she listened to the sadness in Fili's voice, to the tears in it.
"Not even your mother is, though don't ever think her weak. She is the strongest woman you'll ever know. But she loves so fiercely, she'll be a good mother." Fili kissed the last place his son kicked before moving to lay beside his wife, seeing she was awake.
"You will be a great father," she said softly.
"What if I'm not?" he asked, voicing the concerns that were growing as large as her stomach.
"You've cared for Kili his entire life," she said and he shook his head.
"It's not the same," he insisted.
"You love me," she said and he looked at her confused. "I did not make loving me easy, but you did. You will be a great father," she said, filling his eyes with tears.
He tried to blink them away but he couldn't seem to keep them at bay. "What if I said I was afraid?" he asked quietly.
"I would tell you that I was too," she answered and he pulled her to him, holding her tight in his arms. He reveled in the feel of her, her round stomach against his side.
"Maybe he could stay in there for another nine months," he said and she gave a small laugh.
"We'll get through this," she said kissing his cheek, soothing his fears.
A month and a half later
"Are you sure you feel well?" Fili asked again causing her to roll her eyes.
"Yes," she said irritably, "your mother said the same thing happened to her. Go, look after the reparations I will be alright."
Fili gave her a hard look, not wanting to be farther than an hour from her after the false labor pains the night previous. Though he reluctantly agreed after feeling the heat of her own irate stare and bid her and his brother farewell; her moods having been greatly changing as of late. Though the further he moved through Erebor, the hours passing as they continued walking to end of the Mountain, the more he felt uneasy as though he never should have left her.
Eleni sat tiredly on the bed, longing for the feel of the sun on her skin having been kept inside for many days. She placed a hand on her lower back and slowly stood, her back aching more and more the larger her stomach grew, and began walking for the door.
"Where are you going?" Kili asked alarmed. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes," grumbled Eleni pushing him aside, "I have not felt the sun nor the wind in a week and I am losing my mind."
"You cannot go outside," exclaimed Kili watching her waddle as he followed her out into the hall.
"I cannot stay in here," she said, the need to feel moving wind overcoming her with an urgent need. She felt a sharp pain in her lower stomach and she winced before she kept moving, it subsiding a few seconds later. After an hour, to which Kili gave up and carried her, she sat happily beside Dwalin feeling the warm winds of late summer. Dwalin was telling her that half of the stationaries had been built and anchored to the Mountain, and that the pulley system for the Gate was being constructed. Kili watched her closely seeing her wince occasionally as she had the night before, though seeing she was not alarmed he stayed his tongue. Her brows furrowed and she grunted softly holding her stomach as a contraction tore through her.
"Eleni," Kili said moving quickly to her side when he saw the pain lasted longer. Her breathing was heavy but it evened out a minute later and she brushed aside his concerns. Though hardly ten minutes later she gasped as she felt another contraction and again she waved his worries away. He watched a twitch of pain cross her face several times over the next hour, wondering if the pains from the night before had not in fact been a sign of labor, and then she moaned.
"Gloin get the midwife," Dwalin yelled helping Eleni stand, that contraction having been not even five minutes after the last. "Do you need me to carry you?" he asked worriedly.
"No," she said and they almost believed her from the look of relief on her face. "I think I just need to stand."
Though hardly four minutes later she nearly whimpered as another spasm went through her, needing Dwalin to help her stand.
"We are taking her inside," Kili ordered looking very serious, something he did not look often. He scooped her in his arms before carrying her towards the Front Gate, feeling her tense as she moaned only three minutes later, this time it lasting for almost a minute. He saw the midwife, a short young dwarf woman with red hair, and he followed her towards the room they had prepared for Eleni. Ten minutes later and he set her on the bed, having held her through three spasms hearing her cries. "I thought you said she was not in labor," Kili said harshly to the midwife.
"From what I was told it did not sound like it," she answered shortly helping him sit Eleni up on the bed. Eleni grit her teeth and groaned holding her stomach, making Kili panic at the fact that she was about to birth his nephew.
"I have to tell Fili," he said realizing his brother was hours away near the end of his kingdom.
"Don't leave me," Eleni pleaded, and once Kili looked at her wide fearful eyes he found that he couldn't.
"Dwalin get Fili," he yelled and heard Dwalin's agreement before the older dwarf began running. It was then Kili thought that they needed a better way to get through the Mountain, for it would be hours before Dwalin reached Fili and then more hours before Fili made it to them.
"I need your help," the midwife said and Kili moved to the she-dwarf's side. He placed Eleni's foot in the foothold on the end of the bed, seeing her womanhood bared before him.
"What is that?" he asked alarmed at seeing his brother's wife as he was.
"That would be the water," the midwife said having seen many women's water breaking before. "Have you never been with a woman?" she asked seeing his shocked face as he continued to stare between the queen's widely spread legs.
"Of course I have," he said embarrassed before moving to Eleni's side once more. "Everything'll be alright," he assured her as he stroked her hair.
"Fili won't make it," she said before she cried out in pain, this one lasting two minutes.
"No," Kili agreed, "he won't."
"This isn't what I saw."
…
Dwalin, after running for two hours, finally reached the back of the Mountain where Fili was. He leaned against a wall as he tried to catch his breath, looking for the king.
"What is it?" Balin asked seeing his brother in a panicked state.
"Where is the king?" he asked between breaths.
"He returned to his study a few hours ago," Balin said wondering what had happened.
"He's not here!" Dwalin yelled gaining the attention of those around him.
"Tell me what is going on," Balin ordered his younger brother as he started running back the way he came.
"The queen is having the baby," he called back and Balin stopped shocked.
Dwalin continued running, his heart beating painfully in his chest. He ran across Ori after an hour and hailed the young dwarf.
"Is everything alright?" he asked quietly as Dwalin huffed and puffed, his hands on his knees with sweat pouring down his face.
"No," Dwalin growled. "Tell Fili Eleni's having the baby," he said knowing he would not make it to the king faster than Ori could.
"She's having the baby?" Ori asked excitedly before worry marred his features. "I'll go right away," he said before running as fast as his short legs could carry him.
By the time Ori reached Fili's study, where he had just left to see to the reparations when Dwalin found him, two more hours had passed and poor Ori was tired out. He burst into Fili's study hardly able to draw a breath.
"Have you seen to what I asked?" Fili questioned without looking up, his eyes trailing over plans for his son's room. "Ori?" Fili asked finally looking up when he was given no answer. He took one look at Ori's red face and wide eyes before leaping to his feet and running to where Eleni was.
"I missed it," he said upon seeing his brother's awed face outside the room his wife was in.
"Twenty minutes," Kili agreed, five hours having passed since Eleni had been placed on the bed.
"How is she?" Fili asked and saw a queer smile on his brother's face.
"Your wife?" he asked and Fili nodded confused. "She is well, very tired but well."
"My son?" Fili asked moving towards the door.
"Go see," Kili said and Fili gave his brother one last searching look before entering the room.
Eleni leaned against many pillows on the bed, her face a mask of joy as she stared down at the tiny child in her arms. She looked up at Fili and smiled before beckoning him closer. He was surprised to see short golden hair atop the baby's head, his hair.
"I thought you said he had dark hair," he said watching the baby's small mouth sucking his wife's nipple as he fed.
"He will have dark hair," she said stroking the baby's cheek.
Fili stared at the infant in shock, a thought crossing his mind, and then he lifted the blanket that was wrapped around his child. "I have a daughter," he said astounded. He sat on the edge of the bed, wrapping an arm around Eleni's shoulder, and stared down at his little girl.
"What shall we name her?" Eleni asked before moving her daughter to her other breast.
Fili was quiet a while as he thought, running his fingers lightly over his daughter's head. "My mother had wanted a girl," he said absentmindedly. "She had a name chosen, Nali. I always liked it."
"Nali," Eleni said feeling the name on her tongue. "It's perfect."
"Yes she is," Fili said still in shock though very pleased. He turned his eyes from the child to look at his wife, seeing the joy in her eyes – a mother's joy – and kissed her soundly on the lips.
I chose her name from the poem Tolkien got the dwarves' names from, it was even in the same line Fili and Kili's were in. (Part of why I chose it) Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.