Epilogue

Life for Anders Johnson was ultimately strange and busy. And he wouldn't have changed it for the world.

A week before Christmas and he had time to reflect on the major changes in his and his families life the past year.

He hadn't been the only one to take a giant leap in the 'family way'. After giving Den a ring, Dawn announced that she was pregnant again AND his dear little brother had eloped with Gaia.

People were finally getting their fairytale endings, though the only hitch had been Ingrid and Olaf deciding to put out their 'psychic waves' and trying to track down other lost loved ones for Anders and Den.

Whatever 'Psychic waves' meant.

But then...Den and Anders both supposed that whatever it was they were doing, might end up being a good thing. Might end up reuniting them both with the woman they knew as 'Dis'. Mother of Fili, Kili and Dru. Sister to Thorin.

"It's just...I see all the faces there and I wonder...how many more are like us? How many...how many of our family? We had Uncles, grandparents...I remember our mother," she'd gotten emotional when she thought about the woman who'd provided many loving and tender memories, "she had...beautiful black curly hair and a beard and her eyes...she had your eyes, Anders. And I know she wasn't my blood, but she was still part of my life."

Anders had told himself not to worry too much. Mostly because the thought of 'another' mother out there was driving him crazy.

He still had his hands full of Den most days, trying to convince her to stay at his flat for...well, indefinitely.

She hadn't exactly said no, but purposefully would evade the question or tease him constantly, telling him, 'I'll tell you later'.

So here he was, chasing her around his apartment and trying desperately to get his hands on her.

It had been her fault, of course.

He'd asked her as they laid in bed together and then, gotten out and provocatively walked around naked looking for her clothes as she 'uhmed' and 'ahed'.

She'd then grabbed one of his shirts and buttoned it up ludicrously low over her chest and told him, 'I'm afraid you'll have to catch me before I can answer', which had refuelled his fire and he's hastily pulled back on his boxers and chased after her.

She'd gotten the table in between them, chairs and whatever furniture she could move to 'attempt escape' but really, she was going slower and slower, giving him a chance to get her.

Even when her phone began to chime, she'd snatched it up off the table and continued to let him chase her.

He'd eventually grabbed her around the waist and pulled her against him, growling like an animal as he nuzzled and pretended to bite her neck.

She'd squealed and grabbed his arm with one hand before holding out the still ringing phone in front of herself.

"I have to answer the phone!" She laughed before he stopped making noises and the arms around her loosened enough so she could get comfortable.

But he didn't let her go.

As she pressed the 'answer' button and held the phone to her ear, he merely turned her about and let his hands settle just underneath his shirt, cupping her buttocks.

"Hello?" Den answered as clearly as she could, but was trying not to sound too 'breathless' as Anders began his slow assault against the skin of her neck, "could you hang on one moment, please? I've got to sort out this pesky creature."

She moved the phone away from her ear as Anders hands gave each of her buttocks a little squeeze and hissed, "Do you mind?!"

He shook his head and gave a deep, dark chuckle.

"No. Not at all. You carry on," he began to eagerly suck on the pulse point of her neck.

Giving up and just letting him have his wicked way with her, she placed the phone back against her ear and cleared her throat.

"Hi, sorry about that-what? No, no, I can't talk long, this might take me a little while. What?" Her other hand suddenly grabbed at his shoulder and her voice went a little higher, "what do you mean? You found her?!"

Anders, feeling the tension in every bit of her body as she went rigid against him, pulled back and looked at her face.

Gone was the joviality and teasing from earlier, replaced by a pale shock as she listened to the person on the other end.

"Oh...ok. Yeah, call me back later. Bye."

She pulled the phone back and looked at Anders, wondering how to break the news with what she'd just heard.

"What is it?" His hands moved up to her lower back and slowly caressed her, hoping to be of some comfort, "bad news?"

She licked her lips and shook her head.

"No, no really. That was Ingrid. They'd been doing some readings and something came through and...well," a small, unsure smile broke over her face, "they found her, Anders. They found our mother."

Xx Mike's Bar xX

"I can't believe it actually worked," Anders took another swig of his pint, finding he actually needed the courage to help him get through this day.

"I can't believe that bullshit about psychic waves was legit," Den smoothed back her hair for the fifth time and sighed, "I look a mess. I knew I should have braided or tied this back."

Anders put his glass back down and shook his head.

"You wanted my opinion and we both agreed in the end that your hair looks fine as it is," he reached out and gently fingered the end of her locks, smiling as he did so, "and that you look fine, all around. Stop worrying, it'll be-"

"If you say it'll be fine, I might have to pour your lager down your top," she pouted at him but softened her glare when that little spark of amusement alit in his eye, "and don't give me that look. Âzyungâl."

Something deep inside of him made a delightful noise, something that could almost be mistakened for a happy purr.

"I love it when you talk like that," his hand moved over her shoulder and gently gripped her, wanting nothing more but to pull her close and kiss her, "no one close can understand us. I can say what I want to you. Like-"

"Alright guys," Olaf suddenly boomed in, smiling widely as he did so, "big day today, are you nervous?"

Den and Anders turned to him, both slightly glaring at the spoiled moment.

"Wow...lots of negative energy. I take it you're nervous?" He held out his hands and inhaled deeply through his nose, "we can all relax and do some exercises together. Perhaps some yoga or even a deep tissue body massage-"

"You're not getting my girlfriend naked and putting your hands on her," Anders arched his brow and protectively put his hand around her waist, "nor am I doing any 'downward dog facing the morning sun' poses."

Den tried to hide her snort behind her hand with a cough, but Olaf just looked unbothered by it.

At that moment, Ingrid came through the front door and for the first time since Den had known her, she had such a serious, nervous expression.

"She's waiting outside. She says she won't come in until it's alright with you guys," she looked between the two of them, "so...are we good to go?"

The amusement fled the room the moment she asked that. Were they good? No, not really.

But...they both had a mixture of excitement and fear coiling in their stomachs.

It needed to be done. It had to be.

"Yeah," Den's hand found Anders without looking and tightly gripped it in her own, "I'm good. Sean and Richard will be here in a bit, but he wants us to go ahead. So, yeah deffo good. Did I say I'm good? Anders?"

"Me too," he said with just as much confidence as much (which wasn't much).

Ingrid nodded and turned back outside, the door slowly swinging behind her.

Olaf began to hum almost happily and made his way across the bar to help himself to a drink.

"Leave it," Den said in her serious tone and Olaf stopped and backed away.

Mike had, of course, allowed them the use of his bar for their important meeting, with the specific instructions that Olaf wasn't allowed to get himself pissed.

And Den had put herself in charge of look out for him because (and quote) 'Den scares me'.

He'd regretted letting Anders know that.

Both of them paid no more attention to Olaf.

Because as Ingrid walked back in, she wasn't alone.

She held the door open and in walked a smartly dressed, tall brunette.

Her skin was pale and she had piercing blue eyes and whilst she could have been like any other person off the street, as soon as Anders's eyes met hers...he knew.

He knew her.

Without even having to shake her hand as he had done with the others, he knew her. The connection was so strong.

And just from the way she looked at him, he knew she had all her own memories.

"Mother?" He said quietly, feeling overwhelmed just by the sight of this woman.

With no hesitation, she slowly walked over to bother of them, her gaze going from his to Den's.

"My dear, sweet boy," she said in a cool, crisp English accent and looked at Den, "my little girl."

Anders eyes filled with tears. He'd been unsure and hesitant, but right now, the part of him that was Fili...just wanted to be near her.

Her hand came out to rest on his cheek and as soon as she touched him, he remembered her full name and title.

Lady Dis. Sister to Thorin, Daughter of Thrain. Mother to Fili, Kili and Dru.

His mother.

"Mam," Den's own voice shook as she reached out to touch the woman in front of her, but stopped herself when she realised she didn't know exactly what she was doing.

"My girl," the woman in front of them smiled serenely and her own eyes shone with tears, "look at you both. You look...you're the same!"

As the last bits of the wall crumbled away between them, she grabbed Anders and Den and pulled them into her arms.

Anders couldn't seem to breathe at first. But when he did, he could smell her sweet fragrance.

She smelled like lavender and chamomile.

Like home.

"Den, Anders," Ingrid spoke softly from the side, "this is Dahlia."

A short while later...

Sean and Richard had arrived during what Olaf had dubbed 'the hugathon of the century' and froze when Dahlia turned to look at them with her warm eyes.

Sean had been pulled into the hug, too happy to oblige when Dahlia had smiled softly at him.

"My children...My little ones, come home," she cried and laughed, turning towards Richard who choose to stand back and watch.

He felt as though his own heart was bursting at the sight of his family united once more.

"Namad?" he said in their tongue and she nodded and smiled.

"Nadad," she confirmed and began to laugh, "my family."

Eventually, everyone had managed to disentangle themselves from one another, long enough to take a seat around one of the tables to 'properly talk' as Dahlia stated.

It was a little awkward at first, as her three children explained, because whilst they did have definite memories of her, they also had memories of their own mothers.

But she didn't truly mind.

"I-I had a mother...I do have one...I think...I don't know if she's dead or alive but," Anders had looked pleadingly at Dahlia, "I did have one, so it's a little difficult for me-"

"I know. Believe it or not, I have my own family," she searched in her purse and pulled out a picture of herself, her husband and two girls, "my husband. And our daughters. Two of them. Spoiled rotten. They're grown now, but...I know what you mean."

She looked at each of them as though she would never see them again.

"I'm not here to replace anyone, nor insist you call my mother. But now that we've found one another, I hope we can at least keep in contact?"

Den was the first one to gently take her hand and nodded.

"Of course! I would love that, really."

"And me," Sean smiled cheekily at her as he thought about it, "just means double the birthday gifts, right?"

Dahlia's laugh sounded like a sweet bell to Anders.

He couldn't deny her, not now.

"Me too," he and his mother shared a warm smile and he knew now, that when he thought he had been complete in finding Den, he had been wrong.

Now he was complete.

A few days later...

Anders and Den had never planned a huge party before, especially at Christmas. But there was a special call for it since they were surrounded by their whole families.

Even Dahlia had made it for a few hours but insisted she had to leave and catch her plane to return to her family. Den, Sean, Anders and Richard had, of course, been understandably upset, but promised to pay for her next visit AND take time off to actually go to her.

But after the party, when the pub was empty and the jukebox in the background was softly playing music, Den and Anders felt truly happy.

They didn't care about the mess.

They didn't care about the wasted food.

All that mattered was being in one another's arms.

Well, being in one another's arms and Anders getting an answer to his damned question.

"Will you move in with me?"

Den snorted as she slowly rocked back and forth in Ander's arms, shaking her head.

"Nope. Fat chance. Your apartment is awful. I think you need to move," she pulled back to look at him with a small, secretive smirk, "I think we'll both need a bigger space actually. I can always rent the place upstairs to Jane and-"

"Wait, what-what do you mean bigger space?" Anders furrowed his brow at her odd little smile, wondering what she was hiding.

"Oh, did I forget to tell you?" she replied as calmly as she could, but didn't take her eyes off of his face as she broke the news, "I'm pregnant."

For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do.

He made a sort of stuttering, happy noise before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face against her neck.

"You're kidding?!" He laughed happily and Den joined him.

"Nope. Found out last week. Wanted to save it for today though. Great Christmas present, huh?" She pulled back and rested her forehead against his.

"The best," Anders shut his eyes and allowed everything pleasant to wash over him, before he switched to Khuzdul, "You know I love you, right? More than anything and anyone in the world?"

"I hope you have some love to spare for the babe?" She gently pushed the tip of her nose against his, feeling warm and happy all over.

"For all and any child, you carry inside."

"Good, because it's twins."

She laughed at his startled expression.

"Don't. Faint!"

Anders did not faint. But he did make a sort of strangled noise that had Den almost in stitches.

"Do you think it was all worth it?" Her hand came up and her thumb brushed over his cheek, "dying and living again?"

"To find you?" Anders nodded and just before he kissed her, he said the truest statement he had ever said in his life, "I would go there and back again a thousand times if it meant finding you and keeping you by my side."

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Namad and Nadad mean brother and sister :3

And thus, this is the end of this story for now. We say goodbye to Anders and Den and Fili and Dru. I hope you've enjoyed it ^_^ I will most likely go back and edit it again as I do with a few stories, but...I'll miss these beans. Thanks for being here!