All those times

The day was perfect. The sun was shining, people were out and talking and of course...the Princess and Prince were tucked up in their bed, catching up on their much-missed sleep as others relieved them of their parenting duties for a few hours.

Thora and Bror were with Rana and Thorin, but their newest daughter, Freyja, had been 'kidnapped' by Kili so he could have a playmate for Ceri.

Though considering both were below a year old, there wasn't really much they could do together.

Both Fili and Dru had a feeling he just wanted an excuse to hold his new little niece for as long as he could, considering Thora had latched herself onto Thorin.

But both of the parents were not asleep.

No, they had snoozed for a bit, but now they were both awake, holding one another and declaring their intentions for what they could get up to in their last hour of freedom.

"Wait until I get you on your back," Dru said between hot kisses, her fingers gliding over her husband's waist, "I'm going to make you beg for me to let you come."

"Then I'll just have to keep you on your back," he chuckled darkly as his lips moved over her neck, "hold your hips down with my hands whilst my face is buried in between your legs."

They both laughed as Dru managed to hook her leg over him and managed to wrestle him over so they both laid on their sides.

"And what else would you do?" She asked with great interest as her foot ran up and down the back of his thigh.

"I'd tell you how much I love you," he growled as her hips gently rolled against his and bared his teeth at her in a very hungry manner, "and how wonderful you are. Wonderfully teasing sometimes."

"All the time, I hope," one of her hands wandered down to rest on his belly, but she didn't go any farther than that, "I remember the first time you told me you loved me. I wanted to jump your bones before my senses kicked in."

"I wanted to tell you before that. But...well, we kept getting interrupted or the moment wasn't right."

Dru stopped her teasing long enough to look at him with genuine surprise.

"Oh? You were going to tell me you loved me before that wonderful day in your study?"

Fili nodded at her and sensing the passion had cooled only slightly, rubbed the tip of his nose against hers.

"A few times. Actually, there were moments where I almost said the wrong thing and other times...well, it would have been in the heat of the moment."

"And when was that?"

As his hand smoothed over her hips and moved around to cup her backside, he remembered the first time he'd gotten the courage to tell her how he felt.

"Well..."

In the kitchens of Erebor, not so long ago...

He could tell her. Right now. All he has to do is ask her if she wants to marry him? Easy as pie, right? Or maybe, just stick to confessing his love and pray she doesn't slap him with her bad hand and end up hurting herself more? All these thoughts whirled through his mind and he hoped that Dru wasn't thinking how strange his silence was.

All Dru could think about was how grateful she was that Fili didn't hate or blame her for what happened. She'd punished herself in thinking he would, but of course, he would never hold any ill will towards her. He was...Fili. Forgiving, kind and quiet. And she loved him for it so much. And when she looked down at where their hands lay, how she longed to lift them up and press a tender kiss against his knuckles.

He cleared his throat and they both looked back at one another, Fili's eyes full of fierce nervousness.

"About the promise," he licked his lips nervously and tried to spit out his words, "I could...we could try again?"

For a few moments, there was silence.

All he could hear was their breathing and his own heart thumping wildly in his ears. Oh, Gods.

He'd mucked it up.

He'd shocked her and now she hated him or was contemplating running.

He slowly turned to look at her, apparently, just as she turned to look at him.

"What?" Her eyes were wide, obviously shocked and surprised, but she didn't look angry. He was relieved at that.

"If you want to keep your promise...we could try again. If you like?" He added the last bit in because he didn't want to make it sound like he was FORCING her to keep the promise. No, this was up to her. If she said no, then he knew she didn't want to be with him. If she said yes...it meant she felt something. Anything. Anything other than sibling love.

She blinked at him a couple of times before her cheeks flushed slightly and finding his gaze was too much, lowered her eyes back down to their joined hands.

"I mean, of course,...if you want to," she sounded nervous, as though she expected him to suddenly change his mind.

But Fili was not.

Not now.

He shifted slightly to turn his whole torso and she flicked her gaze back to him, waiting expectantly.

"Yes," he offered her a real, excited smile, "I do. More than anything."

Without waiting for permission, knowing she felt affection towards him, he leant in and caught her lips quickly, though was not as passionate as he would have liked.

Mostly because of their aggravated injuries but also because he really didn't want to scare her off.

As awkward as it was kissing, Fili felt over the moon when he felt her kiss back.

Her other hand came to lovingly cup his cheek and neither had to say the words out loud.

"Dru," he managed to gasp out as he pulled away and looked at her, his heart full at last, "I've waited so long-"

"You took your bloody time!" She let out a breathless laugh and finding her courage, pulled him back towards her mouth, obviously not done.

"Oh...but we wouldn't have been able to do much, what with your gammy arm and my...well, everything," Dru suddenly laughed and added on to his daydreaming, "and then Kili would have walked in and gone 'AH, WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" Before keeling over."

She lays on her back as he hovers over her, his hand between the valley of her breasts, smoothing over the skin

"What about the other time? When would you have told me?"

The halls of Erebor...

"Three weeks ago...I dreamt that we got separated in battle and when I came to find you...you were in the Mountain in your room and... with the babe in your arms. But you couldn't hear or see me. You were crying by yourself as the Orcs came and tried to break down the door, but...you didn't know what to do. You couldn't fight and the babe was screaming and when they came, I couldn't," she pulled away when he choked on his own sob, seeing tears streaming down his cheeks, "I couldn't fight them all. I heard you both screaming and crying and I-I couldn't-"

Her hands suddenly grabbed his face and she pressed feverish kisses against his lips and cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she managed to cry out between kisses, "I'm sorry. I didn't think that you had to go through it too. I never asked. I'm sorry."

Fili welcomed the kisses and began to return them the best he could and then...it happened. His lips caught hers and for a moment, she lingered a little too long.

And when she pulled back, he went forward and kissed her again.

And then again.

And before either knew it, she had her hands around the back of his neck and his own were on her arms and they were kissing just the way they had done in Lake-Town all those months ago.

His tongue slipped against hers and the little noises she made set something alight in him.

Suddenly, completely oblivious to where they were, he began to walk her backwards, his hands moving over her to keep her close.

He didn't care where they were or who saw.

Aware of the pillar behind her, he waited until his hands made contact with the stone before pressing her back against it.

As soon as that happened, he pressed his own body flush against hers and the startled moan she made against his lips filled him with the greatest sense of passion yet.

Finally, stopping to catch his breath and allow her a reprieve, he pulled back just enough to look into her eyes.

Whilst they both had wet faces from their tears, she no longer seemed upset or sad. Her cheeks were slightly flushed and her lips were already a little swollen and red from the attention and he longed to kiss her again.

But first...he had to let her know. He had to reassure her that it wasn't just a heat of the moment kiss. That she meant more to him...than life itself.

"I promise you, you won't have to go through this alone," he leant his forehead against hers and whispered quietly so it would not echo around them, "I love you. I'm here and I'll never let you go through anything alone ever again."

Fresh tears sprang to Dru's eyes and her face crumpled slightly, but she seemed so relieved. As though a great weight had lifted itself from upon her shoulders.

"I love you," she grabbed either side of his face and between gentle kisses, professed her own love, "I love you, so much. Stay with me."

As Fili held her tightly and kissed her back, he felt happy. Despite their confessions and worries and heartache, they'd both experienced he finally felt happy, just because they loved one another and she was safe in his arms.

At last.

"Always."

"You've got a very creative imagination," Dru softened after she listened to what scenario her husband had presented to her, knowing that it would have played out exactly the way he thought, "and I would have accepted you in any situation but...I wouldn't change anything about our love or the way it started."

"Really?"

Dru's fingers came up to stroke his beard and she nodded her head.

"Had you told me earlier before we went through everything, then we may have gotten straight together. But to change the slightest thing would mean to change every memory I made with you up until this point," she smiled serenely at him as she remembered her fondest times, "when you got jealous of Bofur. When you saw me all wet in my new dress and you made me feel...so happy."

"Sledding down the gold on dinner trays?" He offered and she nodded her head, laughing.

"When Mam read about the battle and we ran away, holding hands all the way through the Mountain."

"When you got sick and I cooked for you."

"Oh, that was delicious! Now I want broth," they both laughed before Dru stilled and shook her head, "no...no, I wouldn't change a thing."

"Even the fights?" He'd remembered the few times they'd butted heads, one being in the forest after she'd been kidnapped and she thought for a bit before something sneaky flashed in her eyes.

"Even the fights are precious. We made up after them," her hand wandered down his body, over his chest and stomach to rest just above the fine hair, "I believe one particular fight resulted in us making love and nine months later-"

"Freyja was born," Fili smirked and drew his wife closer as her fingers moved over him, teasing him until he began to grow hard beneath her hand.

"Exactly," just before she kissed him and her hand wrapped around his cock, she did make him a promise, "and regardless of how it ends, our story started wonderfully and you know what? I'll make sure that each of our children knows just how incredible our time together was."

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In Which the Bard would like to present you with a couple of the times she planned to get Fili and Dru to confess, HOWEVER, I'd actually written out the whole confession scene before these and it never fit in so I was just like, 'you know, let's just wait it out and see what happens naturally'