In-Between

Summary: A collection of little moments in the life of Tauriel and Kíli from the time they leave everything behind after the battle. Good times and bad times are ahead. There will be kids, old friends and new faces along the way… and the War of the Ring is approaching.

Just a little remark to the backstory: I imagine that the Company spent more time in Mirkwood than they did in the movie and I also assume that they had more time in Lake-Town, too. And as such, Kíli and Tauriel had more time together, too, so their relationship turned more serious even before the battle.

nethon - young one

"Here, Nethon," Tauriel brushed a hand over Aragorn's shoulder before pushing a wooden bowl in front of him. "Stew." Aragorn looked up at her with quiet desperation and Tauriel laughed. "Do not worry, mellon. Kíli made it."

"That's a relief," he gave her a wicked grin before digging in. Tauriel smacked him playfully before settling down next to him.

Life was strange, Aragorn pondered as they settled into a comfortable silence. When he set out of Imladris to assume his place among the Rangers of the North, he would have never thought that he would make real friends along the way.

And such odd friends they were.

He was lucky.

"Something is on your mind?" Tauriel sat down next to Aragorn.

For a long moment, Aragorn pondered whether he should bring up the subject he'd wished to discuss with her ever since a desperate Dwarf dragged him to an injured Elf and he healed her. He guessed it was as good a time as any.

He sighed.

"Is it really worth it? To give up your immortality for a man? To fade in grief when he inevitably dies?" He could see Kíli's head perk up on the other side of the fire. Maybe it wasn't a good time after all. "I'm sorry," he shook his head apologetically. "These are foolish questions and, really, none of my business."

"No. That is quite all right," Tauriel reassured her friend. "And no, I won't fade away. When the time comes, I will die… just like my husband." He saw the look the two of them shared over the fire but the meaning of it was lost on him so stunned was he by that revelation.

"You are mortal." It wasn't a question.

Tauriel nodded in affirmation with a small smile playing on her lips. "I gave up my immortality in exchange of Kíli's life. And to answer your question – it is worth every second of my mortal life… the good and the bad," Tauriel stressed and Aragorn had a feeling that his friends had their share of dark times. And yet, there sat an Elf next to him who was happy in her mortal life simply because she was living it with the man she loved "And to answer the question you wish to ask in earnest," she continued with a knowing smile. "If you truly love her, you should let her decide."

"And if you ask me," Kíli piped in. "She'll do as she pleases anyway. Women are bullheaded that way." He gave a loving grin to his wife. "All you can do is to love her… in every way possible," he finished with a wink.

Looking between the curious couple of Elf and Dwarf who'd become like family to him in the last few months, he started to believe that a life like that, however short that might be, is worth the sacrifice.

"Look, I don't want you to get the wrong idea…" Aragorn started as the three of them stood in the middle of a deserted homestead near the River Hoarwell. "I love having you around and all…"

"But…" Kíli prodded.

"But… You really need to settle down."

The couple looked at each other quizzically.

"Look, when the babe gets here," he vaguely pointed in the direction of Tauriel's midsection. "And, really, even before that, it is the best for you if you stay in one pla…" Aragorn trailed off when he noticed their confused looks turn into something akin to fear. "You didn't know," he stated unbelievingly. Frankly, it was impossible not to know.

"We did," Kíli supplied tentatively. "We just haven't addressed the subject yet."

"I see…"

"I am yet to carry a child full term," Tauriel admitted in a small voice and Aragorn heart went out for the couple, understanding their situation.

"That is all the more reason for you to stay here," he continued in a more somber tone. "The North is not a safe place anymore but this homestead is as safe as it can get. I had words out to the other rangers that you are here. They will keep an eye on the are…" He was cut short when Tauriel pulled him into a fierce embrace.

"Thank you, Nethon," she said and Aragorn smiled.

"You will be fine, you'll see," he told them. Kíli still remained skeptical, Aragorn noted, but his eyes, too, turned hopeful when the Elf turned to him.

"It will be fine," she reached for her husband's hand when she left Aragorn's side. "I know it."

"Do you need any help with that?" a heavily pregnant Tauriel asked her boys, a bemused smile playing on her lips.

They looked at her taken aback from behind a pile of lumber.

"We have everything under control," Kíli declared, looking slightly panicked for Tauriel's keen eyes.

"Yes," Aragorn chimed in, trying to salvage as much dignity as possible. "We are almost done here."

"All right," Tauriel nodded absolutely not convinced. "In any case," she threw behind her back as she walked back inside the house. "I asked for a chest… not a raft."

"What are you smiling at?" Tauriel asked without looking up from the newborn in her arms.

"Just how beautiful you are," Aragorn said, pushing himself away from the doorframe. "And how curious it is to see an Elf looking at a Dwarf baby so adoringly."

"He is not all Dwarf, you know."

"All the more curious," Aragorn chuckled settling down on her bed, facing her. Tauriel gave him a radiant smile, this time giving him her full attention.

"He is such a chubby little thing, is he not?"

"Well, he took after his father all right," Aragorn agreed, noting the dark hair on the baby's head and his disproportionate ears that were undoubtedly dwarvish. "But I'd wager he'll have your eyes."

"My beautiful son."

It seemed Tauriel couldn't stop smiling.

"You are grinning like a half-wit," Aragorn observed with an amused smile as he and Kíli were roaming the woods. If it was even possible, Kíli's grin became even wider.

"It's a wonderful day, isn't it?"

"No," Aragorn observed. And, really, it wasn't. It was quickly approaching winter season and the weather was cold and damp.

"Oh, I don't know… just look at the sky… it's a beautiful shade of grey… and this persistent rain… Tauriel is with child… not to mention the mud, the mud is excellent…" Kíli was counting it off and Aragorn had almost missed it.

He was sure that the grin on his face mirrored that idiotic one on Kíli's.

But he didn't mind.

It was a wonderful day indeed.

"There you go, my treasure," Kíli cooed to his baby girl as he carefully wrapped her up in a warm blanket. He'd just bathed the newborn babe while Tauriel was sleeping with little Fíli next to her.

He marveled at the tiny creature in his arms. She was perfect. She'd got a blob of black hair that she shared with her brother but, unlike Fíli, she had a cute little nose and her ears seemed to be pointier, too.

He laughed in wonder when she let out a tiny yawn and almost seemed to burrow herself more into the blanket.

She was such a beautiful babe. His little Dís.

Aragorn was sitting on a blanket with baby Dís in his arms and Fíli kneeling by his side. He was keeping watchful eyes on the children while Kíli was out on patrol with the rangers and Tauriel was doing her chores around the house.

It was a peaceful spring morning – the hills of Ettenmoors clear in the distance – with him lounging in the sun while Tauriel washed the clothes nearby. Baby Dís had just woken up from her post breakfast slumber and Fíli was singing to her in the sweet voice of a toddler who could catch the rhythm of the old elvish song at times, but not the words.

It was endearing how the little boy doted on her sister.

"Where do your mind's eyes wonder?" Aragorn asked Tauriel when he noticed her gaze stare into the distance.

"To a brother I dearly miss."

"I am sure he is thinking fondly of his sister, too," Aragorn supplied, noting the sadness in the woman's eyes. He knew little about the reasons why his strange friends lived in hiding – although he had his suspicions – but he was sure there were things that were difficult to leave behind.

"I am afraid I lost his affections when I gave my heart to a Dwarf."

"Do not underestimate the bond between siblings."

"That was something I always trusted," Tauriel remarked as she hung a tunic on the line. "But as much as our bond had to endure," she continued, drying her hands on her skirt and walking up to him. "It seems even the strongest affections have their limits." She smiled lovingly at her son as she stroked his chubby cheek with a sad smile.

Tauriel melted into Kíli's arms with a contented sigh. They were lying under the star-lit sky, covered only by a light blanket.

It was wonderful. It reminded her of their days on the road when they could lose themselves in each other without any care in the world.

Those were beautiful times she'd forever treasure but now, with two children, these opportunities were precious.

For a brief moment, she wondered how Aragorn was managing with two young children but then Kíli's roaming hands required her attention and, for the rest of the night, it was just her wonderful… and all too cheeky husband on her mind.

It was the Fall Festival in town and Tauriel was walking cautiously next to Kíli who had little Dís harnessed on his chest. Not being used to it, the crowd made her somewhat uncomfortable, seeing that she very rarely ventured into town. It was usually Kíli running errands and doing odd jobs here and there… and making friends, of course. However, the general merriment with which the town folk was milling about made her less anxious.

Though it was a strange mixed crowd that populated the town, Tauriel still felt uneasy about revealing her elven heritage. It would do nobody any good if it had turned out that an Elf and a Dwarf was living just outside town. People talked after all.

Kíli spotted a group of Rangers, who were also visiting, and walked towards them.

"Adad, Nana, look!" As soon as the little boy spotted them, Fíli ran up to his parents under the protective gaze of his uncle.

"What is it, love?" Tauriel asked.

"I got a crown! Imma king!"

Her smile didn't falter but she could see the shock in Kíli's eyes.

"There are talks…" Legolas started with hesitation that was so unlike him. Aragorn lifted an eyebrow. "About half-blood children…"

"There're a lot of half-blood children around here." He hid his smile behind his mug.

"Elf-dwarf children," Legolas clarified. He must have been harboring the idea quite some time, Aragorn thought, and yet, he seemed stunned by the possibility. Legolas seemed stunned by a lot of things…

"That's… quite uncommon." He managed an indifferent shrug. "You curious?"

"I am…" the Elf started with a thoughtful look. "I am hopeful."

Aragorn acknowledged that with a crooked smile but said nothing.

"I had a friend, a long time ago. No, not a friend." His smile grew fonder, Aragorn noticed. "A sister."

"What happened?"

"She grew fond of a Dwarf. One of Durin's line. Quite tall for a Dwarf," he remembered. "But no less ugly… and boisterous." The scowl on his face made the other man laugh out but it quickly died when Legolas continued in a solemn tone. "She left the forest to follow him and was banished for that. The last time I saw her, she was grieving her fallen Dwarf after the battle at Erebor. She disappeared after that. Word is that she took her Dwarf with her."

"That sounds…"

"Unlikely. Whatever her feelings might have been, she would not have disrespected the dwarf custom that way, and would have let them bury him."

"What are you thinking, my friend?"

"I think the Dwarf was not dead. I think… I wish she had been able to heal him and, for some reason, they left Erebor and Mirkwood behind. I wish my sister was alive."

"Well, that is not all improbable." After all, there was a legend among Elves that couples, gifted with true love, can bring back their beloveds from the brink of death. But the cost is high and it is indeed very rare. "Highly unlikely but not improbable. But that would mean that she's…"

"Mortal. But alive and happy," Legolas concluded. "I wish for that."

Aragorn finished his mug then stood. "Come on, my friend."

"Where are you taking me?" Legolas inquired with guarded curiosity as they made their way in the early dusk of winter.

"Some years ago I happened upon a curious couple in the slopes of Coldfells. Good people… with a history I only dare to guess. The woman… I only ever saw that look that now shadows your eyes in her eyes. They live here now," he indicated the tree line not far from them.

Legolas looked taken aback as he glanced in the direction of the little hidden homestead with trepidation mixed with obvious anticipation. That cannot be, he thought but in spite of his conviction, he urged his horse forward.

He was beyond nervous about what he'd find in the small house. His hopes were high and yet, he stood frozen behind Aragorn as they entered without knocking.

It was her. Slender and graceful as ever but looking healthier… and happier. And he could straight away spot the reason why. There was a dark-haired babe in her arms. She was gently humming to the babe while she simultaneously stirred something in a pot that was over the fire.

"You can come in, you know," she told her visitor without turning around that showed for just how familiar Aragorn was with her. It was only after she put a sleeping babe into her crib that she turned around to greet her friend.

She froze for a moment but then such a joyous smile appeared on her face which Legolas wouldn't have dared to hope for… not after the way they had parted so many years ago.

Both of them made a couple of steps towards the other which effectively made them stand face to face in the little kitchen area of the small house.

"Surely my eyes are playing tricks on me." He raised a hand to gently run the back of it over her cheek. "And yet… you feel real."

"Oh, mellon," Tauriel gasped, pressing his hand against her cheek with her own. That was all Legolas needed to pull her into a fierce hug they might have never shared before. Of course, they weren't the same Elves they'd been before, either. He certainly wasn't and it only took a look at his adopted sister to know that she wasn't, either. She was serene as ever, even if she was always prone to being rash, but now it seemed that contentment had settled on that serenity. She was happy.

"Just one step in the door and you're already groping my wife," a deep voice behind them made them leave the embrace and look to the owner of the voice.

Legolas blinked when his eyes fell upon Kíli… and a small figure hiding behind his legs. Then something akin to a smile appeared on his face. "I was right," he breathed disbelievingly not taking his eyes off of the Dwarf standing in the door, arms crossed on his broad chest.

He didn't seem too annoyed, though. If Legolas should guess, he looked cockier than anything else. That smug hairy little bastard.

"The last prince of Erebor," Legolas bowed his head, missing how Aragorn's brows rose in surprise.

"I'm no prince of anything," Kíli told him matter-of-factly, his assumed stance relaxing and a friendly smile forming on his lips. "But what I am – the man of this house," he started inside and patted the little boy on his back as he ran to his mother. "And it'd be awfully rude of me not to offer any hospitality so," he stopped in front of the elven prince. "Welcome to our home, Prince Legolas."

"I am no prince of yours," the Elf told him in turn and this time he was aware of the uncomfortable shift Tauriel had made.

"Then who you are, Elf?" And it seemed Kíli was, too, as he challenged him with twinkling eyes.

Aragorn and Tauriel seemed to have missed the subtle exchange between Elf and Dwarf as they themselves exchanged a decidedly worried look.

The corner of Legolas' lips turned slightly.

"A friend, I hope," he finally said, letting his lips form a smile. Kíli didn't need more, either, as he stretched out his arms in a friendly gesture.

"That we can agree upon."

"You must be hungry," Tauriel spoke up finally, relief evident in her voice. "I am making vegetable soup for supper. Please, join us."

Legolas looked uncertain so Aragorn patted him on the back reassuringly. "Don't worry, my friend. She is actually getting quite good."

Tauriel knew that something was on Aragorn's mind. She could see it in the way he was playing with the children. She could see it in his eyes as he'd been helping Kíli mending the fence. And she could see it in his smile.

He was saying goodbye.

"I'm leaving for the south," he started without any prodding when Tauriel sat down next to him and took Dís into her lap. "But my heart is light knowing that you are reunited with your brother."

Tauriel gave him an understanding smile, then she reached out and pulled his forehead against hers.

"Guren níniatha n'i lû n'i a-govenitham, Nethon," she whispered.

TBC

Thanks for reading!