Hey guys! I'm back! I think my mental health is now getting to the point where I am finally able to continue with my writing. Fighting through writers block and depression has been hard for the past few months, but I'm hopefully at a place in my life where I can continue doing the things I love, and for me, thats writing these fics. I just want to say I am so grateful and thankful for those of you that have stood by me through all of this and have stuck around for so long. Thank you every so much for your continued support.

Also, I hate to be THAT person that begs for reviews, but I would love to hear from you all. I love hearing your thoughts and suggestions on these stories.

Lastly, trigger warning for this story. Mentions of domestic abuse and hate crime. If you don't wanna read that bit, then skip ahead a little.

Chapter 14

The next day is mainly spent relaxing. After breakfast, we all sit in the gardens, some of us chatting with one another while others are dozing in the sun. Aiden however, not being one to keep still for too long, is up on his feet and running around, his healing knees now allowing him to run. He manages to get Fili and Kili to join in with his games, although I don't think it took much persuasion from the two princes.

I just smile as I watch him. Throughout the years, Aiden has never been so happy and carefree, not been able to have a chance to be a normal child, not being able to do much of the things a child should do. Guilt fills my heart once again as I think of our life. I should have left Aiden's father long before I did. But being in that kind of relationship for as long as I was. . .I was scared to leave him. Rightly so apparently, since he tried to kill me.

Aiden has had to grow up quickly in his short life. Even as a toddler, toddler he was mature for his age, always comforting me when I was upset about something. . .which happened more times than I could count. As his mother, I was the one that should have to comfort him, not the other way around. However, I will always be grateful for him in my life. After losing my family, he is the best thing to have happened to me.

"He seems to be settling in well." Thorin says as he sits next to me, pipe in hand as he watches the three boys.

I smile. "Yeah, I was just thinking the same. He's never had the chance to be just a child at home, living in fear most of the time. I'm just relieved that he's taken to all of you."

He just smiles as we continuing watching the trio, Bofur, Bifur, Nori and Ori soon joining in on their fun.

"I am glad that you both are here. It seems as if a change of scenery was something the both of you needed."

I chuckle at this. "If by change of scenery you mean a change of worlds, then yes. I do believe you are right. This is something that he needed."

Thorin looks to me. "Surely you enjoy the change too? It must feel good to be away from the situation you were in."

"That is true. I do enjoy this. I love we are here and away from everything going on in my world. But, Aiden was the one who needed this more than I did."

He doesn't say anything more to that as we both sit back and relax. Aiden runs by a little later to take my hands and drag me out to play, which I do with a smile on my face, always willing to be apart of any game he plays.

That night, once we have had supper, in which we eat while watching Lady and the Tramp, I tuck Aiden into bed at bedtime and then relax with the others. Once I have shown them Gladiator, a movie which Bilbo doesn't like very much, we all sit by the fire, I'm sewing yet another hole up in Aiden's trousers while the dwarves are talking about the movie. I knew this would be a movie they would enjoy, apart from certain places, like when Commodus kills his father and then Maximus's wife and son are killed. Luckily, they managed to keep their excitement down to a minimum so as to not wake Aiden.

"Sophia, Aiden said something strange to Fili and I earlier." Kili says tentatively.

I look to him, wondering what Aiden could have said. "What did he say?"

He and Fili look at each other for a moment, silently communicating with each other, before Fili is the one to answer. "He said that, at home, he would never have been able to run around like he did. . .that his father would hurt him."

This causes everyone to go silent as they look to Fili and then to me, now paused in my stitching.

"Is it true lass? Did his father ever hurt him?" Gloin asks me, a look of horror on his face.

I sigh as I put my sewing down. "Yes. . .it's true. His father was not a nice man, he used to be, when we were first together. . .but it all changed a couple of years after Aiden was born. He became violent and dependent on alcohol, which wasn't a good combination. He would strike out at both of us. The first and only time he hit Aiden, I stopped him, using myself as a shield for my son. He would also keep us both locked up in the house so we couldn't go out."

"'He never had the chance to be just a child'. . .that's what you said this afternoon." Thorin brings up.

I nod. "I would let him play, but only when his father wasn't around, so we had some good times, just the pair of us. But other than that, Aiden has had to grow up really quickly."

"That is why he is afraid of adult males? Ones he doesn't know at least." Balin works out, tears in his eyes at the thought of where his fears came from.

"Yes. We managed to get away from him, around five months before we came here. When his father had found us, we had to run again. We had gone camping for the weekend. On the last day, we had gone for a hike before we were due to leave, when he saw us. We tried to escape but he caught up to us. I told Aiden to hide and stood up to him. He slapped my face and then started to strangle me."

"Then, that bruise on your face. . .on your neck. . .that was caused by his father, not the bandits?" Bofur asks in horror and disgust, remembering how he saw the bruises the day after we were found.

I nod again.

"How can someone do such a vile thing?" Dori asks in anger. "Women and children should be treated with respect, not beaten around as such."

"Things are different where I come from. I have told you what can happen to people who are different, like those in the LGBTQ+ community. But, there's also domestic abuse between couples. It's not so unusual for women and children to be treated like that there, or even men by their partners. I've read countless stories about women and children that have been beaten to death. . .I count myself lucky that never happened to Aiden."

"And yourself. Surely you wouldn't have wanted anything like that happen to you, also." Dwalin says.

I just smile. "I didn't care about what would have happened to me. As long as my son was safe. . .that was all that mattered to me."

This causes the others to go quiet, at which point I decide to go to bed. Picking up my sewing, I go to the spare room where Aiden is fast asleep in bed. I slip in beside Aiden, smiling as he instantly snuggles up to me. Holding him close, I watch him sleep while running a hand over his head.

"I promise, my love. I will never allow anything to harm you again."

Placing a kiss to his forehead, I settle down and sleep.

The next day, things seem to have changed within the dynamic of our group. The dwarves appear to be more protective over the both of us, Aiden always having someone to play with. I just smile, knowing this has come from my tale and know they are allowing Aiden this chance to live as a normal child. Even Gloin has been seen playing with him, which I am guessing will come from his own instincts of being a father himself. Bilbo had even taken the time to either tell him stories or play with him and Gandalf, who had also heard what had happened to us, would use his magic to create butterflies and sparks for him to chase.

Smiling at his laughter of chasing the butterflies from where I'm laying on my stomach, earphones in my ears and my tablet in front of me, I look back down at the tablet and look through some photos, my Citizen Soldier playlist playing in my ears. After last nights talk, I really needed to listen to this band. They helped me through so much before.

Scrolling through photos, I smile as I see some of myself when I was a little girl with a boy who was ten years older than myself. Both of us laughing and smiling away. I pause as I come to a picture of ten year old me with the boy, then young man, I'm sitting in front of him with his arms around me and pulling me to his chest, the both of us smiling wide. A tear falls at this.

Suddenly feeling something nudge my foot, I jump and spin around to see Thorin standing beside me, the smile he was wearing now fading as he quickly kneels beside me, mouthing something I can't hear.

I take out my earphones after pausing my music. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Are you alright? You're crying."

Sitting up, I quickly wipe at my eyes. "Yes, I'm fine."

He picks up the tablet and earphones before sitting down. He looks over the photo.

"Is this you?"

I nod. "Yes. I was ten there."

"Who is that?"

He lets me take the tablet back and I look over the photo again. "That is my brother."

"Brother? I knew you had a sister, but you didn't mention a brother."

I give a small smile. "I don't talk about him much."

He looks from me to the picture and back. "He never hurt you, did he?"

"Oh no! No, it's not like that. My brother was the best. He was always there for my sister and I, but I think he had a soft spot for me, being the youngest. He would take me to the cinema to see the latest Disney movie, play dolls with me as a little girl and would take me to the park every weekend. I loved him to death and idolised him. I don't talk about him much because. . .it's painful to think about him. This picture was the last Christmas, Yuletide, we spent together."

He looks sad at this. "He has passed on, too?"

I nod. "Do you remember when I was asked if I knew anyone who had died because of who they are?"

His eyes widen slightly in horror. "He was killed?"

I nod. "LGBTQ ran in my family it seemed. My mum was bisexual, my sister was transgender. She was Chris, but became Chloe when she was. . .eight, I think. My brother was gay and damn proud of it. One day, after we had gone to the park, just the two of us, we were walking home when we were jumped on by some guys he knew from school. They started an argument with him, but with me being there, he didn't want to retaliate, so he tried to get us away. But they stopped him and started to beat him up. I was held back as I tried to get to him, screaming for help, for them to stop, just anything so they would go away.

At one point, one of the guys had pulled a knife out and began to stab him. That's when I really began to scream. Some people had eventually arrived, but they did nothing. . .they just. . .stood there watching, recording, but not getting involved, not stopping my brother from being hurt.

I had managed to get free from the one holding me back and ran to the guy with the knife and just started hitting his back. This caused the guy to swing around and slash me across the chest."

I lower the right side of my shirt down to show him the beginning of my scar which starts just below my right shoulder and goes down to the middle of my chest, in between my breasts. He's just staring at me in horror and sadness.

"This seemed to be the catalyst for someone to spring into motion. Other men had jumped in and grabbed the attackers and holding them until the police came. My brother had managed to crawl to where I had fallen and with his own injuries, tried to stop mine from bleeding out, trying to save my own life over his. He died a few hours later."

Thorin's just staring at me, not able to say anything as he processes everything I had just told him. He shuffles closer and wraps an arm around my shoulders to pull me close to him.

"Oh, Sophia. I am so so sorry you had to go through that. To die in battle is one thing, but to be brutally murdered like that. . .no one should have to go through it."

I sniffle as I try to not cry. "I had spent so long blaming myself, wondering whether there was something more I could have done."

"You were only ten years old, Sophia. There was nothing you could have done."

"That's what dad used to tell me. I grieved for him for years after. Many years. But, there was one person to pull me through that."

At his confusion, I give a watery smile as I pass him the tablet. "Do you think he looks like anyone?"

He looks to the picture for a moment before he looks up to Aiden, who is sitting with Kili as he teaches the boy how to make arrows.

"What was your brothers name?"

I smile at him. "Aiden."

He smiles back. "You honoured your brothers memory by giving your son his name."

"I had always said to myself, whenever I would have a son, I would call him Aiden. Aiden's father was not pleased by this. For his son to have another man's name instead of his own, even if that man was my brother. But, that was something I was not budging on. And when Aiden was born. . .I knew I had to give him that name."

Taking the tablet back, I scrolled through my photos before coming to a side by side picture I made of when my brother and son were both borm, both of them looking so alike each other, you'd think my son was his.

Thorin chuckles. "He looked so much like his uncle. Fili was the same. When he was born, not only did he represent his father in looks, but also my brother, Frerin. I am sure your brother would have been pleased and honoured to have shared his name with your son. Aiden is a brave boy, just as your brother was a brave young man."

"I'd like to think my brother lives on through Aiden. Maybe having even being reincarnated into my son, which is a strange thing to say out loud. But, they have so many of the same mannerisms. . .it's hard not to think of that as a possibility."

Thorin nods. "Then, maybe it is a possibility. You said Aiden was born after your parents and Chloe died, right?" I nod. "Then, maybe he came back to watch over you. You said that Aiden had always comforted you as a toddler, had always seemed more mature. Maybe in some ways, he does live on in the lad. Your brother is still looking out for you."

I smile at this as I look over to my son. I had always wondered whether that could have been true. There had been some people I had told this theory to in the past, but they had easily dismissed it as not being possible. But, to have someone believe me, to also believe it to be true. . .it brought me some comfort. I let out a sigh of contentment as I lean into Thorin's side, leaning my head on his shoulder. He doesn't seem to mind as he holds me closer, his hand now at my waist. I don't even blush, I just relish in this moment.

Aww. Nice sweet moment between Sophia and Thorin. I hope you all enjoyed this one. And don't worry, the couple will soon stop stumbling over their feelings and will admit them soon. For now, please keep your reviews coming and I'll see you again soon. xxxx