Happy Sunday with this new chapter. Thank you so much to purple-pygmy-puff16 and Little Bucky for your reviews! Sorry, I left you hanging with the last one, this one should make up for that ;) Let me know your thoughts!


Fili was lying on his back, unable to find any sleep. His thoughts were whirling in his head, keeping him awake, and he couldn't help but feel the absence of the druid in his arms. Though they had slept apart from each other for the last two nights already, he had gotten used to her being around him at night. It was strange to have her be somewhere else entirely, several doors down the hall. He knew that she was safe and had a warm place to sleep, though, and that was what mattered most. Perhaps this was for the best, he thought miserably to himself, it was probably about time that he stopped his inappropriate behaviour with her.

He knew that he shouldn't have reacted the way he did in the tavern that evening, though he had been unable to stop his anger at the man's behaviour. He would have to keep his emotions in check in the future, he told himself with a sigh. Indeed, he would have to make an effort to do so while talking to her normally again. It had been nice to have a proper conversation with her that evening, and Fili was fully aware that it had been his fault that there had been almost complete silence between them for the past two days. He didn't mean for that, and he knew that if he kept going on like this, he would probably drive her away completely. And he didn't want to lose her friendship, as well. If he could not be with her romantically, the way he wanted to, then it would be enough to have her as a friend at least. Like before, when he had been still blissfully oblivious of his feelings for her. Things had been much easier back then, he thought with another sigh.

He jumped when there was a sudden sharp knock at his door and he sat up quickly on the bed, picking up the dagger that he had put on his night stand for emergencies. Who would come knocking this late at night? Fili had thought that they would be safe here tonight, and he certainly didn't want any trouble. Was it the innkeeper? But he had paid for the rooms in advance, as the man had insisted. Perhaps the drunkard from earlier, looking to start a fight after all?

Another impatient knock sounded at the door and Fili drew his eyebrows together as he got off the bed, slowly making his way over to the door as he gripped the dagger tightly in his palm.

"Who's there?" He asked suspiciously through the wood, his blade held securely at his side in case he needed to be quick about it.

"It's me."

Fili's face scrunched up in confusion at the familiar voice that had answered him from the other side and he swiftly unlocked his door, pulling it open to find Arinna standing on his doorstep. She was barefoot and clad in only her breeches and tunic. Her clothes were still dirty, but he noticed that she had washed, her face and hair now clean as she stood before him with her arms crossed over her chest.

"What are you doing here? Do you realise the time?" He asked her with a deep frown, shooting a small glance down the empty hallway. There was nobody else around.

"You seem perfectly awake. Can I come inside or are you going to stab me?" The druid retorted, nodding toward the dagger he still held in his hand. Fili shot her a slightly annoyed look at her snarky tone, though he took a step aside to let her pass, still confused as to why she was not sleeping soundly in her own room.

"One can never be too careful," was all he said as he closed the door behind her and put his weapon down on a small commode beside him. He turned to see her standing in the middle of the room, her arms still crossed in front of her as she looked at him with what Fili recognised as anger. His confusion only grew. "What are you doing here? Did something happen? Are you alright?"

"What did you mean?"

Fili gave her a bewildered look. "What?"

"Downstairs, earlier. You said the strangest thing," Arinna replied, her voice tense as she gave him a pointed look. It took Fili a second to catch up with what she was talking about. "You said that man should learn to accept a no as a no,as others also have. What did you mean by that? What others?"

"That's what this is about?" Fili asked her with a slight huff, trying to suppress the uncomfortable feeling bubbling in his stomach at her questions. He knew exactly what he had meant, of course, that he himself had accepted her rejection, as well. Though he could hardly tell her that, for she didn't know that there had been feelings to reject in the first place. So, he resorted to trying to make light of the situation, thinking that her reaction to his words seemed a little exaggerated after all.

"Just tell me what you meant, Fili," the druid answered, obviously angered by his dismissive tone. "It's been nagging at me all evening and for the life of me, I cannot make sense of it. Who were you referring to?"

"No one in particular," the dwarf lied with a shrug. "I just meant it in a general manner."

Arinna stared at him for a moment, while Fili cleared his throat loudly and crossed his own arms over his chest defensively. He could hardly stand her intent gaze as she frowned at him. He stepped from one foot to the other, as she spoke. "You are not making any sense."

"I'm not making any sense?" The blond dwarf retorted, looking at her with raised eyebrows. "Arinna, you're the one storming into my room in the middle of the night because of an inanity. I didn't mean anything by it. Really, I don't see why you got yourself in such a state over it, perhaps it's best you get some sleep to clear your head."

The druid let out an exasperated sigh, as she uncrossed her arms and raised them at her sides, underlining her frustration with him as she spoke. "Why must you be this way? I cannot keep up with you, Fili. One minute you're perhaps the loveliest dwarf alive and the next you behave as though the whole world somehow offends you, most of all me."

The blond dwarf tried to move swiftly past her calling him the loveliest dwarf alive, feeling his heart give a little flutter at her words, and instead focused on the second part of her sentence. He sighed quietly, trying to make his voice sound more friendly as he answered this time. He had not meant to hurt her feelings, after all. "You do not offend me, Arinna."

"You've barely spoken a word to me in the past two days, Fili, forgive me if I doubt the truth of your words," Arinna hissed and Fili dropped his head as she continued talking, her sudden rage driving her on as she glared at him. "This is just what I mean. You are so contradictory, it drives me mad. You say one thing, but your actions speak otherwise and then other times your actions seem to… seem to mean something but your words contradict them."

"Now what is that supposed to mean?" Fili demanded, knowing that she was likely correct with her claim, considering his recent behaviour, but still feeling slightly offended by it.

"I thought there was… I thought there was a moment," she breathed exasperatedly, feeling suddenly exhausted as she turned her gaze away from him, a lump starting to build in her throat. She should not have come to see him, she realised now. It had been a bad, impulsive idea and she had managed to talk herself into a corner that she didn't want to be in. And yet, her mouth kept going without her permission. "In the forest, that night. I thought there was a moment when… oh, forget it."

Fili's eyes were wide and set intently on her as she trailed off entirely, shaking her head to herself. She did not look at him and it took the dwarf an agonising few seconds to make sense of her implications, and to realise that perhaps he had been wrong all this time. Arinna didn't know what her actions meant to him, but maybe that didn't mean that they had meant nothing at all? Maybe he had been too quick to reject the idea that she would ever reciprocate his affections because… well, why, exactly? What was it that he was so afraid of? Though he had been thinking about this exact topic all night, Fili didn't manage to come up with an answer as he stared at her, standing alone in the middle of the room, with the low firelight illuminating her form. Instead he felt his heart give a hard, demanding tug in his chest.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," Arinna sighed finally, her voice barely more than a whisper as she still did not look at him. She made to move past him toward the door, her head held low. Her voice was small as she spoke. "You're right, I should get some sleep. I'll -"

Fili reacted entirely out of instinct, grabbing her by the arm before she could move out of his reach.

"There wasa moment," he interrupted, his eyes searching her face as her gaze flew toward him in utter surprise. Perhaps there was a chance that she felt the same as him, he thought almost desperately, as he realised that if he said nothing now, that chance might pass him by forever. He did not think he could live with that, he realised. Fili let out a deep breath, his hand unknowingly pulling her closer as he held her gaze, his words suddenly running away with him before he could put them in any sort of order.

"You're right. That night…" he muttered, his voice a low rumble. "There was a moment… when I wanted to kiss you. Though I've wanted to kiss you many moments before that and every single one since. I don't think you realise the effect that you have on me, Arinna, the fire that wakes within me at your touch. The way your smile makes my heart feel lighter and how you manage to make me laugh even when I feel no joy otherwise. Do you know that when we were starving our way through Mirkwood, the thing that bothered me most was that I could not provide for you? That I had no way of helping you. I would happily have gone hungry by myself if it had meant that you could have eaten something."

"Fili -"

"Do you know that I did not dread the nights in the forest so much, because I was holding you close to me?" Fili cut over her, unable to stop himself now as she stared at him with wide watery eyes. His grip was almost uncomfortably tight on her upper arm. "That I feel at peace when you are near me? And that I would rather die a thousand deaths than see any harm come to you? So, no, Arinna… you do not offend me. You could never offend me. You are the single most beautiful thing I have ever been lucky enough to behold. The most courageous, lovable, infuriatingly stubborn woman I have ever met. And I love… I love you. With everything I have and everything I am, and I don't think I can ever stop."

Fili halted, out of words and breath, and he was breathing heavily as he looked at her. Arinna was staring up at him and it was only now that he saw the wet tracks on her cheeks, realising that she was crying silently. He released her arm, his hand coming up to wipe helplessly at her tears, though he didn't know what to say. But it was the druid who spoke next.

"No," she whispered, her own hand catching Fili's and pulling it away from her face. The dwarf's eyes searched her face, fearful and nervous. "I didn't know any of these things, Fili."

She felt the dwarf release a shuddering breath and before he could say anything else, Arinna let go of his hand and moved forward, grabbing his face between her hands. Fili stared at her as she stood as close to him as she could and then she slowly pulled his face towards hers, her lips catching his in a soft kiss.

Arinna felt her stomach flutter as she kissed Fili, his lips feeling soft against hers while his beard slightly scratched against her face. She felt one of his arms wrap around her waist as he pulled her closer, gently returning her kiss, while his other hand found its way to the back of her neck. The druid pulled back slightly after a few moments, her green eyes looking up at the dwarf thoughtfully.

"Fili," she breathed against his lips as her thumbs brushed over his bearded cheeks. She couldn't help but smile happily as he let his forehead lean against hers, breathing in slowly. "You've been my first thought when I wake up and my last before I fall asleep. And while you might just be the most vexing man I've ever met, you're also the one that I love."

She felt the dwarf let out a deep sigh, before he pulled her flush against him, holding her in a tight hug. The druid's smile softened as she laid her head against his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his middle. "With all my heart."

They stood in a silent embrace for a few long moments, both of them smiling to themselves before Fili pulled back slowly, his hands moving from her back to her arms and up to her face. He basked in Arinna's smile as his thumb traced over the line of her jaw and then the corner of her mouth. He leaned back in then, pulling her into a passionate kiss. She sighed against him as he drew her against his chest, deepening the kiss as her arms wrapped around his neck, seeking to get even closer. Fili moved forward then and Arinna stumbled backwards with him, not interrupting their kiss until she felt her back bump into the wall.

They pulled apart, breathing heavily and Arinna looked up at the blond dwarf with wide eyes before her hands dropped to the collar of his tunic and she pulled him back in, sealing his lips with hers again. She heard his quiet groan, feeling it rumble through his chest, as she pressed against him. Their kiss grew bolder and more ardent and Arinna felt her knees buckle slightly beneath her as Fili kissed her with a passion that she had never known. She sighed when his lips moved away from hers, and again when he began placing soft kisses all over her face. He had begun to slow and Arinna opened her eyes slowly after he had placed a last, gentle kiss on her lips.

Fili brought his hands up to her face as he looked at her, his thumbs brushing softly over her cheekbones. He shook his head slightly to himself, still in awe of what had just happened. "I love you," he breathed again, feeling his heart feel lighter with every time he said it out loud. He suddenly felt foolish for not having realised his feelings much sooner, for not having told her as soon as he had known, for almost denying himself the chance of being with her without even having tried. Her green eyes were twinkling in the low light as she returned his gaze. "I'm sorry I was being off with you these past few days. I just… I never thought you'd feel the same as me. So, I tried to keep my distance."

"You should have just said something," Arinna said, pushing slightly against his chest but instead of letting him fall away, she grabbed hold of his tunic to keep him close. "I can't stand it when you don't talk to me."

Fili nodded, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Can't say I much enjoyed it myself. I'm sorry, Arinna."

"You are forgiven," the druid smiled.

They remained standing close to each other for a few moments, Fili's thumbs still grazing softly over her cheeks as he leaned his forehead against hers. Arinna let out a small sigh when he finally pulled back.

"Don't go back to your room tonight," he said quietly and Arinna just shook her head, knowing that she would sleep much better by his side anyway. Fili smiled and softly pulled her away from the wall toward the bed. They settled on it comfortably, both still in their dirty travelling clothes, though neither of them minded.

Arinna settled in the crook of Fili's arm while he lay on his back, pulling the wool blanket over their legs, before she leaned over him. Fili's eyes were twinkling in the dim candlelight as he returned her gaze, raising his free hand to her face once more to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear. His hand travelled from there to her neck, where his fingers traced the silver chain that hung from it. She was leaning so close to him that the silver leaf at its end was brushing against his chest. Fili smiled as his fingers closed around the chain and he carefully pulled her head down closer to him, until he was able to capture her lips with his once more.

He sighed contentedly when she pulled away and set her head on his chest, one hand rising up to rest beside it, her fingers tracing small patterns over the fabric of his tunic.

"Sleep now, nungê," Fili murmured, slightly tightening his hold around her waist. A small grin appeared on his face then and he could barely believe how happy he was. "And I'll drift off to sleep happily, knowing that I'll be your first thought when you wake up tomorrow."

"I should never have told you that," Arinna grumbled against him. "Your head's already as big as your waist."

The druid smiled to herself while Fili's chest rumbled with a deep chuckle. She nestled a little closer to him still, feeling his chuckle turn into another contented sigh, before she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.