Chapter 16 – The Aftermath


After the last guest had gone and the front door was closed, he'd wasted no time storming to his home office. A few hasty text messages had been sent between small talk and brunch, and he'd escaped to the bathroom for a quickly placed phone call to his office. No need to let his guests know something was wrong. He had to maintain appearances, after all.

He also had to know who he was dealing with here – his career might depend on who had been seen with his daughter last night.

No telling what trouble she'd gotten into. Tauriel had always been just like he mother – lovely, but completely reckless and lacking the ability to know when she was being wholly irrational. His daughter's disinterest in his political career was senseless in Thranduil's mind. She should want to support him and be a good representation of what was left of their family, but….he shook his head to himself and pinched the bridge of his nose. He felt a migraine coming on.

Checking his cell phone and his computer again, he huffed with impatience. No updates. He'd given a very complete description of the slimy looking biker who'd dropped off his daughter that morning to one of his staffers. The man's leather cut was visible from the truck and he was almost certain he'd seen that cocky smirk before. He'd looked so familiar….

His phone buzzed on the desk, ripping him from the memory from that morning.

"What did you find?" he growled into the phone.

"Sending you some faxes, sir. Someone finally placed the description you gave. We made a few calls and found a match."

Thranduil hummed in satisfaction. The mystery would be solved soon enough.

"And you were discreet, I hope?"

"We were, sir. I'm confident we can keep our inquiry under wraps."

He bit the insides of his cheek as he stood in front of the window, gazing outside without really seeing. "Send them to me, and destroy whatever you found."

"Yes sir."

He hung up the phone as the fax machine in the corner started to whir. In two quick strides he was across the room, snatching the stack of papers off the machine. His eyes scanned over the top piece. His gaze narrowed as he took in what was on the paper.

"Oh my…."


"I thought he'd never fuckin' leave," Kili grumbled under his breath. He'd practically snatched his phone out of the lockbox after Church, eager to check it. He had played it cool, slipping it into his front pocket while eyes were on him, but it was burning in his jeans. Most of the time he respected the notion that everyone gave up their cell phone to come to Church – it kept all eyes and ears and minds on the business at hand. No distractions.

Today, however….

His eyes narrowed on Dwalin's leather cut as he strolled away, off to give someone else the ribbing of a lifetime. Or at least Kili hoped. Not one person at the table for Church was spared the story of that morning from Dwalin. His entire club now knew he'd had a girl in his bed last night. He'd managed to laugh it off in his normal jovial manner. He was lucky his uncle hadn't been in the mood to ask questions.

Fili glanced at his younger brother from behind the bar and gave him a genuine look of worry as he effortlessly twisted off the caps of two beers.

"You getting your dick wet isn't front page news, little brother. The only thing that gives that old man delight is to see you squirm. Just stop giving him the satisfaction of it. He's just looking for a reaction, and, well… you're definitely giving it to him," Fili said, sliding one of the bottles to Kili.

Kili rolled his eyes, not caring if Fili saw. He was still in a sour mood from that morning. He wasted no time taking a long swig of beer and checking his phone.

Nothing.

He slid it back into his pocket and winced as a thought dawned on him. Why was he surprised she hadn't said anything? He was such an idiot!

"Fuck," he growled, shaking his head at his own stupidity.

Fili raised one eyebrow. "This is not your day, is it? What now?" he asked, his voice laced with pity.

"I didn't get her number. Fuck…Not that she…not that she would have given it to me anyway," he mumbled, staring down at the worn bar. The wood was chipped and peeling beneath the frosty bottle.

"I'm sorry, Kee," Fili sighed, shaking his head, "Yer fucked."

He only resorted to Kili's childhood nickname when he was feeling really sorry for him.

Kili absently pulled at the label on his beer bottle and wished for that cigarette again. He could still smell her hair. Her fucking hair.

"Nah, don't be. I was stupid to hope."

Fili smirked suddenly, his blue eyes lighting up. "If only we knew someone who could get her number," he flipped his phone out of the pocket inside his cut, unlocking it. His fingers flew over the keys.

"Who are you texting?" Kili asked, looking around the clubhouse nervously. Everyone else was engrossed either a game of pool or a box of something Nori had just bought in. Kili just hoped it wasn't anything illegal and heaved a sigh.

"Fee…"

"Well," Fili sipped his beer and grinned, "Unlike some, when I get a taste of something I hafta have, I get its number. Promptly. I like Sigrid, so I got her number. Sigrid will undoubtedly have Tauriel's. Ye see how this works, little brother? They're best friends! I'd be willing to wager they know each other's phone number. Just guessing."

Kili wasn't sure if he wanted to hug his brother or punch him. He settled for a friendly jab on his shoulder and took a long drag from the frosty bottle in his hand.

"You're a jackass, but a smart one, I'll give ye that. But I'll look lame, right? Getting it from her friend?"

"I think that's the least of yer worries," Fili deadpanned. "Besides, you're not smooth. You're a dumbass, there's a difference. Now do you want me to get it for you?"

This made him pause. Would he really let his pride stop him from contacting the girl that had breezed into his life and stolen his heart in just one night? He wasn't one to be cautious or worrisome. Why start now?

"Yeah, what the hell? What've I got to lose?"

"Cheers," Fili clinked his bottle with Kili's and lifted his phone to his ear. While he chatted away with Sigrid, Kili glanced around the clubhouse as his brothers mingled about. The glimpse of Tauriel's life that morning had been a peek into a world he knew nothing about, but could identify with. He did as was expected of him, or at least what his uncle expected of him. It was politics and family and doing what had always been done and obviously Tauriel knew a thing or two about that. They lived in a world full of expectations – different ones, but obviously important. While she clearly despised what her father had done to her by humiliating her at work and dictating who she was supposed to date, she's still been worried to go home. Someone who had given up wouldn't have cared when the stepped foot back into the house – her nervousness told him she felt otherwise. It was the same for him –as free as he felt from living his motorcycle club lifestyle and skirting the rules his entire life, he was obviously held to certain rules and standards.

It was funny, really. Their worlds couldn't be more different, yet the similarities were striking. He knew Thorin would never say it, but half of him knew his uncle expected him to always work for the company and to always be in the club. It was MC life and Oakenshield Engines for their family, nothing else. It wouldn't surprise him if he also expected Kili to marry one of the club hangarounds. They were women who came to all the club parties and charity runs. They were friends or daughters or nieces of some of the club wives and Kili knew the club elders would be happy for him to end up with someone like that. Just like Tauriel's father wanted her to marry someone he knew and approved of. Someone miles above him class wise.

The distance between them was widening like a chasm.

Suddenly the clubhouse he'd found comfort in his entire life felt like it was suffocating him.

He was deep in thought when Fili returned, glancing around slyly to make sure no one was listening.

"There's been a slight snag."

Kili felt his stomach drop. "What do you mean?"


An entire week had passed since she'd come home with Kili, but her father hadn't eased up. In fact, he'd made her life a thousand times harder and made her feel like she was about seven. He'd managed to swipe her phone from her and smash it, leaving it destroyed on her bed. He hadn't taken away the keys to the car he'd given her, but she was afraid to drive it anywhere but to work – the chances he'd had some sort of tracking device installed on it were high. Her meager earnings from the bookstore weren't enough to spring for a new phone just yet, and it wasn't like she had anywhere else besides work to go. Kili hadn't asked for her number, and she hadn't offered it. It wasn't as though they hung out in the same places all day, so she'd grudgingly tried to tell herself to just give it up already.

But that was proving to be quite difficult.

Her head and her heart were warring with each other on what to do. The logical side of her told her to apologize to her father, smooth things over with him, and take whatever boring job he offered her just so keep the peace. Anything was better than his icy stares and silence between them. She hated being a disappointment. The dull ache in her chest felt like lead every time she thought about how wide the rift between them had grown. Losing her mother had ripped a gash in both their hearts. Instead of growing together, time had pushed Tauriel and her father further apart.

A brief memory of a family vacation to California to see the redwoods flashed in her mind. Running through the trees and winding through the forest with just her parents as a little girl, laughing and playing together. It was a memory alright – a distant one at that. Now her father felt like a stranger.

Pulling herself from the daydream, she continued her work. The books wouldn't stock themselves.

The Bagend Bookshop didn't move tons of books, but the owner and her boss, Bilbo, like to keep the inventory fresh. He'd worked his entire life in the shop and considered it the culmination of his life's work. He had told her the story of a distant family member passing away and the shop being passed on from family member after family member. No one wanted a little dilapidated bookshop that needed dusting and more work than it was worth. Bilbo described himself as young, directionless, and utterly clueless when he'd taken over.

"My mother always said, 'It'll be good for you! Give you some direction!'," he would laugh to her. "Little did she know it would become my entire life."

Her boss was a free spirit who didn't give a rat's ass what anyone thought of him or have a care to what the outside world was doing. He cut his own hair, wore outdated clothes, smoked his pipe, and lived his life entirely the way he saw fit.

Tauriel envied him completely.

Bilbo had become a dear friend and mentor to her, even though he was technically her boss. She'd apologized to him profusely after the scene her father had caused, but Bilbo hadn't seemed the least bit fazed. He'd simply patted her on the shoulder and offered a cup of tea and an ear to listen.

It was a Sunday morning, so she only had a little bit of time to stock and do the tidying up before the customers started in for the day. Weekends were their busiest time. They sold mostly to hipsters and people over the age of seventy, but they would get an occasional millennial or younger here and there. Soon, she was ringing purchases left and right and half the day had escaped her.


It had been a week and already Fili was at his limit. Ninety nine point nine percent of the time, his little brother was a happy go lucky little shit that let almost nothing bother him and took jack-all seriously. That one little percentage though…if something was irking Kili he could be the moodiest, broodiest, no good little son of a bitch you'd ever met.

It had been a long week.

A quick phone call to Sigrid had confirmed what Fili had been fearing – Tauriel's phone had been confiscated and destroyed by her crazy ass father. She was in the process of getting a new one, but had yet to do so. It didn't surprise him, personally. Many times those in control who were losing their grip would lash out and act like children, and Tauriel's father was no different.

When Kili had heard the news, he'd been irate. Gone was the happy-go-lucky guy who was always grinning. In his place was a green eyed rage monster who couldn't be talked down from any challenge, big or small. It was like when Kili was younger – he'd always been laid back for the most part, but when challenged he'd never back down and his temper was quick to flare. Sometimes his pride and his mouth got him into situations growing up where it was more than a little handy to have a big brother like him. Where Kili was more of a jump to action kind of guy, Fili himself was more laid back. He was a people watcher; an analytical book nerd who only took calculated risks.

Minus Sigrid, his lips twitched as he fought a smile. That had been one of the very few uncalculated risks he'd taken that had worked out well. He thought of the way her honey colored head had reflected the sunlight a few mornings ago, her sea colored eyes sparkling as she'd kissed her way down his body, smirking playfully before disappearing beneath the covers.

Concentrate, he told himself. He was there to help his little brother and get out.

Peering over his sunglasses, he eyed the bookshop across the street. It was one of those places downtown that had been there so long he'd forgotten all about its existence. It was on a normally sleepy street that was bustling with weekend traffic as the shoppers hurried here and there on that Sunday morning. He crossed the street and casually noted the cars along the road. Frowning behind his glasses, he pretended not to notice the two sedans neatly parked one in front of the other on the street. They had blacked out windows. No one in this town had tint that dark on the windows unless they were up to something. Having done window tinting down at the shop for years, Fili would know what sort of people drove cars like that.

People that didn't wish to be noticed.

He bit back a smile as he opened the door to the bookstore, unsure of what he would find. He loved the adrenaline. His heart pounded a little faster – this had just gotten fun.


Tauriel sighed as the mid-day rush finally slowed. They'd had a steady stream before lunch, then she'd been able to grab a quick sandwich and cup of tea before they'd been slammed for almost an hour. She only worked until four that day, so she only had to tough it another two hours before Bilbo was on his own.

When the store finally cleared out besides a few browsing customers, she was so wrapped up in organizing their receipts she didn't notice him until he was at the counter.

"Oh I'm sorry, how can I-"

She stopped when she caught the blue eyed gaze in front of her. He offered her a warm yet seemingly guarded smile as he nodded. Where had she seen this man before?

"Just this today," he offered politely, sliding a book across the counter. She went to scan it before realizing it was a small book detailing vintage motorcycles and their history. Glancing at him as she worked, she realized he was offering her another tight smile. While his eye color was a cool blue, the laugh lines around his eyes reminded her of someone else. Someone with a smoldering and striking pair of dark, hazel eyes.

A light went off.

Jerking her head up, she realized he was watching her with a steely gaze that warned her- caution. It was Fili! She'd only briefly met him in the Prancing Pony, but she knew she was looking at Kili's older brother.

"Let me….uh, ring that up."

Why is he looking at me like that? She wondered. His blonde hair, bleached by the sun, was tied into a messy bun and his beard had been recently trimmed. With the addition of a stylish suit, expensive shoes and a sleek yet bookish pair of glasses, she'd barely recognized him. Bagging his book, she snuck another glance at him.

"I clean up for my day job," he muttered conversationally, his relaxed composure back. "Accountant."

Accountant? That was the absolute last thing she'd expected to hear from his mouth. At the Prancing Pony that night he'd been all wild blonde waves and braided mustache and a leather cut. It was like seeing the epitome of night and day. It was all gone – the hair was pulled back, the mustache had been trimmed into a neat beard, and the glasses were the final straw. A rush of color swept up her chest and neck as she remembered Sigrid's rather graphic description of riding his face as he ravished her, braided mustache beads cold on her thighs.

"Ah. That explains the uh…." She motioned to his suit and stuttered over her words.

Fili glanced around the bookshop. "Busy in here, isn't it?"

Tauriel's frowned, glancing around. They weren't busy for the first time all day and she had just caught her breath.

"Just a few browsers," she shrugged.

Fili nodded, but didn't look like he agreed. Instead, he reached for his wallet and quietly murmured, "Are you sure about that?"

She looked around the now-quiet shop, oblivious to what he was referring to. There was a man in the reading nook in the corner, settled into an armchair as he read and another across the shop, still browsing the racks.

Meeting Fili's eyes, she gave him a questioning look as her blood ran a little cold. Her hands shook as she punched the order into the old cash register. Sure, the men had been there for a long time, but were they watching her? She'd been so busy she couldn't be sure. A lightning bolt of fear hit her at the core. She swallowed.

"Am I being followed?"

"Yes," he said, his voice low and steady. He didn't look overly worried with his relaxed stance and easy smile, but his eyes were suddenly hard. "How long have they been here? Don't look," he hissed sharply. "Bag the book. Keep up the charade."

"I don't know," she whispered, rustling the bags behind the counter. She glanced at Fili and bit her lip. "Maybe an hour?"

"Little long to be browsing for book, don't you think?"

"N-no..some people….never mind, what do I do?"

"Go about your day, but know that you're being followed." Fili looked around before rummaging in his coat pocket. "Here you are miss," he replied calmly, handing her a wad of money. Reaching her hand out to grasp it, she curled her hand around not only a stack of small bills, but something small and hard. Smooth.

"Thank you for coming in," she replied mechanically.

"Thank you," he replied politely, every inch a respectable businessman. He whistled as he made his way out of the shop, the bell above the door ringing merrily as he stepped out on to the busy street.

Her eyes shifted down to the money in her hand. Peeling back the bills, she realized there was a small burner phone in her hand. Taped to the side was a note in scrawled, nearly illegible handwriting.

"Available for rescuing, 24/7"

On the other side was a business card. Killian Oakenshield – Director of Strategic Marketing, Oakenshield Engines.


I DO apologize for the delay on this...this is one of those fics I had only intended as a 1shot that got away from me and I KNEW where I wanted to take it but...do you ever just open up a word doc and stare at it sometimes? IDK : )

Anyway, thanks for reading and please review!

Do you think Kili will come to her rescue? ; )