A/N

Hello again everyone! Once again I am SO SORRY for leaving you hanging for so long! Incredibly cruel of me so I do apologize! So this chapter, boy, hard to write but definitely full of feels! One thing you need to remember though is that not a lot of time actually passes during this chapter, only a few minutes which is mentioned near the end. I won't say WHY this is important for you to note, only that it is and you'll pick up on that later on.

Now when I was planning this like last month, there was one soundtrack that was totally fitting and I wrote part of this to this particular score. The score to go with the beginning is Titanic - A Promise Kept. Trust me, MAJOR feels alert! O.o, maybe put it on repeat for the second half of the chapter but it definitely works!

Welcome to the new followers: snchills, Finduilas88, hunterlab12, StarOfGondolin, DreamElm76, midnightblue93, IAmCaptainAwesme and emmakmcoutlook! And thank you once again to all my other followers! You guys are AMAZING!

As much as it breaks my heart I do not own the writings or the characters of The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, they are the wonderful and exclusive workings of J.R.R Tolkien

Sound was but a whisper in a suffocating vacuum of shock. Thorin thought he remembered hearing his sword hit the stone floor and bounce several times, hearing the metal clanging as it came to rest but he's wasn't sure, it sounded so far away. He thought pain and grief were swallowing him whole as it felt as if time were slowing down around him, everyone moving at a fraction of the speed they normally would.

But Thorin only had eyes for Fíli.

Fíli, his first nephew, his golden haired boy, the light for his dark tunnel of a life was gone. Fíli, the one who when he was born and gave Thorin a coo when he was held for the first time was the one who chased Thorin's nightmares away for the first time in a long time. Fíli, the one who made Thorin believe that maybe, just maybe everything would be alright.

But he was gone.

Thorin felt someone grab him, muscly tattooed arms wrapped around his shoulders: Dwalin. Thorin heard a cry echo through the room, realising that it was coming from his parted lips as his knees hit the stone floor, watching as the two elves ran towards Fíli.

Thorin looked around at the others gathered: Dwalin, his brother-in-arms who was holding onto him with everything he had, trying to ground the pair of them to stop them from disappearing in their grief had tears streaming down his face. Balin, Thorin's most trusted advisor and father figure holding onto Dwalin's shoulder with his head bowed in despair. Oin, at a loss for words as he gaped down at the dwarfling who had become still on the table, decades of experience as a healer unable to prepare him for the loss of a child who was dear to him. Bofur and Gloin, two of Thorin's close friends and Fíli's honorary Uncle's clutching at each other in horror and pain for what they've lost whilst Bifur stood guard next to them watching Fíli curiously, as though waiting for Fíli to yell surprise and start giggling madly.

But it doesn't happen.

Thorin swayed slightly as the two elves (what are they still doing here?) leapt over him towards Fíli, their words echoing faintly in his ears in a jumble, and all Thorin did was watch them out of blurry eyes as they stopped on either side of Fíli, one talking to Oin and the other yelling to the left at the open door.

Thorin could only watch the table, memories of his nephew flitting through his mind; the first time Fíli smiled at him when he was born, Fíli's first word, the first time Fíli said "Unca" with so much love and a smile on his face that Thorin didn't stop the tears that ran down his face, his first steps and so many other firsts.

But other memories that weren't milestones were also at the forefront of his mind; teaching Fíli how to make a snowman when he was old enough, lying on a grassy hill with Fíli tucked into his side when he came home from his journeys and just watching the clouds and laughing at the different shapes only a child could see in them, Fíli pretending Thorin was a horse and riding on his back for ages until Thorin became a tickle monster sending the youngster off screaming in joy to hide from this new foe (and finding a new horse in the unfortunate Dwalin who happened to walk in the door at that moment to help defeat said tickle monster), Fíli tucked in next to him in a chair near the fireplace and Thorin reading a book of fairy tales whilst his parents were out for the night, and Thorin's most treasured memory; Fíli sneaking into Thorin's room during a thunderstorm, clambering up onto his bed to stroke Thorin's hair because he wanted to make sure Thorin wasn't scared from all the loud noise. Thorin of course had been sleeping soundly only to wake to Fíli running his hands over his hair and realised that Fíli was scared, so playing along Thorin thanked Fíli for protecting him and asked his nephew if he'd stay the night so they could protect each other. When Dís had gone in the next morning in a panic when she couldn't find Fíli it was only to find him lying on top of Thorin with a thumb in his mouth, both sound asleep, and something both parents, Dwalin and Balin saw and had never let Thorin live down since.

Thorin knew that memories like those were all he'd get, he'd never get to make new ones with his nephew like teaching him how to ride a horse or fight, watching him learn to read and write, and knowing that Kíli would never get to know his golden haired brother.

There was a scream that pierced the air, bringing the sound back to its entirety and wrenching Thorin from his dazed remembrance, making him turn his head only to feel his heart clench so painfully he thought he might choke. Standing in the doorway was Dís, eyes wide and sweeping across all the dwarves in the room, with Fréya standing behind her trying to comfort a screaming Kíli. Dís's eyes swept the room before focusing on Thorin, and seeing the lost and broken expression in his eyes she fell to her knees and screamed and wept.

"NO! No no no no no no! Fíli! FÍLI! BABY PLEASE!" Dís screamed at the table.

"I need Athelas! NOW! WHERE IS IT?!" Elladan yelled over the hysterical dwarrowdam and baby in the doorway.

"Get me a bowl of hot water also" Elrohir said to Oin who nodded and hurried over to the table nearby.

The young healer burst into the room shoving past Fréya and Dís and darted around all the dwarves to the elves.

"What are yer goin' to do?" Oin asked, returning with a bowl of hot water.

"We won't let him die. His heart may have stopped but it doesn't mean he's gone." Elladan said grabbing the Athelas off the young healer and shoving it into the hot water, shredding it with his hands and rolling it into a mushy paste with his fingers.

Elrohir was doing the same with the Athelas as his brother, but was suddenly shoved to the side by Dís who had taken a still screaming Kíli off Fréya and hurried over to the table whilst sobbing.

"Fíli! Fíli darling you have to w…wake up! You have to wake up so you can meet Kíli. You're a b…big brother now, there's so m…much that you have to teach him for mummy… Please darling!" Dís begged over Kíli's screaming, shaking Fíli's limp form on the table with one hand whilst trying to settle Kíli to no avail.

"Get her out of here!" Elladan shouted, looking at Thorin.

Dwalin hurried forward and pulled Dís away from her son whilst being careful of Kíli. The further away Dwalin pulled Dís, the louder Kíli's screaming became which made Dís cry even more. Dwalin gently pulled Dís to Thorin and when she reached him she fell to her knees and leaned into Thorin who wrapped his arm around his sister, tears streaming down his face.

Elladan and Elrohir quickly began applying the Athelas paste that they'd made to Fíli's wound, pushing it inside until it was overflowing from the hole.

"I suggest you move back master dwarves, you are only going to get in the way." Elladan said to the two healers who nodded and moved clear of the table, but were close enough to see what would happen.

Elrohir looked to his brother "This is going to hurt, isn't it?" he asked in Elvish, not wanting to alert the dwarves to what was about to happen.

"I'm afraid so, however with the two of us hopefully it won't be as bad." Elladan said looking at his brother sadly.

Elladan and Elrohir faced each other from opposite sides of the table and each placed a hand on Fíli's forehead and their other hand over the wound so that Elrohir's hand rested on top of his brothers. The brothers closed their eyes, took a deep breath and began to chant.

The moment the Elves began to chant all the dwarves could sense a shift in the room; it was like they were being pulled at from different angles causing their skin to itch and their bodies to sting, and the air felt heavier than normal making it difficult to breathe. The chanting had started off quietly but gradually got louder, until it sounded like the Elves were talking to each other at a normal if not slightly louder level.

Thorin knew that they were using some sort of Elven magic because he could feel his energy being drained slightly. The chanting was affecting the fireplace and all the lanterns in the room as the lights were beginning to flicker, increasing then decreasing in strength. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the Elves as their chanting became stronger; Kíli's cries the only other noise to be heard in the packed room.

A light began to glow around the Elves and Fíli, the flames in the fireplace flickering and fanning dangerously as though a gust of wind was trying to blow it out. Thorin watched with wide eyes as the white light completely engulfed the Elves and the table, blinding everyone in the room and forcing them to throw their arms across their eyes to block out the light.

Twin cries pierced the air and all light extinguished in the room throwing them all into darkness.

A single light from a flint broke through the black void.

"Can't see a flamin' thing…" Gloin grumbled into the dark silence as he stumbled towards the fireplace and poured some oil onto the logs before tossing the flint inside bringing the fire back to full strength.

The other dwarves removed their arms from their eyes and looked at the table. The two elves were slumped on the floor unmoving, the two healers quickly scrambling to check on them. Thorin picked himself off the floor and moved to the table, his footsteps heavy in the silent room now that Kíli was strangely silent.

Thorin looked at one of the elves as he drew closer to the table, the elf was incredibly pale, and a trail of blood was trickling from his nose and when he peered over at the other elf he saw that he was just the same.

"Oin…" Thorin said turning his attention from the elves to his nephew, his heart in his mouth and tears in his eyes, hoping, praying, that the elves had done something.

Oin stood and picked up his stethoscope and moved to the table placing the stethoscope to Fíli's chest, shaking his head sadly. Fíli's heart was as still as it had been when it had stopped three minutes prior.

Thorin let out a sob, only to be silenced when there was a coo and a clapping of hands that had all the dwarves turning to look at Kíli, only to see his attention focused on the table. He gave another coo and clapped his hands together with a smile lighting up his face.

Fíli gasped for breath, followed by a hacking cough, trying to get his lungs working again.