A/N: I usually don't recommend music together with my stories, but for this chapter "Eavesdrop" by The Civil Wars and "Saturn" by Sleeping at Last are just so perfect that I simply have to break my own rule :-)

Chapter IX

Tauriel was drifting. Above her the stars, glittering in the black sky. Below her the earth, the trees and mountains, valleys and lakes… Everything seemed so small, so insignificant from a distance.

Tauriel smiled and spun once around her own axis, reveling in her own weightlessness. With both hands she reached out for one of the stars surrounding her. She was so close to them that she thought she might be able to touch them, to see how they would feel against the skin of her fingers.

She giggled as a silly thought occurred to her. This was a whole new dimension of walking in starlight.

A slight frown creased her brow. Walking in starlight… Those words stirred something in her memory, like a gentle tickling at the back of her brain. Wasn't there something that she had meant to do?

Floating on her back with her hands still outstretched, she struggled to hold onto that notion. It was very difficult to concentrate when the stars kept distracting her with their silvery light.

Walking in starlight… Did whatever she had wanted to do have something to do with the stars? Had somebody sent her here, maybe? To find something? No. That was not it.

The lines on Tauriel's forehead deepened as she tried to remember. She closed her eyes to block out the view of the stars, listening only to her own thoughts now.

You cannot be her. She is far away. She... she is far, far away from me. She walks in starlight in another world. It was just a dream. Do you think she could have loved me?

The words came to her very suddenly and very clearly, as if someone had whispered them in her ear.

Her eyes flew open.

Kíli.

Without warning, her weight returned to her body and she fell. Fell so fast that for a few seconds her breath was sucked from her lungs. Without a single sound passing over her lips, Tauriel fell out of the sky, colors blurring at the edge of her vision while the stars became smaller and smaller above her until they were tiny, sparkling dots once again. Far, far away from her.

Tauriel experienced a curious sense of loss. This was how a falling star had to feel like as it was cast out of the sky forever.

Her fall seemed to last for a long time, and yet she was not prepared for her impact with earth when it came. Once again, all air was knocked from her lungs when her body hit solid ground. While the shock was overwhelming, the pain was not. In fact, there was no pain at all. Tauriel lay completely still for a few moments, waiting for it to come. But it did not.

Deciding that it was safe to move her eyes, she tried to assess her surroundings. She seemed to have landed in tall grass, the blades of which were rising into the sky all around her, preventing her from seeing anything else from her position on the ground. It appeared to be completely dark, the only light the faint glow of the stars up in the sky. The ground below her was damp and she could see small droplets of dew glittering on the grass, making it gleam silvery in the starlight.

Her head seemed much clearer now that she was firmly anchored to the earth once more. Still, it was a pity to be down here again. Up in the sky everything had seemed so easy, so beautiful. She had found complete oblivion for a few moments.

A dream. She was dreaming. She realized this now.

But she wondered—briefly—whether all dreams felt like this. So real, so detailed, so intense. She lifted one of her hands and brought it up to her face, examining it in the starlight. It looked exactly as it always did. If this was a dream, should she feel so… aware of herself?

Tauriel had not had a dream in a long time. As a fully grown Elf she did not usually give herself over to sleep completely. She simply did not require this kind of rest in order to restore her strength. Instead, she had made it her habit to turn her vision inwards until she reached a meditative state in which she reflected on herself and the world around her. Legolas had taught her how to do this. Sometimes, however, she missed this state of complete oblivion that deep sleep could bring. But dreams were a luxury that was reserved for their young ones.

Until now. Tauriel struggled to remember what had brought her here. Something had happened to her, she knew that, but she could not quite say what it was.

Flattening her palms against the ground below her, Tauriel realized that it was covered in soft moss. Spreading her fingers she pushed herself up into a sitting position, so that she would be able to see if there was anything beyond the grass in this dream world of hers.

She gasped at the sight that presented itself to her. The moon hung huge and bulging in the sky, shining in different shades of red and orange. A firemoon.

Tears came to Tauriel's eyes. How cruel of her subconscious to play this trick on her. Kíli had wished so much to be able to show her the firemoon he had seen, but had had to resort to words and descriptions. Now she was seeing it with her own eyes in all its glory and he was not there to watch with her. Never since they had parted had she missed him more than at this very moment.

Her eyes riveted on the moon, Tauriel was only marginally aware of movement to her right, several yards away. When her instincts perked up and told her that there was someone else there with her, she whipped her head around sharply.

Another person was struggling to sit up in the tall grass, holding their head and groaning once they had managed to do so.

Tauriel's breath caught in her throat. Kíli.

Only when he mirrored her previous movement and turned his head in an effort to localize the other presence there with him, did she realize that she had spoken aloud. He looked puzzled for a moment, squinting to see properly in the dim light.

When he recognized her, utter disbelief and an almost painful happiness rivaled each other on his face. His expression would have been comical under different circumstances – now it only served to bring more tears to Tauriel's eyes. Tears of joy.

Tauriel could not say who moved first, but within a few seconds they were scrambling towards one another, running, stumbling, falling, crawling, until they fell into each other's arms, laughing, clutching, hugging, crying.

When they pulled apart, Tauriel's cheek was wet, but she did not know if it were her own tears or his or both. Her pants were damp from where her knees rested on the wet grass, but she hardly felt it. He was here. With her.

Kíli cupped her face in both hands and she brought her own hands up and wrapped them around his wrists, holding on tightly. A broad, tearful smile spread on his face.

There were so many things Tauriel wanted to say, wanted to ask. But the only thing she got out was: "Did you fall out of the sky, like I did?"

Kíli laughed, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. "No," he said. "But it feels like I have been waiting here for you to come down from the sky for a long time."

Puzzled by his answer, Tauriel wanted to ask what he meant by that. Had he seen her, up there? How had he gotten here in the first place? Then she remembered that this was only a dream. The most wonderful dream, but still only a dream. Was it childish to think that she might destroy the illusion if she asked too many questions, demanded too much logic?

So she just looked at him, taking in his beauty. She lifted one hand to trace the stubble on his jaw, something that she had been itching to do ever since she first met him, but had restrained herself from doing even in their more… intimate moments together.

He leaned into her touch, smiling. "I missed you," he whispered, his voice rougher than usual.

Tauriel wanted nothing more than to kiss him at that moment, but felt very shy all of a sudden. She reprimanded herself for her hesitation—if in her real life she was forbidden from acting on her feelings she might at least do so in her dreams, right? And so, in a very bold move, she brought her mouth down ro cover Kíli's.

At first their lips brushed against one another only very lightly, but Tauriel did not have to wait long for Kíli to respond. She felt his lips move beneath hers, slowly, sensuously, and suddenly his hands were dropped down to her waist and he pulled her close to him, holding her tightly to himself.

She gasped in surprise when he jerked her so abruptly towards himself, but then responded by wrapping her arms around his neck, drawing him even closer, with no intention of letting go any time soon.

As she deepened their kiss, Kíli gave a low moan. Confused, Tauriel pulled away slightly, breaking their kiss. Had she hurt him? Or done something unpleasant? She wanted to ask him, but Kíli did not give her a chance to speak and immediately reclaimed her lips, his fingers digging into her waist.

Tauriel smiled against his lips, realizing that the sound he had made had obviously not been one of discomfort. The thought that she was having such a profound effect on him filled her with a formerly unknown sense of pride. Pride that such a wonderful creature as he was would want to hold her like this, to touch her, love her.

When he felt her smile, Kíli broke their kiss. Mirroring her smile he searched her face with eyes clouded by desire. "Why do you smile, my shooting star?" His voice was deep, laced with his need for her.

Tauriel felt the sting of fresh tears when she gazed into his eyes, seeing the intensity of his feelings for her reflected in them. He looked at her questioningly when he saw her eyes mist over, but she just shook her head, unable to speak, and pulled his face back towards hers, resuming their kiss with even more vigor than before.

She began to lose herself in his touch, no thoughts and no feelings existed anymore beside the sensation of his lips upon hers, his hands on her body, his breath on her face. Tauriel surprised herself by boldly pulling both of them down onto the damp grass, him on top of her.

With their bodies now pressed against one another completely, they broke their kiss once more, gasping for air, surprised and overwhelmed by the sheer intimacy of this new position.

Propping himself up on one elbow, Kíli used his free hand to stroke her cheek. Tauriel returned his burning gaze, her body thrumming with desire in a way she had not known before. Slightly lifting her hips off the ground she pressed herself closer to him. His eyes fluttered closed when she did so, another low moan escaping his lips. She could feel his body respond to her, his hardness pressing into her core where their bodies were joined most intimately, separated only by a few layers of fabric. Needing more, needing everything, Tauriel spread her legs, allowing their bodies to come even closer than before. Kíli's eyes remained closed, the strained expression on his face betraying his struggle to maintain control over his body.

Tauriel marveled at the fact that with their bodies aligned like this, their difference in height did not matter at all anymore—they fit together like two pieces of puzzle.

Watching Kíli's face intently, she ran a hand up the side of his body, smiling when she saw him press his lips together in order to prevent himself from making any sound.

Without warning, he grabbed her wandering hand and, after placing a feather light kiss on the inside of her wrist, pinned it down above her head. His eyes were open again and he searched her face for her answer to an unspoken question.

Tauriel felt herself blush fiercely when she realized what it was that he was asking her with his eyes. Her breath quickened and she felt very nervous all of a sudden. Her heart was pounding erratically inside her chest and she wondered if he was able to feel its beat resonate in his body. But she held his gaze steadily and, the blush on her face deepening, nodded almost imperceptibly. This is your dream, she thought. For once, you are free to make your own choice—if there ever was a time for bold decisions, then this is it.

She felt Kíli take a shaky breath and realized that he, too, was very nervous. She brought her free hand up to his face and traced his lower lip with her thumb before cupping the back of his neck and drawing him down towards her, pressing her lips to his to take some of the trepidation that they both felt away.

Immediately, she could feel him relax, and when she rocked her hips ever so gently he responded by pressing himself against her more tightly, making her breath hitch in her throat. Resting his forehead against hers, he let go of her hand that was stilled pinned above her head and used his now free hand to fiddle with the lacings of her bodice. With swift fingers he pulled the ties loose and, with a sudden urgency, tugged the garment open and out from under her body, tossing it aside carelessly. With similar skill he unlaced her shirt and dragged it open, exposing her bare skin to the night.

Pushing himself up to kneel between her legs, he took his time to take in the sight of her as she lay half-naked before him. Running a slightly shaky hand down the left side of her body, grazing her breast with his fingertips ever so lightly, he whispered, "Mahal. You're breathtaking."

Tauriel felt her face flush once more, but restrained herself from averting her eyes in embarrassment and instead kept her gaze locked on his face, marveling again at the effect that she had on him. He met her gaze and when he saw her eyes wander down the length of his upper body, he smirked.

"See something that you like?" he teased her.

Tauriel responded with a grin of her own. "Not as much of it as I would like to see," she said, tugging at the hem of his shirt to emphasize her point.

He smiled and, without further ado, shrugged out of his coat and began unlacing the shirt he wore underneath. When he tossed it aside it was Tauriel's turn to gape. With his broad, muscular chest, his pale skin gleaming silvery in the starlight, he was truly a sight to behold. And so different from the male bodies she had seen before, with dark, crinkly hairs covering the planes of his chest. She followed those hairs with her eyes down his upper body, up until the point where they disappeared into his waistband in a narrow line.

Stretching out her right arm she traced that same line with her finger, feeling his muscles ripple under her touch. Reaching the waistband of his pants, she dipped her fingertips inside and gave a slight tug on the fabric, wanting him close to her once again, to see how his skin would feel upon hers.

She must have caught him by surprise, because he lost his balance and fell forward to land on top of her, breaking his fall with one hand on each side of her head, the tip of his nose only an inch above her own.

They both laughed at this, but quickly turned more serious again when their desire reached a new peak brought about by this new, exhilarating sensation of skin upon skin.

Glancing down to where her breasts were pressed against his chest, Kíli lowered his head to Tauriel's neck, kissing first the skin there and then trailing kisses along her collarbone, using one of his hands to caress every inch of skin on her upper body. Soon his caresses became more urgent and Tauriel let her eyes flutter closed, arching into his touch, craving more. Always more.

She could not recall his hands leaving her upper body, but they must have at some point, because suddenly her leggings joined the small heap of discarded clothing somewhere to her right. Tauriel gasped when the cool air of the night hit the sensitive skin between her legs and when the unexpected coldness was replaced by the warmth of Kíli's fingers, stroking, rubbing, massaging her gently, she felt ready to burst with pleasure at any moment.

She moaned in protest when his fingers left her, and when she lifted her head off the grass to see what the delay was, she saw him struggling with his belt, trying to shrug out of the trousers that seemed to be restraining him quite painfully by now.

Tauriel grinned and was happy to assist him with this. With swift fingers she helped him unbuckle his belt and he discarded the offensive garment in one fluid motion and then aligned his body with hers again.

Both of them completely naked now, they took a moment to collect their thoughts, to allow their bodies to accommodate themselves to this new sensation. Bringing his face level with hers one again, Kíli looked deeply into Tauriel's eyes and she was almost moved to tears by the tenderness that she saw in his gaze.

They both knew that it would have been too late to simply stop now anyway, but still he once more asked her for her permission with his eyes, before slowly, gently, easing himself into her, joining their bodies in the most intimate way.

Tauriel gasped when he filled her so pleasantly, so completely. Strange as it might seem, their bodies were just right for each other. They stared at one another in slight shock for a moment and when Kíli dipped down his head to claim her mouth in a tender kiss, Tauriel felt as if the universe and everything in it aligned, just for the two. of them. This was where she was meant to be. He belonged to her just as she belonged to him. Only the stars were watching as they completed their unlikely union in this act of love.

Never had she felt more alive than at this very moment. Only much later would she wonder at the irony of finally finding a sense of completion, of connectedness, in a dream, of all things. For now, all she was aware of was Kíli's body on top of hers, their bodies slowly finding a rhythm that sent waves of pleasure through her body, making her fingertips tingle and her heart sing.

Later they lay on their sides in the damp grass facing each other, their breathing slowly returning to normal. Absently, Kíli ran a hand up and down Tauriel's flank, gazing into her eyes as if he were afraid that she might disappear if he so much as blinked.

Tauriel sensed that he was about to speak, but again she was scared that too many words might destroy this wonderful illusion. So she quickly shushed him with a kiss, scooting closer once more.

They kissed slowly, languidly, still exhausted from their previous lovemaking. When Kíli pulled away and smiled at her like the happiest dwarf on earth, Tauriel whispered the first words that came into her head: "Meleth e-gûr nîn, guren níniatha n'i lû n'i a-govenitham. Ned i postog a nîn, ni bant."*

Kíli continued to smile at her and she wondered if maybe this dream version of him had understood the meaning of her words. He leaned forward and pressed his lips to her forehead in an affectionate kiss. The sweetness of the gesture made Tauriel close her eyes to stop tears from welling up. She opened her eyes again when she could no longer feel the pressure of his soft lips against her skin.

He was gone.

Tauriel sat up abruptly, looking around in panic. "Kíli?" she called, hoping against hope that he might answer her. But everything remained dreadfully silent.

Out of nowhere there came a gust of wind and everything before of her eyes —the moon, the stars, the grass and the trees—was swept away like grains of sand tossed about in a storm. Tauriel was plunged into darkness.

* Translation: Love of my heart, my heart shall weep until I see you again. When you lie beside me, I am complete.