Author's note: Finally, an update without too much of a delay. I hope I didn't scare away some of you with my irregular updating in the last few weeks. This chapter consists of dialogue, mostly. The next couple of chapters will contain more action though, that's a promise ;) Enjoy, and thank you for reviewing, favoriting, following.

Disclaimer: I don't own The Hobbit or any of its characters.

Chapter VI

It was Fendir who came to find them a few hours later and Kíli knew that he was not bringing good news before he uttered so much as a single word.

It had begun to rain in the meantime and Kíli and Tauriel were lying in their tent with its flaps thrown open, enjoying the patter of the rain on the roof while being warm and comfortable on their makeshift bed which they had pulled up closer to the tent's entrance. Tonight there were no stars in the sky – but watching for the occasional streak of lightning in the black night sky was also interesting to the eye for a change.

Fendir cautiously stepped further into the small cone of light protruding from the entrance of their tent. "I know it is late and if I am disturbing you please say so and I will return tomorrow." Droplets of rainwater were falling from the strands of his hair, running down his neck.

They both sat up immediately. "No, not at all," Tauriel replied. "Please come inside – don't stand there in the rain."

Fendir obeyed and entered their small tent, not quite meeting either of their gazes. He perched himself on a small stool they had so far only used to drape their coats over. Tauriel scooted closer to the edge of their bed, looking up at Fendir expectantly, while Kíli got up and stood next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"They said no, didn't they?" he asked when the Ranger hesitated.

Fendir sighed. "Aye. I am afraid they did."

Kíli could feel Tauriel's shoulders sag a little beneath his hands. While they had kept their previous discussions of the eventual outcome of their negotiations with the Rangers lighthearted, he had felt all along that she had, possibly without even knowing, set her hopes on them accepting their offer, speculating, maybe, that this would mean spending more time with Fendir's people.

Kíli himself had enjoyed their time at the Ranger's camp, but for Tauriel they were of course a perfect fit, accustomed to the ways of elves without some of the pride and longstanding prejudices of Thranduil and his followers.

"We are sorry to hear this," he returned to Fendir, tightening his grip on Tauriel's shoulder.

The Ranger dropped his gaze for a moment. "You have to understand," he then said, "that our situation is precarious right now. Without a firm leadership, we are trying to make our decisions communally. This is not always so easy, however. Many of us are used to complete independence and are not so good at… negotiating. I apologize if tonight things were said that were disrespectful to either you or your people."

Kíli shook his head. "There is no need to apologize." He did wonder, though, what the trouble was with leadership amongst the Dúnedain. Fendir had alluded to this issue more than once now, but it had also been clear that he was not willing to divulge anything more than that they were currently without a king – or was it chieftain? He made a mental note to ask Gandalf about this when – and if – he saw him again in the foreseeable future. "Thank you for your help though," he said to Fendir, wanting to make their new friend feel better despite the grave disappointment he felt at the news the Ranger had just delivered. "Does that mean that you, at least, have made up your mind and consider an alliance with the dwarves and, by extension, also the elves of Mirkwood a wise decision?"

Fendir got up from his seat and paced the length of the tent. "I did not, at first. But I do now. You are both honorable, skilled warriors, and if your respective kin resemble you even in the slightest, the doubts voiced by some of the other men are quite unjustified. I believe," he began but then faltered. After a few thoughtful moments he went on. "I believe that before long we might be able to make a decision such as the one you asked of us today. There were some who were not averse to the idea and maybe, with something – someone – to unite us again, all those doubts mentioned tonight might be put to rest."

Kíli nodded, smiling wryly. "Maybe tonight was not the best of nights for this discussion. We truly are sorry for the loss you have suffered. Were you close to the man who was killed?"
Fendir shook his head. "No, not quite. He was a great fighter though, a brave man, and losing him is a terrible blow to our community."

"Even the best of us are bound to make a mistake at some point," Tauriel spoke up, her voice sounding slightly hollow, making Kíli's heart ache a little bit. "One false step, one unguarded moment…" She fell silent.

Fendir looked at her, his brow furrowed in sorrow. "Thank you both for your concern. I hope that, despite everything that has been said tonight, you will still consider staying here with us for a while longer. Surely the other men must see how much we can profit from having you among us even if there will be no outspoken alliance between us – for now."

Kíli, who had been looking down at Tauriel in concern, shifted his eyes to Fendir in surprise. "I did not think we would be welcome to stay."

The split second of hesitation before the Ranger spoke again told Kíli everything he needed to know. "You are my guests and you are welcome to stay with me and my family for as long as you want. Also," Fendir smiled at Tauriel, "I am certain the children would be very disappointed to lose their new favorite story-teller so soon."

Kíli knew Fendir was trying to offer comfort and sympathy, but this did not hide from him some of the other meanings behind his words. Staying with the Rangers, there would always be some who were opposed to them. And while Fendir was still trying to offer some hope of an eventual alliance between the Dúnedain of the North and the Dwarves of Erebor, Kíli knew that, strictly speaking, lingering there for too long might cost them valuable time where they might be continuing their travels, spreading the messages they had been charged with by Gandalf and also Thorin. Especially if, as he suspected, there would soon come a time when they would have to adjust their life to their changing situation. Unless something happened to prove the contrary very soon, they would have to assume that Tauriel would not be able to travel the way they had been travelling until now in a few months' time.

He did not know if Tauriel was thinking along those lines as well, but clearly the implications of Fendir's words were not lost to her either. "It is no secret that I have greatly enjoyed our stay here," she said, seeming to speak to Fendir as well as to Kíli, who lowered himself beside her on the low bed once more. "But already we have spent too much time among people who have frowned upon us either for what we are, who we are or where we come from and, most frequently, for what we are to each other. It becomes very tiring, eventually."

When her hand went to her stomach, Kíli thought at first that this was unconsciously done, the difficult decisions they were once more faced with causing her to let down her carefully maintained guard for a moment. His heart jumped into his throat, however, when she addressed Fendir, her hand not leaving her midsection and her face slightly colored. "You may have noticed that Kíli's and my situation is about to become even more complicated than it is now. Those who frown upon us already will be even less likely to accept us when soon we will not be able to hide our little secret any longer." She gave a slightly exasperated chuckle. "How could they, when we can barely accept the truth of it ourselves."

Kíli stared at her with wide eyes, his heart beating fast. Never had she acknowledged what was happening to her – to them – so explicitly. And in front of someone else, no less. He had been waiting for her to reach this point for a long time, had gone over in his head what he would say to her when she finally did, how he would show her that she could always rely on him and that he would stand at her side no matter what. And now that that moment had come, his mind was blank and all he could do was look at her in wonder, the truth of what she had just said all of a sudden quite overwhelming to him. He felt her watch him out of the corner of her eye and inwardly kicked himself to overcome this sudden stupor, quickly reaching out to cover her hand with his.

Fendir gave a low sigh as he watched their exchange. "Yes," he said, "I have been aware of your situation for a while. I will not deny that it is rather unusual, but surely I have not given you the impression that I am passing judgment on either you or on your unborn child."

Once more, Kíli looked at their new friend in surprise and thought, not for the first time, that he really was excessively perceptive. "You did not give that impression," he hurried to assure him. "But I believe that Tauriel is right in assuming that, staying here, we will be back in almost the exact same position that made us leave our homes and seek a life on the road in the first place."

Fendir frowned. "Maybe you underestimate my people. We are used to handling unusual situations. Also, we have travelled a lot in our lives, have met different people with different customs. Once the other men realize that you, as individuals, can be trusted, you might be surprised by their capability for tolerance. They are not as narrow-minded as they might have seemed tonight."

Kíli inclined his head, marveling at the Ranger's persistence in trying to convince them to stay with the Dúnedain. "We are honored that you think it worth an effort to persuade us to stay here, Fendir." He turned his head to look at Tauriel beside him when she turned her hand beneath his, threading her fingers through his. She smiled at him a little shyly, shrugging her shoulders almost imperceptibly. He turned back to Fendir. "With the weather being what it is right now, we are not going anywhere tonight. We will take some of the things you have said into consideration and speak with you again in the morning. Will that be alright?"

Fendir nodded, smiling. "Of course. You know where to find me." Getting up from the stool he was still perched on, he crossed over to the tent's entrance.

Before he stepped outside, Tauriel called out to him. "Fendir, wait." He turned his head to look back at the two of them. Tauriel had got up from the bed and took the few steps necessary to stand in front of him. "Thank you again, for everything you have done for us," she said, smiling tightly. "We came here in search of allies and were disappointed, I am afraid. We did find a friend, however."

For a moment, Kíli could have sworn that he saw the hint of a blush creep across Fendir's bearded cheeks. He grinned to himself, wondering if Tauriel knew how she affected people when she spoke like this, her eyes shining with kindness. The Ranger ducked his head and smiled. "I find that a true friend is a rare, but incredibly valuable thing," he said. "Good night then, both of you."

With that he disappeared out into the darkness. Tauriel remained at the tent's entrance for another few moments, gazing out into the black, stormy night. Kíli watched a gust of wind sweep back her hair from her face, a flash of lightning illuminating her features. "Come back to bed," he said, pulling back the covers. "I don't want you hit by one of those thunderbolts."

She turned her head, grinning at him over her shoulder. "They would have trouble catching me," she said. "I run faster than any bolt of lightning when I am at my best."

Despite her words, she quickly relinquished her position by the tent's entrance and came back to sit on the edge of their mattress. Kíli scooted over to her, brushing her hair aside to kiss the soft skin beneath her earlobe. "Yes, I quite believe you," he murmured in between kisses. She hummed beneath his lips and he wrapped an arm around her waist, drawing her closer against himself. "I would rather you did not demonstrate this to me tonight though."

She made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a low chuckle. "Why? Are you afraid to get wet and ruin your hair, Master Dwarf?"

He gently scraped his teeth over her skin in reply to her teasing, eliciting a small gasp from her. "Not quite," he said, pulling her back onto the bed, sweeping down to capture her mouth with his as soon as the back of her head hit the pillows. Drawing back just enough to be able to speak, he added, "It is just that I would much rather spend our time doing this instead of chasing after you in the rain and-"

Whatever else he had been about to say was silenced when she lifted her head to close the half-inch of distance between them, crushing her lips against his once more while throwing her arms around his neck at the same time, pulling him down on top of her.

Much later that night they were both still awake, the rain and the noise of the storm raging outside making it difficult to sleep. The decisions that they knew they had to make soon did not help with that either. Kíli ran his fingers through Tauriel's hair absentmindedly, staring at the shadows that the trees swaying in the wind were making on their tent's roof. Her head was resting on his chest, one of her arms slung across his torso.

They had not said anything for a while and when Kíli spoke his voice sounded loud in his ears, his words cutting through the silence in the tent almost like the thunder outside would crack through the air of the night every few minutes. "What do you want to do next?" he simply asked.

Tauriel did not answer right away, but turned her head so that she was looking at him. She searched his eyes for a few moments before she sighed with a small smile on her lips. "We cannot stay here."

"Who's to say that we can't?" Kíli asked her even though he felt that she was right. "And in any way – I asked you what you wanted to do, not what you thought we should do."

She smiled again and rolled onto her back to stare up at the ceiling, the back of her head still resting on his chest. "What can I say," she said after a while. "I want to do everything at once. I want to climb the highest mountains, travel the greatest distances. I want to see the sea." She let her head fall to the side and looked up at him. "But I think we both agree that this is not the time to be planning such adventures."

He looked at her, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. His left hand travelled across the mattress and found her stomach beneath the covers, his fingertips caressing the soft skin there. "So you are sure now?"

Her gaze returned to the ceiling and she smiled a little absentmindedly. "All my life I never put much thought into it to be honest, but whenever I did think about becoming a mother I thought it would feel… different. Not better or worse, just different." She looked at him once more, her gaze not troubled anymore as it had been whenever they had spoken of this before. "But yes, I am quite sure," she added calmly.

Her admission did strange things to him, happiness and anticipation mingling with fear and no small amount of panic. But still, when he sat up a happy grin covered his face. Shifting so that she lay in his lap he looked down at her and cupped her cheek in his palm, the sudden sting of tears in his eyes coming as a surprise to him. "I promise you," he said, his voice a little throaty, "that we will find a way to make this work. I know you don't need me to protect you, but still I will do anything in my power to protect you. Both of you."

Tauriel sat up at this, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaning her forehead against his. "I know you will. And never think that I don't need you, because I do. More than anything else."

He leaned forward and kissed her before pulling her into a hug. "You will see, Tauriel, she will be beautiful."

She drew back, arching her eyebrows at him. "She?" she asked with a little smile in her voice.

He shrugged, feeling a little foolish as he grinned at her. "Or he. I like to thinks it's a girl though – the men in my family are a bit of a handful."

She laughed at that, the sound warming his heart. "Yes, I see what you mean by that."

They both fell silent after another few moments of low laughter and just looked at each other. Eventually Kíli reached out to brush a strand of hair behind Tauriel's ear. "I think tonight we won't be deciding what we are going to do next."

She smiled and shook her head. "No, I think we won't. Maybe it will be wiser to wait and see if fate does not show us where to go and what to do in the end – it has done so many times in the past."

He nodded. "Let's give it a few days. Perhaps something really does come up to give us direction."

"I think Fendir will be pleased to hear of this decision," she said, smiling.

"I'm sure he will," Kíli replied. "As will his son," he added with a little wink.

Tauriel laughed and rolled her eyes at this. She seemed about to say something in return when she suddenly froze, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"What? What is it?" Kíli asked her, worry tugging at his insides when he watched her face grow from playful to deadly serious within the matter of seconds.

"I thought I heard something," she replied, her frown deepening.

"It might just be the storm knocking something about…" Kíli began, but she quickly silenced him with her hand held up, the frown on her face deepening.

After listening in concentration for another few seconds her eyes suddenly grew wide and she looked at him, fear etched into her features. "Get dressed and take up your weapons," she whispered, her hand wrapped around his in an iron grip. "Something is coming."