"So let's start from the beginning." Dis sat down at the coffee table. "I'm Dis, and I come from the Irish part of the clan, I can telepathically talk to those stupid wolves."
"Mom this is Kili, my soul mate. And as you're already guessed he's a vampire." Fili began on the same note. "He's the strongest mind reader I've ever met. And his name rhymes with mine." He added with a smirk.
"Stronger than you?" She asked with a smirk. "Have you read my mind already?" She grinned at the vampire.
"Much stronger than me, and no he hasn't." Fili replied.
"And how can you tell?" She asked curiously.
"We're permanently connected." Kili quietly spoke. "I'm always in his mind and he's always in mine."
She just glanced from one boy to the other. From her wolf son to the vampire. "So I guess that means I'm stuck with you." She smiled at Kili. "And since my no good son shares a soul with you, it may only mean I have two sons now."
"I'm more worried about uncle Frerin." Fili mumbled.
"You should." She replied. "He'll come here sooner or later, so I advise you wait it out."
"You don't seem very surprised." Fili noticed glancing at his mother.
"You're my son…" Dis scolded him. "I knew you were gay since high school, and I knew something was going on ever since you called about moving."
"Huh…" Fili sighed deeply.
"I wasn't expecting you'd bring a vampire home, I was considering you'd bring someone out of the box, so to say, but this changes many things." She added. "I was worried you'd fall in love with a mortal human, and get stuck and decide to shorten your life. Although I would support you in finding love, it would be devastating for the tribe to lose their next alpha."
"So you'd rather accept a vampire than a human?" Fili was dumb folded.
"Well I'm not very enthusiastic, your kind has a very bad reputation. If you start feeding around here and someone gets hurt there will be no stopping the mutts." She noticed grimly. "But at least this way you'll be able to live a longer life, and if this is what you have chosen I will support you."
"I'm not planning to feed off anyone." Kili added. "I'm on a limited diet."
"Limited to what?" Dis asked in a strained voice.
"To me." Fili laughed gently trying to ease the tension.
"I doubt that will work for Frerin. If you accidentally change him or bleed him to death, it would be a bloodbath." Dis's voice was strained and firm.
"We've managed somehow the last six months." Fili dryly commented.
She just gulped clearly disturbed with the idea. "So my son is his mate's favorite food." She summed up.
"Precisely." Kili gently confirmed.
"Well at least you won't be running around biting people." She commented dryly. "So when are you guys moving into the house? Or have your plans changed?"
"If we settle with uncle, right after my last exams." Fili gently added.
"Too bad you didn't come home for Easter, I'd have more time to work this out." She looked at them with an unreadable expression. "So has Fili told you about the legends of the tribe and the story of our Irish part of the family?" She asked Kili gently.
"Not much." Kili hesitantly replied.
"I'll start from the Irish family than." She smiled at him with a strange smile. "The Luin family came from a small village called Ered Luin in the Blue Mountains in Ireland. They were miners, but the natural resources were ending, so after a long debate they family decided to move to American. It was very special clan, with many special abilities. Some could read minds, some could see the future, and some could move things. In a group of nearly forty they sailed the ocean to reach the new land as one of the first settlers from Ireland. They lost six people on the way, and when they landed they saw a barren land without any infrastructure, without any towns or settlements. One of the eldest had a vision of a land plentiful to the west, so they travelled, on foot for months. Everyone stayed together, the old and the young. After many hardships while travelling, they reached the forests of Erebor. The elder in her last dying breath said this was their destination, so the family found a nice meadow and began building houses. But this land wasn't empty, and the Khuzdul didn't like strangers. At first the settlers were in shock the huge wolves were in fact men, but nothing could sway them to move, and the Khuzdul despite being unfriendly weren't hostile. Soon a beautiful girl called Nali fell in love with the unique blond Khuzdul son of the tribe leader. Nali's and Raruk's wedding was the first Irish-Khuzdul wedding, but in the years to come the whole Irish family bonded with the Khuzdul giving not only their special abilities, but also granting many children with bright red hair and fair complexion."
"Nali?" Kili asked with a strange feeling.
"Many of the Irish family had rhyming names. Nali, Vali, Mili, Vili, Sali and so on. The Khuzdul have especially embraced the names rhyming with Nain, Dain, Thrain. My husband's name was Vili, so we named our son Fili." She continued explaining.
"Did we ever have a Kili?" Fili asked surprised with the tale, he knew most of the family stories but he never paid much interest.
"Not that I've heard of." Dis commented. "So where are you from lad?" She asked the vampire curiously.
"I come from the north of France, Breton to be exact. I was born in Celtic family, but most of my family died in a famine, and the rest to a disease. I was later raised by a group of catholic monks, but they were all killed by the vampire that turned me." He explained slowly. "I've lived a long time in Europe, but later when my uncle decided to move to American I followed him."
"Your uncle?" Dis asked worried.
"My coven leader." Kili clarified. "He found me as a young vampire and trained me to control my urges and bloodlust."
"So you can control your instincts?" She wanted to make sure.
"Pretty much yes. Although I might over react in self defense." Kili gently informed her.
"Don't we all…" Dis added grimly and glanced out the window, it was unusually quiet.
"I'll get dinner going, you're not going anywhere until Frerin comes to talk." She pointed her finger at them.
"Would you like some help?" Kili gently suggested amazed with this small vigorous woman.
"A vampire in my kitchen? Why not!" She laughed.
They spend almost an hour cooking, Dis clearly very surprised the vampire could cook at all, and even more so surprised when it truned out the vampire could cook very well. She joked they are using the feeding strategy, the wolves waiting outside will be tempted with good food more than by anything else.
She opened the kitchen window so that the smell would fly out and Fili set the big table in the dining room.
"What if they won't come, you'll be stuck with a fridge full of food…" Kili noticed looking at the vast set of plates.
"Trust me, I know them better than anyone else." Dis just smirked.
It didn't take long for a knock on the door. A short blond man with a long beard came in, he glanced coldly at both Fili and Kili, but under the firm glare from Dis he didn't say a word.
"Frerin, this is my son in law Kili." Dis introduced them formally.
"Kili, this is the alpha wolf and leader of the pack Frerin." She continued.
Both men stood without a word or gesture. Kili was calmer than outside but still Fili could tell he was very alert.
"Are the other wolves joining us?" Dis guided Frerin to the table.
"They should be here soon." Frerin told her in a cold voice.
"Good the food is getting cold." Dis noticed and sat at the table.
Soon she introduced Gimli and Gloin, as well as Dori, the other two wolves Ori and Oin returned home already. The silence at the table was thick, but the wolves had a strong appetite, so the food began disappearing. Kili kept getting menacing glances, but no one dared to say anything under Dis's glare.
"You've outdone yourself!" Gloin praised the hostess.
"I had some hands on fully skilled help." Dis smiled and took Kili by the arm and guided them into the living room. "Now sit down and we're going to talk like adults." She took her dominating tone again.
The wolves glared at her waiting what she had to say, they knew messing with her was unreasonable to say at best.
"My son has just three more exams left, and he's moving back to the old house. He's planning to open the garage again." She informed them. "And he's not moving back alone. And before you start yelling about the "No vampire will ever live in Erebor!" crap, you have one problem to face – either you get this calm placid vampire here and get the new alpha, and a car garage in town. Or my son will probably leave the tribe permanently."
Frerin glared at her. "What you're asking is unreasonable." He stated. "And I as the alpha have the last say."
"No you don't!" She noticed. "The council has the last say, I believe me I will convince them."
"We cannot trust a vampire, he will soon start hunting and feeding, and our people will lose lives. We all suffered from vampires in the past, many lost their loved ones and lives. This is out of the question." Gloin firmly stated.
"Kili promises to refrain from hunting. He's a calm person, and he's in control of his urges. I trust him with my son's life." Dis spoke from the heart. "They are soul mates, connected telepathically, my son would never bring anyone dangerous here. He would never plan to spend eternity with someone dangerous."
"Is what she says true?" Gimli asked Fili shortly.
"We are one." Fili specified. "We can feel what each other feels, we can read each other's minds. He wouldn't be able to hurt anyone, I can vouch for him."
"How do you plan to live without food?" Frerin glared at the vampire.
"He never said he would live without food." Fili clarified. "But he will never hunt."
"So what will he eat?" Gimli asked curiously puzzled with the idea.
"Let's say, that's the price I have to pay for bonding with a vampire." Fili slowly told them carefully choosing his words.
"And what do you get out of the deal?" Gimli was still very suspicious. Fili became slightly red but didn't reply.
"So you honestly expect me to tolerate this crazy idea?" Frerin was clearly disturbed.
"The deal has good sides too, the coven Kili's in lives nearby, they already dealt with the wild vampire group from four months ago. Having an ally like that, might prove beneficial." Fili noticed. "These vampires live according to strict rules, no killing or changing anyone. It's either voluntary like me, or blood from blood banks and donors. The groups from further east feed on animals only, so this is not the only reasonable group around."
"I'm not so sure." Frerin was stubborn as a mule. "There is no way in hell we'll be able to cooperate with any vampires." He added.
"Life in peace is all my coven strives for." Kili spoke for the first time. "We have lived according to these rules for centuries now."
"And just how old are you?" Frerin eyed the vampire.
"He's a century older than you." Fili informed him.
"The council meeting will be called tomorrow, I will personally oversee it." Dis told them. "I'm not saying you should throw a huge welcoming party, but setting a reasonable trial period, and the chance to get to know him will do just fine."
Frerin bit down on his lip with agitation. "We've got two more months left till you come of age and have your first transformation. I will agree to a trial period of half a year. If the vampire manages to stay clean till then, and doesn't run away from your wolf form, we will support his settling here, providing he obeys our rules." Frerin spoke in a voice full of authority.
"That's all we could have asked for." Kili gently agreed.
"I'll see you both tomorrow at the council meeting, you will have to present your case in person." Frerin stood up and left without a goodbye, and his wolves followed him.
"That went better than expected." Dis noticed calmly. "Fili, show Kili to your old room and unpack your things. Tomorrow morning we'll go take a look at the old house and decide what has to be done."
"That sounds great mom!" Fili gently hugged her. Dis looked over to Kili and reached out a hand with a silent invitation, and soon she was hugging both her boys.