DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING, EXCEPT MY OC'S.

A/N: Hey you guys I know it has been long since I last updated, but I hope you haven't given up hope on me just yet. P.S. long a/n at the end of the chapter as well. Sorry in advance /

X

Later that night, Fili found himself at Leila's door. Or at least he had hoped it was her door. It was a rough guestimate considering that time that Lindir had been gone when he had fetched her. He didn't know what he was going to do, but he knew he wanted to talk to Leila. He wanted to hear her tell him that she was a Dunedain. He wanted to hear her story from her. He knocked. For a moment there was nothing, then just as he was about to knock again, the door opened. Leila stood there in a white nightrobe. Her hair was down, and it hung over her shoulder on one side.

"What do you need?" She asked.

He wanted to make up some excuse that Thorin had sent him, but he couldn't, as he stared into those stormy blue eyes, he knew that he couldn't lie.

"I was wondering if we could talk."

She opened the door wider and gestured for him to come in. He entered and was amazed and disappointed at the same time. her room was simple and had very little furniture. It had a bed, a desk/vanity, a wardrobe, and a lounge chair. Leila grabbed a jug of ale, that she had obviously been drinking previously, and took a gentle sip, and then offered him some. He smelled it and was immediately taken back.

"This is fire whiskey." She nodded, and he took a small sip, then handed it back to her. She took another sip, and headed out to the terrace, and sat on the banister taking yet another sip. Fili followed her and leaned up against the door frame.

"I hear if you drink too much of that stuff at one time it'll kill you." Leila looked at him with a blank expression, then she started to chug the liquor. Fili rushed over and yanked the jug out of her hand.

"Are you out of your mind?" his voice raised, "I just said too much of this stuff will kill you."

"I heard you."

"Do you have a death wish?"

" If I said yes what would you do?"

Fili just looked at her he had no idea what one would say in this situation.

"Are you alright?"

"You said you wanted to talk?" Leila said turning away from him.

"Gandalf told us about you." She looked at him and nodded, but said nothing. "Would you tell me the story?"

"I thought you said Gandalf told you."

"I want to hear you say it, I want you to tell me why you betrayed us." Leila looked at him through her lashes, the look she gave was not one of surprise, but more one of anger and hurt.

"And how, master dwarf, have I betrayed you?" her voice was low, but icy. She snatched the jug of ale back from him, and began to sip again.

"You're a part elf and you know the elves are our enemies."

"All elves? Why must the actions of some condemn the whole race? "

"Please just tell me your story." An argument about this was the last thing that he wanted.

Leila said nothing for a moment and sipped the whiskey. "I guess I should start before I was born." she looked at Fili and gestured for him to sit. He rested against the wall.

" My mother was a Dunedain, or at least partly, she was one-quarter elf. Her beauty was widely talked of by merchants and travelers. My father was on his way to the Iron Hills when he fell upon the town. Her family was not wealthy by any means and she kept herself afloat by singing in the local tavern. My father had stopped there to get some supplies, and rest in an actual bed." She paused again to sip the whiskey. After another moment she continued. " He always told me that he had first been attracted to her because she had a voice like smooth honey. But he eventually fell in love with her because of her character and fire like indignation, as he put it. They were married, and a year later they were pregnant with my sister and I. They decided that the forest was not a place for us, and moved back to my mother's hometown." She laid her head against the stone column and took a few more swigs of the alcohol before turning her back on Fili and looking up at the sky. " That is all I will tell you tonight, it's late."

She turned and looked at Fili, he couldn't read her. The feeling in his chest had settled some, but not a lot. He couldn't figure it out. he couldn't understand why he wanted to know so badly. He stood and shook himself, he made his way back through her room and to the door. He had barely opened it when he turned back to look at her and found her right behind him. Her eyes were wide in surprise, he just stared into them. It always astounded him every time he saw them that the could be so brilliant, and so blue. When it was said that eyes were the doorsteps to the soul it was no lie, he could see emotions, shock, there had been laughter there, but there also seemed to be an eternal sadness, that rested in them, he wished he knew everything so he could banish the sadness, and only fill her with joy, but at the moment he was not equipped to handle her problems no matter how much he wanted to.

"Good night." He managed to say, barely above a whisper.

"Good night." She whispered back.

Then Fili did something so impulsive, he almost frightened himself. He took her hand and brought the back of it up to his lips, and laid a soft kiss on her knuckles.

X

It had been a couple of weeks since the company had arrived at Rivendell and Leila had been avoiding Fili like the plague. Ever since that first night when he had come to her room and kissed her hand, she didn't know how to act around him. She made sure they were never in a room alone, she would purposely turn the other direction when she saw him in the corridor, and she never looked his way at dinner. Leila had been vulnerable, she had told him part of her story, she had opened up to him, and that was a mistake. It was a terribly miscalculated blunder on her part, she knew that now part of him would see her as a weak emotional woman. She was too vulnerable, but she hoped that her sudden coldness would ward him off, and help him realize, what happened would never... no could never happen again.

X

Fili was taking a bath. To be more specific all the dwarfs had decided that the large fountain at the edge of one of the larger main courtyards was the ideal place to take baths. Many were playing games, and usually, Fili would have joined but he had been a bit out of sorts lately. Since that first night when he talked with Leila. She had only told him part of the story, and he yearned to know more. Unfortunately Leila was avoiding him, she would practically run the opposite direction when she'd see him in the corridor, and Fili knew it was because he had made her uncomfortable. He didn't know how, but he knew that he had. He wanted to talk to her to work things out, but even if they were ever in a room alone, which was never the case, he didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if he should comfort her, or apologize, or just let it be and wait it out.

X

Leila was returning to her room from the library when she heard joyful shouting coming from one side of the courtyard below, she peered over and found that the company had decided that the sacred Fountain of Purity was the place to relieve themselves of their filth. She knew Elrond and Lindir must be absolutely appauled at the way the dwarves were behaving; Leila, however, enjoyed it immensely. Elrond needed to be pushed to his limits every now and then, all the elves did. Leila found that many Elves were very proud, and needed to be knocked off their high horse, to be humbled every so often.

Leila strode back to her room, with her favorite book. It was a book of architecture. Although Leila had virtually no skills in design, drawing, or mathematics, she enjoyed reading about how other people could be so talented. This particualr book was about the building of the war fortress Helms Deep. The book enlightened on every detail. It was her favorite because it included the one thing Leila was someone adept at understanding, war.

Leila was lost in her thoughts, and wasn't looking as she rounded a bend, so as fate would have it she ran into a wall. She stumbled back, surprised, then she realised it was not a wall she had run into, it was Fili.

Luckily he was clothed, somewhat. He had his undertop on, it was tucked into his trousers that were being held up by a pair of suspenders. His hair was still wet from the bath, and his undershirt clung to the wet skin underneath. Leila was trying to find her words. However, they seemed to have jumped out of her throat and scurried away, along with her dignity, because she just stood there infront of Fili, with her mouth agape, looking like an idiot.

"I'm very sorry." Fili said, tenderly.

Leila crimsoned, and looked away. For some strange reason this young dwarf had a way of making her feel as if her heart would beat out of her chest. She worked hars to reagin her composure that had long deserted her.

" It was, um, my fault." she said, hesitantly, "I wasn't watching where I was going." she finished without making eye contact with him. She moved out of his path, and proceeded to walk past him. She felt him take hold of her arm as she passed, it was not a hurtful grip, but a gentle, yet firm hold, and he pulled her close to him.

A/N: Whoa. I must say I very much enjoyed writing this chapter. I know the story is progressing very slowly, and I am updating very slowly, and not consitently at all, but I promise I won't keep them in Rivendell for much longer. As always reviews and little critques are always welcome. I promise I really am trying to be more consistant with everything really(it's my resolution for the new year/ decade.) But we'll have to see what the future brings. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I will try to post another one soon. Thank you!