A/N Happy almost Friday, y'all. I made it to 8:30 pm before I became Exhaustion Woman so if shit gets weird or grammar goes wild...that's definitely my bad.

I totally had something to put into the author's note when I started this chapter and now that I've finished it I can't remember so...rain check?

My brain has died, wittiness is gone.

bleeehhhhhhhhhh

ENJOY!

Aragorn watched her as she smoothed her hands down the front of her tunic, repeating the motion several times. "I think there's a bump." She said hopefully. "I wish I knew how far along I was for sure."

They had some guesses, probably at least two months, but there were…several different days to take into account on that front.

"Here," she motioned him over and grabbed his hand, pressing his palm against her belly. "There's a bump there, right? Or am I crazy?"

Aragorn felt as if he knew every angle and curve of her body, but couldn't tell something so faint through her tunic if it were there or not. "I cannot be certain." Then at her disappointment he amended himself. "But I believe so."

She was nervous, worried, and unsure, but almost overnight a warmth had grown behind her eyes. How many days had she spent thinking a moment like this would never come? While she bled in the arms of the dwarves after Goblintown and lay awake night after night in the wilds questioning not only her return but her survival. And yet now, so close to the time they'd once planned, despite it all she was to be a mother.

Her smile spread and she kissed him. "This would've been a lot easier at home, but…I don't know, I feel like I needed this."

Home, and safety. He knew they were more likely to run across a band of Dwarves from the Iron Hills or some of Legolas' kin, but that did not expel the dangers entirely. With such a large company no small group of orcs or men would try to go against them, or succeed if they did, but that left the potential for a larger danger to be drawn to them. Their size also meant plentiful supplies and their banners promised wealth. Until they arrived in Erebor he would not cease to worry, and likely not even then. But those fears were his to bear, he knew she had more than enough of her own. So he kept them to himself, speaking them only to the soldiers who doubled their guard along the edges of their camp, and his friends who could watch for her in his stead.

"I can't wait to tell the dwarves, they're going to be so excited."

Aragorn smiled and cast aside his fears, feeding her excitement. "No doubt they will plan a feast to celebrate, even grander than tonight's." With more than a week between them and Erebor, and the riding leaving her hips aching beyond what his two hands could soothe, a spare couple of days camped would be good for the men to unwind, and for her to rest.

Legolas had left with Gimli and several of the men at dawn to step into the bounds of Mirkwood for game to be cooked over the spits being assembled in the center of camp. Drink was meager but food would be plentiful and he had every intention of spinning her around under the stars until her feet grew weary and sleep called to her.

"Oh I can only imagine." She said, wide eyed. "They can build a party around anything, I can't imagine giving them something to go off of."

"The victory feast after the battle must have been a thing to behold." If not for it keeping her in the past longer, he almost thought it a pity she hadn't been there to experience it.

A loud squawk from outside interrupted them and she quickly poked her head out, holding the tent flap open as a large raven hopped inside and perched up on the edge of the bed. It held its leg out, where a roll of parchment had been tied and Josephine had no hesitation in taking it off to read what was sent.

"Safe travels. We await your arrival." She read. "It's from Thorin." The realization made her smile and she held the parchment gingerly.

"We won't go unnoticed any longer, not if the ravens know of our whereabouts."

"We'll be safer for it, they only speak to the dwarves. And maybe Thranduil but I doubt we'll hear from him." She stroked the raven's chest lightly with her finger in thanks. "Wil you tell Thorin we'll be there within a fortnight?"

The bird squawked and waited until she opened the tent flap to dart out back into the sky.

At dusk their meals were being seen to by the cook and a few men who had been conscripted to help him, those with instruments had them out and stuck up any and every song they could think of, and mirth filled the air the likes of which seemed to be seeping into the ground at their feet and sweetening the very grasses and trees. Halbarad had dragged Ciril into an empty space to dance and her young assistant was being courted to dance by half the soldiers in the camp. The tunes were familiar, written and played within their own lands, though Rohan's influence didn't go unnoticed either. He held her close, nothing keeping them apart and nowhere to look but each other.

Aragorn feared he might overtax her, but each time he made to sit and rest another song began and she pulled at his hand. Sooner than they thought she'd be too tired to dance like this she told him, so he obliged. He could not bear to tell her no, not when her face was alight like the night where they'd first danced together, within the hall of Meduseld when victory and newly confessed love filled their hearts.

Eventually though, he had to give her up, with so few ladies to dance with, she couldn't stay with him all evening.

"You're sure you're alright?" Boromir asked worriedly as he took Aragorn's place. "Should you not sit for a time and rest?"

Josephine shook her head, but found at least tonight she couldn't be annoyed by his hovering. Maybe it helped that Eowyn had warned her about his antics so it wasn't a surprise. "I'll rest when I need to rest. Now relax." She ordered.

He seemed to struggle to keep with the beat, wanting to move slower and step with more surety. She could swear he was even holding on to her more gingerly. If he ever married one day and had children of his own, god help his poor wife if he was already this bad with her and Eowyn.

Boromir was also hyper aware and stopped the second he saw Legolas look out into the darkness beyond the camp. His face hardened and it even made her nervous for a moment. Even the thought of one orc or wolf near them had her spooked and made her mind fly back to their tent, where she'd left her sword.

The musicians fell silent and hands went to sword hilts but the Legolas smiled as a party of half a dozen elves stepped into the light of their fires.

"Mae govannen, Tauriel!" Legolas smiled and greeted her with a warm, one armed hug.

The fear left Josephine completely and she stepped away from Boromir to join Legolas. "Mae govannen." She looked to Tauriel first and then nodded to the others with her.

"Lady Josephine." Tauriel bowed her head respectfully. "We saw your camp from the forest, am I to assume you make for Erebor?"

"A little unfinished business there, yes." Josephine agreed.

"We will see you safely to the valley. The land has been quieting since the war, but they are still wild. Those that are friends should walk it unhindered and without fear."

Aragorn's hand found Josephine's back as he came up behind her and greeted Tauriel similarly in Sindarin. "We are grateful for the skill of your bows. Will you not join us in our celebration?"

"Celebration?"

Legolas interjected. "Her majesty is to have a child."

A cheer erupted from the soldiers around them at his remark and Josephine tried to reign in her smile so hard her cheeks hurt.

"Then I offer my congratulations to you. We would be honored."

The music started up again and Tauriel sent two of her archers to keep watch. Josephine waited until she finished giving orders before waving Aragorn and the others off. "Go on, this is girl talk." Well, girl talk with a thousand year old ethereal being, but it was close enough.

Once Legolas was far enough away that she could at least pretend he might not be able to hear her, she leaned in close to Tauriel and flicked her eyes in his direction. "So? He hasn't said a word about you since I got back, what happened?" She paused and frowned as another thought crossed her mind. "Or were you seduced by a dark haired dwarf?"

Tauriel laughed lightly and glanced at Legolas. "My efforts in battle may have brought me renown, but a Silvan elf will have no prince."

Josephine watched her carefully, she seemed sad, but in the way of a long ago sorrow. Like she'd mourned it and let it pass her, but the taste of it was still bitter when it came up.

"We are not all destined for love worthy of stories, Lady Josephine. In the West, perhaps, things will be different. But he will not answer the gull's call until long after I." She looked to the west wistfully. "Even now I hear it and I know I must go."

It made Josephine sad, both to know nothing ever came of their feelings and that Tauriel would likely set sail in her lifetime. Maybe she was right, maybe in the west things would be different for them. When Legolas and Gimli got there, the dwarf would kick him into shape and they'd work something out. Josephine, blissfully, didn't know how that would go so she could just chance the hope.

"Well not tonight you're not. Come on, we've got plenty to eat and if they can pluck up the courage, half the men here would love to dance with you."

She looped her arm through Tauriel's and walked her into the commotion, losing her to Gimli and Legolas within a moment.

Aragorn was waiting by one of the many blankets that had been spread out around the fires and had his eyes on her. He took her hands as she came over to him and kissed her.

"Come, you should rest for a time and have something to eat."

He held her hands while she sat down and more unceremoniously dropped next to her, passing her a tin plate of boar and sweet bread. Now that she was sitting down her back started to remind her how long she'd been standing. Too long probably, but she'd put up with it all over again for the dancing she'd gotten.

She finished her plate quickly, and polished off half of his before she felt full. Laying back on the blanket she looked up at the stars, finding it harder and harder to remember what they'd looked like back home, her old home. Galaxies had been eaten away by street lights and pollution, and here she didn't even know what to call them. Maybe one day she'd get a chance to give the Valar a piece of her mind and she could ask them what Eru had named them.

Aragorn played with her hair and hummed along to the music, interjecting words when there were lyrics to be sung. Full, happy, and safe, she let herself get lost for a while, until it lulled her to sleep.