It was their final dinner together before the men folk would head out on their big quest - the reclaiming of Erebor. Dis had cooked up all the family's favorite dishes. They sat around the table eating, laughing and sharing stories. Tomorrow was the big day. Fili and Kili would be setting out for the Shire. Thorin had a meeting to attend, but he would meet the lads and the rest of the company on the appointed date.

No one wanted to bring up the fact that it might be their last time all together. The possibility of never seeing the family complete again was real, but too terrible to think about. Nevertheless, it lingered in the backs of all their minds.

They said their good-nights and retired to their rooms. Kili went to his and shut the door. Even though it had been a year since Fili married and moved out, Kili still missed his brother's presence. They had been together for more than seventy five years and apart for one. Kili hoped it wouldn't be another seventy five before he didn't miss his brother quite so much. Fili 's bed was still there, but the rest of his side of the room was empty. One thing Kili looked forward to on this trip was sleeping near his brother again. It was a selfish, childish desire, he knew, but he missed his brother's quiet snores. His bags were packed and sitting on the floor next to his bed. He was ready to go.

Fili and Mailli went to the rooms that had become their own apartment. It had been some spare rooms of Dis's home, but when Fili married, they closed off that section of the house and created a separate apartment. It was nothing more than a couple of rooms - a cooking area that also served as the sitting and dining room, a small bedroom and a washroom. It was small, but it was all they needed.

They changed into their night clothes and crawled into bed. Fili pulled his wife close. She curved her body into his and wrapped her arm around his waist. He breathed in deeply, smelling her hair. He rubbed his cheek against her head and felt the softness of her hair. He pulled her in tighter. She scooted in as close as she could get. Her face was pressed up against his chest. She kissed it and squeezed his waist. He kissed her head. She looked up to him and they kissed each other's faces. Their hands caressed each other's backs and heads.

Fili was determined to commit every part of Mailli to his memory - her hair, her face, the shape of her body, the feel of her he would say good bye so tonight he would make every moment of time they had together count.

This is a re-publish of this chapter. Although I had it neatly typed with easy to read paragraphs, saw to mess with my spacing and make it all one huge paragraph. I HATE that. So, I'm trying it again. Hopefully I can work out the publishing bugs. Thanks for reading! - Idrylla