5. Oh... I just love happy endings

.

Tauriel was no longer an Elf.

"I told you," Gandalf said blandly, "there are no more Elves here on earth. Really, why don't you people listen to me?"

"So that horrible light and the wind, that was her changing into a human?" Kili demanded. "Why did it happen like that?"

The wizard shrugged, his eyes focused on the tobacco he was packing into his pipe. "My dear boy, I haven't the foggiest notion."

"And you wonder why we don't listen to you," Bilbo muttered. The Durin men tried unsuccessfully to turn their laughter into coughing.

Gandalf ignored them all with an air of sublime indifference.

He did have some useful things to say, one of which was that the enchantment on the Halls was holding steady. They wouldn't ever be able to write up their discoveries, but they could explore to their hearts' content and visit whenever they wanted. "If you want a private getaway, you can't do better than a place no one else can even see," he pointed out.

"We should name it something different," Kili mused later that night. "I know! How about the Oakenshield Resort! You know all the Company's going to end up here at some point."

Tauriel replied dryly, "I can think of nothing more likely to prompt King Thranduil to find a way back here from the Undying Lands."

"Ugh, no," said Thorin, Fili, Kili, and Bilbo in perfect unison.

"Let's find a different name," Sigrid added firmly.

Tauriel laughed so hard she pulled a muscle in her side.

The enchantment on the Halls was centered on memory, Gandalf told them. That was why only people who had been there before could see them, and why everything remained in the condition it was in when the spell was cast. That also was why being there had brought memories of their former lives to the forefront of their minds. "And it's unlikely to stop now that it's begun," he warned them. "After you return home the memories shouldn't be so vivid or intrusive as they are here— it's likely you will recover them while dreaming, as happened on a lesser scale before you came here— but you will most definitely continue to remember."

And so it was. Sometimes there were dreams about what had happened…

.

Bilbo slammed open the door of Thorin's office and stood there seething until Dwalin said a highly amused goodbye and left.

"What?" Thorin asked warily.

Bilbo stormed up to him and punched his arm, hard.

"Ow! Bilbo! What was that for?"

Dwalin guffawed outside the door and Bilbo bellowed, "Go away or I'll punch you, too, you ruddy eavesdropper!" He jabbed his finger into Thorin's chest. "What the hell were you thinking?"

"You know, you're going to have to be a bit more specific! What are you even doing here? I thought you were taking a nap because you have that late… class…"

Bilbo glared at him.

Thorin sighed. "You did take a nap. What did you remember now?"

"We were pinned down by orcs and wargs," he hissed. "And Gandalf thought it was a fine idea to light pinecones on fire even though we were in trees, which are highly flammable, thank you! And then you jumped down and went on a majestic jog through the flames to confront this, this giant orc on his giant warg and nearly got your fool self killed! And why are you smiling at me?!"

"Because I remember this, and you saved me."

"Well, I wasn't about to let that foul thing kill you," Bilbo grumbled. "I'd rather do that myself."

"Naturally," Thorin replied, still smiling. "Majestic, was I?"

"Oh, shut up."

There were dreams that were true long before anyone realized it…

.

"Sigrid! Where are you, woman? I haven't seen you for weeks!"

Fili abandoned his duffel bag in the living room and rounded the corner to the kitchen. His wife took one look at him and dropped the bowl in her hand, reaching blindly for the counter.

"Are you alright?" he demanded, panicked. He ran over and grabbed her shoulders. "Is it the baby?"

"You grew a beard," she replied faintly.

"I can shave it off! It was a huge pain to shave in the mountain—we all ended up growing them, even Bilbo. Kili kept snickering at him, saying it was just wrong; I thought Bilbo might kill him in his sleep. Are you sure you're okay? You're really pale."

"No, I'm fine. It's fine. It looks fine, it's just… Here, hold still." She held her pinkies up to the corners of his mouth and squinted at him.

A huge smile spread across his face. "No. Way. You're joking." He squatted down and swayed, pretending to be on a boat. "What was it? Take my hand?" He held his hand out dramatically and yelled, "Take my hand, Sigrid, my love, my one and only! Take my hand!"

Sigrid took his hand and used it to push him over, and he sprawled there, laughing. She collapsed into a chair, looking flabbergasted. "You know what this means? Kili was right!" She clutched at her head. "I can't believe I'm even saying that. The world must be ending."

He propped his chin on her knee. "It means I'm your dream man," he retorted cockily.

She ran her fingers over his beard and then raked her nails through it, making him shudder. It may be noticed that she didn't argue. What she did say was, "Don't even think about growing your mustache long enough for braids."

"Aw, come on! How will we ever know how I was able to eat then?"

"I'd rather you show how you can kiss me," she said mildly.

He grinned, rising up on his knees to do just that. "Yes, ma'am."

And then there were the dreams that weren't true at all…

.

Kili kissed Tauriel awake.

"Hmm… what is it?" she murmured sleepily.

"I was dreaming we were back in Mirkwood." He nuzzled into her hair and kissed her neck. "And you came into my cell and told me you'd changed your mind. That it was your duty to search me and see what was in my trousers."

She pushed back from him. "That did not happen."

He smiled winningly at her. "It could have— should have! You were derelict in your duties."

Tauriel stared at him for a long moment, the corners of her mouth twitching, then deliberately slid her hands beneath the waistband of his sleep pants. "Oh, look!" she said brightly. "There is something in here after all!"

He made an outraged noise that morphed into a moan.

She needed to search him thoroughly, after all.

"You know," he said breathlessly, a long while later, "I remember what we were wearing. We could go back to the palace and re-enact things..."

Tauriel laughed, but didn't say no.

.

Those were the dreams that were perhaps best of all: the dreams that weren't yet true, but could be.

A/N: And that's it! Sorry for the delay in posting- I couldn't get the doc manager to upload the chapter last night (and it's still giving me formatting issues now.) Hope you enjoyed reading this - if you have a moment I'd love to hear what you think!