Notes: Well... It's been a while...

Sorry for the delay here, but there were a lot of other things to do and some works were pushed to later.

This chapter has a lot of serious conversations and friends being awesome, so I hope you enjoy reading it as much as enjoyed writing it.

It hasn't been beta-read -as per usual -so forgive me my prepositions and let me know if something is too terrible.

Chapter 14

Susan didn't like to meddle in other people's lives. She felt that people who did it were arrogant to think they could control someone else's life better than the person.

Besides, if someone meddled in other people's lives, they had to be ready for someone meddling in their own lives. And Susan could not allow something like that.

However… Éothain's wedding was coming closer and after almost two weeks, Éomer and Lothíriel were stuck exactly in the same spot they were before.

Something needed to be done.

Now, Susan knew this plan was a bit risky, but desperate times and all that jazz.

She picked her phone up and pressed the number she knew by heart.

"Hello, your majesty." The strong voice drawled before she could even say 'hello'.

"Hey, Artie." She chuckled. "Let me ask you a question… Are you free this weekend?"

"Sweetcheeks, I'm always free for you. What do you have in mind?"

"Karaoke."

XxX

"You know what? I'm staying home. Kíli can go alone to this…"

Tauriel tried to get up, but Margaery immediately pushed her back down. "Stop the drama, Merida."

Tauriel pressed her lips together and Margaery took the opportunity to go back to her makeup.

The day of the anniversary party was there, and the girls had agreed to help Tauriel to get ready. Legolas had escaped to Gimli's apartment, because he was a smart man.

Margaery was trying her best to finish the makeup, while Sansa, Susan and Dany were discussing clothes. Lothíriel seemed perfectly content to sit on the bed and watch it all and Éowyn went to get Tauriel something to drink to see if she calmed down a bit.

"Look, chill the fuck out." Margaery demanded. "I know you have a thousand mad thoughts running through your mind right now, but you agreed to go to this. And more: you like the idiot!"

"Hey! Don't call him that." Tauriel protested. "He isn't an idiot. He's sweet and considerate and…" She stopped talking when she noticed Margaery's arched brow. She groaned. "I hate you."

"You might, but you still love Kíli."

Tauriel pressed her lips together. "I do." She admitted. "Does it make me an idiot the fact that I love him, I'm pretty sure he loves me, and I'm still scared?"

"Hardly." Margaery tickled her nose with the brush. "You're always careful with your emotions and this isn't going to change out of the blue. You need time and he's giving it to you."

"I don't deserve someone like him." Tauriel sighed.

"Oh don't you dare." Margaery glared at her. "From where I stand, Kíli isn't the brightest kid in the yard, and he's lucky you have low standards."

"Margaery!" Tauriel protested, but she was laughing.

"Okay, I got this." Éowyn informed, entering the bathroom with a glass in her hand. "It's bourbon and it's for emergencies."

"Why do you have bourbon for emergencies?" Tauriel asked confused.

"It was my uncle's thing and Éomer and I got it from him." She made a dismissive gesture with her hand. "Here." She gave to Tauriel.

"Drink carefully, and after I'll put lipstick on…" Margaery stopped talking because Tauriel had turned the whole thing in one go.

"Wow." Éowyn looked impressed.

"Can I have more?" The redhead asked.

"No way in hell." Margaery told her sweetly. "Now let's get some lipstick on that pretty mouth and see what the girls got for you to wear."

Tauriel sighed resignedly, but obeyed as the good girl she was.

Once they returned to the bedroom, the other girls seemed to have settled on an outfit. "We have a winner." Dany declared, clearly proud.

Sansa made an exaggerated gesture towards the bed, while Lotty clapped excitedly. The winner was a forest green jumpsuit that actually belonged to Margaery; it had a halter neck and it left a lot of the back exposed. It was classy as hell.

"Excellent choice, ladies." Marge hummed her approval.

"You'll look great in it." Dany predicted.

"Shouldn't I wear a dress?" Tauriel asked, nervously wringing her finger.

Éowyn arched an eyebrow at her. "Do you want to?" It was clear she didn't think Tauriel wanted to.

"No." Tauriel admitted grunting. "But it is a formal thing…"

"Who cares?" Dany cut her. "You don't like dresses, you won't feel comfortable in one. This isn't the Oscars, darling. You won't be stopped at the door for not wearing a long skirt."

"She's right." Susan indicated gently. "Wear something that makes you feel pretty and comfortable."

"Unless you really want a dress." Sansa offered. "If it's what you want, we can get you one."

Tauriel took a deep breath. "No, it's fine. You're right; I like the jumpsuit. I just… I know I shouldn't worry about other people's opinion, but… It's Kíli's family, and I want to make a good impression."

"And you also think you need to work twice as hard to impress them, because they don't like Thranduil." Susan said, not unkindly.

"It's true." Tauriel shrugged. "I'm afraid Dís won't like me on principle."

"If she did, she'd be a bitch, and I can hardly imagine someone like that could raise someone like Kíli." Éowyn indicated.

"Well, Thorin…" Tauriel started, but Marge cut her.

"Thorin is a hot drama queen." She rolled her eyes. "I have no idea why sweet Bilbo puts up with him -it must be the amazing sex."

"And Kíli clearly doesn't care, Tauriel." Susan put a hand on her shoulder. "If he did, you wouldn't even be here worrying about it all. The boy is crazy over you; we've had this conversation before."

Tauriel sighed. "We did. I'm just nervous."

"You'll have a great night." Lotty predicted, clearly excited for her friend. "So put your jumpsuit on and go have fun!"

Tauriel chuckled, but she was calmer now. She did have the best friends in the whole wide world.

XxX

"Snow!"

Jon looked over his shoulder and saw Robb approaching the building. "Hi, Stark. Are you sure you don't live here?" He teased.

"Pretty much." Robb sighed. "Unfortunately, I live with Theon."

Jon grimaced. "My condolences."

Robb chuckled and followed Jon as he entered the building. "Well, the apartment only has two rooms and I didn't want to get in Sansa and Bran's way."

Jon hummed thoughtfully. "Stark…"

"Just call me 'Robb', Snow." Robb told him.

"Sure. I…" He cleared his throat. "I want to ask you something, and I hope I'm not being…" He had to clear his throat one more time. "I don't mean to be rude."

Robb was looking at him bemusedly. "Just ask it."

"What happened to the guy that used to live in my apartment before?" He finally asked.

Robb sighed. "I thought you were about to ask about my sister, and I kinda preferred you'd had done that instead."

"If you don't want to say…"

"It's okay." Robb waved off Jon's words. "Maybe you should know partially what happened. Can we have this conversation at yours?"

"Sure."

Jon quickly opened his door, even though he was regretting starting this conversation. Perhaps it was something worse than he thought it was, and he had no right to ask.

They were in deep silence while Jon put his things on the table and both young men sat on the couch.

"Ramsay was a prick on his best days." Robb told Jon. "He tried to cover it up, but I think it was just impossible too. He deeply bothered me from the first time I saw him. Something in his eyes, the way he spoke… I don't know, but I hated him."

Jon said nothing, just waited for Robb to carry on.

"Nobody liked him all that much; he gave the creeps to all of us. He never caused any problem, exactly… But some things he said were weird."

"OK…"

"And then, one day, he…" Robb stopped talking and ran his hand through his hair. "He went to Sansa's apartment when Bran wasn't home, asking to borrow something."

Jon immediately remembered the first time he saw Sansa; he'd done the same, went to her place to ask for something. She'd closed the door while she went inside, even though she felt bad about it. That was something she'd learned to do, and Jon had the feeling this was why.

"Sansa was always too polite for her own good, and that day… Even though she was alone and she was also scared of him, she invited him in."

Oh shit…

"He locked the door and attacked her." Robb said, his voice lower than before. "Sansa's never told me exactly what he said to her, but she was probably scared beyond measure."

"How did…"

"Caspian and a fucking miracle." Robb sighed. "He was leaving the building when he heard something breaking inside the apartment, so he knocked on the door to see if everything was alright. Then he heard the struggle from inside. He broke the door down and kicked Ramsay's arse. There was police involved, a whole mess. We're still waiting for the trial."

Jon didn't know what to say. At all.

But then again… What could he say? 'I'm sorry' seemed pretty stupid, considering he hadn't done anything, but he felt a bit like useless saying nothing.

Jon was a simple man; he wasn't one for big speeches or sentences with effect. He was direct and honest, so that was the only thing he could do now: be honest. "I don't know what to say, but I hate to hear that Sansa went through this." He told Robb.

"Yes, I hate that too." Robb sighed.

They were silent for a moment.

"Let me get you a beer." Jon decided, getting up.

"I appreciate it." Robb gave the other man a small smile.

Jon went to the kitchen, not only to grab a beer, but also to think for a minute. He felt bad for not being able to say something better than what he'd said. He thought Robb was a good person, and he liked Bran and Sansa -Sansa a bit more than her brothers -and he had a feeling they couldn't catch a break.

Paying attention to some conversations, he understood that Bran had had some type of accident that made him lose the movements of his leg when he was still a child. They had another brother, that they rarely saw for some reason, and then Sansa…

Jon thought his life was complicated, but he was starting to see that the Starks also had had a pretty rough time. At least they had each other.

"Thanks." Robb murmured when Jon came back and gave him a bottle of beer. "How about you, Snow?"

"What about me?" Jon asked a bit confused.

"What is your sob story? Theon says everybody that lives here has one." Robb teased a bit.

"I'm not ready to tell you mine." Jon admitted.

Robb nodded. "Fair enough."

"Do I look like I have a sob story?" Jon had to know.

Robb put a hand on his shoulder. "Mate… You look like you carry the world on these shoulders."

XxX

Thorin Oakenshield was a stubborn, prideful, arrogant prick. Bilbo Baggins was a bookish, slightly crabby, calm gentleman.

Tauriel could hardly understand how they could be married and happy, being so different, but they were deliriously happy together.

The party had been amazing: it had been a nice mix of Thorin's love for luxurious things, and Bilbo fondness for simpler details. There were flowers everywhere, and details in gold as well. The food had been absolutely amazing, the music was perfect, and everything else…

Tauriel had been scared shitless to meet Kíli's mother; the formidable Dís Durinson. She'd heard many stories about the woman, and the brothers were still pretty scared of their mother. She'd raised them alone after her husband died from a heart attack. Even Thorin was scared of Dís, so Tauriel felt justified in her concern.

She hadn't expected it to go that well.

When Kíli first introduced her to Dís, the woman had looked her from head to toe, her expression impossible to be read.

"I really like your jumpsuit." She finally said after a minute of silence.

"I like your suit." Tauriel told her honestly. Dís looked absolutely badass on a pinstriped suit, and she knew it too.

After that, Dís smiled at her and things just seemed so damned simple! Tauriel finally realized how much of her fears had no foundation. Yes, Thorin was still a prick because of Thranduil, but Dís herself had rolled her eyes and scolded him for it.

It had been a great night.

And as Tauriel laughed against Kíli's lip, she realized it wasn't over yet.

As they stumbled inside Kíli's apartment -Fíli had graciously decided to stay at his mother's that night -Tauriel couldn't think of a single reason they hadn't been doing this before.

She kicked off her shoes, and kissed Kíli again. She was wearing heels, and although they weren't very high, she was already a bit taller than Kíli, and they made her even more so. That was why she was laughing before, because she had to lean down to kiss him, and he'd laughed, and then she laughed, and they were kissing…

She'd never had this much fun with a guy before. It was exhilarating.

Kíli's coat fell to the ground and he took a step back. "Wait." He asked.

That gave her pause. "Is there something wrong?"

Kíli took a deep breath. "I really like you, Tauriel." He told her honestly. "You know that, I've never made secret of this. And we've been going slow, and I don't mind that." He hurried to say to her. "I can go slow forever for you, if it means you'll stay. So… I just really want you to know, that I'm okay with keeping things the way they are."

What had she ever done in her life to deserve someone like him?

She still remembered the first time they met. It was a business meeting between his uncle and Thranduil, and Tauriel wasn't even supposed to be there. She went because Thranduil had been whining that Legolas never spent time with him anymore. Legolas begged Tauriel to go have lunch with them, so he had a buffer between him and his father.

Tauriel had so many things on her head that day; reports she needed to finish, a case that was bothering her… To arrive at what was supposed to be a serious business, just to see two grown men bickering like kids wasn't what she wanted for her life.

But right there, just behind them, Kíli and Fíli were taking bets on how long it would take for Thranduil just order security to carry Thorin out. And when her eyes found Kíli's… It was strange, but there was this moment… It was like she knew they were meant to meet.

They didn't even talk to each other properly that day. Kíli had elbowed his way closer, just to ask her name; however, Thranduil stopped talking as soon as he noticed that and took her and Legolas away.

She'd thought she'd never see him again. Until she and Legolas needed another apartment, and Gimli just happened to know a place. What he didn't tell them was that there were two apartments for rent, and that he'd told someone else about it.

Kíli and Fíli moved in a week after they did. It was fate, but Tauriel still fought it, because she was worried, because she was insecure, and because she kept hearing Thranduil's voice in her head, saying she knew nothing about love.

She wasn't fighting anymore.

She took a step in his direction and cradled his face between her hands. "I know we're going slow because of me…"

Kíli started to deny it, but she put her finger on his lips. "It's sweet of you to try, but you don't need to lie." She teased slightly. "And I adore you for doing this, for being kind and comprehensive." She gave him a soft kiss. "We can stop going slow now."

Kíli's eyes rounded comically. "Does that mean…"

"Bedroom?" She offered with a grin.

"I was thinking Facebook official, but I'm perfectly fine with the bedroom too." He agreed easily.

Tauriel was still laughing when he pulled her towards his bedroom.

XxX

Despite what many people thought, Margaery did not spend her whole day lounging in a silk robe, getting calls from many gentlemen while she munched on imported chocolate.

It would be a nice life, but it wasn't what she was looking for.

She did love the fact that she could work from the comfort of her apartment but work she did. A lot. She took her job very seriously, especially because many people read her articles, and she despised disseminating fake news and propaganda.

Margaery liked to keep working hours, even though she was in her apartment, because she'd read somewhere that it made easier to work from home. She changed clothes -working on pajamas was a no-no -and made breaks when necessary; she even had lunch time. It worked quite well for her.

Everybody in the building knew that, and respected her "work hours", so they hardly knocked on her door when she was supposed to be working.

The fact that someone was knocking on her door led her to believe it was someone from Lotty's family. Her brothers never seemed to think they needed to inform them before appearing on the ladies' apartment.

She didn't expect it to be Fíli.

"I did something stupid." He declared as soon as she opened the door.

Margaery arched a brow in his direction, but just moved aside so he could come in. Fíli sat heavily on her couch and sighed.

"So?" She prompted.

"I fell in love." He said, then immediately groaned.

Margaery snorted and went into her kitchen. She grabbed a beer she kept there only because Fíli enjoyed it.

"Who's the poor girl?" She asked as she passed it to him.

Fíli eyed the beer, considering the wisdom of drinking at 10 am, but all things considered… He just went for it.

"Remember Bard?" He asked her.

Margaery had to think about it for a minute. "The hot dad that's your uncle business partner?" She checked. Marge was pretty sure she had met this guy when she went to a business party with Fíli, just to keep him company and save him from the young ladies who wanted a piece of his uncle's fortune.

Fíli snorted. "Is that the only way you remember people?" He wanted to know.

"Not my fault he's hot." She shrugged.

Fíli rolled his eyes. "Anyway…" He made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "He has a daughter…"

"Sigrid?" Her eyebrows almost reached her hairline. "That cute, sweet girl? You're in love with her?" She sounded amused.

"Yeah, that's why I know it's stupid." He grumbled.

"Why?" Margaery was confused. "She's cute. And I think I saw her checking you out that time…" She was almost positive the girl had been looking at Fíli that day. He had been especially yummy on that suit.

Fíli snorted once again, clearly not buying it. "Yeah, whatever. It's not happening anyway."

"Why?" Margaery pressed, this time getting a bit impatient with the drama on her couch.

"Bard and Thorin don't actually like each other that much." He indicated, and Marge wanted to remind him that Thorin barely liked anyone. "They're just partners because they don't have a lot of choices. And, besides that, we're very different." He shrugged.

Margaery groaned. "Oh Jesus, not you too."

"Not me too what?" He asked confused.

"With the excuses!" She threw at him. "Seriously, you're sounding like... Well, 80% of the single people on this building. All with your excuses…" She sighed. "You like her, she might like you... Ask her out!"

"I don't know, Marge."

"What? Are you afraid of commitment?" She wanted to know.

"Yes!" Fíli admitted way too fast. "A little bit. Aren't you?"

"Not really." She replied easily. "I mean, I haven't met someone I want to commit myself to, but one of these days... Why not?"

It was the truth. Margaery wasn't just passing by life, waiting to grab a rich husband, like many people thought she was. Yes, once it had been her dream to be a trophy wife to some extremely rich man… But that was not what she wanted anymore.

She didn't need a man, but she wouldn't mind having someone that actually loved her.

"I don't know." Fíli sighed heavily again, and Margaery tried not to roll her eyes. "I just think there's a lot of potential for things to go really wrong."

Margaery laughed. "Well, that's life, love. There's always great potential for things to go really wrong, you know? She's a sweet girl, ask her out. What's the worst thing that can happen? Her saying no?"

Fíli chose to ignore this. "How come I am here, telling you about another girl and…"

"Ah don't even start." She cut him, finger raised. "You know very well that's not how things are between us. Don't use me as an excuse." She gave him a glare, and Fíli had the grace to look abashed.

She sat closer to him and grabbed his hand. "We're never going to be a couple; and I enjoy you the same way you enjoy me, but that's all this is ever going to be. Don't make this even more difficult than you already are."

Fíli groaned again. "Can you imagine how much Kíli is going to enjoy this?"

Margaery chuckled. "Trust me, darling, he won't be the only one." She patted his leg. "So if you're in love this early in the morning… It must've been a hell of a party last night."

Fíli grinned at her. "You have no idea. I'm afraid of going home and finding my brother and Tauriel having sex on the couch."

"I hope they are. They deserve it." She said simply.

"That they do."

XxX

Legolas was sitting on the couch, reading a book, when Tauriel stumbled in, the biggest smile ever on her face. Her hair was a mess and she was carrying her shoes, and Legolas had never seen her happier.

It made him smile.

"That good, hm?" He asked from his place.

Tauriel -the one he'd known his whole life, tough Tauriel -sighed. "That good." She confirmed. "We're dating." She spoke as if it was a confession.

"Yes, for the last month at least." Legolas offered dryly.

She rolled her eyes. "I mean officially."

Legolas snorted. "Good for you." Then his expression softened. "I mean it, Tauriel. I'm happy you're happy."

She crossed the room to give him a hug. "Thank you." She whispered against his ear. "By the way…" She straightened her body. "Have you seen Marge recently?"

"Margaery?" Legolas frowned. "I've seen her around a few times. Why? Do you need to talk to her or something?"

"No." Tauriel replied, her face carefully blank. "Just wondering."

XxX

It wasn't easy to open the door with the box on her hands, her bag almost falling from her shoulder and more than a few books balanced over said box; however, Lothíriel was a persistent young woman.

When she finally managed to enter the building, her books were almost falling to the ground. She couldn't let go of the box, so she tried to wriggle them back by tipping the box back, but it -obviously -didn't work. This time the books slid directly to the floor.

"Oh no…" She sighed.

"Lothíriel, are you ok?"

"Hi, Éomer." She gave the tall man a smile. "I dropped my books." She threw said books a forlorn look.

"I'll get them for you." He said, the lowered himself and gathered the books. "I can take the box for you. It might be easier."

Lothíriel looked alarmed. "It isn't necessary." She replied way too fast. "I mean, it's just an innocent box, nothing in it…"

Éomer threw her a doubtful look at her. "If it's empty why are you holding it like it's your lost child?"

The box chose that moment to make a noise. Well, not the box, of course, but something inside it was moving. Éomer gave Lotty a flat look.

"I promise it's nothing bad." She hurried to say.

Éomer sighed. "Lotty, you aren't in trouble. Is it a cat?"

She bit her lower lip. "No."

He sighed once again. "I promise I won't look inside." He assured her. "Can I carry it for you? You have too many things and you can barely look over it."

Lotty sighed. "Okay. Just be careful, please?"

"I will be." He assured her.

Lotty passed him the box, he passed her the books and they started to go up.

Éomer was curious to know what was inside. Now that he was carrying the box, he could feel how light it was, but there was something moving inside it. It had to be a small animal, but if it was a cat or a dog, they weren't making one single noise. He wondered if Lotty had found iguanas like Dany had. It had to be something living, not only by the movement, but also because she'd made holes in it.

Once they were in front of her apartment, Lothíriel opened the door and dropped her books on the table by it and her bag on the floor, before turning to Éomer. "Thank you for this."

He passed her the box carefully, still hearing the shuffling sounds coming from inside. "It's no problem, Lotty. Just be careful, ok?"

"I'll be." She nodded at him.

"Then I'll get going." Éomer turned to leave, but Lotty called his name softly, so he turned back to her. "Yeah?"

"Come closer." She told him.

Éomer did so, carefully, not sure what she wanted.

"Lean down a bit." She asked next.

He didn't even know why he did it, but he just obeyed. His efforts were rewarded, when Lotty went on her tiptoes and dropped a kiss to his cheek. When she stepped back, he was staring at her and she was smiling. "You're too tall for me to do it without your help." She quipped. "Bye, Éomer."

She went inside her apartment and he just stood there, shocked at the turn of events.

He needed to talk to Susan.

XxX

"Marge? Are you home?" Lotty called.

"Yes, darling." Marge came out of her room, then gave the box one look. "Lothíriel, what the hell is that?"

"Please, don't be angry!" Lotty was quick to say.

Marge crossed her arms. "Lothíriel."

"He was alone! Someone abandoned him, and we tried to find his home, just in case he'd just ran away, but nobody claimed him, and we didn't know what to do, I couldn't just leave…"

"Slow down, Lotty." Marge asked. "Tell me it's not a cat. I hate cats."

"It isn't." Lotty jumped on that eagerly. "Come see."

Margaery sighed and approached the mysterious box. And inside it…

"Is that a bunny?" She asked, totally caught by surprise.

Well, of course it was. Marge might not be the biggest animal lover out there, but even she could recognize a white bunny.

"It so small..." she observed, looking at the perfectly white ball of fur.

"It's still a kit."

"What?"

"Baby rabbits are actually called kittens." Lotty explained. "Bunny isn't a scientific accurate term."

Marge snorted. "Thank you, Wikipedia. I don't know about this, Lotty..."

"I promise he won't get much bigger!" Lotty hurried to say. "He'll still be smaller than a cat. Besides, rabbits don't make sounds, like cats and dogs do."

"Lotty..."

"And he might bite, I'll admit, but only if he's scared, and I don't think we're particularly scary."

"Lotty..."

"And bunnies binky! It's adorable!"

That made Marge pause. "They do what?"

Lotty cleared her throat. "They do this hop and twist thingy when they're happy. It's called 'binky'."

"Is that a verb?" Margaery asked confused.

"Yes. But Marge…"

Marge raised a hand to stop Lothíriel. "You've already given him a name, haven't you?"

Lotty blushed. "Yes…"

She sighed. "What is it?"

"Sir Cotton Tail."

Margaery chuckled. "Original."

"But look at him, Marge!" Lotty picked the small animal on her hands. "Look at this cotton tail."

Margaery had to admit that the fluffy white tail was cute.

She sighed once again, knowing she wasn't that strong or that mean. "He's your responsibility." She warned.

Lothíriel got red, then redder as she tried to contain a squeal to not scare the little animal. "Thank you so much, Marge!" She hugged it gently against her chest.

Margaery just waved her thanks away. She hoped she wouldn't regret this.

Notes: We finally learned what happened to Sansa while Ramsay was living accross the hall. I hate him from the bottom of my heart, no matter what world the fanfiction happens.

Tauriel has the best friends in the world, and I love all this girl power. And now she's officialy with Kíli! At least someone deserves some love, right?

Sir Cotton Tail is inspired on a true bunny. He belongs to my friend's roomate, and he's the cutest thing ever. If you want, you can check his Instagram, the_millenial_bunny

Next chapter: Karaoke and a special guest. Who do you think Artie is?

Let me know your feelings!