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With a slight smile on your face you watched as the money disappeared in the cash machine, sounding like the notes were shredded. Though you had not much of an idea what actually happened in there, you knew everything still was whole. As soon as the money was counted, its sum was showed on the display. You just fulfilled the in-payment by pressing 'OK' in the right edge, as loud voices started shouting around. Only seconds later you realised what it was all about; some masked guys were bursting into the bank, one even firing shots towards the ceiling. Panicked you stared at them, considering if an escape was possible. Then one of the intruders noticed you standing in front of the ATM, not immediately visible due to some large pillars inside the room. After a vociferous conversation with another man, he came to you, grabbed your arm and pulled you nearer to the bank counters where other clients crouched. Roughly the man pushed you down and for safety reasons you crawled towards other people on the ground. Just then one of the burglars made a circuit, collecting personal items such as phones, wallets or whole bags. In the meantime another threatened an employee to lead him to the bank manager. Before they left, the young man's hands were bound, then the robber pushed him towards the offices.
"Try not to kill them until we're back" The masked man, who probably was their leader, ordered. Two other criminals followed him, leaving six in the main hall. Next you counted the hostages, concluding there were seven in total, the employee that left included. One bank raider grasped a younger female employee and pulled her away, while she was screaming. Realizing what his intention was, you felt your heart skip a beat, fearing, you could be next. Sure enough you heard heavy boots coming closer. Instinctively you shut your eyes tight, praying to be left alone.
"No" Someone said and feet shuffled again beside you.
"What?" Another replied.
"You heard well enough." Probably his collocutor was the one who grunted. Interested as you were, you opened your eyes, seeing two of the criminals facing each other. "If you want her, you'll have to wait in line" The one with his arms crossed said. You suppressed a groan. Were they really fighting over you? Maybe for the best, because if they were otherwise engaged, you might as well could flee.
"Why would I?"
"Because you know who I am"
"Fine" The man to your right growled and made a step back. Afterwards, your arm was taken hold of and the impatient, overbearing guy hauled you to your feet, yanking you away then. "Just don't damage her too much. I bet she's a virgin too" The other man yelled after you. For a while you were led through what felt almost the whole building, but you had no idea where he was taking you to. For a part because you kept your head low and looked at your feet while you walked. Suddenly your kidnapper stopped, making you start to tremble.
"Please" You whispered, lifting your head and blinking tears away. As you took two steps back, your back hit a wall and struggled for breath, when he came closer. "No!" You cried and tried to push him away. Almost gently he gripped your arms.
"I don't mean to harm you"
"You don't mean to harm me, my ass! Let go of me!"
"Promise you won't run"
"What do you expect? That I would not fight back and let you fucking rape me?"
"As I said, I will not hurt you"
"Oh, why did you bring me here then like some needy old crock?"
"If I were you, I'd choose my words carefully"
"If you were me, you would be scared shitless, not able to say just one word"
"At least I couldn't say anything stupid then. And now shut up and listen." He sighed before he continued. "The reason I brought you here is to prevent your rape"
"Way to go!"
"I was serious, when I said I would not hurt you. So there's nothing to fear" Finally he let go of one arm but oddly you didn't try to push him away again. "Now let's sit down"
"Why?" You asked after you took a seat next to him, pulling yourself together in order not to run away.
"Why what?"
"Why would you save me?"
"Because you don't deserve to be raped. No one does."
"And why did you only save me and not the other two women as well?"
"That wouldn't work. So I made a decision to save the youngest of you three. As it seems you are probably the youngest of all."
"That's quite possible" You answer, sensing he must be right.
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen"
"Then you are. My brother's just a year older than you"
"Your brother is here too?"
"Yeah"
"Some kind of family business or so? I mean your robbing"
"Could be."
"So your father is here too?"
"My father is long dead"
"Oh. I'm sorry"
"Don't be."
"And how old are you?"
"Twenty-three. May I ask your name?"
"(Y/n*). Yours?"
"I... don't know if I should tell you. Uncle wouldn't approve of it" It clicked.
"He's the leader, isn't he?"
"How do you know?" You shrug and explain:
"Earlier, when you said to this other guy that he knew who you are, I realised the leader must probably know you. Well I mean like you or whatever. And now you tell me that you do as he says." You hoped he understood and to your surprise he nodded.
"I see. By the way, my name is Fíli. But don't tell uncle that I told you that"
"Okay. I'm not that stupid, in the end he'd probably kill me because of this"
"You're right" The conversation died for a moment. "What brought you here? I mean, to the bank"
"I had to deposit most of my money. For my mother didn't want me to store it all at home. She's afraid someone would break in. Or rob us on the street"
"That's bad luck. But why would she order you to bring your money here then if she's afraid to be robbed on the road? I mean, why doesn't she let you bring a part of the money and the rest later?"
"Because I already had that money after we left our relatives and she didn't want me to bring it home at all. So she dropped me off here that I can deposit it. To be honest I'm glad I did so before you showed up. Otherwise all was gone if I still had it in my purse"
"Yeah. That's the best about relatives- they often give you money without a reason."
"Not this time" You muttered.
"What did you say?" A bit to your surprise you found yourself repeating the words. "And what would this reason be?" Again you lowered your head and considered whether to tell him that today was your birthday. "Or wait, let me guess" You just shrugged. "Okay. I don't think, you have just graduated. But did you achieve something else?"
"No"
"Well. Then maybe some special occasion?" This time you nodded. "Are you going on vacation anytime soon and your family gives you a little grant?"
"No. Though I might use the money for holidays" You admitted, banishing all worries you might not survive this day.
"Fair enough. Confirmation?" You shook your head. "I've got it" He exclaimed "You've celebrated your birthday recently" Now you didn't know what to answer. So you shook your head slowly.
"Yes and no."
"So your birthday is in some days or tomorrow?"
"Today" You mumbled.
"Today?" Even though you couldn't see his face you were sure he was frowning. "Your birthday is today?" Again you nodded and felt embarrassed for some reason. Maybe because you hoped he would not congratulate you since that's all you'd needed. Some random bank robber, with which you've been talking the last few minutes though, wishing you a happy birthday. But of course exactly that happened and you bit back a groan.
"Thanks" Then he sighed and nudged your side with his elbow.
"This must be the worst birthday ever, huh?"
"Probably. Can you promise me, not to tell the others? I mean I don't want all their attention"
"Sure. As long as you don't tell that you know my name. Besides it'll be over soon. Then you can go home"
"May I ask a very personal question? If you don't want, you needn't answer"
"Go on"
"Okay... could it be that someone, maybe your uncle, forces you to do all this? Robbery and stuff. I mean... I believe you are not really like the others. You don't seem to be willing to hurt others" He was silent for some minutes and you were sure that you must've made him upset. To your surprise he replied
"To be honest, you're right in a way. Sometimes I wish uncle wasn't a criminal, yet do I admire him. Not really for what he does, but for who he is. Or rather was, when I was a child. And now he hopes that one day I will become his successor."
"Let me guess, this is not what you want, is it?"
"No, you're right. Besides, I don't know what could be so interesting and amusing about harming others. Most of the time I have no idea why I do what uncle says"
"He is your uncle. Probably you want to prove yourself to him"
"Quite so. Furthermore, I wouldn't know what to do if I bailed out. That means if that's even possible" You nod, somehow not knowing whether you wanted to talk about this topic or not.
"Let's suppose you could leave them. What would you like to do? As a job?"
"No idea. Maybe something with people. But of course not like this now. Rather helping them"
"So something like caregiver?"
"I don't know. I'd prefer being a psychiatrist"
"Then you have to go to university"
"Unfortunately. But I'd have a side job. Or I'd work some years before university"
"Did you graduate at High School?"
"Yes. Though my uncle didn't understand why I wanted it. Only my mother supported me. My brother, however, left school when I graduated"
"And your mother accepted it?"
"She had to. Between you and me, she was fed up with cowing him to go to school almost every day"
"Do you wish he'd not left school?"
"A bit. But he's happy with his decision and it's his own life."
"True. Do you believe, your uncle prefers your brother?" Fíli shrugged and you started asking yourself where that question had come from.
"Occasionally yes. Because he does the things uncle wants without asking. As long as it doesn't involve mayhem or murder. However, let's say, Kíli is not averse to peeving or pestering others" For a while he paused. "Could you also not tell the others that you know my brother's name too?"
"I won't. As you said, it will be over soon anyway." You heard him chuckle and somehow felt quite relaxed for the first time since the bank raiders came. In the following minutes the two of you small talked, among others you told him what you thought about movies that you saw in the cinema recently. Then suddenly you heard a voice from somewhere.
"Finished, laddie? Thorin is and he wants you to come" Instantly Fíli was on his feet and you stood up too. Your knees were shaking, afraid of what would happen next.
"He's right. We should go back. And it's better if you make them believe I had... you know" Knowing what he wanted to say, you nodded. Gently he squeezed your shoulder. "Don't worry. In some minutes, you'll be out of here" Now you nodded and took a deep breath before he grabbed your wrist and pulled you through corridors again. In the main hall he made you sit next to other hostages. One of the men looked at you with a sad mien, so you quickly lowered your head and looked to the ground. The burglars were discussing something you weren't paying attention too. However, your head shot up as one proposed to take some of the hostages with them. As leverage if the police was out there and to demand ransom for you.
"Which ones?" One wanted to know, facing you now.
"I'd say the youngest", another suggested. Then there were two of them hauling a young man up. Another two made their way towards you. Initially you froze, choking on your own breath, then you tried to scurry away, but one guy grabbed your hair.
"Stay here, sweetheart"
"How, if you intend to take me with you?" You spat.
"Oh I see. You're a feisty one, aren't you?"
"Fuck you!"
"I'd much rather fuck you"
"Enough!" A second man shouted. "We're leaving" The robber holding you snorted but yanked you to your feet and started pushing towards the door. Ere he left the building, he held a weapon to your head. Outside quite a crowd had gathered, watching in panic as you were led away from the bank.
"If anyone comes closer, they will die!" Squealing tires finished the following silence and a van arrived. The robbers got in and the one holding the first hostage, pushed him in. You were the next to be shoved inside, the man standing beside you so that you couldn't get out again. A few moments later, the third hostage, a female client, was forced into the back of the vehicle, then the door was closed and locked. The rest of the group got in and soon the driver stepped on the gas. Full of fear you pulled your knees to your chest and leaned your forehead onto your knees.
"Are you alright?" The young man asked and you only shrugged, not feeling like talking. Fortunately the other captive noticed it and remained silent.
After maybe an hour the car stopped and as everyone stepped out. One came to the back door and opened it. Even before you saw the man standing there, you saw the gun.
"Get out!" He bellowed. "And no funny business!" Quickly you got out of the van and another guy appeared in front of you, ordering you to follow him. As it seemed you were in some kind of garage and were led into the house itself. The criminal brought you to another door, behind which a staircase was. He headed downstairs and you followed only reluctantly. Soon you arrived in front of another door.
"Get in!" The young man obliged instantly but you hesitated for a second. The man behind you sighed and pushed you forwards that you had to make a step that you didn't fall over. After the other female was in, they slammed the door and locked it. Unfortunately, the room was dark and only after a minute or so your eyes got used to the blackness. The three of you sat down next to the wall and by this time you had already learnt their names. Arwen and Bard. Now you were quite happy that you had company and talked with the two until the door was opened again hours later. Due to the sudden brightness you had to close your eyes that you only saw one of the abductors standing in front of you, as he addressed you.
"You, girl. Come" You swallowed and got up, throwing a glance at your fellow captives. He grabbed your arm and pulled you out of the room, closing the door behind him. Then he leaned against it with his arms crossed. His look was demanding but you had no idea what he wanted, so you frowned at him. He growled. "What are you waiting for? Undress yourself"
"What?" You exclaimed.
"I said undress yourself."
"No way!"
"Do it or I will do it myself." Slowly you removed your shirt, then your shoes and trousers, leaving you in underwear. The dark haired guy clicked his tongue. "Take off everything" You took a deep breath and shook your head, only to be gripped harshly. "I said you should take off your underwear"
"You have no right to ask this of me!"
"I have any right I want." One of his hands trailed over your body to your slip and tore it down to your knees. A cry of shock left your lips and your hand shot down, trying to protect your private part from his gaze. But he only got rid of your bra as well. Tears welled in your eyes as he caught both your wrists in his palm, to get a whole view of your body. Although the first thing you felt was resignation, you tried to break free.
"No. Let me go!" You yelled.
"Maybe I will. If you're a good girl. Or maybe" He paused and grinned, leaning to your ear and whispering "I'll keep you for myself"
"No! I'm not going to do this, you perverse bastard"
"Watch your mouth, slut"
"That's rich, coming from you, you screwball spiv" Before you realized it, a palm collided with your cheek, making you gasp in pain.
"I will make sure, you'll be sorry for that. And you'll be sorry that you were born" He cried, obviously raged.
"Oi!" Someone upstairs shouted. "What's this all about?" He came down the steps and spoke again. "Would you mind being more quiet? Not everyone is interested in... your activities" Then a young, blonde man came into your vision and you had to admit, he was rather handsome. His gaze fell to you, indisputably shocked. That's when you remembered what you were wearing. Respectively weren't.
"Wanted to teach this one a lesson. Very cheeky one."
"And you really have to do that in the middle of the night?"
"I've been waiting before. Besides it's my turn now"
"Sorry to disappoint you but you'll have to wait a little longer. Thorin wants to see you" Your captor snarled but finally released you.
"I hope this is important for his sake. Your slip!" He said to you.
"What?"
"Give me your slip. Now!"
"But..."
"No ifs and buts, I'll take your slip or I'll take you. Right now"
"I thinks it would be better if you did what he says" The blonde interposed. Moaning you took off your panties and handed them to the brunette in front of you. Grinning ear to ear he sniffed at it. Then he stomped away and you exhaled in relief as he was gone. You knelt down to retrieve your remaining clothes.
"Thanks, Fíli" You said, putting your trousers on.
"How did you know?"
"That it's you?"
"Yeah"
"Well, I'm Sherlock Holmes" He laughed and waited until you were fully dressed again.
"I'm serious. Did you recognize my voice?"
"Kind of. But that wasn't the crucial factor. It is because he said that it was his turn now. And considering what you'd been talking in the bank, I came to the conclusion that you must be Fíli"
"Then well done, Mr. Holmes. Are you alright?"
"I think so. But thanks again."
"In fact you should thank Thorin. He wanted to see him. Admittedly, I persuaded him to call for Nori and not Dwalin. But you're welcome." Now you smiled too. "It's better if you got in again" You shook your head.
"As soon as he's finished, he'll come back. Then all this was for nothing"
"Not for nothing. He'll come back, no question. However, as long as I'll have the key, he can't enter that room again. And I intend to keep that key until you're free. Or I'll only give it to people of which I know wouldn't harm any of you" He walked past you and opened the door. "I promise, you'll be fine" Slowly you nodded, raked your fingers through your hair and entered the room. Before he closed the door, you turned around.
"Thank you"
"Anytime"
Fíli was true to his words and no one ever harmed any of you in the coming days. Besides, you also learned that Thorin had contacted the police about your release and named his prize. And you were sure that the ransom would be paid, after all not only your but two other lives were in danger. Sometimes you heard one of the criminals pondering against the door and cursing when they realized the door was locked. Yet that didn't stop them from tell you what exactly they had in store for you, once they got you. But over time you learned to ignore their explanations, a bit thanks to the help of Arwen and Bard. They were astonished as well that one of their abductors, Fíli, did everything in his power to keep you save. For sure he did even more for your welfare than you knew or imagined. So you decided to thank him once again as soon as they let you go.
Somewhere along the line you had lost track of the days passing but you assumed that you've been a captive for a bit longer than a week now. As time passed by, you were longing for your deliverance and homecoming for you missed your family. Of course they must have been be worried sick the past days which you didn't find fair as they couldn't know that you were quite good taken care of.
One day it wasn't Fíli or the brown haired guy wearing a beanie who opened the door. When you didn't recognize the man standing in the door frame you almost panicked. Also Arwen seemed scared but Bard positioned himself between the two of you and the criminal.
"Come" He simply said.
"Why?" Bard asked critically.
"Your ransom was paid. Now get out" You shared looks and smiled altogether and would have hugged had it not been for the grumpy guy standing there. Greatly relieved, you got up and left the room for the first time in days. You were led outside, where the van they used when they robbed the bank was parked. The man forced you in and before he closed the door, you tried to look around in order to find Fíli. Admittedly, you had taken a liking to your blonde haired savior, however, you knew that must have been because of the so called Stockholm syndrome. It was only logical that you will fall in love with someone you were supposed to hate, if he helps you. Unfortunately you couldn't find him and decided then it was for the best as you didn't want to grow even fonder of him.
The drive back home took probably longer than the one some days ago. Or maybe you just thought so because you couldn't wait to get home. To your surprise you found yourself back at the bank and not somewhere else, when the driver decided to drop you off.
"Thanks for the ride" You muttered, as the man pulled you out of the car. But he didn't let go of you, looking into the distance and frowning. Ere you realized it, he drew his weapon and threatened you with it. Soon you knew why he reacted like this, policemen were coming towards you and receiving your new friends. One of them talked to the man behind you, ordering to set you free.
"No. You'll arrest us" He growled and put a hand over your mouth.
"Let her go!" An officer yelled.
"I will. As soon as you've pissed off"
"We won't leave. But you we won't arrest you"
"Then you'll follow us to get the rest of us as well. Don't take me for an idiot."
"Sir..."
"Stop this studied politeness and bugger off"
"If you release the girl, we..."
"Come to think about it, I suppose I should take her back"
"No" You protested, receiving a blow to your head. Once again the policemen tried to negotiate but the felon backed off slowly, his gun never leaving your temple. "No. Please" You whimpered and were then pushed into the van again. Only this time in one of the backseats. The man got in and sat down next to you. Looking out of the window you saw the lawmen approaching the vehicle and just as you wanted to call for help, something hard struck your head, knocking you out cold.
Your mouth felt dry as you came round. Groaning you opened your eyes and felt your head throb in pain. But it wasn't even the worst about your situation. You noticed that you were lying on a bed- completely naked. Only then could you put two and two together and knew what must have caused the piercing pain in your lower abdomen. Tears welled in your eyes, still you were rather thankful that you weren't conscious when it happened. In the next moment you started to weep anyway. Just in this moment you realized that someone was having a discussion before the door. However, now the argument stopped and the door burst open. Fíli stormed in, probably mad as hell and came towards the bed. Afraid he could hurt you, you quickly crawled to the bed's headboard, tucking your knees up. To your relief the blonde stopped and asked
"Are you alright? I mean, how do you feel?"
"I-I don't know."
"I see. Is it okay if I come closer?" You opened your mouth and he added "Of course I won't touch you." This time you nodded.
"Okay" Slowly he approached and sat down on the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry" He mumbled
"Why?"
"That I let him rape you. I should have known better when you were brought back. But I was foolish enough to think he'd leave you alone as long as you're unconscious. Looks like I was wrong"
"It's not your fault he did it..." Only now you realized that you actually had no idea who your rapist was, felt stupid to ask though.
"I know. Nevertheless I should have brought you to my own room"
"Fíli, you couldn't know. Besides, you can't always protect me. Not as long as I'm here..." With one hand you toyed with the end of a down feather, protruding from the pillow. "Will-Will they ever let me go home?" Even though you feared the answer you had to know.
"Yes. But for a ransom of ten thousand dollars. But no one will lay just one more finger on you as long as you're here, I'll make sure of that."
"Thanks"
"You'd better thank me when you're safe and sound at home."
"Then you aren't around anymore"
"You're right about that though. I think it's better if we left this room. Come" He got up and took the white blanket, holding it out to you. "Here, to cover yourself" You did so while you were still seated then you slowly put your feet on the floor and got up, wrapping the fabric tighter around you, making you feel protected. With small steps you followed Fíli out of the room, almost colliding with someone else in front of the door. Instantly you staggered back and nearly fell over. While you steadied yourself, the blonde yelled at the other guy if he couldn't pay more attention. Fortunately he moved aside and you slipped past him. Just as you wanted to sigh in relief, he grabbed you, better said the blanket, trying to stop you. A panicked cry formed in your throat, but no sound left your lips.
"Wait!" He ordered and because you didn't want the blanket fall down, you stopped. "That's my blanket!" He revolted, attempting to get it back.
"Yes it is" Fíli answered instead and came back to you.
"But..."
"No one cares about your blanket. Besides you don't need it now. And it's your own fault, uncle." Finally the man removed his hands from the fabric and you gladly took Fíli's hand which he offered you. You walked some steps before he halted again. "Do you want to take a shower? Or a bath?"
"Yes"
"Okay" He opened the door in front of you, revealing of course a bathroom. "If you want a bath, you can draw it already. I'll be right back and get you some clothes and a towel" Again you nodded and entered the bath, the coolness of the tiles sending shivers through your whole body. Until Fíli came back, you wandered a bit around, marveling at the tessellations on the wall and the special design of the wash basin. You almost jumped when you heard a knock at the ajar door.
"Yes?" Gently the door was opened and Fíli stepped in. "I'll just put these things here, alright?" He asked, placing a dark towel and some clothes on a little shelf and you nodded. "I'm sorry, they might won't be the best fit but my mother isn't here, so I can't take any of her clothes. And in some hours yours will be washed, then you can change again anyway."
"It's okay. Thank you"
"Do you need something else? Oh you can use any body wash and shampoo you like"
"Okay. I think I'll be fine"
"Good. In case you need something, my room is the third to last door on the left hand side. I'll leave the door open" Once again you gave an affirmative nod. "And you probably should lock the door when I'm outside... because Kíli and uncle are in a habit of rushing in here without knocking. And I suppose you don't feel the urge to see latter again. Not after what happened"
"It was him, wasn't it?" You wanted to know and fortunately he understood and nodded.
"He might be my superior but I won't let him hurt you again."
"I know." You muttered when he left the room, closing the door behind him.
In the following hours you were forced to write a letter to your parents, telling them you were held for another ransom and they would never see you again if they called the police. After this was done, however, Thorin told you that you could move around in the house freely, as long as you didn't do anything stupid or tried to escape. Of course you were astonished that you were left this freedom, but as it turned out Fíli had had a hand in it, pointing out to his uncle that for about thousand dollars a day here you should be treated like a guest.
You may were allowed many things you couldn't do some days ago, but you soon had to learn that most of Thorin's acolytes were quite nasty. Although Fíli made it clear that no one was to harass you or worse, they still tried to bed you. So you almost wished to be rid of them, even if that involved being locked up in the cellar again. Eventually you decided to spend almost the whole day in the guest room. You were really astonished when you noticed that they actually had a guest room in their house and more surprised when you heard that you could stay here until you could go home.
Almost every day Fíli knocked at your door and spent some time with you. He was the only one you let enter the guest room and you didn't know why but you trusted him. Deep inside you knew that you would miss him once you were home and whenever you had such feelings you tried to deaden it, knowing you mustn't get attached to him. Not even after everything he'd done for you. Besides, there was no way that he felt the same way about you. Maybe he didn't even like you and only helped you because he pitied you or simply didn't want others to get hurt when he could prevent it. Yet you were touched that he cared for you so much and did everything to make your captivity as pleasant as possible.
One day, maybe one and half a week after you had been brought back, Fíli entered your room one last time.
"Your parents paid the money" He said "So uncle said you could go home"
"Oh" Was everything you were capable of saying, being overwhelmed with emotions. Positive ones as well as negative ones. "When?" You wanted to know.
"That's for you to decide. Either tonight or tomorrow morning"
"Why not now?"
"It's just... Uncle said, I should drive you back but I have things to do until we eat. Unless you want someone else to bring you home"
"Not really." You admitted. "Then tonight."
"Alright" He nodded slowly. "See you later then." Gently he squeezed your shoulder, smiled and left the room. After you closed the door you collapsed into the bed, tears of joy and sadness rolling down your cheeks.
"Nervous?" Fíli asked as he turned right, driving the car into your residential street.
"A bit. But it was worse before" You replied.
"You mean when we left?"
"Yes. I-isn't it a bad idea to drive the car here? What if my parents see you?"
"Then I'll make sure to get away quickly." He chuckled. "This one?" He asked some moments later, pointing to your driveway. Your felt your heart throbbing against your chest when the hose came into vision and barely managed to answer. After the car came to a stop, he turned off the light and stopped the engine.
"Well..." You started. "That's it I guess" The blonde only nodded and leaned backwards to the backseats and grabbed something. He handed you a plastic bag. "What's this?"
"Take a look" Nodding you took out your small handbag and your phone that was collected about three weeks ago in the bank. You had almost forgotten about these things during your confinement.
"Thank you" You beamed and couldn't help but hug him for some seconds.
"No need to thank me. It was about high time you got it back" He explained and sighed. Then he held out his hand and you took it. "I wish you all the best"
"Thanks. Same to you"
"Don't let yourself be captured again in the future, okay?" Smiling you promised and giggled when he nudged your nose. You opened the passenger door with trembling hands and got out of the car. "Take care"
"I will. Goodbye, Fíli"
"Goodbye, (Y/n*)"
Even days after you'd come home you still felt quite odd being here, back with your family. You knew that something changed and assumed that it was you. After all you'd been through a lot in the past weeks. On the day after you had gotten home, your parents forced you to go to a doctor although you tried to assure them that you were fine. You also never told them what Thorin had done, not wanting them to worry more about you. Being honest, you had to admit that what bothered you most was that Fíli wasn't around anymore. Though you wouldn't want to recognize it, you knew that you missed him like hell. The more time passed, the more intense the feeling got, much you your chagrin. You knew that you wouldn't see him again, unless you run into him one day, which made everything worse. Your parents noticed that something was wrong, yet they didn't ask and only tried to make you happy. However, this didn't quite work, as none of their courtesies could overcome your melancholy.
One day after you got up rather late your mother greeted you with the words
"You've got mail, darling" Initially you didn't feel like opening the little parcel with your name on it so you took it into your room, where you left it for the next few hours. In the evening you couldn't control your curiosity anymore and after you had gotten a pair of scissors, you carefully cut the parcel string and the cellotape. Inside the packet you found two envelopes, one quite bulky, the other one much smaller with your name on it. First you opened the latter, revealing a sheet of paper. Before you read the opening, you had to know who wrote it and were flabbergasted, when you saw Fílis name. Quickly you read the whole letter.
"Dear (Y/n*), I hope you're alright and that you don't suffer from anything like panic attacks or similar. Once again I want to apologize for what happened and I wish I could have done more for you. Truth be told, I somehow miss you, yet I know it is better like it is now. But in case you should ever need anything, feel free to contact me anytime. In the second envelope you'll find something of yours. Consider it as a compensation, nowhere near fair though. Yours sincerely, Fíli" At the bottom of the page you noticed a postscript with his phone number and the note that you should give the other envelope to your parents. Nonetheless you just had to peek into the second mailer and gasped.
"Mom! Dad!" You cried as you rushed out of your room. They probably thought you are in danger or had an anxiety attack because they ran towards you.
"What happened?" Your father wanted to know. A bit breathless you handed him the envelope. "What is this?" He asked frowning, then took a look and seemed staggered. One by one he took out the banknotes, making your mother pant.
"Is this some attempt of bribery?" She tore her hairs. "We have to give it back. Who gave you this, (Y/n*)?"
"It was in the parcel I got this morning" Somehow you daren't tell from who it was. While your mother was almost freaked out, your father counted the money, deepening the furrow on his forehead.
"Ten thousand dollars" He stated then.
"What?" His wife exclaimed. "That was (Y/n*)'s ransom to the penny. But why would someone send it back?"
"Who send the parcel?" You father asked.
"I don't know" You lied, not really knowing why. "Maybe one of my abductors. To be honest, there was one that seemed to pity me"
"Tell me you aren't going to give it back." Your mother scolded your father.
"Of course not. But what if they come here to get the money back? Or worse?" For the first time you asked yourself that question because you were sure that Fíli didn't act on behalf of his uncle. Oddly you feared more about the blonde than about you. Although your parents continued their discussion, you returned to your room, needing to be alone for some moments because the argument was too much right now. Back in your bedroom you grabbed your mobile phone and the short letter. Then you saved Fílis number, realizing for the first time that you didn't even know his surname. After you had added his contact, you wrote him a message to thank him for his packet and sent it with a broad smile.
Maybe you were going to see Fíli again anyway...