Curse of the East (Fili/The Hobbit Fanfiction)

Chapter 60 - Old Roots

We finished cleaning with about forty three seconds to spare, and we were all still laughing and red faced when Bilbo entered the kitchen with his now-full basket. Though after doing a quick assessment of the situation, apparently he came to the decision that it was best to just not ask questions.

I took the basket from him, and forced most of the others out of the kitchen before they could protest. Fili stood close behind me as I unpacked the basket, and once I was certain I still remembered the recipe with clarity I set him to work chopping vegetables. We worked in silence for awhile, and I distracted myself with looking out at the once-so-familiar scenery through the window as I cooked the beef. So little had changed, I had stood in this very spot a hundred times making dinner over the years, looking out that window and wishing I was somewhere else. Somewhere far away. I had managed to find those far away places, and though I was eager to return a small part of me was relieved that this at least hadn't changed. It was a reminder of who I used to be, and how, despite ow much I may have claimed to, I hadn't ever totally hated it. It had been home for a long time, and it was always going to be a part of me. I was shocked back into the moment when something bounced off of the back of my head.

I spun around in surprise, my grip on the knife tightening; though it remained on the counter so I was relieved when Fili didn't seem to notice. He was grinning at me, and I shook my head as I looked between the carrot in his hand and the small piece now on the floor at my feet. I let go of the knife and turned fully to face him. He threw another piece, but this time I reached up and snatched it out of the air before it could hit me.

"Rude." I said simply, and he shrugged innocently. "Don't." I warned as he picked up another piece. "We're cooking." He frowned, and I narrowed my eyes; making a split-second decision. I threw the carrot back at him, catching him right between the eyes and earning a look that was so stunned it had me doubled over laughing.

He approached me with a speed I had not been expecting, and a moment later he lifted me off of my feet and pulled me to his chest. He poked my forehead with the carrot the same place I had hit him, and I laughed harder.

When I finally regained control of myself I poked him hard in the chest. He smirked, and I narrowed my eyes at him when he tightened his grip on me.

"Fili." I said sweetly. "Put me down." He laughed.

"And why would I want to do that Saria?" He teased. I rolled my eyes.

"Because if supper burns I will remain here and you can get married by yourself." His eyes widened at just how serious I had managed to get my voice to sound; but he relaxed a moment later when he saw the humor I had made absolutely no effort to conceal. Still, he finally set me back on the ground; and I was quick to return to stirring the meat, glad it hadn't quite started to burn. He finished cutting the vegetables without further incident.

Once I had everything mixed together and simmering on the stove I moved to the sink to start on the dishes, a small smile teasing at the corners of my mouth when I remember the ridiculous ordeal doing the dishes had been the last time they had been here.

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I filled the sink with hot water, and as the bubbles really began to foam up I started dropping the dishes into the sink; smiling when they disappeared. So small a thing, yet I hadn't seen it in so long it almost seemed a bit magical the way the bubbles re-formed after the dirty pots sank down into the water beneath them.