One That Got Away

Chapter 20

"Two encores!" laughed the Twins, high fiving as the band trooped inside. David smirked and kicked off his shoes a Andy closed the front door.

"Keep it down," hissed Mara and stretched, shrugging off her leather. "It wasn't even that good."

"That's because Aleksander showed up," teased Ben.

"Because he wuvs you," Tom cooed.

"Shut it, the both of ye." she snarled and the living room light clicked on. They all froze. There in an armchair sat Pythia in a dressing gown, an amused look on her face hands folded in her lap. "Mom?" Mara said in confusion. "Problem?"

"No I just always wanted to do that," She said standing up. She placed a kiss on the forehead of all of her children and one on Andy's cheek. "Now scoot to bed. There's something big coming. I can feel it. Something...Oh scoot." She waved a hand frowning in thought. She walked up the stairs and down the hall. Ben and Tom exchanged looks.

"You guys ever get the feel-"

"-that mom isn't telling us something?"

"She has her reasons," David assured the Twins and looped an arm around Andy's waist. "Sleep," he grumbled into her hair and she snickered.

"Sleep is the last thing on your mind and you know it," she said and started up the stairs, David following doggedly after her. The Twins retched and fled to their room as Mara locked the door and turned off the porch light. She closed her eyes and leaned on the cool wood. Tonight had felt amazing, on that stage, performing music without fear of songs or painful past or future. It was so blissful, knowing she would go home to someone who would held her and press kisses to her skin. Being somewhere safe and big and happy with her family, having enough money to get by and getting more every hour. She could live like that forever, with Thorin at her side.

She hummed as she swayed up the stairs and pushed the door open and peered in. Thorin lay on the bed, still dressed, shoes piled at the foot of the bed. He had two books open next to him, one with water color pictures on faded paper and another with scribbled words. She smiled faintly and pulled them both out from his hands, closing them and placing them on the small box they were using as the side table. She tugged off her socks and rubbed off her make-up. It wasn't until she was lifting a blanket to curl up against his chest that he woke up.

"Hey," he mumbled sitting up. She leaned close and pressed a kiss to his face. "I was trying to wait up for you," Mara nodded and bumped her forehead against his.

"I see you dug out my father's old sketchbook. And my song book," she said glancing at the two volumes on the box.

"Dug out isn't correct. Your mother gave them to me. She said I should look at them. Those songs, did you write them?" he asked pulling her close and burying his face in her hair.

"No, just all the words and chords to my favorites," she mumbled pressing closer to him and sighing in contentment.

"Who's Edmund?" he asked softly and she frowned, opening her eyes.

"Edmund? Oh, just some kid I used to know," she said offhandedly.

"Hmm...you write about him a lot."

"What?" Mara demanded sitting up. Thorin looked a bit startled and sat up as well.

"His name. It's scribbled all through that book with these odd...arrowheads and things..." He was starting to sound accusatory and Mara gaped at him.

"What?" she mouthed soundlessly.

"I was just wondering if I had a contender for your hand," Thorin said. At the look on Mara's face he snorted. "Just because I don't know those songs doesn't mean I can't read Westron."