For Raurenkili.

In Bloom

"A garden to walk in and immensity to dream in - what more could he ask? A few flowers at his feet and above him the stars."

-Victor Hugo

Bilbo had had quite enough of all this bustling about. First Storm Giants, then Goblins, then an attack of wargs with a hazardous proximity to burning trees -they were burning, broken, and the lot of them were trapped in them, mind- and a hasty escape on giant Eagles. Not to mention Thorin's overwhelming apology that was also a scolding tone of disapproval with a hug that was far from comfortable.

It was in this moment where he let out an exasperated sigh. The Company had set up a temporary camp at the foot of the Carrock, tending to wounds and catching their breath. But it was a chilly night, everyone was on edge and frightened of the Orcs coming after them, there was no food and no fire to keep them warm.

Bilbo shivered in the wind that howled by, his summer jacket not fit for the weather at all. But he was glad to know that he wasn't the only one suffering from the adrenalin of fear or the cold. Many of the Dwarves seemed to be in a state of trance after the whole ordeal.

There had been no need for watch because a good number of the members were constantly awake. Bilbo was shaken out of his reverie by a soft tap on his shoulder, and a figure moved to sit beside him.

Bilbo looked over at the only other Halfling in the group. Lavinia was busy untangling her black bouncy hair that was trapped and tangled in matted knots.

"This certainly won't do!" She exclaimed as she pulled a burnt twig from her hair. "Bilbo, do you have a brush of any kind?"

The burglar looked at her in surprise and shook his head. She sighed and Bilbo was caught in a memory of the two of them at one of Old Took's grand parties. Her hair had been strung up with fresh flowers in a beautiful array of colours.

"Are you alright?" Lavinia asked him, sounding bemused and Bilbo caught himself staring at her hair, as if his eyes alone could fix the mess. A blush crept to his cheeks.

"I realize my hair must be quite a disaster at the moment."

"No!" Bilbo replied all too hastily. "I mean, it looks fine, well that is it is a little messy but-"

Lavinia laughed, cutting him off and Bilbo babbled an apology for his rambling nonsense and she simply shook her head. She patted his arm with a gentle hand.

"I'm sure we won't be around in places like this for long. My hair will be good as new soon!"

"Master Baggins," Thorin called for Bilbo and he looked up. The Dwarf jerked his head and beckoned him over.

Lavinia rose from her spot as Bilbo strolled over to the leader of the Company, who was with Gandalf. She couldn't make out their words as she approached the group and Bilbo seemed at last to give in to a demand.

"Alright, alright," he huffed and stomped past them, upwards over the rocks.

"Where is he going?" Lavinia asked sharply.

"Our burglar is going to scout out the area," Gandalf explained, settling on a large boulder with his staff leaning against his leg.

"That Orc filth is still out there, no doubt having followed us," Thorin grumbled.

"Bilbo is our quietest member, he can slip by unnoticed. No harm will come to him. Not to worry, Lavinia," Gandalf reassured her.

"Who said I was worried?" Lavinia said, but her heartbeat betrayed her. She had all faith in Bilbo, but then again, Wargs were very fast. If he were to get caught-

No. She mustn't think like that. He will come back.

And come back he did. But with dangerous news. The pack, merely a couple of leagues away.

"But that's not the worst of it," Bilbo breathed heavily, putting a hand on Lavinia's shoulder to steady himself.

"How is that not the worst of it?" Lavinia retorted fearfully.

"Have the Wargs picked up our scent?"

"Not yet. But they will do," the Burglar said hastily. "We have another problem."

"Did they see you? They saw you." Gandalf spoke, his tone on edge.

"No, that's not it."

"Ah, what did I tell you?" Gandalf said with a dry flash of teeth. "Quiet as a mouse. Excellent burglar material!"

The Company burst into small chatter of agreement with the Wizard. Bilbo sent a look to Lav and took a step forward, his voice raising to get over the Dwarves' commotion.

"Will you listen? Will you just... listen?" he said in exasperation. "I'm trying to tell you there is something else out there!" he raised a finger to point upwards behind them where he had been scouting.

"Bilbo, what do you mean," Lavinia pulled his arm gently so he would look at her. "What is out there?" Her voice was small and her green blue eyes were as wide as the dinner plates that the Dwarves had tossed around in Bag End.

"What form did it take?" Gandalf interrupted her snappishly. "Like a bear?"

Bilbo opened his mouth to reply and immediately frowned, looking at the Wizard with a startled face.

"Yes, but bigger. Much bigger."

"You knew about this beast?" Lavinia looked behind her at Bofur and at the Dwarves who were also not feeling quite content with this beast they were talking about

"I say we double back," Bofur nodded to his own decision.

"And be run down by a pack of Orcs?" Thorin growled, his temper flaring up. The Company broke out into discussion of hasty remarks and suggestions that were all too confusing.

"There is a house," Gandalf reluctantly admitted, looking over at the group who stopped and stared at him in disbelief. "It's not far from here, where we might take refuge."

"Whose house?" Thorin sighed with a frustrating voice. Clearly they were all out of patience. "Are they friend or foe?"

"Neither," Gandalf pursed his lips in thought. "He will help us or... he will kill us."

"Oh thank you for clearing that up, Gandalf," Lavinia said, although her voice was shaking. Goblintown had already thrown enough fear into her and she wasn't really looking forward for another chase sequence.

"What choice do we have?"

"None." Gandalf said decisively. "Come on! This way! Quickly!"

Lavinia let out a groan, her feet barely having enough strength in them as the group began to run. She looked at Bilbo as she muttered something very un-ladylike under her breath making him look at her, startled with a surprised expression. She in turned gave him a small smile before the two of them went on to follow the rest, their jog turning into a sprint as soon as Lavinia heard the crashing and breaking of trees behind her.

The sprint to the house had raised Lavinia's heartbeat far too high and the struggle to get the front door open only frustrated her more, finding herself positively shaking and shrieking at the Dwarves who had barreled into it to open the bloody thing.

As they dashed inside, her hair caught in a broken and splintered section of the door and she cried out in pain as it tugged at the hairtie that kept the curls out of her face. Nori quickly ripped it out of her hair, leaving her hair to stick out frizzy and curly when they pushed inside.

Lavinia landed with a thud on the floor, dust flying up around her and she scrambled backwards when something pushed against the door to get in. She shakily got to her feet when at last it sounded like the thing was leaving.

"What is that?" Ori squeaked out as it left.

"That is our host," Gandalf sighed. The entire group stopped once more. "His name is Beorn. And he's a skin-changer."

Bilbo came to stand next to Lavinia, immediately checking her face for any sign of injuries from the break-in as Gandalf continued talking.

"Sometimes he's a huge black bear. Sometimes he's a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable but the man can be reasoned with. However, he is not overfond of Dwarves..."

"Are you hurt?" Bilbo asked, shrugging off his jacket to wrap around Lavinia even though her shivers were from the fear, and not the cold.

"No," she assured him weakly. "My head just hurts." She rubbed at her scalp where the wood had tugged extra harshly. Bilbo took note of the fact that her hair was now in wild curls and in her face, no longer kept back by the security of her worn out cotton hair-tie.

"..Alright now, get some sleep all of you," Gandalf said as he took off his hat while the others went looking around the house. "You'll be safe here tonight," he looked over at Bilbo and Lavinia and steadily held his gaze as the Baggins caught his eye.

"..I hope."

The next morning, the Company was soon gathered around the kitchen table which was far too large for anyone. Bilbo woke to a buzz and a tickling on his nose. He blinked and sat up, startled at the sight of a large bee resting on his nose. Murmuring came from the large table and he got up quickly.

He reached to where he thought his crimson jacket was but couldn't find it. He sat up and straightened his suspenders, hurrying over to the others, nearly running into a cow who snorted at his approach.

Lavinia was sitting at the end of the table, a mug of fresh milk in hand. A large figure with a head of hair walked by and refilled their tankards, his pace slow and wary.

"So, you are the one they all Oakenshield?" he addressed to the Company's leader as he filled Fili's tankard with a slosh. Bilbo came to sit next to Lavinia, seeing how she was still wearing his jacket from the day before. She smiled kindly at him, looking more well-rested than she had since Rivendell.

"'Morning," she said to him quietly.

"...You know of Azog? How?" Thorin demanded of Beorn sharply. Lavinia glanced down at the conversation at the end of the table before looking back at Bilbo.

"Have you eaten yet?" she asked, passing him a bowl of berries and a plate, herself munching on some roasted and salted nuts. He shook his head and picked out a ripe one from the bowl.

"My people were the first to live in the mountains before the Orcs came down from the North," Beorn explained. "The Defiler killed most of my family. But some he enslaved. Not for work, you understand, but for sport. Caging skin-changers and torturing them seemed to amuse him."

"There are others like you?" Bilbo piped up with a curious voice. Beorn looked at the small Hobbit seated at his table, lifting the pitcher of milk.

"Once there were many," he replied vaguely.

"And now?" Bilbo asked, almost too scared to ask.

"Now there is only one."

Lavinia squeezed Bilbo's forearm reassuringly when he glanced down, feeling awkward for having asked the question. "It's alright," she mumbled quietly. "He's quite nice, most of the time."

Bilbo's eyes shot up to Lavinia's, wide and scared, but a wave of relief washed over him as he saw her twinkling eyes and teasing smirk, even with the layer of dust and dirt still covering her.

They spent the rest of the day at Beorn's, many of the Dwarves organizing their supplies for their departure. Bilbo had stepped away from their bustling group, knowing his own clumsy manner would simply slow things down. Lavinia had spent the entire morning bugging Beorn for something like a brush, who annoyingly admitted not to have one for a Hobbit's curls.

Bilbo stepped out of the house to breath in the fresh air and stuck his thumbs in the pockets of his jacket from when Lavinia had returned it to him after breakfast. He blinked in the bright sunshine and the grass tickled his bare feet when he stepped onto the fields.

Vibrant colours caught his eye, and he saw beautiful bright flowers lining the hedgerows and tree lines. His heart jumped at a sudden thought and idea. Looking over to make sure their host wasn't outside, he scurried over to the flowers and began picking out an assortment of colours.

"Hold still."

Lavinia snickered and shifted on the stool. "Bilbo, what are you doing?"

The Halfling shushed her and his fingers tugged gently at the thick curls. She bit her lip to prevent another chuckle from escaping and patiently waited as he wove through her hair with deft fingers.

The two of them were just outside of Beorn's home, the fresh air and peaceful sunshine doing both of them some good. Lavinia was perched on a wooden stool, Bilbo standing behind her with a mirror at his feet.

"There," he finally announced, stepping away and landing his hands on her shoulders. Lavinia blinked, shuffling so she could look over her shoulder at Bilbo.

"What did you do?" she asked curiously, her hand moving up to run through her hair, but Bilbo stopped her before she could mess up his work.

He leaned down and picked up the small mirror, and handed it to her.

"Bilbo!" she gasped in surprise. Her hair was decorated with flowers ranging from size to colour, all exceptionally beautiful. They stood out brightly against the dark curls of her hair and she grinned.

Standing up from the stool and setting the mirror down upon it, she swung her arms around Bilbo's neck and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, my friend," she laughed as she pulled back. "They are simply gorgeous. I love it."

Bilbo felt a proud smirk tugging at his lips and he tucked his thumbs in the pockets of his jacket again, rocking back and forth on his toes with a faint tinge of red high upon his cheeks.

"I simply thought, with the Goblins, and your clear distaste of the, the messiness, and the lack of hygiene- I-I mean, I remember, back in the Shire, you always wore flowers in your hair-," he stopped before he could embarrass himself further.

"Thank you," Lavinia laughed, her hand moving up to delicately trace the petals of one of the flowers. "Pity they won't last forever."

"Bilbo!" Gandalf called from inside the house. The two Hobbits turned around to see the Wizard hurry outside to them with a panic-stricken face. "Did you pluck our host's flowers?"

Bilbo opened his mouth to reply before Beorn himself stormed outside, towering giant halting beside the Halfling.

"Did you?" he growled lowly at poor Bilbo Baggins who stood quaking in his boots. That is, if he wore boots.

"I did," he mumbled, looking down at his toes, feeling frightened by the threatening tone.

"And what absurd thought, if I may ask, gave you enough idiotic reason to steal from my gardens?"

"It was my idea," Lavinia cut in before Bilbo could reply. "I was admiring the flowers and how they reminded me of home. Bilbo must've plucked them for that reason. We didn't know you would be so offended by it. He did a marvelous job though, wouldn't you agree?" she said, twirling once so the skin-changer and Wizard could see the work Bilbo had perfomed with the flowers in her hair.

Something in their host's eyes softened and he let out a scoffing grumble. "Very well, but do not think twice to steal from me again, Halfling," he said to Bilbo before turning back around and stomping inside. Gandalf gave an awkward smile and nod as he hurried out of the way before Beorn crashed into him. His expression fell as he looked upon Bilbo, giving a somewhat scolding look with a raised eyebrow but also with a bemused twinkle in his eye.

When the Wizard too went inside, Bilbo turned towards Lavinia who was gathering the remaining flowers he hadn't been able to fit in woven pattern atop of her head.

"Sit," she commanded sternly, gesturing to the stool. As he did was she asked, he frowned as she began threading her fingers through the knots in his curly hair.

"What are you doing, Lavinia?" he asked. She simply chuckled before he felt the first poking stem threaded through his hair.

"Returning the favour," she grinned.

Happy Holidays! This was a gift for the lovely Raurenkili from one of the Hobbit Forums. I hope it wasn't too long, I was feeling very creative when I started writing this.

Hope you liked it and enjoy the rest of 2015~