Bilbo Baggins was a decidedly nice caretaker, if not a bit neglectful. Kili enjoyed having him as his guardian once his dad and brother along with his mum and uncle left for that nice vacation. He wasn't quite sure how long they were gone, but he didn't mind since he knew they'd be right back. They always came back and then there would be hugs, kisses, and cake for dessert.
Bilbo was a short middle aged man with tawny brown curls and kind eyes. He wore lots of sweaters and bowties, and he preferred to walk around barefoot in the house. He was a writer, something Kili had discovered when he had been browsing through his office. There were lots of thick manuscripts with various notes scribbled in long spidery handwriting. Kili thought it was pretty cool that he was an author, and often requested stories from him. Bilbo never really took heart to his requests so Kili just leafed through his manuscripts every once in a while whenever he was bored.
His caretaker liked to read a lot, too. He would sit in his comfortable leather armchair, technically Kili's dad's but he let him sit there, and would leave the telly on for Kili. Kili would eventually stop playing in the yard and come inside, resting with his chin in his hands as he watched his shows. Bilbo normally had on the news, which was very boring, so he would change it whenever he thought he wasn't worried. Bilbo's brown eyes would narrow, and he would stare at the telly for a while before shrugging it off. Then Kili would giggle and keep flipping channels until Bilbo got annoyed and went off to his room to continue his reading.
It was decidedly fun to annoy his caretaker, something he had learned early on. He would often move things around just to irritate him, and it was funny to see Bilbo search through the house for whatever he was looking for. There had been one time when Kili had tried to turn off the lights in Bilbo's bedroom by going through the circuit board. His father was an electrician so he had watched him a few times. Unfortunately, he ended up blowing the fuses of every light in the house.
Bilbo was very cross at him, not even looking at him without a sad and disappointed cloud in his eyes, and made meatloaf for a week straight. Kili hated meatloaf. He much preferred the mac and cheese that Bilbo would sometimes heat up. He never arranged a plate for him, something Kili learned that was supposed to make him independent, but always saved enough for him. Kili normally ate in the front yard, watching the sun set over the sprawling fields of the house of the Durinsons. He missed his family, but they would be back soon, wouldn't they? And then Bilbo would go back to his home, Bag-end, he had called it.
One day, his caretaker began to act very funny indeed. His eyes would dart from corner to corner as he passed through the house. As he typed, his fingers were stiff and he kept looking over his shoulder until he stopped typing altogether. He began to leave out bowls of food for Kili, who was happy that he didn't have to stack up boxes to reach the bowls in the pantry. He would leave the telly on the cartoon channel, and that was fine with the boy, too. But he didn't read anymore, which made Kili a little sad that he was missing his company.
Soon, Kili started to follow Bilbo around the house. He spent ages on his computer, researching articles with tiny print and pictures that made Kili's eyes water. They were dull, the articles, and talked about accidents, banking businesses, and other boring things that probably had to deal with politics. Bilbo was very well versed in politics. He would even call people on the phone, including a Mr. Gandalf, to talk about the articles. He always sounded very stressed during those calls, as if he were about to collapse from exhaustion, and Kili would nod sagely, saying to him that was how his uncle feels about politics, too.
Kili sat on the carpeted floor, hand lazily moving his toy truck back and forth. Bilbo was nowhere in sight, probably researching articles or information for his book. He had missed lunch which was strange since Bilbo never missed a meal, but he wasn't feeling very hungry so he didn't mind. The doorbell suddenly rang and Kili screeched that he would open it before running excitedly to the door. He never got visitors often since Bilbo was a bit reclusive.
He felt himself grin widely as the door swung open to reveal two tall, dark haired figures. He instantly recognized the sharp nose of his Uncle Thorin, his keen blue eyes. His dark hair, which Kili had inherited even though it wasn't as well-kept, was shot through with silver, strangely. Maybe business was getting to him. His mother Dis looked as beautiful as ever, dressed in a nice suit, but her usually deep brown eyes looked cold and distant. Her hair was flecked with gray and there were bags under her eyes.
"Mum! Uncle!" cried Kili and stepped back so they could move into the house. "You're back!"
Their eyes traveled cloudily to him then further into the house. He huffed and shrugged. They were probably tired from their flight and needed some rest. Fili and his dad weren't there, so they must have been in Uncle's old Impala. Kili loved that car and he raced to the window to see it. He saw the hood peeking out from the grassy hills and giggled when he suddenly heard Bilbo's voice.
"Hello? Are you two the Durinsons?" asked Bilbo and Kili ran back into the living room where his babysitter and his family were sitting down.
"I'm Thorin and this is my sister, Dis," said Thorin in his rumbling voice. Kili missed his voice. He was always so calm and his voice was melodic, perfect for lullabies. His nephew sat by his feet, beaming, and waited for the adult talk to finish. Then he would be able to see the rest of his family! "You called us saying something about the house?"
"Yes, I did," coughed Bilbo and shifted in his armchair, nose scrunching nervously. "You're going to think I sound mad."
Dis flashed a humorless grin. "And why would we?"
Bilbo chewed on his lip, brown eyes flicking in Kili's direction and then resting on Dis. "I bought this house a couple of months ago, and I've noticed certain... things. I didn't know when I bought it that some members of the house were killed in a fire. Everything was all refurbished when I looked around."
Thorin had stiffened, eyes flashing angrily, and his jaw was clenched. "Is that a problem?"
"No, no!" he said quickly and then hesitated. "Well, truthfully, it is. I've... seen some... stuff in this house."
"It's a big house," said Dis coldly. "There's lots of stuff to see."
"That's not what I meant." Bilbo sounded pained.
He rummaged around through the trunk he kept in the living room, where Kili put all his toys, and pulled out a few. Last was the toy truck that had been on the floor from Kili's playtime before. Dis straightened tensely, her eyes shining with tears, and Thorin let out a sharp breath. He gently took the toy trunk from Bilbo, holding it reverently and almost cautiously.
"Continue," he said quietly.
"I hear a child in the house sometimes," explained Bilbo and Kili rolled his eyes.
"That's because you babysit me, stupid," huffed the boy, but they just ignored him. That was rude.
"It's a little boy. I... things are moved from their places. The lights flicker on and off. Portions of food are always gone. Even the swing outside, that little tire, it moved when there's absolutely no wind. I go to my living room and there's cartoons on when I know I haven't turned on the telly!" Bilbo let out a barking laugh, running his hands through his curly hair.
"There are notes in my manuscripts about what he thinks about the characters." He produced in his pocket one of Kili's notes with his messy handwriting. "I don't know what to do. I don't know who he is."
"Kili," Dis said suddenly after she had taken Kili's note. "He passed away in a fire at the house with his father and brother." A few tears leaked from her eyes, and Kili wanted to scream at her that he was fine, that he was right here. "He was only eight..."
She looked up at Bilbo, wiping away her tears. "His name was Kili."