Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Beta'd by WithinHerHeart :)

Chapter 1

Lila Took paused, tilting her head in confusion. She had been on her way back from the water, where she'd spent the day sketching the curves of the river and the animals that approached it, when she noticed the strange goings on. It wasn't that Bilbo having guests was an unusual occurrence – he was a sociable hobbit, after all – but the noises that seemed to be flowing from the hobbit hole, so loud and boisterous…well, it just wasn't like her cousin at all. At least, it wasn't anymore, not for a long time.

She took careful steps up the pathway, jumping the last step out of habit, something she'd been doing since she was nothing but a toddler, and knocked gently at the door. The noises inside didn't cease and she wondered whether she might have been too quiet, perhaps there was a need for a harder knock, something much unlike a hobbit, when the door swung open and there stood her rather flustered and agitated looking cousin.

Of course, she had no interest in him for the moment. No, she was far more interested in the men that moved purposely behind him, arms laden with food – cooked meats and fruits and breads and the scones that Lila had made herself yesterday afternoon. Weapons hung heavily from their hips, the blades gleaming in the candle light, and a few glanced at her in passing. Dwarves, she recalled from the old history books that had been passed down to her from her father, these were dwarves.

"Oh, Lila," Bilbo greeted absentmindedly, looking torn between relief at her presence and irritation, as if this were the last thing he needed. Somewhere in the distance there was a crash, followed by a celebratory cheer, and Bilbo glanced behind him, panicked for a moment, before shooting his younger cousin a strained smile, "As awfully nice it is to see you, I-I just don't think this is a good time so, uh, perhaps call back tomorrow? Yes, call back – hey!"

Lila twirled past his arm into the fray, watching everything with wide eyed fascination. "Dwarves, Bilbo, you have dwarves in your home!" she exclaimed gleefully.

"I know," he scowled darkly.

She swotted his shoulder. "Don't act like such a grump," she chided gently, "You have to tell me, how did you meet dwarves?"

"I haven't met them!" Bilbo defended, "I have never seen any of them before in my life! They simply turned up, without even an invita- now, where are you going with all that cheese?" his attention diverted. The dwarf didn't answer, just continued on his way to join the others in the dining room. Bilbo sighed heavily, "At the very least use a cheese knife!"

"A cheese knife?" the dwarf behind them chuckled, "He eats them by the block."

The hobbit sighed wearily, and turned back to his cousin. "Do you see how-?" he paused, noticing her disappearance, "Lila?"

He spun, worried - because really, what if these dwarves decided to do something to her? – and let out a small exasperated sigh when his gaze found her once more. The girl was in the dining room, and now found herself squeezed between two unknown dwarves – Bilbo was sure they had given their names, but for the life of him he couldn't quite remember. No doubt she was grilling them about everything there was to know about dwarves – she always was too curious. He thought about swooping in and saving her but then one of his mother's ornaments was being thrown across the hall and the idea left his mind in favour of protecting the antiques.

Not that Lila needed saving. She was quite content where she was. Gandalf, who she had recognised from the portraits that had once hung in her grandfather's home, sat at the head of the table and had been kind enough to introduce her. It seemed all she needed was a charming – and blatantly exaggerated – introduction from an eccentric wizard and the dwarves had welcomed her happily into their midst. Ori was a sweet fellow and more than happy to answer any questions she had – in fact, he seemed quite proud that he was dealing out the knowledge she desperately wanted – and Fili, much louder than his fellow dwarf, had ruffled her hair upon greeting and was now shoving a pint into her smaller hands, the liquid sloshing over the top.

"'Ere, lad, are you sure she's old enough for that?" a dwarf, Bofur she learnt, shouted across the table.

Lila sat up straighter, indignant. "I'll have you know I can hold my ale just as good as any of you."

The table laughed happily, jeering and teasing. One voice, Nori, yelled encouragement for her to prove it. Lila glanced into the cup and hesitated, if only for a moment, because she could only imagine the scolding she'd get from Bilbo if the hobbit ever found out (it would probably be similar to the one her uncle Bungo had given them after she and Bilbo had taken a tankan at the marriage of the Sackville Bagginses, because he had been channelling his father's spirit lately), before tipping her head back and downing the drink.

Ale was just as disgusting as she remembered – bitter and bubbly and an overall unpleasant taste – she really was much more of a wine drinker – but she persevered. With each gulp, she breathed in deeply, and her eyes crossed as she peered into the revealed bottom of the pint. When it drained into nothing, she slammed the cup onto the table top and bowed mockingly to the cheers that followed.

Of course, that may have been her first mistake. The alcohol was quick to go to her head and when she straightened up, there was no way she would have been able to stop herself from falling over. She clenched her eyes, bracing for the impact with the floor, which never came.

Strong hands gripped her underarms and she peeked one eye open cautiously to take a glance at her saviour. Long dark hair, wavy and without braids, as most of the other dwarves had, fell in front of an angled features. A mischievous grin spread across his face and, she noticed, it brought crinkles to the corner of his dark eyes.

It took her another second to notice how attractive he was.

It took her another second before she could feel the blush burning her cheeks.

She giggled, a nervous habit that she'd never grown out of, which if anything, only made him grin wider.

"You need to be much more careful on your feet hobbit," he advised as he righted her.

"Lila," she corrected, "My name's Lila."

"Miss Lila," he repeated, and raised her hand to place a kiss upon the back. "I'm Kili, at your service."

"And I'm at yours," she murmured appreciatively.

She was sure she would have said more – and perhaps it was a good thing she didn't, because she could already hear the amused tittering behind her, and Kili was looking at her with amusement and it was all rather embarrassing anyway – but thankfully, Fili elbowed his brother to announce that they were to help tidy up.

And then proceeded to throw his empty plate out of the doorway.

Lila could only imagine the heart attack that Bilbo was going through at that moment.

"What ever happened to carrying your plates to the sink?" she inquired, mostly rhetorically.

"But where's the fun in that lass?" Gloin responded joyfully, as he chucked his cup over his shoulder, narrowly missing Bilbo when he ran frazzled into the room. He let out a yelp and gave a long suffering look when the dwarf chuckled and shouted his apologies that sounded everything but sincere. Lila couldn't help but feel sorry for her cousin. After all, this was hardly a situation he was used to being involved in. And judging by the way he was tugging at the ends of his hair, it was certainly rendering him out of sorts.

"Ah, don't do that, you'll blunt the knives!" he argued to the four at the end of the table, who had begun a steady tune with the scraping of knives and forks together.

Bofur laughed. "Hear that, he says we'll blunt the knives!"

Now, Lila had read many things about dwarves and one of the things she remembered specifically was their love of song and dance and music. It was a way of telling tales and spreading word of great conquests and to celebrate festivals and times of good will, as well being able to mourn the worst of times. This…wasn't exactly that.

Kili began singing first, beaming and spinning as he passed plate after plate after mug towards the kitchen, where Bifur had taken over the washing station.

Blunt the knives and bend the forks!
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!
Chip the glasses and crack the plates!
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates –

Cut the cloth and tread the fat!
Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!
Pour the milk on the pantry floor!
Splash the wine on every door!

Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;
Pound them up with a thumping pole;
And when you've finished, if any are whole,
Send them down the hall to roll!

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!

The song ended slightly out of tune with the bellowing of voices and good natured laughter. It was an infectious tune and even Lila couldn't stop herself from joining in. Bilbo of course didn't appreciate the sentiment behind having a song dedicated specifically for him, but he did seem quite pleased at his home being restored to its former glory.

The laughter was cut off suddenly by a firm knock on the door. A hush fell over the home, smiles dropping slowly from faces, and a sense of foreboding rose within Lila. She subconsciously wrapped her arms around herself and bit the inside of her cheek to hold in the giggles. Clearly, whoever was at the door was someone of importance, someone to be respected and feared, if the looks on the dwarves' faces were anything to say about it.

"He's here," Gandalf stated quietly.

And Lila couldn't wait to see who it was.