CHAPTER 1

Flames surrounded Thorin as he ran through the forest. Beasts that he couldn't identify were chasing him but he refused to scream. Or maybe it was that he couldn't scream. Men were following close behind him and he knew they were his friends from his old company. A loud feral growl sounded out and it sounded really close. His eyes squeezed shut and he whipped around. All his friends were gone and he was left alone with a pale ugly creature sitting on top of what looked to be a wolf but much larger. The creature snarled and lunged for his throat. It pounced on him and he felt his heart stop beating.

He shot up in bed screaming and clutching his sheets like a lifeline to the real world. Often he would enter a strange universe in his dreams and would always end up dying. The faces of his friends were always familiar there but they could never help him no matter how hard they tried. Death seemed to be his only fate in that world. He took a deep breath and noticed that his heart was beating fast in his chest. Slowly he reached over to the nightstand by his bed and grabbed his phone so he could check the time. 3 A.M. Sighing, he laid back and tried to force the nerves to leave him.

Thorin patiently waited in his bed for sleep to come and take him over. The peace and relaxation that would hopefully come with sleep wouldn't return to his body after his horrible nightmare. This had been happing a lot in the past few months and he couldn't understand why. Just as his eyes closed again to rest his phone rang loudly. Shooting up he answered without even checking to see who it was.

"Hello?" He asked into his phone, breathing normal now.

"Hello, Mr. Olmound." The almost shy and awkward voice on the other end of the line began talking. Thorin cringed at the sound of his old last name. He hadn't gone by Thomas Olmound in years. There were reasons for that as well. Clearly this man didn't know that but he had no reservations in correcting him.

"My name is Thorin."

"My apologies, I was just reading what it said on your file."

"My file is wrong." Thorin growled slightly at the other man. He had no clue who would be calling him at three in the morning but it really didn't matter. Whoever had the nerve to do this was going to get smacked and then shoved down a really long flight of stairs.

"My name is Bilbo." Bilbo told Thorin. The ex spy had to hold back the urge to chuckle. Then the facts all clicked together in his mind and he glared at his wall. The only way somebody would have that weird of a name was if it wasn't real. It was a codename. Just like Thorin was his codename. Bilbo was a spy or at least worked for spies. Somebody didn't want anyone to know this man's real identity.

"You're a spy." The dark haired man stated plainly touching his forehead with the palm of his hand. He was feeling extra hot today and sloppily kicked his blankets off. He placed his cell phone down and put it on speaker so he could still hear Bilbo. Slowly, he grabbed the bottom of his shirt and pulled it over his head. He tossed it across the room and then moved his hands down to thumb the edge of his pajama bottoms. Without much thought he inched them down his hips and over his thighs so they dropped on the floor. He stepped out of them and flopped back down on the bed, grabbing his phone.

"I work for a government agency in England. We have been directed to your very special set of skills." As soon as the word government left Bilbo's mouth, Thorin had to hold back the instinct the throw the phone across the room and stomp on it until it broke into pieces.

"My skills aren't for sale." Thorin proudly declined the offer before he even got it. In a previous life he may have been more willing to accept and go on another mission. However he had been emotionally scared and now wouldn't ever work for the government again. Besides, he had enough money stored away to live a small quiet life somewhere in the Scottish country side and never have to deal with people again. Just as he was about to hit the end button, he heard Bilbo scream into the phone.

"Wait! Just listen. There is a criminal. His name is Smaug. Two days ago we got a phone call from a number that couldn't be traced. It was him. He told us that he was planning to destroy all of the United Kingdom and there was nothing we could do about it." As Thorin listened to Bilbo explain the situation to him he became more and more perplexed. Why would a wanted criminal call a government agency and tell them he was going to destroy them without making any demands? Maybe it was fear. Now they knew that he was going to do something but there weren't any details for them to follow. Sighing deeply, he now knew why they wanted him.

"What do I have to do with any of this?"

"You live in the United Kingdom, don't you? He will destroy you too. The only way we can stop him is if you help us. We tried to get in contact with some of your old company members but they all turned us down. They will only help if you do." Bilbo sounded completely exasperated. He probably hadn't slept in days, too worried about this case to do anything but find someone that could help.

Thorin smiled at the thought of his friends yelling at this shy man. Most of them didn't have lives to go back to once he announced they would no longer be working together. He could remember the look of sadness on his nephews face's when they walked out the door of their company building for the last time. Shaking the thoughts from his head, he gripped the phone a little tighter. He was positive that his company members probably hated him now. He practically asked them to put their lives in his hands and then he tossed them away.

"I haven't talked to them in a year. They probably hate me. Good luck though, with Smaug." Thorin nodded his head and almost hung up for the second time. A small sniffle could be heard on the other end of the line and it sort of broke Thorin's hard heart. This grown man was crying because he refused to help him.

"Please." Bilbo whispered into the phone just loud enough that Thorin could hear him but had to strain his ears to. Growling lightly he stared at the phone for a few minutes before slamming his head on the headboard of the bed.

"Alright! Fine. What do you want me to do?" He could almost hear Bilbo smiling. It didn't sound like a smirk though like he was pleased his ruse had worked. He truly sounded happy. Rolling his eyes, Thorin knew he was going to be in deep shit. He promised himself that he wouldn't get back into the game but alas it pulled him back in. Bilbo told him the specific directions of his new mission. Thorin nodded and knew he would have to spend the next day getting the members of his company together again. This was sure to be interesting. When Bilbo hung up he closed his eyes and lay back in his bed for the final time that night before sleep took him over.