Author's Note: Will you join the me on this ride to explore an alternate Earth-Meets-Middle-Earth saga? This is, of course, purely a work of "hilarious" fiction meant to explore fandom and the writing of fanfiction as well as theorize on the New Line adaptation of the "Hobbit". What else would be a dream come true for all 150 fans – elves, dwarves, hobbits, humans, even orcs, at heart - to find themselves in the midst of their favourite story AND to become heroes in their own right.

I need readers' help to invent characters names and backgrounds (entirely fictional, of course) and we'll see where the story leads us, okay?

Disclaimer: I do not own the story, nor do I claim to have any control over future events.

Please don't be offended, this is purely a work of FAN FICTION :). I changed, of course, omit names of real life plane companies and conventions and other things.

Prologue

Martha Hackers could not believe her ears when her name was called out at the ToonConvention panel to be the first person selected to attend the preview of the new Hobbit movie. She felt her heart thump with joy as she nearly sprang out of her seat, upsetting the Mountain Dew in her boyfriend Alistair's hand.

"You are so lucky!" the people around her murmured in obvious envy. They clapped her on the back and she got to her (shaking) feet to approach the representatives who briefed her on the trip details. Alistair took her by the hand – he was just as much a hardcore fan as her, except that they disagreed on whether the addition of Tauriel was the best thing ever or the worst thing the moviemakers could do.

Arriving back at the hotel late that night after a whirlwind day at the convention and a night out in Old Town San Diego drinking herself silly over margaritas, she was totally exhausted.

When Martha started to brush her teeth, she noticed for the first time the ringing in her ears that had started after the (miraculous and shocking) panel. At first she had ignored it in all the excitement, or subconsciously attributed it to the screaming crowds (she had yelled herself hoarse as well), but now Martha noticed the ringing in her ears grew stronger now, like piercing whistle.

"Hey," called Alistair from outside, "I've got this ringing in my head all day."

"Strange," she yelled back, grimacing at the pain in her throat, "Me too."

"Must be the yelling at the panel," said he, just as hoarsely, "I'll pop down at Walmart and grab a couple of aspirins. But let me get out of this get-up first."

"I was with the both of you and I'm not having any problem in my ears," Alistair's mom shouted in her New York accent, "But both of you are excited, that's what. Let me go with you."

Mrs. Cann would never be hoarse. She had yelled just as much as the both of them and her voice was not the worse for wear.

Martha smiled. Alistair's mom was awesome, a true hardcore fan in her own right. She had read the "Hobbit" and "Lord of the Rings" to Alistair as a baby and was a master of Sindarin, Quenya, and Neo-Khuzdul. The three of them had made the amazing 23-hour road trip down to the convention together.

"I hope she gets to come along as well," thought Martha, "I really hope so."

Martha got herself out of the fantasy-cosplay outfit Alistair's mom had made for them (matching elven armour) and crawled into the bath, hoping to relax after all the excitement of the day and smiling to herself in anticipation of her impending pilgrimage.

"I can't wait. I can't wait. How am I supposed to effing wait until November? Oh..."

When Martha fell asleep after downing a couple of aspirins and reblogging images of the day's panel on Tumblr, the events of the panel played back clearly in her mind. In her dreams, she saw the teaser trailer replay itself in its entirety, in all its glorious 48-frames-per-second detail and in astonishing clarity. She heard Pippin's voice, saw every scene exactly as she had seen early in the way. But as she drifted off into deep sleep, the last thing she hazily remembered seeing was Thorin Oakenshield looking directly at her, and saying as he did in the trailer, "Will you stand with me one last time?"

In her sleep, Martha murmured, "Aye, I will. That I will."