Disclaimer: I would need to travel back in time and switch genders for these characters to be mine.
They had left Bree days ago, and the most noteworthy thing about the town had been how all the Men had kept asking if the company of Dwarves was sure that they wanted to travel with a Hobbit.
The company took this as another sign as to the weakness of the Hobbit race as a whole and thought nothing more of it, if the settlement closest to the agriculturally inclined race wanted to be protective of the little people that was their business and no concern of Dwarves.
Having traveled a good distance for the day, and with the sun setting, Thorin called the company to a reluctant halt at an outcropping of rocks in the middle of a wood.
As camp was set up, Bilbo couldn't help noticing the nervous stares that most of the company- and even Gandalf, he realized- were shooting towards the dark woods.
Summoning his courage he asked Bofur about it- the behatted Dwarf seemed to enjoy explaining things, especially if the subject was gruesome.
"Well, ya see, it's like this: these sections of woods are highly unsafe, but no-one can say exactly why." He finally answered.
"One group will claim to be besieged by silent ghosts who carry people off into the night, while another will say a monstrous swarm of banshee swooped down on them; but the consistent factor is that most parties will lose at least one member while traveling through here, if not more." Noticing how wide the small man's eyes had gotten, Bofur continued with a grin.
"They say that it starts with a whispering among the trees, like little bells tinkling. And then movement, too quick to follow. Finally, they are upon you. And once they have you, there is no hope to live through the night." Several calls came for him to stop before he caused the fragile thing to faint, again.
"But these woods are not overly far from the Shire, I should have heard these tails before!" Whined Bilbo, much to the displeasure of most of the company- in their opinion the halfling whined far too much.
"Maybe the stories are just not told in the Shire. Your people don't really travel much, do they?" Not waiting for an answer the behatted Dwarf walked off to help Bombur with setting up his kettle.
As night descended the whole company was on edge, all of them listening for the sound of little bells tinkling as they ate their supper.
"What was that?" Kili whispered to his brother, pointing to something deep in the forest that his archers eyes could just make out.
"It's nothing, you're just hyped up from Bofur's story." But he leaned over to take a better look none-the-less.
And then the bells began to sound.
Tiny little chimes ghosting along on the breeze, barely heard before they disappeared.
"Eeep!" Ori exclaimed as he saw a shadow flitter for a moment just outside their perimeter.
Just as Thorin was about to command a call to arms the sound of bells grew distinctly louder- and was right inside of their camp!
All eyes turned to look at their Burglar with suspicion, but he was looking off into the trees.
The bells rang again in what seemed a persistent manner, and, as the company watched, Bilbo opened his mouth and answered them with more rolling bell tones.
After several more back and forths he gave a huff.
"Why of all the cheek..." He muttered while looking around for something, not finding it he turned to Nori who was sitting next to him.
"Master Nori, may I borrow one of your knives?" Handing the Hobbit one of his knives he was shocked- as was everyone- by what happened next.
Drawing the blade over his palm and letting the blood well up, the Hobbit stood and approached the tree line while making his bell-like noises.
A cacophony of sounds was soon heard, like a table full of bells and cymbals being knocked over, but the smallest member of the group just lifted his bloodied hand and yelled in the language that they didn't understand- and language it was they all now realized it had to be.
Suddenly everything went quiet and the company looked expectantly at their Burglar.
Turning around with an embarrassed smile, Bilbo lifted his hand and showed it to everyone.
"I'll explain in a moment, but for now I need each of you to taste my blood." As several of the group began to protest- Oin especially was citing health concerns- the small man cut them off with a wave of his uninjured hand.
"It's either this, or I can't claim to protect you as my own. Just take a fingertip full and place it on your tongue. I promise that everything will be fine after you have all done this." Thorin was the first to comply with the odd request, and soon everyone had the coppery taste of blood in their mouths.
Nodding in satisfaction Bilbo returned to looking at the woods, he said a few more undecipherable things in his bell-like voice and then returned to his seat by the fire after receiving a reply.
Looking around at the stunned/curious/confused faces of his companions, he gave a sigh as he wiped his hand clean and dressed his wound.
"I guess I should start from the beginning then?" At their nods of agreement he began.
"A respectable Hobbit eats lots of good food, has a warm smial, a round belly and a comfy chair by the fire. These things are what makes a Hobbit a Hobbit... but we were not always like this." Taking a deep breath, and not looking at any member of the company, he steeled himself for what he was about to reveal to this group of non-Hobbits.
"Long, long ago Hobbits were creatures of the wilds. We hunted in packs, lived desolate lives and drank the blood of other living creatures to survive. We could live for a few centuries like that before succumbing to old age, we were incredibly hard to kill and vengeful when one of our own was injured."
"Bloodstalkers." Balin whispered, and a shiver of understanding passed over the group around the fire.
Nodding, and ignoring how those closest to him moved away slightly, Bilbo continued.
"No-one knows when, or why, the change happened; but eventually we settled down in one place and built the Shire around ourselves. We stopped drinking blood and we started eating large meals. Regular food doesn't have the same sustaining power for us as it does for the other races, so our lives shortened considerably and we became far easier to kill."
Finally looking around the company he noticed that everyone held a mixture of curiosity, disgust and shock. He didn't blame them of course.
Who wouldn't be shocked to find that they were travelling with the descendent of one of the most dangerous and feared races ever to walk Middle Earth? Most had feared his ancestors more than orcs or the armies of Mordor!
"Most Hobbits live in the Shire now, and there are some in Bree who are rather nice, but there are always some who feel the pull of the old ways and leave to pursue them in dark places." Stopping, he waited for the implications to sink in.
"And that's what you were speaking with tonight, Master Baggins?" Kili asked.
"You were talking your kin out of eating us?" Fili quickly chimed in.
"Yes. I come from two of the oldest and strongest blood lines of the Shire, once I had laid claim to you they could not touch you without my permission; or the permission of the Thrain. When you tasted my blood you all became mine. Mine to protect, mine to kill, mine to release into the care of others as I see fit. The claim will only last for a few years until it fades and must be renewed, so you shouldn't worry about it too much."
"But is there something we should worry about, laddie? You said some of your kin felt the pull, does this mean that you yourself could..." Sighing Bilbo answered Balin as honestly as he could, though he didn't really want to.
"If you're asking if I could revert back to a state of savagery, then the answer is: yes. All Hobbits can, we just choose to be respectable instead."
"And why were we not told all this before you signed the contract?" Thorin finally weighed in on the conversation, glaring balefully at the small Hobbit.
"Don't blame me! We're not supposed to actually talk about this with outsiders. And I thought Gandalf explained all this to you before you came to my home." Several pairs of eyes turned towards the Wizard.
"I thought it was one of the reasons you wanted me for the quest, and was also why I initially resisted going. I don't want to become a blood thirsty killer." At his slight pout and sincere answer everyone relaxed again around the small man.
And everyone turned glares on the Wizard who choked on his pipe at the sudden attention.
"This is all news to me." He spluttered.
"I had always wondered at the origins of the Hobbits, but had never been able to find anything. I had never even heard their language before tonight, and they are even more closed mouthed than Dwarves when asked a direct question about their culture." Puffing on his pipe some more he gazed off into the fire and gave no sign of interest to anything else said to him- though they all knew he was listening.
As everyone turned back to the Hobbit Nori finally asked what he was curious about.
"Master Bilbo, just what would it take to make you revert to the old ways of the Hobbits?" Attention caught by the sudden question, everyone leaned in to hear the answer.
"Um, well... There have been a few cases of Hobbits- when put under sever stress and hardship- who have partly, or sometimes completely, reverted back. But personally? I don't know what it would take to break me." As innocent eyes stared up at the him, Nori resolved to not be so hard on the little man anymore.
A decision that every single member of the company silently agreed to.
It was Bifur who finally realized it and voiced his observation loudly. As stares once more leveled at the Hobbit Bofur translated.
"He says that you marked us as your own by feeding us Bloodstalker blood, blood that is supposed to have magical tendencies. He wants to know just what this 'claiming' really means for us." The sudden blush that lit the smaller man's features was completely unexpected.
"Uh... um... I mean... O blast it! When you all drank my blood it made me aware of you." Bilbo stated hastily.
"And what does that mean exactly?" Thorin demanded.
"It-it means that I can now tell where you all are at any given moment, if anyone is in pain or becoming ill." Dropping his voice to a near whisper the Dwarves had to strain to hear the last part.
"I can also feel your emotions." As it sank in everyone just stared at the small man, who visibly flinched at the waves of rolling emotions directed at him.
"Please don't feel so betrayed." He begged the group as a whole.
"We only use this as a way for parents to keep track of their children now, and it's not like I can affect your thoughts or decisions or anything." Pleading eyes met those of every member of the company until they relaxed.
Giving a sigh of relief as the emotional cacophony subsided he stood.
"I'm going to bed, it has been a long day." As he moved to his bedroll several more questions were thrown his way:
"Do the Men of Bree know of this? Were they trying to warn us against traveling with you because of it?"
"Can you still drink blood?"
"What am I feeling right now?"
"Are you able to do anything of the things Bloodstalkers are famous for doing?"
"Do you have fangs?"
Waving them all off, Bilbo continued to ready himself for sleep.
"I'll answer whatever you want tomorrow. For now I just want some rest." Letting the Hobbit go, the company talked a while longer about what they had learned that night.
It was several days later, after Gandalf had assured everyone privately that the Hobbit held no sway over them, that Bilbo's 'claim' over them was finally excepted.
Fili and Kili had been planing a large prank, when suddenly Bilbo set it off in their faces. Standing there, covered in mud that had been destined for others, they demanded to know how he had known.
"You were both being sneaky and filled with anticipation. I have several Took cousins that act just the same as you, it was easy to figure out." Everyone laughed at the boys, and clapped Bilbo on the back.
At least until Thorin walked over.
"Boys, clean yourselves up. Everyone else, finish packing up the camp." As he glared everyone scattered to do as told, everyone except a small Hobbit.
"Really?" He asked the intimidating figure of the King, who wasn't so intimidating when you could feel his laughter shaking through him.
"Why don't you just laugh? It's what you really want to do."
Narrowing his eyes the King Dwarf bent over to get right into the smaller man's face.
"Not a word, do you understand?" Nodding furiously the Hobbit bit his lips to keep from laughing at the dichotomy of Thorin's expression and his true feelings.
A sudden shift in emotion made Bilbo gasp and look up to see Thorin staring at his lips.
Locking eyes with the startled Hobbit he spoke three words and walked away.
"Not a word." As he walked Bilbo stood rooted to the spot in shock.
Thorin Oakenshield was in love with him!
))
AN: I do so hope you enjoyed this. I just couldn't get Vampire Hobbits out of my head, so here they are.
Fair warning on two points:
(1) This will be a slowly updated story. I'll update it when I can get Vampire Hobbit inspirations to do so.
So if there is something you would like to see, or something you wish to have explained further, just let me know.
(2) Their will be smut in later chapters, as well as blood-play(this is a vampire story after all).
So if you don't think you can stomach it, I'm sorry. But I will post warnings to any chapter that contains either of those elements.
Please let me know what you think with a review, they do inspire me to write faster.