Disclaimer: I do not own The Hobbit
Bilbo liked to think of Thorin often. It took a long time for him to be able to talk about that time in his life but when he finally began talking about it, he found that Frodo loved the stories. Frodo's favorite stories were of Thorin, every word Bilbo told his nephew of his lost love were begged to be repeated over and over. One of Frodo's favorites included meal times. "Uncle tell me about dinner." Frodo begged as his uncle tucked him into bed.
"I've told you about every meal we had." Bilbo laughed.
"Tell me your favorite." Frodo asked. Sighing Bilbo sat down on the edge of the bed and thought about which dinner with the dwarves was his favorite. He had loved so many moments with his dwarves, it was hard to choose a favorite.
"There may be one I have yet to tell you." Bilbo said thinking about a night he considered very special. It was hard for him to think about this night in specific. Frodo cheered gleefully. "We risked a fire that night and had cooked food for the first night in weeks. Everyone was fighting over the food especially Bombur." Bilbo laughed.
"You must have had to pry the food out of his hands." Frodo laughed.
"No one should ever get between Bombur and his food. The problem was keeping Bombur away from their food." Bilbo laughed. "But that night everyone was protective of their food. We had such fun." Bilbo laughed.
"Tell me more! Tell me what Thorin did." Frodo said.
"After that, with full bellies everyone sat back to sleep. Thorin found me stuck between his nephews and asked for a word. We sat on a rock and watched the company sleep. He told me a story about Kili and Fili and about how it was taking care of them." Bilbo smiled thinking of the moment. "We sat together and watched his friends and family sleep. See, his sister Dis, was quite sick and so Kili and Fili were brought to Thorin to care for so she could recover. He said after an hour his hair was full of knots, and his patience was thin. And by knots I don't mean tangles, his hair was tied in every knot the two knew. Later he found that the two were stronger than he had realized. He would 'misplace' them and find out they were handing onto his back. By the end of the night he was exhausted and they missed their mother."
"Was Thorin a good uncle?" Frodo asked innocently.
"Thorin was a very good uncle." Bilbo said softly.
"And you loved him." Frodo said referencing something Bilbo had said on more than one occasion.
"Very much." Bilbo said.
"Then why aren't you with him?" Frodo asked. "And Kili and Fili."
"Do you remember what I said about your Mum and Da?" Bilbo asked.
"Yes." Frodo said in a small voice.
"Thorin, Kili, and Fili are with them." Bilbo said.
"Do you miss them?" Frodo asked.
"Every day." Bilbo said softly.
"Does thinking about them make you sad?" Frodo asked.
"Sometimes. But I try to think about them when we were together, and happy." Bilbo said.
"You never tell me about the end." Frodo said.
"I'm not ready to tell you that story. One day." Bilbo said kissing his nephew's forehead.
"You'll see them again." Frodo said softly. Bilbo froze in the doorway.
"Frodo you're such a wise little hobbit." Bilbo said smiling.
"I've lost people too." Frodo mumbled as he snuggled under the covers. Bilbo looked sadly into the darkness. Frodo was such a strong little one.
"In the morning we'll talk more." Bilbo promised. "I'll tell you my story and you can tell me yours if you want." Bilbo said earning a consenting noise from Frodo.