* Authors Note: Hi there! I decided to put in a chapter about when Tamina was found by Bilbo's family. A big thank you to BunnyMooMooMonster for the idea of flashbacks! This chapter turned out a bit longer than I originally wanted, but oh well. I wanted to start showing how much the two siblings care for each other despite their age difference and not being related by blood. Will probably do more flashbacks of Tamina and Bilbo's past every other chapter or something. May also do small flashbacks at the start of chapters as well. Next chapter, is when Thorin and Tamina get back to everyone! I won't be able to update this fast every time, I just had some extra time yesterday and today to write this chapter. Thank you, and please, please leave me a nice constructive review! *
*** Chapter Two: I Wish ***
Mom and Father have been sad for a few years now. They try to hide it from me but I am not stupid, I know why they are sad. Mom cannot have anymore children. They have been trying ever since I was three, and I am now ten. Its gotten so bad around here that Mom will just start crying whenever she sees a new Mother with a child. I wish... that somehow, my family could have another child. Please, my family would love and care for another child.
"Bilbo? Your mother asked you a question." Bungo, my father says waking me up from my daydream.
"Oh! Sorry Mom, what did you say?" I say sheepishly to my Mother.
"Would you like some more milk dear?" Belladonna, my mother asks holding up the pitcher of milk in front of my face.
Was that just a baby's cry I heard? Now I'm imagining things! That will make my reputation of a daydreamer skyrocket even further. "Yes please!" I say holding up my glass and she fills it up.
"You were dreaming about Elves again weren't you?" My father grumbles.
"No I wasn't!" I protest.
"Now Bungo, you know our dear Bilbo likes to daydream." Mom says busily starting to wash dishes.
"But Mom I wasn't..." I trail off. There it is again, a baby's cry.
"What's wrong Bilbo? Have a tummy ache?" Mom says wiping off her wet hands on her apron and putting her hand on my forehead.
"My tummy's fine, but I just heard a baby outside!" I exclaim.
Fathers face darkens "Bilbo, stop making up stories to make your mother sad."
"No Bungo, I heard it too! I thought it was me just hoping..." Mom says.
"Well, Bilbo since you started this, you go look outside and see that imaginary baby." Father says tiredly.
I get up and when I leave the kitchen I hear Father saying "I don't know what to do with that boy sometimes." But I did not hear my Mothers response. I sigh and walk to the round front door and open it. I just about faint at what I see there. There is a crying baby wrapped up in a grubby blanket on our porch with a note on it that says: 'I have no family, please take care of me.'
"MOM! DAD! Come quick!" I cry out.
My parents come running and when she sees the baby my mother gasps and says "Well don't just stand there gawking, pick the poor thing up!" She shoves by me and picks the screaming baby up.
"But who would do this?" I ask as my parents stand there not knowing what to do with this baby.
"I-I don't know son. I really don't." Father breaths.
I look over at the bundle in Mothers arms, the infant had been crying on the porch but is now silent in her arms. I feel something warm up inside of me, seeing that baby in her arms. I reach out and touch the small hand the baby stirs and tightens her hand around my finger and looks straight at my eyes.
"Can we..." I begin.
"We need to find her real family." Father interrupts grabbing his coat.
"Yes, we need to find her family." Mother says tears in her eyes.
"Bilbo, go and ask the neighbors if they have seen any stranger around town. Bella, try to find something to feed the baby." Father says taking command. As he goes by he rubs the baby's head.
"To feed her. The baby is a girl." My mother croons.
* Five Days Later *
"We couldn't find them." Father says tiredly as I let him and a few other village men in the door.
Father and some other men left shortly after we found the baby to try and track down the people who we thought had abandoned the infant on our door step. Our town is very small, so we knew no baby's had been born recently. Also, we don't get many visitors to our town either, but the day that I found the baby, there had been some strangers who came to town. Some of the village folk remembered that there was a man, a woman, a boy about seven, and a screaming baby. Someone else had stepped up and said that he saw the family leaving town that evening, but they were not carrying a baby.
"They are in the kitchen. Let's talk there." I say and they all follow me.
"Bungo! Any luck?" Mother says when we all have sat down.
"We searched and searched, but we could not find a trace of them. They simply disappeared." Father says.
"Would you like me to take the child to the orphanage in Bree?" One of the men say.
"What..." Mother says I can hear the fury in her voice.
"That won't be necessary right now. Thank you for all your help. Bilbo? Can you go show these men out?" Father says holding Mothers hand. I nod and lead the men out of the house. When I come back I see my parents whispering.
"Bilbo, sit down." Father says with a frown on his face. Why does he look mad? Does he want to get rid of the baby? No! She's ours! She came to us and she is already one of the family.
"What's wrong Father, Mom?" I say crossing my fingers under the table.
"We want to raise this baby as our own child, as your sister. But, we won't do this unless you want to. Its a big decision, so we understand if you want time to think it over..." Father says.
"YES! I want her as my sister!" I exclaim.
"But dear you don't want to think it over?" Mom asks.
"No. I already know that Tamina is ours." I say going over and hugging the baby. She look up at me. I never knew that a baby so young could look at you with so much love and wisdom in her eyes.
"Tamina?" Father asks.
"Yes, Bilbo thought of the name and it suits her perfectly." Mother says.
"Tamina. Yes, it does suit her. Welcome to the family." Father says rubbing her head. She looks up at him.
"Look! She just smiled!" I say.
"She's to young to smile, you goof." Father says nudging me.
"She did too smile!" I protest. They just laugh at me, but I know they saw it too. This small baby smiled at us. I don't know how, but she somehow knows that now we are her family.