Gandalf resisted the urge to bash his head against the table. Repeatedly. Until he knocked himself out. These dwarves were so troublesome. Thorin himself was proving to be beyond troublesome, lurking on the borders of overly stubborn and ridiculous. He had not wanted Bilbo to come along and had made no effort to hide the fact. However Gandalf had managed to convince him to allow the hobbit to join their party.

That was a feat in itself.

Yet that wasn't why he was worried. He had yet to introduce Fury to him and he was afraid that the Dwarf King would say something to set the young woman off….and possibly light all of them on fire. She…had a tendency to be unpredictable at times.

At least, he thought, she was listening to him and staying in the other room until he called for her.

XxxxX

Fury was bored. A bored Fury was a very bad thing. A bored Fury tended to do very stupid things that ended up with something getting broken. Warily she eyed the room she was in, there seemed to be nothing…too valuable in it. She sighed. However it was Bilbo's house and she couldn't destroy anything…again. Though the first time really hadn't been her fault, it was Kili's.

XxX

Fury had her back turned to the young dwarf, laughing as the others pillaged poor Bilbo's pantry.

"What's this?" Turning she nearly choked on air. In his hands, was the Wabbajack. Her pack had been placed on the ground and the Wabbajack was leaning against the wall next to it. The damned dwarf must have seen it and let his curiosity take over.

"By the nine! Don't touch my things!" She made to take it from his hands when he backed away, taking the Wabbajack out of her reach.

"Why? What's wrong with this?" He was waving it around the room unaware of the danger he was holding in his hands. That damned thing could blow a hole in the roof of Bilbo's house!

"For the love of all things sacred, Kili give me that damned staff!" The dwarf seemed to think it a joke and proceeded to run from her. All around the room. Laughing and waving the Wabbajack around like a madman.

Really.

She could have died.

Literally.

Death by Wabbajack.

Why did the weird shit always happen to her?

Then the unthinkable happened. She finally grabbed the Wabbajack and pulled, but Kili didn't let go so the staff was pointed at a rather nice piece of furniture.

It went off. That rather nice piece of furniture turned into a living, clucking chicken.

"What?!" The dwarf cried out, looking at the staff then back at the chicken. He dropped the staff, gladly letting Fury take it. "You turned that stool into a chicken!"

Said chicken cocked its head at them, looking at them with its beady little eyes. Fury really didn't like chickens, not since the whole dragon-turned fire breathing chicken incident.

Noise from the hallway broke their attention away from the chicken.

"Oi Kili! What are you doing?" Fili asked, coming down the hall towards them.

"We've got to ditch the chicken." Fury said, quickly looking for a place to dispose of the clucking animal.

"What? Why?" He asked. "Do you want to tell Bilbo what happened to his rather lovely foot stool?" She shot back.

The dwarf was silent. "The window!" He pointed and Fury grabbed the chicken, who attempted to peck her in protest, and ran to the window.

"Hold it open!"

"I am!"

She reached the window and threw the chicken out of it just seconds before Fili entered the room. There was a pregnant pause.

"What are you two doing?"

Both Kili and Fury had wide eyes as the chicken clucked loudly outside the window.

"Nothing."

Fili raised an eyebrow. "Nothing?"

Kili shrugged, letting the window fall shut. "Nothing at all my brother. Now tell me, is the table set to eat?"

At that Fili brightened. "That it is! Come let us eat!" Kili nodded and his brother left the room. The both of them let out a breath that neither knew they were holding. Opening the window Fury checked on the chicken, making sure it was ok.

"The chickens all good."

Kili nodded. "Right. I'm not touching any more of your things."

Fury nodded. "That's probably for the best. The Wabbajack has done much worse than turning things into chickens."

Kili opened his mouth…

and then closed it. "Don't want to know." Then walked out of the room to where the others were.

XxX

Really it was all his fault, touching another warrior's weapon was insanity. Arguments broke out in the next room and she all but pouted.

She liked yelling too. She would have been in there with them too if it weren't for Gandalf. As soon as Thorin arrived Gandalf practically shoved her in this room, telling her to wait until he called.

Like a damn dog.

She sighed. It probably was for the best, Thorin hadn't exactly made the best example of himself upon arrival. She bristled at the memory of his words towards Bilbo.

"He looks more of a grocer than a burgler."

He looked like more of an ass than a King. She sighed again. If he would only look, really look, at Bilbo he would see that this hobbit, though little, had a fighting spirit. Had a good spirit. A spirit that made her smile. She decided then that she would protect Bilbo to the best of her abilities.

The fire in front of where she sat blazed brightly, reminding her of a certain dragon god. That put a damper on her mood. He was out there somewhere, doing who knows what.

How many lives had he taken? How much blood had he spilled already? How many children has he left orphaned?

She sunk down further into her seat and covered her eyes with her hand. Those deaths were on her head. It was her damn fault that he killed whoever he killed here. It was all her fault. She had failed and because of that so many lives would be taken.

She felt herself begin to tremble as she held back the urge to cry. She would not cry, not yet. She would shed her tears for the fallen after Alduin was dead. It wouldn't honor them to weep now. She had to avenge them first.

"Ah yes, there is someone I would like you to meet. Fury, could you come here? Oh do bring a chair would you?"

Gandalf. It was time then. Lifting herself from the rather comfortable chair she grabbed a lighter, wooden one, and walked to the others. Setting her chair down she sat, and faced the dwarves. Kili waved and Bofur smiled at her.

"Hello lass." She nodded back at him.

"What is this Gandalf? I've no time for jokes." Thorin sighed irritably towards Gandalf. The wizard in return paled at his words.

"I assure you this is no joke. My companion here is-"Gandalf was cut of mid-sentence.

"She does not come." Thorin stated, the tone of his voice indicating that there was to be no more said on the subject.

"Thorin! I-"

"I trusted you in regards to the burgler but this? No the woman does not come." Thorin set his shoulders back, gave Fury a short glance, and then dismissed her.

Gandalf looked like he was about to have a stroke. "I assure you! This woman-"Fury held up her hand, stopping him.

She felt somewhat bad about it, poor Gandalf kept getting cut off. However, the fact that Thorin wouldn't take her simply because she was a woman did not bode well with her.

"I'm afraid, King under the Mountain, that you are wrong."

Gandalf really just wanted to punch himself in the face with the hopes that it would be enough force to render him unconscious.

"Go back to your home and tend to your men, we've no need of you here."

Gandalf decided it would probably be quicker if he used a shovel.

"Ah, but you do."

Thorin snorted at that. "I assure you, we have no need of a woman on this journey. You will simply get in the way. Now leave this table for your presence is not necessary."

Gandalf's jaw dropped in absolute horror. Fury was going to kill the stubborn king, he just knew it.

However the woman was silent, rising from the chair she was previously sitting on. The look she was giving Thorin probably would have killed lesser men.

"You act highly for a King with no mountain."

The whole table stilled. Gandalf silently wished he would choke on something and die, rather than watch how this played out.

"Watch your words woman."

"I will not. You are not my king. I did not win a war for you. I did not put you on the throne. If you had wished for respect then you should have given it to me instead of disrespecting me."

Thorin eyed her angrily before turning to Gandalf. "Tell your companion to cease Gandalf."

The wizard merely looked at Thorin with a wide eyed look. Lightening crackled and came to life within Fury's clenched fists as she approached Thorin.

"How dare you! He is not my keeper! I am not a dog that is to be scolded! You shall give me the respect I deserve Thorin. I will not let you speak to me this way when I have come to do nothing but help you!"

The dwarves all stood on guard as the lightening spread from just her hands up to her shoulders. She was looming over Thorin and the look in her eyes…wasn't human.

Deciding that enough was enough Gandalf stood. "That is enough!" His voice boomed out across the small room, making it seem to shake under his power. All eyes turned to him.

"Fury is a very powerful and very important companion. It is possible that with her help we can accomplish what we are setting out to do."

Still Thorin did not seem convinced. Sighing, Fury released the magic on her arms, the lightening disappeared.

"I do not want your gold if that is what worries you."

He was silent for a moment. "What do you want then?"

His question caught her off guard. What….did she want? She thought of home, of Farkas and the other companions, she thought of Lydia eating all of her bread, she thought of Brynjolf and his rather absurd pranks, but finally she thought of her daughter. She would be sitting at home, worrying about Fury no doubt.

She sighed and looked Thorin in the eye. "Nothing you can give me."

Then without a look back she left the room, leaving the dwarves plus Gandalf to discuss what happened. Deciding she needed some fresh air Fury left the house. However not before she heard Gandalf and Thorin speaking.

"I'm afraid that there is nothing you can do to stop her Thorin."

The dwarf king sighed. "Fine."

Fury smirked.

XxxX

It was some time later when she came back inside, her arms loaded with tomatoes and carrots that she had picked from Bilbo's garden out back. In the midst of things she had realized that Bilbo himself hadn't eaten yet.

Immediately she set out to remedy that situation. However upon entering the hobbit hole she was met with song. A song of dragon fire and a lost home. She shifted from foot to foot, feeling slightly guilty about her comment earlier.

"You act highly for a King with no mountain."

She sighed. Nice Fury, real nice.

She didn't move from her spot until after the dwarves had finished their song. Silently she moved past the room they were in, ignoring the dirty look she received from Thorin, and proceeded straight to Bilbo's room.

He was awake and seemed troubled. Knocking lightly on the door frame she entered. "Bilbo? I've brought you something to eat."

The hobbit nodded. "Ah yes thank you Fury." Handing him the food she frowned at the look of disdain on his face. Grabbing the nearest chair she grabbed it and pulled it over to where he was sitting on his bed.

"What's the matter Bilbo?"

The hobbit merely sighed.

"Well if you don't wish to talk about it that's fine. Still you should eat, we have a long journey ahead of us tomorrow."

"I'm not going."

His statement startled her. "What?"

"I said I'm not going."

She blinked. He wasn't going? "Why?"

Bilbo through his hands up in the air, dropping a few carrots in the process.

"Because I'm not a burgler! I'm a hobbit, and hobbits don't go on adventures! Let alone dangerous ones involving dragons!"

She nodded. "It is going to be rather dangerous isn't it?"

"Yes! I've never held a sword let alone used one, how am I supposed to come with you if I cannot even defend myself?"

Fury laughed and leaned forwards on her knees. "I would protect you Bilbo."

That seemed to take the hobbit by surprise. "You? You're a warrior?"

She gave Bilbo a look. "I'm wearing armor aren't I? I have a large bag of weapons don't I?"

He rolled his eyes. "Oh yes how could I have forgotten?" He went quiet for a moment before he continued speaking.

"I'm not a burglar or a warrior. I would only hinder you on your journey." He sounded so…saddened by this, it touched her heart.

"Bilbo, do you know what I think?"

The hobbit sighed. "No, but I'm sure you're going tell me."

She ignored his comment. "I think that it doesn't matter. So what if you aren't a burglar or a warrior. That's not what's so special about you."

Bilbo snorted. "Oh yeah? What is then?"

"Your heart. You have a good heart Bilbo Baggins and that is so much more important than being a burglar or a warrior. It is your heart that makes you special Bilbo and that is what I believe Gandalf see's in you. A good heart can do more than a warrior with a sword or a burglar with a lockpick."

The hobbit looked at her in honest surprise. She squeezed him on the shoulder. "I'll let you think on it. Just remember that I believe in you and Gandalf does too."

Leaving the room she left Bilbo to his thoughts.

The next day, when Bilbo joined the group, she smiled at him brightly. "Don't worry Bilbo, I'll keep you safe."

Bilbo sighed gratefully. "I'm counting on it."

Thus their journey to Erebor began.