AN: Okay, so here is the next chapter! It was asked if I was going along with the movie on this story. For this series of stories, yes, I will be going along with the movie. This series of stories I'm going more in-depth in the thoughts of the Line of Durin and adding in extra scenes. However, if you want alternate endings and stories that stray from the movie I have written many of them. These stories include: If I Die Young, Out Of Air, In My Arms. I have also written other stories that deal with the after effects of BOFA. These include: Final Hour, The Last Goodbye, Memories, Gone But Not Forgotten, Letters On The Road. I hope this answers your question. :)

The small group of Dwarves climb up the mountain. The gates are just ahead of them and are spurring them to move faster. Fili keeps walking but glances behind him at his brother. Kili is limping but not as bad as before; the rest must've helped. Fili turns back around and the four of them hurry to the gates, climbing up the rocky path and to the doors.

Fili stops and stares wide-eyed at the destroyed gates. The destruction from Smaug around them causing Fili to look on in shock. The fear rises within him and his doubts come full force to the front of his mind.

Kili slows down and stops next to his brother. His shock and, then, fear evident on his face and in his eyes. If this is the outside then the inside must be worse. Thorin, Kili thinks desperately and fear engulfs him. He turns his wide, fear-filled eyes over to his brother. Fili will know. He'll say they're fine. Nothing to worry about.

Fili feels Kili look at him and he turns to meet Kili's fearful gaze with one of his own. Kili's eyes widen at the doubt and fear in Fili's eyes. Making a silent decision in this look, Fili and Kili rush through the gates and into the halls of Erebor. Bofur and Oin follow closely behind them. As they enter the destroyed halls, Bofur calls out.

"Hello! Bombur! Bifur! Anybody?!" he says as his voice echoes in the silence surrounding them. Fili hears Kili's breath quicken and then realizes his own quickens to match. They need to find Thorin; they have to make sure he's okay. Fili runs through the halls with Kili on his heels as Kili forgets his wound. Bofur and Oin are close behind them as they follow Fili's lead. Fili and Kili look around for Thorin, their only thought being that he can't be dead. Fili sees a staircase up ahead and he leads the small group down it. Suddenly, they hear Bilbo's voice calling out to them.

"Wait! Wait!" Bilbo shouts as he runs towards them from another part of the city.

"It's Bilbo! He's alive!" Oin shouts and points towards the Hobbit. The group sees him and rushes to meet their burglar.

"Stop. Stop. Stop," Bilbo shouts breathlessly at them. The group comes to a halt as they meet up with Bilbo in a corridor. Bilbo catches his breath and looks at the group in front of him. His eyes stop on Fili and Kili however. "You need to leave. We all need to leave."

"We only just got here!" exclaims Bofur as he looks at the Hobbit curiously. Fili furrows his eyebrows as he doesn't like Bilbo's worried tone. One thing was for sure, Fili wasn't leaving until he found his uncle.

"I have tried talking to him, but he won't listen," Bilbo tries to desperately explain. Fili furrows his eyebrow further but deep down he has a bad feeling. Kili's expression matches his brother's and unbeknownst to him, he has the same bad feeling as well.

"What do you mean laddie?" Oin asks as he and Bofur look at Bilbo with their own brows furrowed.

"Thorin! Thorin. Thorin," Bilbo exclaims with worry. Fili's eyes widen, as well as Kili's. Fili's stomach drops further and something niggles at teh edge of his mind. Bilbo's voice brings Fili back to the present. "He's been out there for days. He doesn't sleep. He barely eats. He's not been himself, not at all."

Fili's eyes watch Bilbo as he speaks and then something catches his eye. Fili shifts his gaze past Bilbo to a part of the city with a golden glow to it. Bilbo's voice floats in his ears but Fili's eyes are glued to the glow. Kili's eyes widen further as Bilbo talks. He shifts his gaze over to his brother seeing him focused on a spot past Bilbo, who is still talking.

"It's this… it's this place. I think a sickness lies on it," Bilbo finishes as his eyes land on Fili. Fili's eyes pinch together in concentration as his mind wanders to the stories his mother and uncle used to tell them.

"Sickness? What kind of sickness?" Kili worriedly asks as he looks back over at Bilbo. He didn't miss the expression on Fili's face. This sounded familiar but Kili couldn't place what it was.

Fili blinks as he brings himself back to the present day. His eyes are still focused on the golden glow and he knows it's caused by the treasure. Just as he knows it's where he'll find his uncle. Fili skirts around Bilbo and walks past the group. He knows Kili will follow without having to personally see it.

As Fili moves, Kili turns his head to look at him. Kili's eyes are still wide and they look to Fili for leadership. Seeing where Fili is staring, Kili glances in the same direction. He notices the eerie golden glow further down into Erebor and looks back at Bilbo before turning his attention to his older brother. Fili has started heading down a staircase, moving further into Erebor and towards the glow. Kili quickly moves past the group and falls in behind Fili, only being a couple steps behind him. Bofur and Oin rush after the brothers and Bilbo after them.

"Fili. Fili. Fili!" Bilbo shouts after the young blond heir, trying to stop him from seeing his uncle.

Fili rounds a corner with Kili and the others following close behind him. Fili stops abruptly and the others follow suit. Fili's eyes widen at the sight of Smaug's massive treasure. Kili stops alongside him with identical wide eyes. The two of them take in the large treasure, their eyes roaming over it. Fili's eyes stop on Thorin, who is walking out of a door and to the middle of the space in front of the Dwarves and Hobbit. Fili takes in the rich robes and the jewelry covering him. Fili hears Thorin whispering to himself and Fili's heart drops. It drops further as he takes in the almost possessed look in his uncle's eyes.

"Gold… Gold beyond measure. Beyond sorrow and grief," Thorin murmurs as he turns around and stares at the treasure with lust illuminating in his eyes.

Fili was worried for his uncle; and that worried him all the more. Thorin was strong and determined, and never gave up. The fact that he succumbed to the Gold Sickness was upsetting. Fili didn't know what to do and he most certainly wasn't sure fully how he felt at finding his uncle like this.

Kili's eyes widen as he sees his uncle's state. It finally dawned on him what was happening. Thorin had succumbed to the Gold Sickness; which scared Kili. This wasn't the uncle they left the Shire with. This wasn't the uncle who helped raise them. Kili glances over at Fili and sees the worry and tension on his face. Thorin's voice pulls Kili's gaze back to his uncle.

"Behold… the great treasure hoard of Thror," Thorin announces after looking up and seeing his nephews and the others standing there. Fili and Kili watch as suddenly Thorin throws something into the air at where they're standing on the stair landing. Fili quickly catches it and looks down at it; it's a large, blood red jewel. He looks back up and over at Thorin with worry in his eyes.

"Welcome, my sister's sons, to the kingdom of Erebor," Thorin greets them with arms opening wide and pride in his voice and on his face. Thorin turns around and gets lost in the treasure once again.

"We should find the others," Bofur says and Oin nods in agreement. Bilbo nods his head as well and glances between Thorin and his nephews before looking over at Bofur and Oin.

"Follow me," Bilbo says and begins walking back the way they came. Fili and Kili stay a moment, worriedly looking at Thorin.

"Fili…?" Kili whispers as he looks over at his elder brother.

"Follow Bilbo Kili," Fili orders as he keeps his eyes trained on Thorin. Kili stares at him but doesn't move. Fili feels this and glances over at his younger brother. "Go. I'll be right behind you."

Kili holds Fili's gaze a second longer and then turns and as quickly as he can, follows after Bilbo. Fili sighs and looks back at his uncle. Fili would follow his uncle anywhere he asked him to. That's not to say he would always agree with him but he'd follow him. Fili gives Thorin one last worried look and then walks up the stairs after his brother.

FILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILIFILIKILI

Fili sits on the floor with his back against the wall. They had met up with the others and greeted them joyfully. Everyone was so happy to see the other half of their company alive and well. Or, in Kili's case, mostly well. Speaking of Kili… Fili glances to his side. Kili's position matches that of Fili's, sitting on the floor, back against the wall with his knees up; except his injured leg is straight in front of him. Fili's gaze shifts down to Kili's wound where it stays.

"I'm fine. Really," Kili says as he looks over at his brother and sees Fili staring at the wound. Fili looks up at Kili and meets his gaze before Kili continues. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about."

Fili sighs, knowing he is right. Thorin had fallen to the Gold Sickness and this was definitely a problem. Fili glances towards the door in the direction he knows Thorin to be. His mind was torn. Half of him wanted to blindly follow the man who was like a father to he and Kili. The other half knew his uncle wasn't in his right mind.

"It's the Gold Sickness isn't it?" Kili asks his brother with his eyes wide. Fili wants to tell him no; wants to protect him from this, but Kili deserves the truth. Fili scans the company and his eyes fall on Dwalin and Balin. They nods their heads in encouragement and give Fili and Kili sympathetic looks. Fili shifts his attention back to his younger brother seeing Kili still watching and waiting for his answer.

"Yes, Kili. It's the Gold Sickness," Fili answers and he can see the sadness and fear seep into Kili's eyes.

"What do we do?" Kili asks with uncertainty. He is feeling like a Dwarfling once again, looking to his older brother for answers and to make things right.

"I don't know," Fili replies sadly and looks over at Balin.

AN: Thanks for reading, reviewing, and following! Please review; I love hearing everyone's feedback!