Lobelia ran as if her life depended on it. She would show them. There was a life out there somewhere, someone would love her. Otho had lied, she knew it was a lie...she was...sure...totally...sure ... No...no, she thought what if...what if he did care...what if it wasn't a lie? Had she been so blind all these years? Then a thought stopped her cold. What if she was hurting Otho the way Macolm had hurt her? Lobelia stood still, she could feel her heart pounding, she felt lightheaded. What if she had been hurting Otho...all this time...if he really loved her? She had to speak with him ...just him...she had to find him.

But Lobelia's had run and run and now in the mists, almost at the edge of the Shire she was lost. She didn't know which way to go. Which way was back...she needed to get back to Otho. What was she thinking? She didn't want to kill the people she had grown up with. Kill little Bilbo...he had just found someone. Oh, poor little Bilbo...who would be there for him in the morning? Oh yes, he'd have his parents but they wouldn't know how it felt to be left by your love. Lobelia knew and she would be there for her little cousin...she would understand when no one else did. Then there was Otho...oh, Otho was it just a lie...did he truly...care...love her? She had to get back, but which way was back?! Which way was back?!

"Lobelia! Lobelia!" Otho was calling her.

"Otho, where are you? I can't see you in the mists." She was frantic now, she needed to get back. She needed to get to Otho. She needed to be there for Bilbo.

"Over here!"

Was that Otho? It didn't sound like him. She knew that the others were out there too; looking for her.

"Lobelia, you idiot come back here." another voice called roughly.

That was a different voice. It wasn't Otho, he would never say that. The whole Shire must be looking for her. Where was she? How close to the edge of the Shire? The mists were just so thick.

She called into the mists, "Otho, help me. I'm lost Otho, I'm lost!"

"Lobelia! Stop you're too near the cliff! Stop! Stop!" Otho tried to reach out to her but too late.

The cliffs were at the are edge of the Shire, surely she hadn't run that far. Lobelia tuned and felt nothing under her foot. She screamed and fell. The blackness surrounded her and in her last waking moment she thought 'please let me still be inside the Shire, I don't really want to hurt anyone', then the blackness overtook her.

Otho climbed down to the small ledge where Lobelia lay, unconscious but still breathing. She had fallen and hit her head, blood ran down the side of her face and she seemed to be growing colder by the second. Several hobbits had run to the direction of the scream. Seeing Lobelia on the ledge they ran to get a rope and helped pulled her up. Otho wouldn't let anyone touch her after they got her back to the top of the cliff. He cradled her in his arms as he carried her to the healer. Her face was cold and had taken on a grey color by the time he got her there. The healer took one look at Lobelia and sent her assistant off to find Oin. It was going to take every bit of skill the two of them had to save her. The rest of the hobbits gave a collective sigh of relief; once everyone knew that Lobelia had been found, brought back and although close to it had never actually left the borders of the Shire. They just shook their heads sadly when the Thain told them she'd been badly hurt. Macolm looked guilty and Marabella tried to assure him that it was not either of their fault and if Lobelia recovered, Otho would be there for her. That thought seemed to cheer Maclom at bit as he started walking Marabella home.

Turning to Thorin the Thain said with relief in his voice, "Master Dwarf, I thank you, all of you for being so willing to help. Bilbo, you go home with your parents. No, young hobbit I'll brook no protests. Your dwarf will know where to find you, if he so chooses after I have explained the situation we have in the Shire."

"Yes grandfather," Bilbo said quietly and after giving Thorin a long look he left with Bungo and Belladonna.

"Now, I want to speak with only the dwarves. Please, all the dwarves follow me back to my smial."

Once there the Thain offered the dwarves tea and seed cake and began his explanation.

" I realize that this must seem strange to all of you but there is a good reason...or at least it seemed like one to our school teacher, Mr. Oleand. You see life in the Shire is peaceful and people are content and happy with family and friends. We share with neighbors and the hardships of others are never overlooked. We love each other and our green rolling hills. Times changed though and the outside world started to encroach upon us. People came to the Shire, just passing through but they brought their ways of thinking. Mr. Oleand called them sorcerers; oh, it does not matter whether they were real sorcerers or not, just that the ideas they brought were...evil. Ideas that greed was more important than giving or that titles made you a better person than your neighbor. People began to measure a person by their wealth and not their character. These sorcerers started some believing that it was perfectly fine to use others for their own gain. That only the strongest should have rights or value. It was terrible...these new ideas. Mr. Oleand spoke to me of his fear that we would become as the outside world and those things that made the Shire so special would be lost. He said he had a plan and that if it worked we would be safe forever. But that if it worked I would not see him again. Then he gave me a letter and asked me not to open it until the next morning. Which I did."

The Thain looked at the awe on the dwarves faces and continued. "The next morning came and everything seemed the same except for the mists that surrounded the Shire. There had never been thick mists like those before. Then as the day wore on we began to realize that something was amiss. I opened the letter from Mr. Oleand and read that he was going to pray to Yavanna to take the Shire out of time as most know it." Here the Thain stopped and took an sip of tea. He looked around the room at the dwavres wondering if they would simply think him a crazy old hobbit when he finished telling them the truth of the Shire. The he continued, "Every night when we go to sleep one hundred years passes in the outside world, but to us it is only a night. The Shire fades into the mist and the outside world doesn't know we exist. You see he felt that this way we would not be in any one century long enough to be tainted by it. We didn't believe it at first, then over the next several days a few strangers, mostly merchants passed through town. They told us of the outside world over a free meal and little by little we came to realize that Yavanna had given Mr. Oleand his request." The Thain looked down and a sad frown came over his face. "But he also wrote in the letter that if any one of us wants to throw Yavanna's gift away by leaving..." The Thain stopped and looked pointedly at Thorin. "...then the whole Shire will disappear for ever."

There was a collective gasp from the dwarves. Fili and Kili exchanged glances, each aware that the other had grown very fond of their hobbit lass. Balin considered the tremendous weight this had to put on the Thain and thought how he hoped the poor hobbit had good, trusted counselors.

"You said Mr. Oleand said you'd never see him again." Dis prompted.

"Yes you see he knew that this was no small request and to show that he was willing to give up everything to protect the Shire, Mr. Oleand an elderly hobbit went outside of the Shire to make his request. He knew that if it was granted he would never live to see his beloved Shire again. For us that was only a few days back but for the rest of middle-earth hundreds of years have passed."

"What if someone wanted to stay in the Shire, someone from outside?" Thorin asked and all eyes turned to him.

"If they truly love someone here not just the idea of traveling in time. If they want this way of life and are willing to give up everything, much the same way Mr. Oleand did...then yes I think it is possible. But no one has ever done it so I cannot be certain." The Thain waited for other questions but the dwarves seemed too shocked.

They just stared at the Thain. Surely the old hobbit was crazy, but then the whole Shire seemed to believe it, judging from the reaction to the hobbit lass who had tried to run away.

" I need to see Bilbo." Thorin said and bowing to the Thain he left, breaking into a ran once he was outside.

Fili and Kili looked at Dis who nodded and then they both left to find their own hobbits. The rest just sat staring in unbelief. Dori finally got up to say he was going to see if Oin and the hobbit healer needed anything, herbs or bandages. He really just wanted to get out of there. This all looked too much like some dark spell to him.

Once Dori had left Ori asked "Who's your school teacher now?"

"We don't have one lad." came the reply. Nori glared at Ori with a definite, 'don't even think it' look on his face and Ori gave a half smile and looked down.

"Oin and the hobbit healer has managed to stop the bleeding and Lobelia had regained consciousness for a few minutes. Long enough to drink the medicine Oin had made up. He explained to the hobbit healer that unfortunately he had more than enough experience with head wounds. She stared for a moment and then nodded. Lobelia lay still, breathing shallow but steady with Otho by her side. He refused to leave her. Truth be told both healers believed the warmth of his hand on hers and the constant chatter he was forcing himself to keep up would probably help a great deal. By the time Dori got there Lobelia had a stronger pulse and a fair chance of recovery.

The chance of Thorin recovering from the truth about the Shire was less certain. He knocked on Bilbo's round green door and tried not to wince when the little hobbit opened it.

"Thorin...grandfather told you then?"

"Yes, it doesn't seem real. You can't come with me can you? Not ever."

"If I could would you ask me to?"

"Yes, Bilbo I would."

"Stay with me, Thorin. Stay here in the Shire. Let the world go about it's business. Stay with me."

"Bilbo I told you I was related to the royal family in Erebor. What I didn't tell you is that I am crown prince Thorin Durin, son of Thrain, King Under the Mountain. Fili and Kili are my sister-sons and my heirs. They are both princes in their own right and Dis is a princess."

Bilbo looked at Thorin and tilted his head and narrowed his eyes a little. "You wouldn't just say that because you don't...don't really lov..."

"But I do love you. I want to spend my life with you. If I could take you with me...no I wouldn't want you to ever...ever have to deal with Erebor. But if things were different...Bilbo, I have responsibilities. In truth that nearly all I have except for the dwarves here with me now. Just responsibilities, I've never been as happy in my entire life as I was today, here with you. If I were free to marry...if there was a way..."

Bilbo put two fingers to Thorin's lips to quiet him. " I will always remember you Thorin of Erebor, son of Thrain, King Under the Mountain. My heart will always yearn for you."

Thorin gathered Bilbo into a crushing kiss and with tears in their eyes; each felt his heart starting to break. The thought that they would never see their love again, never hold them, never touch. Even though dwarves and hobbits had similarly long lifespans Thorin would be a very elderly dwarf by the time the Shire reappeared and Bilbo still a youth barely passed maturity. It was too much. Their grief was so deep it could be felt physically. Thorin gently touched Bilbo's cheek, wiping away a tear then he turned and walked back towards the inn. He never heard the door shut and he knew Bilbo was still watching as his walked around the bend and out of sight. Without knowing it each mirrored the others action as they reached their hand to their hearts grasping their tunics as if it would stop their hearts from breaking ...it did not. When Thorin got back to the inn the rest of the dwarves were there, even Oin who told them that Lobelia had a fair chance of recovery. Fili and Kili huddled together, the grief of leaving their little hobbit lasses evident on their faces. No one was happy. That night they went to bed in the inn hoping against hope that it was all a bad joke... all some strange hobbit custom...anything but the truth. Early the next morning they woke up on the cold ground. The Shire was gone.

Note: Since this is an alternate universe I made hobbit and dwarf lifespans similar.