Not Supposed to End Like This

AU story with a tiny hint of Dwalin/Nori, but mostly about the Ur family.

I still own nothing.

That still stinks!

Chapter 7

"Bombur has never known a minute without Bofur," Bifur spoke in their native tongue, "He is the younger brother so an older brother has always been at his side. This is tearing him up inside. It's getting harder for Bombur to keep his emotions under control."

"I understand," Nori agreed, "I fuss and fume with Dori, but he is always there for me. I've always known that if things got too bad that I could reach out to Dori and he would come running. I can't imagine a life without that safety net. This is hard on you too."

"This is agony!" Bifur bit out clenching his fists before calming, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Nori demanded leaning forward, "Sorry for missing your kin so much that the pain stabs at you when you look at him like this?"

Bifur glanced over at Bofur as Nori jabbed his hand in his cousin's direction.

"We are dwarves," Nori spat angrily, "Strong, sturdy, and we survive. When the hell did it become tradition to deny hurting? You hurt! Bombur hurts! I and the rest of the company hurt for Bofur! The bloody mountain hurts for Mahal's sake! Don't hold that hurt in, it is destroying you!"

Bifur regarded Nori with wide eyes before finally bellowing with his hands fisted in his hair. He screamed and screamed as rage tore at him. Why Bofur? Why the very dwarf that was the happiest of the lot? Why his kin? Why? Bifur dropped to his knees as he heard the door slam open and his name being called as he bellowed in anger again.

"Bifur! Bifur, calm down," a voice called as he panted and screamed again before his head was jerked up to see Bombur staring at him in panic, "Bifur!"

"No! Not him! Not Bofur!" Bifur cried before doubling over to place his head to the ground to scream his denial, "Not fair!"

"What is going on here?"

"Little Brother, what has happened?"

"I helped Bifur break."

"Nori!"

"What the hell did you say to my cousin?"

"Your cousin was tearing himself up inside. I'm sick of you two holding everything in. Let it out. Look at the rage that Bifur has been holding in. Is this good for him? Is that good for you?"

"Brother, that wasn't your call."

"Bofur asked me to be there for his family if he ever could not. I am honoring my promise to my best friend."

Bifur bellowed again as hands rubbed at his back. Familiar hands. Bombur. The voiding of his emotions felt…freeing.

"Bifur. Let it all out," Bombur sighed into his ear, "It's okay. Let the pain go. Let all the pain out for me."

The bellowing had left Bifur's throat raw, but he continued to voice his rage. The mountain heard and Bifur stiffened as he was jerked into the stone.

"Substitute? Tell me what pains you so."

"Not fair! Why Bofur? Why him?"

"I ask those questions too. Why my Speaker? Why him when we had just found one another? I want my Speaker."

"I want you to have your Speaker too, Milady. I hurt! I hurt so bad! I want to help him, but there is naught I can do. I can't fix this. I can't make Bofur's body heal any faster. I want to, but I can't. Why? Why can't I help him?"

"Why did the dragon infest my halls? Why did my Speaker get injured? Why does the sun rise in the sky every day? Some questions have no answers, Substitute. Sometimes there is naught to do, but wait and allow time to heal things. Are you caring for your kin?"

"Always. I will never stop, She Who Rises High. I'm still here to care for my kin. Bofur and Bombur are my life and I will never abandon them without a fight, pain or no pain."

"Give me your pain and care for my Speaker. Peace. Believe in your kin's strength to return when he can."

"Thank you, Milady."

Bifur sighed into the link as the feeling of warmth spread throughout him before he became aware of returning to his form. Slowly the toymaker became accustomed to being corporal again and realized that he was lying on his side upon the stone floor. Bifur still felt Bombur's hands rubbing soothingly on his back as chattering voices began to register within his ears.

"Did you feel that?"

"The whole mountain shook! Did Bifur do that?"

"No. Bifur doesn't control the mountain. Erebor is reacting to her substitute Speaker's emotions."

"That's great, Oin. So Erebor is going to react every time Mister Instigator here upsets Bifur. Nori, I'm going to skin you alive."

"Don't threaten my brother, Gloin."

"He started this!"

"Back off, Cousin. Nori didn't do anything he shouldn't have."

"Of course you'd take Nori's side, Dwalin."

"And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Shut up, you two."

"Great. Now you got me in trouble with Thorin, Gloin."

Bifur snorted softly as he blinked his eyes open and attempted to get off the floor.

"Bifur?" Bombur asked as he began to sit up, "He's awake again. Bifur, can you hear me? Are you okay?"

The toymaker nodded as Bombur supported his torso while Bifur wiped a hand across his face. It was easier to breathe now.

"Bifur, why did the mountain quake?" Thorin asked as he kneeled next to the panting dwarf, "What has happened that upset you so?"

Bifur looked up to see the whole company gathered in the room. Dwalin was supporting Nori since the dwarf had stood without his crutches. The former thief looked expectantly at Bifur and received a nod of thanks.

"Hurt here," Bifur croaked in Khuzdul as he patted his heart, "Wasn't breaking. Was shattering. Nori knew. Helped me release the pain. She feel. She call me to her. Took my pain. Care for me, but mountain quakes at her own hurt. Ask me to care for her Speaker. I do. I always do. Need him. Need Bofur."

"Bifur," Bombur sighed pulling his cousin close, "I do too. You tell me if your pain gets that bad again. Nori, don't you dare say whatever you did to my cousin without me being here. Bifur is strong. What if he had lashed out?"

"He lashed out at only himself," Nori pointed out as Bifur looked at the scratches on his arms in confusion, "Pain can't be kept inside forever or a person will explode. Bombur, you're ready to break too."

Bombur's lips trembled before regarding Nori with angry eyes. Bifur knew what his cousin was doing. The rotund dwarf was trying to rein everything inside again. Nori had been right. Both he and Bombur had bottled everything up too much.

"I will break later," the ginger-haired dwarf snarled as Bifur frowned trying to think of way to help Bombur, "Bofur asked you to be there to help not to cause this. Bifur doesn't need this extra strain. Not with caring for both Bofur and myself and a damn mountain!"

"Bombur," Bifur voiced as his cousin glanced at him before glaring back up at Nori defiantly, "Bombur, please."

The former thief looked calmly back at Bombur before sighing softly. Nori hopped forward out of Dwalin's arms as he kneeled carefully and regarded Bombur silently for several long moments. No one spoke as they watched the scene unfold. Bifur felt great relief when his cousin finally broke and crawled into Nori's arms.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to yell at you," Bombur wailed as Bifur scooted over to wrap his arms around the two as best he could, "I just want my brother."

"Nori was right," Bifur heard Oin whisper, "Those two have needed to let their emotions go long ago. Nori's smarter than I thought and I always knew he was clever."

"Still could have chosen a better way to do this, Brother."

"Little Brother, sometimes there isn't a better way to do things than to point out the obvious. Stop blaming Nori for doing what none of us where able to do for the Ur family."

"But…."

"Watch yourself, Gloin. Listen to your brother."

"Fine, Dori, fine. Mahal! Bunch of overly sensitive, infantile…."

"Shut it, Cousin."

"Okay, okay, Dwalin. Get your finger out of my face.

Bifur snorted at the exchange and sat back up as his cousin slowly pulled away from Nori looking flushed and embarrassed.

"Sleep," Bifur ordered as he jerked on Bombur's beard braid, "Need sleep now. Bofur say same if awake. You know that."

"Okay," Bombur agreed swiping at his eyes and sitting up straighter, "Bofur would call the two of us 'big babies' now. Forgive my House for causing this disruption, my king."

"Why do you need to be forgiven?" Thorin questioned as all glanced to him, "I threw a desk when I was told Kili's legs and Fili's shoulder were as bad as they were. Isn't that a disruption? Why am I allowed and you and Bifur not?"

"My legs are getting stronger," Kili offered as he used his crutches to move forward, "I'll regain full use of them again and Fili is healing too. Bofur will wake and come back to us all as well."

"I can lift my arm better now, see?" Fili pointed out showing how much better his range of motion was in his shoulder, "Nori's getting better and Bofur will heal too. I just know it."

"Thank you," Bombur breathed standing and helping Bifur up as Dwalin assisted Nori back up, "Balance, Bif?"

"Fine. She help," Bifur answered before bowing deeply to everyone, "Good friends. Thank you for support. I rest too. Bombur and I feel much better now and won't allow ourselves to get so overcome again. Cousin help me and I'll help him. Bombur and I will talk more. Dwalin, carry Nori. He very tired. I can see."

"I am not…put me down," Nori huffed as he was scooped up in Dwalin's arms as the warrior turned and left, "Dori! Tell this lunk-head to put me down! Dwalin! Put me down! I'm fine! Dori, do something!"

"Make sure he drinks his medicinal tea," Dori called down the hall as Nori's cursing could be heard until the former thief's voice faded, "Bet all of you twenty gold coins that those two will be courting by spring."

"I say in a month," Balin voiced as the company trailed out the door while Dori retrieved his brother's crutches.

"I will always be near if either of you need to talk. Rest well," Thorin advised as he left and shut the door behind him.

Bifur looked at his cousin and led the ginger-haired dwarf over and tucked him into bed next to Bofur.

"I'm sorry," Bombur groaned as he blushed.

"Not need sorry, need sleep," Bifur huffed, "No more denying what we are feeling. Nori right. Not healthy. Not good. Bofur not be happy we in pain and not dealing with our feelings. We do so now. No more denying."

"Okay, Bif," Bombur agreed looking sleepy.

"Keep brother warm," Bifur instructed before crawling up on the other side of the still dwarf, "I keep him warm too."

The breaking had allowed Bombur and Bifur to release a lot of negative energy that had been eating them up inside. The problem was that each day more injuries healed, but Bofur did not wake. The still dwarf grew pale from lack of sunlight and thinner than he should be, having to rely on a liquid diet. Bifur's heart hurt at seeing his cousin so frail. Bofur had always been a ball of energy and vision of health right from birth. Bifur remembered the lad kicking away in his arms as a babe with a big smile on his face.

"The head injury is healed," Oin stated one day after his daily examination and peeled one of Bofur's eyelid up to look into the orb, "Hand me a fresh lit candle."

Bombur hurriedly did as the healer requested and Oin held the flame close to Bofur's eye before sitting up with a sigh.

"Nothing," Oin admitted as Bifur hissed, "He's not reacting to light at all. Bofur needs more stimulus to urge him awake. Talk to him. Read to him. Do more of the muscle exercises with him that I taught you two. His system is starting to show some strain. He needs to wake soon."

"Okay. Bifur and I can do that," Bombur agreed looking frantic.

"I didn't say what I did to frighten you," Oin soothed, "The fact that his wounds are continuing to heal shows your brother is fighting to live. Let's help him out by trying to show him a path out of this sleep."

The two cousins worked hard at keeping up a steady stream of chatter, music, and exercise to try and get Bofur to wake. Bifur felt exhausted at the end of each day. He had never spoken so much since his head injury.

"Let me do the talking," Bombur urged picking up on Bifur's issue without the toymaker having to admit anything, "You just play Bofur's flute for him. I swear my brother hears the music. He just looks so peaceful when you play."

Bifur did as his cousin asked until his hands shook at holding the instrument at the end of each day. One day, Bombur booted him out asking him to go for a walk. Bifur sighed and wandered the halls of Erebor. More dwarves had shown up to help with renovations.

"Where? Where? Where? Where are you?" Bifur heard long before Dwalin darted around a corner, "Bifur, have you seen Nori? Brat escaped his brothers. Again."

Bifur chuckled and placed his hand against the wall and focused his stone sense to ask Erebor for this favor.

"This way," Bifur gestured a few minutes later as Dwalin followed.

The two found Nori sound asleep behind a pillar in an old hall. The lad was curled against the stone with his head on his chest.

"His crutches are over there," Dwalin sighed pulling off his coat to cover Nori, "That means he's been using these pillars for stability to practice walking on his bad leg. Wore himself out it looks like and Oin has asked him to wait for his leg to heal some more. Stubborn fool."

"Your stubborn fool?" Bifur asked through gestures as the warrior blushed.

"Perhaps," Dwalin finally admitted, "I have not made my intentions known to Nori. I wish to wait until Bofur wakes."

"Bofur would like to see the courting of his friend," Bifur agreed, "Thank you for your thoughtfulness in thinking of my cousin."
Dwalin nodded once before going and lashing Nori's crutches across his back and retrieving what most knew was his One. Bifur grinned as he noticed how tenderly the warrior held the former thief. Dwalin was in love. There was no denying that.

"Are you okay?" Dwalin asked as the two left the hall together.

"Needed some air," Bifur gestured, "Bombur kicked me out."

"There is a windowed balcony in the east wing," Dwalin mentioned shifting Nori closer in his arms, "You could get some sun there and not deal with the cold."

Bifur nodded and trotted away. The balcony was warm enough as the dwarf sat. Bofur had been in his coma for nearly four months now. There was a thought niggling at Bifur for some time now. What if Bofur never woke up? What then? Where they supposed to keep stringing their kin along in this half-life he was living?

To be continued…