A.N: I'M ALIVE! I had so much going on family-wise that I have been unable to work on any of my stories for a while, but I'm back now. I have a feeling that a lot of you are going to like this chapter very much, but I'm not telling...

Well enough of my jabbering for now.

Enjoy!


Thorin did not see Bilbo again until later that night.

Apparently word had spread quickly throughout the Shire that he had returned and he was made busy for the rest of the day repairing tools and re-sharpening knives.

The work was good for one thing.

It kept his mind busy so he did not have to think about how odd Bilbo had been acting that morning.

Or the odd feeling that grabbed a hold of his chest whenever he thought of those honey-colored curls and wide, brown eyes.

It was as if he were a maid fauning over-wait...

He stilled for a moment than shook his head and returned to clearing his workplace of errant tools and dousing the forge fire for the night.

'No. Such a silly thing to think. Me, fauning over the young ma-boy like that. Especially when-'

"Mister Thorin?"

A soft voice uttered behind him.

Thorin turned and saw Bilbo standing in the doorway. His breath caught in his throat. The fading light of the setting sun lit Bilbo from behind, causing the young man's hair to shine like newly polished gold and his skin shone like silver.

He was beautiful.

The dwarf prince swallowed thickly before speaking, "Bilbo."

His voice sounded rough and raspy in his ears, but he could see the effect it had.

Bilbo shivered slightly and his cheeks flushed pink as he yet again shifted his gaze from Thorin's bare chest to look at the floor.

Remembering the last time Bilbo blushed, it was as if lightening struck him, Thorin understood why. Both times
Thorin had been shirtless.

Apparently Bilbo liked what he saw.

A thrill of pride of his physical fitness shot through him at the thought, which he quickly snuffed out.

Thorin cleared his throat. "Bilbo, was there something that you needed?"

Bilbo shifted from foot to foot, as he always did when he was nervous. "I..uh. My mum sent me to t-tell you that sup-supper is ready. A-also to help you clean up, if you needed help, that is. Not that it looks like you do. Well, w-what I mean is that y-you seemed to have everything cleared away already."

Thorin smiled softly at the young man.

"I could use a hand carrying some of these smaller tools back. I have some smaller, more intricate work still left to do, but that can be done without a forge fire, and yes you are more than welcome to watch."

Bilbo locked eyes with him and gave a great smile. " Really!? I'll carry them! Where are they?"

Thorin laughed. "Always so impatient, little one. It's over here."

As Bilbo walked up to where he was, he turned to a wooden bench where a large rectangle of leather sat on top. He placed a few more tools inside of it and rolled it up loosely, securing it with a long strip of leather. He turned back to Bilbo and leaning over, he placed the leather roll into his hands.

When their fingers touched, they stilled as a jolt of lightening shot through the both of them, causing their fingers to tingle.

They both looked at each other.

Thorin at the pink blush tinging Bilbo's cheeks and the wide, pools of warm chocolate that his eyes had become.

Bilbo at Thorin, whose ice blue eyes shone with something that made his chest fill with warmth.

Bilbo shifted closer to Thorin and raised a hand to lightly touch his cheek.

Thorin leaned his head into the touch still keeping eye contact with him.

"Bilbo?" Thorin asked softly, but the young man did not hear him.

Thorin could no longer stop himself, he raised a hand and trailed a finger down Bilbo's cheek.

He watched as Bilbo's lips parted and he slowly licked his lips.

He couldn't take anymore of this and he dipped forward and lightly touched his lips to Bilbo's.

Bilbo's eye widened, he couldn't believe what was happening. He was kissing him. Thorin was kissing him! He closed his eyes, throwing his arms around the dwarf's shoulders, and tilted his head up to allow Thorin more access.

Thorin groaned and threaded his hands through Bilbo's hair, finding that they really were as soft as they looked. He nibbled and tugged at his lips, and when he sucked Bilbo's bottom lip into his mouth and lightly bit on it, the hobbit in his arms moaned into his mouth, causing heat to settle low in his stomach.

'By Aule, can Thorin kiss.' Bilbo was barely able to think. He felt like he was on fire and just from Thorin's lips on his own. He shivered when he dared to think what else the dwarf was good at.

The slight shiver in Bilbo's frame broke through the haze of lust surrounding Thorin and he pulled away from Bilbo, giving a slight groan at the whimper that fell from the hobbit's red and kiss-swollen lips.

He rested his forehead against Bilbo's, panting heavily. He placed a hand on either side of his face and gave his hobbit a quick peck on the lips before stepping back a few steps from him and turning to face away from him.

'His hobbit? Oh, I have really done it now.'

"I think you should go, Bilbo."

Bilbo tilted his head in confusion. "Thorin? What's wrong? Did I do something wrong?"

Thorin shook his head, "You did nothing wrong, little one."

"Then why did you stop?"

Thorin closed his eyes quickly. "Bilbo, have you ever been kissed before?"

Bilbo shook his head and answered, "That was my first kiss, Thorin."

The dwarf groaned softly. "Then you most assuredly need to leave now."

There was silence. Then Thorin felt a small hand on his back, then a pair of lips pressing against his skin.

"Bilbo," He said warningly, "You do not know..."

"Know what? What I want? I want you."

Thorin turned around so quickly, ignoring the small squeak Bilbo gave, gripped his arms tightly.
Bilbo did not move, but looked up at Thorin with wide eyes.

"You know nothing of the world outside of your sheltered life here. Only what I or your mother and father have told you and that is very little. There are far more dangers out there than you know. You would not survive in that world. In my world."

Bilbo laid a hand on his cheek. "You would let no harm come to me, Thorin."

Thorin shook his head, "It would be better for you to stay here in The Shire away from all that."

'Away from me.' He added wordlessly.

Bilbo shook his head violently. "No! I don't want to stay here the rest of my life! I want to see all the places you told me about and I want you to show them to me!"

Thorin closed his eyes slowly and let out a harsh sigh. He had wanted to do this as gently as possible, but he saw now that he had to be harsh with Bilbo, if only to make him see.

He shook Bilbo roughly, "I cannot watch after a child such as you when I have more important things to do. My people have been scattered to the nine winds and our king is missing. A call has come up for a company to search for him. I have answered that call. Now do you understand?"

'I can't watch you die in front of me.'

Bilbo's mouth formed a small 'o' and nodded slowly in understanding. His eyes slowly watered, but his tears did not fall.

Thorin let go of him slowly rubbing his arms, before turning to place both hands on the bench, his head dropped between.

"Go on home, Bilbo. I'll be along shortly."

Bilbo nodded and moved to leave before he remembered something. He jogged up beside Thorin and grabbed the leather roll, then brushed his lips against Thorin's ear and whispered.

"I am apparently not a child or you wouldn't have kissed me like that."

He placed a quick peck on his cheek and was out the door and up the trail before Thorin looked up.

Thorin smiled sadly, a single tear rolling down his cheek.

"And that's exactly why I can't stay, little one."