A/N Just to let you all know, i have been a bit busy latly with band and stuff so i apolagize for the long delay, chaper eight will be up in the next three days.
Also, I lost my beta (she has some stuff that she needs to do and is writting a story of her own, HawkPerrigrin, pretty sure i spelt that wrong though, check her out!) so if there is more mistakes then usual now you know why! I hope you enjoy the story all the same!_
Bilbo ran into the cavern, taking in the scene before him. Frodo was pressed up against the back of the wall, blood dripping from a cut on his hand. He was trembling terribly. The fox meanwhile was advancing slowly, blocking off any chance of escape.
Bilbo advanced slowly, hoping that the fox was too concerned about Frodo to notice him.
Frodo was afraid. He had been sitting in the back of the cavern, when the blood dripped off his hand and onto the ground, causing the fox to advance on him. Frodo was trying to move away, when suddenly the fox had jumped up and snapped at him. Frodo ran to the back of the cavern, a scream escaping his throat. He pushed himself as far back as he would go, desperately hoping that the fox would suddenly change its mind and leave. Of course no such thing happened.
The fox, which until that moment had been focused entirely on the being before him, turned suddenly on instinct, finding Bilbo advancing on it from behind.
Bilbo felt his heart skip a beat, he and the creature had made eye contact, a contact which none of them were willing to break, for fear of what would happen next. It was silent in the cavern except for the sound of Frodo's ragged breathing.
Bilbo stood there, sword held up in front of him. When suddenly the fox sprang up from where it stood, aiming for Bilbo's face. Bilbo ducked, only to get scratched by the fox's back paw as it leaped right over him.
It hurt, for the fox had hit him directly above his right eye, and it was now bleeding heavily. But he refused to let this distract him. He needed to save his nephew, and he was willing to risk his life in the process.
Bilbo advanced on the fox, any trace of nerves gone from him. He brandished his sword as he looked the creature in the eye, willing it to come closer to him.
And it did, with a jump such as Bilbo have never seen a fox do before, it leaped at the hobbit's face. But Bilbo was not afraid, waiting to greet the creature with his sword.
Bilbo woke up to darkness, brandishing a sword that he no longer held. "Frodo?" He called, once again fearing the worse.
Thorin stood by the hobbit, worry clearly visible on his face. Bilbo hadn't returned to them until late the next morning, his body covered in blood, holding on to his nephew in a way that showed how reluctant he was to ever let go of Frodo again. Thorin, who had been on watch at the time, was startled to see them in such a bad condition. Upon seeing the dwarf, Bilbo had fallen over, and would have squished his nephew had Thorin not managed to catch them in his powerful arms.
Thorin had to wake Kili up, not being capable to tend to the two of them at once. He handed Frodo over to his nephew, telling him that he was closest to Frodo out of the three of them.
Frodo was in a right bad state. His body went from shaking to being violently still. He had fallen asleep in Bilbo's arms, clinging to his uncle, as if fearing that the world would end the moment he let go. Kili ripped off a piece of his shirt, then pulling out his skin, poured a little water on it. He then placed it on the young hobbit's head, hoping to cool him down a bit, for he was sweating miserably. Kili then washed off the blood that had found its way onto the hobbit. He checked for injuries, but the blood seemed to have come off of his uncle when he was holding him.
Thorin picked Bilbo up form where he had been placed, trying to be as gentle as he could manage. He walked over to his belongings, thinking that Bilbo would not appreciate having blood all over his things. Thorin looked the hobbit over, searching for the source of all the blood. He had three scratches on his forehead, and a small, yet deep. Gash on his chest. Thorin came to the conclusion that he had been attacked by either a very large fox, or a small wolf.
Thorin took a piece of cloth from his bag, intending to wash the blood off the hobbit, so that he could treat the cuts on his chest and face. Oh that beautiful face-
Thorin shook his head, knowing that now was not the time for him to be thinking such thoughts. Bilbo was hurt, and he needed to be taken care of.
XXX
Bilbo found himself looking at Thorin's face. He jumped up slightly, causing Thorin to move out of the way to avoid getting bonked in the head. Bilbo looked around, trying to recall the events of the past few days.
It came to him eventually, he had been attacked by the fox, which had managed to cut his chest before Bilbo skewered it with his sword. He then remembered picking up a terrified Frodo, and somehow managing to bring him back to the camp, which had not been easy because of the loss of blood.
But that was all that Bilbo did remembered. What he wondered now was where his nephew had gotten off to, and why he was sitting on Thorin's coat instead of his own.
Bilbo tried to get up, but a sudden sharp pain in his chest and head caused him to lie back down again. "Frodo?" he asked. Not too pleased at the prospect of having to resort to words instead of actions. "Where is Frodo?" He asked again when he didn't receive and answer the first time.
Thorin looked down at Bilbo; he had spoken so quietly that Thorin needed to strain to hear him. Then he nodded in the direction of Kili, guessing what it was that Bilbo had been asking. Bilbo looked up at this, sighing with relief when he saw Frodo safe in Kili's arms. He was glad to see him sleeping so soundly, especially after his latest ordeal.
"I asked Kili to take care of him as soon as the two of you arrived." Bilbo jumped when he heard Thorin's voice. He had been so occupied with the thought of his nephew that he had forgotten about the dwarven king. Bilbo blushed and turned away, hoping that Thorin would not see the relief at seeing him in his eyes, lest Thorin figure everything out.
"T-Thank you. I… I guess that I should apologize for wandering off like that?" Bilbo was nervous. Surely Thorin would be furious with him for leaving suddenly like that. Bilbo looked up, expecting to see anything but the expression that was now Thorin's face.
Thorin was looking at him with clear worry and relief on his face. There was also something else, something that confused the hobbit. "Thorin are you-" He was cut off as Thorin lifted him up and pulled him into an embrace. Bilbo flinched when the pain from his wounds were made obvious to him, but he didn't struggle. So many different thoughts were racing through his head. Why was he being embraced, Thorin being as gentle as he could so as not to hurt him.
Thorin, who had acted on what his heart had said versus mind, let go as soon as he realized what he was doing. He pulled away, allowing Bilbo to lie back on to his coat.
Bilbo found himself unable to speak properly. As much as he tried, the words simply refused to leave his mouth. And so they remained a thought.
"You ought to go to sleep. You've been through a lot." Thorin said, his voice barely above a whisper. Thorin turned to move away from Bilbo.
"Thorin?" Bilbo muttered, his mouth voice starting to work again.
Thorin stopped moving away, and turned his head to face Bilbo. "Aye?"
"Thorin, I… What was that about? I mean not that I object but-" Bilbo stopped, realizing that he had been so close to telling the dwarf what he thought of him.
Thorin smiled. "Just go to sleep Bilbo. I promise that it will all be explained in due time. "
"Thorin?"
"Bilbo," Thorin turned and walked back towards the hobbit. "I told you, go to sleep." Then without waiting for a reply, he walked away.
Bilbo sat there, confusion racing through his mind. And unsure of what he was supposed to think about all that had happened, he finally gave his mind over to the drowsiness that was threatening to overwhelm him, and he fell asleep.
When Bilbo woke up again, he found that everything had already been packed and neatly folded away, all except for Thorin's belongings, which Bilbo had been sleeping on, for someone had taken the time to put all of his belongings away. He looked up, trying to see what everyone else was up to, hissing as he was assaulted by the pain from his injuries.
Bilbo looked down, he had been bandaged during the night, he touched his face, feeling the bandages that had been placed there as well as the ones on his chest. He looked up when he heard the sudden noise of footsteps to his lift, fear taking hold of him, but he calmed down at the sight of Thorin coming back from wherever he had been. And the last traces of fear left him.
XXX
Bilbo had refused Thorin's offer to help him walk, knowing full well that it hurt his wounds, but he didn't want Thorin to think bad of him for it. So he dimply dealt with the pain that he felt throbbing through him.
Frodo was still in a pretty bad condition. He was suffering from shock, and the cut on his hand had grown close to becoming infected. Kili had of course managed to treat it on time, and Frodo had then refused to leave his side, for Kili was the one that he felt closest with. Other than Bilbo of course.
Kili was holding on to Frodo as they walked along, worry clear on his face. He had taken quite a liking to Frodo, glad that it was his turn to take care of someone, rather than having Fili doing the work all the time. He kept looking down to make sure that the young hobbit was indeed alright, and he just couldn't shake the feeling of unease that had been a constant companion since Bilbo and Frodo had come back.
Fili could tell that his brother wasn't feeling all that great, and he wanted desperately to do something about it, but didn't know what would be the right thing to say. So he just left Kili alone, knowing that his brother would come to him if he needed help, just like always.
Later that day they had arrived in Bree, for they were unsure of how they felt about sleeping out in the open so soon after all that had happened to the hobbits. They had arrived there quite early in the day, for Thorin could tell that Kili was quite anxious about Frodo, and Bilbo didn't look too good himself.
"Alright sirs, how many rooms would you be liking? We have separate small ones, or there is one big one with room enough for all, though I'm afraid that'll cost ya extra."
Thorin was getting quite annoyed with the innkeeper, for he was quite nosy, and talked far too much. "Just the one." Was Thorin's reply.
The innkeeper was slightly taken aback at the dwarfs tone, and decided that he would pipe down a little. He handed Them a card that gave them all of the information that they needed for their stay at the end. He didn't normally hand this card out to others, but he could see that they were travelers and where very tired, with little patience.
Bilbo took the key from the innkeeper, offering his thanks. Then went to follow the others up the stairs that led to their rooms.
