Well, Sigrid just sort of snuck in here. I was rethinking that decision, but it was hard to resist, so I let her stay. (Don't worry, it's not going to turn into a full-on romance, that's not what this fic is about!) Thanks to everyone who read, and especially reviewed last time! (And Anon, since I can't reply to you, thanks for the tip!) Enjoy…

Fili lifted his head with a shock, his heart racing. Where was Kili? He remembered the battle, Azog, the ice, but he didn't see his brother anywhere—dead or alive. How had he even gotten halfway between the plain and the summit of Ravenhill?

Please Thorin. You have to take care of him for me. I'm coming.

His shoulders sagged in relief when he remembered that Thorin had taken Kili. If Fili couldn't keep his brother safe, then Thorin was the next best thing. He just wished that he'd told Thorin how badly he was hurt. Or at least asked him to send help back once he got Kili safe. Because Fili was pretty sure that he wasn't going to be able to make it down if the pain was any indicator. It wasn't even the flesh wounds so much, though, by Durin, they did hurt. But the hit from the sword hilt inside the tower and Azog throwing him against a stone wall had definitely led to the severe pain and head trauma he had now.

It was getting dark now. Fili knew he needed to get back, needed to get help as soon as possible. It was getting colder too, and he was covered in a light dusting of snow. The longer he stayed where he was, the worse the situation would get. Besides, who knew what else was up here?

Fili squeezed his eyes shut and propped himself up on his elbows, groaning. He pushed himself up to a sitting position slowly and stopped to rest. The fact that he needed so much strength just to sit up scared him. He still had such a long way to go, and there was no way he was going to make it. Still, he had to try. For Kili's sake.

He got to his feet and swayed dangerously. For a second, he thought he was going to pass out again as darkness clouded, but it passed and he realized he was still standing. Everything hurt much worse when he was standing. He wiped blood from under his nose and took one step forward. His legs nearly gave out and he almost fell over. Fili gritted his teeth and took another small step. He never took his eyes off his feet, although he was so dizzy it was hard to even see that. Slowly, painstakingly, step-by-step, Fili kept going. When his body threatened to give out with exhaustion, he permitted himself to rest. He turned around, and saw that he'd gone barely forty feet from where he'd started.

Fili moaned weakly, his entire body shaking. Defeated, he allowed his knees to buckle and collapsed on the cold ground. He was too tired for this. It hurt too much—everything. He wasn't going to make it. Thorin and Kili would find his frozen body later, and…

Come on, Fili! You're sooo slow!

Kili had told him that over and over again, whether they were dwarflings racing out to go play, or if Kili wanted him to get out of bed, or, when they were older, when he goaded Fili while they were racing.

"Kee, I'm trying," Fili whispered. He got up again and made it another ten feet before his body truly gave out on its own. Fili didn't resist. He was too tired, in too much pain, had lost too much blood, been through too much. His eyes slipped closed again.

"You're it, Fili!" Kili shrieked, tagging his brother and then scampering away. Fili raced after him, giggling. He caught up to Kili and tackled him, bringing both of the then to the ground in a spectacular display of older brother dominance.

"I'm Smaug, and I've got you, Kee!" Fili cackled, pinning his laughing little brother to the ground.

Kili threw his arms around Fili's neck and hugged him tightly. "And I'm a hug-monster, and now you love me! No one can resist hugs! Not even Smaug!" he squeezing Fili tightly. Fili didn't want to ask what a 'hug-monster' was, but Kili was threatening to cut off his air supply completely. "Hug! Hug! Hug!" Kili squealed.

Strong hands grabbed Fili by the collar and lifted him up, but since Kili was still hanging on, he came too. "Uncle Thorin!" Kili shouted gleefully once they'd both been set on their feet. "I missed you aaallll day!"

Thorin ruffled Kili's hair. "I missed you boys too." He sent a wink Fili's way.

"Uncle?" Fili asked. "What's a 'hug-monster' anyway?"

"This!" Kili answered for Thorin and grabbed onto their uncle's leg.

He turned to Fili and shrugged. "I don't know, but I think this is pretty self-explanatory." He knelt next down to their level. "Now, I need your help with something, but you have to keep a secret. Can you?" Two little heads nodded and Thorin lowered his voice to a conspiring whisper as Fili and Kili crowded close. "Your mamma is making cookies right now, and when I tried to sneak one she sent me out of the house. So, who wants to help their favorite uncle distract Mamma so he can steal enough for all of us?"

"Me!" Both boys said at once.


Fili felt the snow start up again and its icy touch, but his eyes remained closed. He felt a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. He moaned and slipped back into a world of hazy dreams.

"FiliFiliFiliFiliFili! Wake up, wake up!" Kili punctuated his command by jumping onto Fili's bed and bouncing up and down on his legs. "Fee, get up! It's snowing!"
"I'm awake, but I am absolutely under no circumstances getting out of bed."Fili mumbled, pulling the blankets up even farther. "It's too cold." He closed his eyes again, but it didn't dampen Kili's enthusiasm.

"We have to go out and play in it before it gets all messed up! I'll keep you warm, Fee, I promise!" he begged, and Fili kept his eyes firmly shut. Even though, he could stop the hint of a smirk from making its way on his lips. "You're smiling, Fili! I know you want to go!"

Fili feigned snoring, although he was about to succumb to the laughter bubbling up in his throat. Kili grabbed him by the shoulder and shook it, playing along. "Wake up, Fili! Come on, get up! Ge—"

Pain flashed angrily through his back as Fili realized someone was shaking him. He wearily lifted his head and opened his eyes. "B-Bilbo? What 'r you doing here?" he managed, slurring his words. "I thought you 'ere dead."

The hobbit looked down at him with sad eyes. "No, Fili, I am not dead, but you are going to be if we don't get you out of here soon."

Fili blinked. It was a little darker than it was before. He glanced around, not seeing anyone else but the company burglar. "Where's Kee?" he mumbled.

"I don't know. No one's up here except dead orcs. Well, at least I hope they're dead." He shuddered and offered his hand to Fili. "Come on; let's get you back to your uncle."

Fili struggled to sit up. "How'd you ge' up here?"

"I came to warn Thorin about Bolg's army. I got caught up in the fighting, accidentally, and I have to admit one of those nasty characters knocked me out. I was on my way down when I found you." Bilbo shrugged and helped the injured dwarf to his feet.

He blinked, trying to clear his vision so that there was only one hobbit in front of him, not two. "E'rything hurts," Fili mumbled, wobbling unsteadily.

Bilbo looped his arm around Fili's waist. "Lean on me, I'll help you."

Somehow, with Bilbo's help, Fili managed to get a good deal further than he had on his own. He leaned heavily on the hobbit, and could tell that Bilbo was doing just about all he could to make sure Fili didn't fall. Even if he had been strong enough to walk on his own, his balance was almost nonexistent.

Bilbo kept talking, trying to encourage him to keep going. He prattled on, and Fili was grateful for the just the sound. We're almost there, Fili. Keep going, we're going to make it soon, just a little bit farther and then we can rest. Fili heard a note of panic in Bilbo's voice that kept growing as they slowly made progress.

He just kept his gaze on his now-blurry boots, and kept going, even when he was panting from exertion. Bilbo's voice blended into a low hum after a while, and even the sound of the wind died until all Fili could hear was his own harsh breathing.

Abruptly, Bilbo stopped. Fili sagged against him, exhausted. "Why 'r we stopping, Bilbo?" he whispered.

"There's someone coming," Bilbo said. "I can hear them, but it's too dark to see."

A shout met their ears. "Fili? Is that you, laddie?"

Bilbo let out a sound that was half a sigh of immense relief, and half a laugh. "It's Bofur! And I was thinking it was an orc or something!" he raised his voice. "We're up here! It's Bilbo, I've got him!"

Bofur said something quietly, Fili couldn't make it out. Bilbo pulled him along again, and a moment later two shapes came into view.

Fili recognized the shape of Bofur's hat even before he saw his face. He blinked, trying to make out the figure with Bofur. Was he hallucinating, or had Bofur brought an angel with him?

"Is he hurt or—" Bofur started. "Oh, you don't look to good, Fili."

"Kili…and Thorin…" Fili wheezed. "Are they..."

"Aye, lad, Thorin brought your brother back and Oin is with him. They're in good hands, don't worry."

Fili managed a nod of gratitude. The girl that was with Bofur stepped forward and Fili finally recognized her. "Sigrid." He said, and she offered a little smile.

Bofur explained that Sigrid was there because none of the other healers could be spared, and she might be able to help him. Sigrid scooted closer. "Did you hit your head? It's all bruised under your eyes and your speech is slurred." Fili nodded. She continued, her tone nonchalant although her eyes were serious. "It happened to Bain once, though not nearly as bad."

The others helped him sit down while Sigrid rummaged around in the small pack that Bofur had brought. Fili closed his eyes, hearing Bofur and Bilbo talking but not really listening. Sigrid wrapped up the wound on his leg, but took one look at his back and said she had no idea what to do.

"That's fine, lass, let's just get him back. We're not too high up, it won't take long," Bofur assured her gently, and she gave Fili some awful tasting concoction for the pain.

For the fourth time that night, although this time leaning on Bofur, Fili started off again. It was slow going. Eventually, somewhere in Fili's muddled half-consciousness, they made it to the plain below Ravenhill. Since it was no longer so narrow, Bilbo went to his other side and he was slung between him and Bofur.

The last leg of the journey was the shortest, but for Fili, it seemed to be the longest. His legs were refusing to work altogether, so Bilbo and Bofur were all but dragging him along. He barely registered when they finally entered the healing tent.

"Fili!" All of the sudden, Thorin was there, holding him up, talking to him. He was here, he had made it. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a dark-haired figure curled up on one of the beds. Kili. He was safe. Fili let his eyes close and then slumped to the ground, unconscious.

Wasn't planning on having Fili's POV the whole time, but his misery kinda took over. Not a lot of action here! And goodness, those flashback/memories were hard to write! Hope I did them justice.

Thanks for reading and please review!