Chapter Nine

It was a child's cry that woke Bilbo, and a moment later another joined it. "Good morning my loves." He said and smiled down at the babies, he slipped the sleeves from his nightgown and held both children to his breast, alarmed when they both seemed a bit cold to the touch. He smiled as they suckled from him and he held them gently until they were finished. He was glad to see that the guard had left behind a stack of diapers on the table and he took two, before changing both the boys. Thorin was sprawled on the bed, still snoring and Bilbo didn't want him to wake. Apparently Kili didn't like the diaper off and started crying all over again as Bilbo changed him. He then held the child gently to him and found one of Thorin's shirts to bundle both babies in. The shirt was warm and seemed to have been knitted from a soft yarn. Bilbo smiled and gently set the babies down next to Thorin, they kicked and waved their arms. Fili almost managed to get his fist into his own face, before Bilbo secured them more tightly. He watched the babies, as they drifted back to sleep and smiled. He looked through the different rooms for a while, before he found his yarn and came back to his family. he knit a little body suit, enjoying the repetitive movement and finished the second as Thorin was starting to stir.

"Careful Thorin, they are lying beside you on your left." Bilbo said and the king stiffened. Bilbo smiled and picked up the two babies, before removing them from the sweater and dressing them in the little body suits he had made. Of course removing the sweater made both babies cry and he didn't blame them, he thought Erebor to be a bit drafty himself. "I want to get clothes for the babies today, I can't knit everything." He said and smiled at Thorin.

"You made these?"

"I'm a bit of a crafter, when the work was done in the garden, I'd either knit, cook, or draw."

"This is well made, if you were a dwarf, you would fit right into the maker's hall." He said and Bilbo smiled.

"Thanks." He said and picked up a baby, while Thorin picked up the other. "I haven't had much time to explore Erebor." Bilbo said. "We'll need to get some clothing from the market for the babies, but after that I'd like it if you showed me where you grew up. The places that are safest to be in that is, I won't risk the children."

"Neither will I love." Thorin said and smiled. "Though I think you need to get dressed first." He added.

"You could do with a change as well."

"I'm their king, they won't say anything if I wear the same clothes three days in a row. In fact they should be glad of it." He said and Bilbo shook his head.

"I'm saying something of it, you stink my love, go take a bath." Bilbo said and realized what he had said as Thorin stared at him.

"You love me." Thorin said.

"Of course I do, you silly dwarf, would I put up with you if I didn't?" Bilbo said. "Come on, I want to get something to eat before we head out." Bilbo added, as a guard knocked on the door to the bedchamber.

"My Lord, we found the Prince's old rooms and the cradle is being sent here."

"Thank you." Thorin said, before starting to pull off his clothes and getting more from the dresser. He walked to the bathroom, leaving the door open invitingly. Something that Bilbo was tempted to do, but they were taking it slow after all and well he kind of liked making Thorin wait for it. Thorin finished quickly and strolled out the door, the hobbit following behind him "We're going out, Bilbo wants to get some clothes for the boys." He said and the guard nodded, trailing behind them as they left. Four more guards joined them, before they were out of the courtyard and Bilbo smiled when he saw a older dwarfing that looked very much like Gloin. "Hello there, you must be Gloin's son, Gimli right?" He said and the dwarf straitened surprised staring at the hobbit and the two small babies.

"Yes, Gimli son of Gloin at your service." He said and Bilbo smiled.

"I'm Bilbo of the Shire and this is Kili son of Thorin." Bilbo said. "Turns out that he likes hobbits more then I even knew. I am glad to have sons that look like me and glad that the line continues." He said and smiled. "I didn't even know such a thing was possible and they are very handsome little boys." Bilbo said. "They need someone to look out for them, will you do that when they get a bit older, Gimli?"

"I would be honored to and they are handsome, congratulations Thorin. I imagine you were going off somewhere, everyone is." He said and Bilbo chuckled, as a female dwarf appeared and gestured to the boy. "That's my Mother, she would be wanting me to go to my lessons." Gimli said and Bilbo smiled.

"One can never have too many lessons, I have some as well and they are quite interesting. Fair well Gimli, I hope to talk to you again soon." Bilbo said and Thorin smiled, as they continued their walk.

"That was well done, Gimli will work harder in lessons now that he's to be a role model for our sons. When I was a boy, I remember looking up to older boys more then grown men and women." He said and smiled. "Now lets stop off and get some bread, before going down to the market." He said and Bilbo nodded, they got the bread from the cooks and went to an elevator. "Unfortunately the markets are on the ground levels, which means that it should take an hour and a half for us to arrive. He said and Bilbo nodded. He sat down with his feet crossed and smiled when he saw one of the guards take out a pack of cards.

"I thought you might like to play with this." Gor said and Bilbo grinned.

"I know a game for six people." Bilbo said. "If someone has a second deck, we can all play." He offered and soon they had a betting game going, using pieces of papers as chits. Bilbo was laughing as the cart stopped and a dwarf paled.

"I will take the next one my Lord." The dwarf said and Bilbo looked to Thorin.

"There is enough room right?" Bilbo asked.

"I doubt that he would be entirely comfortable with six guards, his king, the king's consort and the king's sons, Bilbo." Thorin said and the dwarf gasped, clearly shocked. "It was a night with a hobbit strangely enough, that led me to have my heirs." Thorin said and grinned. "I will be announcing them to everyone soon." He said. "Though I think that most will hear of it, by the end of the day." He added. "If your alright with sharing with us, you can come with us if you like, Master Builder."
"No that's alright, I can take the next one." He said and Thorin nodded. "I will see you in council then, I'm taking the day off to be with my family, but I shall be in council tomorrow." He added and the lift closed. They continued to ride, with the elevator doors opening occasionally, as people made their excuses not to join Bilbo and Thorin. After asking for the third time, Bilbo ignored it when the doors opened and focused on the game. He played fairly well and was enjoying himself, he looked up when Thorin tapped him on the shoulder and stared. Bilbo had never seen such a busy market, with so many things inside. It seemed as though all of middle earth had gathered in one place, one incredibly loud place, where children darted freely in between the legs of adults and all motion stopped as that tide of humanity turned and looked at them. Bilbo pulled himself to his feet and stood next to Thorin smiling. He then walked with Thorin and the other guards from the elevator. He smiled at everyone, enjoying seeing so many people and so much light and laughter. It was very different then what he remembered of the lower halls. He smiled at a small girl, who stared up at him from next to her parents. Something about the child's wide innocent green eyes called to Bilbo and he smiled reassuringly.
"Hello there." He said and the girl stared up at him and spoke in khudzul, he thought for a moment, then realized that she had said hello in return, but he couldn't understand the rest of it. "I'm sorry, I'm still learning khudzul, I have very good teachers, but I'm not very good at languages." He told the girl and the child smiled at him."I learn speak common." She said and Bilbo smiled at her, before asking what her name was in khudzul. "I'm Kel, daughter of Lis and Val, granddaughter of hir, Nalia, Jira and Vol at your service." Bilbo responded with his own lineage, going back only a generation.
"This is Thorin's son Kili and his brother Fili is in Thorin's arms." Bilbo said. "You have pretty eyes." He pointed at his eyes when the girl looked confused and then realized that she was confused about the children."I was lucky enough to find that I got a child on an innkeeper's daughter in the shire." Thorin said and Bilbo saw how red his husband's face was, still he said nothing, as he needed to protect his people and this was the best way. "They bare the mark, but their revealing day has not been set yet and I don't wish to expose my sons to this chill. Can you show us to a stall where good quality baby clothes are made?" Thorin asked the little girl and she nodded, making the gesture to come and Bilbo grinned.

"I understood that Thorin." He said and Thorin laughed, before ruffling the hobbit's hair. They walked after the child and soon found themselves at a booth that seemed to deal exclusively with baby wear. Thorin gave the child a silver piece and smiled at the girl. "Thank you for showing us the way." He said to the girl. Bilbo looked through the clothes, smiling as he saw a little tunic. None of the clothes were in that lovely shade of blue Thorin was fond of wearing, but he found some green, red, yellow and purple outfits."In dwarven custom, dwaves wear colors corresponding to what they do. Babes wear the color of their fathers in the first year of life." Thorin said.

"Well there isn't any blue, so I suppose that's the color for the royal house?" He smiled when Thorin nodded. "You said that I would be a maker, if I was a dwarf, didn't you?" Bilbo said and Thorin smiled.

"Yes, I've always liked the color purple anyway."

"Who made their clothes, if I might ask, they are very fine work." The woman said and Bilbo blushed.

"I did." Bilbo said and grinned at the woman. "I like making things, its one of my hobbies. I can't see our son just wearing blue or purple Thorin, even if I had any right to claim the maker's hall as my own."

"Its against tradition." Thorin said.

"And dressing my babes in just one color, is against mine. Hobbits like to dress children in green to celebrate new life, but we don't stick to one color only." He said and touched the different clothes looking through them. "These are very fine, but they are a fully grown male's clothes and not a boys. Little boys should be dressed in bright colors."

"They are my sons Bilbo and I'll dress them as I see fit." Thorin said.

"They are my children as well, or do you take back what you said about sharing everything?" Bilbo demanded and Thorin stared at Bilbo.

"Bilbo you are causing a scene."

"Too right! I try to understand, really I do, but how is it that whenever there's a difference in custom I find myself obeying yours, rather then the other way around?" Bilbo demanded, Thorin stiffened. "I've tried, I've tried so hard Thorin and its nearly impossible what everyone wants me to do, now my own children can't even wear bright colors and Kili has to choose a trade even before he is one?" He demanded, his words woke the babies and they both started to cry, Bilbo comforted the one in his arms. "Its alright my lamb, Papa just lost his temper." The child wouldn't stop crying and Bilbo checked its bottom, before realizing it was hungry. Something broke in Bilbo, he didn't care for his people at that moment and what had happened, he just had to feed his child. A mad story came into his head and he started to talk. "When a hobbit falls fast and hard for someone, he can have the child of the one that he loves, if that love is true and lasting." He said and pulled down the shoulder on his shirt, letting Kili suckle from him. Bilbo shivered as he stood defiantly, as mighty as any dwarven warrior.

The baby finished suckling and Bilbo burped the child. "They are my sons, just as much as Thorins." He said and the dwarves that had been shocked before were flabbergasted. Bilbo smiled and took Fili from Thorin, handing Kili to the king in return. "I won't have my husbands honor doubted and be taken from making the decisions in my sons' lives, no matter the danger you worry about love." Bilbo said and looked at Thorin lovingly, though his statements were contrived, he found the love shining in his eyes wasn't

"If anyone harms my One's people they shall be punished for it and it shall be hash and unyielding." Thorin stated, looking back into Bilbo's eyes, the same love shining back at him. Bilbo stopped looking at Thorin and turned back to the clothing. He smiled when he saw two little fur coats, though the smallest of them would be huge on the twins. He felt the warm fabric and smiled, he could easily bundle his babies in these. He also chose several purple clothes. "You should choose what you want, you are right, the children are half hobbit after all." Thorin said.

"I think they would look cute in blue, do you have any undyed baby clothes that you can dye for us?" He asked the woman.

"The color of the royal house is a dye only royals can make." Thorin said and Bilbo turned to him.

"Then could you make some."

"When I have the time, I've been busy of late." Thorin said and Bilbo nodded.

"Do you have any other colors? I like the yellow, but it would be nice to have a little green."

"I do have some green dye, I could send some up to you in one of the elevators. They should be ready by tomorrow." She replied and Bilbo nodded. He looked through the clothes and picked out several styles that he liked, making sure to get them in a variety of sizes and colors. He was finally done several minutes later.

"Are you sure you don't want the whole stall?" Thorin asked and Bilbo laughed.

"I can kind of see how much this thrills you Thorin, these should last for the coming year." Bilbo said and Thorin nodded.

"Very well, is there anything else you wish to get while we're here?"

"Some toys would be nice and is there something you want to give our sons?" Bilbo asked and Thorin nodded.

"They need to have their bracelets made." He said and paid for the clothes. Bilbo took out the two little coats and bundled Fili and Kili into them, laughing as they fit loosely around the babies.

"They look like little bears." Bilbo said and Thorin laughed.

"They do." He agreed, they continued on to a toy stall, which was filled with soft toys.

"I want them to have a dragon!" Bilbo said and Thorin paled.

"My sons won't grow attached to any worm." Thorin said.

"But its what brought us together, we can tell them the story of their brave Papa and Kadda and their uncles."

"You would make everyone in the company their uncles?"

"Of course, honory uncles are common for hobbits, I have at least twenty. In addition to my four or five real ones." Bilbo said and laughed at the shocked look on Thorin's face. Bilbo picked up a little stuffed doll of a dwarf holding a sword, before putting it back. He smiled at a stuffed horse and picked it up, feeling it. It was soft enough for the children and he liked the way it looked. "All right, you win, we won't get a dragon." Bilbo said and Thorin looked a little impatient. "I like the horse though, oh look that's supposed to be you!" He said and laughed, while Thorin groaned at his toy.

"I think this one is supposed to be you." He said and Bilbo chuckled.

"I've never looked that fierce in my life!"

"My dear hobbit, clearly you've never looked into a mirror, when your in one of your fits of peak."

"Fits of peak, why I never!" Bilbo said and laughed, he picked out a dog and a teddy bear. "This should be enough for now." He said and smiled.

"Alright, on to the jewelers district then."

"We should get some more cloth diapers, you never know when they will outgrow the ones they have now and one can never have too many diapers, especially when you have two babies. Oh and we need a diaper bag as well."

"Why, one of the servants can carry our supplies."

"Because Thorin, I might not want another carrying our sons' things about." Bilbo replied.

"You can't honestly want to take them everywhere with you!" Thorin said.

"Why not? They won't be much trouble for a while yet and I don't like the thought of them being where I can't see them at all times." Bilbo said and Thorin sighed.

"Alright then, come lets get this diaper bag of yours." Thorin said and Bilbo smiled.

"Thank you Thorin." He said and found several bags, he found a cloth one that was big enough for him and Thorin paid for it. He swung the bag onto his shoulder and grinned when he saw baby slings. He then had to have them as well and Thorin asked if there was anything else he wanted. "No I'm alright now dear." He said and put one of the baby slings on, placing Kili inside of it. "Would you like to use this one for Fili?"

"I'm fine as I am." Thorin replied and Bilbo nodded, he then saw a breast pump and bottles, he had to have those as well. "We're going to be buried in baby things, by the time this trip is over." Thorin said and Bilbo laughed.

"Babies need a lot of things, now come on, we still have to get those bracelets that you wanted." He said and Thorin smiled.

"I know where to go for those." Thorin said and together they walked to a jewel smith.

"Hello King Thorin, what can I do you for?" The man asked and Thorin smiled.

"This is one of my old friends and happens to be Bomber's brother."

"Belfer son of Belda and Hofer at your service." He said and Bilbo smiled.

"Well met, I am Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire." Bilbo said and Thorin went to examining the different pieces. Bilbo sighed and sat down.

"I heard that you like making things, would you like to learn how to make a chain, while Thorin looks over my wares?"

"I would like that." Bilbo said and smiled as he was showed how to pull apart and bend back together small circular loops. He enjoyed himself, finding the task very similar to knitting. He finished a chain and handed it back to Belfer.

"Keep it, one should always keep the first thing they make." The dwarf said and smiled, handing him a clasp. "You might add stone to it."

"I like it how it is." Bilbo said and smiled. "I'll show you how to knit sometime, when you can find the time to visit me."

"I would enjoy that, I haven't seen my brother for a while anyway." Belfer replied as Thorin finally seemed to decide on what he wanted. He chose a necklace which was much too big for any child and tried to give it to Bilbo.

"No, I'm not wearing jewlery, especially not that." Bilbo protested and Thorin stared at the hobbit.

"But its a traditonal gift for the mother of new babes."

"I'm not a mother, I'm a bearer, there's a difference and male hobbits don't wear jewelry!" Bilbo said. "Especially not gem encrusted pieces of flash, like that." He said.

"It shows your status!" Thorin said and Bilbo shook his head.

"No it shows your status, how many hobbits do you see around here? Its fairly self evident as to who I am, if only because I'm the only one of my kind in these mountains. I don't need gaudy jewelry to know that you love me and the boys. I just need you." He said and smiled at Thorin. "You can buy it for me, its not as though I could stop you, but I won't be wearing it. I don't like to wear jewelry, other then a pocket watch and my buttons." Bilbo stated flatly.

"Please Bilbo, wear it for me?" Thorin said and Bilbo eyed the diamond and emerald set necklace like it was something dangerous.

"It looks way too heavy and anyway I don't wear necklaces." Bilbo said and looked over the jewelry. "If you have to get me something, I'll take something more sensible." He said and reached for a pendant with a black onyx stone, that reminded him of Thorin's eyes. "Like this."

"Alright if that's what you want." Thorin said and Bilbo nodded.

"If I have to wear a necklace, I need one that's more practice. We have two babies, babies that don't care if your wearing something nice or not, they will puke on it regardless. I'd rather not be cleaning baby vomit from a necklace with a good forty stones in it." Bilbo said and Belfer chuckled, Thorin shot him a glare and made Bilbo giggle, at once Thorin's glare turned to a soft smile. Thorin also picked out two tiny wrist bracelets.

"They will wear the bracelets, until they become too small and once they are they are melted down and turned into hair beads for the parents to wear." He said and smiled. "We never take the beads off and each holds a piece of our past." Bilbo looked towards Thorin's hair with a new eye. "We don't always wear the beads, but when we do we clearly show the events that shaped us."

"Will you tell me what yours mean?" Bilbo asked and Thorin nodded.

"Of course, you need only ask." Thorin replied and Bilbo smiled at him. They paid Belfer and left the booth, Bilbo smiled at the babies and small children. Dwarven children were just as adorable as any child anywhere and most of the dwarves were travel worn and too thin. Exile from their kingdom had been hard on them and Bilbo decided that they could do with a bit of cheering up.

"Do you hold celebrations of birth?" Bilbo asked.

"Of course we do, friends and family gather and celebrate the new life. Our sons will have to be displayed first, so that no one questions if their lineage is true." Thorin replied and Bilbo nodded.

"Then we should celebrate down here, these people could do with some laughter and dancing."

"I think its a good idea, we should do it." Thorin said and Bilbo smiled.

"We should also plant a garden, we own some of the territory outside the mountain don't we?"

"Dwarves don't garden." Thorin said absolutely.

"So you would rely on Dale and exhaust the treasury, within a few years?"

"Before the dragon came, we did so and the treasury was fine." Thorin said. "Anyway who would be willing to farm this land of yours and who would pay them for it?"

"I thought we could make it into a community garden and have the people share the food equally amongst them. With those that did more work getting a bigger share of the yield."

"So we would punish those that don't have the time for such things."

"Those that wouldn't have the time, no doubt could afford food on their own."

"You're forgetting about the miners Bilbo, they are the least well paid of the dwarven classes." Thorin said. "What of them?"

"So you give them food in exchange for work?"

"And gold, just not as much as a tradesman would make." Thorin replied.

"Still the people are too hungry and I don't feel comfortable in relying only on the crop from Laketown. At least let me offer to teach them how to garden."

"Very well, as you clearly won't let the idea go. I swear your more stubborn then stone Bilbo!" Thorin said and Bilbo laughed.

"As are you, now I want to get some yarn." Bilbo said. "And we need seeds for the garden I'm planting back home."

"Would you be willing to stay in my quarters sometimes?" Thorin asked. 'Instead of us staying in the hobbit hole?"

"Its more of a house then a hole, but yes I'd be fine with that Thorin." Bilbo replied and smiled. "Come on, I want to get enough yarn to make blankets for the babies." Bilbo said and they walked the streets until they found a store selling yarn. Bilbo found some in a light blue and decided to make the blankets from that. He bought enough skeins to make the blanket and turned to Thorin. "Would you like me to make you a sweater as well?" He asked and Thorin nodded.

"I would like that." Thorin said and Bilbo smiled.

"Then pick out the colors, we'll need about ten skeins or so." Bilbo said and Thorin picked out the yarn, Bilbo smiled at the king as they paid for the yarn and Bilbo packed it into the diaper bag. Then Kili started crying and a foul smell filled the air. Bilbo chuckled and took the baby from the sling. "Where can we change him?"

"There's a privy over there." Thorin said and Bilbo nodded, together they went to the privy and Bilbo set the baby down on the table

"Luckily he didn't wake his brother." Bilbo said and removed the little suit he had made for the baby. He stared at the mark on Kili's hip, it looked like a bruise but it was unmistakably two axes. He then looked at Thorin and caught the king's proud smile. Bilbo finished changing the baby and put him in one of the little body suits they had bought. It was yellow in color and Bilbo thought that Kili looked cute in that color. He put Kili's coat back on and settled the baby back into the sling. He then washed the diaper out in the sink until it was nearly clean and rang it out, placing it in a compartment of the bag that had been made for just such a purpose. "Now lets get the seeds and go home." Bilbo said and smiled at Thorin, who nodded.

"I will enjoy spending the rest of the day with you, my council should understand me wanting to have time with my children." Thorin said and Bilbo smiled.

"I'd be glad of it, if I could have some more time with you. I know though that I have to share you with a kingdom and I'm fine by that. You wouldn't be you, if you weren't lording it over some poor dwarf." Bilbo teased and Thorin frowned.

"Its unfair that I can't seem to stay mad at you." He said and Bilbo laughed.

"You love me too much for that, come on! I want to get the seeds, I love watching plants grow." He said and Thorin smiled. It seemed to take forever to find a booth selling planting seeds and as Bilbo looked over the seeds he saw that they weren't of good quality and shouldn't really be sold at all. "That's alright, I can wait a while, before starting my garden." He said when Thorin offered to buy him the seeds he wanted.

"Very well, but I thought that you said you wanted to buy seeds. We've spent nearly an hour looking for this booth, I don't see why you don't buy them now." He said and Bilbo smiled at him.

"You seem to be hungry love, come lets go find something to eat." Bilbo said.

"I don't want to eat down here, too many people." Thorin said and Bilbo frowned.

"Would someone do something to your food?"

"I wouldn't put it past them, its happened before in the past. That's why we have a large kitchen, up where we live."

"I see, alright then, I guess that we will just have to wait until we get back home." Bilbo said and smiled. "Come on, lets go home, my feet are aching anyway." He said and Thorin chuckled.

"Alright my heart, we can't have your poor feet aching." He said and together they walked back towards the elevators. Bilbo saw too many children that were too thin and decided that he would make something for them tomorrow.

"Dwarven children are cute." Bilbo said and smiled at a little boy as they passed, his hair was shaggy and unkempt.

"Indeed they are." Thorin said and smiled. "I'm looking forward to when our children are getting into anything and everything." He said and Bilbo laughed.

"It does sound like an adventure, trying to keep up after them."

"Indeed it does." Thorin replied and Bilbo smiled at the thought.

They reached the elevators and were lucky to find one that people were getting off of, as soon as they wanted on. "There are only three elevators running, there used to be ten, that's why they are so crowded." One of the guards explained.

"It makes sense." He said and smiled at the guards, before settling down and starting up another card game with them. When the lift got to the sixth level a dwarf was waiting outside and ran into the lift, five of the six guards drew their weapons.

"Wait, that's my wife's brother, is there something wrong?" Hir demanded, of the pale dwarf.

"The baby is starting to come, but no healer can be spared, there was a mine collapse."

"I'll help, if you want me there." Bilbo said and everyone turned and stared at him. "I might not be a healer, but I know something of childbirth."

"This isn't like the birth of your babes, dwarven women remain unconscious and there needs to be someone that knows what they are doing." Hir said and ran a hand through his hair, before starting a chant in Khudzul.

"If I don't do it, then who will? Anyway I'm sure Thorin needs to hear of the mine collapse." He said and handed the baby sling and all to Thorin. "I've helped with the birthing of babes before, though I'm not a healer, let me give what aid I can." Hir looked indecisive before nodding. Hir and Bilbo and two guards rushed to Hir's home, while Thorin talked with Hir's wife's brother.

The hobbit entered and stared at the woman on the bed, thinking back. He hastily got a towel and set it behind her hips. "I'm going to have to look and wait for the child." He told Hir and Hir nodded. Bilbo watched as the women groaned and positioned his hands in the right place, her stomach shuddered and there was some blood. He waited and waited, but the babe wouldn't come, he could see the babe's head but he couldn't reach it and he decided on something a little unorthodox. He spread the woman's legs far apart, stretching her skin further and held it there, the shudders that she gave off loosed the babe enough, so Bilbo could reach it and guide it from her. He held the child in his arms, a child that was too still. He remembered when a baby wouldn't breath before in the shire and the midwife had to breath for it until its lung's cleared. He bent his head and breathed into the infant's mouth, before hitting it on the back. The infant coughed up some form of black slime and let out a small cry. He held the infant gently for a moment, before handing it over to his father. Luckily the bleeding wasn't too bad and seemed to be stopping on its own. The woman's eyes fluttered before they opened.

"Let me see Bilhir, let me see my son." She said and Bilbo smiled as the baby was handed to the woman. He knew he must look a sight, but he found that he didn't care a wit.

"You seem as though you will be fine now miss, I'll be taking my leave."

"Thank you, but how did a halfling come to watch over my birth?"

"Its a long story miss, one I'll let your husband explain. You should take some time off to be with your family now Hir."

"What is your name."

"I'm Bilbo, consort to Thorin and your son and my boys will be year mates, that is if there is a common school."

"There's no common school, we're taught what we need to know for the different trades." Hir said and Bilbo frowned he didn't like the thought of his boys not being taught with the others of their age, still he would wait to speak of it until he was with Thorin.

"I have much to learn myself, I'll be taking my leave now." Bilbo said and left the small house. "Can someone take me to the mine collapse, I'm not a healer, but I have some skill in sowing."

"Thorin wouldn't want you there."

"My children are there, or outside of it, if its safe enough for them, its safe enough for me. Anyway I've seen death and wounded people before, its not something that I haven't experienced."

"Very well." One of the guards said and they rode in another elevator down a level, they walked for a while, before he saw several hundred people lying on the ground, with only a hundred healers to look after them. Thorin stood in the middle of it and Bilbo raced to help. He found Oin bent over a man with a cracked skull.

"I could help, not with that, but with the stitches." Bilbo offered and Oin nodded, before handing Bilbo a needle and some thread and a large bottle of alcohol. Bilbo hurried over to a man who had a gash in his knee and was gritting his teeth against the pain. Bilbo dipped the needle in the alcohol, before turning to the man. "This will hurt." He warned the dwarf.

"Gahat ehhet ofar wath." He said and Bilbo nodded.

"You speak better common then I do Khudzul." The hobbit said, nervously, as he splashed some alcohol on the wound, the man gritted his teeth and let out a small moan. "I'm going to have to sew this up." Bilbo explained and started to sow back together the ripped flesh in neat little stitches. The man started to curse in Khudzul, or at least Bilbo supposed it was cursing, he filed the word that was oft repeated, to ask Thorin what it meant, for it seemed to be a favorite. "It needs to be tight, so the stitches don't rip." He told the dwarf, working as fast as he could. He finally finished and cut the twine with the knife Oin had handed him. he went on working with other patients, finding ones that needed stitching most urgently and going where the healers wanted him. Thorin gave him a mug of something at one point and he sipped at it with one hand, while stitching skin back together with the other, then the babies needed him and he had to take off his bloody tunic before feeding them. he stood there bare chested, with a child suckling at each breast, for a moment, before realizing that he couldn't stop. He continued to work, as the babies finished feeding and drifted back to sleep, Thorin took them back from him and left Bilbo to focus on stitching together the wounds. The hobbit fell into a pattern, as the lights dimmed and day turned to night and the work didn't stop. He continued to work on closing the wounds, though now he stitched together smaller cuts then he had in the beginning.

"You've done all you can lad, thank you for the help." Oin said and Bilbo nodded.

"They are my people, I only did what was needed." Bilbo replied and smiled at Oin. "I don't really enjoy this work, I think I'll stick to sewing cloth, unless something like this happens again and you need me to help. Lets hope that it never does." He added and touched his forehead to Oin's, a gesture made between dear friends. He then looked to Ori, the young man was clearly distressed, he went over to him and touched his forehead to Ori's as well. "It is not your fault if you cannot save them Ori, I know you will do all in your power to keep them safe. Yet Durin has his own will my friend and sometimes he takes rather then gives." Bilbo said and clasped the dwarf around the shoulders. "Don't take it to heart lad, or you will never become the healer you wish to be." Ori squared his shoulders and a look of determination came over him, Bilbo smiled and went to Thorin. "I can't do any more here." He told his husband who was talking in khudzul with two men that were clearly in charge.

"Alright Bilbo, I will be here for a while longer." Thorin said tiredly. "We're trying to decide how to best proceed, unfortunately the tunnel that collapsed was on its way to one of the main mines. We're trying to decide whether to dig it or blast it. Blasting it would take the shortest amount of time, but holds the danger of blow back.

"Why don't you work from the top down and use horses to pull away the rocks, that way the rock that is still sound can serve as the top of the tunnel."

"Some of the pieces are too big to be pulled off by horses, but we could make some leeway doing so, thank you Bilbo." Thorin said. "I wouldn't have thought of that."

"Of course, I'll be going now, be safe Thorin." Bilbo said and Thorin nodded, he took the babies and two of the remaining guards, before getting into the elevator. He fell asleep on the ride up and woke as someone tried to take the babies from him, he opened his eyes and saw Gor smiling at him.

"You did very well." Gor said.

"Thank you." Bilbo said and yawned, stretching out abused muscles. "I think I'm going to take a bath and lie down." He said and they walked together back to the hobbit hole. Bilbo set the babies in the cradle and left the door to the bathroom open, in case they cried. He then took a bath, washing the blood from his body and hair, before putting his nightgown on and getting into bed. He fell asleep almost at once.