It had taken many exhausting days, and rougher nights, but the entire company was now on the mend and residing in the reclaimed mountain. Tentative negotiations were beginning between the leaders of all who had participated in the swiftly dubbed 'battle of five armies', and though slow, they had not yet descended into violence, and so were counted a success. Bilbo was determined to keep well away from these delicate proceedings, not seeing any point to his unhelpful presence, and thankfully the company agreed with his decision.
The hobbit was currently in the rooms that had been given to him upon reentering the mountain. Ironically, he had been offered the royal nursery, the very room where he had found the crib that housed Gorbo during the fight, and it became a private joke among the company that the first new resident of the mountain was not even a dwarf. The space had been washed and dusted, and was now warm throughout from the crackling fire that had been coaxed to life in the once abandoned hearth. An extra bed had been brought in for Bilbo and set up right beside the crib, nearer to the hearth than they had been before, for the hobbit was unused to the frigid mornings that came with mountain living at the brink of winter.
Despite all the effort that had been put forth to make him comfortable, and the numerous strained apologies a guilty Thorin had sent his way (most by note, as the dwarf was not good at speaking such feelings aloud), Bilbo still felt out of place. The room echoed, and it lacked any of the plush furniture that he was used to from his own home, devoid of any personal touches like paintings and books and rugs. Bilbo was longing to return to the Shire, to ready his garden for spring planting and feel the good earth under his feet. The only thing that worried him was the reception his son would receive. Gorbo was clearly not a hobbit, and a product of his adventuring besides, and he knew the cruel way that "proper" hobbits would act when introduced to him.
Bilbo decided he would bring the topic up at supper with the company, who still ate together at the end of the day to take comfort in the presence of their fellows. He knew his returning home was an inevitable thing, so he decided that it might just be best to get it over with, rather than drawing out the pain of separation from his new friends. This idea was only further cemented when he bumped into Gandalf, who he had not seen since the battle ended.
"Bilbo!" the wizard called fondly, a smile crinkling across his face. "Just the hobbit I was looking for!"
"Evening Gandalf," Bilbo returned politely, shifting Gorbo around in his arms so the lad could see better.
"Gan!" he chirped, seeming to recognize the wizard, though they had only been together a small handful of times.
"I meant to check in on you sooner," Gandalf explained, lowering his voice so their conversation remained private. "I suspect you will be wanting to return home, and I shall be delighted to escort you as soon as you are ready," he informed the suddenly grateful hobbit.
"Whatever would I do without you?" Bilbo sighed, nodding his agreement as the wizard chuckled at the compliment. "I shall have to inform the company, but I see no reason for any delay. I have little belongings, and I assume I could be ready to leave come morning."
The two strolled into the eating hall together, and were greeted from all sides as the company converged upon them. None save the negotiators had seen Gandalf since the onset of battle, and though they had seen Bilbo every day they were as glad of his presence as they had ever been.
Once they had all settled into chairs and were comfortably eating Bilbo cleared his throat, gaining the attention of the entire room. He decided not to bother beating around the bush, knowing well by now that dwarves were blunt folk and appreciated the quality in others. "Gandalf has informed me that he is willing to provide escort should I wish to return home and I have decided to accept his offer. I thought you should know that I will be leaving in the morning," he announced without preamble.
The room was abruptly dead silent, save for the muffled coughing from Thorin's direction. The dwarf had been drinking, and apparently Bilbo's news was shocking enough to cause him to choke. The quiet lasted only a few seconds before a burst of sound filled the air, most of the company protesting Bilbo's imminent departure.
It was Balin who managed to bring the room to order, at the same time using his many years as a diplomat to try and convince Bilbo to stay a while longer. "Are you sure it's wise, leaving so soon?" he asked carefully, not wanting to insult the hobbit. "After all, winter is coming fast, and Gorbo might not appreciate the cold so much outside the mountain. Not to mention the remaining goblin forces may still be on the lookout for the two of you."
"What are you saying?" Bilbo asked weakly, working through his words as he searched for any falsehood. He found none, and even before Balin continued he was forced to agree that the dwarf might be right, especially as Gandalf was subtly smiling and offering no protest.
"Stay the winter with us," Balin requested, glancing at Thorin and receiving an instant nod of approval for the gesture. "Come spring we will be more than happy to escort you home ourselves, if that is your wish," he ended, and the offer relieved Bilbo, though he hadn't missed the insinuation behind that last bit. 'If that is your wish.' As if he mightn't want to go home at all. The hobbit wondered if that was even possible, but reflected that it didn't matter right now.
"All right, I'll stay," he assured them, heartened by the genuine pleasure in the faces of his friends.
Author's note: Here is where I further diverge from canon, though at this point I can't really get much more AU considering the Durins are all alive and well. What I want to know from those reading however, do any of you wish to see a romantic aspect to this fic? I will not promise anything, as I myself have not made up my mind if I want this to happen, but if there was a resounding no from my reader base (or the other way around), I will certainly take that into consideration.