Disclaimer: The Hobbit and its characters do not belong to me.

AN: Sorry this chapter took longer than usual. I just moved to a new house a week before Christmas and then had to host a holiday party. We're still unpacking. Things just got too crazy to write. I added three small paragraphs to the last chapter to try to fix the pacing a little, but I don't have the will to do more now. You probably won't even notice. Oh well. Thanks for your support!

The Trouble with Soulmate Marks: a Hobbit fanfic

By Indygodusk

Chapter 10: Finding Family

Once in Dale, Billa found herself at loose ends. Gandalf set her up with a room and a snack and then bustled off to meddle in the affairs of greater beings than a small hobbit like herself. She didn't mind. It was nice to be alone for a bit.

Billa ate her snack. Just as she finished, a friendly woman knocked on her door and offered her a basin and pitcher along with a blanket in exchange for the empty snack tray. "Things have gotten a lot more civilized since the elves showed up with extra supplies," she shared with a smile before taking a second look at Billa and frowning. "You look all worn out though, my dear. Maybe you should take a nap and then join us for lunch." Patting Billa on the head, she left.

Sighing at being relegated to child status once again by the humans, Billa nevertheless decided to take the woman's good advice. Before her nap though, she poured some water into the basin to wash her face. This adventure had taught her to seize at the trappings of civilization and comfort when she could, as there was no guarantee when she'd have them next. Gently she dabbed the dried tear tracks off her sensitive skin. Then she gingerly patted her skin dry.

Dropping her hand to her vest, she slowly emptied her pocket onto the table to take inventory of what she had left. Besides her clothing, Sting at her waist, and the mithril armor worn under her coat, she had one magic ring, one acorn, one metal bead, and one elven comb. So little… and yet the meaning of each item was almost too big for such a small pocket.

Her fingers hovered over the comb for a moment. She needed to untangle her hair. But in the end she couldn't quite bring herself to use it. Not right now. Not just yet. Maybe tomorrow.

Instead, she finger-combed her loose curls with damp fingers until they were mostly tamed. Then she returned the items to her pocket, rolled herself up in the blanket, and settled down on the dusty cot for a nap. Sleep would help. It wouldn't fix all her woes, but it would help her to focus on the bright parts of life instead of the bad.

In her dreams, she wandered the green paths and gently rolling hills of her childhood. Running her hand over the soft heads of summer grass, she tilted her face up to the hot sun and relaxed. She could distantly hear her mother's voice singing an off-tune song about tomatoes and basil on the other side of the hill where she weeded her garden. Winding back towards the creek, Billa checked on her favorite mushroom patch, but the small heads had barely broken the soil.

Sweat gathered at her temples as she walked through the countryside. Feeling young and carefree, instead of old and constrained by responsibilities, she let herself do something she'd not done in decades. Loosening the laces of her brown corset, she pulled out the white lawn shirt beneath it with a lot of wriggling and tugging until it came off over her head, leaving her only in the sleeveless top and a patterned red skirt. The faint breeze tickled her bare arms and dried her sweat. Distantly she noted the clean, unpainted skin on her chest next to her mole, but that only made sense for the innocent young hobbit she dreamed herself to be. Smiling mischievously, she tucked her shirt in the hollow of a tree and skipped off.

Being so young again was marvelous! She'd forgotten how much energy she'd had back when she'd roam around the shire with her hair down and a saucy wink for any lad who caught her eye. Of course, she'd learned better when those lads all settled down with more placid lasses. She'd eventually become placid herself, but by then she wasn't interested in any of the men left.

She'd never had good luck with men.

As she reached the top of a small hillock, she let herself lean back against a tree and look out over the beauty of the Shire. Orderly farms and gardens were dotted here and there by small houses and large smials with brightly painted doors, decorating the countryside like the ornaments on a Winterfair tree. At the nearest house a group of children held hands and spun in circles until someone came to the door and called them in for lessons. Life in the Shire was beautifully simple and familiar. It was the rest of the world that was complicated and confusing.

"Billa," said a low, gravelly voice.

Looking over, she saw Thorin standing a few feet away, garbed in layers of blue embroidered with indigo and gold thread. He looked young too. His beard was long and gathered together in a single neat braid clasped at the bottom by a gold bead decorated with blue paint. Not a single strand of silver glimmered in his dark hair. The lines of stress and strain carved onto his face by so many decades of struggle had disappeared. Yet he still looked serious and sad. Very sad.

"We aren't young and innocent anymore," she told him forlornly.

Thorin blinked hard and sucked in a breath. "You look innocent. Are you going to help her now, Master Burglar?"

Billa tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Help who?"

Giving her a mildly irritated look, he answered, "Don't play coy with me. I speak of Dis, of course. She wants the treasure for herself. She wants to be Queen Under the Mountain. Are you going to help her take it away from me?"

"Thorin, I've never even met your sister. I have no idea where this is even coming from. This is ridiculous," Billa said with an exasperated toss of her hands. "If you aren't going to be agreeable, please leave. I'm trying to have a nice dream here to calm down from the last few horrible weeks and the awfulness of this morning."

"It is an awfulness of your own making. Your actions and absence have broken my mind," he accused with raw emotion. "I am going mad."

"You broke my heart," she replied sharply. Straightening up from the tree, she faced him directly and met his eyes. "And your mind was already broken. This madness is of your own making. Maybe you succumbed to a greed for gold, just like your grandfather. Or maybe you ignored your promise to Mahal to find your soulmate and were cursed for it. I don't know. I tried to talk to you about it for weeks and you ignored me. You are sick and your actions are wrong. Treasure has become more important to you than honor or family and that is through no fault or choice of mine. You need to change yourself before something even worse happens. Only you have the power to do that. No one else can fix this, Thorin. Only you."

Thorin lifted his hand sharply and Billa couldn't help but flinch back. Thorin froze at her response, and then slowly finished bringing his hand up to his forehead to rub at his temple as he looked away uncomfortably. "You confuse me. You don't make sense." He took a quick breath and then sent her a sideways glare. "You make me angry."

"You tried to kill me, Thorin!" Billa gut-wrenchingly cried.

"No! I- no. It was a mistake. Even as I grabbed you in the midst of my rage, I knew I could not do it." He wrapped his arms around his middle tightly and hunched his shoulders. "It was a mistake."

"That doesn't make it okay," she said forcefully, suddenly feeling exposed in only her corset. Clouds moved in and the wind turned cold, raising goosebumps on the bare skin of her arms and shoulders. The sunshine disappeared. Thunder rumbled in the distance. "That doesn't make it right."

He dropped his arms and straightened. "But you-! And I was only-," grinding his teeth, he lowered his head and growled.

Fat raindrops began spattering Billa's arms as she took several steps back from his anger.

Tugging on his beard braid, Thorin grimaced. "This was a mistake." Thunder cracked loudly above their heads. Billa jumped and looked up fearfully.

When she looked back, Thorin once again sported his shorn beard and silvered hair. The cold rain began pouring down. Billa hunched her shoulders and crossed her arms miserably in futile defense against the freezing downpour.

Meeting her gaze though the deluge, a hint of concern softened the corners of Thorin's mouth and creased the edges of his deep blue eyes. "I am full of mistakes lately. Things that are clear in dreams become cloudy upon waking. It has been a very long time since I was young and innocent, unencumbered by regrets."

Reaching forward slowly enough that she felt no fear, he gently plucked a strand of wet hair off her cheek and moved it back behind her shoulder. "Wake up, Billa. Wake up!"

A second later, she turned and fell out of the cot she'd been napping in. "Ow," she complained softly. Rubbing her bruised hip, she tried to figure out if that had been a real shared dream or merely her own imagining. Unfortunately, there was no way to tell. The only person she might ask was Gandalf, but he had more important concerns right now. Her concerns never seemed to be important to other people lately, though that was probably her doldrums talking.

Dusting herself off, she decided that she'd had enough 'rest' for now. She'd passed a large kitchen earlier. Perhaps she'd go and volunteer her services until work took her mind off her problems.

Several hours later, Gandalf found her swinging her legs on the edge of a dead planter outside the makeshift kitchens. "Feeling better?" he greeted her as he settled down by her side with a long sigh.

"Yes, actually. I helped out for a while and it reminded me that even when horrible things happen, life still goes on. The humans here had their town burn down, lost possessions as well as friends and family to the dragon. Yet many of them are still noble and kind, and others are still rude and selfish, and all of them are just normal people reacting as best they can. Life goes on, so I'll keep going on too."

At Gandalf's soft look she sent him a smile and added, "I'll also try to be pleasant about it if possible, since there is no need to make other people more miserable. I'm determined to focus on the good things and try to stay positive. There's too much good in this world to waste my time focusing on the bad. And if I falter and fall into sadness," she put her hand into her pocket and pulled out a piece of pale green cloth with a flourish, "Healer Nestor stopped by and gifted me with a real handkerchief!" She gave him a wide grin.

The Gray Wizard started chuckling. "You and your handkerchiefs!" Billa joined in with her own giggles.

Finally they both subsided. "Your words may be simple, but for all that they are still very wise," Gandalf said as he stood up and slapped his thighs. "Come! Let us go for a walk to clear our heads before dinner."

As Billa hopped down from the planter and dusted off her skirts and leggings, he added, "Though there are other leaders here who could use such a walk to clear their heads more than us, but enough of my grumbles. I will say no more. Let us speak of more pleasant things."

Their talk stayed light as they drifted from a discussion on different types of pipeweed to the prevalence of tree and ocean imagery in elven poetry. The wispy clouds became tinted with pinks and oranges as the sun began its descent. They'd walked farther than Billa had expected when she spied a small fire in the distance.

"I wonder who that is?" Billa squinted, but couldn't make anything out. The fire was directly below their path between two rocky outcrops, otherwise they probably would have missed it. Both the landscape and the fading sunlight concealed it well.

"I have no idea," Gandalf answered, "but I'd dearly love to know. Let's go and see." He increased his pace.

Billa followed. "Are you sure it's safe?"

"Of course not," he replied over his shoulder. "But most likely we'll be fine."

"Most likely," Billa grumbled underneath her breath. "Lovely."

They had to wind around a bit to find a way down from their higher pathway. The fire disappeared from Billa's sight, but she assumed Gandalf knew what he was doing as she followed him down. The sky darkened to soft reds streaked with purples and grays.

Then they came down a slope, walked around a jut of gray stone streaked with black and dark green, and came out into a small clearing. Two tents leaned up against the cliff face with a fire flickering cheerfully between them. A small animal roasted above the fire on a spit. An axe was buried in the ground next to a pile of logs.

"That's far enough, I think," said a commanding female voice with a hint of menace.

Billa jumped and dropped one hand to the ring in her coat pocket while the other fumbled to her sword, but Gandalf seemed unconcerned. "Hello the camp!" he called congenially. "I saw your fire and thought I'd stop by to say hello. I am called Gandalf the Gray."

"I have heard that name," the same voice said as four stocky figures materialized from the shadows of the rocks. It was almost uncanny. One minute there were only rocks and a few scraggly bushes and trees, and the next there were people. Not just any people, but dwarves!

"Come into the firelight and be greeted." As their spokeswoman stepped forward, the last rays of the setting sun burnished the dwarf woman's rich chestnut hair and highlighted the deep blue of her eyes, the exact same shape and shade as Thorin's. Billa stumbled at the shock of it and fell behind as Gandalf strode forward.

Blinking hard, she forced herself to look away and over at the others in the group. The woman in charge had facial hair down the sides of her jaw and a muscular build. Her armor was a mixture of leather and metal, with all sorts of strange weapons hanging about her person. The only thing Billa recognized was the sword. A strange metal circle hung from a hook at her waist. Based on the voice, the slightly finer features, and the swelling of breasts beneath her armor, Billa was pretty sure she was a female, but having only met dwarf males, she was afraid to presume. There was nothing soft about her, but she had a fierce beauty that Billa couldn't help but appreciate.

Another dwarf near the back had light brown hair with streaks of sun-bleached honey gold. This one had a similar beard pattern, so Billa suspected that she was a female too. Near the woman in the back stood a male with a short, scruffy beard that looked even younger than Kili and Ori. He stood by the other woman protectively and hefted a large axe.

The last dwarf stood half in shadows and just behind the shoulder of the woman in front. He was definitely a warrior. The sides of his head were shaved, with the hair along the top braided back into a que. He'd also braided the sides of his mustache and the center of his beard, adorning each with several beads. The unfriendly scowl on his face made Billa gulp. He looked even fiercer than Dwalin! He leaned on a massive war hammer resting between his boots. Everything about his stance telegraphed that he could spring into deadly action at a moment's notice. He glared distrustfully at Gandalf as the wizard stepped forward.

"As I said, I am Gandalf the Gray. I have guesses as to who you are, Durin's Folk, but please introduce yourselves if you please." He stopped a few feet in front of the woman in front and smiled genially.

The Dwarf woman tossed her hair back with annoyance. "You may call me Dis. I am the daughter of Thrain. This is my husband, Haeth. Behind me are Tosi, wife of Gloin, and her son Gimli."

An excited smile grew on Billa's face as she examined their features. She'd heard so much about these people over the last few months. It was wonderful to finally meet them and see them in the flesh! Tosi and Gimli looked different than the portraits Gloin carried around with him, but now that she knew their identities she could see the similarities.

Before Dis could say anything else, Gimli jumped forward and bowed. "Gimli, son of Gloin, and of Tosi of course, at your service."

Dis closed her mouth at his interruption and gave a longsuffering sigh. "Yes, well, you may enter our camp and be welcome, but I'll reserve judgement about whether I'm at your service or not, wizard. I've heard enough stories about you to be wary." She looked him up and down with her hands on her hips.

"Oh come now, let us be friends. I am quite harmless," Gandalf said as he hobbled over to the fire and held his hands up to its warmth, playing up his aspect of weak old man. However, his act was ignored by his audience because his walking forward finally exposed Billa to everyone's gaze. She had been concealed by twilight's shadows and Gandalf's cloak.

"Hello," Billa said with a wave and she walked hesitantly forward. "I'm-," she began in an attempt to introduce herself, but before she could Dis jumped forward and abruptly dragged her forward into the firelight.

"It's a Halfling!" Dis exclaimed. "Tosi, come and see, a female Halfling! Do you think it could be the company's burglar?"

Tosi came forward and walked around Billa. "Well, she does look like what Gloin described, but then again I've heard that most of their kind look pretty similar: all curly hair and big feet." They both examined her head and then peered down at her hairy feet.

It made Billa quite uncomfortable. They kept arguing back and forth about it, neither pausing long enough for Billa to speak. Finally she couldn't take it anymore.

"AHEM," she cleared her throat loudly and sent them both an indignant glare. The dwarrowdams broke off in surprise. "Excuse me, but I haven't had a chance to introduce myself. I am Billa Baggins from Bag End in the Shire, most recently of the company of Thorin Oakenshield. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." She curtsied with polite formality. "How do you do?"

"Oh she's adorable," exclaimed Dis before engulfing her in a hug that was almost too tight. She patted Dis's back in a gesture that could be read as merely friendly but was really an urgent request to be released. Billa could barely breathe. "Thank you for looking after all my boys for me," Dis whispered into Billa's ear with a voice clogged with emotion. Then she finally released the hobbit and stepped back.

As soon as Dis let her go, Billa took a deep breath. But before she could completely regain her equilibrium, Tosi grabbed her up in another hug and swung her up and around in the air for a brief spin. Billa squeaked in surprise. "Thank you, Billa Baggins!" Tosi said fervently. "Come over here, Gimli," she ordered. "Come and meet the woman who's kept your beloved father alive these last few months, Mahal be praised." She put Billa down and gestured at her son commandingly.

Billa blushed and scampered back out of touching distance, just in case. She scratched the back of her head in embarrassment while trying to catch her breath. "I haven't done that much," she demurred faintly. "Nothing the company wouldn't have done for me if they'd had the chance, I'm sure."

Jumping over, Gimli went down to one knee and thudded a fist to his chest. Looking into her eyes, he declared, "Thank you so much, Mistress Baggins! Ma says that Da says that you are a true hero, a little bit silly, but generous and kind and true."

"Oh, well, thank you," Billa said. "I do try, but the silly part is probably more often true when it comes to adventuring. I do my best, but I am not a warrior like you dwarves."

She cast her eyes about for a distraction from their effusive greetings, "Oh no, your dinner looks like it's about to burn." This luckily was enough to redirect the group to go over to the fire and start going about dinner preparations.

"You'll have to stay and eat with us," said a deep voice from right behind her shoulder. Billa jumped and turned to see Haeth. At least he'd put the warhammer away.

"Of course she'll stay for dinner," said Tosi. "Won't you, sister?"

A deep warmth spread up from Billa's core and through to the tips of her ears. She'd imagined scenarios about how she'd be great friends with Tosi and Dis when they finally met, but part of her had expected them to be standoffish without the shared adventures she'd had with their kin. "I'd love to," Billa said with a delighted smile.

Gandalf puffed on his pipe from the side of the fire and gave them all an approving look. The meat was pulled from the fire and distributed to plates along with some hard travel biscuits. "Here you are, Mistress Baggins," said Gimli, "I gave you a nice, tender piece. I saved some more if you want seconds. Da said you eat a lot for your size."

"Hobbits appreciate food, it's true," she confirmed happily. "Thank you." The meat was surprisingly tasty, considering how stringy the animal had looked. "This is very good," she said after swallowing her mouthful.

Haeth dropped down to sit on her other side. Billa tried to conceal her startled jump. "Dis has a special way with meat," he boasted proudly, sending his wife a fond look as he enthusiastically took a large bite off his plate. A few bits fell off into his beard, but Billa had taught herself over the months to ignore dwarven eating habits as much as possible. She'd learned that dwarves considered messy eating a compliment to the chef. The neatest eating manners she'd ever seen from the company had been around the elves.

"But unfortunately she can't cook much else," Tosi teased from the other side of the fire. "Everything else tastes awful." A split second later Tosi yelped as a bone came out of nowhere to thwack her in the cheek.

"Keep your complaints to yourself," Dis ordered, brandishing another bone in her fingers, "or no more meat for you," she looked around the fire and then smirked evilly, "or for your son."

Gimli straightened up, "Hey! I'm a growing boy, have some mercy!" Looking over at his mother pleadingly he added, "Ma and I love your food, it's great! Right, Ma?"

Rolling her eyes, Tosi flung her hand up, "For the sake of my only child, I will say your food is good," under her breath she added, "as long as it's only meat."

Dis stuck out her tongue in reply and everyone laughed.

The interactions among the group were genial and the conversation easily flowed. After a while, Haeth got up and went to his pack. He brought back a handful of apples. It gave Billa a pang, remembering her conversation with Thorin in Laketown back before things had gone all wrong. The first apple he offered to Billa with a friendly sort of seriousness before passing the rest around. He went to Gandalf last. As he passed over the apple he demanded, "So wizard, tell me about my sons. What is the status of the company?"

Gandalf took a bite of his apple first before answering. "It is a long tale, some of which you already know because of the Lady Tosi's dreamsharing, a particularly useful gift of soulmated dwarves. Soulmates in other races don't have that ability, you know," he added.

"We don't care about that," said Dis impatiently. "Tell me of my boys, Fili and Kili. Tell me of my brother, Thorin. It has been many moons since I've beheld their faces. Tosi's ridiculous husband conceals things to spare our tender female feelings. And the cursed elvish army blocks our approach to the mountain and keeps us away when we are so close. Tell me how they fare! Please, Gandalf!"

Gandalf settled back and let his apple drop to his lap. "I will tell you what I know of the company's journey and Billa will fill in the gaps. We'll start at the beginning." The two of them then proceeded to relate the adventures they'd had over the last few months of travel. It was interesting to see what these dwarves already knew from Gloin and what surprised them.

The last part of the tale belonged to Billa. She glossed over the events in the dungeons in Mirkwood, though she made sure to emphasize the helpfulness of some of the elves. She didn't reveal Kili's secret elven soulmate, but she did make sure to tell them that when Kili was shot, only the intervention of Tauriel saved him. At the news of his injury and being left behind ill in Laketown with his brother, Dis and Haeth leaned together worriedly and grasped hands. Haeth's eyes became wet as he blinked rapidly, but Dis's face became more blank and stony, a look Billa had seen on Thorin's face before.

When Billa got to her account of the Mountain, her voice faltered. Coughing to clear her throat, she did her best to fairly relate their waking of the dragon, claiming of Erebor, and Thorin's subsequent madness. She did not tell of her doomed love for Thorin or his rejection, but most likely it bled through despite her best efforts. Staring out into the darkness, she quickly forced out the mad events from that morning at the wall. Then she dried the few stray tears that had escaped with Nestor's green handkerchief and forced herself to take several calming breaths.

After a few minutes where everyone stared at the fire and watched the embers drift up to join the stars in the sky, Dis's voice finally broke the solemn silence. "We were close enough to see the wall this morning. We were trying to get inside but the armies of elves and men moved too quickly and cut us off. I wouldn't believe what you say of Thorin otherwise, but I too saw the madness in his face as he ordered your death. I saw him grab my Fili and try to force him to violence. My son looked horrified. He's always been very loyal to his uncle. I could tell something wasn't right. It was my chakram, along with Gandalf's power, that shocked Thorin into loosening his grip on you so you could escape."

Dis's lip trembled a moment as she stared hard into the fire. "I've never raised my hand against my brother. Everything he's ever done has been noble and kind and selfless, with the best of intentions until now. I worry for our family, I worry for my sons. He truly is sick in the mind, just like our grandfather near the end."

Looking away, she sniffed and wiped her nose. "Poor Thorin, deep down he must hate what he has become," she whispered achingly. Standing up abruptly, she strode away from the fire and disappeared into the darkness. Haeth clenched his hands and stared after his wife unhappily, but he didn't follow.

A log popped in the fire.

"I'm going to go try to dream with my soulmate," Tosi said. "I want to make sure he's okay. I'll let him know we've seen you, sister." She got up and came around the fire. Pausing by Billa, she stooped to give her a tight hug. Then she turned, ran a hand through her son's hair tenderly, and disappeared into her tent.

"I'll walk you back," Haeth said suddenly from right next to her in his deep, gravelly voice. "Gimli can clean up and bank the fire."

"Yes, sir," said the subdued youth.

Gandalf stood up and shook out his robes. "You don't have to escort us back to Dale," he said. "We can find the way well enough."

Shrugging, Haeth held out a hand to Billa to help her stand. Surprised, she grasped it and got to her feet. Haeth turned and picked up his warhammer. "You don't seem to be very good at keeping hobbits safe. Mistress Baggins is important to our family. I'll come along, just in case."

Billa's mouth rounded in a silent 'o' of surprise. Pride might say she had proven that she could protect herself, but her rational side was grateful to have such a large and intimidating warrior determined to keep her safe. She should have learned better by now than to judge a dwarf by his scary appearance. He'd been nothing but kind to her all evening. Not that she had any worries when travelling with Gandalf, but it was still nice to have someone care.

As the three of them walked towards Dale in the moonlight, the silence began to get awkward. Billa turned to Haeth, "So how was it raising two rapscallions like Fili and Kili?"

Haeth threw back his head and laughed. "You don't think I lost all of this hair naturally then?" he asked teasingly, smoothing his hands down the bare sides of his head. At Billa's giggle, he winked. Then he spent the rest of the walk telling stories of the boys' antics as youths. His taciturn mien fell away as he spoke of his family in rich tones dripping with devotion and pride.

Chuckling at the pictures he painted with his words, Billa reciprocated with a story about the summer she spent with her Took cousins. It filled her up with warmth to remember all the crazy things they got up to and still managed to survive. She was enjoying herself so much that she was taken completely by surprise when they reached the outskirts of Dale.

"Goodnight, Master Dwarf," Gandalf said warmly, "and thank you for both the escort and the stories. We'll reach the outer sentries in a just a few moments, so you should leave before being seen. That way we can avoid any unfortunate misunderstandings in the dark."

Haeth inclined his head, "Wizard." Then he turned to Billa and just stared at her intently without saying a word. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze, unsure of what he meant by it.

"You don't turn your back on family," he intoned seriously. "Do you still have it?"

Billa scrunched her brows. "Have what?" She hoped he wasn't talking about the ring. Although she liked Haeth, the ring belonged to her. She wouldn't part with it just for the asking. Well, not unless she really trusted the person asking for it and there was a really good reason.

"The bead Thorin braided into your hair." Haeth didn't react to her flinch or the water suddenly beading in her eyes.

"Um, how did you know about that?" she asked shakily.

Haeth replied succinctly, "Tosi."

Hesitantly she raised her hand to her coat and paused. Then, with a deep breath, she unbuttoned it quickly and pulled the bead out of her vest pocket. "I still have it," she showed it to him in the cup of her palm.

Haeth looked at it, but didn't touch. "Thorin is an idiot," he said bluntly, "and crazy now too, it seems. He's never been as perfect as Dis and the boys like to think, even before this mess. Nevertheless, I left my kin, married into the family, and took oath to Thorin knowing that because Dis is my everything. She always has been and always will be. But be that as it may, you were given our family bead and you chose to wear it openly. It declares you part of our family and under our protection and that of our allies."

He looked down at her with dark eyes. "You deserve much better than to be thrown out and left alone so far from your home, especially now. Your actions with Thorin's company and my sons in particular have proven that you deserve better. Putting Thorin aside for now, the main branch of our family also includes Dis, Fili, Kili, and me. Most of the company is a cousin of some sort as well. You seem very close to the boys. Is that true?"

Confused as to where this was going, Billa nevertheless answered honestly. "They are some of my best friends. I think of them like brothers. They took me under their wing during our travels and I did my best to look out for them along the way." Turning pink, she confessed in a rush, "I love them dearly."

Keeping his eyes locked with hers, he picked up the bead from her hand and held it up. "Then it is only right that I follow Tosi's prompting. I, Haeth of the Blue Mountains, name you sister, Billa Baggins of Bag End in the Shire. I confirm you a member of our family, if you will have us."

Reaching up, he tugged sharply at one of his braids and removed one of his own beads. He added it to the first in his hand and held them out with his brow furrowed with seriousness. "My blood is yours, no matter what happens in the future between you and Thorin. You are our family and we are yours, if you accept?"

Dashing away the tear that escaped to roll down her cheek, she looked down for a moment to swallow and get her emotions under control. She pulled out her green handkerchief, but kept it wadded up in her hand.

She didn't know why this family kept trying to put claims on her, but she wanted it. For years she'd lived by herself in a smial meant for multiple generations of families to inhabit. For years, she'd been lonely and peripheral, accepted but not really needed. Each morning she'd build up the fire and made her breakfast for one, and each evening she'd bank the coals and turn in to the same small, one-person bed she'd slept in since childhood. Sometimes she'd wander the marketplace or visit cousins searching for a way to make herself useful, but life had been very hollow, echoing and empty of real purpose.

This adventure with the dwarves had changed that. She hadn't felt so alive in years, nor could she remember the last time she'd been so sought after. This family, these people, kept trying to claim her. Ever so greatly, she wanted it.

"I don't know why you'd want to claim a hobbit you barely know into your dwarven family, but I would be honored," looking up at Heath with a watery smile, she finished, "my brother." Then she bowed her head and gave him the most graceful and humble curtsy she'd given since her great-grandmother Baggins had instructed her in the art. Then she rose up onto her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the cheek just as she'd do for any of her cousins.

Haeth blushed red and smiled back with gentle joy. "Let me fix this for you," he said, reached forward to make a small plait next to her ear, which he threaded the two beads onto and then tied off. "You don't turn your back on family," he said again. "Not ever. If you need anything, you just ask, little sister." He placed his hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently, leaning down to bump his forehead gently against hers.

Stepping back he cleared his throat. "Stay safe." Then he turned and left, fading into the dark countryside like just one more dream of belonging except for the cool beads resting against her skin, declaring that she was both wanted and needed.

Billa stared off after him thoughtfully until Gandalf placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Come along, Billa, time for us to find our beds."

At his words she turned from her contemplation of the night. With Gandalf by her side, they made their way back into the city with a minimum of fuss. The gentle swish and thump behind her ear made Billa smile each time she turned her head too quickly. Crawling into her cot, she drifted off to sleep with pleasant warmth in her chest, determined to only dream good things tonight.

TO BE CONTINUED

AN: Photos of the cast are on my tumblr.

Thorin = Richard Armitage
Billa = Minnie Driver
Dis (Thorin's sister and mother of Fili & Kili) = Lucy Lawless
Haeth (Dis's husband and father of Fili & Kili) = Vin Diesel
Tosi (Gloin's wife and mother of Gimli) = Emily Blunt
Young Gimli (dwarf, son of Gloin and Tosi)= Taylor Lautner