Sorry it took so long. I had some laptop and internet issues. Enjoy the new chapter!

The last month of their journey had been her favorite. She had, indeed, gained an ally in Estel. Seeing her desire to be useful, he had taken to showing her how to repair and sharpen tools and leather goods. She was sure her talk of Arwen encourage his tutelage. Kili had at first been upset, but seeing how happy (and less irritable) it made her, he let it go. When they did finally make it to Bree, the elves and Man saw to it that Kili was well doused. He would feel their congratulations throughout the whole of the next day.

They separated when morning came, with a promise from Legolas that they would see him and Estel during the winter.

"We are helping to patrol the Shire this winter. Since what is known in these parts as the Fell Winter some thirty years or so ago, the Rangers have made sure to keep things well fortified. The others will be happy to know of at least one warrior residing amongst the Shirelings."

With a wave, the party was once more down to three, Gandalf leading the way. They made it to Hobbiton as the sun was beginning to set. Brenna, who was leaning back against Kili, felt more than heard his chuckle.

"What do you find so amusing?"

"It was about this time of night, over 12 years ago, that we first descended upon our Hobbit. I find it fitting, and a bit ironic, that we are to arrive at dinner time. We should have insisted that the others join us. We may not number fourteen, but three elves, two dwarves, a Man, and a wizard would have been interesting enough."

They stabled the ponies and carried what they needed for the night up the hill. Brenna could feel her husband's excitement. She spied a bench as they got closer to the door. She sat and allowed Kili and Gandalf to ring the bell. A moment later, the door opened.

"It was amusing the first time, Drogo, but let's not make this a hab…." said a voice.

"Kili, at your service!" said Kili with a dramatic bow. "How do you do, Mr. Boggins?"

"Kili! You're here! Oh, ho! It is so good to see you! Come in! Come in!"

"You have other guests, Bilbo Baggins. Surly you plan to offer the same hospitality," said Gandalf, with an air of authority.

"Gandalf! You have come as well?" he asked, smiling. A smile which dropped quickly as he glanced worriedly behind the dwarf and wizard.

"Fear not, Bilbo, it is only the three of us you see before you."

"Three?" Bilbo looked around once more and finally saw Brenna sitting on the bench to the side of the door. "Please forgive me, Madame. He has told me in his letters that he married, but it is hard to think of him as so. I am Bilbo Baggins. You must be Miss Brenna…. um Mrs. Brenna? Princess Brenna?"

"It is a pleasure, Mr. Baggins, and just Brenna is fine. There is nothing to forgive. I imagine their last visit left quite the impression."

"That it did, and please, call me Bilbo."

Bilbo saw his guests into his house. "I wish I had known of your coming. I would have been better prepared. I am afraid all I have is a stew, but it should feed the four of us just fine. Are you alright, Brenna? You look a bit peaky."

"I am just tired. I'll be fine once I have gotten something to eat and a good night's rest."

"What was I thinking?! I should have dropped you off up here before stabling the ponies for the night!" cried Kili.

"The walk was fine, Kili. I am just a little road weary. I would have been regardless to the circumstances."

Bilbo studied her for a moment, and then smiled. "You're expecting! Congratulations!"

"You can tell?" asked Brenna.

"Well, your little interlude plus your obvious weariness clued me in. I am a Hobbit. There are always many expectant mothers moving about. We always have many children. My family was an exception. In any case, we all learned to see the signs. My neighbor, two doors down, is a midwife. Lily Proudfoot is her name. I would be happy to introduce you. I am guessing you will be staying the winter?"

"Yes," said Kili. "We are actually hoping to settle here in the Shire for a time."

"You want to settle here? In the Shire?"

"Yes. Why does everyone always ask it like that?"

"The Shire doesn't tend to be the place most other races would wish to settle."

"Well, you have told me that dwarvish work would be appreciated. I wanted to look into opening a forge in the spring, and making a home for my family. We are not ready to go back yet, Bilbo. The journey wouldn't be good for Brenna or the babe, in any case."

Bilbo nodded. "I'll send a letter to my cousin in Tuckborogh. He is the Thain, and will have an idea of where you may want to set up and, if there are any smials available, where they are located, or if we will need to fix one up for you."

"Thank you, Bilbo. I really appreciate this."

Bilbo set places for them all and divvied out supper. Gandalf and Kili gave him all the news they knew east of Bree. Brenna just focused on eating her food. The longer she sat, the more tired she felt until, finally, Kili noticed and asked Bilbo to show them to their room.

"I am sorry, Kili. I feel so rude. Please tell Bilbo I meant no offense."

"I believe he understands perfectly well, amrul. You have had quite a journey and it has come to an end, for now anyway. Your body needs the rest for both you and the babe. Now, go to sleep. You can get better acquainted with our hobbit in the morning. Perhaps we can see about meeting his neighbor sooner rather than later."

He got her settled, kissed her forehead, and went back out to visit.

The next morning, the dwarrow woke to a note and food warming in the oven. Bilbo and Gandalf had both left before Second Breakfast and would not return until after Luncheon. Bilbo had many errands he needed to run, including getting that letter sent to his cousin, arrange for more supplies for the winter, and to set up a meeting with Lily Proudfoot.

"Second Breakfast?" asked Brenna.

"Oh yeah, hobbits eat several meals a day. Let's see, there is Breakfast, Second Breakfast, Elevenses, Luncheon, Afternoon Tea, Dinner, and Supper."

"But, where do they put it all?! I mean, hobbits do appear to be rather plump, but they hardly seem active, and with all that food…. Why, they should be rolling all around!"

"Ha! That's what Fili and I thought," Kili said with a faraway look. "Bilbo did get rather thin on the journey. He now looks like he did when I first met him. Gandalf said that it is just the way they are, like how well we can see underground. At least we know that there will be food available when we are hungry. I tried to give Bilbo some gold last evening, by the way, but he flat out refused it. Said he would consider it an insult."

"He's a good friend."

"That he is."

"Are you going to send a letter to Bofur, letting him know we are settling for a while? I would like to hear from Mila again. I wonder if Bofur has gotten up the nerve to court her yet. It's been, what, six months since we were anywhere we could receive mail?"

"Just about. And yes, I had planned to send a letter out, I have only been wondering if I should include one to my mother. She will not tell Thorin nor Fili where we are, I know. I am sure she will want to know she is to be a grandmother, I am just afraid she will try and come out here. Thorin would never let her go without having her followed. If he were to find out about the babe, he would definitely have us hauled back to the mountain."

"Kili, is that really something we should still be worried about?"

"Yes, Thorin has lost so much, he likes to keep what he has left close. That would be my mother, brother, and I. You, and I suppose Kira are included in that now, but if he knew about this child, nothing could stop him. This is possibly the first child in our family since we retook the mountain. He would want them born in Erebor." Brenna nodded her head in understanding.

"I never realized how stifled I felt until we left. I have enjoyed the freedom we have had. I haven't felt as though I'm not good enough since we left. It feels good. I am my own dwarrow, and now I am going to make my own way and provide for my own family," Kili smiled widely.

Bilbo and Gandalf arrived a little after Luncheon with a guest in tow.

"As soon as Bilbo told me there was an expectant she-dwarf staying with him, and that she had spent the last few weeks traveling with males, I just knew I had to come make your acquaintance. Hello, I am Lily Proudfoot."

"Brenna. It is a pleasure to meet you."

The two were fast friends. She stayed until after Afternoon Tea the first day, and the two took tea together almost every day after.

Bilbo heard back from his cousin within a few days.

"Kili, my cousin, Fortinbras, wrote back to me. One of my cousins has vacated a smial and has moved to Bree to take over his father-in-law's business. The smial is located in Tuckborogh and is yours if you want it. There is an old forge nearby that you are welcome to take over. Another of our cousin's had a go at it a few decades ago, but didn't do too well. It is not in horrible shape, but it needs some work. He invites you to come and see it if you like, before winter truly sets in."

"How long will it take to get there?"

"About a day, walking."

Kili looked over at Brenna who was looking a bit peaked. "What do you think? We can wait."

"It would probably be better to check it out now."

"Why don't you and I go, Kili, and Brenna can stay here with Bilbo," said Gandalf. "The Took's and I have a long friendship, and I would like to see them before I take my leave."

"You are leaving so soon, Gandalf?" asked Bilbo.

"Yes, I feel there is somewhere else I am needed. I shall return next autumn, however. I would like to meet the first in the next generation of Durin's line," he said, smiling at Brenna. "I can take Kili to your cousin, and be on my way from there."

Brenna stayed with Bilbo and rested while Kili went to Tuckborogh with Gandalf. They said their goodbyes to the wizard and wished him well on his travels. Kili returned to Bilbo's a few days later, having settled things with the Thain. Come spring, they would have a new home and he would have a working forge. It wasn't in too bad of shape, and the Took carpenters would have most of the repair work done for him. Now, all he had to do was furnish the house, but he was going to leave the trimmings to his wife. They would have plenty to keep them busy throughout the winter.

The winter was a mild one, as usual. Estel, who asked that they refer to him a Strider, and Legolas did stop by on occasion, much to the excitement of Bilbo. The Hobbit was stirring up quite a bit of gossip, what with having dwarves staying with him, and elves and men coming to visit.

"My father has written and said I may return home and claim Tauriel as my bride whenever I desire," said Legolas one night. "He now sees how pointless this has been. I will be leaving at the first sign of spring. Had I not made a promise to aid in the protection of the Shire through the winter, I would have left as soon as I read the letter. I received a note from Tauriel as well. She loves the idea of traveling, and desires to be here when your child is born, if that is alright with you?"

"We would love to have you. I don't know where we would put you, though. Our smial is smaller than Bilbo's."

"I am sure we will work something out."

Spring came quickly, Legolas made his way east, and Kili and Brenna moved into their new home. The Took's, being very adventurous at heart, embraced their dwarven neighbors. Lily had recommended a midwife among the family, and Brenna took to her much as she did Lily. Her name was Marian Took, and she had delivered over two hundred fauntlings and birthed six herself. Among the babies delivered were all of her own grandchildren. Despite their difference in race, Brenna felt she was in very capable hands.

Summer came, and then fall. Kili had already built up a customer base, even from those who hadn't been particularly welcoming, like the Sackville-Baggins. From hinges to plows, Kili always had something to do. Brenna learned a lot about children. Among the dwarrow, children were few and often kept hidden, but hobbits had many. Any question she had, someone had an answer. Kili had finally sent a letter informing his mother about the impending birth. She was both excited and sad, she told him when she replied, but she understood. She was also proud that Kili was using his skills to provide for his family.

'You remind me so much of your father. He always wanted to make his own way in the world. It was one of the things that attracted me to him. He always had a smile and was fiercely protective of his loved ones, friends or family. He, too, had wanted to travel, and did a great deal before we married. If there was anything he wanted to gain or accomplish, it was done. It breaks my heart that you cannot remember him, but if you ever want to know him, you have only to look at yourself.'

She didn't write much about Fili or Kira, saying only that they were both in good health. Of Thorin, she said he was still searching for them, but had thus far remained ignorant of his being in the Shire. The last place he knew they had been with any certainty was Minas Tirith. Kili was relieved to hear that. The friends they had made along the way had all kept their whereabouts hidden. They were far enough into the Shire that they were not likely to draw his attention.

Autumn finally came, and with it, Tauriel and Legolas. They had everything they needed for the babe, they now had only to wait.

Next up: Baby! And a bit of a twist.