Disclaimer: I don't own the Lord of the Rings of the Hobbit!

A/N: Good night!

All passengers are asked to return to their bunks for the night. We have landed on Bree and will not be continuing on until tomorrow. Sweet dreams and enjoy this part of the flight!

Enjoy! Please review!

Bree Terrors

"Hunt them. Catch them. Bring them." Pippin skidded to a stop in mid-step, nearly tripping over his own feet. Merry collided with him and Sam came tumbling afterward.

"What happened?" Sam demanded. "Why'd you stop?"

"Hush," Merry scolded, used to Pippin's moments of clarity.

"Nori. Gloin. Bifur. Bring them back to me. Fainted. Need Oin. Wish he was here." The words were a jumbled mess in Pippin's head. Whoever was thinking had too many problems on his mind.

"They're coming for us," Pippin said breathlessly. His head whipped back and forth, taking in their surroundings. They stood in the center of the road, a few Men stumbling past them in drunk stupors. Up ahead he could see the gate's door swinging in the wind on its hinges. It creaked backward, opening wider. A boot stepped through.

"They're coming," Pippin repeated, backpedaling into Merry.

"Pip, what are you talking about?" Merry demanded. Pippin whirled around to face him, his stomach twisting in fear.

"They're coming. Their captain sent them," Pippin explained quickly. "We need to get out of here."

"But they have Mr. Frodo," Sam argued.

"They won't leave without us," Merry said. His eyes flicked over Pippin's shoulder. "They're coming this way. Three of them, big and ugly." Pippin didn't dare look back in fear of giving them away. "We split up," Merry said. "Meet back at the Prancing Pony when we're finished. Pip, keep an eye out." Pippin nodded once. Sam didn't have time to ask what they were talking about before Merry shouted. "Go!"

The three of them split up. Merry vanished down a side street to the left between two buildings while Sam bolted down an alley on the other side of the road. With no other choice, Pippin took off running straight down the road. A shout rose up after him. It sounded furious. Pippin shook the wet hair from his eyes and continued running.

O.o.O

Nori spotted the Hobbits the moment he led Bifur and Gloin through the door of the gate. He moved forward slowly, his hand going back toward the thong of leather tucked into his belt. Bifur grunted in Khuzdul behind him.

"I know," Nori muttered. "I wasn't going to use my knives." He watched the Hobbits carefully. They stood in the center of the road, their heads pressed together. One of them seemed agitated about something or another. And then one of them shouted.

"Go!" The three Hobbits split ways, taking off down different streets.

"Dammit!" Nori shouted furiously, taking off after the Hobbits. Bifur and Gloin were hot on his heels, only stopping once they'd reached the spot the Hobbits had been. "Bill, take the main street," Nori ordered. Bifur frowned and spoke a word of Khuzdul. "I don't care if you don't like your nickname. Just go! Peter, go down the side street. Richard wants the Hobbits unharmed." Gloin nodded and disappeared down the side street after the chubbier Hobbit. Bifur shot Nori a dirty look before running down the main street.

Whirling on his heel, Nori ran into the alley. He leapt over a trash can and past a hissing cat. The cat leapt back in surprise, swiping out at Nori with sharp claws. He ignored the animal this time. Any other time he would've found something for the poor beast to eat. He knew what it was like to be living on the streets with nothing to eat. But that wasn't his goal.

The Hobbit was quick on his feet, quicker than Bilbo had been. He lacked Bilbo subtlety, though. Nori easily tracked the Hobbit by his path of destruction. Trash cans had been tipped on their sides. Crates of fruit and chickens alike laid strewn across the path. A few dogs barked furiously, straining against the leashes. Nori leapt over each obstacle and skirted the dogs. He'd have this Hobbit in the bag before the hour was up.

Nori tracked the Hobbit through the twists and turns of the alley. He eventually emerged in a small courtyard. The main iron gates of the area had been closed off and locked. Reaching surreptitiously into his back pocket, grabbing a small force field projector. He pressed the button and dropped it to the ground. The projector raised a force field over the alleyway.

Stepping forward slowly, Nori looked around himself carefully. He didn't know what to expect from this Hobbit. He'd met several in the last seventy-seven years who packed a mean punch. There was no telling if this Hobbit would be one of those. A pile of boxes had been stacked against one wall. Nori passed them off as hopeless. They hardly reached the roof of the buildings. The Hobbit wouldn't be getting out that way. He should have known better.

A strangled howl broke out through the sheets of rain. Nori whirled around just as a body collided with his from above. Thin arms wrapped around his neck while strong feet kicked him in the stomach. Nori grunted, stumbling backward. The Hobbit did it again and Nori growled. There was no way the Hobbit was getting him that easily. Grabbing the Hobbit's arms, he wrenched it off himself. The Hobbit squealed angrily, kicking out at Nori.

"Calm down, would you?" Nori snapped. The Hobbit twisted back and forth in his grip until his fingers, slippery with the rain, lost their hold. It tumbled to the ground, leaping up out of the roll. It stood with its feet apart and fists raised. "Right, you're a fighter. Easy picking."

Grabbing the thong from his belt, Nori charged forward. The Hobbit, obviously not having expected this, leapt backward in surprise. Nori took the advantage and wrapped one end of the thong around a wrist. The miniscule hook hidden inside caught the overlapping leather and pinned it there. Steeping smoothly around the Hobbit, Nori wrapped hooked the free wrist with the leather and wrapped it tight with the other. The Hobbit screeched and wrenched at the hooked bindings. Nori gave it a swift kick in the backside and the Hobbit stumbled forward, landing in a pile of trash. Oops. He'd get in trouble with Thorin for that one.

"Berilac," the Hobbit spat at Nori.

"Sorry," Nori told it. "Don't speak Hobbitish. Just Khuzdul and Westron."

"Berilac!" the Hobbit screeched, leaping to his feet. He charged Nori who ducked, easily flipping the Hobbit over his shoulder. It landed hard on its back. Nori heard the wheezing breaths and took it as a defeat. Another mistake he learned the hard way.

The Hobbit swept his feet out from under him with a kick of his legs. Nori tumbled to the floor, crashing hard against the stones. He grunted in slight pain. Almost nothing hurt anymore. The medical mites had taken that away long ago. The Hobbit was on him in seconds, weaving his fingers into Nori's hair. Nori's eyes narrowed dangerously. He didn't.

"Never," Nori said in a low voice. He saw the Hobbit's shoulders tense. "Touch my hair."

Wrapping one arm around the Hobbit's waist, he flipped them over, pinning the Hobbit to the stone ground easily. The Hobbit squirmed against his grip. Nori wriggled his fingers until they wrapped over the Hobbit's mouth. His other hand went to pinch the Hobbit's nose. The Hobbit squealed in terror and struggled harder. Nori held his grip, feeling like a rider in the rodeo, until the body underneath him stilled. Slowly, he released the Hobbit. He leaned forward, his ear hovering near the Hobbit's mouth. Still breathing. Good.

Nori stood from the ground, brushing the knees of his pants off. Leaning down, he bent the unconscious Hobbit over his shoulder. The still body knocked against his back. Nori felt slightly bad for what he'd done. The Hobbit had no idea what was going on. He'd only reacted instinctively. Making his way toward the entrance, he crouched to scoop the generator from the ground. The force field dropped in a second and Nori made his way through the alleys back the way he'd come. He stepped out onto the main street just as Gloin appeared with the chubby Hobbit in tow.

"Almost got away," Gloin grunted. His eyes flicked toward the Hobbit draped over Nori's shoulder. "You didn't?"

"Had no choice," Nori told him. "It wouldn't quit fighting." The Hobbit in Gloin's grip twisted hard against his bound hands. Gloin had stuffed a handkerchief in the Hobbit's mouth to keep it quiet. "Any idea where Billy is?"

"Haven't seen him," Gloin said with a shrug. A furious shout carried down the road. Both Dwarves turned to see Bifur stomping their way. He shook his finger furiously at Nori, speaking quick, clipped words.

"I don't care if you don't like the nickname. You were supposed to be finding the Hobbit." Bifur spoke again, his eyes narrowing. "What do you mean you lost him? He ran straight down the street!" Bifur crossed his arms and looked away, muttering under his breath. "No, they can't just go invisible when they want. That's only Bilbo!" The Hobbit behind Gloin snapped out of the shock he'd fallen into when Bifur had approached them. He tried to kick at Gloin and slipped in the mud. Gloin grunted as the Hobbit fell to the ground.

Striding forward, Bifur seized the Hobbit by the front of his shirt and dragged him upright. Before either Nori or Gloin could stop him, he'd seized the Hobbit's hands and moved them to touch the axe in his head. Nori supposed he understood the theory behind the move. It had always made Bilbo calm down when he'd fallen into a screaming fit of terror. Of course, this wasn't Bilbo. The Hobbit froze with wide eyes before they rolled into the back of his head and he collapsed to the ground. Bifur grunted in surprise.

"Nice going, Billy," Nori snapped. "Now we have to carry him too." Bifur glared at Nori but bent down to fold the Hobbit over his own shoulder. Straightening up, he spoke a word of Khuzdul. "Yes, we're going back to the ship, but you're the one who's going to tell Dick you lost the Hobbit." The three Dwarves made their way toward the gate, bickering the entire way.

O.o.O

It was easy running from the Dwarf. Pippin had simply wove his way through the many winding alleys of Bree. He'd kept his mind's eye trained on the Dwarf the entire time. His awareness had told him just where the Dwarf was at all times. He had easily evaded all of his attempts to catch him.

The rain pounded hard against shoulders. It plastered his hair to his scalp and his clothes to his skin. He shivered, running his hands along his arms. He hadn't felt like this in a long time, not since he'd fallen ill with the flu a few years ago. He didn't dare move, though. He was safer up on the rooftops than down below on the ground.

"Has to be around here somewhere." Perking up, Pippin focused on this new mind. It sounded a bit more free-spirited than the rest. But it was still a Dwarf. "Bifur said he was around here."

"Can't have gone far," said another voice in Pippin's head. "Small town."

"Should be finding Bilbo. Dratted Hobbit."

"Need to find this Hobbit."

"Stupid rain."

"Wonder how Ori's doing."

"Wish we weren't out here hunting."

"Where could he have gone?"

"Itsi, imkhihi, mahitsi."

The voices blurred together. Pippin couldn't differentiate between them. There were nine in all. That much he could tell. Nine Dwarves hunting one little Hobbit. He wouldn't last the night. Shuddering at the thought, Pippin hunkered down. Maybe he could wait it out until the night was over. Then he could find Tauriel and ask for her help. She was a strong warrior. She could easily take the Dwarves down without a hitch.

"You don't have to run," said a familiar voice in his head. Pippin raised his face from his arms. Across from him, on the roof, stood a familiar figure. His brown coat swirled around his ankles. He watched Pippin with a pitying look. "They'll find you at some point. It's pointless to run." Pippin had never had someone direct their thoughts toward him beside Merry. No one else had really known about his ability besides his family.

"You'll only make it worse when they find you." In the gloom of the rain he could Bilbo lower his head. "I'm sorry about this." Pippin frowned at the words in confusion. The meaning to them came in a flash of images. They bombarded his mind's eye and refused to stop. Pippin clapped his hands helplessly over his ears. His mouth fell open in a scream. And still the images continued.

"Scream! – Where it come from – Need to find – Someone hurting – Kill them – May be Bilbo." The voices returned, only adding to the pain growing Pippin's scalp. Curling in on himself, Pippin tried to stave off the images. It didn't help one bit. They continued to come and come and come. He saw flying ships, a great Dragon soaring toward him, white-pointed teeth, tumbling through the air, Barrow-Wights, a gun, Tom Bombadil . . . Pippin whined, wishing it would stop.

"Found him!" someone shouted over his quivering body. Hands patted his arms and stroked his hair. "Havin' a seizure – Can't tell what's happenin'." Pippin flinched away from the touches. The bombardment of images had ripped open his mind's eye and left it bare for all else to reach him. He couldn't stop the flow of words.

"Could be hurt – Have asthma? – Need Oin! – Wish Oin was here – Need to get up there." The last thing Pippin saw before the darkness took him was Richard bending over him, a look of worry in his eyes.

A/N: What did you think?