Once again, hullo and welcome back. :) Thank you for your continued support in reading and reviewing my story. I can't say this enough - your reviews are what motivate me to proof-read and post the next chapters quicker. When I see others are excited about the story, it helps me stay excited about it too, so thank you again.

Here's the next chapter. I hope everyone likes it:

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With a small gasp, Bilbo forced his tired eyes open. Had he fallen asleep? He certainly hadn't meant to, and had honestly felt as though he'd be too frightened to sleep, but it seemed like somehow his exhaustion had won over his desire to stay awake.

Presently, his mind felt muddled, and he wasn't quite sure if he was safe right now. He could vaguely remember countless horrible orcs ambushing him in the cold, cruel, relentless woods, and Thorin being in some sort of danger... The orcs were going to kill the dwarf, and Bilbo could do nothing but beg them not to. But then, he realized now that he wasn't out in the cold, dark woods, and there were no orcs surrounding him; he was in the same cave as before, and felt relatively warm and safe... the rest of that must have only been in his nightmares.

With a relieved sigh, he looked around himself as he came back to reality. It seemed he was lying down now rather than sitting up and leaning back against the cave's wall as he had been the last he'd been awake. Still curled up on the ground, he looked around the cave as best as his current position would allow. The fire Thorin had been working on earlier was much larger and well organized now, and Thorin sat near the cave's entrance, looking out into the night.

Bilbo felt warmer now. He looked down to find that the cloak Thorin had handed him earlier was wrapped tightly around him. On top of that was Thorin's thick coat, and Thorin's bag of clothing and supplies had been placed under his head. The hobbit snuggled further under the coat as he peered across the cave at the dwarf's back. He was quite surprised that Thorin had handed over his coat. Surely the dwarf was cold.

Honestly, Bilbo wasn't sure when the last time he felt so warm and safe had been, regardless of the fact that the torment the orcs had put him through was still fresh in his mind. He knew Thorin wasn't invincible, but he was certainly strong, and definitely loyal to his friends. Bilbo could see that the dwarf would do anything to keep his company out of danger, and each day Bilbo spent with the dwarves, he felt more and more like he was a legitimate part of that company. No matter how many times Thorin grumbled at him or gave him a strange look, there would be moments here and there that showed that the dwarf did have some bit of respect for him, and Bilbo was confident that Thorin really would do as he said, and protect Bilbo as best as he could.

Even so, Bilbo couldn't help but feel a dreadful feeling in his chest, knowing that he still didn't feel at ease about Thorin's apparent disappointment in him. He wanted to set things straight, to tell Thorin that he stood by his own actions, and to inform the dwarf that he was not as ignorant to orc behavior as Thorin seemed to think. Bilbo knew what the orcs would have done to him if they'd kept him captive. He knew so well that it made him shudder just thinking about. Perhaps he didn't know all the details, but he knew enough. He hadn't distracted the orcs from the dwarf simply out of his own ignorance to what orcs were capable of. He'd done it to save his friend from the same fate he himself had seemed doomed to. He wanted Thorin to know that Bilbo wasn't as naive as the dwarf implied. But he didn't want to argue, and really didn't want to be yelled at again. However, he knew he wouldn't feel right until he spoke to the dwarf.

"Thorin," Bilbo finally squeaked in a small voice as he pulled himself up into a sitting position and scooted back so that he could lean against the cave's wall, but kept the warm garments wrapped tightly around himself.

He watched as the dwarf quickly stood up and made his way back toward Bilbo. "What is it?" Thorin asked, concern marking his features,"Are you feeling alright? Are you warm enough?"

Bilbo swallowed a lump in his throat. "I'm okay," he answered.

"Very good," Thorin smiled down at him, putting his hand on the hobbit's forehead again. "You're feeling cooler," he noted. "Do you think you'll be up for moving on in the morning?"

Bilbo shrugged. As much as he wanted to stay hidden from the outside world forever, he knew they needed to move on, sooner rather than later if they wanted to reunite with the others. "I suppose so," he finally agreed.

Thorin frowned. "You are feeling better, are you not?" he wondered.

"Well, yes," Bilbo hesitated. "I just... I know there are more orcs out there in the world, and they could be anywhere... I never took the threat as seriously before. I never knew they would seek people out just to hurt them. I mean, I did... I'd read about them and heard tales and all... They just weren't ever real before. To me, they were always just monsters in stories, villains in books. I never dreamed I'd ever actually meet an orc, and was not at all prepared for being all alone and cornered by a whole group of them."

"You will be safe as long as we stay together," Thorin insisted. "I've dealt with orcs many times before, and am fully capable of defending you."

"You're not invincible, Thorin... and I'm certainly not either. How can we defend ourselves if we're severely outnumbered? The rest of our company is gone. It's just you and me. Just two, against however many orcs are out there." Bilbo closed his eyes and shook his head. "Thorin, what if there come more orcs than we can handle?" he spoke in a small voice, remembering his nightmares.

"I've been traveling in the wild for years, Bilbo," Thorin offered a small smile. "Nothing has defeated me yet. I know you're scared, and that's okay, but you needn't worry to excess. I am capable of keeping you safe, and I'll do my best to do just that. Of course I cannot guarantee it, but I promise to do what I can, and I can give you my word that you'll never be left behind or given up on. As long as there is breath in my lungs, I will not allow orcs to hurt you ever again."

Bilbo swallowed. "I'm not afraid of them," he lied. Of course he was afraid of orcs, "I mean... I am, but uh..." he didn't know what exactly to say, "I know you're a good fighter, Thorin, but how could you not be terrified at the thought of an entire army cornering us? Just us. Just you and me... What will we do if that happens? Already we had to take on a group of six, and I'm all but useless in fighting them. How many would have been more than you could handle? This was a close call not just for me, but for you as well. They could have over-powered you... Six huge orcs... against just you? You could have easily been killed."

"It's wise to fear orcs, Bilbo," Thorin spoke with a reassuring had on the hobbit's shoulder. "I fear them as well. No one should ever hope to cross paths with them if it can be avoided. What I mean to say is, while you need not be paralyzed by your fear of them, it's not at all unreasonable to feel afraid. Stay alert and prepared; use your fear to keep yourself safe. Don't let it paralyze you. We will move cautiously until we meet back up with the others. As long as we don't run into an entire army, and as long as you stay close, you'll be safe. I would never expect you to be fearless. I was actually quite disturbed when you seemed to brush this whole incident off as unimportant. Orcs need to be feared, especially by those who aren't able to fend them off."

"I never did that." Bilbo frowned and shook his head, "At no point did I say the issue of orcs wasn't important, nor did I brush any incident off as though it didn't matter."

"You are from a far different place than I, Mr. Baggins." Thorin raised an eyebrow at the hobbit, "You grew up in comfort and safety, where orcs were only a scary story. I don't blame you for not fully understanding the danger you were in. You have no idea what those orcs could have done to you, what they would have done if given the opportunity. You are lucky to have escaped with your life, and even luckier you're not still their captive. It's okay that you didn't understand the peril you were in. I was frustrated with you before, but I shouldn't have been, and may have been too harsh. How could you have understood something you'd never experienced before? Just as long as you understand now, that's what's important. We can't change the past, but we can take necessary precaution to ensure nothing like this happens again."

"You're wrong, Thorin." Bilbo shook his head, "I understood very well, and need no further explanation than my own experience... I didn't know much about orcs when I grew up... You're right about that much. I never feared them when I played outside or when I tended my garden. I could walk home from the pub, all by myself at night and never worry that something sinister might leap out of the shadows... But I knew tonight how much danger I was in. I knew very well. I could have called out to you at any time. You were probably close enough to hear me if I screamed loud enough, but I knew what the orcs were capable of, and I didn't want to drag you into it."

Thorin simply stared at him as Bilbo continued. The hobbit was glad the dwarf was allowing him to contradict him without protest.

"You weren't there, Thorin," Bilbo frowned as he remembered the horrible orcs along with all their threats. "You didn't hear the things they said to me. As you may know, orcs tend to like to gloat... You probably know that they enjoy talking all about what they're about to do to you before they do it. I knew exactly what danger I was in, because they told me. They said they'd keep me around and make me suffer, and that my death wouldn't be quick. I knew that they'd probably end up breaking my fingers, or maybe even end up cutting them off. I knew that they'd get their knives out and cut me with them, that they'd burn me with fire, and that they'd cut out my tongue, and even eat me for dinner. They can be quite descriptive..." He offered a slight laugh, though he honestly found no humor in the situation at all. It was a nervous laugh, the kind he'd offer when he was entirely uncomfortable, but didn't want to seem so.

Thorin stared at him, but didn't speak. He looked to be searching Bilbo's eyes, which made the hobbit squirm a bit. What was the dwarf looking for?

"So..." Bilbo cleared his throat and averted his eyes, "If I seemed like I wasn't taking the situation seriously, it wasn't because I didn't understand it. In fact, I don't know if I've ever been more scared in my entire life."

The dwarf sighed heavily, "I apologize. I see now that your apparent lack of concern was more likely another side affect of your fear. I had no right to assume that the orcs did not make you fully aware of their intentions. It is bad enough that those orcs treated you with such cruelty. You deserve better from a friend. You are a brave hobbit, and I should learn to treat you with the respect you deserve, and that you've earned. I feared you did not understand the dangers around you, but I see now that you do. You knew what you were up against, but you chose to face it anyway."

Bilbo stared at the dwarf with wide eyes. Hearing Thorin apologize to him was rather foreign, and he certainly did not know how to respond.

Thorin sat down next to Bilbo so that their shoulders were touching as they both looked out toward the exit of the cave, "I didn't mean to be so harsh with my words before. For a moment I had thought I'd lost you. It was my own fear, manifesting itself as anger, that caused me to yell at you. We will stick together from now on," Thorin reminded him, putting his arm around Bilbo's shoulders and pulling the garments Bilbo was using to keep himself warm tighter around him. "I respect that you didn't want to get me involved. It was noble and brave, though perhaps very self-destructive, but I really hope you'll allow me to be involved if something like this happens again. You were hired as a burglar, not as a body guard or fighter. If anyone should be protecting the other from harm, it is I who should protect you. I did not bring you along as a lure to keep danger away from the rest of us. I understand that you feared for my well-being, but if something happened to you because you sought to keep me from the same danger that pursued you, I could not forgive myself. I would rather you put me at risk if it means I can help you than have you sacrifice yourself for my sake. If you were killed in my stead, the guilt I would face would be crushing. Please do not do that to me."

The hobbit leaned tiredly against the dwarf as he closed his tired eyes. "I'm sorry if it seems I'm sometimes reckless," Bilbo sighed. "This whole adventure thing is still new to me. I suppose I don't always do what I should. I tried to do what I thought was right."

Thorin leaned over and looked at the hobbit's face, narrowing his eyes and considering him, "Having someone who thinks differently from the rest of us isn't necessarily a bad thing. Gandalf suggested we bring you for a reason, and I'll see to it that you remain safely with our group so that your purpose may be fully fulfilled."

Bilbo shrugged. He still wasn't sure why Gandalf had invited him along, but maybe Thorin was right. Maybe he'd end up more useful than he presently felt. At any rate, he was beginning to feel better now, and certainly felt safer here with Thorin right now than he had at any other point in the night.

"Go ahead and get some rest, Bilbo," Thorin spoke.

The hobbit nodded. He'd get some sleep tonight, and they'd be on their way in the morning. Before he knew it, they'd be back with the rest of their company, maybe even sooner rather than later. Perhaps they'd even find everyone in the morning. "I have a good feeling about tomorrow," Bilbo spoke with a yawn as he snuggled against Thorin's side. "I'll bet they're still nearby."

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