A/N: Another quick update! I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter Eleven

or "Healing and Bathing"

Bilbo wanted to sleep; all the dwarves wanted to sleep, and who knew what Gandalf wanted to do. The main problem was the adrenaline that got everybody through the last several hours was still wearing off. Everyone was dead exhausted, yet sleep evaded them. The ones who tried to go to sleep, mainly Bilbo, fidgeted as they tried to get comfortable. In the hobbit's case, his back was killing him, which may be part of it. The rest were generally grumpy and tried to find something to occupy their time.

Oin decided the best thing to do was checkup and treat injuries. He had managed to grab his bag with all his herbs and equipment in it. However, when he looked inside, half of the herbs were gone; a third of what was left completely unusable. There were no major injuries after they had left Rivendell to the point of last night. That lead to the current point, where mostly everyone sustained one injury or another and some were serious. The old dwarf's supplies will continue to run thin. The good news was he did not think it will be hard to find more herbs once they started out again.

The healer's first target was Thorin. Most of the leader's remaining adrenaline was anger fueled, and on top of his already surly personality, made one hard time treating the dwarf prince.

"There is nothing seriously wrong. Check the others first." Thorin crossed his arms stubbornly over his wounded chest. He stuck his chin in the air in the royal condescending way. It would have made most think twice along with the glare that accompanied the look. Oin, though, was not convinced.

"You are not fine. We all saw the hit you took. I am insisting to do you first since you are the most wounded. The healer put down his ear trumpet and put out all the supplies he needed. The good thing was there were enough bandages for everyone's wounds.

The regal dwarf scooted back a couple feet. "Handle the others first, then I will listen."

Oin only shook his head. He acted like he did not hear, which he hardly did because he put his aid down, and started preparing the medicine. The supplies set he sent an even stare at the other dwarf. He did not have the patience at the moment. His plan was rather simple in the thought process. That was to get everyone treated for their injuries, order them to get some rest, and then get some rest himself. All of it should be simple. The stubbornness of tired, frustrated dwarves was unrivaled though. It was going to take a while.

Three more minutes of arguing passed. Finally, Thorin gave in and moved to take off his armor. He winced as he took it off and caused the healer to give a knowing look. He ignored it.

Bilbo watched anxiously as Oin began to treat Thorin. The healer seemed undaunted by the wounds. Major bruising around the ribs, if he heard right, and a few cuts along his chest and face. Bilbo became dizzy at the sight. He learned some healing skills when he was younger. He had never, though, dealt with battle wounds. If he took care of his injuries, or some poor hobbits he happened to know was sick, it was bouts of illness and minor injuries. It was never war scars.

He looked around the camp to see who else was hurt. Fili was massaging Kili's neck gently as the younger dwarf tried to get comfortable; Bofur's arm was bleeding and all the dwarves were moving gingerly, some more than others. Bilbo had no problem thinking how bad his back hurt him. He thought he would wait until he told Oin though, to make sure the others got taken care of. There already was already a time so far where he had a bruised back. He could handle it. He hoped so.

The healer finished the bandages across Thorin's chest. Blue eyes stared at him, uninterested. "Are you done now?" Oin shook his head in exasperation, but then stepped back.

"That should do for now. No stressing your body for the next several days. If we end up in trouble, you are not better off dead or with infection." The dwarf gathered up his supplies and went on to the next patient.

Kili glanced up from his brother's shoulder when Oin came up. "What?" He asked sleepily, but his senses quickly picked back up. "I'm fine." The wince proved otherwise a second later, and the dark-haired dwarf clutched his head. Fili sighed and continued to rub the base of Kili's neck in a calming manner.

"Just relax, Kee. It will only take a minute."

The youngest Durin tried to move away, but Fili grabbed his arm. "No, really. I'm fine." Kili did not know what stopped him from cooperating. It was the constant conditioning he told himself to keep strong, so none of his family had to worry about him.

The dwarf once again tried to escape but was held firm. Before he could push Fili back to take his escape route, the blonde dwarf wrapped his arms across Kili's chest. He squirmed around for a few moments, ignoring the pain in his head. He pushed him back without avail. Yes, it was impossible to hold Kili still when the life did not want to be.

Exhaustion soon took the young dwarf again. He sighed and leaned back in annoyance. "Why are you against me Fee?"

"Because you need this and then you can rest."

"Don't wanna." Kili finally stilled though and gave a small huff. He fidgeted while Oin checked his head and complained under his breath. Fili kept a firm grip on his brother until the healer was done.

Next, Oin went over to Bofur, who smirked and pulled his arm away. "No, I don't think so." In response, the dwarf hit him lightly with his battered ear trumpet.

"Enough of stubborn dwarves just stay still." The cheerful dwarf laughed and with a small nod.

Bilbo was staring blankly at his bedroll and wondered how he could get comfortable when Oin came over a few minutes later. The hobbit looked up with a small smile then went back to focusing on his resting place.

"Come, Master Baggins. I know you're hurting." Bilbo shrugged, but the movement sent a jolt of pain through his system.

"Well," He received a hard look before he could finish. The healer did not want to deal with this. "Yes, I suppose I am."

"I know. I have seen how you have walked since you came back to us." Oin motioned for Bilbo to take off his tops, and did not hear the complaints. He helped Bilbo to take off his coat as the hobbit's arms now felt heavier than anything. After that, the hobbit struggled to get his shirt off while the dwarf waited tolerantly.

Bilbo looked out to the sky while the old dwarf looked at his back. He heard a small cluck and exhaled heavily. "It is pretty bad, isn't it?" There was no response. Oin focused on his shoulder first, which received the worst beating. Bilbo tried hard not to flinch and clenched and unclenched his hands repeatedly. Tingles of pain went up his arms and his hands stung. An old hobbit, that was what he was becoming.

Bofur walked over with a fresh bandage on his arm. He grinned and patted Bilbo gently on the knee. "That looks like a right fine injury there."

All he could do was roll his eyes at his blunt friend, "Right."

The dwarf's eyes softened a touch. "Really though, I hope you feel better soon."

"Thank you," Bilbo replied with a shaky smile, "For everything." He meant about yesterday night, where the dwarf understood his want to go home, without judgments. Bilbo wanted to apologize for his harsh words, but he did not know how. Especially since most of the other dwarves were in hearing distance.

Bofur waved his hand dismissively and understanding graced his eyes.

The dwarves soon had super that Bombur made. No one questioned where the food came from, and Gandalf had the mysterious smile back on his face.

Bilbo, once he heard the word food, decided sleep could wait. He agreed that no matter how tired he was, without food, he would not get any sleep. The weary traveler looked around for a place to sit, a plate of food in hand, and stopped.

On the other side of camp, Thorin fell asleep with both Fili and Kili hung on to the oldest prince's side. Kili had his head resting on Thorin's shoulder, while his hand grasped lightly at the dwarf's braid. Fili had one arm wrapped around Thorin and his other hand on his brother's arm. Bilbo stared for a few seconds. All the rest of the Company seemed to notice, but they only smiled and continued to their business.

Bilbo knew the three dwarves were related; though, he never saw Thorin give much affection to the two beyond the angry anxious concerns every time he thought they did something stupid. The sight warmed him a little.

The barely noticeable sound of a quill caught his attention beside him. Bilbo looked down and saw Ori sketching the scene in his journal. The young dwarf looked up at him and smiled. "This is the second time I tried to get this," he explained softly.

"Oh?"

The artist nodded solemnly. "Several years ago, I was returning one of Fili's books and they all were asleep in their sitting room when I came over. I tried, yet Thorin woke up and glared at me for considering it."

Bilbo raised his eyebrows in surprise. He thought of maybe telling the artist that Thorin was probably awake presently. Now that he thought about it the dwarf could hardly be asleep while sitting up, two young dwarves attached to his sides. However, Thorin looked unconcerned on things going on in camp, and for all intents and purposes, seemed fast asleep.

There was little to do after food was served. Bilbo glanced at his sleeping place one more time. His back felt slightly better, but he knew it would be several days until he felt comfortable again. That did not matter for the night though; he was too exhausted to bother and fell asleep within a few minutes.

The next day came and went. Gandalf said he had plans, but told no one what they were. There were murmurings on what the wizard was planning. No one questioned him. The majority of the Company was spending the time recuperating and being nosy took too much effort. Everyone took different approaches to how they will settle after the long ordeal.

If it was Bofur, Fili and Kili then that meant games and other dwarvish entertainment. Bilbo did not know what exactly the three did to amuse themselves, but the laughter echoed throughout the day. Kili was indicating something with his hand and tried repeatedly to get his way. The lower than normal energy level of the young dwarf dampened his chances and he stalked gloomily away a second later. The hobbit also noticed Bombur and Nori likely placed bets on the outcomes and kept to the group with mild and concerned amusement. He wanted to ask what exactly they were doing, but something stopped him. He really did not need to know what the rowdy dwarves did.

He and Ori had taken out a few of their books. Mostly, the young dwarf's since Bilbo brought little entertainment with him on the trip. Bilbo was able to see more of Ori's journal, after soft pestering. Of' course Bilbo wanted to see the work the quiet dwarf had done to this point. So far, he had been adamant not to show any until he was ready. There were several different sketches in the book, at least one for each member of the Company, including him. Bilbo stared at himself for a moment and that made the other dwarf nervous.

"I hope you like it."

"No, do not worry about it. I like it." Truthfully, the hobbit was flattered on how the dwarves bothered to represent him.

Bifur hummed under his breath and spent his time on a few more carvings. When Bilbo walked over in curiosity, the gruff dwarf looked up. He started talking, yet Bilbo had a hard time trying to understand.

"Uh, can you talk more slowly?" He knew that it would not help, but it was the best he could come up with. He did want to know the dwarf more; the language barrier just made it hard. Bifur paused and then motioned to his carving. A quick glance showed it was a pony. This did not help the hobbit anymore. The dwarf continued and made a few more skillful marks on the wooden pony. Bilbo just shook his head sadly.

Bofur soon took notice of the communication attempts and walked over. He cocked his head to the side to listen to his cousin and gave a small nod. Then he turned to Bilbo.

"He wants to finish that carving he gave you. He never got it done to his satisfaction, but wanted to give it to you as soon as possible."

Bilbo thought of the small miniature figure of himself in his bag. He looked at it frequently in awe and thought it was extremely well done. His first reaction was to say this and tell him not to worry about it. At the same time, he thought that may insult the other dwarf to refuse. So he nodded and slowly took the mini-Bilbo out of his bag. Bifur hummed and took it gently. With a studious look to Bilbo, the dwarf gave a firm nod and walked off.

By the time the dwarves settled for camp that night, everything had gotten back to normal. The Company was still beaten down and injured but generally in high spirits. The lone hobbit looked forward to a night of further relaxation and also the recuperation of his poor back.

The first sign Bilbo should be concerned on how the night was going was when two young dwarves cornered him after he ate his meal. Kili grabbed his arm tightly, and Fili looked like he was trying hard not to smile. He gave a nervous chuckle at their antics yet could not figure out why. The two of them started to lead him across camp.

"What are we doing?" He managed to ask when he found his voice.

"Uncle wants to talk to you." Kili replied easily, and as if sensing Bilbo's response, tightened his grip some more. It was not painful, and the hobbit found more reason to be concerned over what was said.

"Don't worry about it. He just wants to apologize." Fili continued from his other side. The fair-haired dwarf smiled reassuringly, though it failed to lighten his spirits.

Bilbo did not know why he was so nervous at the prospect. He thought that he and Thorin were on even terms now. Their leader had made it clear on his apology. Yet, since then, he did not share any words with the eldest dwarf prince. He was nervous to ruin the tentative understanding between them.

Before he could stop them, Kili pushed him down in front of Thorin, who was alone. Bilbo turned to glare at the young dwarves but they simply bowed their heads and left.

"How do you think it is going to go?" Fili asked.

Kili grinned in response. "I think it will go well. There's no reason for it not to. They already worked past the hardest part, right?" The hyper dwarf put some bounce in his step but stopped and clutched his head a second later. "Ouch."

Fili shook his head and directed him back to where they were sleeping. "Come on, you need some more rest."

"No! Not sleepy!"

Thorin looked at Bilbo with a slight quizzical expression. The hobbit cleared his throat after a second pause.

"Um, so, you wanted to talk to me?"

Thorin grinned, "Maybe."

Bilbo crossed his arms stubbornly. "Well, I- go ahead. I don't have anything to say."

The regal dwarf shrugged. "I am sorry. It is not often I am proven wrong on my assumptions."

He huffed in response and narrowed his eyes. "Maybe you are proven wrong often, you just don't like to admit it. That sounds more accurate."

"I strongly disagree, Halfling."

Bilbo did not take the jab. "I am sure of it, Master Dwarf. You are way too stubborn to be right that many times and stubborn enough not to admit you are wrong."

Thorin made a face that resembled an amused expression, although accompanied by a scowl. Bilbo thought maybe for a second he had pushed it. He did want to get along with the intolerable dwarf, and he had recently decided not to ruin any progress. His worries were uncalled for. Thorin raised his hand in admission, an unreadable expression in his eyes.

"Fair enough."

"You can do more than that!" Bilbo snorted in exasperation.

"I already did more than that, Mister Baggins. I did after you saved my life." Bilbo thought back to the hug and gave in. His dwarf companion was right. If he was not, he was still too stubborn to admit otherwise.

"So, how have you survived this far without the low skill on that blade of yours?" The scorn was absent from Thorin's voice, but Bilbo still took it defensively.

"Well, luck, I suppose, and natural survivor skills beyond that. Besides, I have skilled friends with me." He inferred the best way to make sure this did not go sour was if he complimented the dwarf some.

This appeared to be the way to go. Thorin put on a cocky smile prior to it turning back to a neutral stony look.

"Very well, we will have to take care of that." Bilbo tried to get an answer to what the dwarf meant. Those words sounded ominous to him. He got know answer, however, and was told to leave him alone so the dwarf could think. Somewhat weary on how the conversation went Bilbo left. It could, possibly, be considered a success.

When he got back to his bedroll to settle in, the hobbit was cornered by Fili. The dwarf blocked Bilbo from getting comfortable, which annoyed him.

"How did it go?"

The hobbit smiled crookedly at the persistence of young dwarves. "Fine, I guess."

"That's not a good answer." Before the young heir could elaborate his questioning, a blur of limbs tacked him from behind.

"You need to sleep, Kili." The other dwarf rumbled and shook his head.

"No, not sleepy." Despite his words, the dark-haired dwarf looked like he was using his brother as a giant pillow.

Fili sighed and raised his hand to brush it through Kili's hair. The young dwarf reaffirmed his grip in concern, yet the blonde was careful not to hurt the other dwarf. "You still did not give a good answer," he spoke back to Bilbo.

He put his head in his hands. He wanted to sleep, and to do that he had to get the two dwarves off his spot before they got comfortable. "He thinks I have no skill whatsoever in terms of fighting."

Fili shook his head, but did not say anything.

"What?!" Bilbo said, discouraged. He failed to notice how similar the expressions of the two Durins were. Fili had the same semi-concealed amused expression Thorin had minutes before.

"You really don't, but that's not your fault."

He decided not to defend himself in this field. All the dwarves recognized his durability by now but felt sorry for his lack of warrior prowess. There was no point to try and say otherwise.

Kili mumbled something incoherently. Fili shook his head and put the focus back on his brother. "Come on, it's time to move back over for sleep."

"I can sleep here."

"I think warrior or not, Mister Baggins will have a glare to rival Thorin's if we don't move soon."

Bilbo woke up in the morning feeling refreshed and a little sore. He did not feel as beaten down as he did yesterday, which was a relief. The rest of the Company seemed in similar spirits, and they picked up camp and continued for the day's trek.

By midday, the group had come across a small stream. Bilbo had thought nothing of it as the group chose to stop for a lunch. His stomach automatically agreed.

One of the dwarves made a comment, Bilbo was not sure who and the next thing he did know was half the dwarves stripped down and entered the water.

"Wh- What are you doing?" The hobbit blinked at his naked companions and looked away.

"What does it look like we are doing?" Gloin was the one to first answer. "We're bathing."

"Oh, yeah, I can guess that." Bilbo said softly. He really did not know what to say. Communal bathing was not normal behavior for Hobbits. Another thing he was uncomfortable with was the flowing water itself. He was not the best swimmer, although from what he could tell, the water only went to right below the ribs for most of his companions.

Gandalf got up beside him, and Bilbo looked over with interest. "Now where are you going?" He was rapidly becoming bristly.

The wizard only chuckled in response. "I am going to find someplace else down the stream." He had no chance of stopping him, as Gandalf was at least twice his height.

A few of the other dwarves had walked over to the edge of the stream and looked in. Kili had taken off his shoes and tested the water with his foot. "The water isn't that cold." The archer tried his other foot and made a face. "Not that cold."

"Do you want to test that out?" Kili looked behind him to glare at his brother.

"Don't-" Fili laughed and pushed the younger dwarf in. Not to be defeated, Kili grabbed the blonde's sleeve and pulled him in after him.

The rest of the Company laughed at the two young dwarfs. Kili's dark mop of hair appeared a second later and he blew some water in the other dwarf's face. "Idiot! I didn't get to take my clothes off yet!" He rubbed his head gingerly and tried to look as menacing as possible.

"At least you had your coat off." Fili growled back. He attempted to rub off the moisture in his coat's fur. He had a sour look on his face but grinned once Kili pushed him playfully.

"Your fault," Kili muttered. The dwarf pulled off his tunic and tossed it idly to the shore.

Bilbo sat down at the edge while he finished his meal. He hoped that not all his companions would get in. Then he would have to explain why he did not want to. They were not bad reasons; they just sounded unqualified under his ears.

Unfortunately for the modest hobbit, every one of the dwarves eventually got in the water. Oin made some substitute soap with some flora and herbs and passed it around. Mostly though, they just used the water to clean off dirt and dried blood. A few called over to Bilbo to join them and the hobbit shook his head.

"No, I think I am good."

"There's no foul. You must be filthy!"

"Thanks Bofur…"

Bilbo finished off his food as slowly as possible. This caught the attention of a couple of the dwarves.

"You never eat that slowly, Bilbo! There is still plenty of room in here."

"The water really is not that deep."

"It's relaxing!"

Bilbo stalked up to the water and got thirteen pairs of eyes staring at him intently. Shifting from foot to foot, he cleared his throat delicately. "No."

The face he made must have earned a couple laughs. He clenched his jaw annoyingly. From the corner of his eye, he spotted Thorin trying to keep a straight face. Bilbo felt a rush go through him and he kicked some water in his direction. "Oh, I know you want to, just laugh will you!" The dwarf prince ducked his head and laughed. The sound of their leader laughing sent more of Company into a fit of giggles.

Bilbo left the shore angrily before any of the Company could decide to pull him in. He sat moodily to the side as some of the younger members of the party decided to start a splashing war. A few spritz of water reached his face, and he brushed the wetness off. The late summer air had little chill, but he still worried some of his friends will get sick, not knowing the healthy immune system of most dwarves. He added the chance of sickness as another reason not to get in the water.

Ten minutes later and some of the dwarves started to get out. Bilbo buried his head in his knees and sighed. He wanted to not register the feeling of grit on his clothes and skin. He was filthy and he did not want to admit it. A noise to his left and he glanced up to see Kili walking by. The dark haired dwarf pushed the hair out of his face, a few more drops of water hit Bilbo's face. Brown eyes stared at him for a brief moment before the dwarf shrugged absently.

"The water really is not that cold." He grumbled. Kili was dragged off by Fili a second later as the other dwarf started to dry off Kili's hair. "Urh, stop that."

"I'm doing it gently,"

A few quick glances around showed the Company helping dry and re-braid each other's hair. The domestic feel made a hum escape Bilbo's lips. All the same, he was still uncomfortable. Either each dwarf had a tunic and no pants, or vice versa. A few were still completely nude.

Gandalf came back soon after, and the hobbit turned his hard gaze toward him, "Well?"

"Dear Bilbo, I had to go to a deeper part of the stream to bathe properly." He looked down at him.

'Oh, so you are bringing height into this, are you?' He shook out the harsh thoughts out and smiled.

Bilbo kept on glancing at the water the next several minutes. The simple pains of his back and all the filth on him made him extremely fidgety. His friends seemed happy and cheerful now, apparently done in their attempts to get the hobbit to clean. It was his choice; they just thought it was a good idea.

Ori jumped when he walked over to show Bilbo something in his journal, and he took a step back. Bilbo did not appear to notice the dwarf.

"All right!" He flapped his arms frustratingly. "I am going to wash up!" The Company stared at the small hobbit as he walked over to the water and took off his clothes. Bilbo took a deep breath and jumped in. It was the simplest way to do it, really.

He shivered and his head popped up almost immediately. Fear bolted through him briefly, yet he was able to stand up. His breathing soon changed back to a normal pace and he stared defiantly at everyone. "What?"

A few chuckles drifted in the air and a couple applauded for the accomplishment. Afterward, no one bothered Bilbo as he washed up. Oin came over and offered him the rest of the soap and he shyly took it. Everyone gave him his privacy, guessing that was what he wanted.

The bathing episode passed and the decision was made to stay here for the rest of the day. The whole period lasted longer than first intended. Bombur soon started on an early dinner and once Bilbo got out, he hurriedly dried and pulled on his clothes to help out. One thing he had no qualms about was food.

A/N: Another chapter out of the way. It did not turn out as fluffy as a thought (I was thinking ultra-fluffy) but maybe that is a good thing. Dwarves are a hardy bunch and ultra-fluff may not always suit for them. I still think it accomplished my goal of giving the Company a break. Also, I decided Thorin must laugh at least once in the next movie.

Bathing is a common little tidbit I noticed in some stories, and hygiene is something they need to do. I believe it was important to not have Bilbo succumb to peer pressure. In the end, his want of cleanliness won over.

Updates have been quick, but for the next chapter I will probably take up to my normal weekly update. I am in the process of figuring out exactly how I want to do the events at Beorn's house. I have a good sense of how I want Mirkwood to go, so after the next chapter or two updates will pick up again.