After much debating between Bilbo and Thranduil over the terms of the dwarves' release, the Elvenking led Bilbo to a private room where he and the rest of the Company could rest while Bilbo explained the new developments to them. Thranduil had promised them food and privacy, for which Bilbo was grateful. It had been too long since he had eaten, and he didn't want anyone nearby to hear the dwarves' reaction when they learned that Bilbo was a unicorn. If he could just figure out how to change back, then maybe he could avoid it, but someone would likely grow suspicious of how he had managed to sway the Elvenking to release them. No, it was better that he told them now.

There was a fire crackling in a carved-out section of the cave wall, and numerous cushions were piled in front of it. They looked so inviting, and Bilbo's day had been very long and stressful. He decided to curl up on one of them while he waited for the dwarves to arrive.

He quickly slipped into a light doze, his breathing soft and slow. His mind drifted on a haze of dreams filled with warmth and comfort and the scent of home.

He was awakened some time later by the opening of the door. He didn't open his eyes, instead tracking the dwarves by the sound of their voices. From what he could tell, all of them were present and happy to be reunited, even if they were suspicious about their release.

"Fili, look at this unicorn carving!" Kili shouted from nearby. Bilbo realized that the young dwarf was talking about him. "I had no idea the elves were such excellent carvers. It almost looks real."

"They probably stole it," Fili grumbled.

"I don't see a maker's mark on it," Kili said, lightly running a finger down one of Bilbo's wings.

Bilbo was not a very ticklish hobbit, but apparently his wings were extremely ticklish. He suddenly wriggled away from Kili, his wings flapping wildly. One of them might have smacked Fili in the face.

"It's alive!" Kili screamed, as he and his brother scrambled away from Bilbo.

That caught the attention of the other dwarves. As one, they all turned and stared at Bilbo.

"Mahal's beard," Balin breathed reverently. "A unicorn."

"Yes, about that," Bilbo said as he got his feet under him and stood. "This is as much of a surprise to you as it was to me."

"Bilbo, is that you?" Bofur asked, his eyebrows climbing up under his hat.

Bilbo nodded, and the Company broke out into exclamations along the lines of "We were so worried," and "We didn't see you when the elves came," and also "How? Just how?"

Finally, Thorin yelled "Quiet!" after which they settled down.

"Thank you Thorin," Bilbo said. "Now, I've been talking with the King, and he has agreed to let us go and to give us provisions in order to continue our journey."

"What's the catch?" Thorin asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "There's always a catch when one deals with elves. And are you going to explain how you managed to persuade the bastard?"

"And also how in Mahal's name you turned into a unicorn?" Nori muttered.

"We're going to be given an escort," Bilbo explained, choosing to ignore Nori. "The prince and one of the captains of the guard will be accompanying us to Lake-town."

"I'd rather eat my own shit than travel with that stuck-up tree-shagging prince," Gloin spat, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring.

"Did the king tell you which guard was coming with?" Kili asked, looking hopeful.

"No, he only said it would be a captain," Bilbo said.

Kili pouted.

"Was there any other condition?" Thorin asked, bringing the conversation back to the original topic.

"It only applies if we survive the dragon, but, if we do, I have to come back and heal Mirkwood," Bilbo said.

Bofur walked over and sat down on a cushion next to Bilbo. "Can you even do that?"

Bilbo shrugged as best as he could. "I was doing it by accident after I was grabbed by a spider and changed."

The rest of the dwarves followed Bofur's example and sat down next to the fire.

"Do you mind telling us how that happened?" Ori timidly asked.

"It's a family thing, likely from my mother's side," Bilbo explained, telling part of the truth. "People always say that a Took married a fairy a long time ago."

Ori's eyes widened. "How did you know you could change?"

"I didn't," Bilbo admitted. "It just happened, and I have no idea how to change back."

He could tell that they wanted to ask more, but many of them were covering up yawns and blinking heavily.

"As fascinating as this is," Dwalin said. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we need some sleep first."

There was a murmur of agreement in response to his words, and the dwarves all made their way to the pillows, all but collapsing onto them. It had been a long day, and their time in the dungeons likely hadn't helped them heal from the effects of the spider venom.

As the dwarves settled into sleep, Bilbo weighed the upsides and downsides of attempting to heal the dwarves. It would be very handy if he could heal others, but he had no idea if it was possible. Besides, they had just fallen asleep, and he didn't want to wake them up. On the other hand, the spider venom could have more detrimental effects in the future. The least he could do was try.

His mind made up, Bilbo turned to Thorin, who was sleeping closest to him. He slowly reached over with one of his front hooves and rested it on Thorin's arm. Nothing happened. Hoof to coat clearly did nothing, so maybe he needed skin to skin contact.

Bilbo ever so gently leaned over, touched his nose to Thorin's hand, and concentrated on making him feel better. A golden glow suffused him and engulfed Thorin's hand. It gradually traveled from the point of contact up Thorin's arm, disappearing under the sleeve of his coat. Soon enough, Thorin's entire body was gently glowing.

Thorin shifted suddenly under Bilbo's nose, stretching out. Bilbo hastily leaned away from him as the dwarf blinked the sleep from his eyes.

"Bilbo," Thorin mumbled, rubbing at his eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"No, nothing. I was just seeing if I could get rid of any remaining spider venom, that's all."

Thorin reached out a hand and rested it against Bilbo's back. It was very warm.

"You died," Thorin said suddenly.

"What?" Bilbo was confused. Did he mean that they had thought that Bilbo was dead after he got taken by the spider?

"You got sick after we got down from the Carrock, hallucinating and feverish, and then you fainted. All Gandalf would tell me was that murder was abhorrent to hobbits for reasons beyond just morality, that your sickness was because you had saved my life. You got worse rapidly, and then you stopped breathing. Mahal, Bilbo," Thorin reached out and wrapped both of his arms around him, pulling him onto his lap. "I was so relieved when you got better, and you were fine, completely fine. But then you disappeared when the elves attacked, and they wouldn't even go back to look for you," Thorin clutched him tighter. "And this is so strange, but at least you're alive."

"It's even stranger for me," Bilbo said, choosing to address the last part of Thorin's speech. "I have wings and a sharp horn growing out of my forehead and I'm a horse now and I'm even smaller than before."

Thorin chuckled, a deep rumble that vibrated through Bilbo. "You are very little now, but that isn't a bad thing. From what I've heard in stories, unicorns are incredibly powerful. You're size will make people underestimate you."

"You mean like you did?" Bilbo asked.

Thorin sighed. "I do regret that."

"It's alright. You should go back to sleep though; I need to heal the others," Bilbo said.

Thorin slowly unwound his arms from around Bilbo and shifted him off of his lap. "Make sure you get some sleep as well, Bilbo."

"Of course," Bilbo promised as Thorin laid down and gradually drifted back to sleep, his face much more relaxed than before.

0o0o0

A/N: Yay, there is bagginshield fluff. Also, because of my beta, I feel the need to include that Thorin was NOT glowing because he is pregnant. It was only healing magic, not nonsexual pregnancy magic. That is all.