Chapter 13: Double Trouble

She scanned the darkening horizon for a moment, hoping beyond hope and dreaming beyond dream that she would find Aragorn or Elrond on horseback coming to rescue her. They could, you know. Any moment now one of them could scoop her up, take her away from this company and bring her back to her bed in Rivendell. Oh, her bed. It was amazing how she took such a wonderful thing for granted! Night was falling and all she wanted was her soft feather bed! She glanced behind her where Bombur and Bofur were preparing another stew to feed the hungry company. Much like the night before, everyone was huddled around the fire and chatting amongst themselves. Not Brili though. No, she sat off a ways from the rest of the group and searched the darkness for a friend.

She met Bofur's eyes briefly and forced a small smile on her face for his sake. She was still very unsure about the agreement made with him when the sun still shone high three days before. It would take a lot of work to repair her image of Bofur and she wasn't entirely sure it could be done. She was not over-exaggerating when she said that she hated him in past conversations. In fact, hate was hardly a strong enough word. She didn't know if that would change just because he offered to be friends with her. She was no expert, but she was pretty sure the world didn't work like that.

"Hungry?"

She looked beside her as Kili plopped down next her and mimicked the way she sat with her knees pressed to her chest and her arms hugging them tightly. He didn't make eye contact with her but watched the horizon for the same things she searched for. He was worried they would come for her and more so that she would go with them if they came. Call him selfish but he had missed her and was rather looking forward to spending this adventure with her. He was a touch put out when she hadn't answered his harmless question.

"Bofur makes a pretty good stew," he continued, beginning to show signs of rambling. Bri knew it was something he did when he was nervous and was trying her best to keep her apprehension at bay. "I don't get how the guy can just grab a bunch of random things like that and make them so delicious!"

She put what Kili was saying into the back of her mind for the time being. She was ridiculously on edge at the moment and worried she would snap at him if she kept listening. Kili had the earnest potential to distract her from her purpose if she played into his whimsies. It was a priority that she keep her distance from the rest of them so that she could remain focused on the task at hand; getting her uncle and his company to the Lonely Mountain to face the dragon Smaug. Beyond that task, there was nothing she could do but hope Aragorn found her and talked her out of this entire mess. She watched where the earth met the sky and waited for something to blur that impossibly straight line.

Kili, who Bri at one point swore was a telepath, read her like a book.

"He's not coming, Bri," he said pointedly and he was not at all upset by that thought.

She shuddered at the thought but gave no other signs that she was listening. Of course she had heard what he had said to her. That thought would break her though. He had to come. If he didn't then that meant she was truly on her own in this and that would have to face it all. It went farther than this quest, it was five years of disdain deep and she was unsure she wanted to start digging and sorting through all of the feelings that were bottled up inside her. Bri sighed and leaned back to look at the sky; better to answer Kili before he started talking.

"I'm not sure who you're talking about," she murmured to the sky more than her brother. It would be best to feign innocence.

He snorted, able to guess at her game as if they were never apart. "You're friend… what was his name? Agatha?"

Her brows crinkled in response. "Aragorn," she snarled, "his name is Aragorn. And he is going to come for me. I know he will."

"He is a man, fickle by nature, and an ally of elves. You really think he cares?" She looked ready to strike him and he threw his hands up in defense, an innocent look crossing his features. "I'm not trying to upset you! I just don't see why you'd rather wait up all night for someone who might or might not show up."

She looked away from him to stare off into the distance. "You don't know him like I do."

"He doesn't know you like I do," Kili retorted, getting to the point of the conversation. "In case you've forgotten, we used to be pretty good friends."

"Friendships are circumstantial," she said softly to him. "Thorin used to tell me that all the time."

"That's not what he would say," Kili argued, shifting to look at Bri a little closer. She could feel the pressure of his stare like a weight on her shoulders. "Friendships are circumstantial but family remains."

As if on cue, she could hear footsteps behind them. She dared a peak to spot Fili precariously balancing three bowls of soup in his hands. He smiled at them and quickened his pace; the third bowl, which had been stacked on top of the other two in his hands, began to sway unsteadily. He gave Kili a look and the younger brother leapt from his perch and accepted the less than stable dish. Fili placed her bowl in front of her with little to no ceremony before sitting beside her. From there both brothers began to eat noisily and messily. She looked on either side of her in shock, her head swinging back and forth like a pendulum.

"Don't you both have somewhere to be?!" she demanded, her eyes growing wide in surprise.

Both brothers peered at the other over their sister's scowling head and shared a smug smirk. She couldn't help but feel some of the tension begin to fade a little. She knew that look all too well as they often used it when planning some sort of prank or joke on her. Bri rolled her eyes while her siblings exchanged playful smiles. Despite her unease, she felt the familiar feeling of normalcy begin to creep up on her. She knew it wouldn't last very long, she had grown far too independent for it to remain, but she couldn't help but be warmed by the thought.

"Nope," they both responded simultaneously.

~o~

She woke with the sun chasing the moon out of the sky. The latter was fading into the blurry horizon, nestled in the pinks and blues that only the dawn could bring forward. She stretched out to find her fingers when she realized she was pressed against something warm. She shifted her weight to feel the same thing on the opposite side. Fili and Kili lay on either side of her, both snoring lightly with their arms and legs splayed out across the ground. Fili's arm was draped across her stomach and Kili's leg was somehow wedged underneath hers. What an awkward situation indeed! She managed to wriggle free, jostling Fili ever so slightly, without waking them from their slumber and crawled backwards on her hands and feet to inspect them. This had been going on for a week straight now. She would find a quiet place to tuck in for the night, away from everyone and their prying eyes and probing questions, and she would wake up next to Fili and Kili snuggled beside her as if they were still children. The first time it had happened she had panicked and nearly cut Kili's throat. She was not used to waking up with a man beside her, brother or not!

She sighed and sleepily rubbed her eyes with the heel of her hand and glared at the two of them almost petulantly. If they knew she didn't like being stuffed between the two of them, why did they insist on putting her through this every damn morning? She stood up and pulled her pack out from where it lay beside Kili's and grumpily stalked off. She was often the first to wake and knew that someone else, the hobbit most likely, would not be far behind. She wanted to prepare herself for the morning without any interruptions. She offered no regard to who was on watch, assuming that it was Bombur and he wouldn't even notice her absence until breakfast. Ever since the berry incident he was constantly bringing his food to her for approval before he ate anything.

She had walked quite a distance away and knelt down beside her pack, humming softly to herself while she busily ran a small brush through her knotted hair. While brushing she stared out into the distance where the sky looked like it was being impaled by jagged rocks; mountains. Her uncle was insistent that they cross through them. Brili, however, disagreed vehemently. Unclaimed mountains like those offered no promise of security and it would be much safer to just go around them. But when did anyone in her family listen to her? She plucked the pins in her hair out so that she could rearrange the twists in her hair and tie them high on her head. She was patiently tying when she heard the footsteps behind her. Bilbo must have woken up and already eager to interrupt her morning routine. She sighed and placed the last of the pins in and tied a few loose sections of golden curls back to complete her ritual. True, braids held together better but she never cared for the way that they clung and pulled on her scalp. She had favored this half ponytail ever since an elf maiden had tied her hair like so when she had first arrived in Rivendell.

"Good morning," she called out to whoever stood behind her in a tone that was not unpleasant but not inviting either.

"Mornin', Lass," a gruff voice answered behind her. Dwalin drew closer and stood beside her now, peering out to the mountains without a moments glace at her.

Bri flinched when she realized that she had not invited the Halfling to join her but her crotchety god father. She always knew him to be a light sleeper but he had never bothered with her comings and goings any morning before this. Why on earth had he chosen now to follow her? She kept her eyes on the mountains and tried to piece together what little memory she had from when she first woke up. Nope, she was definitely drawing a blank. The only thing she could conclude was that Dwalin must have taken the last watch.

"Dwalin," she finally murmured politely. She hadn't spoken to him since she left Ered Luin and found this situation extremely uncomfortable. "Sleep well?"

"Aye, never better," was his curt reply.

"I'd appreciate the peace now while you can. Everyone will be rising soon," she said plainly, hoping he would take the hint and go. She wanted a few moments of reflection while they were still available.

Beside her Dwalin grunted and sat down without looking at her. He too questioned the safety of the mountains ahead but was not as vocal as Brili. "Is that why you sit alone? For peace?"

She narrowed her eyes at the dawn and mountain pass. "Why I sit alone is my own business, Dwalin. I thank you for your company but I ask that you leave me alone and tend to your watch."

He chuckled dryly. "Lass, you are my watch."

She looked at him with fierce, however sleepy, eyes and curled her fists together. She and Thorin were very similar in many ways and her temper was certainly inherited from her uncle. In fact, Dwalin was fairly certain that Brili was one of the few people who could outmatch Thorin in that department. She, like her uncle, was quick to draw conclusions and even hastier to lash out even if often at the expense of loved ones. He was, like her family, happy to see her safe after all this time and was constantly surprised by how she had changed.

She stood stiffly. "I'm no one's watch, Dwalin."

He nodded his head and pulled his hands up to placate her as he often would during her youth. "I meant no offense. Just making sure I won't have to go searching again."

Not in the mood to speak with any one, much less an associate of who she had once been, she directed her attention to the mountain pass. She knew Thorin would disapprove but she should really scout ahead to be sure the company could pass through. It would do none of them any good to travel so far ahead only to discover that the road was blocked or claimed by goblins. Without further word she shouldered her pack and began to walk forward. She had no patience for sentimentality, even if it was a rare sight from Dwalin. Her godfather seemed put out by her lack of interest but not insulted.

"Where're you going?" a familiar voice called out.

Kili began bounding beside her like a devoted puppy dog. His hair was a wild and disheveled mess and his eyes were still a little droopy. He had obviously woken up and noticed she wasn't there. She let out a frustrated sigh and noticed Dwalin retreating back to the rest of the fold, who were all beginning to rise. Thorin was beginning to wake and was begrudgingly sitting up. She directed her attention to Kili, intent on drawing him away from her.

"I'm going to check out the mountains ahead. I'll be back in a couple of days," she replied plainly.

His eyes widened and he frowned. "All by yourself?"

"Yes, Kili, by myself," she answered irritably as she pulled a piece of fruit from her backpack. "Otherwise I would have listed a companion."

"Hmm," he seemed to deliberate for a moment, "I'll come along as well."

Bri, who had chosen to take a bite of her breakfast when Kili had trailed off in thought, spit out food so violently that it could have taken down an animal. Go with her? Was she allowed no simple freedoms? Oh, how she wished the wizard was here to set things straight with these fools! She was about to argue her point when Fili appeared from behind Kili.

"What's going on?" he asked, rubbing his tired eyes.

Brili was quick to answer. "Nothing!"

True to form Kili outmatched his sister's quiet voice. "Bri, thinks we should check the mountains out. What do you think?"

Fili seemed to like the idea. "Not a bad plan I think we should check with Uncle though."

"No!" she snapped, throwing her fruit (a strawberry to be exact) to the ground in frustration. "No! I said that I should explore the mountains! Not the two of you!"

Kili pretended to look confused but it was overshadowed by an impish smirk. Bri knew their game straight away; the two of them were ganging up on her! "You would be coming too."

"Yeah, Bri," Fili added, "we wouldn't leave you behind."

She covered her face in her hands exasperated. This was her entire childhood in a nutshell. It was like her past was coming back to rear its ugly head at her and she was not having it. No, she would settle this with Thorin and have a few peaceful days to herself while she made sure the passage was safe for the rest to travel. Without acknowledging their words, she turned her back to her brothers and hastily stalked up the hill to where the rest of the camp remained.

"Brili!" Bilbo called out cheerfully when he spotted her.

As of late the two of them had been enjoying the other's company and sharing tales of Rivendell. Bilbo paid close attention as she filled his head with memories of the most joyful time of her life. She expected that he had more questions about the gardens or something trivial. She held a hand up to interrupt him.

"Not now, Bilbo," she said a little too harshly for her liking. She quickly forced a soft smile on her face and relaxed her pose. "I have something important to discuss with my uncle. When I am done I'll come back, alright?"

The hobbit nodded as she placed her hand on his shoulder and continued her trek. Thorin sat by his pony casually eating the remains of the previous night's meal. Bri faltered for a moment, unsure how to tread around the subject. She had to at least pretend that she was asking him for permission when, in all honesty, she was planning on going with or without his consent. She stood before him with more courage than she thought she had and cleared her throat. Thorin looked up at her, recognizing that familiar gleam in her eye. He knew the girl was looking for adventure and was annoyed enough to pick a fight to get it.

"Yes?" he responded, pretending to busy himself with his breakfast.

"Uncle, I would like to –" she began before she was interrupted by a rush of wind blowing past her.

Like a hurricane, Kili was beside Thorin. "Bri thinks the three of us should make sure the mountains are safe."

Thorin quirked an eyebrow and peered at his youngest nephew. He had very strong doubts that his niece had invited her brothers to join her or even spoken to them in depth about it. Bri was as stubborn as they come and he knew that the boys still had a while to wait for her forgiveness from her imagined slights. He regarded the two of them bemusedly. Kili's behavior was not far off from when he was a boy trying to win back Brili's graces after a fight. It was refreshing to see that some things never changed.

True to form, Brili was irate with her brother's antics. "No! I never said that! I said that I should check the mountain pass. I'm quick and trained to go unnoticed! If there is anything there, they won't spot me! Those two will just get in the way!"

Thorin pretended to think things through. "I can hardly justify sending my best fighters ahead."

"Then don't," she stated simply. "Send me and I will return shortly."

Thorin shot her a warning glance. "I also cannot justify sending anyone on their own at this juncture. If you do not return what am I to assume? That you are dead? Injured? Or that you have simply run off again?"

Bri's eyes narrowed at the accusation. "That's not fair. I said I would take you to Erebor and that is what I am trying to do. I cannot assure your safety unless you let me go on ahead. I was sent ahead when Gandalf knew who I was. I did not flee then even though I could and should have. I always returned. Unlike my brothers, I'm able to separate work from petty matters."

"Just the same, I cannot allow the three of you off without the company. We stay together," Thorin concluded resolutely.

Brili let out a stiff snort and turned from them. This was the most unwise decision he could possibly make! How was she to ensure their safety without going forward? She stalked over to where she had dropped her pack by Bilbo and plopped beside the hobbit, her frustration rolling off of her in waves. Bilbo turned to her with a half smile; he had obviously been eavesdropping.

"I take it that things didn't go the way you expected them to?"

She shook her head. "No, and because of that I'm worried. I don't know what's out there."

Bilbo chuckled a little and peered at Fili and Kili who had already grouped together. "I don't think that's what has you worried."

"Oh?" she answered in a snarky tone. "What is it then, oh wise one?"

Bilbo pointed to the brothers. "I think they're starting to get to you and you don't like it. You spent all this time hating them and not wanting to forgive them and now that you three are together… Well, I think you are starting to feel something again."

Bri looked at the hobbit incredulously. That couldn't be the case. No, she would never forgive them for what they had done to her. They had taken away her choice and her happiness. The hobbit was as wrong as could be. She merely wanted to get a job done. She shook her head at her new friend who merely shrugged like he didn't believe her. She sighed and forced herself to stand while adjusting her pack on her shoulders. She held her hand out to the hobbit and looked down at him with a blank face.

"Let's go, mellon," she murmured, watching a storm begin to brew in the distance. "We've both got a long way to go until we're home.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH! That took forever to get out! I can't even lie to you guys, I need a co-author because I've been sitting on a giant pile of steaming writer's block since the beginning of May when I started this chapter. So I really apologize if this chapter is a bit of a dud because it was a rough journey for me. I'd spend hours on my laptop and get out two sentences. I also have a pretty clear view what I'm going to do in the second installment of this series (Not sure if I will write separate books or if this will all be one collection yet. By installment I mean the second movie/part of the book involving Beorn and the woodland realm.) because that's what I thought of every time I tried to write this chapter. Ugh! I'm hoping to have another chapter out soon, Mahal permitting at this point.

I also posted the first installment in the Life and Times series. I hope you guys check it out and thanks to Aranel Mereneth and thewomankingg for their follows, favorites and/or reviews of it! I think it's a sweet little tie in to everything angsty I write in this story!

I've been added to a community! Gah! That's exciting! So special thanks to the administrator of Mixture of Life for thinking my character was a good OC. I'll consider this a victory!

Thanks to RiverLily176 for the favorite! :)

And I have a very special, heartfelt thank you going out to Sun Raider. I'm actually an in the closet fanfictioner and she is the first person in my actual, not revolving around the computer, life that I've asked to read my fanfiction. I go out for burgers with her on most Tuesdays and when she's not there the waitress asks where she is! Anyways, letting her read this was a big step for me and I'm so glad we have become friends the past few months! (PS walker stalker con is in four days, lady!) So anyways, an extra special thank you is going to her for not only reading my fiction when I wasn't even sure she would be interested in reading it (she's a really big fan of Tolkien's work and I'm going to try extra hard not to botch this up for her!) but liking what she wrote enough to ask for more! So hats off to you, darling! I appreciate you!

Anyways, like always, big plans for the next chapter... just not sure when I'll find the time to execute them. I'll start now!

-kimmy