I awoke the next morning to the sound of clattering and the chorus of voices from close by and afar. Stretching my arms lazily above me and arching my back, I let out a long sigh. Despite the general soreness of my muscles, my body felt well-rested and relaxed. Even my mind was calm, and my heart was content.

The night of celebration, good food and great company made my spirits soar. After such a tempestuous few months in which I wasn't sure we were going to get out of, it was relieving to have everyone out of the mess in one piece.

I knew that it wasn't the end, though. I wasn't naïve, but I wasn't going to let the task ahead ruin the fantastic mood I was currently in. The next week or so was going to be something I would let myself enjoy before we continued to Erebor.

The sun streamed in through the far window, and I relished in the golden fingers of light that stretched towards my bed. Not wasting another second and being prompted by the booming laughter I could hear downstairs, I threw off the blankets I was wrapped in and swung my legs off of the bed.

I really didn't expect how cold it was going to be outside the sheets; almost shivering, I moved to some wooden drawers in the hope of finding something for my feet and for my shoulders. I felt as though a thin tunic, slacks and leather shoes just weren't going to cut it anymore.

It must be their Autumn and on its way to Winter, I thought idly to myself. It seemed like only days ago that we were in Summer back in our world. How odd to think that this was something that had truly happened to us.

I tried to imagine what would have happened if Josh and I went back when we had the chance, though it didn't take long to think of a likely scenario. If we had gotten back, we would have had to somehow explain where we had been for the time we had been missing. Then, I would have tried to bring Josh to live with me, though it wouldn't have worked.

Josh would still be living with my father, probably being abused more than he had been before. He would have to wait until he was eighteen to leave.

Holy crap. When was Josh eighteen? I tried to think back to how many weeks we had been in this world. It took me a little bit of time and more than a little guesswork, but it seemed we had been here for around four months. That meant that he would turn eighteen in around three months, but I had no idea what the dates were like here. For all I knew they counted years longer or shorter than three-hundred and sixty-five days.

Four months we had been here. While it had felt like no time had passed, it also felt like we had been here a lifetime. There was no way I regretted staying here. If Josh was back in our world, I'm sure time would have been at a standstill as he waited for his birthday so he could leave home.

Pushing the darkening thoughts from my mind, I smiled gleefully as I found a woollen pair of socks and a large fur coat. It was dark in colour and very soft. I wondered who lived here normally, and hoped that they wouldn't mind me using some of their clothes.

I began poking around in more drawers and cupboards, feeling relieved when I found a pair of thick leather and woollen boots. Putting them on quickly, I found that they were quite a deal too large, but I didn't mind.

My stomach was beginning to groan with hunger, and I looked down to frown almost comically at it.

"How am I already hungry? I ate enough last night to feed a pack of wolves!" Thinking about the breakfast that would await downstairs made me grin in enthusiasm. I could almost taste the delicious piles of food that Bombur would be cooking at that moment.

Without any further delay, I pulled open the door and quickly raced down the flights of stairs. The boots I wore made little sound on the wooden surface of the staircase, but the excitement of my movements was enough to make loud, muffled noises.

I could hear the quietening of the company as I reached the last set of stairs, and I realised that they had heard my footfalls. Turning left and walking into the large dining area, I saw the company crowded around a table too small to accommodate all of us.

"Good-morning, everyone!" I exclaimed rather cheerfully. The company echoed my words and emotions, as it seemed they were also still full of good cheer. Moving closer, I saw that Bombur had most definitely outdone himself. There were plates and plates full of cheeses and breads, ham, bacon, eggs and sausages, apples and half a dozen other types of fruit. It was reminiscent of the feast we had last night.

Wide eyed and mouth opened, I heard a chuckle from my right. I glanced down to see Bofur looking at me with a bemused glint in his eye and a smirk on his lips. Without a word, I quickly leaned in between him and Bifur, who sat at his left, to grab the plate stacked high that sat in front of the Dwarf with the funny hat.

"Oi!" He yelled out, making a grab for the food as I ducked quickly out of his grasp and moved around the table. He had stood up, an expression on his face that all too clearly reflected mischief and a hint of surprise.

Watching him as I did so, I took a handful of bacon and stuffed it in my mouth. I had to close my eyes in appreciation of the absolute divinity of the food. It was a sudden chorus of laughter that made me open my eyes again, to find Bofur making a lunge for the food.

Again, I quickly ducked out of the way and ran to the other end of the table. The other Dwarves were in hysterics by now; they were laughing in between mouthfuls of their own, and I had a hard time not laughing myself at Bofur's growing frown.

I had finished the bacon and started on some cheese when it became a completely ridiculous and hilarious game of chasey. Apparently, the fact that Bofur was getting outmanoeuvred by not only a woman, but a human woman, had them in almost tears of laughter.

It didn't last long though; he quickly managed to catch me, and attempted to grab the plate from my hands. I didn't let go, and that was my mistake. Bofur saw his opportunity and let go of his end of the plate very suddenly. Without any time to stop what I saw was happening, the plate flipped towards me, causing all the food it held to project from the plate and straight into my face.

There was but a second of silence, before an absolute eruption of laugher followed. I had never, ever heard them so loud in my life, even when we were in Bag End or Beorn's house. My eyes were closed as I felt something wet on my face, and something seemed heavy in my hair. It took me a while to open my eyes and face the company, and when I did they just took one look at my face and howled in laughter once more.

I couldn't help but join in after the initial shock. Wiping whatever food was stuck from my face, and removing the pieces of meat and egg from my hair, I looked at Bofur who still stood in front of me, barely containing his laugher.

"Aye lass, you are almost as fast as Bombur when he smells food after missing Luncheon, ha ha!" There was a loud exclamation from Bombur that was almost drowned out by the sea of laughter that ensued.

With the pieces of food still in my hands, I took a sudden step towards Bofur and placed my hands on either side of his face with some force. Completely squishing the food that was under my palms against his cheeks, he looked at me with almost horror written on his face.

Realising what was going to happen next, I grinned smugly at him and quickly sat down at one of the benches, squeezing myself in between Nori and Ori. Making a grab for as much food as I could so that I had something to eat, it took the company but moments to begin a food fight of extraordinary proportions.

My smile didn't falter throughout the entire breakfast, which seemed to last a lifetime. I didn't mind though. The Dwarves were celebrating their escape from Mirkwood, their arrival at the Lake Town and the glimpse at their lost home that was so close to being taken back.

I couldn't blame them, as I was feeling quite elated as well. Josh was sitting with Kili as he most often did, laughing and eating more food than his body should have been able to handle. Looking around the table and observing the company, I met Fili's gaze from directly across from me.

His lips were curved in a lop-sided smirk, and his eyes sparkled with the intensity of his emotions. He looked really, really happy, I couldn't help but smile playfully back at him and send a wink his way. His eyebrows lifted slightly in surprise, but an even bigger grin set on his face as he continued to watch me.

My eyes left his almost hesitantly, as I continued to look around at the company. It was the first time all morning that I realised a few of us were missing. Bilbo wasn't with us, and neither were Thorin and Balin.

I didn't even realise I was frowning and deep in thought, until Ori elbowed my side. I snapped my head to look at him as he spoke,

"Are you alright Amelia? What is bothering you?" He looked at me nervously, and I replied quickly.

"Where are Thorin and Balin? And where is Bilbo, is he okay?" Ori put a hand on my shoulder to calm my worried mind.

"Thorin and Balin are discussing matters with the Master. Bilbo is still in bed. He has fallen quite ill from the water." I nodded slightly, thinking about the poor Hobbit.

"I'm going to make him some tea and take him some breakfast. The poor thing will be sick for days if we don't do anything." Ori nodded seriously back to me, as I stood and left to the kitchen.

The kitchen was quite large and very open. It was right next to the dining room where the company were currently sitting, though through a large wooden door. I took more time to look around the room this morning than I had last night.

The walls were filled with cupboards and drawers of various sizes, all made from a dark wood. It wasn't perfectly fit as what would be seen back in our old world; shelves were tilted at odd angles, doors stuck out from the flawed craftsmanship of the cupboards, and even the floorboards seemed to slope ever so slightly.

I didn't mind though. It felt homier than our house had back in the world we used to live in. Everything there was perfect on the outside, yet it couldn't have been more broken.

In this house, it felt much more truthful and more complete. It didn't matter that the wood of the makeshift stove seemed to be almost unstable in its position, or that the bench I had sat upon only moments earlier creaked and wobbled under our weight.

I hoped more than anything that after the end of the quest, I could feel like this again. I had already chosen this world as my new home, but I just dreamed that there would be somewhere in this world I could find where I would belong.

More than anything, I hoped that my sense of belonging to the group of Dwarves wouldn't subside as soon as we had helped the company get back their home.

Opening several cupboards, I pulled out several jars and bottles to start making a tea for Bilbo. I used the same herbs that I had last night; lavender and peppermint were the only ones that I really recognised, though I managed to locate the other ones Oin had suggested through their distinctive smells. I also found some lemon and honey to put into the concoction. It was something that our mother had put into hot water when we were sick, and I remembered always feeling better afterwards.

I quickly pulled a jug of water from a large cupboard that seemed to act as a pantry, and poured a small amount into a large metal bowl sitting above the stove that we had used last night. It took a while for me to light a fire underneath the bowl, but eventually I managed to successfully start boiling the water.

There was a prominent feeling of solace when I thought of how great the company had been in trying to teach Josh, Bilbo and I different things. Oin had showed us many different plants that can be used in traditional medicine, which I felt as though I would need to really know if we were to live here. It wasn't like we could go to a hospital or doctor whenever we felt ill.

Fili and Kili had shown us how to use weapons; I mean, we were terrible at it, but learning the basics had saved all three of our lives. In a way, it had also inadvertently saved Thorin's life, when Bilbo killed that Orc when we had been atop that cliff face.

Ori had been telling me bits and pieces about the Dwarves as a whole, their traditions and about their language. I knew they spoke in Khuzdul, and he had secretly taught me some words so far, which I think would come in handy one day.

All in all, they had treated us as though we were going to be with them for a while. It reassured me that Josh and I wouldn't be cast aside when it came to the end of their journey.

Soon, the water was boiled and I infused the mixture of crushed herbs into a large wooden cup of the steaming water. I also quickly grabbed a handfuls of fruits, cheeses and meat products from the pantry and piled them high onto a plate for Bilbo. Hopefully he had an appetite this morning,

I made my way out through the dining room, where the company seemed to have dwindled from the breakfast table to do whatever it was they needed or wanted to do. I walked up the stairs and came to the third story room which Bilbo and Josh occupied.

With a soft knock on the wooden door, I entered the room to see a small shape on the far bed, covered in several blankets. There was only a small amount of light peeping through the curtains which had been closed almost completely against the glass window pane.

"Bilbo?" I questioned almost soundlessly, moving closer to the bed where he lay.

"Ish that you Mish Amelia?" Bilbo sounded even worse than he had the day before. It seemed as though the cold he had acquired from being in the cold water had swollen the glands in his neck, making it hard for him to speak properly.

"I brought you some more tea and breakfast!" I spoke a little louder and with some enthusiasm to try and cheer up the Hobbit. It's safe to say that didn't work very well though. Bilbo seemed thoroughly dejected and unhappy.

"Well, I thag you for your concern Amelia, but I doubt that I could taste the food eben if I tried!" Bilbo had sat up in the bed somewhat, but he was still encircled in the blankets surrounding him. I smiled slightly and moved over to him, sitting on the bed by his side with the plate and cup still in my hands.

"It doesn't matter if you can't taste it, it just matters that you eat it and get better." I deadpanned. My words were almost harsh, but the smile at my lips told him that I wasn't being an asshole. He sat up completely then, and with a frown on his face he gently took the cup of tea from my hands.

He didn't speak for a long time as he slowly drank the tea. I could see the frown disappear even at the first sip; his whole posture relaxed and a sigh escaped past his open lips.

"Thag you bery much for thish'," he whispered as he continued to sip from the cup. I simply nodded, outstretching my arm towards him in an offer of food. The little Hobbit began to nibble at the food on the plate, and in doing so he must have realised how hungry he truly was, as he started to devour the food as I had done at breakfast with the rest of the company.

Even in the silence and in the near dark, I found comfort in being in Bilbo's presence. I had never had such a great friendship with anyone else in my life, besides Josh. There sure as hell wasn't anyone back in my world that I was this close to. Like shit, I hadn't even had a housemate!

Now I was best friends with a Hobbit.

I can't express enough that I didn't see my life turning out quite this way.

Even while that was the case, I couldn't help but feel grateful for how things did turn out. I had wanted to get out of the life I was living, though turning up in Middle Earth was very unexpected indeed.

"What are you thingin' about Amelia?" Bilbo's sudden question snapped my consciousness from my own thoughts, as I looked at him with a smile.

"I was just thinking about how glad I am things turned out the way they did. Not just in the past few days, but in the past few months. I'm glad that Josh and I ended up here, however we did. I won't ever stop being grateful for meeting you and the company." When I spoke these words aloud, it solidified my feelings toward what had happened to us.

I guess in extension then, I had already accepted what had happened with our father. If events hadn't happened as they did that day, then we still would be there now. It didn't hurt as much when I thought about him hurting me. There was still a dull ache in my heart, but it wasn't a crippling pain as it had been initially. I had no idea when this had happened, but there was calmness in my heart now when it came to my mind, and it didn't affect me so much anymore.

"The gladness you feel is shared wif' me. If not for you and Joshua, I do not know if I would have been able to keep going. As it was, there were many a-times when I thought to turn back to the Shire, or to Ribendell, but it was not only me struggling to continue. Eben when I was an outsider, I was not alone." Bilbo was already beginning to sound a little better, and I smiled like a fool at what he said.

Instead of attempting to put into words my utter thankfulness of having Bilbo with us in this journey, I simply leant over to him and wrapped my arms around his shoulders tightly. Even while he couldn't reciprocate the hug, he chuckled slightly and mumbled some things about me getting sick if I got too close.

We spent the rest of the day as we had that morning. Bilbo and I talked about many different things; I asked him about his life, Hobbits and the Shire, and he asked me about the things from my world. There were many moments where I would explain something that didn't make much sense through words, so I went downstairs and asked Ori for a piece of his paper and some charcoal pencils. How he managed to hold onto those in the Elves halls without them being taken away, I did not know.

When I told Ori of what I wanted them for, he excitedly followed me back to Bilbo's room as he wanted to hear more about where Josh and I were from. I already knew that he had an idea of where we had come from, but I wasn't going to tell him anything specific without Josh agreeing.

That was when Josh decided to sit in their room with us and help explain about our world. He not only agreed that Ori should know about where we had come from, but suggested that it was time we should tell the rest of the company. They deserved to know, and he was feeling as though we couldn't deny them that. I wholeheartedly agreed.

By mid-afternoon, Fili and Kili had joined us, and we had explained to Kili about our origins. Much like his brother had done, he didn't believe us; he thought that all of us were trying to play a prank on him.

After some more explanation from not only Josh and I, but Bilbo too, he finally believed us. From then on, the conversations we had either had me in hysterics or left me and Josh trying in vain to defend habits from our old world.

"How do you travel in your world?" Ori had said, the pencil in his hand moving frantically along the paper as we spoke. Josh and I had just looked at each other, unable to begin explaining cars, let alone planes or trains or buses. Finally, Josh had replied.

"We, uh… Travel in these metal box-type vehicles. They have an engine in it that can make it move. Then you steer it with a wheel type thing, and push pedals with your feet to make it go faster or stop." The three Dwarves and Bilbo were just silent for a few moments, before they erupted with questions all at once.

"A metal box? Surely such a thing cannot exist as a form of transport?"

"Why would you do that? Horses or ponies would be much faster!"

Needless to say, we began a heated discussion as to whether cars or horses were a better form of transport. I couldn't even think of a stranger thing to get into an argument about even if I tried. Through explaining in more detail to Ori what a car looks like, he was able to draw a rough sketch to show the others.

It was truly incredible how well he drew something that he had never seen before. Minus some details here and there, it was quite accurate. The picture just seemed to confuse the others even more though, as they couldn't understand how we could get around in something so... Odd.

I couldn't blame them though; things that I would have never believed to exist before a few months ago, I have seen with my own eyes in this world. To actually see something with your own eyes is one thing, though to try and think about something as true when you have never seen it before, well… That is a whole other thing.

Our discussions about different kinds of music just made my stomach hurt in laughter. Josh attempted to describe heavy metal and dubstep to our companions, yet they couldn't quite grasp why anyone would want to listen to 'lots of loud noises and screaming,' as Bilbo so eloquently put it.

After hours of laughing and talking between us, we didn't realise how quickly the time had passed until the threads of sunlight retreated through the window, and we had to light several candles and lamps to keep the darkness at bay.

It wasn't long before Bombur came and told us that we were all expected at another of the Masters banquets that night. Because our hunger had returned, we quickly gathered our coats and cloaks, and moved downstairs to join the rest of the company. Even Bilbo was feeling much better than he had in the morning, and was almost excited for the feast.

That night, we joined the townspeople once more in their celebrations, though contrary to the night before, I decided to join in drinking with the rest of the company. The food was good, and the ale was terrible, as I expected, and it went quickly to my head. I was quite sure that I had only had one flagon of the disgusting alcohol before I started to feel a little light-headed and very merry.

My reaction was not noticed, however, as the rest of the company were on their fifth or sixth flagons and were beginning to have the same effects. They were laughing and singing, and at one point we even begun to dance.

I was terrible at it, not to mention quite tipsy, so I stumbled often and fell over my own feet more times than I could count. I felt as though I should have better balance, but I put it down to the consumption of alcohol; it was something that I had not had for a long time, and was obviously having a nice and efficient effect on me.

Each time I tripped or slipped though, there was someone there to catch me; at one point it was Josh, at another Gloin, and at some stage it was Fili. It turned less into a feast and more into a drunken celebration.

Time begun to blur, and I hadn't even considered what time it may be until I sat down after what felt like an eternity of dancing. I watched on as the Dwarves begun drinking competitions with the townspeople. It honestly seemed as though they were having as much fun as our company, though they were quickly out-drunk by the Dwarves. Honestly, it was like they had livers of steel.

After so much alcohol though, it didn't take long for some of the younger members of the company begin to pass the stage of intoxication where they should just go to bed and sleep it off. Josh, in particular, was stumbling, slurring and laughing with Kili, Fili and Ori, who were in a similar state.

It was when Josh collapsed into a chair beside me and begun to snore in a drunken doze, when I decided to take him back to his room in the house provided to us. This was something that I wasn't equipped to deal with however, as I had no idea how to carry the Elf-sized human when I was only just taller than a Dwarf.

I looked over to Fili, who was currently involved in a burping contest with Kili and Ori. I couldn't help but laugh, especially when the usually shy and reserved Ori beat them both, hands down. Instead of interrupting them, I just sat back down next to Josh and waited until I could ask one of them for help in carrying Josh back.

The rhythm from several instruments and the voices of Dwarves and Men alike were so loud that even my thoughts were almost drowned out, but I didn't mind. The energy and good-cheer in the air was so tangible that it was almost suffocating, but I didn't mind that either. Everything was good. I knew at that moment, that whatever happened at the end of our journey, everything would be fine. We would have the company; there would be no way they would forget about us or cast us aside. Josh and I would be alright.

Unluckily for me, by the time Fili strutted over to where I was sitting, he seemed to be on the verge of drunken unconsciousness as Josh was now in.

"Oi! Don't sit down," I exclaimed, jumping from my seat and grabbing Fili by the arm. He looked at me with a cheeky grin on his face as he replied.

"Always with the hands, Amelia!" I didn't even have time to come up with a witty retort, as he gently encircled his arm around my waist and took my hand in his.

If possible, the music seemed to grow even louder as Fili spun us both in circles around the room. Everything blurred around me, but I kept my eyes on Fili's to keep me from feeling too completely nauseous. The smile on his face grew into a grin as we spun to the beat of the fast-paced music.

I couldn't hear the words as the world around me spun, but before I knew it the song had lulled and Fili had stopped. Still, he held me with an arm snaked around my lower back, and it was with hesitancy that he finally let me go.

"And you think that I can't keep my hands off of you!" I whispered to him with a smirk on my face. I noticed the red creep into his cheeks as he looked at my almost sheepishly. Grabbing his arm again, I took him back over to my drunken brother, who was still snoozing in what looked like a very uncomfortable position in his chair. His head was titled at an awkward angle, and he had begun to slip down the seat.

"Can you help me take this fool back to the house?" I sighed to Fili, a smile on my face giving away that I wasn't quite as annoyed as my words sounded.

"Only a Human would be so terrible at holding their alcohol!" Fili exclaimed, chuckling to himself as we both grabbed one of Josh's arms, and hoisted him off the seat. He was so ridiculously heavy, though I suspected that Fili was taking much more of his weight than I was.

"Hey, says you! I'm pretty sure that you are drunker than even you can handle right now!" As if to emphasise my point, the blonde Dwarf stumbled slightly as we left the hall. We were confronted with a cold breeze that made me shiver, though we carried Josh in good spirits.

Between the both of us being drunk and trying to carry Josh, it took a long time for us to open the door to the three-story house. Finally, we were able to get inside but gave up on the hope that we would be able to get Josh up the stairs.

Instead, we took him to a spare bed that was in Dwalin and Gloin's room. Before leaving, I pulled off his shoes, covered him in several blankets and just stood by his bed for a few minutes. Josh rolled over to one side, his mouth hanging open as he begun to snore loudly.

"Goodnight, loser," I whispered to him as I pushed his now-long hair from his forehead. With a smile on my face, I turned around and realised that Fili was standing by the door, watching me intently. Quietly, we moved outside the room and closed the creaky wooden door behind us.

We both walked to the staircase and upwards towards the third storey. There was a hesitant silence that hung in the air, as if Fili wanted to ask something but wasn't sure how. I turned to face him so that I could speak, but in doing so misjudged the distance of the next step.

What followed was a strangled squeal as my foot caught on the edge of the wooden step, and I tripped and fell onto the flat surface of the first-floor hallway. It took only a few seconds for Fili to howl in laughter at me.

Thankfully I hadn't hurt myself, and after a few moments of glaring at the Dwarf, I started to laugh with him. He held out his hand to me, obviously forgetting what happened the last time he had laughed at my clumsiness and then offered his help. As I had done at the riverside all that time ago, I took his hand in both of mine, and pulled with all my strength to make him fall over.

If not for his drunken state, I don't think that he would have fallen over so easily. What I didn't expect though, is that he effectively fell on top of me.

"Ouch!" I yelped, as I felt an elbow connect with my ribs. Instead of moving from atop of me, he hoisted himself upright with his arms on either side of my head. With a grin on his face, he just laughed again at me.

"Your plan didn't work as well as you hoped, lass. Are you alright?" His face was close to mine, his lips upturned in a wry smile. As it happened sometimes when I was with Fili, a flame of confidence sparked within my chest and I felt brave.

"Or maybe it did," I whispered to him, my eyes not leaving his. I saw the emotions play out across his features as he realised my meaning; first there was surprise, then amusement, but then almost embarrassment as he realised exactly where we were and what I was saying. He quickly moved from me, sitting upright beside where I was still lying on the wooden floorboards.

I sat up as well, crossing my legs in front of me and fiddling with my fingers in embarrassment. I already knew that I shouldn't be so blunt; it wasn't proper within his traditions, and by extension, now my traditions. I didn't want to ruin his courtship rituals, because I knew how important they were to the Dwarves.

I looked up to him, and quickly spoke as he did.

"I'm sorry," We both said at the same time. Despite what just happened, we both smiled at each other and chuckled. He then spoke again before I did.

"Delva… It is just so difficult to be able to express... Because... Thorin has not given his blessing..." He sighed, and looked at his hands, before continuing.

"The next part of the courtship can only proceed with the blessing from an Elder… In this case, Thorin would be most suited, or Balin if not him... The next ritual is a braid in one another's hair; it signifies to all that we are in a courtship that has been blessed by an Elder of our people."

"Once this has been completed, open affection between us won't be frowned upon.. Even I have stretched these old traditions already, and I am doubtful as to how much Thorin will handle before he has a say in the matter. Dwarves are a very old race, and traditions are taken very seriously."

I nodded, unsure of what to do in this situation. There was no way that we were going to sway Thorin's mind on the matter, I'm sure. Perhaps if I spoke to Balin, I'm sure he would help.

"It'll work out Fili, don't worry." I smiled a little, though I knew it didn't quite reach my eyes. Instead of dwelling on the matter, I decided to ask him the question that I had attempted before I landed on the ground.

"Was there something that you wanted to ask me?" He looked as if he was wracking his mind in an attempt to remember, and I saw the moment that he did.

"At what age were you when your mother died?" His question was quite unexpected, and I wondered why he wanted to know.

"I was eight and Josh was five. Why is that?" He nodded as if my answer had finally made some sense in his mind. His blue eyes searched mine, before he replied.

"I was only thirteen when our father, Fáin, died. Kili was eight. He was travelling with Thorin and a dozen other Dwarves when they were ambushed. He fought bravely, but… But his wounds were too great. Thorin tried to get him back to the Blue Mountains, but he died before they made it back."

Fili's voice broke whilst he spoke, and my heart broke along with it. I had no idea that his father had died; he hadn't spoken to me about his parents at all.

"When I saw you with Josh... It just reminded me of when I looked after Kili, all those years ago when we were kids. I still do today, in a way." I moved closer to Fili and took his large hands in my own small ones. He tensed slightly and looked at me, but I just shook my head. Damn his traditions right now. He needed some type of comfort, and I wasn't going to sit idle when I could visibly see his pain.

"What about your mother?" I asked gently, hoping that I wouldn't encroach into territory that was too hard for him.

"Our mother, Dís, is a strong woman. When Fáin passed, it was hard for her, and it took her some years to finally get through it. Thorin helped her, and he took care of us. I... I miss her..."

I couldn't even express how much I felt the same way about my mum. I missed her beyond belief. I hoped that he would be able to see her soon; it was making my eyes tear up to see him so dejected and downcast in thinking about her.

"You will see her soon, I'm sure. I have a good feeling about the end of this journey." My words were genuine, and I smiled at him, feeling more and more with each moment that they were going to get Erebor back.

Fili looked up from our hands with a small smile on his lips and blue eyes twinkling with hope. Warmth spread from my chest to the rest of my body, as a tiny crack of hope in the darkness, but I felt happy nonetheless.

"Fili, don't kill me for this but right now I'm putting your traditions on the backburner." With no other warning than that, I leant over to him and kissed his soft lips. I smiled slightly when there was no hesitation or sudden movements away from me.

His lips melted into mine, and I forgot where he finished and I began. I could taste the ale on his tongue, but I didn't mind. He was warm and comforting, and that's all I needed. It wasn't before long that I felt almost out of breath and a little dizzy, and had to move away from him.

I rested my forehead on his as I caught my breath. The moment was blissful and contented, and I didn't want to move but I knew I had to.

Moving hesitantly away from him, I saw his eyes linger shut for a few moments before he looked back into my eyes with such a grateful expression on his face. I grinned at him before standing up a little too quickly, and almost staggered into the door next to us.

Fili chuckled at me again, before standing himself and moving towards the next flight of stairs with me. Both of us had seemed to sober up a little, though there was no end to the stumbling of our feet as we climbed the stairs to the third level.

We were both leaning on each other at this point, laughing quietly whenever one of us would trip and teasing each other light heartedly. Helping the Dwarf, we walked towards his room and opened the door.

He quickly collapsed on the bed closest to the door, and after some mumbles of goodnight, he quietened completely, seemingly asleep.

I stood by his bed for a few minutes, before covering his upper body in blankets. There was a small smile on his lips as his chest rose and fell slowly. Beginning to feel sleep take me as well, I leant over Fili and kissed his forehead, my lips lingering there for a few moments.

Standing upright and turning around to leave, Fili's voice made me stop and look back at him.

"Delva?" He asked, his voice nothing but a soft whisper.

"Yeah?" I replied, unsure if he was completely conscious or not, as his eyes remained closed.

"I love you, delva."

My heart stopped beating in my chest. The intake of air ceased completely. I stood there, frozen, looking at Fili as if he had begun to speak to me in French.

I opened my mouth, unsure of what to say, when he begun to snore lightly.

It took a few minutes for me to compose myself enough to feel my limbs become unaffected by the seeming paralysis, and plenty of time to move from Fili's room to my own.

Once there, I collapsed my drunken self onto the bed. My mind was in complete disarray. Did that just happen? My breathing seemed to suddenly accelerate, as did my heart.

Fili loved me. But did I love him back? I mean, I felt very strongly about him… I cared about him more with each day. But was it love? Love was such a strong emotion, such a strong thing.

But how else did I describe how I felt about him? There were no other ways I could effectively explain how much I cared about him, other than love. The realisation made me feel... It made me feel many things, but the emotion that was making me stomach flutter nervously and my toes tap against the mattress of the bed was only one thing.

Excitement.

I felt excited, but overwhelmingly so. I had never felt this way before, and now there was a name to it, a label in a way. I began to grin to myself as I stared at the ceiling of the old bedroom, when something came to forefront of my mind.

Thorin didn't approve of our courtship. How could I convince him, to prove to him how I felt for Fili, how we felt about each other? I tried to think of how I could talk to him about it, when I realised I hadn't seen him at dinner. I hadn't seen him all day in fact. A feeling of trepidation filled my chest as I deliberated about Thorin.

My mind wandered into different scenarios until the sunlight begun to creep through the window.

Heeeey guys! Eek, a very exciting chapter for Amelia! Thank you to Dis Thrainsdotter and Marina Oakenshield for your reviews, and also to my new followers! You are the greatest :')

The first note I would like to make, is that I could not find ANYWHERE the actual name of Fili and Kili's father (or how he died for that matter)- therefore, I decided to create a name and the circumstances of his death. I think that having Thorin present when Fáin died makes his fatherly protection of Fili and Kili more realistic :) Hopefully it is okay!

Also, it was quite hard to try and write Bilbo's words as though he was sick- I wanted to try though, because Tolkien did so in his book. Sorry if it is terrible :)

I should have much more time in coming weeks to write and update- I really want to finish this fanfic before December (when the final movie is released) so I will see how I go :)

Thanks again and have a great weekend!