A/N- I just can't seem to update this as regularly as I'd like. It seems all the ideas are there but the words keep coming out stupid. I'm sorry for the wait and hope you guys like it. And including tid bits of Dis and Frerin is really fun. I wish I could write more for them. I own nothing of Tolkien's.

Thorin didn't just stay for the night. Bilbo was pleased to find out that the older man had decided to stay for the rest of the day as well. And the hobbit happily made good on his promise to make breakfast. He was almost done when Thorin decided to lumber out of the bathroom, rubbing tiredly at his hair but looking far more content than he had in days. Or probably years. The thought made Bilbo feel a bit sad but he smiled brightly as Thorin shuffled rather ungracefully into the kitchen, flopping down on a stool next to the stove and bumped affectionately against Bilbo's side as the producer finished making eggs.

Bilbo beamed. "Well, good morning to you too, Master Oakenshield. So good of you to finally join me." Thorin merely grunted tiredly in response and offered Bilbo a smile as he slid a mug of coffee into the former King's hands.

"Well, don't we feel ever so domestic?" The producer chuckled as he set a plate in front of Thorin and settled opposite the other. They really were disgustingly homely. One would have thought everything was solved already. To Bilbo's infinite disappointment, it was not. But they took their time with breakfast, Thorin steadily waking up as he ate and sipped his coffee, eating in comfortable silence. But the silence allowed Bilbo to think and ponder. He still had so many questions, and wondered if Thorin would be pliable enough to actually answer any of them. After a few moments and a large swig of tea, Bilbo decided to brave it.

"What were they like?" He asked at last and Thorin peered up from his mug to quirk an eyebrow at the producer.

"Who?"

"Your siblings. You've never mentioned them hmm...previously. So...forgive me for being curious." Bilbo rambled out, looking apologetic as he swirled a finger over the rim of his cup. But Thorin considered the question honestly. He missed them dearly, but he supposed this was a fair question.

"Dis was a monster and Frerin was a menace." He said flatly and seeing Bilbo's flabbergasted expression, chuckled gruffly, shaking his head and taking another sip of coffee. "I say that with love." He added with faint smile, rubbing a hand through his messed up hair and peering over at his hobbit once more. "Dis had a heart condition from a young age but you wouldn't know it." He shrugged and chuckled. "She could take on the toughest school yard bullies and often didn't need to because she'd sass them into tears. She was as tough as Frerin was wild."

Bilbo listened intently, chin leaning on his hand and smiling faintly. "I wish I could have met them." He said after a moment and Thorin returned the smile, if sadly.

"Me too. They would have loved you. Especially Dis. She would have demand blackmail information." The older man said simply and sent Bilbo into an impish laughter.

"Oh there's plenty of that." He said easily, Thorin quirking an eyebrow at him which made Bilbo shrug. Thorin grumbled.

"I'd be far too worried to leave you two alone together for that reason." He muttered and Bilbo beamed innocently. Thorin considered.

"Frerin would try to drag you to the Scottish Highlands with him. It was his favorite place to go." The older man said with a faint smile, finishing his coffee and eggs before setting his fork down. Bilbo smiled.

"I think I would have like that." He paused, peering at Thorin and reaching over to wrap his fingers around his dwarf's hand. "I'm sorry." Thorin peered at their hands before offering Bilbo an easier smile and turning his hand to twine their fingers together.

"Don't be. I like to remember them. It keeps them close to my heart."

"Awwww, tin man has one."

"Hush, halfling, you're ruing the moment."

Bilbo smiled cheekily but quieted, allowing Thorin's thumb to gently glide over his knuckles. They sat in comfortable silence for a while until Thorin volunteered to help clean up and proceeded to sleepily haul himself from his chair to do just that.

Smiling faintly to himself, Bilbo followed suite, starting on the pile of dishes accumulating in the sink, humming a gentle tune under his nose as he scrubbed. And Thorin seemed to like the song. Bilbo quite liked it too. A tune so steeped in meaning. And memories.

It was such a mixture of past and present; memories of the Shire and Erebor and his mother and her lovely floral print dresses. Bilbo smiled faintly to himself, scrubbing diligently at a frying pan. He remembered his little hole in Hobbiton just as well as he remembered his little flat in Brighton. And his mother then was just as lovely and encouraging as she had been this time around, before her death. Reincarnation was a strange and wonderful thing... And Bilbo quietly hoped that he would get to see her again, in the next life. Maybe she would not be taken from him this soon. Even now, that thought wasn't as depressing as he would have imagined it to be. And the very idea of the endless possibilities of lives made death less frightening.

With those thoughts cheering Bilbo up, he whistled as he worked, Thorin continuously popping back and forth to try and ask if the producer needed help. And Bilbo kept shooing him off; first to get showered, then to get dressed and then finally to brush his hair and trim his beard.

"I am not your mother, Master Oakenshield." He grouched as Thorin tried to once again offer him help without bothering to get changed. "Stop making me act like it and get proper." When Thorin finally listened, Bilbo beamed proudly and spared the former dwarf the humiliation of getting his hair fondly tussled. He chuckled. And made Thorin finish up with the dishes as he went to get cleaned, changed and brushed. And really, what nonsense. The man was older than him, he should know better, Bilbo thought lovingly as he pulled on a clean pair of trousers and quickly brushed his curls before rejoining Thorin in the kitchen, feeling minty fresh.

Overall, it was a lovely day together and when Thorin finally left late that night, he promised to keep in touch, pressing his lips tightly to Bilbo's own. And Bilbo was alone again, slumping forward against his front door and managing a faint smile. As moronic as the former dwarf was for coming over, Bilbo would have been lying if he said he didn't enjoy it. It was nice to have company, especially when said company was Thorin. And it was also nice to let off some steam with certain activities.

Smiling sheepishly to the empty flat, the producer shuffled off to clean up the remainder of the mess from the previous night and make tea. With Thorin providing a worthwhile distraction, Bilbo had almost forgotten what was coming up that Monday.

Smaug.

He loomed smugly on the horizon, shattering any positive emotions the former hobbit may have gained over the last two days. He felt sick. But fought it down. This was no time to get cold feet. He'd slay this particular beast. Metaphorically, of course. If everything went well, it would hopefully mean the man would be put in jail for the rest of his life. And that would feel like more of a victory than any of their previous attempts.

It was with those thoughts the Bilbo finished up and went to bed, hoping desperately for sleep.

Sunday was spent in a silent panic and with Monday morning's arrival of Bofur, Bilbo finally distracted himself enough to find that the former toy maker had all his belongings with him.

"Thorin thought it would be easier if I stayed with you while you're working." The older man said easily as he dumped his belongings in the entrance hall and beamed wide as Bilbo finally let himself smile.

"Oh thank heavens! I was about to claw the furniture in frustration!" He exclaimed quite loudly, Bofur booming with laughter before grabbing his kit and urging Bilbo to sit. The producer had already gotten mostly ready and flopped on his regular stool heavily, rubbing at his eyes.

"Worried?"

"Terrified." Bilbo admitted shamelessly as Bofur set to work, making the older man chuckle good naturedly and pat his shoulder.

"Now, now, Master Baggins. You'll do splendidly. You have before." He reminded brightly, peering up at Bilbo as he worked and giving him a toothy grin. "I think you're over thinking it." Bilbo grimaced in response.

"I suppose." He grumbled sighing in defeat and slumping back against the counter before immediately straightening as Bofur smacked his arm. Bilbo smiled sheepishly in response.

Despite his ever building nerves, the producer found that Bofur's presence calmed him somewhat. It was just good to have another person around without the ever crushing loneliness of the empty, immaculate flat. Even if he had lived there for a week now, it still felt unsettlingly unhomely.

It was an hour before Bofur finished, allowing Bilbo to slip off and finish getting ready; putting on his wig and putting in his contacts. He brushed, dressed and stuffed food in his face before ordering Bofur to not make a mess of things and rushing out the door, followed by the sound of Bofur's rolling laughter.

And again, Bilbo need not have rushed. He was careful to not break any speeding laws but he still arrived 15 minutes early that morning, tightly clutching his file and belongings to his chest. Loathe was he to leave the safety of his car but nothing would get done if he didn't.

It was nerves that made him rush, his stomach practically somersaulting as he made his way inside the obelisk like building for the third time in his life. Part of him felt like he was marching to the gallows. And that was a familiar feeling, Bilbo realized with a frown, grip tightening on the files in his hands. He didn't want to die anymore.

But the day passed remarkably normal. He didn't see Smaug all day and was escorted around the building by the same immaculately dressed woman that interviewed him the first time. He got credentials and security codes and the most basic rundown of his duties. An assistant. That was his new job. The assistant to the very man who had killed him or sent him to his death many, many times. It felt almost pathetic with how many times they've failed and how close they've come.

When Bilbo came home that night he and Bofur got good and sauced until he felt he couldn't feel feelings anymore. It continued in this vein for the next two weeks, Bilbo checking in with the rest of the groups every morning and every evening, emailing any found information to Fili while his and Bofur's excessive alcohol consumption gave way to binge tea drinking. After all, Bilbo couldn't afford to be hung over every morning. And tea did far better things for his nerves.

Into his third week on the job, Fili phoned up requesting a meeting and Bilbo gladly agreed. Bofur did wonders to ease Bilbo's nerves over the course of his work and meeting with the lad would help even more. They agreed on the weekend and Bilbo passed the day gathering everything he had learned. It wasn't much. Even with his credentials and security passes, there were certain things that he just did not have access to. Still, it was more than what they had previously and he had a feeling he had found the files that would help them incriminate the man.

When the weekend rolled around, Bofur helped Bilbo put on a different face before doing some of his own prosthetics and rushing out the door. It was mid November now and a rain filled, chilly autumn day as the two made their way to one of the local cafes to meet with Fili, noses buried in the collars of their jackets.

It was Fili who spotted them as they entered the little cafe and Fili who threw his arms around Bilbo in a great big hug, making the producer laugh while Bofur grinned, smacking the lad's shoulder and passing them to join Gloin at their table.

"Phillip, was it?" The producer inquired as Fili grinned impishly, hauling Bilbo off to sit.

"Wonderful to see ye two in one piece. " Gloin boomed proudly as Bilbo settled on the opposite side of the table from him. "Stress of the job not gotten to be too much?" He added, face growing theatrically serious while Bofur shot him a cheeky, good natured grin.

"Does getting boozed up count?" He asked with a waggle of eyebrows before Bilbo elbowed him hard in the ribs, accepting a mug of tea from Gloin with a muttered thank you. Gloin guffawed.

"Working hard then." He winked while Fili dug out his laptop from under the table.

"So, thanks to the information and the security codes you've emailed me over the past few weeks, we've been able to devise a hack that would bypass all of their security protocols and copy the necessary information that we need from their computers." He said in his best business voice, speaking rather quietly while Gloin clapped him on the back.

"He says 'we', but he's not giving himself enough credit. This was all his baby." Fili rolled his eyes.

"Yes, maybe, I suppose. I'm not about to shout it from the rooftops." The lad shrugged easily while ferreting around his laptop bag once more and producing a tiny thumb drive. He plugged it in quickly, fingers skating over the keys while Bilbo watched in fascination, Bofur slurping loudly on his mug of coffee beside him.

"The hack is virtually undetectable," Fili continued quietly, peering over his laptop at Bilbo and not even bothering to look at what he was typing, "it will implant bogus information and scramble their circuits long enough for the data to get scrubbed completely off their databases." Noticing Bilbo's blank expression, the lad smiled a bit sheepishly. "Their security software won't detect you, and any trace of the information we need will get permanently copied from their databanks to ours." He simplified, finishing the last touches before unplugging the thumb drive and reverently handing it over to the producer.

Bilbo accepted it carefully; as if afraid it might explode on contact and smiled brightly at Fili. The lad, in his turn, tapped a finger against his chin, considering. "It's not instant." He added. "It will take about 15 minutes to half an hour to complete the process so you will have to find an excuse to be in the office for that long a time."

That complicated matters a wee bit but the former hobbit wasn't about to give up. He considered. "...There's an audit coming up in two weeks." He said slowly and the other three glanced at him simultaneously. "It'll be my job to yank the files and reorganize so I don't see any reason why this isn't doable." He shrugged, and could practically feel the emanating excitement from the other men. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, alright?" He added, wagging his finger at the former dwarves and sitting back in his chair with a thoughtful sip of his tea.

"I'm not about to rush this and get caught." Was the slow comment, fingers tightening on the cup. Last time he was caught, it didn't end well for them. Sensing Bilbo's distress, Gloin reached over to clasp his shoulder firmly.

"Now, now, William. Ye'll do fine. Don't second guess yer skills."

"What skills?" Bilbo retorted, making Bofur chuckle next to him and playfully flick his shoulder.

"You did it once, right? This time will be even better. And at least this time, we're actually able to help." The former toy maker pointed out before loudly swigging down the last of his coffee.

"And uncle promised he'd keep away from shiny rocks this time around." Fili chimed in impishly, Bilbo nudging him under the table and making the lad laugh brightly.

"You be nice." The producer tutted, finishing his tea thoughtfully. "Two more weeks of hell then, I suppose." He added with a sigh, nibbling on his bottom lip and peering around the table at the three. Gloin tapped his beard.

"Look at it this way, lad. Once yer done, ye can meet Gimli at last. And we can be free." He prompted, Bilbo smiling gently.

"I'd love to meet your little son, master dwarf. I'm sure he's a dear."

"He's a hooligan."

"Ah, runs in the family then." Bilbo said blankly making Gloin boom with laughter, Fili and Bofur snickering impishly on either side of him. The producer took a moment to study them, fingering his chin and smiling faintly to himself.

Maybe now that he found them all, maybe everything would turn out alright. Especially now that everyone was working together and putting their best strengths forward to bring the man responsible for their misfortunes into the light. Bilbo squared his jaw in determination.

"Let's kick his arse."