Chapter Twenty Five
Bilbo woke up the next morning to a bed full of dwarfling. "Illo wake up!" Vir said and Bilbo groaned before opening his eyes, grabbing the boy and tickling him. Vir laughed and kicked his arms and feet, trying to stop Bilbo from tickling him. Bilbo smiled and played the game for a minute more, before getting up and going to his closet. He got out his clothes and smiled at Vir. "Can you watch the babies?"
"Uh huh, its the first hour of the daytime. I woke ya a bit early so we wouldn't be late to class."
"That was smart thinking." Bilbo said and smiled, before getting into the shower and going outside with a sleepy guard and a bouncing boy. Vir had so much energy and was so excited that it was hard to watch. Bilbo went to the lad's ear and whispered his true name, telling him not to jump in the elevators and to stay within ten paces of Bilbo at any given time, . Vir started pacing but that was better than the jumping. Bilbo was glad when the elevator doors opened and Vir ran up the street and back again as Bilbo walked to the store that sold child's padding which wasn't even open. Bilbo smiled at Vir's disappointed expression. "We'll go back in a few hours, I'm sure there's something that we can do in the meantime."
"The game room is open, they let me carry chips and paid me a bit." Vir said.
"I don't like to play those sorts of games for wagers." Bilbo said and smiled at Vir. "Why don't we stop at a tea shop?"
"Okay." Vir said and Bilbo looked for a shop that was open. He sat down with Vir and ordered oatmeal and tea, caffeinated for him, liquorish flavored for Vir. He added a bit of honey and milk to both their cups and handed one of them to Vir.
"Drink it slow, its hot."
"Okay." Vir said and took a slow sip. "Yummy!" He said and Bilbo smiled, as he ate his oatmeal and watched his ward eat his own breakfast. Fili started fussing and Bilbo took him out of the carriage.
"There's my boy, are you hungry?" Bilbo asked and handed him a small spoon. Fili gummed at the oatmeal and a moment later Kili woke up and Bilbo sat him on his other leg, giving him another spoon. Kili gummed at the oatmeal and started to cry, before a little hand gummed at his mouth. Bilbo realized that his sons would most likely be teething soon. He helped them to finish their breakfast and walked back to the shop that sold padding. Bilbo stood with Vir as he got fitted and asked the armor maker about a million questions. The armor maker took it all in stride and explained to Vir how his padding would be made, something Bilbo found fascinating himself. Bilbo then walked back to the elevators and smiled at Vir, before whispering in his ear to go with Gor back up to the top of the mountain. Just then the elevator doors opened and Glinda stepped out and smiled at Bilbo.
"Going back up?"
"No actually I thought I'd walk around the market a bit. What about you?"
"I'm packing up my things, would you like to help?"
"Sure." Bilbo said and walked with her to a completed nicely appointed home. "How did you get this done so fast?"
"I paid most of my money to do it, I want to live closer to my family now though."
"This will take a lot of work to pack everything up, I think that there might be some unused chamber somewhere, but you won't have this much space."
"I'm still keeping this place, I'm just here for a few things." Glinda said and smiled. "Come see my costumes." Glinda offered and Bilbo smiled following her into her bedroom. "I thought I could teach you dwarven scarf dancing if you like?"
"That sounds interesting."
"I think you might prefer it if the guards waited outside." Glinda said and Bilbo nodded. Glinda gave him a pare of pants that were cuffed at the end and poofed out around him. "Bathroom is back there." Glinda pointed and Bilbo changed. Bilbo had always loved dancing at the Shire, but this dancing was very erotic. Soon they were both laughing as Glinda taught him how to move his bodies in ways that Bilbo didn't even know it could move in. He liked this style of dance and it was fun to do it with Glinda, but he doubted that he could ever perform it for anyone other than Thorin. He'd be too mortified to do so. He had to stop and tend to his children sometimes, but before he knew it was midday. "Lets go get something to eat, I know this great restaurant, which they just finished building, my treat."
"Alright, but as long as I get the next one." Bilbo said and Glinda nodded. They walked together to the restraint and Glinda sat down with him at the table.
"I told Oin not to try to find me a teacher for a few weeks, I want to wait until I'm used to everything first."
"That's fair enough." Bilbo said and smiled. "Those dances were fun."
"I love dancing, maybe you could show me some Shire dance steps sometime?"
"Of course." Bilbo said and smiled at Glinda.
"Glinda will it be..."The waitress stopped dead and Glinda blushed.
"Axes or no axes, I'm the same person I always was, I just have a family now." The waitress squealed and hugged Glinda.
"I'm so happy that you were able to find them."
"This is Nina she's the daughter of the dwarrowdam that took me in, we're roughly the same age."
"Its nice to meet you."
"And you, I went to be taught by the courtesans as well, but I was entirely unsuited for being a courtesan, instead they taught me how to cook and helped me find my first job, as they took Mother's money." Nina said. "I'm not like Glinda, I'm just good at cooking and I find the other stuff boring."
"That's fair enough." Bilbo said and smiled at Nina, before he felt his danger sense prickle again, this time it was Dwalin who was in danger, he stared at Nina, before pulling her back quickly into the guards, who surround her as a knife flew towards the spot she had been standing in and embedded itself into the wall. Several people screamed and more guardsmen arrived, but they didn't find who threw the knife. "You are coming with us, someone else might try something." Bilbo said and hurried back to the elevators, taking one back up with the two women quickly. They reached the top floor and even though the sense of danger subsided Bilbo didn't feel safe until he was behind the door of his hobbit hole. "Can one of you get Thorin?" He asked the good twenty guardsmen that came with him.
"Not until that woman vows not to do you harm."
"Why would I want to, but very well I swear upon my true name that I Nina will not harm Bilbo Baggins or anyone he values, unless they threaten me. How did you know that he was going to throw Bilbo?"
"Oddly enough I think you are the One for one of the people I care about, I don't know why this keeps happening to me." Bilbo said and the girls laughed.
"Because Mahuel gave you his blessing." Nina said. "Nothing is ever easy for the blessed, but all their tales are happy in the end."
"Well that's a relief at least." Bilbo said as Thorin came running into the room.
"Bilbo what happened?" He demanded and Bilbo threw his arms around Thorin.
"Someone through a knife at Glinda's choice sister and I ran back to the elevators, but how can I protect myself from people that are so hard to spot?"
"You can't that's why we're here, we'll double the guard."
"But what about the children and the others going to the trade schools?"
"They will be guarded as well now. When something like this happens, we consider possible targets and move in to make sure no one else is injured." One of the guards replied and Bilbo nodded.
"You are fine and that's the important thing, I think I'll have some tea and sit down. I don't want you going back to the market until they are caught."
"I don't want to go back to the market until then. Someone will need to get Glinda's things though.
"I'll see to it, you don't need twenty guards up here and I think we may be needed down below." One of the guards said.
"We can turn two of the rooms into two store rooms for your things." Bilbo said and Glinda nodded.
"That sounds good to me, why don't we go eat?" Glinda asked.
"I'm too upset to eat." Bilbo said.
"Well I'm hungry and I think I deserve some food, after being someone's target practice. If you don't want to eat that's fine, but I do." Nina said and Bilbo sniffled, before nodding. Together they went to the dining hall and sat down at the table which seemed a bit larger to Bilbo. He sat down and Glinda sat next to him, as servants brought out the food. The rest of the company came in and stared at Nina in surprise.
"This is Nina, she's Glinda's adopted sister and someone just tried to kill her." Bilbo said. "She's staying with us for a time."
"Which is only right, I'm Dwalin son of Fundin, son of Farin and what is your name?"
"I'm Nina daughter of Lis and Vorin, Da's a retired guard and Ma still sets stones sometimes. They offered to teach me, but I wanted to go with Glinda and make sure she was alright." Nina shrugged. "I'm a cook, not a courtesan, I had no talent for seduction, or at least that's what the courtesans school said and I loved cooking so I became a cook and a waiter."
"You enjoy cooking?"
"I love it, Glinny hates it though."
"I don't hate it, I just don't like it as much as you do." Glinda said and Bilbo laughed.
"Well I don't care what anyone else says, you two are sisters." Bilbo said and the girls laughed. "I can help in the kitchens if they need anything, I already swore not to harm anyone and I'd like to keep busy if that's alright?"
"That's fine lass, Thorin canceled the council meeting today." Dwalin said.
"I'm not a lass, I might be one of the youngest people in the room, but I'm not fifteen years old, with my braids in pig tails." Nina said and the company laughed.
"She's as blunt as you Dwalin." Balin said and Dwalin actually blushed.
"That's my brother Balin, he's older by a decade." Dwalin said to Nina.
"And never lets you forget it right, I know I did the same thing to Glinny growing up, though I was nine when we found her. Older siblings are the best, aren't they?"
"Of course they are Nina." Glinda replied. "These are actually my older brothers, Gloin and Oin."
"Wow how much older are they from you?"
"Twenty five years and Oin is thirty five years, Glinda was a welcome surprise to our parents." Gloin said and smiled.
"Every child is welcome." Nina said and smiled at Glinda. "We should write mother and tell her that you found your clan."
"I'd love to, but I want to get settled first." Glinda said. "Do you think Lis will be in danger."
"I'd like to see someone try." Nina said with a laugh.
"Lis is quite accomplished with her stone setting tools and you know how sharp those can be." Glinda said.
"She sounds like a woman I wouldn't want to make angry." Bifur said.
"She doesn't anger easily but she should be safe enough, even though her and Da are getting on in years." Glinda said.
"So how did you see the knife coming?"
"Well she's the one of someone I care about so I felt the threat and acted on it."
"That was a dangerous thing to do."
"I knew I would be safe, but still it was frightening, I need to learn how to defend myself, I shouldn't just depend on my guards."
"We can teach you weapons fighting, or hand to hand combat if you like."
"I would like that." Bilbo said and smiled at Hir. "Thank you."
"Of course it would keep you safer and give us peace of mind." Hir said. "Though you might want a few more dancing lessons first."
"Dancing lessons?" Dwalin asked.
"Glinda has been showing me some dwarven scarf dances, they are fun, but I had no idea my body could move like that and I bet I'll be as sore for a few days as I was on the journey."
"Dwarven scarf dances?" Balin asked and Bilbo nodded.
"They are fun, but I don't think I want anyone but Thorin to see me dance like that, no offense."
"None taken, we don't want to see you dance like that either." Dwalin said and got several glares. "What we don't."
"Dwalin has a talent for saying stupid things."
"Really so does Ninny, she'll blurt out the most random things."
"Do not Glinny."
"Do so."
"Do not!"
"Ladies please." Bilbo said and the girls laughed.
"I suppose we should act more our age, but I've never been very good at doing that, how you get the scar?" Nina asked pointing at her head, where Bifur's axe used to be.
"Ork axe, it was there for years, before Bilbo pulled it out. It scrambled my brain pretty badly actually, couldn't even speak a word of the tongue, much less any other language. Had to use sign language to communicate and lost most dexterity in my fingers. I'm a maker by trade, so that was difficult." Bifur said and Glinda stared at the floor a moment, before her shoulders straitened.
"Well we will make an odd couple won't we, between my upbringing and your war wound, we'll have something to tell the children."
"You want children."
"Yes and not to further the line or anything, but because I've always loved children. Bilbo was sweet enough to say that there is no hurry but I feel ready to have children."
"You can't ever be ready, you think you are but you aren't. I'll let you watch the twins and then you can tell me about how much you want kids. I want you to be prepared for how much work it is and to do it when your ready to and not to worry about pleasing your kin."
"Its really not about them Bilbo its about me and I'd love to watch your children any time, they are adorable." Of course that was when all five started crying.
"Well then you can take Fili and Kili, while I get the triplets taken care of." Bilbo said.
"You don't want to scare her off Bilbo."
"In the shire this is called kin rearing, when a young couple decides they want a child, they have to watch someone else's for a entire week." Bilbo said. "But I don't expect you to do that, I just want you to be sure that you want screaming babies and toddlers for the next half decade."
"I really do Bilbo." Glinda said and Bilbo smiled.
"Then have them, but you'll just get an I told you so, from Uncle Bilbo when you ask for child care. I've got my hands full as it is." Bilbo said and Glinda laughed.
"You wouldn't be their uncle, you would be their third cousins."
"Wow you dwarves are particular about exact relations, in the shire everyone at least thirty years older than you with any degree of relationship is your Uncle. I really need to start considering how different the two cultures are."
"You don't need to do anything of the sort Bilbo, if you want to call my hypothetical children your nieces and nephews I'd be honored. I'd appreciate it if you stopped trying to convince my One not to have children."
"I'm not trying to do anything of the sort, I love babies and the more the merrier, however some people don't and some people think that they love babies, until they have to deal with one or more twenty four seven." Bilbo said. "I'd rather have her make an informed decision about this."
"I have made an informed decision, I'm having a child Bilbo, not right away because it doesn't work like that. We might try for years without the seed taking hold."
"I keep forgetting that our rate of fertility isn't the same and I'm sorry for that."
"Don't apologize for every little thing Bilbo, you did nothing wrong. You gave your prospective and your opinion but even if we tried today, it could be several years, if at all, before we got pregnant."
"I see." Bilbo said blushing furiously. "Could we maybe change the subject." He said and everyone laughed.
"Of course Bilbo, so what is it about baby making that hobbits don't like to talk about?" Dwalin asked .
"We like to keep our bedroom activities in the bedroom." Bilbo replied.
"I see and there was no one to teach you about your body?"
"You do that with young men?"
"Of course, they need to know where to stick it don't they?"
"Well my Da gave me some idea and told me how to brew the tea, that was a mortifying conversation." Bilbo said and everyone laughed.
"So you take a tea not to get pregnant?" Balin asked.
"Every morning, five babies is quite enough and I don't fancy another six month nap until they are a bit older." Bilbo replied.
"The little princes and princesses do keep us on our toes, they've been fairly quiet today though."
"I ordered them to sleep at night and not to wake up if their siblings cry, did I do it wrong?"
"No most likely they are all just tired." Thorin assured Bilbo. "They have been waking each other up at all hours of the day and night, they will wake when they want something or need something." Just then Kili sat up and reached for Bilbo. Bilbo smiled and took Kili from the carriage gently. He bounced the baby on his knee and brought out the jar of applesauce. He fed Kili from it, as the food was served around him. He decided that he'd stuff himself on sweets later to make up for his scare. Fili woke as well and Thorin took him.
"So what can they eat?"
"Just mushy foods until their teeth come in, but they should come in within a few weeks from now, but it might take longer than for hobbit children, you never can tell with Fi and Ki. They seem to like to do things in their own time, don't you my lad?" He chucked Kili under the chin and the baby laughed delightedly, before going back to his apple sauce. Bilbo smiled and helped them eat, continuing to hold Kili after he was finished and snuggled against Bilbo's chest. He was soon asleep again, but Fili was looking interestedly around at different things, while he sat on Thorin's lap. Bilbo adjusted Kili so he was sleeping more comfortably and gently stroked his hair. Tarin woke next and started screaming.
"I can hold her."
"She needs a diaper change, she's my most difficult baby, and she's definitely got the Durin determination." Bilbo said and the others laughed.
"I can take her." Dori offered and Bilbo nodded, not wanting to let go of Kili.
"Thank you, I appreciate it." Bilbo said and smiled at Dori.
"Of course." Dori replied and took Tarin to the next room. Bilbo yawned and stretched, catching Kili when he started to slip and wrapping his arms around him.
"If you want to take a nap that's alright, I'm sure we can find something to do together." Glinda said and Nina nodded.
"I know what kids are like, go and have a lie down, we'll be fine right here."
"I don't think I could sleep, after everything that's happened." Bilbo said. "Would you like to do some baking Nina?"
"I'd love to do some baking, you can show me some of your recipes and I'll show you some of mine."
"That sounds like fun." Bilbo said and smiled, he stood slowly after everyone was done eating. Fili whined as Thorin stood and reached for Bilbo. Bilbo smiled and took Fili, from Thorin. Fili smiled and snuggled close to Kili, before closing his eyes and falling asleep. Bilbo chuckled, before walking with the twins back to his hobbit hole. He found that as much as he wanted to do some baking, he couldn't let his babies go.
"Do you have a backpack for them?"
"I never got around to buying one."
"Well if you have some material I can make you one."
"That would be very nice, thank you." Bilbo said and went to his room and finding the two baby slings. He put Kili into one, before tightening the straps so they went around his chest and Kili into the other which fit around his belly. It comforted him to feel their weight resting against his shoulders and he started making chocolate bread, explaining how he made it as he went along. They made several more things, before Farin started crying and Bilbo had to feed him.
"Can you hold Kili?"
"Of course." Glinda said and smiled. "But won't I wake him?"
"He should sleep through it." Bilbo replied and Glinda nodded, taking Kili from him and continuing to work on her sewing project. Bilbo fed and changed Farin, before holding the baby and rocking with him, until he fell back to sleep. Bilbo smiled softly and kissed the top of Farin's head, before putting him back in the carriage. He then went back to baking with Nina. After the chocolate bread was in the oven Nina smiled at him.
"Lets make meat pies next, I saw that you have all the ingredients in your freeze box." Nina said and Bilbo smiled, as Nina taught him how to make dwarven pastry, which was made quite differently from shire pastry it turned out. After the meat pies they started to make apple hand pies which was a recipe that the Baggins were well known for. Mid way though however, Alia started fussing and Bilbo had to feed and change her. He cut off some of the chocolate bread and ate it, before going back to making the apple hand pies. "Help yourself."
"I'm holding out for the spicy chocolate cake, thank you though Bilbo."
"Ooh yes lets make that one next." Nina said and clapped her hands, getting flour everywhere. Bilbo laughed and scrubbed his hair which had a fine dusting of flour in it. Nina showed him how to make the spicy chocolate cake then, which seemed very easy to Bilbo.
"Speaking of cakes, how would you like a challenge?"
"I'd love one."
"This will take at least four hours." Bilbo said.
"Awesome!" Nina said. "What are we making?"
"My Mother's famous twelve layer cake, she won a ribbon for it once." Bilbo said and smiled. "We're making a fairly big one though, so everyone can have some." Bilbo said and Nina grinned as Bilbo showed her how to make chocolate, vanilla and strawberry cakes. They did them in batches and by the time the last cooled Bilbo showed her how to make caramel sauce in the shire style.
"This is a lot tastier than dwarven caramel sauce." Nina said. "I'm doing it this way from now on." She said and Bilbo smiled.
"I'm not really a fan of spice, but I'm really glad you showed me that sauce, I was wondering how the kitchen made it." Bilbo said and Nina grinned, as Bilbo finished pouring the sauce over the cake and set it aside to cool. He took a meat pie and ate it, before turning to Nina.
"What do you want to cook now?"
"How about granola bars?"
"Okay." Bilbo said. "What are those?"
"Bars with oats, raisins, honey, and various nuts, or whatever you have on you." Nina said. "I thought we could make them with caramel sauce."
"That sounds great." Bilbo said and Nina took a apple pie.
"Wow that's the best apple pie I ever had." Nina said and Bilbo laughed.
"Sometimes people add caramel, but I prefer mine with lots of cinnamon." Bilbo said.
"You have to try this Glinda, its amazing." Nina said.
"How you keep so thin is beyond me, but alright, you've preswaded me." Glinda said and took an apple pie, Bilbo smiled as her whole face lit up. "This is incredible Bilbo." She said and sat down eating the treat slowly and daintily, as she worked with her free hand.
"Thanks, its my own special recipe. If you promise not to tell anyone, I want to give you something."
"I promise on my name not to tell anyone about what Bilbo Baggins wishes to give me." Nina and Glinda said and Bilbo smiled, getting down his herb.
"Well the triplets were a wonderful accident. This is a an herb that grows nearby, its very potent, Thorin took some and we had our three triplets, I also gave some to Bombur. Although some woman attacked me with a knife, so I realized I needed to be more careful with who I shared this with." He got out two small bags and transferred the herb. "When your ready make your men a tea from this, it helped Thorin last a lot longer and I didn't ask Bomber about his experience with it, but I suppose it turned out well for him."
"Thank you Bilbo, I always like to make tea a lot anyway, it won't seem out of the ordinary to him, when I'm ready." Nina said and Glinda nodded.
"I'll get him to drink it, I have a way of getting the men folk to do what I want." Glinda said and all three laughed.
"Thank you Bilbo." Nina said and hugged him carefully. Glinda did the same and smiled at the hobbit. "Now if you would just tell me who my one is."
"I suppose I didn't tell you. I could have handled telling Glinda better, but that was an odd situation all around. Its Dwalin."
"Not my cousin, that nice warrior?"
"The same." Bilbo said.
"I've always loved warriors, something about them just makes me go wild." Nina said.
"Before Thorin, the two men I was with were both very different from him in their own ways."
"I've never been with a man, I know all the mechanics, but I've never gone for the gold so to speak." Nina blushed.
"Had one man, had them all. It changes in little ways but fundamentally men are all the same, I'll teach you two novices a few things, if you like." Glinda said and they all three chuckled.
"What diabolical plans are you hatching in here?" Rinar asked.
"You just came in because its smells good, take anything you like, except the cake, the cake is for after dinner tonight."
"Which cake?"
"The one that isn't cut into, help yourself." Bilbo said. "Take some to the other guards too." He offered.
"Thank you Bilbo, you've been busy." Rinar said and Bilbo laughed.
"I have at that." Bilbo admitted. "The apple hand pies are a hobbit recipe not a dwarfish one, but the meat pies are dwarfish, as is the spicy chocolate cake and we're cooking granola bars right now."
"You can smell it from the council hall, when you say your going to bake, you really go for it." Rinar said and Bilbo smiled.
"It depends on how I feel." Bilbo said and took another meat pie. "Lets make chocolate caramel cookies." Bilbo said and Nina grinned.
"Yes lets!" Nina said and they set to making a new recipe, which was ready to go into the oven by the time the granola bars were done. "I want to make karatora soup next!"
"Alright!" Bilbo said and was surprised how involved making the soup was. They finished just in time for dinner and Bilbo went to the dining hall. "Would you like to eat in my hobbit hole tonight? We went a bit wild with the cooking."
"We made Kartora, meat pies, chocolate bread, apple hand pies, spicy chocolate bread and a twelve layer cake."
"We'd love to eat in your hobbit hole tonight, the kitchens actually kind of assumed that you'd be asking us." Thorin said and smiled. "You are covered in flour my love, are you feeling better?"
"Much." Bilbo replied.
"Good." Thorin said and took Bilbo's hand. Together the company walked back to the hobbit hole. Bilbo took out the plates and set the table and Nina helped him do it. He smiled at the memory of the first time he'd met the company. He finished setting the table and watched as Nina shyly looked down at it.
"Do you mind if I sit next to you Dwalin?"
"Why would I mind that lass, give me something beautiful to look at."
"You really think I'm beautiful."
"Of course you are beautiful."
"I think your handsome, Bilbo thinks we're each other's one."
"Really, well then lass, what kind of courting would you like?"
"I'm not sure, I've never been with anyone else and I'd sort of like to take it slow, if that's alright."
"I understand, that's fine, some things are worth the wait." Dwalin said and Nina blushed. They all dug into the food then and people talked back and forth across the table, as they ate.
"So I heard you canceled the council."
"I did and we're trying to determine what security measures would be best. The other councilors each went home with five guards, in case this is an attack on the politely change. We're trying to determine how best to protect the children and several of the adults have volunteered to help. The warriors guild is determining if they would actually be useful or get in the way and I've been worried about you."
"I was fine after the hand pies, I just was having fun making different recipes with Nina."
"You both are excellent cooks. Nina I think this is the best Kartora I've ever had."
"Thank you my King."
"Please call me Thorin, your going to be my cousin in law one day." Thorin said and smiled at her. Bilbo grinned before trying some of the soup, his eyes watered and then his nose ran.
"Hot!" He said and gulped down his water glass.
"I should have warned you, but then you saw what we put in it." Nina said and someone passed Bilbo a pitcher. He filled his water glass four more times before he could manage to speak.
"This just proves it, you lot are masochists." Bilbo said and everyone laughed. "I mean really who needs food that hot?"
"I think we have a different sense of taste. Much of dwarven cooking is actually very spicy, but we like normally spiced things too." Thorin said and Bilbo nodded. He took several of the meat pies and ate those for dinner instead, smiling as the talk resumed around him. The dinner was over then and Glinda smiled at Bilbo.
"Fancy a bit of footwork before bed?" Glinda asked and Bilbo grinned.
"I'd love to."
"I'll try it, but you know how much of a klutz I am." Nina said and Glinda laughed, they walked together to Bilbo's room and danced together for three hours.
"That's enough for me." Nina said. "I'm exhausted."
"Go to bed then." Glinda said and Nina smiled, before leaving the room. "A few more Bilbo or are you done for tonight too?"
"I can stand a little more." Bilbo said and Glinda smiled.
"Are you sure, you are going to feel it in the morning."
"I'm used to muscle aches." Bilbo said and Glinda nodded, they danced for another two hours, before Bilbo headed back into the dining room. He smiled at his friends who stared at him. He blushed when he realized he was still just wearing his pants and may of let out a rather undignified squeak before running for a shirt. "Sorry about that, terribly improper, my mother would be turning over in her grave, if she knew."
"Bilbo its alright, its nothing any of us hasn't seen before." Thorin assured Bilbo.
"Its terribly improper to go about half dressed, particularly around friends." Bilbo said. "I'm so very sorry."
"Bilbo it really didn't bother us, I suppose you've come to get Thorin and the rascals all to bed."
"Well I am tired." Bilbo admitted wiping at his brow. "I don't know what I was thinking."
"You weren't, dancing for a long time really clears your head." Glinda said still wearing what she had been dancing in and Bilbo noticed how hard Bifur was trying not to look. Glinda of course went over and sat in his lap. "Would you braid my hair back for me, it takes some getting used to this style."
"Glinda that's improper."
"Oin I don't care." Glinda said and stretched, the bells on her hands chiming softly "You would be more comfortable if you just relaxed."
"He knows what will happen if he gets too relaxed." Dwalin said. "Where's Nina?"
"She went to bed, I'll tell her you asked for her, we're sharing tonight." Glinda said and Bifur and Dwalin both groaned. "Males, really she's pretty much my sister like I'd go near that honey pot."
"Have you been with women?" Bifur asked and Glinda nodded.
"Twice the first time was horrible, the second equally bad." Glinda replied. "Though after three or more, its not too bad, as long as there's a man there, I'd would have done it. I preferred two or more men, actually I thought that was awesome the few times I had clients request that."
"I thought I heard you in the dining room Glinny." Nina said and this time everyone stared at her, she hadn't bothered to change out of her dance costume either. She smiled as she walked over to Dwalin and sat in his lap. Dwalin looked like he wasn't sure what to do. "I'm cold, after all that dancing I just couldn't sleep, and you have a lot of interesting books Bilbo."
"Thank you, most of them are in Weston though." Bilbo said.
"Nina do you know what you are doing to Dwalin?" Glinda asked.
"No what?" Nina asked appalled. "I'm sorry if I'm hurting you, I'd thought I'd be light enough and Glinny is doing it."
"Glinny should be the king's torturer." Dwalin said and Glinda laughed.
"How is this torture?" Nina asked and snuggled back against Dwalin who groaned.
"Because we're still courting and I like that costume of yours a bit too much."
"Oh so Mr. Squiggles wants to play?"
"Its a penis not Mr. Squiggles we aren't nine anymore." Glinda said and Nina blushed. "Sorry Ninny, but males don't like their parts called Mr. Squiggles."
"Where on earth did you come up with that name?" Bilbo asked and both ladies laughed.
"It was a lesson about how to avoid unsolicited attention. Nina thought for years that it was called Mr. Squiggles, because she stopped her training."
"Actually I didn't know it was called a penis until now, always thought it was called Mr. Squiggles." Nina said and laughed. "Then again I suppose that was pretty naive of me, I'm sorry Dwalin, I'll get off now.
"No lass, I like you on my lap just stop squirming." Dwalin said.
"Why should I, am I hurting you?" Nina said and jumped up inadvertently hitting Dwalin in the eye he cursed and Nina looked like she wanted to melt into the floor.
"Ninny it wasn't your fault, don't feel badly for it." Glinda said gently, before getting up and going over to Nina, who looked like she was about to run in tears. Glinda hugged Nina and ran her fingers through Nina's hair. "Its alright, it was an accident."
"But why does it keep happening to me, its not fair."
"Its not your fault that your clumsy, Mahuel made you that way." Glinda said. "You didn't break anything and Dwalin is fine, aren't you?"
"Aye that I am, but you've got a fine right hook." He said and that made Nina cry even harder. "I mean I'm really alright, it just surprised me as all, that a sweet thing like you can give a punch like that."
"Dwalin be quiet, you are making it worse." Balin said. "My brother also has quite the talent for saying just the wrong thing." Balin assured Nina. "Its alright little mouse, there's no need for tears."
"I'm not a mouse." Nina said and sobbed into Glinda's dress.
"I think we're going to retire for the evening, thank you for everything. I hope to get to know you better soon, but right now Nina needs me and I'm the only family she has in Erebor." Glinda said and walked to one of the bedrooms.
"You know she's not always like that, its just when she's nervous that she becomes really clumsy." Bilbo said with a laugh. "They are both really nice people."
"What are they like, you spent most of the day with both of them." Thorin said and Bilbo smiled.
"Glinda offered to make us a backpack for the babies and Nina and I could cook just about any recipe we could think of. We didn't really have much opportunity to talk, other than explaining things to one another and occasionally chatting about random things, but it was very enjoyable." Bilbo said. "Though by all the Valar how you can eat that stuff is beyond me."
"Karatora is actually a dwarven delicacy, the combinations of spices and seasonings used are supposed to complement all ingredients that are served in the sauce. It's actually usually eaten with thick dwarven bread and lots of ale, but it was good with the chocolate bread you made. I've always enjoyed chocolate and spices."
"It burns though."
"The burn becomes pleasant after a while, don't you use spices in the shire?"
"Not ones that hot." Bilbo said and his friends laughed.
"Well dwarven cooking is all about spices and balance, how much spice you put into the meal, or how little can send it off kilter."
"Really most things I had are fairly bland."
"That's because you choose places that have bland fair, I noticed that so I always keep the spicier dishes down at one end of the table." Thorin said.
"That's sweet of you Thorin, I appreciate it, and so does my tongue." Bilbo said and the company laughed. Bilbo yawned as Fili started crying. "I'm for bed." Bilbo said.
"Goodnight, we'll take care of the dishes." Thorin said and Bilbo nodded, feeling suddenly exhausted. He walked back to his room and put on a nightshirt and pants. He then fed his son, listening to the baby suckle sleepily. Alia started crying and Bilbo settled Fili into a swing, before reaching for his sister and feeding and changing her. He smiled as both fell right back to sleep, before taking Tarin out and cuddling her against him. Tarin woke and stared up at Bilbo, before Bilbo nursed her. She sucked hard and Bilbo winced slightly, as she ate her meal. He then kissed her forehead and changed her. She fell back to sleep as soon as he was done, Bilbo smiled at his daughter. He then slowly stood and placed all three children in one of the cradles, before going back to the carriage and taking out Fili and Alia. He checked their nappies, before feeding them both some milk. He then settled them in the crib and climbed into bed. He was so very tired but sleep wouldn't come, he kept seeing that knife over and over again. Thorin slowly opened the door and Bilbo heard him undressing.
"I need you inside of me tonight, I'm tired but can't sleep because of my fear." Bilbo said and Thorin nodded.
"Of course Bilbo whatever you need."
"Can we spend more time together, maybe a half day a week? I'm sure the other councilors would be glad to have some time with their families as well."
"I'll bring it up at the next council, things seemed to be settled enough that I think we could afford to take a half day off." Thorin said and Bilbo threw himself at the king kissing him thoroughly. Thorin laughed and kissed Bilbo in return his arms surrounding the hobbit, before tossing the nightgown behind Bilbo's head. He did away with his sleeping pants next and Bilbo did the same. "Are you sure you want to be taken love?" Thorin asked and Bilbo nodded.
"Please something to take my mind off what happened." Bilbo said and Thorin nodded. He entered Bilbo and thrust hard. Bilbo groaned and clutched at the pillows as Thorin took his time in pleasuring his husband and receiving pleasure in return. It seemed like every time they were about to come, Thorin would pull out it was maddening and the whole world seemed to be Thorin and Bilbo in that moment. Then finally they both came and Bilbo sleepily settled against Thorin's chest. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep.