Author's Note: Stories and reactions should be in the next chapter! (Barring character interference)

Home at Last

She must have passed out, for when she next opened her eyes, Bella found herself looking at unfamiliar curtains. Movement took her another few moments, but she managed to pull herself up into a seated position to look around. Confusion swirled in her mind. How had she come to be sleeping in a bedroom? Hadn't she just been leaning into Thorin? Her hand went to her throat and she sighed in relief when her fingers brushed the bead on its mithril chain.

Thick curtains of deep blue surrounded her where she rested on a large four poster bed. The curtains blocked out most of the light though some crept through where they came together. Fluffy pillows and soft sheets met her fingertips as she let her hands explore further. Everything felt clean, free of dirt or dust. Where was she and how had she gotten here? It couldn't be Erebor surely. Nothing so fine as these bedclothes would have survived the years of neglect. No cobwebs, no grit…she might have woken in…well, not Bag End, not with such heavy fabric. Giving herself a good shake, she moved to pull open one of the curtains so she could look around.

Her eyes narrowed against the light and she paused, letting them adjust to the change. The room beyond her bed held little furniture. She saw no carpet or wall hangings, though there were holders for such decorations waiting empty on the stone walls. Light came from the handful of sconces set into the stone and from a fire crackling away in the fireplace. A small table and two chairs sat in front of the hearth and a smile began to blossom on Bella's face as she eyed the Dwarf sitting in one of the chairs.

Yavanna bless! Dori!

Dori sat there, working with some deep green fabric that filled his lap. She watched him in silence, love for her eldest brother a deep note in the music of her soul as she waited for him to finish his task. If he could work at such ease and with no weapon close to hand, then things must be well. Then he picked up the scissors and snipped the thread before smoothing out the fabric to examine his work. Only then did she speak.

"Is it morning or evening?"

His head snapped around and he gaped at her. "Bella!" The beautiful fabric pooled on the floor where he dropped it to rush to her side. "Dear girl, you're awake!"

"Dori." Laughter spilled from her lips as he threw his arms around her and clutched her to him.

"I have been so worried about you," he fussed as he pulled back to look at her. "You slept so deeply, barely waking when the healers checked on you."

"I must have been tired?"

He gave her another hug. "They swore you were alright, no injured or ill in any way, but…" Dori's voice trailed off and he shook his head. "You've slept almost a week."

"A week?" She stared at him. How had she managed to sleep for so long?

The door opened, preventing either of them from speaking further. Óin walked through it and got halfway across the room before he caught sight of Bella standing beside her brother. A smile curved his lips and his pace quickened. He dumped his supplies on the table in order to give her a hard hug of his own. Like Dori before him though, he kept the embrace short. "Good to see you awake, lass!"

"I'm glad to be seen," she chuckled, her earlier disquiet swept away by her joy at seeing him.

"Now I can do a proper examination." Óin's eyes glinted with a smug satisfaction. "And you'll be able to answer my questions."

"I feel fine," she promised. "I'm just a bit confused on the how and when I came to be…here." She waved her hand towards the room. "We are still at Erebor, yes?"

"Oh, yes, of course!" Dori assured her as he hustled over to pull back the curtains of the bed. "Where else would we be?"

"Well…it just seems rather…clean," she replied, trying to find the best way to word her observations.

He frowned at her. "I wouldn't put you in a dirty room!"

"And I wouldn't have allowed it," Óin added as he led her over to the bed. "You needed rest, no to be coughing and sneezing from dust and what all."

"You did spend one day in a healer's tent," Dori continued, helping her to sit. "We needed the day to get this room cleaned and set up, but we wanted you somewhere nice and quiet as soon as possible. With so many hands to help, the work went quickly."

"But…the bedclothes?" she prompted. With the curtains tied back she could see the thick comforter – a quilted piece made up of deep blue and silver fabric in a geometric pattern. Gold and silver embroidery picked out a fanciful design of stars along what little she could see of the border. "Where did you find this?"

"Dáin."

Both Dwarves chorused the reply before Óin began his examination. He checked her over, asking questions and checking reflexes. She tried to protest once, but his worried grumbles and Dori's anxious hovering made it a half-hearted attempt at best. Relieving their worry took precedence over her personal opinions. After all – how would she have felt if one of her Dwarves spent a week asleep?

"Oh!" She sat up, shocked at herself. How had she not already asked?

"What is it?" Óin demanded.

Dori almost pushed the healer out of the way. "Bella, dear, what's the matter?"

"The others?" Her eyes swept from one to the other. "Where is everyone? Are they well?"

"They're safe," her brother soothed. She sagged with relief. "They're out keeping an eye on repairs and the refugees."

"Give me heart failure," Óin huffed. "Thought something hurt."

"I'm sorry?" She offered him an apologetic smile and he sighed, patting her arm.

"Never mind. Only right that you should ask," he allowed. "The others had some bumps and scrapes," the healer continued as he began to pack away his instruments. "They'd have been worse, but…" His voice trailed off and he shook his head. She lifted her eyebrows at him. "Long story," he replied in answer to unasked question. "And you'll need the whole group of us to get the full story."

"And you should know, dear," Dori began in a cautioning voice. "Everyone want to hear your story. The other girls told us what they could, but they didn't know much. You best prepare yourself for questions." He chuckled as she winced. "A great many questions."

"Wonderful." Bella pouted for a moment, but then giggled when the two males laughed at her. She tugged at a lock of her hair. "I need a bath."

"I'll get that arranged," Óin nodded. "It would do you some good." He strode off towards a different door. "It'll just be a moment."

"It's a bathroom," Dori informed her when she made an inquiring noise. "Every craftsman Dáin brought with him spent the first three days going over the plumbing. Thorin decreed the necessities be handled first – since we've got armies and refugees all bunched together." He gave a firm nod. "And a good thing too. It would have been terrible to defeat the orcs just to start losing people to bad water and disease."

"You've all been so busy," she murmured.

"Dwarves are at their best when they've tasks to do," he beamed. "The sooner we get things into workable shape, the sooner the rest of our folk can come home."

"Has Thorin sent for them?" Pride swelled in her heart – a grateful pride, one born of knowing that she had been a part of such a grand undertaking as this. And yet…she wanted to see the others, wanted to see their well-being with her own eyes. Dori and Óin's words had reassured her, but until the Company gathered as a whole once more, there would be something lacking, something off in her world. She lifted a hand to brush her fingertips over the bead at her throat.

"The air has been thick with ravens," Dori nodded as his sharp eyes watched her movements. A light color rose in her cheeks and he helped her to rise before pulling her into another hug. "King or no, he better do this right," he muttered.

"Dori-."

"Don't you 'Dori' me, little miss," he huffed. A smile softened his words. "I have eyes. And no matter what Nori thinks, I am neither blind nor daft." He lifted a brow, his gaze moving back to the bead at her throat before shifting to catch her eyes. "I've seen how you look at him."

"But we don't know what his thoughts are," she sighed, not bothering to deny his assertion.

He gave a soft snort, but Óin returned at that moment. "Water's ready," he declared. "You get in there and get cleaned up. Your brother's got some clothes for you and I'll go round up your guard." He frowned as she blinked at him. "You do want to get out of the room for a bit, yes?"

"Yes!" She all but flew over to throw her arms around him. "Thank you!"

"Yes, yes," he grumbled, though his mouth twitched, belying the gruff voice. "That's enough. Go have your bath."

Bella enjoyed the bath. Just being able to lean back and soak in a full bathtub made her groan in relief. So many days and moths of only having the barest of bathing necessities disappeared with the steam. She soaked for several long minutes before sitting up to start scrubbing and cleaning every strand of hair and every inch of skin. Someone – the healers she would think – had made sure she was clean and kept that way, but that knowledge did nothing to abate the sheer satisfaction at being able to do this herself. She did spare a moment to wonder where the bathing supplies might have come from, but to be perfectly honest – she didn't care. They were here and that was enough.

The water had gone cool by the time she pulled herself out of the bath and began drying off. Peeking into the outer portion of the bathroom, she found a green dress hanging on a peg. Dressing took no time at all and she walked back into the bedroom, still drying her hair. "Do we have a comb?"

Dori rose from his chair and gestured her over. "Come sit in front of the fire," he urged. "That will keep you warm while I do your hair."

"I can brush my hair," she laughed, but let him direct her to a waiting cushion.

"You need braids," he continued, tugging on a damp curl. "Something to pull your hair back, but to show off these curls." A happy sigh filled the air as he began to brush out her hair.

A laugh tried to bubble up in Bella's chest, but she swallowed it back down. If managing her mane of wild curls made him happy, then she would let Dori have his fun. "Where are Nori and Ori?" she asked when he started humming.

"Working," he answered. Her smile grew at the happiness in his voice. "I have no idea what exactly it is Nori's up to, but since Thorin and Dwalin seem happy about it, I would guess it has something to do with security. Balin's got Ori busy with cataloging everything we find as well as helping to clear out the library-."

"Library?" She tried to turn and look at him, but winced when her movement pulled her hair. "Ouch!"

"Sit still then," he scolded. "And yes, of course, there's a library! Balin wanted to see how it had fared. He says the dust is thick enough to wade through, but most of the books and scrolls seem to have survived. Apparently the beast decided it wasn't worth his time since it didn't have any gold or gems." He gave a disgusted scoff. "Only decent thing that creature ever did – not torching the room."

"Can I see the library?" Excitement rolled through her. There would be so many books she had never read before. Then another thought sobered her. "Will I be able to read any of them?"

"There are bound to be some in a language you know." Dori patted her shoulder. "And between Balin and I, we shall teach you to read the others."

Bella held herself very, very still. "I though your language was only for Dwarves."

"Khuzdul is for our folk," he corrected. "Yes, I admit that mostly means it is for Dwarves, but others have learned it. Each of them had been adopted into a family. Secrets are for outsiders." He urged her to face him so he could finish the braids which would hang straight from her temples. "You are one of us, not an outsider."

Her smile bloomed like the sun she felt erupting in her heart – too full of joy to be contained. "Really? I can really learn it?"

"Yes, yes, you silly gooseling," Dori laughed. He tapped a finger on her nose. "Didn't I just say so?" His fingers made fast work of the braids, interspacing a trio of beads in the braid on the right side of her face. Each bore the same family mark, but they held different designs in the border. She almost went cross-eyed as she tried to look at them while he worked.

"What do the borders mean?"

"Hmm?" He finished off the braid before holding it out to tap the beads. "We've had some time in the evenings, so each of us have marked the beads. This one is Ori's – see how the top border looks like a quill?" The next bead had a top border that looked like a key. "And this is Nori's. Mine has the needle. Now everyone will know that all three of us adopted you as kin."

"They're beautiful!" She clapped her hands. "I don't know how you can do such beautiful designs."

"Such simple little things," he insisted, a pleased flush darkening his cheeks. "Now come along, dear heart. Since Óin says you can get out and about, then we'd best go be seen. The others will be unhappy if we don't go find them." Mischief danced in his eyes, making him look more like Nori than usual. "I might have implied that I would send for them the moment you woke. But this surprise will be much, much better."

She giggled. "Then let's go surprise them."

"That's my girl."

Bella and Dori stepped into the hall. Small points of light began to glitter on the wall opposite the door. She stepped closer to look and found tiny gemstones in the smooth stone of the mountain hallway. The white gems glowed. "How amazing!"

"The hall is cut directly into the mountain," Dori pointed out. "You'll see various rocks and gems scattered throughout." Pride lit his eyes as he looked down at her.

"My lady!"

She turned to see Geira hurrying towards them. The walls closest to the Dwarf guard seemed to shine with a yellow gleam that bled towards white as she drew closer. Geira stopped and sketched a bow, a big smile on her face. "It's good to see you up and about!"

"And it's good to be seen," Bella replied, ignoring any formality to give the female a hug. The other returned the embrace with strong arms of her own. "You're alright?" Bella asked as she stepped back.

"Never better, my lady," Geira nodded. "Never better. The others are well," she continued, guessing Bella's next question. "We each slept for a full day, but nothing worse than that. They're down in the meeting with the kings and commanders."

"Even Tilda?"

"Oh, yes," Geira chuckled. "You couldn't keep her away." She rolled her eyes. "Not that some of the high and mighty didn't try, but…"

Dori gave an amused snort. "Thorin gave her and her sister free run of the mountain," he explained. "They're allowed anywhere they've deemed safe. Anybody that tries to interfere with those two will get a nasty surprise."

Bella's eyebrows rose. "And what brought that on?" The two Dwarves exchanged a glance and she narrowed her eyes. "No keeping secrets," she warned.

"Have you noticed the walls, my lady?" Geira asked.

"That best not be an attempt to distract me," Bella sighed. "Yes, the white stones are…" Her voice trailed off as she glanced at the wall. She frowned. "Well it was just the white stones. Now both white and yellow are glowing."

"The yellow are because of me." Geira spread her hands, mirth and awe mingling in her voice. "Ever since the battle…the citrine stones all begin to glow when I walk in a room."

"The ones attached to the mountain in some way," Dori noted.

"Right." The Dwarf female reached out and touched the wall. The yellow glow grew brighter for a moment. "And now the diamonds brighten for you."

"But what…?" Bella shook her head. "What does that mean?"

Dori put an arm around her shoulder. "You five…somehow you brought the mountain to life."

"The heart," she whispered and reached out to touch the wall. Diamond gleamed and glittered as her fingers brushed them. They almost outshone the torchlight. She felt contentment roll through her as a humming seemed to fill her ears. Both feelings dimmed but did not disappear as she pulled her hand back. "The others? Tauriel and the girls?"

"All of the emeralds start shining whenever Tilda walks into a room," Geira laughed. "And Sigrid brings rubies to life."

"Dáin's most stubborn advisors got a shock when Tauriel walked into one of their meetings," Dori smirked. "First Thorin and the boys being so accepting of her, along with the rest of the company of course, but then Erebor herself started favoring her in a way they couldn't argue away." Bella tilted her head and his smirk shifted into a real smile. "The sapphires," he explained. "They glow for her." Geira chuckled, mischief glittering in her smile as he continued. "She walked into an official meeting and they were all set to raise a fuss when every sapphire began gleaming – especially the large sapphire set in Durin's crest behind the king's chair."

Bella began laughing, leaning into him. "Oh, oh, oh," she held onto her sides. "I would have loved to have seen that!"

They shared a few moments of laughter before Dori began to urge them forward once more. "We really must find the others," he noted. "I'll be in enough trouble as it is."

"I'll protect you," Bella promised, laughter still warm in her voice.

They made their way through the halls, but she had to be pushed along more than once as she wanted to stop and stare in surprise at the work being done throughout the mountain. "All this…in a week?"

"Lord Dáin's army has more than just fighting skills," Geira pointed out. "And the Men have been helping in the areas close to the front entrance."

"The Elves?"

"They've been working outside," Dori replied. "Dwarves and Men have been helping their as well. Battle…it's never clean."

"This is so…" Her voice trailed off as she shook her head. She went to ask another question when a pair of nearby Dwarves caught sight of them and stopped working. They stared for a moment before bowing.

"Acknowledge them," Dori murmured into her ear.

So Bella nodded back with a smile before Dori urged her back into motion. She glanced back over her shoulder as they passed and noticed the two waited until the group had walked by before going back to work. "Dori," she began.

"It's a sign of respect." He patted her shoulder. "Don't fuss."

"They don't need to be bowing at me," she hissed back, doing her best to keep her voice low.

"Yes, they do." Geira's firm voice brooked no contradiction.

Bella wanted to argue, but they started to come upon more and more workers. She didn't want to argue with her newest friend in public, so she held her tongue. That became more and more challenging as everyone they passed seemed determined to bow. "Yavanna bless," she muttered. "This is the silliest thing – all these people bowing at a simple Hobbit."

"You are not a simple anything!" Dori puffed up in indignation.

"Yes, I am," she insisted. "I'm-."

"My sister," he interrupted. "And a Companion of Thorin Oakenshield. As well as a heroine."

Color rose in Bella's cheeks yet again. "But-."

"But nothing. Ask any of the others and they'll say the exact same."

She opened her mouth, but Geira spoke up first. "We're here."

Two guards stood outside an open door through which Bella could hear voices, both familiar and unfamiliar. The Dwarves standing guard straightened as they came closer and then bowed to her. She smiled and nodded, but paused to peer inside the room. Sapphires, rubies, and emeralds glittered on the walls, adding to what appeared to be sunlight. Not that she could see any windows. She would have to ask about that later. Her lips curved into a smile as she picked out the other three females from amongst those gathered around the table. They sat between Bard and Kíli - Sigrid beside her father and Tauriel beside the Dwarf prince with Tilda in the middle. Thorin sat at the head of the table, flanked by his nephews. Dáin sat beside Fíli. A mixed bag of Dwarves, Elves, and Men sat around the rest of the table. Thranduil and Bard both held seats of honor, as did Gandalf, but Bella nodded as she saw all of her Dwarves present as well, save for Dori and Óin. She frowned over the missing Dwarf, only to smile as he walked up to the three of them.

"I'm running late," he huffed. "As if I didn't have better things to be doing than sitting around listening to a bunch of talk." Then he frowned at her. "Why are you loitering in the doorway?"

"I'm just waiting for the right moment to interrupt," she assured him.

He gave her a small push. "It's always the right moment for you, lass."

They might have gone unnoticed upon entering had the walls not begun to blaze with light. The room seemed awash in color as white and yellow glows joined the green, blue, and red. Heads all around the table snapped up and around to stare at the small group beside the door. For a moment no one moved – they just stared.

A shriek of delight split the silence.

Everyone jumped, but Tilda ignored them all to dash across the room. The little girl threw herself at Bella. "You're awake!"

Tears pricked Bella's eyes as she returned the hug. "I'm awake," she agreed, rocking a bit where she stood. "I'm awake." She brushed a hand down the girl's hair when the young one sniffled. "Hush now," she soothed. "Everything's going to be all right."

"We've been worried about you." Sigrid joined them. "Everyone insisted nothing was wrong, but you wouldn't wake up."

"I'm awake now," Bella repeated, turning a comforting smile on the older girl.

Tauriel placed a hand on Sigrid's shoulder as she gave Bella a welcoming smile. "And we are glad to see you."

A cleared throat drew all eyes to the head of the table. Thorin stood there, but his eyes remained fixed on Bella. "The meeting is adjourned," he announced without looking away from her. "We will continue tomorrow." He began striding towards her, the rest of their Companions following along, as people cleared the room. The hint of what might have been a smile crossed Thranduil's lips before he strolled away; she couldn't be sure. Bard gave his daughters a long look before nodding at them. He and his son left, allowing the girls to remain. Bella's four female friends stepped back out of the way, stopping beside where Gandalf leaned on his staff to watch the reunion. Dáin stood at the Wizard's other side, eyes snapping with amusement as he too watched the show.

Bella's lips twitched as three of Companions – Kíli, Bifur, and Nori – decided trying to go around the table took too much time. Kíli and Bifur climbed over it while Nori dove under and wormed his way through various the various legs of table, chairs, and people.

"Nori…"

Dori's quiet groan behind ensured her brightest smile as the Company converged on her. She found herself being pulled in various directions, hugged and petted and swung around. Words flew by – some she could make out and some she couldn't, but it didn't matter. The exact words meant nothing; the emotions behind them meant everything. Love and laughter and relief filled the room with more light than the still glowing gems. She returned each hug with abandon, pressing kisses to cheeks and using the touch of a hand or the scan of an eye to determine each one's well-being.

Then she found herself standing in front of Thorin.

He stared down at her, his hands warm and strong where they held her shoulders. "Bella."

"Thorin." Happy tears pricked her eyes and she raised her hands to clasp his forearms. He looked well – hale and whole and hearty despite still-healing bruises and a new scar at his temple.

"I've missed you," he murmured, the words so low that she almost couldn't hear them. Emotions flashed through his eyes – so many and so fast that she would have been hard-pressed to put a name to any of them. They settled and her breath caught at the intensity of his gaze. Then his hands tightened and he leaned down to press his forehead to hers. "I have missed you, my burglar."

"I didn't mean to worry you," she murmured.

They stood there, gazes locked as silence wrapped around them.

"I'll always worry," Thorin replied after a long moment. Fear flickered in his gaze before being pushed aside by the burn of something deep and warm and…she hesitated to name it. She didn't want to be wrong. Then he spoke once more and the hope in her heart unfurled, kindling into a steady flame. "Please…don't go where I can't follow."

"I'm not going anywhere," she assured him. "I promise."

His lips began to curve into a smile.

"Excellent!" Bofur's voice boomed out, startling both of them. They pulled back from one another and Bella felt her cheeks flush as she caught the fond and teasing expressions of the Dwarves surrounding her. "Then maybe you could spare us a moment or two? There are stories to be told!"

"And the Company deserves some time together," Balin nodded as he beamed at them both, his smile full of smug pride.

Thorin folded his arms over his chest, glaring around the circle of them. "One of these days I shall remember that I can throw all of you out." The exasperated affection in his voice took any sting out of his words.

"Aye, you could," Dwalin shrugged. "But then you'd have to do the work yourself." Mischief stole over his face and he smirked. "Including the paperwork."

The king opened his mouth to respond and Kíli took advantage of his distraction to whirl Bella out of his grasp. "Storytime!" the youngest prince called out, winking at Tilda and Sigrid as he pulled the laughing Hobbit towards the table.

"Kíli!"

Laughter rolled through the room at Thorin's exclamation and Bella's heart swelled with it. Home…she was home at last.