The sky outside was blue and cloudless and there were thick dustings of sparkling white snow on the windowsills. Bilbo had never seen such glorious snowfall before. He desperately wanted, no needed, to go outside and touch it for himself. He waited until he heard his dwarf-father's footsteps, put on the pleading expression that Kíli had taught him and waited for his adad to enter the room, willing himself not to cough.

"I'd like to go outside, please?"

"I don't think that's a good idea just yet, pundurith."

"But, Adad, I've never seen such snow before! Please, just for an hour?"

Kíli's lessons had apparently paid off. Usually his adad was adamant that he was to not exert himself at all, but now he smiled, hugged him close and then went, promising to ask.

He returned a short while later with a steaming red mug. Óin had given up on the medicine sometime ago and was now giving him hot lemon drinks with a spoonful of the sweet honey mixed in. Bilbo couldn't help smiling as the mug was rather swiftly placed down on the bedside table

"It might be better to wait for the cough to go."

"But that's going to take ages!"

"It won't. Three days more and you can skip about in the snow to your little heart's content."

"Skip about?!" Bilbo crossed his arms and glared as fiercely as he could up at his adad. "Skip about?! I know you might not be able to believe it, but I am not a four-year-old fauntling."

"You are right," Glóin said solemnly. "I am not able to believe it. I might just keel over in shock."

"You don't understand how horrifically boring this is!" Bilbo accused.

In that moment, he could've sworn that Glóin hid a smirk. But his adad didn't laugh, instead he climbed onto the bed and lifted him against the broad, comfortable chest. Despite his intentions of remaining cross with the Dwarf, Bilbo couldn't help but snuggle into him.

"Well, I can see you have your wits about you. Let us talk then, my little one."

"Talk?"

"Yes." Glóin paused, gently rubbing his back. "Kíli said that he heard you while we were exiting Mirkwood."

"D-did he?" Oh, no. Hadn't he been barrel-less at the time of escape?

"Mmm. Said it sounded like you were holding onto his barrel. Now... How could you have been holding onto his barrel while safely inside your own?"

"He can't have been in his right mind."

"So I thought! Until Fíli swore he'd heard it too."

"He must've had water in his ears!"

"And Thorin said that you looked remarkably sodden for a hobbit that had been tucked away inside his own barrel."

"Thorin... Do you really believe it?"

"Believe what?"

"You know very well what."

"That my little pundurith told a big lie?"

"I never lied, exactly..."

"Did you tell me the truth?"

"Well, no, but..."

"But?"

"Well, you must be able to see why I didn't say! I bet you never told Óin when you got yourself injured."

"I did!" Quietly, but not quietly enough, Glóin added; "When I couldn't hide it any longer."

"See!"

"However," the Dwarf went on, "I most certainly told him the truth! He'd hit the roof even nowadays if I dared lie to him."

"Didn't Iie." Bilbo muttered. "I never said I had a barrel."

"But you let us believe that you had a safe journey."

"I survived it, didn't I?"

Glóin sighed a little. Bilbo could have sworn he saw those dark eyes roll at him. "You're missing the point," the Dwarf said, not unkindly. "You must think about how you might put yourself in danger!"

"Like you did?"

There was a small pause. Glóin frowned, looking confused. "What do you mean by that? I never put myself in such danger as you did!"

"Well, how did you get the cuts?"

Still looking bewildered, the Dwarf asked; "What cuts?"

"On your back."

The silence that followed this question was deafening. Not one word was spoken and dark eyes that had been looking into green now looked down. He seemingly hadn't been meant to ask about those cuts, nor mention them at all. "I'm sorry." He half-whispered. "Sorry, Adad."

"Never mind." Glóin answered, rather shortly. "Still, I'd prefer not to discuss them, if you don't mind."

Bilbo nodded his head. He lay his head on the thick beard covering the sturdy chest. If he listened close enough, he could just hear the soft and steady thumping of the Dwarf's heart. Glóin gently stroked his coppery-golden curls back. He clearly found them interesting, how they never went straight.
There was a sudden and loud thudding at the door.

"Oi, gerrout here! Your duty is relieved, I'm here now!"

Glóin looked terrified at the thought. "No! Go away, Nori!"

"Óin's orders."

"Crafty old bugger." Glóin muttered as he entangled himself from his hobbit-son. "Get in here, then!"

Nori came in, bringing a scent that was oddly reminiscent of the purple flowers that Belladonna had planted and tended to in the Baggins' garden. In a hand was a cloth wrapped around something small, thick and round. The thief turned his brilliant green eyes on the redhead who had yet to leave.

"Glóin, I have here a honey cake and I swear I will force-feed it to you if you don't get out of it!"

"You are sadistic!" Glóin retorted, but he ruffled Bilbo's curls and lightly shoved Nori as though to show that he was not afraid of the threat. Nori grinned and shut the door after him before sitting on the bed beside Bilbo.

"I smell...lavender."

"Yeah, went on a little outing to the apothecary with your dear uncle. The minute he saw it, I was in there whether I wanted to or not!"

"Did you want?"

Nori shrugged. "Wasn't too bad actually. Saw these little sachets of herbs. They smelled nice, so I picked one up for you. And then we went to a bakery."

"Adad won't let me go outside."

"In fairness, you do look pale," Nori remarked. "Come on, cheer up! The cold will disappear in no time!"

Bilbo internally sighed. It seemed everyone, every Dwarf, rather, thought that he knew best when it came to an ill hobbit. He lay back and his eye caught the sight of the window.

And that was when it hit him. He stretched out, emitting a loud yawn.

"That was a fairly colossal yawn for such a little 'un."

"Mm. Do you think you could get me a cuppa, Nori? Please?"

The Dwarf shot him a grin and walked off, closing the door with a quiet click. Bilbo crept from his bed, softly treading toward the window...

"He's gone!"

"What?!" Twelve voices chorused.

"He," repeated Nori, as though using a great deal of patience, "is gone. Went out his window."

"You're joking!" Óin said flatly. "You have to be... "

"On my honour as a thief, I am not." Nori answered.

There was a silence and then Óin began laughing. He laughed so hard that he could scarcely breathe.

"What's funny?" Kíli asked confusedly. "Glóin's going to be livid!"

"You don't understand!" Óin said between cackles. "Even now, with a son of his own, he thinks that it was not such a bad thing to clamber from the window to meet with people. Now he'll know what I felt every time he did it. He'll understand why I shouted at him when I caught him leaving or going. Oh, please let me tell him!"

"Rather you than me." Nori said.

"Do you think we should be looking for him?" Fíli queried.

"He won't have gone far. But you might as well, if you've a mind to." Óin answered.

"I meant Glóin."

Óin paused. "Hmm. Perhaps not. Oh, imagine if he should meet him on his little jaunt!" With this, the healer began cackling again.

"I don't think Bilbo would like it." Kíli said. "Glóin might shout at him."

As though hearing his name, the door was pushed open and the ax-bearer came in. He looked around at them, his gaze falling on Nori.

"You flower fairy! Fancy leaving him all alone."

Nori shot Óin an apologetic look. Then, before anyone could stop him, he announced; "Bilbo escaped through the window."

Glóin barely heard his brother's howl of anguish. "The...what? How?!"

"I dunno, but he's gone now."

He must have looked wretched indeed, for Óin swallowed his disappointment in whatever he was disappointed in and patted his arm.
"We'll find him, eh? Get your gloves on and we'll go out."

"I always knew you would never be able to resist his kicked dog face." Nori said once the redhead had left.

"You are wicked." Óin told him. "I shall never forgive you for telling him. What was it you said? 'Rather you than me'! And then you went and told him!"

"He called me a flower fairy!"

"Well, you smell like one. Lavender suits you!" Óin grinned at him again and looked at the others. "Is anyone else coming to look for Bilbo?"

"Think he'll have gone far?"

"A little hobbit with a bad cold? No, he'll be reasonably close," Glóin answered as he came back to them. "Who's coming?"

"Look, there he is!"

"Where?"

"There!"

Glancing to where his dark-haired sibling pointed, Fíli saw that Kíli was right. Recognising the copper-gold hair of their hobbit, he strode over quickly, Kíli running ahead, calling Bilbo's name. He looked startled and stopped, watching them as they caught up to him.

"Did you really climb out the window?" Kíli asked breathlessly.

"Um...Perhaps?"

Fíli grinned at him. "Like adad, like idúnoy!"

"What on Arda does that mean?"

"Just that you are like your adad!" Kíli answered, chuckling.

Emerald green eyes blinked. "He doesn't know that I went out, does he?"

Fíli stopped smiling and Kíli nodded. "I can't believe you went out the window!" The brunette said, eyes wide with wonder. "Didn't you slip?"

"Nearly, and quite a few times! How he managed it..."

"Last time he did it, he was only about several inches taller than you and was much littler than he is now." Fíli informed him. "Gods, I thought he'd faint when Nori told him what you'd did. Óin found it hilarious!"

"Will Adad be angry?"

Fíli cleared his throat and began tugging at one of his braids. "I couldn't say," the golden-haired prince offered.

"I can!" Kíli declared, and, before his brother could stop him, began regaling the poor hobbit with increasingly terrifying explanations of how angered his dwarf-father would be when he next saw him.

"Ignore him," Fíli said, quickly steering Bilbo away from the brunette who seemed to think his fond memories of the various times Gimli managed to get in scrapes was helping. "Don't even listen!"

I always planned on Bilbo following in his adad's footsteps :) Poor Glóin! He probably will end up with grey hair by the time they reach Erebor!

Hey, I want to thank all of you for your feedback! It's been incredibly encouraging, particularly as I took a long hiatus. The reason for the hiatus was that I had my heart broken by someone who I thought was a good friend last year and it took a lot out of me. But, with Mira's love and friendship, I'm nearly back on track!

Hope it was enjoyed!

Love from Shania. xx