Author's Note: Hello Everyone. Can anyone guess what this chapter is going to be about. It only took under a year and forty-five chapters to get here. So I'll just shut up and let you read this chapter shall I? Okay, well enjoy


Chapter Forty-Five

Safe and Sound

"I'm still not so sure that this is a good idea." Nori was sighing as they came to a halt in front of the huge entrance gate of Erebor just on the cover of darkness.

"Good idea or not," Bilbo whisper back, "we are going through with it, correct?" She gave him such a pleading look that Nori felt his head nodding without his mind's permission. Without speaking a word he passed her her little letter-opener, as a way of showing her his acceptance of her plan even though he still felt it was a terrible one.

"Thank you Nori." She kissed his cheek and as quick as lightening slipped on her magic ring, turning herself invisible even though Nori could still feel her sitting in front of him. But only for a moment before she slipped off their pony without a sound. Nori didn't even bother trying to pick where she might be along the road leading through the grand gates to the great entrance hall, instead he simply re-shuffled the large bundle of cloth wrapped in a cloak more comfortably in front of him and rode on.

"Oh yes," Nori sighed as he saw Dwalin blink at him several times before striding off, obviously to get Thorin, "a truly terrible idea."

And as soon as he was dismounted from his pony and there were enough people around, he too disappeared, deciding that hiding himself down a mine-shaft for the next couple of hours was perfectly legitimate way of spending his time until their burglar felt the urge to reveal herself.

TMPoT

Truth be told, Thorin hadn't really expected for Billanna's arrival to Erebor to be without a hitch. In fact he had almost been counting on her to pull her disappearing ring stunt. What he hadn't been counting on was for Nori to off and disappear too. And really, when he thought about, he honestly should have.

It was amusing though to watch Nori's men stutter and trip over themselves as they spoke as one as they tried to explain that the spymaster and Miss Baggins had "been right here" only moments ago.

"Disappeared, really?" Thorin asked trying to keep his amusement and exasperation under control while next to him Dwalin coughed something that sounded suspiciously like 'mother like son'.

"Aye Sire."

"Well you had better getting searching for them, though…" and now he felt his amusement and exasperation slip away the moment he lay his eyes upon the prisoner wagon that was only now being unloaded.

"Deal with the prisoners first. Make sure that Bovin," he spat the name as if it were poison on his tongue, "is in the dungeon benefiting one of his level of treachery."

"Aye Sire."

"What of Bilbo?" Dwalin asked. "And that bloody thief?"

"Nori, we'll deal with later. Let us focus on Billanna." Dwalin raised his eyebrows at Thorin who shrugged. "We found Frodo ourselves; maybe we will have similar luck with our burglar."

"I don't think she'll get herself quite so lost as the lad did Thorin." Dwalin pointed out, "Mind like a trap that Lass has."

"Aye," Thorin agreed, knowing full well just how well their hobbit could memorise her way around a series of identical tunnels and corridors, "which is why I have a fair idea where she might start looking for Frodo."

"Oh?"

"Why else would she disappear like this? To find her child." Thorin replied simply, striding towards the one of the many grand staircases that led to the upper levels of the mountain. At least, that was what he prayed was the reason.

TMPoT

Seeing him again almost winded her and she had to lean against the stone wall behind her to keep herself from falling over as he and Dwalin passed her by on their way to the main entrance hall. He looked… well. Very well, actually.

In fact he almost, and she swore that this was true, had a bounce to his step. His face was no longer deathly grey; his mouth no longer set in a grim, furious snarl and his eyes, oh his eyes. They had so much life in them, so much.

He looked like the dwarf who had insulted in her front parlour all that time ago, calling her a grocer's daughter and asking what her weapon of choice was; axe or sword? He looked nothing like the dwarf who had snarled out his fury and hate at her as he threaten to throw her over the battlements to the ragged rocks below, his eyes half-crazed with the gold sickness and the desperation of their dire situation. Now he looked so alive and well, like the proper king he was always meant to be.

She swallowed thickly and closed her eyes, fighting back the desire to call out to him. This was not why she was here.

No, she was here to find her son – and the rest of her family too – and then… alright so she hadn't worked out the finer details of what exactly she was going to do upon finding her son and family but then, it really did depend on what state she found them in.

She ran silently along this corner to that corner, getting lost every once and awhile. It had been a very long time since she had walked these corridors and they had been dusty and dark then, not like how they were now, with bright torches every few metres casting a cheery glow.

She eavesdropped on several servants and noble dwarves, delighted when she stumbled upon a group of noble dwarrowdams chatting about the wee little halflings staying in the royal guest wing. That was a place she had a vague idea where to get to.

Grinning a little manically, she ducked passed the dwarrowdams and ran in the direction she vaguely remembered the royal chambers to be in.

Only she never got that far for up ahead of her as she turned into a deserted corridor, something small and soft hit her in the midriff, knocking her backwards and she fell heavily upon the stone floor.

"Ahh…" she winced, rubbing the back of her head and trying to keep the tears that were pricking uncomfortably behind her eyelids back.

"Mama?" And in that moment, Bilbo forgot all the pain and discomfort she had suffered through her latest horrific and terrible adventure at the sound of the dearest, most precious voice in all of Middle-Earth. For there above her was her own sweet boy, curls ruffled, cheeks flaming (underneath bruises!?) and his mouth twisted in a carefree grin.

"Fro-Frodo?"

"MAMA!" his arms were around her neck in an instant as she pulled him into hers, her face burying into his soft curls as she sobbed out her relief.

"Oh Frodo. Frodo. Frodo."

"Mama, you're here! You're finally here. I've missed you so much." Bilbo pulled off her ring, shoving it into her waistcoat pocket before hugging her baby again.

"I've missed you too my heart." She whispered into his curls, still sniffing softly.

"FRODO!?"

"Eep." Frodo said suddenly jumping out of his mother's arms at the sound of the thoroughly exasperated call of his name. The voice calling it sounded very much like Kili's, Bilbo thought.

"Come on Mama." Frodo said as he grabbed Bilbo's hands and started pulling her away from Kili's voice and in the direction she had just come; only he turned into left corridor instead of right.

"Um, sweetheart," Bilbo said as her boy pulled her deeper within the labyrinth of tunnels within Erebor, "where are we going. And what happened to your face?"

"Uh, a fight. I'm grounded but I snuck out when Uncle Pal and Sara's backs were turned."

"Oh Frodo." Bilbo groaned but allowed her son to pull her along to wherever it was he was taking her to.

"It wasn't my fault either, the fight I mean. But I still had to apologize, Thorin said so. But he made the brat apologize to Bombur's kids too!"

"Good." Because she was at a loss as to what else to say. Thorin had told him to apologize for a fight? Did that… did that mean he cared? About Frodo? Or was he simply trying to save his Kingly image?

Shaking her head, she allowed herself to be swept away with her child's mindless chatter as he pulled her through corridor after corridor.

They had just turned into a previously thought empty corridor when Bilbo was suddenly grabbed from the side. Her mind went all but blank as she slipped on her ring once more causing the dwarf who had grabbed her to yelp in surprise at suddenly finding his captive invisible. Not that he had long to think over this as his invisible captive – still trapped within his iron arms – starting smacking him around the head and kicking him around the knees while the boy child yelled in ignition, "let go of my Mama!" as he too took to kicking him around the shins. His legs by the end of this torture would be shattered like match sticks, he was certain of it.

"BILLANNA!"

Bilbo felt as if her whole body had suddenly been sapped of all its energy at the sound of his voice ringing throughout the stone corridor. She heard the guard she had been beating up give a relieved sort of wheeze while Frodo cried out his name in something that Bilbo could only class as sheepish delight.

Slowly she twisted herself in the guard's arms as she looked up the corridor to where Thorin, Dwalin, Balin, Oin and dear Bofur stood.

She swallowed thickly as she twisted her ring off her finger, feeling the odd sensation of becoming visible again. The guard holding her took a startled breath inwards but her old company didn't looked the least bit surprised.

"So," she was ashamed by how weak her voice sounded as she slipped her ring into her vest pocket, "I'll take it that you had nothing to do with all… this?"

"No." Thorin replied his eyes unreadable and she felt her heart sting as his face stared at her without a hint of emotion.

"Alrighty then…" and like she had all that time ago, upon the very first night of meeting these bothersome dwarves, she collapsed into a dead faint in the arms of the guard holding her.

TMPoT

Thorin wasn't sure what had made him lead his small company of dwarves (Dwalin had thought it would be a good idea to grab Oin, in case their little burglar need medical aide as her son had. Balin was along because he had always been fond of their little burglar and Thorin felt that Balin's presence would ultimately calm the hobbit lass down. And Bofur? Well, Thorin wasn't exactly sure of when Bofur had joined his party in the search for Billanna but he knew better than to send the miner slash toymaker away. For one thing, Bofur would refuse and only throwing him in a dungeon would keep him from search for their burglar on his own. And two, much like the reason Balin was along, Thorin accepted that Bofur would have a greater chance at keeping Billanna calm and happy upon their discovery of her.)down this particular corridor but the moment he heard the scuffles and the angry cries of his son – he really was going to have to post guards on Hobbit's door – he knew he had, for once, chosen the right path.

Even so, he wasn't quite prepared for the sight that he and the others came across once they turned into the corridor where the scuffle was clearing coming from.

He knew Billanna, or rather suspected Billanna would be wearing her magic ring, but no matter how many times he had seen her – or rather, not seen her – with it on, the sight of her wearing it was still peculiar indeed.

One of his guards appeared be struggling to control thin air while Frodo was kicking him furiously, all the while demanding that he, the guard, to let go of his mother this instant.

For a moment he and his company could only stare in dumbstruck silence as they watched the truly bizarre scene in front of them before Thorin finally found his voice.

"BILLANNA!"

The guard's struggles stopped immediately and Frodo looked their way with a sheepish, guilty expressed as he waved and said Thorin's name in such a Kili-ish way that Thorin was almost inclined to forgive his disobedience over being grounded and staying in his chambers before reminding himself that he would have to deal with his wayward son later, that his mother needed to come first in this instant.

He didn't blink as she reappeared in the guardsman's arms – though the guard looked extremely alarmed – and he didn't turn his gaze away from hers when she met his eyes.

"So," she said in a small, tired voice, her brown eyes exhausted, ""I'll take it that you had nothing to do with all… this?"

"No." he spoke too fast, too harshly, he knew that the moment he saw the look of hurt flash before her eyes – he also could feel Bofur glaring holes into the back of his skull and heard Balin long-suffering sigh beside him. His mind tried to get itself to focus, trying to think of something to reassure her that all was well, that she was safe.

"Alrighty then…" she sighed and to his horror she collapsed in the guardsman's arms. His feet moved on their own accord and in no time at all he was all but wrenching the hobbit woman from the guardsman's arms and peering anxiously into her pale, drawn face while Frodo whispered frantic pleads for his mother open her eyes.

"Back." Oin grumbled, "Back all of ya! Give her some air." The old healer shooed away Balin, Dwalin, Bofur – who gently took hold of Frodo's shoulders and pulled him away, all the while whispering reassurances to the lad that his mama would be fine – and the guardsman while he leant over her as she lay, silent and as still as death in Thorin's arms.

"Exhaustion." Oin spoke after a moment of silent contemplation, "exhaustion for the most part, both physically and emotionally. What she needs is good rest, food and knowing her a good long bath."

"Aye." Dwalin agreed and turned to the guardsman and dismissed him but not before telling him that if he so much as breathed a word to anyone of the odd occurrence just now… well, things would most defiantly become unfortunate for him. The guardsman yelped before nodding his head vigorously promising to keep his mouth firmly shut. Upon this promise Dwalin dismissed him.

Thorin cradled Billanna more firmly in his arms, his teeth grinding over how terrible thin she felt beneath her weather ragged clothes.

"We'll put her in the chambers that we set the Lad up in his first night with us." Thorin said and the company nodded. "Can someone go and fetch Dis?" He added and Bofur and Dwalin both ducked off to comply with his wishes.

"Frodo," Thorin said, turning to his son who was walking beside him and peering anxiously up at his mother, "no wandering off."

"Uh uh." Frodo nodded but just to be sure, Thorin was pleased when Balin took hold of one of the little lad's hands.

Thorin was relieved when he saw Dis and a dwarrowdam maid waiting for them outside the bedchambers that had been originally Frodo's before they returned him to his Hobbit family.

He wasn't overly impressed when he was unceremoniously booted, along with Frodo, from the bedchamber after setting Billanna into the bed, to wait outside while she was checked over for any and all injuries.

Frodo was slouched unhappily upon the floor of the corridor, only half-listening to some mad story Bofur was telling him – and Thorin was quite sure the toy-maker was making it up on the spot too – his blue eyes continuously glancing to the chamber's door, waiting for it to open.

And open again it did, after what felt like hours of waiting for news.

"She's fine," Oin rumbled, "or will be. She's exhausted and malnourished but no worse so than during our time in that blasted wood."

"Can-can we see her?" Frodo asked hopping to his feet.

"If you are very quiet and let her sleep, than aye, I don't see why not." Oin had barely finished speaking as Frodo pushed passed him and ran silently into the bedchamber, Thorin and the other's following cautiously behind him.

"Easy laddie." Dis was saying as Frodo clambered awkwardly upon to the bed his mother was currently curled up in, looking far too pale and frail for Thorin's liking.

"Uh huh." Frodo nodded as he settled himself down by his mother's feet sitting far more quietly than Thorin had ever seen him before.

"She has a nasty scar to her head that looks as if it got itself infected at one point," Oin said as he moved to Bilbo's bedside and gently brushed her tangle golden brown curls away to show Thorin a very nasty scar that cut from the side of her forehead down to her cheekbone, the white and pink skin puckering along where the cut had healed awkwardly.

"Battle of Five Armies." Bofur offered as an explanation, "hit by a rock or shield, the lassie ain't entirely sure herself." Thorin nodded trying to ignore the sick feeling churning his gut.

"She has a few more scars here and there," Oin continued, "but all old. A few bruises but they too are old and healing."

"So she is well, besides from the exhausted and malnourishment?" Balin asked, relief lacing his tone.

"Physically, yes. Mentally…" Oin looked over Billanna's tired face, "still remains to be seen."

"She hasn't changed much." Dwalin offered curiously, "Still looks the same as the day she agreed to our quest."

"Aye." Bofur agreed and Thorin heard an odd note the toymakers tone and wondered what it was to cause the toymaker to sound so worried.

"So Mama will be ok?" Frodo questioned.

"I think so laddie." Oin replied as he ruffled Frodo's hair before packing away his nasty smelling ointments back into his medical bag. "She just needs a good bit of rest and when she wakes food and water also."

"I'll stay with her until she wakes." Dis offered with a small smile. Thorin opened his mouth to protest before thinking better on it. It would probably be best it were Dis to be the one Billanna woke to. She may be a stranger to Billanna but at least she would be least likely to overwhelm and frighten her like he and the rest of their old companions might possibly do.

"Come on lad." He said tapping Frodo's shoulder and coaxing the boy down from the bed. The boy only pouted at him, his huge sapphire orbs becoming wide and begging.

"Can't I stay?"

"Your mother needs her rest, as do you. Come along."

"But…"

"Frodo."

"Alright." Frodo sighed heavily. With great care, the lad pushed himself up and laid a gentle kiss upon his mother's cheek before slipping off the bed with a pout.

"Good laddie." Balin said as the boy moved to stand with Bofur who gave his hair an affectionate ruffle.

"You will…" Thorin started to say to his little sister before she waved him off.

"The moment that she is ready to receive an audience I will come and get you. Not a moment before." She added when he tried to protest.

"Fine." He sighed and with that they left the chamber without much coaxing though Thorin did notice that Bofur was more or less directing the direction that Frodo was walking in, as the little lad was clearly unwilling to leave his mother sides. Speaking of which…

"Frodo."

"Hmmm?" curious sapphire orbs met their stern mirror image.

"No wandering in the middle of the night to visit your mother. You have heard Oin's orders; your mother needs undisturbed rest. Don't make me post guards on your door." The lad's cheeks turned a brilliant crimson colour beneath his yellowing bruises. For a moment, Thorin thought the boy would argue but eventually he nodded his agreement much to Thorin's relief. They returned the lad to his hobbit family and informed them of Billanna's arrival. They of course were all demanding to see her and it was only by, oddly enough, Bungo Baggins's intervention that Thorin and his dwarves weren't overrun by frantic hobbits desperate to see their kin.

"When she wakes, you will be of the first to know." Thorin assured them for the umpteenth time before they reluctantly allowed him to leave their chambers.

When she wakes, he thinks a tad more miserably than he was outwardly letting on, was anyone's guess. Billanna had been through a great deal these past few months and he had seen many fall into the living death slumber due to less.

The idea of her simply wasting away until death did finally take her was a truly horrific notion to Thorin and he banished it from his mind before it could set up root.

Billanna would wake. For their son, for her family, for their company. He didn't care in this moment if she woke and she wanted nothing to do with him, he didn't care if she hated him, just as long as she woke up.

"She'll be fine, laddie." Balin reassured him as they came to his study door, "she will wake."

"Strong stuff, our burglar is made of, though you would never guess from looking at her." Dwalin added as he clapped Thorin's shoulder reassuringly and Thorin felt the strength to smile, if only a little.

The two brothers left him then, to be alone with his thoughts. It was hard not to simply sneak back to Billanna's room, but he knew that Dis would boot him out as soon as she laid eyes upon him.

He rubbed his face as he walked into his study.

What was he going to say? Do?

How was he going to make her forgive him? Would she even feel inclined to forgive him for all that he had done? For all the grief he had caused her?

His hand slipped within his inner coat pocket and drew out her mother's marriage band from where it hung from it leather cord.

He stared at it for a long, long time before sleep, inevitably, took hold of him and pulled him into a slumber filled with dreams of happier times.


Author's Note: YAY, they're reunited... kind of. But it's kind of funny because the whole Bilbo-Frodo-Thorin reuniting part of this chapter, I've had those scenes in my head pretty much from the moment I started writing this fanfic back in March last year and it really hasn't changed from it's original conception. It's one those few scenes that has stayed pretty much the same through the whole course of my writing this fic. Which is hilarious to me because so much has from what I originally thought was going to happen in here. I mean, the plot has stayed pretty much the same but structure of chapters, scenes and characters have changed from how I originally came up with them , but here I've managed to keep that little part pretty how I first thought of it, which I'm pretty chuffed about, I must admit. Maybe it's just me, but it gives the giggles.

Anyway, so the big 'Getting-Bilbo-To-Erebor' is done and dusted, now I've just gotta figure how to get the two thick-heads to get along and not get into too many fights, though Thorin groveling is going to be fun to write... 'smiles evilly'