Thorin marched in hurriedly to see Oin in the anaesthetic room of the theatres.

"Who is hurt?" He looked around as people rushed in and out.

"Calm down laddie." Oin spoke working quickly at his trolley to set things up. "Dain had an accident. The breaks on his car failed. It was lucky one of Dwalins lads patrolling the borders found him. Or he might have died in trapped in the wreckage."

"Is he badly hurt?"

"He will make it. But he has lost a lot of blood. Now Stonehelm has given us a sample to match, but the next closest relatives are ye Dwalin and Balin." Oin explained calmly sitting Thorin on a stool. "And on account of the lad being your son and all, I thought to take everyone's blood to find the best donor. Only a couple o' pints mind ye. No one could miss it. But it will make a world o' difference ter the old geezer on that table."

Thorin quickly took his jacket off and rolled up his sleeve nodding.

"Of course." He offered out his arm while Oin took a sample quickly.

"Ye can't go anywhere until it's all processed. Cause we need that blood right away. It'll take a few minutes to test and retest it. And then maybe another thirty to give a couple o' pints." Oin patted his shoulder leaving him in the room as he turned to leave.

"Er... master Oin?" Thorin hesitated. He hadn't seen the healer since they had lain their father to rest. In fact for the past five months since she had just disappeared from his life without a trace, no one would even talk to him about her.

Dis had been sad-mad about it all, with the loss of their father still fresh. His nephews were in a constant foul temper with him, and had built up a group of council members who moved to block and make his motions difficult to pass with changing certain things back in Erebor. Things which the woman had changed through sheer bloody-minded campaigning.

So he tried the healer.

"Have you... um... found a new healer?" He began.

"No laddie. I think we will have to manage for now. It's hard, but everyone is upset and won't even consider a replacement. Even the patients will make it hard for who ever has to take her place..."

"It's a bloody job. Not a marital commitment!" Thorin swore. But in truth he ached just thinking about it. "Have you at least heard from... her..?"

He couldn't dare to speak her name. Not without a drink in him to dull the pain.

Oin simply turned and left. The truth was that he had been speaking with her. He wanted to know that she was well, and the babe too was growing. It was a fatherly love, for one who had found herself in a place where outsiders were not allowed. Where she was alone and had only ever done all that she could for anyone who arrived at their doors sick or injured.

And he would be damned if he let this buffoon darken her doorstep again!

Feeling the icy response from his chief healer, Thorin sheepishly rolled down his sleeve and grabbing his jacket wondered out to the waiting room where the other three men sat. Dwalin glaring daggers at Stonehelm, and Balin attempting to distract his brother with mundane conversation, which was clearly not working.

"Och so yer here too eh?" Dwalin snapped at Thorin. "Ah got better things ter be doin."

Dwalin, had never forgiven Dain for his part in the kidnapping and the strange ritual he had performed and believed that they should have cut off the wolves of the Iron Hills altogether. He too refused to talk about the woman with Thorin. Often flying into an unexpected rage when even the possibility was raised with him.

Of course what Thorin didn't know was that Dwalin too had been in secret communication with her. He had tasked to have her things sent over to her new home, where she had reassured him she was happy, and not in the least bit alone.

But to make matters worse, she had carried out a video call with him one night, where she showed his her new, and rather fancy home with all modern gadgets and furniture. And there still working late into the night at the kitchen counter in naught but his pyjamas and entirely shirtless was the giant, handsome fair-haired man who was her friend, Brett! Now that was one thing, Dwalin did not care for at all.

He could only imagine this man was patiently biding his time until she had given birth to worm his way between her sheets. Or worse still, he was already taking advantage of the hormonal changes that drove certain urges in expecting women. Yes, Dwalin had even started to read the 'what to expect for your expecting wife' book, having ordered it on the internet like the woman had once taught him! It was his secret bedtime read, which he never dared to speak of even with his own brother!

He didn't like their living arrangements one bit! And he had spoken with her and Oin about paying the girl a visit. She had encouraged him but rather suggested that he come closer to the birth so he could enjoy time with the new baby too.

The only problem was asking Thorin for time off to travel. He hadn't thought of a suitable excuse yet without alerting him to her whereabouts.

"Aye Baheluh." Thorin nodded taking a seat beside Stonehelm and placing a hand on his shoulder in solidarity.

"I don't understand it... I had that car serviced not more than two weeks ago. And the mechanic just informed me the brake line had cut right through." Stonehelm shook his head thoughtfully. "Of course only father drives that one."

Thorin winced at first when he referred to Dain as his father. A title he had stil not earnt from the young Lord despite his biological relationship. But then he frowned as he thought of the possibility that Dains brakes had been sabotaged!

"Well, we will get to the bottom of it all. I am sure."

"Oin says if I had done a paternity test back then everything would have been quicker." Stonehelm leant over cradling his head in his hands.

"It would have made no difference if I were your father anyway."

"But what if my mother made a mistake?" He asked quietly.

"Or was frankly lying eh?" Dwalin chipped in angrily. "Ever thought of THAT one BAHELUH?"

"Alright brother. No need to be so aggressive. We are still here for our own kin in times of need." Balin attempted to sooth his brother.

"Kin wouldn't shaft their kin like that!" Dwalin spat out angrily.

"What is eating at ye today brother?" Balin patted the big burly warriors arm.

"I have an important errand to make. And a call later on." Dwalin groused. Today was the day he planned to drop off her remaining boxes to be shipped to Texas. It also happened to be the day when she was having another scan for the baby. He had been nervous for her since morning. And she had promised to show him pictures of the scan. Of course Brett, was to accompany her, as the cunning devil had been doing for all her check ups since she had arrived in Texas. A thought which riled Dwalin again. All he could think of was how the handsome man would be holding her hand while they inserted the probe up her unmentionable, and soothing her discomfort for it! It was practically vulgar, as though they were in bed having it off! He wondered whether they had indeed been having it off all the while lately!

"An important call brother? I knew nothing of this..." Balin frowned.

"Och... Well... It's nothing really -"

"Right! I need yer all in here now." Oin burst in though the door. He sounded strangely upbeat for what the presumably bad news that he was going to impart to them.

They all piled in to the anaesthetic room anxiously.

"So we have tested all yer samples and I have some good and bad news I'm afraid..." Oin paused looking at Thorin and then at Stonehelm. "So, the good news is that Thorin, yer a perfect match -"

Both Thorins looked at one another.

"No! No! Laddie - young Stonehelm is a perfect match. In fact it's the sort of match only between a biological parent and child." Oin replied matter of factly. "Where as Thorin, yer blood type is quite different! The bad news is that in light of this information I would advise that ye get a paternity test. Because although it's not possible to say with utmost certainty through matching blood, I am pretty sure that ye couldn't be young Stonehelm's biological father."

"Och! I knew it!" Dwalin shouted unable to hide his elation.

"Now, now, brother..." Balin began to usher his brother outside. "If ye can't be generous in yer kindness at a time of need it is best to leave this room.. Thorin will ye be alright?"

"Aye." He felt a complete fool suddenly. "I will sit with Thorin while they draw the blood."

"But donnae go too far lads - yer blood matches quite well too... Just in case..." Oin called out, but was sure he could hear grumbles of 'not on yer nelly' and 'rather give my blood to a stone' from the younger of the two Fundin brothers as they disappeared outside.

...

Dwalin bounded along the corridor in high spirits indeed. He had heard from her last night when she had shown him a picture of the babe growing her belly. Her abdomen looked rather enormous indeed!

He had joked that she didn't look as though she could balance well on her feet, only to have a comment in the back from that sly fox Brett, who turned out to be giving her tired feet a rub! He angrily wondered what else the dirty devil was rubbing!

There had been a delay taking her things to be shipped out to her, but given how well her scan had gone he was happy.

Now all he had to do was to sneak the boxes out of the storage in the basement carpark and drive them up to Dale. And so with his trusty pregnancy guide tucked under his arm he hurried along to meet Gror in the basement.

Turning the corner however, he ran smack bang into Thorin, and quickly hid the book in his jacket pocket.

"Dwalin?" Thorin asked surprised observing his friend suspicoously. "You are not usually awake so early on a Saturday?"

"Well..I... Wanted to go into Dale... They are having some summer festival..." He was not good at thinking on his feet and could only hope Thorin was in a hurry. "Ye know... Full parking an all..."

"No. I don't know Baheluh." Thorin raised an eyebrow. "You seem in a good mood too?"

"Well now yer off the hook from having ter father Stonehelm. Dain is resting up. Everything is good right?"

"Have you heard from her?" Thorin was sharp with his suspicions.

"Not really..."

"But you have heard?" Thorin couldn't hide the glimmer of hope that bubbled his chest at the faint possibility.

"Nope. Ye donnae need ter worry yer pretty head brother. The lass doesn't want anything ter do with us." Despite his initial desire. He no longer had a desire to bring Thorin back into her life. Even if it meant she might marry that pretty-boy Brett. "Anyway what's it ter ye? She clearly left because of the way ye treated her that night eh?"

Thorin seemed to back away at the pain of his words, and the memory of their argument from that evening.

"I have behaved terribly towards her, Dwalin..." Thorin brushed his hair back subconsciously. "Do you think she might ever forgive me?"

Dwalin scowled at first and then noticed his friend. He looked exhausted, and unhappy. More so than Dwalin ever remembered. He had noticed Thorin often kept late hours and rarely took his meals with everyone else. And so something about their great leader, a man Dwalin once looked up to, made him pity him more than the most unfortunate soul he had ever come across.

"I cannae say, Thorin. Ye clearly hurt her. And the lass loved yer father. It was probably too much for her."

"She left without a word to me. And left no trace of herself here. I sometimes think I imagined her, but I have a few items of her clothing in my room still..." He replied sadly. Her nightgown and her sweater which she had left in his room still smelled of her perfume. Some nights he would smell them and imagine she lay there in bed sleeping soundly. While some nights he let the wolf within him take over and roam their lands in search of her. Even his alpha pined for her, for all he could recall when he changed was how she would spend some nights naked against his body. She felt no fear or shame with his beast.

"Aye..." Dwalin decided to give it some thought before revealing anything, unsure of exposing her secret anyway. "Well... Best be on me way..."

Being careful to slow his pace down he carried on to the basement, sure that he was not being followed and spotted Gror at the back on their underground car park.

As he hurried over, and began to load up the boxes, they were both interrupted.

"So this is what you were both up to." Thorin appeared suddenly inspecting the boxes with their address labels. "And tell me Dwalin, when you asked for some time to travel, did you mean to travel to... Texas perhaps?"

Dwalin and Gror looked at each other sheepishly. They had kept this secret for so long – she had pleaded with Gror the night she had set off in a hurry, and he had been set against keeping such a secret from his Master, but his beloved wife had intervened. Helga had seen all that the outsider woman had dealt with because of Thorin, and she had even suspected the woman was with child now. It was the latter which finally convinced Gror, even if it meant being disloyal.

"Maybe Gror will know better..?" Thorin turned to the older man, but Dwalin was quick to intercept his harsh inquiry.

"No Thorin. He has nothing ter do with it - "

"Except hiding her possessions on the night she left you mean?" Thorin snapped having figured it out in this short time. "Do not think that I have no clue as to what goes on in my own Halls!"

"Come on. Help me load these things in. And I will tell yer on the way ter Dale... not that ye deserve to know."

...

"This was not a good idea Dwalin..." Thorin sat in the car with him. They had finally arrived in the parking lot outside the clinic she had set up in Texas and sat waiting to catch any sign of her. The anticipation and excitement which initially made him look forward to seeing her again, now terrified him because of the prospect of being rejected. "What if she wants nothing to do with me..?"

The instant he had heard that she was here from Dwalin, he had wanted to fly out simply to demand an explanation, and then demand that she return right away. But after he had calmed down, Dwalin had reminded him that he would be lucky if she ever agreed to see him again. So finally the moment Thorin knew his closest friend was visiting her, upon her request, he had begged and pleaded to come along, which after a painfully long time of pondering Dwalin had agreed to.

Dwalin sighed heavily sitting beside him in their rental car.

"Look Baheluh, do you want her more than anything ye have ever wanted?" Dwalin turned to face Thorin, quite seriously.

"Aye. That I do. You know this." Thorin grumbled.

"Even if yer find her changed? Even if she hates ye...?"

"Aye... But how can I make her love me if she hates me?"

"She hated ye once, but ye changed the way she saw ye then, so ye can do it again. Swallow yer useless pride and beg, plead and grovel." Dwalin advised him as calmly as he could, although he too was beginning to lose his patience with the man he once regarded so highly. "Because if yer donnae love her. If yer commitment is anything less than five hundred percent, then I will drive yer back this very minute to the airport – and no one ever need know ye were here. There is no need for her ter see ye again unless yer serious and willing ter spend the rest of yer life making up for the shameful way in which ye behaved ter her - and ye know that."

"I have never been more certain about a woman in my life..."

"Even Marina?" Dwalin quirked an eyebrow.

"I was a fool with her. But never have I loved another more than Shobha."

"And ye want her back no matter what?" Dwalin pressed again. "Even if it is the most painful, humiliating, grovelling experience ye ever?"

"Aye! Aye Dwalin!"

"Very well then... because I'm her friend Thorin, but I would knock yer blocks off before I ever let ye anywhere near her otherwise!"

Thorin nodded. From where they were seated, she felt so close and yet so far.

"Well, what are ye waitin for? Go get our lass..." Dwalin twisted around and pressed the button, unlocking the doors.

Thorin slowly got out of the car. He had never been this afraid going into any battle or duel, or any calamitous situation for that matter, in all his life!

Slowly he walked through the main door to the clinic. The crowded waiting room was buzzing. And the heat was already building even though it was only nine in the morning. Apparently the clinic had already been running for an hour or so.

He looked around for any sign of a doctor or nurse when several women in nurses uniforms marched past and took clipboards with paperwork out to two old men sitting down and waiting patiently.

"Can I help you, Sir?" A man called out from the reception area at him. So Thorin quickly moved to the counter.

"I am looking for… er… Dr Seth?"

"And you are?" The man asked.

"She asked me to come over here... I... have a letter for her..."

"No Sir, I mean are you a patient or... Colleague? I suppose you must be a patient." He spoke with a lilt to his accent, as he observed Thorin with some disdain.

"Very well." Thorin replied through gritted teeth, looking around and noticing several patients entering and leaving through a set of double door where he imagined she must have been working.

"Hang on a moment Sir..." The man replied before disappearing through a back door to the reception area.

Thorin had no time to wait of explain himself only to be turned away, instead he decided to hold the door open as several more elderly folk walked through into the reception. And in turn he slipped in himself.

"Excuse me... Have you been called?" A different man dressed in scrubs interrupted him as he took several steps along the corridor.

"Um..." Thorin turned to face him. "I am here to see Ms Seth..."

"You will have to wait in the reception Sir." The man asked Thorin, who found his temper rising, but then further up along the corridor one of the doors suddenly opened and out of it came the woman who had haunted his dreams and plagued his heart for so long.

Except his heart immediately stopped in his chest as he spotted her! She was still just as beautiful, her dark hair messily tied up while she worked. It reminded him of the first time she fixed his wounds that night in the gamekeepers lodge during the storm. He would never forget how soft her touch was. And then he noticed, her abdomen was heavy with child! There was no doubting this!

"Hey man... You can't just walk through unless you have an appointment..." The from the reception had now turned up. He put his hand on Thorins shoulder, speaking louder as Thorin took several steps towards her and stood frozen in the spot watching her as another fair haired man smartly dressed in a crisp shirt and light chinos, walked towards her. His heart sank at the sight.

The man was tall, handsome, younger than he, with athletic build and fair-hair. And he walked out to join Shobha. He smiled at her warmly, handing her a drink. She too, looked up at him, saying something Thorin couldn't make out from this far and smiled. The man then laughed as he placed his hand quite lovingly on her arm.

He wondered if this was what Dwalin meant - that he had to fight this man, who he imagined was the father of her unborn child, in order to win her back.

Standing there staring, while the insolent man from the reception continued to speak loudly at him, his battered and bruised heart felt as though it would now stop.

Then she looked up at the fuss the receptionist was making further ahead and her big brown eyes found his across the corridor. The look on her face changed instantly, as though she had seen a ghost.

Apparently quite reluctantly, she began to walk towards him, with her tall companion following.

"Thorin?" She called, a mixture of surprise and confusion clear in her voice.

Thorin stood shocked and frozen as she moved towards him now. Her stomach was full, and her walk was slower. He wondered how far along she was? He had no doubt the child belonged to her fair haired friend. And part of him wished he had been the father to her child.

"Thorin?" She smiled reservedly. "Um... What are you doing here?"

"I.. wanted to see you... to apologise..." He sighed feeling an inevitability to this all. The tall blond man came to stand by her protectively. If they were together now and having a baby, he would not stand in the way of her happiness. The cruel things he had said, theway he had behaved, had been abominable. And he deserved no reprieve.

"Oh... You know it's been five months right? I have kind of forgotten everything..." She smiled though it was not entirely true, for he had often been in her thoughts. But this time there was no reluctance in how she spoke those words.

"Aye... But I see you're happy... And with child. So perhaps I am too late." He sighed again.

"Shobha... Are you okay?" Her handsome friend asked her. "Is this guy troubling you?"

"I'm good Brett - can I get a few minutes please..."

"Hun, you need a break now anyway." He replied giving Thorin a disapproving look. "just let me know if you need me..."

She nodded reassuringly to him before turning to show Thorin towards a room.

"Thorin... I only have a short break now. Maybe I can meet you for lunch later?" She stepped into a clinic room and gestured for Thorin to follow. "Is Dwalin here? I've missed him!"

"Aye. Dwalin is here. He is looking forward to seeing you again."

"Great! I can't wait!"

"So... You are... Looking well..." Thorin began awkwardly, not wishing to refer to the most obvious change. His heart sank further into despair as he sat with her. It seemed impossible that she would want anything to de with him again.

"Thank you... Yes, I'm rather pregnant." She grinned gently cradling her swollen abdomen lovingly before glancing up at him. He looked worn out, and his eyes looked heavy, like he hadnt been sleeping well. Quite frankly he looked pained. "And terribly fat!"

Watching her so happy, imagining her carrying the fair-haired man's babe cut him to the bone.

"No! Not at all - you look beautiful! …As always…" Thorin added feeling tongue tied. But he meant every word. He merely felt wrong coveting another man's woman. "Glowing actually."

She seemed to smile at his awkward attempt at a compliment.

"So Dwalin never told you then?" She gestured to a seat before sitting down herself.

"No. No he didnt…" His heart broke at the thought that his dearest friend, one he regarded as a brother had been in communication with her and had kept this from him. And yet what did he expect – Dwalin always had a soft spot for her. In fact it was he who convinced Thorin to allow her to use his SUV, when she had been prevented the use of her own vehicle. "Should you really be working this hard? In… your… condition?"

"I'm actually really well looked after here. There's no need to worry." She laughed at his concern, and the typically male way in which he expressed his concern.

"So Dwalin knew?" It suddenly made sense how he had put it about her being quite changed.

"Yes. We have been talking regularly actually. He mostly wants to know how the baby is... and see the scans and everything. I think he's very excited! He's even been reading the 'What to expect for your Expecting Wife' book!" She chuckled happily. "I'm thinking of asking him to be our baby boys godfather.."

He suddenly found himself rather jealous. Although hearing her referring to the baby as 'our', as belonging to her and another man was probably more than he could take any more. And then he realised that the babe was a boy. It made things seem so much more real... more final.

"You are having a son?" He breathed the words out reverently, although his chest felt tight.

No he wasn't ready to do this. And if she had found happiness with another, he would not destroy that for her. He was unworthy and had lost his chance with her forever.

"I am sorry to visit after so long and everything that has happened -" he sighed fearing he would never see her again. "I behaved unspeakably. In a way you never deserved –"

"Five months. It's been five months Thorin."

"You left without saying a word -"

"Oh no! I think YOU said plenty. Remember?" She prodded at his raw wound, which hurt more than anything now. It felt as though she had delivered a sharp slap to his face that moment, and it stung. His heart ached so much, he no longer cared to be honest.

But she knew he was trying, and imagined how much of his foolish arrogance he had to swallow to get here today. She knew he was trying as best as he could and for now that was enough.

"I'm sorry. You don't need me here to ruin things for you again.. I should just go." He stood up, wanting to crawl back to the car so he could lay down and die. But he stopped to picture her one last time. The woman of his dreams, the way she would have looked if she been carrying his child by now and sighed at how so much had changed. "It's been five months..."

"Yeah – five months." She stood up and stopped him, gently tugging at his hand, surprising him. "Don't you want to know how far along I am?"

His heart pounding, as his body ached to hold her again - even if for one last time. He couldn't hear or make sense of her words. He longed to turn back time, to have the chance to do it all again without failing her, to see her blooming body naked just as she was, swollen with child. Maybe even his child, he could dream of. To smell her skin again... all the things he missed so much it made his whole body ache.

"How far along are you?" but there was something about her words. Something hopeful that made him stop even if he didn't realise it immediately.

"Six months and three weeks almost exactly." She smiled at him; in his eyes, an angel in green scrubs, carrying a beautiful cherub within her.

It took him a while to realise what she said as he stood there still holding her hand. And his mind immediately flashed back to Fiji and all those many pleasurable moments they had when they had seen one another for who they truly were.

"How far along?" He repeated, heart pounding desperate to know he hadn't imagined what she said, because of how he lined for her.

"Six months and three weeks..." she smiled observing him as the words finally sank in. He had a lot to make up for, but he was trying. And she would be lying if she didn't admit that there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think of him either.

His blue eyes glistened with tears as he looked up from her bump, to find her big brown eyes watching him with warmth. He would happily spend a lifetime of making up, if this meant his second chance.

It was not her perfect fairy tale ending as she had once imagined. But she had come to see that life, and real love was not like that. It was in fact messy and beautiful for that very reason.

"Six months and three weeks…" he repeated.

…..

Dear All,

I am sorry it's taken so long, I agonised over this ending. But I think I am going to leave it here.

I couldn't possibly do justice to the conversation they would have afterwards but this was meant to be his show of commitment to making it up to her, and doing whatever it would take to keep her – with him being him and her being her it was never going to be smooth! Lol (eek!)

I have written an epilogue but I am a sucker for a super sweet happy ending. And maybe my epilogue is too saccharine for how raw and messy the story was but I can post it if you are curious.

There are lots of loose ends, and I wanted to leave them hanging (for your imagination to fill). And maybe after a little break I can write a couple of one shot chapters like a glimpse into their lives in future? If you would like… let me know your thoughts

Finally I want say a huge thank you to all you beautiful people out there for following and commenting. You kept me going and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Keep safe and well xx