The company was once again running. Bella was beginning to see why Oin had stressed that she not walk on her own. Bella had to bit her tongue every time she placed her right boot down, feeling the excruciating pain that would shoot up her leg. They had made it down the mountain side and even ran through a few streams along the way. If it wasn't for the fact that they had Azog and his pack of vermin after them and now very large bear, Bella was sure her and the others would have collapsed a long time ago.

They were now running through the forest, when a thundering roar echoed through the air, causing them all to come to an abrupt stop. It sounded even closer then the last. Bella was panting like crazy and had to place an arm on Bofur's shoulder just to keep herself steady.

"You alright lass?" Bofur asked, still trying to catch his own breath. Bella nodded her head, Bofur totally missing the fact that the woman's face had cringed in pain with just barely taking a step with her right leg.

"This way! Quickly!" Gandalf shouted to get them moving again. The company all exhaled groans as they got their selves motivated to run again, which didn't take much, all they had to remind themselves their was a angry bear after them. Bella was one of the last to make it through the tree lines when her leg gave out on her and she face planted into the earth. The leader had just passed Bella when he slid to a stop and ran back over to her.

"Bella, come on get up!" Thorin yelled, yanking her up by the arm, ignoring her cry's of pain as he continued to pull her along side him.

"To the house! Run!" The wizard hollered. Just then Bombur passed Thorin and Bella and even started passing the rest of the company till he was in lead. All of a sudden another piercing roar came from behind them. The woman turned her head and saw the bear had broke through the tree line. " Open the door!" he yelled.

"Quickly!" Thorin added, seeing the bear was just about at the hedges and the fact that Bella was struggling to stay on her feet. The leader shoved his way through his men, seeing none had realized the door had a latch on it. Thorin, with his free hand lifted the latch and the doors swung open. He released his hold on the half-breed who managed to not fall to the ground again, though it was painful.

After struggling for a few minutes the Dwarves managed to close the doors and locked it and were now bracing themselves against the wood, panting heavily.

"What is that?" Ori gasped.

"That would be our host." Bella informed and her companions all turned to look at her.

"And you know this how?" Dwalin growled.

"I've been here before." She simply answered, smirking to see Dwalin was not impressed with her short answers.

"His name is Beorn. He's a Skinchanger. Sometimes he is a huge black bear, sometimes he is a great strong man. The bear is unpredictable, but the man can be reasoned with-" Gandalf explained, only to be cut off by the half-breed.

"Um, your forgetting the whole part were all Dwarves, and he is not fond of Dwarves. A wizard and a hobbit aren't going to convince him of much." She reminded. Thorin looked at her funny, not sure if he heard correctly what she had just said, but it was clear none of the others had caught it.

"Come away from there." Dori hissed at his youngest brother, pulling him away from the door. "It's not natural. None of it! It's obvious. He's under some dark spell."

Bella rolled her eyes at this absurd nonsense. "Oh, please. Don't be a fool Dori. He's under no enchantment but his own." Bella had been standing for the longest time and forgot the pain that would shoot up her leg if she should walk on it. The half-breed took a step and collapsed and she groaned in anger.

"I told you this would happen, didn't I?" Oin bickered at the woman, as he came over to help her back up.

"Yeah, yeah...so you keep reminding me." Bella muttered.

"Don't get cheeky with me lassie. Now sit down, so I can make sure you didn't cause too much damage to you're leg." Bella sat on the ground looking away as the medic examined her leg. " Now I suggest you take my advice and sleep for the rest of the night and no walking on your right leg."

"Yes, Oin."

"Now. Get some sleep, all of you. You'll be safe here tonight...I hope." The Wizard told them.

The Dwarves had settled in for the night, once they had gotten something in their starving bellies. Fili and Kili walked Bella over to a spot, near where they were resting and were surprised she did not fight with them.

Later on in the night, Bella woke up and looked around to see her companions were sound asleep. Quietly, the woman got up and carefully limped her way over to the kitchen area, unaware that someone was watching her from the shadows. Thorin narrowed his eyes when he saw her pushing over one of stools to the counter. Bella lifted herself onto the stool and then climbed onto the counter and opened the cupboard door and began searching in it.

"You really don't like following orders." Thorin's voice broke from behind her, causing her to jump and grab onto the shelf to steady herself.

"What are you doing up?" Bella questioned, ignoring his first statement.

"I could ask you the same thing." Thorin retorted, leaning against the wall in the kitchen.

"I'm searching for something." Bella muttered.

Thorin scoffed at that. "So I've noticed. And what are you looking for?"

"Nothing you can help me find."

Thorin had seen her one leg shaking as she continued to search through the cupboard. " Bella, come down from there now, before you fall. You heard what Oin said, he was being serious!" He growled at her.

"I'm fine. I'll be down once I find what I'm looking for." She replied.

"Bella I said come down right now!"

Before Bella could reply, she felt herself slip and she let out a startled shriek as she crashed right into Thorin, knocking him to the ground. Bella groaned, seeing she had landed on top of Thorin. The woman felt herself sliding onto the ground and now saw Thorin looking down at her with a glare. " Are you insane?" He sneered.

"...Maybe a little."

Thorin was about to say something else, when he felt something wet on his hand. He raised his hand in the moon light that was shinning through the windows and saw it was blood. He knew it wasn't his blood and got up. " Bella, your bleeding." The woman felt around and sure enough she found the wound that was bleeding, which just happened to be the one caused by Thorin's dagger. " Let me look at it." Thorin demanded.

"No..." she said hesitantly, pushing his hand away from her.

"I can always get Oin, if that makes you more comfortable." He suggested. Bella cursed under her breath, not loud enough for him to hear. Oin was not the most gentlest when it came to re bandaging old wounds, and frankly she did not want to have to explain what she was doing up in the first place. She shook her head at him and he began to roll up her long sleeve shirt just high enough to reveal the laceration which was just below her breasts. Thorin was trying to be quick about it, not wanting to make her feel anymore uncomfortable then she already felt, or he felt for this instance. Seeing that deep laceration was just a reminded that this was all his fault. Bella caught him looking at her with his guilty look and she instantly turned away.

"Don't look at me like that." Bella pressed.

"Looking at you like what?" Thorin growled, tying the binding and rolling her long sleeve back down.

" Like this is you're fault. For the last couple of weeks, all you do is constantly look at me with those guilty eyes. It's getting rather annoying." She replied bluntly.

"Bella it is my fault. You're still hurt because of me."

"Thorin. I never said I blamed you for any of this. Not for what happened in Goblintown and not what happened on the cliffs. So stop blaming yourself!"

"How is it, you know this Skinchanger?" Thorin challenged. Bella smirked, she should have known he would change the subject just like that.

"It's not something I wish to talk about right now."

"Why not?" He asked bluntly.

"Because. It wasn't a very good time in my life, when I met him. I'm sure things will be said tomorrow when we see him."

Thorin shook his head at her. "Bella sooner or later you're going to have to trust one or all of us and tell us the truth." Thorin hissed.

"Well I choose later."

Thorin was getting so frustrated with her. He was at the point that she seemed more stubborn then he was and it began to make him wonder about her earlier statement.

"I think it's time you got some rest. Were both exhausted." Thorin declared. He pulled the young woman up by her arm and helped her walk over to her spot that was just on the other side of his nephews. Thorin then went to his spot and laid on his side. Wondering just who this woman really was and what was she hiding.