Disclaimer: I do not own the hobbit.

Thanks for all the review posted. In response as to how the Greta's Heart came about, I actually came up with is as a representation of Marie herself. A cookie for anyone who can guess why.

Anyway, enjoy and review please.

Seeking to make up for lost ground, Thorin roused the company before dawn the next morning. They fumbled around in the darkness searching for their belonging and tacked up the ponies one by one. Marie tried to roll up her spread, but it hurt her to open her eyes. She was not used to such an early and rough awakening and felt like someone had sucked the sense of equilibrium out of her head.

"You best hurry up Marie,"" Kili knelt down and helped her, "Thorin doesn't take kindly to those who dawdle."

"Mmmhgnn." She was too tired to form proper words and just rubbed her face. Her coat was still damp and brought a chill to her bones.

Kili saw a wonderful chance to try a new prank. "I wouldn't dawdle," He plucked a fresh sprig of grass and lightly brushed it over her ear, "The spiders are out this morning."

Marie leapt up and shook her hair. "Get it off!" Fili and Kili laughed heartily, but quickly shut their mouths when their uncle approached the hysteric hobbit. Marie was still preoccupied in getting rid of the spider that she bumped into him. His hands gripped her arms tightly to stop her thrashing about, but also had them facing one another. She would have enjoyed the warmth his hands brought to her cold arms if she wasn't so terribly embarrassed.

"Stop." Thorin commanded. Marie did so quickly, her face bright red. Luckily it was still too dark for him to see it.

Once he was out of ear shot, Marie turned on her heels and smacked Kili in across the head. "That was not funny." She growled.

Kili stood and rubbed his sore head. "I thought it was hysterical. Perhaps you'll be fully awake next time" He said with a big grin and tried the same trick again just to tease her. Unbeknownst to him, Marie was already plotting revenge.

They finished packing up and were once again on the Great East Road in a long line. An hour after the sun finally rose from behind the rocky pass, Marie decided to engage in a conversation.

"Kili?" He craned his head and looked back at her, "What is Erebor like?"

"Why the sudden interest?"

"Well it occurred to me that I ran off into the wilderness with no idea as to where I'm actually going, besides there being a large sum of treasure at the end ... and a dragon"

"A very large treasure you mean." Kili corrected her, "The gold and precious jewels fill almost every hall of Erebor, or so I'm told."

"It was said that King Thror hoarded gold and created his own labyrinth, where he would wonder aimlessly through it, the shining jewels lighting his steps." Fili said from behind them. "Really?" Marie's eyes were wide. The idea of a labyrinth of gold astounded her, but that was not what she wanted to know. "But what of the mountain itself? I mean is it a big mountain, and what of the inside?"

"Wouldn't have a clue." Kili shrugged.

"You mean ... you've never ... seen it?" Marie asked.

"The Lonely Mountain was taken over two hundred years ago, long before we were born." Fili trotted up along side Marie, not wanting to be left out.

Marie whistled, "Two hundred years."

"Yes. Uncle and Balin are the only ones among us who lived through the attack on Erebor." Kili pointed to the two who rode up ahead.

"Wait, they actually lived there? But Thorin doesn't look much older than me." Maire said, baffled by this latest piece of news.

"Well, how old are you then?" Kili asked innocently. His brother shook his head at his naive little brother. Maire pursed her lips and answered for the sake of conversation. "I'm forty nine." She said stiffly.

"That young?" The brothers asked together. Marie looked between them a little confused. "Young? Good gracious I'm not young."

Fili cleared his throat and explained. "Because of the long life expectancy of dwarves, they aren't considered full fledged adults until they are about ninety or so. I myself am eighty two and Kili is still only a boy of seventy seven."

'Only seventy seven?!' Marie was lucky that she looked and felt as good as she was now at forty nine. "Hey, so is Ori!" Kili defended himself, not liking that Fili was purposefully teasing him in front of Marie.

"For hobbits, we become 'adults' when we turn thirty three." Marie ignored Kili's little tantrum and continued speaking with Fili.

"So, you are still looked upon as children until then?" Fili asked.

"No, it's just natural that by then one would be looking to settle down, marry and so on."

"If that is the case, why aren't you? Married I mean. Or was your husband away on business that night?"

"No, I'm not married. The answer to that is rather simple."

"What?"

"No one's ever asked me."

While to two talked Kili reached into his pocket for his pipe, figuring it would kill the boredom. He dug around for a second then looked in another pocket. It was nowhere to be found. He patted himself down frantically for it, but still couldn't find it. His behaviour caught Fili and Marie's attention.

Fili gave his brother an odd look before glancing sideways at Marie. It was then he noticed the pipe she was twirling in her hand.

"Damn it," Kili huffed, "Blasted pipe ... OW!"

Marie had tossed the pipe into the back of his head, where it made very satisfying 'thunk'. It fell into his hood as he tried to catch it. "How did? When?" He looked around at the guilty hobbit, how just shrugged. "Consider us even." She said.

"Nibble hands ya have there." Fili chuckled. It appeared that Gandalf wasn't lying about her skills as a pickpocket. He checked his own pocket for his pipe, just in case.

The rest of that day went a lot faster than Marie realized thanks to Fili and Kili. It was the first time she had a descant talk with some of her companions and she actually noticed just how young they were compared to herself. They reminded her of two adolescences finding their own personalities and just running wild with them. In fact their energy was reminiscent of her and her cousin at their 'age'.

Thorin brought the company to a halt on the side of a rocky slope that encroached on small forest that looked to be grown from the rocks.

Further up ahead lay the ruins of a small farm house, and judging by the water damage and rotting, it had been abandoned for a very long time.

"We will make camp here for the night. Fili, Kili you watch over the ponies. Oin get a fire going."

Marie gladly dismounted. Maybe she would sleep better that night. Gandalf walked passed her in a sort of daze, staring around at the ruins. He was recalling something.

"Gandalf?" Looked up at the wizard, but he didn't hear her.

"This place ..." He walked towards it, leaving Marie just standing there. She had gotten used to his 'moments'. It was like another person had taken over him, and he would sporadically shift his attitude.

She shrugged and began unloading Murtle's saddle, but also kept an eye on the wizard as he looked about the house.

"I think it would be wiser to move on." He said loudly. But Thorin did not take heed to the warning. The dwarf and the wizard spoke in hushed tones while the company were busy. Kili passed by the distracted Marie and attempted to steal her hankerchief, just to see how easy it was to pickpocket. But that was a foolish decision.

"Don't even try it Kili." Marie sighed. She could sense his twitching fingers at the hem of her pocket, "You're an amateur."

Kili pulled his head away in surprise. She had her back to him and still she could sense him. Balin chuckled and strolled over to Marie. "My faith in our burglar is strengthening." He grinned and stroked Murtle's snout. He alone had witnessed Marie's talent in action that morning and was impressed that she got passed the two sharpest eyes in the company. "Tell me Miss Maire, where did you learn such skills."

"By accident I suppose." Marie answered, "I just wanted to annoy a certain hobbit. I ..."

She was interrupted by a very angry wizard brush past her, grumbling to himself.

"Gandalf where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one that's got any sense around here Miss Baggins."

Marie cocked her head, "Whose th.."

"Myself! I've had enough of dwarves for one day." Gandalf thundered as he stormed back the way they came.

Murtle shook her head up and down, giving Marie a soft whinny.

"Yes I know. Odd." Marie pattered her neck as she spoke.

None of the company knew how to react to the wizard's departure, nor were any of them sure if he would be back anytime soon. Thorin did not care. He would be damned if he follow Gandalf's advice and make for the Hidden Valley.

There was no way he would degrade himself to seek held from elves. His pride would not let him.

"Come on Bombur. Get some food going." He ordered. The large hobbit nodded and rummaged for the bowls.

None of the dwarves went near their leader after the argument. Thorin's temper was formidable and to provoke him would be a dangerous move, especially in his current state.

Unfortunately Marie hadn't known him that long, and made that mistake. He watched her step lightly towards him out of the corner of his eye, wishing for her not to bring up the topic again.

"How is ...?"

"This matter does not concern you." He barked walked straight passed her, intent on ignoring her.

"I was just ... asking about your hand."

Thorin slowed a little.

"I mean your fingers. Are the marks gone?" There was a little concern in her voice, but there was apprehension.

Thorin looked down at his hand. There were no traces of the nettle stings.

"Your cure has done its work." He said quietly, but not so quiet so that she did not hear it. "At least you've proven some use, though very little."

"That's good." That was all she murmured before leaving him alone again.

His eyes betrayed him and he watched her pass by him. He could see her head was kept down and she had crossed her arms over her chest, a motion she usually did when she felt threatened. Somehow Thorin felt a pang of guilt within him.

Was it because he had yelled at her? Or was because he belittled her again?

He had done so in the past, so why did it feel different now?

xxxxx

It grew late in the night and there was still no sign of Gandalf. While the dwarves did not seem so troubled by the loss of the wizard, Marie grew uneasy, and began pacing the length of the ruined house.

"Marie." Bofur called from the fire, "Could you take these to the lads." He held out two bowls of gruel, but still she pace. "Is everything alright Marie?"

"I don't know." She said chewing on a finger, "It feels ... I don't know, something's ... not right."

"You're just worried that Gandalf isn't back yet." Bofur said casually, but Maire shook her head. "No, it's something else."

"Here." He handed the bowls to her and shooed her off, "It will keep your mind off it."

Marie sighed and made her way to where the ponies were grazing. The bowls burned her fingers so she picked up the pace.

"Boys, dinner!" She called into the dark. She almost tripped up on a tree root when she found them. They stood with their backs to her, still as the trees that surrounded them. They were never this still.

"What wrong?" Marie asked, stepping into the gap between them

"We're supposed to be looking after the ponies." Kili muttered.

"Only we've encounter a ... slight problem." Fili looked at Marie with a very worried expression. "We had sixteen, now there are only fourteen."