A.N. Going through our annual Hobbit and Lord of the Rings marathons (which was in January, but the memory is still cute), and watching my 3-year-old son reenact nearly all the scenes. ^_^ Proud momma right here. And yes….I caved, and am putting this up the day after I put the story up. No patience.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.

Thorin couldn't remember the last time he had felt as terrified as he had watching the hunters take Danica. He gave a small shake of his head. The girl made him feel too much, and using her name somehow made it worse. It was too personal, and that was something he could not afford to be. Especially since her last words to him had rung a little too true. So, he kept his distance. Once she was able, he had Fili, Balin, and Dwalin begin training her how to fight. She threw herself into it with an almost reckless determination and energy. He watched from the side, noting her weak grip, and how she constantly doubted herself. They had her learn some defensive techniques with knives, and independent drills with a sword. It would be pretty useless sparring with her when she could barely hold up a training sword for more than five minutes. The wet weather did not help.

Finally, after a couple of weeks, the clouds broke, and they got some much-needed sunshine. Spring warmed the air, and dried the ground. Gandalf made sure to remind Thorin that they were getting closer to Rivendell. It was the last place he wanted to go, but the girl had said it would be a necessary stop. He ground his teeth as they rounded a corner, and came upon a large, open field. There was some conversation behind him, but it was the girl's voice that rose above the rest.

"Be right back!"

Thorin heard a commotion behind him, and turned just as the girl galloped away. Clenching his jaw, he halted the Company, and looked at Gandalf, who seemed rather amused by the whole situation. Sensing the ice-cold gaze on him, the wizard looked over.

"Just keep going. The road winds a bit over there. She will catch up,"

Thorin's frown only deepened. "She is going to tire her horse," he said. "We still have a long day ahead of us,"

"That horse was going mad at the slow pace," Kili responded. "She likely would have bucked her off in sheer frustration,"

The comment had the others chuckling. Knowing he was fighting a losing battle, Thorin started them moving again, but kept his eye on the girl in the field. They could hear her laughter as horse and rider practically flew over the grass. When she returned to them, she was out of breath, her cheeks red, and both her hair and eyes were wild. Heat shot through Thorin, and he had to look away.

"Feel better?" Fili asked behind him.

"Much," she responded breathlessly.

The mood of the entire group lifted with that, and they spent the rest of the day exchanging stories and songs, and laughing. They learned more about the girl's family and life. Thorin feigned disinterest while she spoke, but he listened closely to every word. She currently lived with her parents, and was a performer, and teacher of music. A few of her family and friends had died recently, and she had an estranged sister whom she hadn't seen in years. The more she spoke, and the more Thorin listened, the more familiar her voice became. Not just her yell on the road, but something further in his memory. All at once, as they made camp, it came back to him. He'd heard her voice when he was still in Erebor. It was impossible, but he could clearly remember her saying her name. Why hadn't he remembered it before? When the others began settling down, he took Gandalf aside.

"Are you sure you did not send for the girl specifically?" he asked, voice low.

"Without a doubt," Gandalf replied. "What is troubling you?"

They walked further into the nearby trees, completely out of ear-shot of the others. "I have heard her voice before. When I was on my way to Bilbo's house, I could hear her screaming,"

"She was the one you thought was in distress," Gandalf filled in.

"Yes. I also heard her when I was a child. The trouble is, I cannot remember much more than her saying her name,"

He had the wizard's full attention now. "Was it a dream?"

"No. I believe I was in the woods between Dale and Erebor. Gandalf, how could this be possible?"

Gandalf grumbled, looking past Thorin. "We know there is some kind of connection between our world, and hers. You may have stumbled upon a crack, if you will, between them. Did you speak back to her?"

"I cannot recall," and though it frustrated him, this was beginning to grow into something larger than he anticipated.

"If you are willing, I could help you unearth those memories,"

Thorin glanced back toward camp, where a fire had been built, and the girl was off to the side, drilling with her training sword.

"It may help us understand why she was chosen," the wizard pointed out, sensing Thorin's hesitation.

Resignedly, Thorin returned his attention to Gandalf. "Very well. Do what you must,"

They stood in front of each other, and Gandalf placed his hands on Thorin's temples. Thorin closed his eyes, listening to the strange words Gandalf was chanting. A kind of trance came over him, and he found himself looking into the past with a clarity he'd never had before.

"Remember her voice," Gandalf's voice softly echoed. "Remember Danica's voice,"

He was nine, and had wandered away, angry at not being allowed to join the other children in their play. Throwing pebbles into the creek helped him vent some of that anger. He jolted when he heard small sobs nearby.

"Who's there?" he called. At first, there was no response, so he began following the sound. "Who's there?" he called again.

Instantly, the sobs ceased. "Hello?" it sounded like a little girl.

"Are you alright?" he kept following her voice, but couldn't find anyone. "Where are you?"

"I'm fine. This is my parent's property. Why are you here?" a bit of courage strengthened her tone.

"This can't be your parent's property. No one owns these woods. They are the border between Dale and Erebor,"

"What? What are you talking about? I've never heard of those places,"

He frowned, beginning to tire of the girl's antics. "Fine then. Where do you think we are?"

"I told you. On my parent's property,"

"Which is where?" he shot back.

"California," her tone made it clear that she thought he was a dummy.

"That's not a real place!"

"And yours are?"

Even at nine, he'd been taught to be nice to girls, but this one was a huge pain. Something was definitely strange about the situation. She sounded as if she were right next to him, but there were just trees. And something was in the air that gave him goosebumps.

"What's your name?" he asked with a sigh, trying to make his tone nice, like his mother taught him.

There was a silence that had him thinking she was gone, then, "Dani. What's yours?"

"Thorin,"

He opened his eyes with a gasp, then immediately closed them to stop the dizziness. Gandalf kept a hand on his shoulder until he was steady.

"How could I have forgotten all of that?" he murmured.

"It was a very long time ago," Gandalf said. "Interesting to see that the arguing began before you ever met," at Thorin's dark glare, he only smiled, and moved on. "Was that the only time?"

"No. There was one more that I thought was a dream until now. I was intoxicated, and heard her crying and pleading with someone. I didn't realize it was her, and thought I was imagining things," he didn't mention that he'd been with a dwarrow dam, and had been about to lose his virginity. The voice had kept him from bringing that regretful decision to fruition. He'd only been 18.

"How long did you speak with her that first time?" Gandalf was leaning against a tree, arms crossed in a thoughtful manner.

"Nearly the full day. It was dark when we both had to leave. I could hear someone calling her just before my mother called for me," he remembered how he had sat on a tree root, playing with rocks and twigs as they both came to the conclusion that they must be in different realms. After that, they spoke of why they had sought the alone time. A twinge of guilt had him grimacing slightly. She had grown up with an aggressive sister, and neglectful family. His cold behavior toward her felt harsh now, but he still thought it necessary. With this new revelation, it would be even harder to keep from growing close to her.

He looked up, and saw Gandalf looking through the trees. Following his gaze, he saw the cougar. She was sitting close by, watching them peacefully.

"She has something to do with all this, doesn't she?" he questioned accusingly.

"Indeed. I believe she has heard Danica, just as you have, but in much more detail. She has probably heard most, if not all of Danica's life,"

Thorin shook his head. "The girl doesn't seem to remember any of this. What could it all mean?"

Gandalf sighed. "Much remains a mystery, but it seems fairly clear that your and Danica's destinies are somehow intwined. That is why you could hear each other, and why she was brought here,"

A notion Thorin found less than comforting. "If that is true, should we tell her the truth about why she was brought here?"

"Yes, you should,"

They both quickly turned to see the girl standing a few feet away, the training sword resting on her shoulder and her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What are you doing here?" Thorin asked, his panic coming off as anger. She merely fisted her free hand, placing it on her hip, and frowned deeper. It seemed she wasn't as afraid of him as she used to be. Bree probably took care of that.

"Balin sent me to tell you dinner was ready. Now, what did you mean about the truth? What haven't you told me?"

"Why don't we discuss this over some food, hm?" Gandalf suggested, stepping between the girl and Thorin before they could begin arguing.

Danica led the way back to camp, and made a point of sitting and waiting for the other two. Everyone else cast wary glances, sensing her fury, and seeing Thorin's exasperation.

"What is all this about?" Balin asked, looking between Danica, Thorin, and Gandalf. Danica remained silent, waiting for either of the other two to answer. This was their mess. Thorin walked to the edge of camp, staring out at the ravine below.

"There are some details we left out about why Danica was brought here," Gandalf began, taking a seat.

"What kind of details?" Bilbo asked, moving from his place near the ponies. He gave Danica a sympathetic look, and sat next to her. She smiled, appreciating the comradery.

Gandalf pulled out his pipe, and began cleaning it. "We know who is trying to sabotage us. We met them in Bree,"

A few of the dwarves vocalized their shock, while Danica felt her heart skip a beat. Her first thought was Saruman, but he wouldn't have met them in Bree. Besides that, he didn't have knowledge of the future. Gandalf raised a hand to silence everyone, then continued.

"They were traveling alone, and we let them stay with us. It was a young woman, so we did not want her out by herself,"

"Woman? A woman is behind all this?" Nori cried, giving Danica an almost accusatory glance.

"Yes, now let me finish," Gandalf said sternly. "She told us about her visions of the future, but we were skeptical. That is, until she said that she knew why I had sought out Thorin. She offered to help us, saying that, though our quest would be successful, it would come at the cost of many lives. We were unsure, but I said she could travel with me. I wanted to see if we could trust her, and she was clearly smitten with Thorin,"

Danica looked over at their leader. So much was beginning to make sense, and she felt guilty for being so angry with him, even though he had kept this from her.

"Well, the night before we were to go our separate ways, she went into Thorin's room," there were grumbles of disapproval from the dwarves, and Bilbo shifted his weight in discomfort. Danica felt her cheeks go red. "He kindly told her that he was not interested, but she took the rejection hard. She ran out into the street, and was taken by thugs. We heard her scream, and had thought her dead,"

"Until we received a threat from the orcs," Thorin finished bitterly. "She sold our future to save herself,"

"She was weak," Dwalin muttered, mirroring Thorin's sentiment. "She likely betrayed us out of spite as much as desperation,"

Danica understood their resentment, but found that she couldn't blame the woman. She hoped she would never have betrayed them, but she also couldn't imagine what the thugs may have done to her, nor how desperate she would have been. However, she kept these thoughts to herself. All she needed was to make them think she would join the woman. By the look on Bilbo's face, he felt the same.

"At least we know Dani wouldn't betray us," Kili said, giving her a warm smile. Some of the others smiled as well, but there were a few skeptics.

"Wouldn't she?" Dwalin countered. "I doubt the lass has been under much duress in her life,"

"Certainly not in the way of torture," Gloin added bluntly, to some murmurs of agreement.

"Enough!" Gandalf's deep, raised voice echoed around them. "I have already explained that the person I summoned would be loyal, honorable, and have a pure heart. Danica, would you ever betray us?"

Anger was coursing through her veins as she stared hard at the nay-sayers. She looked at Thorin last, who was studying her, but in a way he had not done before.

"I would rather die," she declared firmly. "No, I have not known torture. But I know what pain and fear feel like, and what it is to fight in the face of them,"

There was some discomfort at how intense the conversation had gotten, but she didn't see the suspicion she'd seen earlier. The way Thorin looked at her now made her squirm, but she didn't feel disappointment coming from him. It left her confused.

"I trust her," Fili said, standing up and moving over to her.

"So do I," Kili joined his brother, offered her a hand, and pulled her up. He kept a hold of that hand, and Fili took the other. Bilbo stood beside them, and before long, Bofur, Ori, Bifur, Bombur, Oin, and Balin were there as well. Gandalf smiled from where he sat, and Gloin, Dori, and Nori finally gave in, chuckling.

Danica looked at Dwalin and Thorin, who both stood, resolute. It would be hardest to sway them. Thorin looked at his Company, standing in support of her, and she could have sworn she saw a corner of his mouth twitch.

"Very well, Miss MacKay," he said. "It appears you have earned my men's trust, and there is no doubting your determination. We will not question your place here again,"

Dwalin made a face at that, but Danica was too shocked and relieved at Thorin's words to care.

"Thank you," she said, and smiled at Thorin for the first time.

He gave a nod, and everyone began dispersing to get dinner.

"One more thing," Thorin said, moving closer to her. "I will start as your sparring partner,"

Danica's stomach dropped and clenched all at once, and she couldn't help but ask, "Why?" she grimaced at the way her voice rose nervously in pitch.

He'd heard it too, and gave half a smile that had her heart flipping. "Because Dwalin can be too rough, and now I know my nephews will go too easy on you. We'll start tonight after dinner,"

She watched him walk away, nerves making her jittery. Well, if she could fight against him, surely she would be able to fight against orcs. Unfortunately, as they quickly found out, she couldn't even fight against him. Though she'd gotten somewhat stronger, their swords were just too heavy for her small frame. Once Thorin realized she couldn't hold up against any of his strikes, he eased up, and just worked on them going through the motions. None of them had weapons that would better suit her, so they had to make do with what they had. Danica was thankful for Thorin's understanding of this, but felt frustrated at her own weakness. When they all bedded down for the night, the only thing that helped her relax enough for sleep was Gandalf's smoke.

Her dreams provided her with no reprieve. For the most part, they had been normal while on the quest, but this night, her fears and insecurities leaked in, creating nightmare after nightmare. First, the Company found out about what she'd been hiding, and cast her out. Then, she was stuck in Erebor, desperately trying to escape from Smaug as he tried to kill her. His mocking voice followed her, and everywhere she turned, there was nothing but wide-open halls and bridges. As she ran across one such bridge, the dragon flew beneath her, startling her so she lost her footing. The Company stood at each end of the bridge, telling her that this was the consequence for secrets. She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out. For one, breathless moment, she teetered precariously on the edge, and then fell into the dark abyss, the heat of dragon fire boiling her skin.

She awoke with a strangled gasp, hands flailing to find hold of something. Another hand took hers, and helped her up. Whoever it was lifted her into their arms, and carried her away from the fire, and sleeping members of the Company. She still hadn't been able to catch her breath, and knew a full-blown panic attack was about to happen, and didn't have any of her medication.

"Ssh, Dani. It's alright. I have you. It was just a nightmare," it was Fili's voice in her ear, reminding her that she'd fallen asleep between him and Kili.

She shook her head, pressing her face into his neck. "It wasn't. Everyone found out, and then we were in Erebor, and Smaug… "

Unable to finish, she got caught between sobs, and began hyperventilating. Fili sat against a tree, and set her between his legs, with her back to his chest. He continued to comfort her, keeping one arm tight around her while the other hand rubbed soothing circles over her chest. All Danica could think about was the fact that she didn't have her meds, and how the others would never see her the same way again. This only strengthened her panic. Fili stopped with the circles, and used his hand to tilt her face back. Whatever she would have expected, it wasn't for him to kiss her.

Her eyes popped open, and all sobs ceased. Everything went blank as his lips moved against hers. When her brain began to work again, her first thought was that he had clearly done this before. Then, she realized that she hadn't been kissed in a very, very long time. Lastly, was the horrifying realization that she had wanted Thorin to be the one to kiss her.

"Better?" Fili asked, breaking the kiss, and smiling down at her.

She blinked. "Uh…what was that?"

He barked out a laugh. "Haven't you ever been kissed before?"

"Of course I have," she sat up. "And so, obviously have you,"

The smile turned into a smirk. "I guess my skills speak for themselves,"

"Ok, Mr. Humble," Danica scoffed, wiping tears from her face. "Sure, you seem like you have charmed many a dwarrow dam, but please never do it to me again. That was like kissing a brother,"

Jaw dropping, Fili put a hand to his heart in mock pain. "My lady, you wound me,"

Danica shook her head, and shoved at him, but couldn't help the smile. "You are so full of it,"

"If 'it' means what I think it means, you are absolutely correct," Fili said, but then grinned again. "Don't worry, I felt the same. I have always held the same kind of affection for you that I would for a sister,"

The smile she gave now was warm and relieved, but short-lived.

"What was it that everyone found out, Dani? The reason why you had this reaction to the nightmare?"

Every bit of relief disappeared, and the blood drained from her face. Fili must have worried about another meltdown, for he reached out, and grabbed her hand.

"Nothing you say could make me look at you differently. You are no coward, or thief, or traitor,"

It was a comfort, but the doubt remained. Still, she needed at least Fili to know. So, she explained some of her fears to him, and hoped for the best. What she didn't expect was his full understanding, and a giant hug.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of. This only makes you stronger in my eyes," he kissed her forehead. "Besides, if anyone understands your concernsk, it's my family,"

Danica sighed, feeling more at ease than she could have even hoped for. "Thank you," she breathed.

"My pleasure," he gave her forehead another kiss, then helped her stand. "Come on, I need to wake Gloin for his watch, and then we should get some sleep,"

As he woke Gloin, Danica returned to her place beside Kili, and easily fell back to sleep when she felt Fili lay down beside her, his arm draped over her waist. One blessing she could focus on amidst everything was that she had somehow managed to find brothers here. Brothers that she knew she would give her life to save.