A.N. Hello my people! Hope you are all doing well! Once again, I seem to be struggling to upload on a consistent basis. Really, really hoping to try and do a bi-weekly update soon. Also, I have some other ideas that are slowly coming to fruition, so we may be seeing some new stories in the future. 😉
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original characters and plot points.

There were a few times when she would wake up, but her eyes were too heavy to remain open. She was aware of the different surroundings, like the soft bed, and the warmth around her waist. That warmth and security were a comfort to her, even in her dreams. What finally woke her was the combination of a full bladder, and the disappearance of the warmth around her waist. Getting up, she made sure that she was properly covered, then went to the privy. It still bothered her, all these months later, to use privies, or go behind a tree. True, she made it work, but she missed separate bathrooms with plumbing. Finishing with that, she came back out to see Thorin sitting on the edge of the bed. He stood the moment he saw her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

He was clean, as were the simple clothes he wore in earthy colors. His hair was freshly braided away from his face, and the whole picture had Danica's brain going fuzzy.

"Better," she managed, trying to keep her eyes from traveling down the exposed part of his chest beneath his tunic. All manner of nausea was gone, leaving room for the spreading heat. "The place where I was stung aches a bit, but everything else seems fine,"

"One of the elves did say that it may need to be re-dressed,"

At the mention of the wound, Danica instinctively pulled the hem of her nightdress up. The sting was around her mid-thigh, and was bound with clean cloth.

"It feels alright, but I'll trust their judgment," she dropped the hem, and began looking for fresh bandages. Her eyes caught Thorin as he was tearing his away from her thigh.

Clearing his throat, he went to one of the bedside tables, and produced the bandages she had been looking for, as well as a jar of some kind.

"I can do this, if you'd like," her offer was genuine, considering his discomfort, but was also half-hearted. The idea of his hands on her bare skin was entirely too appealing.

Thorin shook his head. "I can reach it easier than you could,"

With some awkwardness, Danica reclined on the bed, and revealed the bandage. Heat rose to her neck and cheeks as his fingers skimmed over her skin. Some of the sexual tension broke when he removed the cloth. A fairly large, puckered wound stood out from the paleness of her leg. Though clearly healing, the middle was white, while the rest was an angry red. She was fairly sure that it had been leaking pus before reaching its current state.

"Ew,"

A smile lifted Thorin's lips. He kept treating the wound, but was clearly holding back a laugh. When he finally looked at her face, she raised her eyebrows at him, which broke his composure.

"Forgive me," he said through a laugh. "With all we have seen and done, this is what bothers you,"

A laugh made its way up Danica's throat as well, then echoed around them to mix with his. It was fairly ridiculous. After all, she had seen, and been covered in all manner of gore. The adrenaline had always kept her from focusing on it too much. Her disgust with this wound also had to do with the creature that had inflicted it. She'd always been terrified of spiders, especially large ones. Just the memory of the giant arachnids had her shuddering.

"Ugh, I had really hoped to avoid those damn things," she muttered lowly.

"That may have been the most afraid I have seen you," he replied with some amusement, but then gave a soft growl. "Not that I can blame you. Beings like that have no place on this earth,"

As he finished wrapping the new bandage, Danica sighed. "They make things easier, in a way,"

"What do you mean?" Thorin wiped the extra salve from his hands, then sat beside her, crossing his arms. Normally, the posture could seem intimidating, but she knew how normal it was for him.

"Where I come from, the monsters all look the same. You don't know who means to hurt you, or help you. Here, most of the evil comes in the form of orcs, trolls, or giant spiders,"

"True, though we have plenty of wickedness in the 'civil' races. It is unfortunate when evil wears a face similar to the one you see in the mirror,"

Sadness and regret colored his tone, and made Danica wonder what he had seen in Thror's face. Moving closer, she put her head on his shoulder, and looped her arm through his.

"Is it dragon sickness that makes the thought of giving away the wealth of my people so unbearable?" his question was soft, and tortured.

At first, she just wanted to comfort him, and take away all the doubt. If she was to have any chance of saving him, though, she would need to be honest.

"I'm not completely sure," she began. "With Thranduil, it's more than understandable. Your people have a long, and complicated history. If it makes it any easier, though, the jewels he wants were for his wife, who passed away,"

She looked up, watching his face. Some humor arose in her as she saw him struggling with it. After all, he definitely could sympathize with that reasoning now. Finally, he sighed with great exasperation.

"Giving me a reason to hate him a little less feels like a low blow," he glared at her, then surprised her by giving her a small peck on the nose. "You have already changed me,"

Warmth and giddiness had her smiling widely at him. "Try not to resent me for it,"

The glare melted off his face, and he stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Never,"

Reclining them both, he adjusted his weight, so he was on an elbow, leaning over her. He kissed her softly at first, his hand cradling her neck and head. As she always seemed to do with his touch, she sighed, molding her body to his. Time stretched on in slow, lazy seconds. Their lips moved easily against each other, with no rush or agitation. When his hand brushed down her shoulder, the robe she wore slipped away, as did the sleeve of her nightdress. For a moment, she left it, excitement cautiously growing within her. To her delight, he encouraged the silky cloth further down, eventually freeing her arm. That arm wrapped around his neck as he skimmed the newly bare flesh with the tips of his fingers, from wrist to shoulder. Delicious shivers rippled down her spine, causing her fingers to splay, then fist again. If she could, she would have purred.

The easiness began to heat to something more intense. Thorin's hand guided her arm back to the bed, and his mouth traveled down her throat. His beard created friction against her skin, which coupled with the heat of his mouth to turn her bones to wax. Her head fell back against the sheets when his lips and teeth reached her shoulder, and the skin above her breast. In that moment, all she wished was for him to pull her nightdress away, and ravage her. She could feel his desire as well, and knew their wants were aligned. Just as his fingertips began to lower her neckline, there was a soft knock at the door. Both Danica and Thorin cursed, though his was in Khuzdul. He sat back, and allowed her to cover herself before she went to the door, which took a moment, as her head was light and spinning.

John had a gentle smile on his face, which eased some of the irritation Danica felt.

"How are you feeling?" he asked genially.

"Better," she responded, realizing that she was still slightly out of breath. "The wound still looks pretty disgusting, but everything else feels better,"

"Great," as always, John's sincerity and openness eased her tension. "Is Thorin still with you? Thranduil is ready to discuss a plan,"

Danica looked back, to where a very disgruntled Thorin gave an irritated shrug of acquiescence. Hiding her smile, she stepped back to allow John, and then Fili into the room. John kept his face and countenance neutral, but Fili gave her a very obvious wink. Apparently neither she nor Thorin had recovered enough to hide their previous activity.

"Dwalin and Balin are ready, and Bilbo woke up just a few minutes ago," Fili said, sliding back into the role of heir.

Thorin nodded, and stood. "Very well. Once Danica and I have changed, we can all go together. I assume there is an elf here to take us?"

Fili confirmed it, which only added fuel to Thorin's grumpiness. He gave Danica a quick kiss on the temple, and then went out to change. Danica shared a smile with Fili and John, who gave her a kiss on the head, and hug, respectively before leaving her to get dressed. While slightly disappointed at the interruption, the smile remained on Danica's face. Her skin still tingled from his touch and kisses, and she felt like she was floating on cloud nine. She dressed in a simple green gown, and walked back out, sightly in a daze. Fili and Kili met her first, both with mischief gleaming in their eyes. That gleam brightened when they got a closer look at her.

"You may want to braid your hair to the side," Kili muttered with a snigger. "It seems Uncle thought a braid was not enough to mark his claim,"

Daze effectively broken, Danica went back to her room, and looked in a small mirror that lay on the bedside table. Sure enough, a small mark was growing in the crook of her neck and shoulder. Cheeks burning, she did as Kili suggested, and walked back out. Her head was high, but she couldn't cool the telling stain on her face. She fell in step beside Thorin as Tauriel led them away, but didn't dare look him in the eye.

"At least someone had a good morning," Dwalin said wickedly, much to the amusement of Fili, Kili, and John. Poor Bilbo remained oblivious, and she was sure Tauriel was intentionally ignoring their words.

Danica gaze Dwalin a sideways glare, and as she looked back to the front, she caught sight of Thorin, whose mouth had lifted. Gone was the disgruntled mood, and it seemed as though a bit of pride had taken its place. As if to prove that, he said softly, "Your hair looks nice,"

"Unbelievable," she whispered, shaking her head, but allowed him to take her hand, and squeeze it once. In all honestly, a part of her enjoyed having a mark from his kisses, though she would never admit it out loud.

All kidding ceased as they reached the private patio, where Thranduil already sat with his son, waiting. Out of the Company, Fili, Kili, Bilbo, Dwalin, Balin, Danica, and Dillinger all joined Thorin in sitting around the table, but there was still one seat empty, even after Tauriel sat.

"Do we have someone else joining us?" Thorin questioned.

"As a matter of fact, we do," Thranduil replied, and looked to his right.

An elf guard ushered in a tall, scruffy man with dark hair, and a stern countenance. Thorin glanced at Danica, and saw the light of recognition in her eyes. All Thorin could surmise was that this was the man who would kill Smaug.

"Thank you for the invitation, Lord Thranduil," the man said, taking the seat that Thranduil gestured to.

"You will be as significant to the coming events as the rest of us," Thranduil stated, then introduced him to the rest of them. "This is Bard. He is a bargeman, as well as Captain of the bowmen. After hearing about the woman named Rachel, he sent a message to me, concerned that the Master would put the residents of Laketown in danger in order to save his own hide,"

"A valid concern," Danica said. "Do you know if he is working with her now?" Bard wouldn't understand the anxiety in her voice, but the rest of them did

"There is something going on in that mansion, but I don't know what," Bard directed his reply at Danica, but there was some suspicion in his eyes. "The Master keeps himself locked away at the best of times, but we have only seen him once in the past three days. He gathered everyone in the town center to announce that all barrels, and other supplies would be thoroughly checked upon entering, and exiting the town. Any, and all persons coming in, or going out would need permits, and any dwarves would immediately be taken into custody,"

"What were his reasons?" Thorin growled, knowing Rachel was behind it all, making sure she could get her hands on Danica and Dillinger.

"That word had reached him of an effort to reach the Lonely Mountain, and wake the dragon, who would burn the town to ashes,"

Dillinger sighed. "Which means Rachel is already there, as are any orcs that are working with her,"

Bard's brow grew dangerously close together. "Orcs? A woman working with orcs?"

Danica was also frowning as she leveled her gaze at Dillinger. "How do you know about the orcs?"

A look passed between Thorin and Dillinger. Danica's wrath was going to be painful for all of them, but now they had to lift the veil of deception. Thorin gave a nod, and Dillinger took a deep breath before speaking again. He started at the beginning, explaining how he had arrived in Middle Earth, as well as Rachel and Danica. Balin had to fill in some of the blanks when it came to Gandalf summoning Danica, and what exactly her purpose was. Then, Dillinger spoke of his own dream with Rachel, and relayed all that had happened in Danica's. With the reveal of Dillinger's dream, the shock in Danica's eyes grew into a furious fire. Bard and Thranduil were outraged as well, but lacked the betrayal. By the time Dillinger finished speaking, the tension in the air was palpable.

"I can see, by the look on Miss Danica's face, that she was not aware of John's dream, nor the plan you are all hiding," Thranduil observed.

"No, she wasn't,"

Dillinger grimaced at her low tone, but Thorin kept his face neutral. He knew a storm was coming for him later, but now was not the time to face it.

"And what is this plan that you have all come up with?" Danica questioned, still seething.

"Well, it will need to change now, what with the info Bard has given us about all of the searches," Dillinger admitted sheepishly. "We were going to have the Company float into the town in barrels, guided, and then freed by Bilbo, who would be wearing his ring. Dani and I would go in, as Rachel demanded, and then the Company would sneak through the town, eliminating the orcs,"

"Which won't work now," Fili said.

"How could Rachel know about the barrels?" Bilbo asked.

"Because they were in the original tale," Danica said. "The Company was originally taken prisoner, and held in these dungeons. Bilbo remained invisible, and broke them out, then helped them escape down the river in empty barrels. If you had spoken to me first, you would have known that,"

Thorin gave Dillinger a disparaging look. If the man had remembered anything he knew from the tales, they wouldn't be in this position. As it was, they were now stuck with having to come up with a different plan, and likely use Thranduil and Bard for help.

"What do we do now?" Kili asked. "We still need Dani and John to meet with Rachel, but have to find a way to sneak the rest of us in to take care of the orcs,"

There were all silent, contemplating the dilemma. When a suggestion came, it came from their burglar.

"What if you sealed the barrels, and put them beneath a barge? Or used another load of supplies as a diversion, and floated the barrels past once all attention was on the supplies?"

"Either idea has merit, as well as complications," Thorin admitted. "Placing barrels under a barge would make it difficult to sail the barge, which could arouse suspicion,"

"As would a diversion," Thranduil added, but then his face changed, just a little. "I could write to the Master, and tell him that I believe Rachel's tale, and have you all held captive. That would eliminate some of the suspicion,"

Dwalin made a low grumble. "Don't look so pleased at the idea, lest ye actually consider doing it,"

Thranduil gazed at him coolly, but some of the amusement remained. "Oh, I already considered it. Remember, it is by my courtesy that you are free to sit here,"

Thorin was about to jump to Dwalin's defense, but Danica spoke first. "If you mention the dwarves refusing to cooperate with you, Rachel will be more inclined to believe it. I doubt she would ever think that everyone here could work together peacefully,"

What she said was fact, but she likely didn't realize the insult that could be drawn from her words. Thranduil lifted a brow, and Thorin could see Bard and Tauriel trying to hide smiles. When Kili broke, and let a soft snort out, color went to Danica's cheeks.

"I just meant that in the tales she knows, it wouldn't have happened," she said, flustered.

"I wouldn't have thought it possible either, to be honest," Legolas admitted. "What we are doing here is historic,"

The atmosphere changed after that, with everyone being more open to the suggestions of others. A plan began to form, that seemed to have a good chance of success. Bard would go back to Laketown, carrying Thranduil's message about holding the Company in the dungeons. The Master would likely ask for the release of Danica and Dillinger, so they could make their way to Rachel. While waiting to deliver the Master's reply, Bard would work with other men that he trusted to find the location of the orcs. Bilbo would go with him, remaining invisible to help in the search. In Thranduil's halls, the elves would be crafting a barge that would have a hidden compartment, where the dwarves would hide.

Once in Laketown, the elves would help take the supplies from the barge to the people, which would allow the dwarves to slip through a door, into the water. Guided by Bilbo, they'd enter wherever the orcs were hiding from the bottom, and take them out. Tauriel and Legolas would also be moving through the town, trying to find any orcs who may be a threat. Thorin and Bilbo would make their way to Danica, and Dillinger, who would have been brought to the Master's mansion as the elves handed out supplies. Thorin hated letting Danica walk into danger without him, but Dillinger would be with her, and he wouldn't be far behind.

"Once the orcs have been taken care of, we'll need to evacuate the town," Danica said. "No matter what way we spin this, the risk of Smaug waking and attacking Laketown is too great. One of the tales says that the Company didn't engage him once he awoke, but the other tale depicts them trying to fight, and kill him. Both ended the same,"

"With the destruction of Laketown," Bard finished darkly. "The town is crumbling beneath our feet, but the people deserve a chance to live, and restart their lives,"

Thranduil nodded. "My people will be waiting on the shore to guide the residents into the safety of the forest. Perhaps, once the dragon is killed, they can go to Dale,"

Which was where some of the battle supposedly took place, but they didn't have much of a choice. Thorin knew that the safest place for them would be within the mountain, but struggled with the thought of men disturbing the many bodies of dwarves that would still be strewn throughout the halls.

"Erebor is the most defensible position," he began reluctantly. "Once it has been reclaimed, we could use it to house those who cannot fight, when the battle comes to pass,"

"Battle?" Bard looked around the table intensely. "A battle is to come after the dragon?"

Danica took over, explaining how Azog was gathering his armies, and would attack the mountain, and city of Dale. The battle would take place around a month after Smaug's death. She detailed how the first army coming would hit the valley between Erebor and Dale, and the second would come from Ravenhill. When Thranduil asked why the elves and men were in the valley, Danica hesitated for only a moment, but it spoke volumes. Her answer was that they were discussing the distribution of the wealth of Erebor. Bard accepted the answer without question, but Thorin could see by Thranduil's eyes that the elf king knew his people had been there to fight the dwarves for the gems.

"Let us focus on the most pressing danger," Balin suggested, speaking for the first time. "Once Laketown has been saved, we can make a plan for getting to the mountain, and killing the dragon. The battle can be our focus after that,"

Everyone agreed, and Thranduil left to write his letter to the Master. Legolas and Tauriel went to begin the process of fixing up a barge. While the rest of the dwarves, and Bilbo stood to join the Company, Thorin looked at Danica. Much to his relief, she held his gaze for a moment, but then sighed, and left without a word. So, she was still upset, but not as angry. He hoped it was an improvement. Since it was clear that she needed some time, he followed Dwalin out. After dinner, he would seek her out, and try to make things right between them. Before that, he would need to speak with Dillinger about the rituals of their time.