MornieGalad:I do not own Lord of the Rings or Star Trek. Are you happy? I finally admitted it again after being in denial so long.

Q: Yes, can we continue now?

MornieGalad: Okay.

Chapter 6

The Past

"Do I hear regrets?" came a voice. Wesley groaned. Why did Q have to show up at just the wrong place at the wrong time?

"Go away, Q," he said.

"I wasn't talking to you, young one," Q sneered. "I was speaking to the one whose life has been lived and whose only remaining relative will soon be on a quest that may claim his life." Wesley glared at Q as Bilbo hid his face in his hands. Frodo pressed in on the older Hobbit, as if to shield him from Q.

"Hmm, I can see we must go somewhere private." He snapped his fingers and both he and Bilbo disappeared, leaving Frodo in shock and Wesley frustrated.

"Yes, this is far better." They were in Bag End. Bilbo felt all the walls to be sure they were all real. He inspected the windows, ran his fingers along the fireplace, studied his bedroom, and looked over every document in his study, while Q laid back on the windowsill.

"This is my house," Bilbo said slowly, as if only by saying the words could it be true. He turned to Q. "How did we get here?"

"You're certainly better company than Jean-Luc," Q mused, ignoring the question. "By now, he'd be ranting on and on, commanding me to return him to his ship - simply dreadful."

"What are we doing here? When is this?"

"At the moment, this is about seventy or eighty years ago, something like that, before you got the ring. No, I'm not going to force you to go through that tedious party again, or relive every moment of your existence from now until what you regard as the present. I will, however, transport you to key points in your life and let you see if you can change them. If not, the future will simply replay itself as it previously did."

"What do I. . ." Bilbo began, but it was too late. In a flash of light, Q had disappeared andBilbo discovered that he was no longer in Bag End, but a damp, dark, dreary place: Gollum's cave. Bilbo's mind raced. How could he escape Gollum's clutches without the ring? He felt his fingers connect with cold metal. He didn't need to look down. He knew what it was of course: the one ring. In an enormous strain of will, he moved his hand away, grasping nothing but dirt.

"Ssss." The noise startled Bilbo. He drew his sword.

"Oooo, he's hideous," came a voice: Q. Bilbo couldn't worry about him at the moment, though. He had more pressing matters on his mind, such as how to stay alive. Gollum came closer and the contest began. One riddle led to the next and the same again. It seemed as endless as the waves of the ocean. Then . . .

"This thing all things devours:

Birds, beasts, trees, flowers;

Gnaws iron, bites steel;

Grinds hard stones to meal;

slays king, ruins town,

And beats high mountain down." (#1)

This was it, Gollum's final riddle. He knew the answer this time, of course, having already given it before. It was what he would say after he answered that now puzzled him.

"Time," Bilbo declared just as Gollum finished speaking. He was met with an awful hissing noise. "All right then . . .

I found it once,

but now I hope

to see it never more.

It proves itself

the dangers that

await outside your door."

Bilbo knew full well that Gollum would not know the answer. How could he? He hadn't yet realized that his precious was absent from its 500-year-old resting place. He couldn't possibly know. Bilbo saw Q smiling at him from Gollum's boat in the center of the lake. "Good one," he mouthed.

Gollum was pacing back and forth, hissing like a cobra. Q, unable to resist, clapped his hands and Gollum became a massive cobra. Bilbo shriveled back in terror. Gollum didn't even seem to have noticed. Seeing this form of cave-creature held even less promise for amusement than the other, Q returned Gollum, still hissing, to his natural form. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Bilbo's patience wore off.

"Time's up," he declared. "Either make your guess or forfeit."

"A monster," Gollum guessed.

"Wrong," Bilbo answered, although he figured the ring could be likened to a monster.

"What is the answer?" Gollum asked, advancing on him.

"Never you mind. The answers were to be guessed, not given. Now, keep your promise and show me out of here."

"It must wait, precious. We can't go up the tunnels hasty like. We must get something first. Yesss, something to help us."

"No, you don't," Bilbo ordered, moving between Gollum and his boat, where Q still lay. Hew brandished his dagger a bit higher, just in case Gollum dared to attack. He didn't even move, though.

"Precious," Gollum moaned under his breath. Q yawned and, before Bilbo knew it, the entity was alongside him, wearing elven garments and pointing a sword at Gollum.

"I was bored," he explained. "Now, show him the way out and I'll get you some food." Seeing he was outnumbered and overpowered, Gollum scurried up a nearby passage. Bilbo was on his heels, but panting to keep up. Q had vanished, but reappeared when they reached the door. Sighing, as if he had no desire to supply the slimy creature with nourishment, Q snapped his fingers and an enormous pile of fish appeared. In another instant, both Bilbo and Q were gone, but Gollum didn't care. He was busy devouring the fish. The other two weren't far away, though. They were watching him from up above. A spark out of nowhere struck Gollum on the back. Another hit his leg; still another hit his hand. Before long, he was lighting up like a fireworks display. Gollum abandoned the pile of fish and raced for his lake.

"Don't worry. They didn't hurt him. He was merely startled," Q assured Bilbo. "Shall we continue?" Before Bilbo could answer, they were gone.

"I figure you could still demolish the spiders without the ring and you'd find some way to defeat the elves, because you're so clever," Q smiled, patting Bilbo on the head. "What I want to see is what happens with Smaug." Bilbo gulped, the thought that he would have to face the dragon without his ring hadn't occurred to him when he had been in Gollum's cave. What was he to do? Suddenly, he realized where he was. Q had brought them to the chamber where he and the dwarves had awaited the thrush and the keyhole, but the dwarves were nowhere to be seen.

"They'll come. I just wanted to talk with you a bit first, Bilbo. You handled Gollum very well. I particularly liked your final riddle. It was quite original and witty. Let's see if you fare as well against the dragon." With that, Q vanished, and the thirteen dwarves appeared. They all seemed preoccupied. Thorin was pacing back and forth. Kili and Fili were making a small fire in the corner. Bifur, Bofur and Bombur were gathering kindling, obviously impatient for an early evening meal. Oin and Gloin were sharpening their axes rather intently. Ori, Dori, Nori and Dwalin were fast asleep, while Balin kept his eyes fixed on any movement in the outside world from his position at the mouth of the cave.

Bilbo spent a long moment taking it all in. This was so long ago, yet, it was the present. Kili, Fili, and Thorin - dear Thorin - were still alive. They were all there again, just as they had been so many years in the past. This time it would be different, though, Bilbo had ensured that. He had no magic ring with which to safely lure Smaug from his lair. Perhaps he wouldn't even be chosen to enter. No, it had to be he. The others were too conspicuous with their clamoring armor and strong Dwarven scent. They would be burnt to a crisp before they laid a finger on the smallest particle of the treasure. Bilbo could not escape his duty.

A small knocking sound startled Bilbo from his thoughts: the thrush. As one, all the dwarves moved to the grey stone, solemn and still. They stood with bated breath as the sunset shone on the door and revealed a keyhole. Bilbo half hoped that Thorin had lost the key, but he had no such luck. A moment later, the door was open.

Bilbo knew what Thorin would say before he even opened his mouth.

"Now is the time for our esteemed Mr. Baggins, who has proved himself a good companion on our long road, and a hobbit full of courage and resource far exceeding his size, and if I may say so, possessed of good luck far exceeding the usual allowance - now is the time for him to preform the service for which he was included in our Company; now is the time for him to earn his reward." (#2)

"Is anyone coming with me?" Bilbo asked shortly, knowing full well that only Balin would volunteer to come in a little ways. With a nervous smile at the others, he proceeded into the dark chamber and down the stairs.

Bilbo was trembling terribly. He was nearly to Smaug's chambers. He could see the golden glow of treasure and hear the dragon's breathing. He was asleep, but would awaken soon after Bilbo set foot in the room. Having no plans whatsoever in mind, Bilbo took his step.


Looking back on the event, Bilbo was amazed at how miraculously simple the entirething had been. Luckily for him, Smaug had been searching for a larger creature, about a man's height, for he had forgotten, in his long stay within his horde, how small dwarves really were. Bilbo had simply crouched behind one of the pillars of treasure large enough to conceal a hobbit, but would have disclosed portions of a dwarf. Then he had shown himself to Smaug, holding a jeweled dish, and had retreated up the stairs. As before, he had endured some minor burns, but nothing serious. He and the dwarves had been trapped in the pitch black tunnel with only the distant glimmer of gold in the distance, as Smaug had destroyed the cave. Some clapping came from above.

"Well done, Bilbo. I expected something a bit more creative from you, but you managed." Bilbo was concerned about the dwarves being alarmed by Q's voice and beginning a futile battle in the dark, but his companions either didn't notice Q or didn't care that he was there. "You have one final quest. Can you survive The Battle of Five Armies?" In a flash of light, they were all at the gates of Erebor, prepared for battle. Bilbo had an oversized helmet on his head, through which he could barely see. The mithril coat Thorin had given him fit snugly about his body. Sting was in his hand, ready for action. Bilbo recognized this as the time he would have argued with Thorin to make peace with the men and elves, but Bilbo realized now that it was hopeless. Besides, if Thorin was to die, Bilbo did not want to risk angering him and being forever unreconciled. Then Bilbo recalled the Arkenstone. Had he yet given it to the men and elves? Without a word of explanation, he dashed off, falling over a few steps due to his lack of sight, to the chamber where the treasure resided. The Arkenstone was nowhere to be seen.

"That bumbling burglar!" Bilbo heard Thorin yell.

"Oops," came Q's voice. "Surely you don't wish to endure that ramble again." Bilbo was transported to the next day, within the army of the Lakemen. Arrows flew from the battlements, but Bilbo knew it was not yet time for the battle to begin. Gandalf appeared, the free peoples reconciled, and the Golbins ensued. Now the battle had begun.

Bilbo stood petrified for a moment as the elves followed their king to charge the goblins. What was he to do? He had no magic ring with which to disappear, nor was he skilled with his dagger. If he should die, though, he wanted to pass on without regret. He made his way through the army of the Lakemen to where Thorin stood, readying his army.

"Great King Under the Mountain, you cursed me when last I saw you, but I have returned now to apologize. It was not my place to have meddled inyour affairs with the Arkenstone." He was bent low before Thorin. "I beg your forgiveness."

"Rise, Mister Baggins and join us in our battle."

"Thank you, my king."

"Charge!"


The battle continued for hours, but Bilbo remained miraculously unscathed. The goblins seemed to be winning. They had forced the Free Peoples into a circle and surrounded them. Bilbo was squashed between Thorin and Balin. Both were, thus far, unscathed as well. Then, a stray Goblin shot an arrow. Bilbo thought it was headed for him, but at the last moment, it turned and hit Balin in the neck. It had been a well aimed shot and Balin fell.

"No!" shouted Bilbo, making to kneel down beside Balin and aid him, but Thorin held him back.

"There's nothing you can do, Mister Baggins. He is dead. Now rise, so that you may not join him." Bilbo did as Thorin suggested, though his eyes filled with tears and all seemed lost, but then . . .

"The eagles!" hollered Bilbo. He rushed to defend Thorin's back, where he guessed the fatal blow would come. His sword slashed Goblins right and left, determined that Thorin would live. He sustained minor cuts, but he ignored them. He stood his ground until he heard Thorin shout.

"Victory!" Bilbo looked around. The few goblins that remained were fleeing to the hills.

"Well done, Mister Baggins," said Gandalf, his eyes smiling. "Master Oakenshield, is all well?"

"Yes," Thorin said, as the scene faded.

"My dear Bagginses and Boffinses," Bilbo declared in a shaky voice. He stood beneath the party tree as he had before, but in a body far more wrinkled and feeble.He continued a brief speech and sat down to eat dinner.

"Good speech," Frodo said. Bilbo studied the face of his heir, so young, so cheerful, so innocent. He smiled and Bilbo returned the favor. Then he turned to talk to Gandalf.

"What news of the outside world?" he asked, his voice weak. Gandalf sighed.

"Sauron is gaining power rapidly. The situation looks grim. If only . . ." Gandalf cut off. Bilbo knew he was thinking about the ring. Suddenly Bilbo knew what he had to do. Regardless of his desire to let Frodo be at peace for the rest of his days, he knew neither of their desires was more important than the safety of Middle Earth. He slunk behind the party tree.

"Q, take me back to the right time." Q appeared.

"Surely you don't mean that. You saved Thorin. He lives. Frodo lives in peace and you will die in safety at a ripe old age."

"The price is too high. Middle Earth must be kept safe."

"Oh, but for your heroics, Frodo might die."

"I know. He knew that when he volunteered. What has been must be fulfilled. What shall be shall be."

"Oh, the humble acceptance. All right, my friend. Welcome back." They had returned to Bilbo's room in Rivendell. Wesley and Frodo were both there, just as they had been.

The numbered sections are taken directly from J.R.R. Tolkien's literary classic The Hobbit.

Please review.

MornieGalad