"I still don't understand why you need my help getting out of your own mountain," Bilbo said as he watched the dwarves desperately gather themselves.

"We had thought that was the only way out," Frerin said, pointing to a wall of rock on the other side of the room. There were a couple boards sticking out of it and Bilbo wondered if they were trying to leverage some of the rocks free.

"Isn't it blocked?" Bilbo asked. "I would think that pulling rocks like that would cause a collapse. Didn't you even think to go around?"

"We didn't know it was blocked," Frerin said. "We usually make sure to keep this way open because it's the quickest way out of this part of the mountain, but when the dragon came, the mountain shook and many tunnels collapsed."

"Yes," Bilbo hesitated. "About that dragon. Are you quite sure it's here? I really would prefer not to run into such a thing."

"Well that's why we'll be going your way out," Frerin said with a smile, slapping Bilbo's back. Bilbo stumbled and pouted at the dwarf because that hurt (dwarves were strong after all and Bilbo's hobbit body was not made for such harsh interactions).

"We best get moving," Vili said. "Everyone's ready to go and I'd like to be out of here."

"You and me both," Frerin said. "Will you lead the way Bilbo?"

"Very well," Bilbo said, straightening his pack. He had come here in search of a soulmate and instead had somehow found himself in charge of an entire pack of dwarves. What a strange feeling that was (Bilbo was never the type to lead, though he did sometimes find people following him despite this).

The moment he stepped out of the room with the dwarves, however, Bilbo had to stop. The dwarves were concerned for several moments that Bilbo was perhaps lost after all (it was common knowledge that many people who came to visit the dwarves often got lost in their halls), but Bilbo's reasoning was of a far more troubling sort. His heart-beat quickened and his lungs suddenly felt restricted. Well, he thought, that's not good at all.

"Is there something the matter?" Frerin asked.

"Nothing at all," Bilbo lied, clutching at his chest. Drat his darn soulmate. Why did he have to decide to do something else dangerous at the same time as Bilbo? At least now he knew for sure that his soulmate was no longer in the mountain, but the double danger was throwing his instincts into such chaos that he felt himself struggling to breathe. Still, he pulled himself together and turned to the dwarves with a smile. He had made a promise and if there was one thing that a Baggins of Bag End would never do, it was to break a promise (not to mention he was determined to impress his soul mate's relative) even if it meant he would have to ignore his own instincts. Besides, these dwarves were counting on him now. No point in turning them away now. "If you'll just follow me. I do think we should hurry if at all possible."

"I agree," Frerin said. "Lead the way master hobbit. We will follow wherever you take us."

Bilbo led the dwarves through the mountain and down twisting halls (only pausing long enough to convince the dwarves that the caved in areas were indeed quite safe to crawl through if they were careful) and all the way to the main hall with little trouble. He was even able to stop at quite a few of the pantries that he mentioned earlier (the dwarves were a little confused to find random gold in each of the pantries, but quickly returned the money when Bilbo explained himself) so each of the dwarves carried a pack filled with food. Yet with every step, Bilbo's heart hammered against his chest, screaming at him to run away as quickly as possible.

"I think we've gathered enough," Frerin said to his people at the last pantry as Bilbo stood to the side, tapping his foot impatiently (it was rather rude and Bilbo would have admonished himself if he had noticed he was doing it). "I think now we should get out of here as quickly as possible."

"I agree," Bilbo said (rather too quickly for it to be normal).

Vili's eyes narrowed. He had been glaring at Bilbo suspiciously the whole trip, but now he seemed angered by Bilbo's very presence. "What has you in such a hurry after you spent two weeks here?" He asked. "Are you late to something? Perhaps leading us to your friends and our death."

"Well of course I'd rather be out of here quickly," Bilbo threw back at him, too antsy to keep himself in check. "If you'll recall, I didn't know there was a dragon to be worried about these past two weeks."

"And very lucky that," Vili said, pulling a dagger from his belt (the room was too cramped for him to pull out any of his assortment of bigger weapons).

"We hobbits are a very lucky breed," Bilbo said (if his voice shook in the face of the bade, he certainly wouldn't mention it to anyone), hedging the truth only slightly. There luck was relatively good, but only because their instincts kept them safe from harm. Else wise they would surely be extinct.

"And why should I believe that?" Vili said. "No one's that lucky. Much more likely that you are in league with the dragon."

"That's enough Vili," Frerin said, raising his voice over the muttering dwarves.

More probably would have been said if the mountain hadn't suddenly shook and a voice like thunder hadn't echoed through the halls. "I smell a rat," it said. "I thought I had rooted all the dwarves already, but there is still more for me to hunt. Come! Come and face me! See if you can take back this treasure. You will not take one single coin from me!"

"I knew it!" Vili hissed. "You are leading us to the dragon."

"The front gate is that way," Bilbo said, paying the gruff dwarf little mind. "If you follow the white marks on the wall, you will find your way."

"And what will you be doing?" Vili asked, his knife still held aloft.

"Well," Bilbo said (he certainly did not hesitate, thank you very much, he was just pulling his thoughts together). "We need a distraction don't we?"

Vili froze. "…What?" He asked.

"A distraction," Bilbo said, his courage suddenly multiplying now that his mind was made up (his fight or flight instinct now firmly set on fight for the sake of these dwarves). "I don't know if everyone will make it out alive otherwise. I can't allow that. I said I would help you all escape and help you I will do."

With that, Bilbo turned in the direction that his instincts were firmly telling him not to go and took off. He heard someone call out to him to wait and thought he saw someone try to grab him, but hobbits were quick and nimble. They would not be caught so easily. He escape with ease and ran corridor after corridor until finally the small tunnels opened into a massive room held open by rock tall rock podiums. Rising and falling like waves in an ocean, mountains of gold covered the floor of this room.

"Well," Bilbo said to himself (forgetting himself and his purpose in the surprise of seeing such a magnificent sight), "now I know why they said I would know it when I saw it. But why on this good earth should anyone need this much gold. Rather unnecessary, if you ask me." He picked up a goblet with a pretty, shimmering stone of many colors inside it to inspect. The goblet was made of pure gold and had a pattern of angular swirls pressed into its rim. "Far better to have good food. Oh if this room was filled with food instead of gold, I think I should never leave it."

"Who are you?" Bilbo jumped at the silky voice as a massive lizard-like face appeared before him. "I don't remember smelling your kind before."

Bilbo froze. He hadn't properly thought this through at all. How was he actually supposed to distract a dragon. He was only a small creature, after all, who was dwarfed even by the dragon's head. He felt suddenly insignificant and his knees shook underneath him. He wanted nothing more than to turn tail and run, but he wasn't sure if the dwarves were out yet. It would be best to give them just a few more moments if at all possible.

"And where are your dwarf friends?" The dragon asked. "They sent you in here to do their dirty work did they?"

"Dwarves?" Bilbo asked (okay, fine, his voice was definitely shaking now, but whose wouldn't when faced with such a massive creature). "I don't know any dwarves. I only came here because I heard tales of a dragon here. I've read about your kind in books and wanted to see one for myself."

"Do you think your flattery will convince me not to kill you?" The dragon asked. "You think that you can convince me that you did not come to steal when you hold my treasure in your hand? You think you can convince me that you are not consorting with dwarves when you stink of them?"

"No!" Bilbo said.

"No indeed," the dragon said. "Now tell me, how should you choose to die."

Bilbo jumped again. He had clearly angered the dragon and if there was something that was true in all the stories that he had read, there was no talking to an angry dragon. There was only one thing to do now. Run.

"Catch!" Bilbo yelled, throwing the cup as hard as he could over the dragon's head. Predictably (as all dragons' eyes are entranced by gold) the dragon followed the treasure and Bilbo ran back into the cave from whence he came (only barely dodging a burst of fire that followed him down it).

Bilbo ran with all his might through the maze of the mountain, this time following where his instincts lead him until he came once more upon the main hall. All the dwarves were already outside but two. Bilbo scrambled towards them as the mountain shook and angry roars made his sensitive ears ring.

Frerin and Vili both held their hands out for him and the moment they made contact with his skin, Bilbo collapsed.