"Bilbo!" Thorin shook him and suddenly his wide eyes looked filled with fear. He pulled Bilbo close to him, wrapping his arms around the small hobbit and rocking slightly. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please stop screaming."

Thorin smelt like sweat and fur and the warm comfort of sitting by the fire. Held in Thorin's arms it almost felt like he was back in the Shire, sitting around a fire while the old gaffer told horror stories about the trees. He had been plenty afraid then, but nothing had ever happened to him. He could always just go to his mother and curl up in her arms while she whispered sweet nothings to him (and his father rather forcibly told the gaffer off for scaring him) until he went to sleep. There was nothing to be afraid of. Not here in this dwarf's arms.

"Are you better now," Thorin asking, pulling back. He look rather more lost than Bilbo thought he had any right to be seeing as they were currently in his mountain (although to be fair Bilbo wasn't sure if he should be surprised with what Thorin's sense of direction seemed to be).

"I'm plenty better now," Bilbo said, tilting his head. "How could I not be when you hold me?" Oh stupid, stupid, stupid. What was Bilbo thinking saying a thing like that? Thorin didn't even know him let alone like him and here Bilbo was flirting (if you could really call it that) with the dwarf. Oh, Bilbo really needed to learn to watch his tongue before he bit it off (or so Bungo Baggins would have said had he been watching this horrible display). "But never mind that," he said (hopefully before Thorin could have the chance to process what had just been said to him). He quickly slipped out of Thorin's arms to lean himself back over the map getting rather much closer than was strictly necessary but close enough that he was sure there was no way Thorin could see his blush. He was making a fool of himself. Had he had a mind to do so, he might have even called himself a fool of a Took (something that his father rather endearingly said of his mother on more than one occasion), but alas he was a Baggins and Bagginses had more pride than that. "I told the dwarves to continue on and that I would meet back up with them along the way."

"Did they say which way they would be heading?" Thorin said, leaning over the map as well. He seemed to Bilbo to be even closer than he was earlier. In fact, Bilbo felt the brush of Thorin's fur coat tickling his arm through his sleeve.

"I don't think we got the chance to talk about it," Bilbo said. "Or at least I don't remember if we did. Perhaps we did, but I don't know…"

"My brother is leading them," Thorin said rather quickly (probably to prevent Bilbo from going into another fit about not remembering things). "He will probably realize that coming here is the next best place to the Mine's of Moria. All the other mountains are too far away." There was a pause and Bilbo looked up (after making absolutely sure that his blush had completely dissipated thank you very much) to find Thorin studying the map with a furrowed brow.

After a moment of confusion, Bilbo had to pinch himself once more to hold back another snicker. Thorin couldn't find on the map where they currently were. Nor even the path that he had probably taken to get here. Not that Bilbo was much better of course. He had no idea where here was either and hadn't bothered to pay attention enough to his path to remember it now. Even if he could remember it, there was no knowing what sort of obstacles his group would have to go around that Bilbo didn't have to deal with when he was flying. Flying, Bilbo decided, was a very convenient thing and it was a shame that he was only able to use it when he was not within his own body.

Finally, Thorin sighed. "Do you mind if I call Balin back in?" he asked. "He could probably find the damned path far quicker than I."

"Of course," Bilbo said with a grin that was probably far too amused than it should have been. Thorin turned back to the door and Bilbo slapped his thigh. "Bilbo Baggins," he muttered to himself, "this is not the time to be laughing. You're in front of your Soulmate for Yavanna's sake. Show some dignity." And yet Bilbo couldn't help the giggle that came out after that. "Oh dear," he said to himself, "Bilbo Baggins you sounded just like those Sackville-Bagginses just then. I think the world should come to an end now. How could I live if I should turn into one of them!"

"What is a Sackville-Baggins?" Thorin asked, looking rather perplexed as the dwarf from earlier followed just behind him.

"I've never heard of it," Balin answered.

"Oh never you mind," Bilbo said, waving his hand. "They're only the most dreadful of characters. I'll tell you later if you remind me."

Thorin frowned once more, but said no more to Bilbo (not that he could have said more without looking completely insane). Instead he turned to Balin. "Show me the best root from Moria to here."

"From Moria?" asked Balin. "Why from there?"

"I believe there might be some survivors," Thorin said. "Which route would they take."

"Survivors?!" Balin gasped. "Are you sure? We looked everywhere before we left that place. There was not a single soul that could have survived afterwards."

"Not unless they came after us," Thorin said.

"After us? Thorin, what are you talking about. I don't understand."

Thorin sighed. "I received a message that survivors from Erebor went to Moria. When they found no survivors there, I think they must be coming here."

"Thorin," Balin said. "There can be no survivors from Erebor. The dragon would have killed them all. We were lucky enough to get out ourselves."

"Well," Bilbo said, crossing his arms. "It's not like he knows what it was like in there anyhow. It wasn't all that hard to get pass the dragon if I do say so myself. I'll have you know that all it took was throwing a goblet over his head. Dragons, mother always told me, will always follow after gold."

Thorin choked (not very majestically if you asked Bilbo, but he would never mention it to Thorin) and nearly lost his balance. "You played fetch with a dragon?!" he nearly guffawed.

"Who are you talking to Thorin?" Balin asked, his eyes widening and looking at Thorin as though he were crazy (he did quite look it at the moment as he held back his mirth).

"I'm sorry Balin," Thorin said, composing himself rather suddenly with the realization that there was another dwarf in the room. "There's a Hobbit in the room with us."

"Not just any Hobbit, I'll have you know," Bilbo said. "I'm Bilbo Baggins. You must tell him that since I can't introduce myself and it would be terribly rude not to even exchange names upon our first meeting. I've been doing terribly at first meetings lately. Something is always going wrong. Well at least this time there was a dragon to contend with, but there's nothing much I can do when he can't even see me."

"He wants you to know that his name is Bilbo Baggins," Thorin said, cutting Bilbo off (he kept doing that) before he could go into another one of his rants.

"Oh," Balin said, his eyes and mouth both agape.

"Oh?" Bilbo asked. "Oh? You could at least introduce yourself you know."

"This is Balin," Thorin said instead. "My most trusted advisor. Balin, Bilbo is the one who has brought me news of the survivors. But they don't know about us and Bilbo has to go back to them to tell them about us. I figure even if they don't know that we are here, this'll be the next place they head to, so Bilbo can find them on the path from here to Moria. Where would that path be?"

Balin hesitated for another moment, staring at a space far to Bilbo's left as though there was a person there (Bilbo almost stepped over just to make it seem less awkward, but that would require him leaving Thorin's side, which he really didn't feel like doing) before finally moving to the map. "If you are asking what path a dwarf would take," Balin said, quickly locating and pointing at Moria, "it would be this one."

He skimmed his finger along the wilderness, never once going into any civilizations until at last he alighted on a place marked Ered Luin on the map. Bilbo was sure that he recognized the mountain range as something else, but he couldn't quite remember what it was referred to in the common tongue. Not that it really mattered. What mattered most was that a good deal of the path looked rather familiar to Bilbo. In fact, it ran somewhat perpendicular to the one he took when travelling from the Shire to Rivendell, though the dwarves refused, apparently to enter anyone's society. "Well that's a shame," Bilbo sighed. "I had hoped to be able to stop by Rivendell again on the way back. Oh well. I shall have to make another trip some other time."

"Do you think you know this path?" Thorin asked.

"Well sure," Bilbo said. "As long as I can get back to the Shire. It doesn't look too far away from here. If I go back there, I can follow the route I took to the lonely mountain and I'm sure I'll find the dwarves."

"Good," Thorin said. "When will you go?"

"Hmm," Bilbo said. He didn't really want to go at all. It was rather nice to be around his Soulmate. But, then again, he did make a promise to Thorin. And Bilbo refused to break his promise. Especially to his Soulmate. He could wait a day or two. Surely it wouldn't mean such a big deal if he should delay his trip to spend a little more time with his soulmate. But, then again, if Bilbo allowed himself one day, he there would never be an end "just one mores". If Bungo Baggins had taught Bilbo anything (and he had taught Bilbo a great many things), he most certainly taught his son the evils of "just one mores" in indulgences. No, it would be best that Bilbo leave immediately before he could be sucked in. "I think I should go now. I don't know how long it's been since I've left my body and I'm sure that the dwarves will be worried for me."

"I'm sure they are," Thorin nodded his head, looking just a little bit concerned himself. "Then go. Tell my brother that we are waiting for him in Ered Luin."

As though those words cast Bilbo away, the hobbit was suddenly outside the mountain, walking backwards along the sky. "Ered Luin," he said to himself. "Ered Luin. I need to remember this. Ered Luin."