It's a beautiful weekend for Martin Luther King holiday! I'm already enjoying it, are you? So here are the dwarves, so that means more chaos and fun. And did I say seven? I meant eight dwarves crashed on top of Kyle! Heh heh!

Chapter 6

Maia had been standing in her bedroom with her sweatshirt still gripped in her hands, listening tensely to the growing commotion of multiplied voices and Bilbo's hysterical demands. She stared at the small fireplace that had been lit earlier to heat up the room while she and Lori bathed. Its fluttering flames matched her heartbeat.

C'mon, Maia, girl! You gotta pull it together! There had only been two dwarves in the house when she had went to go get her jacket, but as soon as she picked it up, she had heard the doorbell again, more voices, and then the doorbell again, before followed another uproar of male voices, mixed with what sounded like Kyle yelping.

Maia sighed and then slid her arms into the sleeves of her warm hooded jacket. She had been gone long enough. She had to see if Kyle and Lori were still breathing and how Bilbo was handling who knows how many dwarves were now invading Bag End. She was not going to let a crowd of little bearded men freak her out any more than when she and her siblings crashed into this world. How bad can it be?

By the time, she stepped out of the room and into the hallway, ruffling her long hair to make it drier, she was surprised to see...three, four, five, six, seven, eightmore dwarves struggling to stand up from the front door's pathway, grumbling among themselves. The one with a floppy hat had held out a hand to Kyle, who had been laying on his back on the floor, and her kid brother gratefully took it to stand up with a grunt.

Ducking through the doorway was a tall old man with long gray beard and pointy hat, holding a long wooden staff. He over six feet tall in gray dressings, woolen fingerless gloves, and his eyes under his bushy eyebrows twinkled with amusement.

"What?" she gasped. There was no way that was a wizard!

"Maia!" Bilbo appeared and grabbed her arm, pulling her hastily back where she came. "Where were you? Never mind! There's too many-I-I-I need to change! Could you-I mean, do you mind-" He pointed a shaky finger as the dispersing dwarves and wizard.

"Okay, sure, but-wait-" Maia started when Bilbo scurried down the hall to his bedroom, leaving her there with no idea what to do. Then she looked back to see all eight dwarves bowing to Kyle, saying, "At your service!"

"Kyle!" Maia called out, stepping forward to join her brother.

Noticing the young lady in the room, the dwarves all quickly gathered in a group around her, bowing low all at once with names, "Bofur!," "Bomber!," "Oin!," "Gloin!," "Dori!," "Nori!", "Ori!," and a slowing grunting noise that sounded out "Bi-furrrr" that she instantly looked over and widened her eyes in horror at the axe protruding in the messy black-bearded dwarf's head. Before she could process what each name belonged to, they all mumbled, "Milady!"

"Oh, uh, nice to meet y'all!" she said, forcing a smile. "I'm Maia, and this is my brother, Kyle!"

"Oh, aye, Kyle Ditto," grinned Floppy Hat, nodded. "The one who cushioned our landing! Much obliged!" Kyle opened his mouth, and the dwarves started laughing loudly at his expression and Maia covered a snigger. Someone in the other room shouted "Oi! Over here! Give us a hand!" and the dwarves heartily moved to meet the others, which by the sound of things were moving heavy furniture.

The wizard then stepped forward. "Ah, this is quite unexpected," he regarded with a smile, looming above them.

"Which part?" Maia said in return. "The dwarves or a guy dressed up like a wizard?"

The old man laughed, even though she wasn't joking. "I can assure that I dress what I seem, because what I seem is what I am!" he said boldly, and then bowed his head formally at the two. "My name is Gandalf. Gandalf the Grey. And if I heard Bofur correctly, you are Maia and Kyle Ditto?"

"Dainson, actually," Maia smiled, still trying to comprehend the wizard's words. She still couldn't believe he was an actual wizard, but at the same time, there was tingling air about him that could have been her imagination, but was too hard to ignore.

"I had no idea Bilbo Baggins had young ones from the race of Men in Bag End," said Gandalf. He chuckled to himself. "Perhaps he has not changed entirely, after all."

"How do you know Bilbo?" asked Kyle.

"Oh, I have known young Master Baggins since he was but a small child that could fit right into my hat," he answered. "Though I am sad to say that he has not recalled me until I found him smoking this morning at his doorstep."

"Wait, he met you this morning?" said Maia in surprise.

"He never mentioned you," said Kyle, frowning. Although, both he and Maia did notice that Bilbo had been jumpier than usual for most of the day. He had been frantically looking around when they outside, stiff-backed, as though slightly paranoid about something. Was he trying to look out for the wizard?

Gandalf was about to speak when he suddenly noticed Maia's sweatpants and Kyle's Punisher skull T-shirt. "I say, I cannot help but notice the clothing you two bear," he said. "Forgive me, but it's very foreign to my knowledge. Are you from around these parts?"

Both Maia and Kyle were about to answer when Gandalf noticed the loud commotion in the other room of the gathering dwarves. "Oh, would you hold that thought? If there's to be a supper for many, I should go lend a hand." And just like that, he hung his hat on the peg and laid down his staff before marching around the corner.

"Maia!" Kyle grabbed her arm, his face lightening up with sudden excitement. "M, that's it! If he really is a wizard...if he can really do magic-"

"-then he might be able to send us back home!" finished Maia, reading his mind with the same hope that he felt. She laughed and practically bounced on her heels. "We're finally on to something, Ky! We could go home! At least, I hope so..."

"Of course, he can, he's a wizard!" scoffed Kyle, nudging her. "He would have to at least know how we got here in the first place!"

Along with the mixed chattering of dwarves, they could hear clinking dishes. "One thing at a time?" Maia said. Kyle nodded in agreement, and then the siblings went and found that all the dwarves were pillaging Bilbo's entire pantry. They were rapidly picking away bowled of fruits, nuts, apples, tomatoes, plates of ham, lamb, chicken, bread, honey, cheese, peppers, turnips, potatoes, garlic, more biscuits, cookies...it just kept going.

"Oh, no!" groaned Maia, feeling this was getting out of control. Even worse, Bilbo had just came around the corner, sliding on his overall strap when he spotted the fat one called Bombur carrying a plate. "Excuse me, that's my chicken. Um-If-if you don't-That's my wine!" Bilbo exclaimed to other passing dwarf with his wine bottle and then grabbed his shoulder. "Excuse me!"

When the dwarf turned around, it was the one with wild black and silver hair, wild dark eyes, and the axe stuck in his head. Bilbo immediately withdrew his hand, when the dwarf called Bifur started growling in gibberish, while pointing at the ax in his head in reference. Bilbo looked baffled, but the elderly dwarf with the pole and ear trumpet stepped in from behind.

"He's got an injury," the elder mentioned.

Bilbo gave him a look. "Oh, you mean the axe in his head?" he said skeptically.

The elder raised the trumpet to his ear and leaned forward. "Dead? No, only between his ears," he said, clearly mishearing the word. He then went to rejoin the work. "His legs work fine."

Bilbo blinked and then immediately noticed that the dwarves kept carrying food out of his pantry. "Put that back!" he kept repeating to each one, but was unheeded. Maia decided to jump in by helping slow down the dwarves, not sure how to say it politely, but then she saw Lori carry the plates.

"Lori, what are you doing?"

"Helping," she said. "Balin says we're gonna have a feast since there's gonna be lots of dwarves here! It'll be fun! Like Snow White!"

"It's Bilbo's food, L! You're supposed to be stopping them, not helping!"

"But I don't wanna!" Lori whined, and then retreated into the kitchen before Maia could stop her. She almost ran into Bomber, who was carrying three whole cheese blocks.

"It's a tad excessive, isn't it?" Bilbo said uneasily, as he watched Bombur carry the cheese. "Have you got a cheese knife?"

"Cheese knife?" Bofur piped up, passing by. "He eats it by the block!"

"Ugh!" groaned Bilbo, and then turned to Maia with a helpless look, before crying out about something to do with "Grandpa Mungo's chair" being "an antique, not for sitting on." Maia then looked over his head to see two dwarves trying to find a way to hull the piled barrels of ale and then it landed heavily on the marble floor, the liquid inside sloshing.

"Hey, excuse me!" Maia shouted. It was high time she stopped feeling useless, so she marched over to stop them. "Excuse me! Step away from the barrel!"

The two dwarves looked up in surprise and Maia was instantly struck by their youthful appearances. She was absolutely sure she hasn't met these dwarves yet; otherwise she would have remembered them. The one standing up had long unruly dark hair, brown eyes, and a stubble while wearing a long dark, leather overcoat and fingerless gloves. The other who was kneeling down, prepared to lift the barrel, had long wavy blond hair and a small beard with a braided mustache, wore fur collared leather coat, and had deep blue eyes that seemed to look directly at her.

Not only did they look youthful, but surprisingly and drop-dead attractive.

It only took Maia a moment to take in their appearances and then put her hands on her hips (like the way her mom always did when catching her in an act), before saying firmly with narrowed eyes, "If y'all want ale, go get a cup from the pantry! Dining room's a monster full of food already!"

The dark haired one smiled, not the least bit shaken by her scolding tone. "That's the whole idea," he said cheerfully, "but you can't wash it all down without a barrel full of spicy ale. It's ale or nothing, lass! I'm Kili, by the way," he added, in a hands-down charming way.

"I don't believe we have met," added the blond, who slowly stood up. His head was at the level of her shoulders, but his bright blue eyes never left her gray-blue when he came closer.

Maia felt her feet root to the spot, her heart pacing faster than before. She gulped. "Well...I was too busy running back and forth with a dozen dwarves barging into the house and messing with my friend's pantry like a pack of hungry bears," she forced her firm tone back, pretending he didn't sway her. "You two aren't helping any."

The blond observed her clothing, her figure, making her feel self-conscious and thankful that she had fetched her jacket. "Do you live here?" he asked.

"I stay here," confirmed Maia, trying not to squirm under his gaze. "Think it'd be kind of funny that humans lived in a hobbit hole their whole lives, right?"

"R-Right, of course," he quickly said, and she felt half-pleased and half-bad for making him stammer. He seemed shy now, but didn't lose his formal composure when he bowed slightly, still not leaving her gaze, and held out a gloved hand, which looked triple the size of her own little hand. Dwarf hands.

Resigned, Maia took it, expecting him to shake it, but what he did next surprised her. Instead, he brought it to his lips and kissed it, his beard tickling her skin. The moment they made contact, Maia felt a strong thrill shoot through her body and her mind just shut off. It was everything she could do to fight the urge to giggle. Nobody had ever kissed her hand like that before, not even her ex-boyfriend, Bryce.

She had seen her father kiss her mother's hands once or twice in the past, and the other way around, even between her grandparents on some private moments, but never for her. It was amazing how something as simple and small as a kiss on the hand can be overpowering. Overwhelming. Exhilarating. She had been kissed a lot by her boyfriend before, on the lips (and elsewhere), before they broke up, but never like this. Especially by a dwarf of all people in a hobbit hole of all places, whom she did not know at all. Not even his name.

When time had slowed those past five-seconds, he finally lifted his head and smiled ever-so charmingly, eyes twinkling just as a bonus. "Fili, at your service, milady!" He didn't let go of her hand, which looked tiny in his. The bare tips of his fingers brushed her wrist.

"M-Maia," she breathed, and then quickly cleared her throat to find her voice, aware that he was making her stammer now. "Maia Dainson."

"Then you must be related to Kyle and Lori Dainson. You and the lad have the same eyes."

"Y-Yeah, they're my kid brother and sister."

A heavy, sloshing clunk sounded behind Fili. "Mind giving me a hand, brother?" Kili said, sounding amused. "It's heavier than it looks."

Fili smiled apologetically, tightening his hold on her hand a moment longer before releasing it and turning to his brother, who had the barrel sideways at his feet.

Still feeling the ghost of his touch on her hand, Maia blinked back to reality and gaped when the young dwarves lifted the barrel together. "Hey, wait-wait a minute!" she exclaimed, as they hastily carried their cargo away. "That's not fair!" They only smirked, Kili winking at her as they retreated.

What the hell just happened? Did that dwarf just make a move on her to distract her from the barrel? Maia felt her face heat up in anger and embarrassment, self-consciously tucking a hair strand behind her ear. Bad move, blonde, she thought, huffing. Not falling for that again!

Gandalf's head brushed the chandelier when he came from the kitchen. Once he hastily steadied it, Fili and Kili passed by him with the barrel. "Ah, Fili, Kili," he greeted, and they smiled in returned. Then the wizard started counting all the dwarves passing around him, "Oin, Gloin! Dwalin, Balin! Bifur, Bofur, Bombur! Dori, Nori...ah, Ori!" he exclaimed as another young looking dwarf with short hair and a short beard wrestled with Bilbo over a basket full of tomatoes. Bilbo won, of course, and gave Ori a glare before walking away.

The axe-headed dwarf went up to Gandalf, grunting some foreign language to him while thumping his arm. Kyle had stopped trying to stall the dwarves and frowned at him weirdly, before exchanging glances with Maia.

"Yes, you're quite right, Bifur," agreed Gandalf, as the dwarf walked away. "Now, we appear to be one dwarf short," the wizard murmured to himself.

"He is late, is all," Dwalin spoke up, who was leaning casually against the wall with a pint of ale. "He traveled north to a meeting with our kin. He will come."

"There's more coming?" Kyle said in disbelief. "No offense, but we're kinda loaded."

"No, no, just the one," assured Gandalf, touching Kyle's shoulder, "and once he arrives, everything will be explained."

"Mr. Gandalf!" A muscular, gray-haired dwarf with hair and beard pulled into tight braids came up to the wizard. In his hand was a tiny glass of wine. "A little glass of red wine as requested. It's got a fruity bouque."

"Ah," Gandalf smiled and took the glass, raising it in salute, "Cheers!" He took one gulp and it was gone, but he seemed content with its fruity taste.

Lori was having the time of her life.

This was all a totally unexpected evening. What should have been a quiet dinner with just four had turned into a party of twelve-no, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen people, she counted proudly. Twelve were dwarves, three were her siblings and herself, one was a hobbit, and one was a wizard. A wizard!

Of all the things she had met so far: hobbits, and now dwarves, she meets a real, live wizard! Like Merlin in King Arthur and The Sword in the Stone. Like Dumbledore in Harry Potter. Like the wizards in Kyle's fantasy video games and Daddy's bedtime stories (Daddy's version of wizard were also called Itari, right? She never really knew what that meant). She was so excited when the gray wizard entered the dining room full of dwarves and herself, she had to put her teddy bear to her mouth to muffle a scream.

She could already tell that he was a wizard, even after he hung up his pointy hat and long staff. He still had the gray robes, long beard, and this vibrating presence that she could feel shaking in her bones like electricity. It was magic. She was sure of it.

His name was Gandalf the Grey, he had told her. She had been delighted when he asked her to go fetch some plates, and a little annoyed when Maia tried to stop her at one point. Her big sister really needed to relax. The dwarves didn't look dangerous (except for Dwalin, of course, and maybe the one with the axe in his head, but it was hard to tell). It actually felt like she entered one of her favorite fairy tales: Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Along with a wizard and a hobbit, of course. The lack of intelligent animals was a bit disappointing, though.

I'm Snow White, she thought playfully, noting her dark hair and light skin. And instead of seven dwarves, there's twelve of them. Twelve's better than seven anyway. It's a lucky number!

When the feast had finally started, there were no room left on the table for elbows and plates. The dwarves overcrowded the table, grabbing at everything that was laid and chatting loudly among each other. Lori couldn't catch their words much, her ears ringing with their shouting, but as she had seated herself among them, sitting in between Kili and another young dwarf with mousy brown hair and layers of gray sweaters, reaching for food and just stuffing it in their mouth like they were. Nobody used utensils and nobody was scolding her for eating messy. She couldn't stop smiling.

"Bombur, catch!" Bofur yelled and tossed a biscuit across the table. She watch with wide eyes as it flew through the air and landed square in the fat red-haired dwarf's mouth. An uproar of cheers filled the room, the dwarves pumping their fists and going beserk with their sport and fun. Somebody had grabbed a whole chicken and Gandalf was passing a basket, a biscuit trapped in his mouth. She squealed in laughter and clapped her hands. This was better than tossing popcorn and catching it with your tongue!

Wondering where Bilbo, Maia, and Kyle were, Lori leaned forward a little to peer into the hallway's entrance. She found Bilbo pacing around anxiously, before turning to the now-empty pantry, his shoulders slumping heavily. Lori's smile faded. Why wasn't he having fun? Sure, she felt bad about everyone draining his pantry, but he hasn't even eaten yet. Then she spotted Maia stepping up to pat Bilbo on the back. Well, at least he wasn't alone. But where was-

"Scoot over!" Kyle's voice said above her, and she looked up to see her big brother trying to squeeze his way behind the dwarves and then settling in between her and Kili.

"Sparky!" she cheered, as he lifted her slightly so that she could sit on his lap.

"About time, mate!" Kili said, thumping Kyle hard on the back in approval. "Thought you weren't going to join!"

"Well, I am starving and my baby sister is having all the fun, so I thought, 'What the hell?'" Kyle said, shrugging with an easy smile. Kili laughed and thumped his back again; Kyle rubbed the sore spot. The guy was no doubt stronger than he looked.

"What about Maia?" said Lori.

"She'll warm up, eventually," Kyle said, rolling his eyes. "She's just being such a grown-up!"

"Bleh!"

Meanwhile, after Maia finished comforting Bilbo, she felt someone behind her and turned to see it was Fili who used the barrel he and his brother hijacked to refill three pints. When he turned to see her glare at him, arms crossed, he smiled wider and raised a pint. "Change your mind yet, lass?"

"About what?"

"About joining. If you want the ale back, you have to come back and get it yourself." He winked.

She blushed. "You are unbelievable!" she exclaimed, though her voice didn't come out as stern as she hoped. If anything, she was trying not to laugh, or smile. "Conning me was a dick move, mister! What are you and your brother supposed to be, swindlers from the wagon?"

"Oh, how you wound me so, milady!" joked Fili, putting an foaming mug over his heart, sounding more amused than insulted. "Actually, Nori is the swindler of the company. You can ask him if you like. I will introduce you."

Maia raised an eyebrow. "I'll pass. If you're not a swindler, then I'd say you come pretty damn close! Should I be worried?"

"Not as much as you should be around my younger brother," he answered, gently. His hair reflected gold from the house light. "That I can promise you."

Maia couldn't hold back her smile this time. She could already tell by just looking at the brothers that, even though they shared some kind energetic enthusiasm and mischievous streak, the brothers were also very different by distinguishing their voice tones and personalities. So far, there were two things about Fili that were obvious: he was the older and the gentler of the two, while Kili was exotic and bolder, like he was not afraid of anything.

Much like a crazy younger sibling, she thought. Like Kyle and Lori put into one. "I know exactly what you mean," she agreed, allowing herself to laugh a little.

Fili seemed very pleased by her reaction. Time seemed to slow again as they looked at each other. Her heart started pacing again. What is up with that?

"If you change your mind, then..." he said after that short moment of looking at her. "Little Lori must be missing her big sister." Then, faster than she could blink, the golden-haired young dwarf whipped around and then started stepping high and mighty across the dining table. Maia gawked and a disbelieving laugh escaped her as she watched.

"Who wants an ale?" bellowed Fili, as he walked and passed the mugs. "There you go!"

"Over here, brother!" Kili hit him in the leg. Lori stood up on her brother's lap to reach for the ale, causing Maia to start a little, but Fili held it out of reach, laughing, "Too slow!" And Maia relaxed and laughed again at Lori's complaining face, Kyle laughing behind her.

"Here, have another drink!" Dwalin bellowed, and he poured his ale into Oin's ear trumpet. Then the big dwarf thumped his fists on the table with booming laughter as Oin's eyes widened and then blew through his trumpet, foamy drips spraying out like a party blowout. They all continued laughing, Lori's high-pitched squealing laughter heard among the male voices.

"Ale, on the count of three!" Bofur announced, and all the dwarves raised their mugs to clink together. "One...two...Up!" All their voices were instantly silenced once the mugs touched their lips. There was a chorus of loud gulping noises from all of them, some spilling their ale over their beards in the process. Kili and Ori both had to use two hands to gulp theirs down. Kyle and Lori were looking around them with open mouths, smiles slowly growing on their faces.

Kyle looked over at Maia and mouthed at her, "Do it."

"No," Maia mouthed back, shaking her head with a grin. She had done it before with beer, and she did not plan on doing it again a second time this week.

Finally, the dwarves drunk every last drop of ale. A moment later, at least three dwarves started burping, the one with the star-shaped hair and braided beard the loudest by far. Everyone started laughing...when then came the loudest, most disgusting burp of all. To everyone's shock, it was Ori, the smallest of the dwarves.

When he finished, smiling brightly, Lori was the first to speak up, her squeaky voice breaking the silence, "Excuse you!"

With that, everyone started laughing again and the nearby dwarves started clapping a young, proud Ori on the back, Bofur shouting out mirthfully, "I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YA!" Kili ruffled a giggling Lori's curls affectionately.

Even Maia was laughing until she got cramps, leaning against the wall nearby the dining room. The burps were no doubt disgusting, but when it came from Ori...it was too much! She wiped the happy tears from her eyes. When she turned to Bilbo, her laughter froze.

The hobbit was still staring at the pantry, but this time his shoulders were more tense than before.

Well, that can't be good, Maia thought. She started to move toward Bilbo, but a large hand caught her wrist. "Oh no, you don't!" Bofur exclaimed, and pulled her backward until her bottom hit an empty chair next to him. "You've been out of the fun long enough, and I'd bet my hat you haven't eaten yet!"

"Oh, I'm fine-" Maia started to say, but then a lamb leg appeared in her vision.

"Can't refuse an offer when it's given now, can you?" Bofur wriggled his eyebrows.

Maia snorted and then took the greasy lamb leg between her fingers. Across the table, she could see a certain golden haired dwarf looking right at her with those deep blue eyes. He smirked and raised his mug at her, nodding.

Resigned, Maia smiled softly, flicking the lamb leg at him with a similar gesture, and then took a large bite out of it in the process.

"Excuse me, that is a doily," exclaimed Bilbo after dinner, snatching the fancy cloth out of Nori's greasy hands, "not a dishcloth!"

"But its full of holes," said Bofur, leaning against the kitchen wall with another mug in his hand.

"It's supposed to look like that. It's crochet," Bilbo said tightly, while trying to fold the doily.

Bofur tilted his head, the flaps of his hat waving. "Oh, and a wonderful game it is, too...if you've got the balls for it," he joked, and the dwarves at the kitchen table laughed while Bilbo walked stiffly back to the counter and slapped the doily back in place, his temper on the edge.

"Bebother and confusticate these dwarves!" he growled to himself, before pinching his nose, taking a deep breath when Gandalf spoke from behind him, "My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?"

"What's the matter?" Bilbo whipped around as Gandalf passed him and he stomped up to the wizard, his patience overflowing all at once. "You know bloody well what on earth is the matter! This-this-this whole conjure! This-I'm surrounded by dwarves!" he finally blurted out hotly. He leaned forward and hissed, "What are they doing here?" Nearby, Nori and Bofur started wrestling over his rope of sausage.

"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering," said Gandalf, heartily, before he added half-assuredly, "once you get use to them."

Bilbo grabbed the wizard's arm and yanked the larger man forcibly into the hallway. "I don't want to get used to them!" he snapped.

"Well, here is this coming from a hobbit who had the courage to invite three children of Men in his home," Gandalf pointed out, but not unkindly. "A strange sort of children, as well. Not the type a Baggins would normally allow in his lovely hole, wouldn't you say?" His eye twinkled.

Bilbo straightened. "That is an entirely different story," he said loudly. "They were lost and I invited them in. They didn't invite themselves in, nor did they attempt to destroy the place. I-I-I mean, look at this!" He waved a frantic hand around. "Here's what the Dainsons didn't do! Look at the state of my kitchen! There's mud trod into the carpet! They-they pillaged the pantry!" Bilbo stomped further down the hall with Gandalf following. "I'm not even going to tell you what they've done in the bathroom. They've all but destroyed the plumbing!" Bilbo whipped back around, facing Gandalf with wringing hands. "I don't understand what they are doing in my house!" he squeaked.

"Excuse me," Ori walked up to a still steaming Bilbo with a plate in his hand and said shyly, "I'm sorry to interrupt...but what should I do with my plate?"

Bilbo was about to speak when a gloved hand reached over. "Here you go, Ori, give it to me!" said Fili, taking the plate. Then, suddenly he tossed the plate sideways into the air like a frisbee.

On the other side, Kili caught with one hand and then tossed into the kitchen to Bifur, who had his back on him the whole time. Then another. And another.

"Whoa, watch out!" Maia shouted, pulling Kyle down as another plate went over their heads. They had appeared in the hallway just in time to see Fili tossing dishes at Kili, while Bilbo shouted, "EXCUSE ME! THAT'S MY MOTHER'S WEST FARTHING POTTERY! IT'S OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD!"

Instead, Kili knee-kicked the pottery into the air like it was a soccer ball and flipped into the kitchen.

"Dude!" Kyle exclaimed, but was thrilled at the talent. "Man, I gotta show you soccer!"

Fili was bouncing another pottery on both of his shoulders with ease, smirking at a wide-eyed Maia. When he finally tossed it to Kili, Maia covered her amazement with a scoff, "Show off! Don't break them!"

"Oh, you haven't seen it all, Miss Maia Dainson!" Fili said as another dish started bouncing on shoulders, knees, and heels. "Just watch and learn!"

Just then in the dining room came a musical tinkling and clanking of silverware and their thumping against the wooden table. Lori watched with laughter on her lips as the dwarves, Bofur, Gloin, Oin, and Dori at the table swiped and drummed the forks and knives in rhythm. They looked to be enjoying themselves when Bilbo shouted from the hallway, "And-And can you not do that?! You'll BLUNT them!"

"Ooh, did you hear that, lads?" hooted Bofur, still thumping the silverware. "Lassie?" Lori giggled and started bouncing on her seat with the rhythm, her teddy flopping with her. Bofur started stomping his feet. "He says we'll blunt the knives!" They laughed.

Kili tossed another dish and sang while gesturing for another, "Blunt the knives, bend the forks!"

"Mash the bottles, and burn the corks!" sang Fili, shoulder-tossing another cup.

Then all the dwarves started singing, the rhythm of the kitchen ware building up more intensely:

"Chip the glasses and crack the plates

That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!

Cut the cloth, tread on the fat,

Leave the bones on the bedroom mat

Pour the milk on the pantry floor

Splash the wine on every door!"

As Bilbo looked on in horror, the Dainsons' in amusement, the dwarves were practically dancing as they kept tossing, flicking, and rolling dishes while continuing to sing merrily with the drum-like rhythm:

"Dump the crocks on the boiling bowl

Pound them up with thumping pole

When you're finished, if they are whole

Send them down the hall to roll!"

Everyone was dancing under flying dishes. Bofur was playing a happy tune on a flute he pulled out of his pouch. Dwarves were now stomping in rhythm on the table. Balin watched on with amusement as he casually flicked plates over his head for Fili to catch. Lori had somehow ended up on Gandalf's lap, hopping up and down with the music while Gandalf smoked his pipe. Dishes flew passed his smoke, but he chuckled merrily and Lori raised her teddy bear to catch the smoke.

Maia watched, stomping her bare foot with the beat, having a habit of dancing with these sort of things and humming with their song. Toward what seemed like the conclusion, Kili had suddenly tossed a plate to Kyle by accident-Maia, Lori, and Kyle gasped in horror-but by some miraculous reflex, Kyle caught it.

Kyle stared at the last dish in his tightened hands in disbelief...and then a smile split his face as he gave out a cheerful laugh and put the last plate in the pile, just when everyone sang:

"That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!"

Bilbo burst through the crowd of dwarves at that moment with a pale face, expecting broken dishes and mayhem, but everyone laughed at his dumbfounded look when seeing all the dishes neat and tidied up before him. Kili somewhere laughed, "Look at his face!" Gandalf stood up and nodded to the hobbit, "Ah, Bilbo!"

"Whoa, Sparky, you caught a flying plate!" Lori shouted over the noise. "That was so cool!"

Kyle smiled and then shrugged casually at a now relaxed Bilbo, who gave him a weak smile in return. Maia felt someone touched her arm and she looked to see Fili smiling up at her, looking smug.

"This normal for you guys?" Maia inquired, still in awe by all she witnessed.

Fili folded his arms, still holding a mug, and shrugged. "Something like that."

The cheers were interrupted by three loud knocks that shook the air. The mood had sudden calmed down. The dwarves' smiles faded as they looked toward the door. Fili stiffened next to Maia, his smile fading and his blue eyes hardening. He put down his mug on the table and sighed. He suddenly looked reserved, like his cheery mood had an off switch, but he didn't exactly look upset either. He looked over and met Kili's eye, who was the only one in the room who smiled again, even when it was small.

Bilbo and the Dainsons felt the tension subtly, like something important was about to happen. "What is it?" Lori piped up, breaking the silence.

That's what I'd like to know? Maia frowned, exchanging glances with Kyle, who shrugged in return.

Gandalf lowered his pipe. His expression became sober, businesslike, when he announced in serious tone, "He is here."

Ooh, yes! Things just got interesting here! Who's at the door? I think you know;) I think you can guess that there is something extremely chemical going on between Fili and Maia. Poor little Maia is smitten, but she's afraid to open up. She also just witnessed two sides of him tonight. Kyle just learned he's more skillful with his hands than he realizes (probably has something to do with what he learned from the past with his father). Lori is living a fairy tale. Every child's dream come true (the dwarves probably let her sit with them, just as long as she didn't touch the ale. Heh, heh). Bilbo…..well, Bilbo is trying to save his house. Gandalf is already taking an interest with the Dainsons, but that part will come soon! Have you noticed the part when all three kids have felt the vibrating magical essence of Gandalf, while nobody showed any sign of it? Keep that mind, it's important! Anyway, maybe by the weekend, I'll have something up. Or sooner. We'll see.