Hi guys! This will be the last chapter I get out before maybe New Years? It's a bit shorter this time, basically filler, as I've been so busy with the holidays and still have a ways to go! I love all of you so much and I hope all of you had a warm and happy holiday!

I should probably also note that I may have to change the ratings later... this little fic is turning from my lighthearted little drabble into a full-fledged beast with a bit of angst hidden amongst the fluff.

Inspired by a prompt I stumbled upon by lateforerebor on tumblr.

Summary: Bilba "Bell" Baggins decides that she's waited quite long enough to take her mother's advice and old stories and go on an adventure of her own. What she didn't expect was to end up in Ered Luin and be adopted by dwarves! AU, Pre-Quest, Undecided Pairings.

-;-

Nori had a sense of the world, some would say.

Certainly not Dori, who seemed perpetually certain that his only aims in life were to either frustrate him endlessly or wind up on the wrong side of the law. And to a point, the latter may be true. But the truth remained- the thief could sense the world around him in ways that few others could.

Bifur was another that he knew of- the dwarf had always had a strong stone-sense, even before his injury, and even more so following it. Despite his absentminded days and sometimes bad ones, Bifur could see the world for what it was and hear its particular songs.

Now Bilba, on the other hand, she was another. Not that Nori had realized it at the time, given their first meeting had gone ever so sideways, but over time he had realized that the Hobbits could feel the world around them and be directly influenced by it.

"A gift from our Creator." She'd said to Ori once, a small, secretive smile on her lips that had twisted Nori's own upwards as well. "We are creatures of warmth and earth and simple pleasures, after all."

But then, if that were true, than perhaps everyone had a particular feel for the world, wouldn't they?

A thought for later, perhaps.

After Bilba had left for the Shire once more, Nori didn't quite know what to do with himself. The hobbit lass had been quite a pleasant buffer between himself and Dori, whether they had recognized it at the time or not, and following her departure Nori was acutely aware of the loss in the small home. Of course, he couldn't really be blamed for his sudden bout of flightiness then- he slipped away during the days and travelled throughout Ered Luin. There were many places in the large ranges that held no dwarrow nor settlements, and they were excellent places to think and travel and ponder small mysteries that crossed one's mind.

One such jaunt brought a thought to his mind that he had instantly dismissed but later come back to dwell upon- that of the small hobbit from the Shire.

Indeed, he had initially had his doubts about her. Bilba Baggins had no motivations to simply leave the bountiful land to the east, nor to come to a dwarven settlement for fun and then begin to work in exchange for room and board. It simply did not make sense to him. After all, most dwarves were rather suspicious of any who dared come to Ered Luin- it was theirs, one of the few things that they could still call their own after the dragon had taken Erebor. Not to mention that following their exile and wandering days, many were distrustful of anyone. Many had taken to thievery and fallen far below their standing thanks to their losses. Some had even gone mad and ravaged any who had stood before them.

So to see a hobbit not only living amongst their neighbors and kin, with little distrust at all upon arriving back from his wanderings… it left Nori with quite the headache for the first while. But then, he began to understand.

Hobbits were not quite so different from dwarves, really. They valued kin, a warm meal and a place to rest their heads at night. But in that the differences ended.

Hobbits gave.

Whether it was respect, an open door or a willing heart, Bilba Baggins had proven time and time again that she was willing to listen to them, offering herself as someone to speak to and giving gifts to those she counted as friends frequently and with little thought. They were conundrums, really, and Nori spent many, many nights pondering the small lass as she quickly found a place in their family.

He had come to like her company, and he had told her as much on their roof with the warm summer night cloaking them in gentle heat and a soft wind. Bilba's features had softened, and a strange feeling of something in his chest had Nori sitting out there for a while longer as he tried to puzzle it out.

It was some kind of… affection, he realized.

-;-

"There's a road calling you to stray, step by step, pulling you away…" Bilba warbled to herself as she wandered about the kitchen of the small home, her curls pulled up into a tail and the narrow plaits of the dwarves once again decorating her hair.

She had been unable to maintain the beautiful things on her journey back to the Shire, and it was probably for the best, despite her dislike of having to unravel them. After all, there was a line that even she wouldn't cross with her respectability, and that was straying from the more traditional hobbit hairstyles that had been firmly encouraged to maintain for generations.

"Under moon and star, take the road, no matter how far." She continued, swaying slightly as she hopped a step of a jig. "Where it leads no-one ever knows… Don't look back, follow where it goes-"

"You have a lovely voice."

Bilba squeaked in surprise at the quiet tone of Nori, whirling and nearly falling due to her feet getting themselves tangled with one another. However, she managed to recover just in time, pulling herself back up and attempting to regain what little composure she was able under the circumstances.

The dwarf in question was leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and a strange half amused, half unreadable expression on his features. Not for the first time, Bilba wondered why they all had to have such unreasonably attractive facial hair- it tended to make it much more difficult to decipher what one was thinking, and particularly so in the case of Nori.

"Thank you." She finally managed, though her cheeks felt as though they might have been as red as the tomatoes that she grew in her garden back home. "I thought you were out."

"I was." Came the dry reply. "And now I have returned."

"Well, you should mind not to startle a lass. One never knows what sort of situation you'll find yourself in." Bilba returned conversationally, returning to putting the dishes away from their clean piles upon the counter. She knew her ears were burning, and she was trying to calm her beating heart. For some reason, this particular encounter was leaving her with a rather odd reaction.

Probably nothing. She attempted to assure herself.

"Aye."

The word was said in a strange tone, but Bilba refused to turn. He certainly didn't need to see the state he had sent her into thanks to his sneaking!

"Was there something you needed at all? A cup of tea, perhaps?"

"It's the middle of summer. I think I'll have to say no."

"Very well then." Bilba said. "I might go out again later, if you would like to join me. I was going to take some balms over to Bifur for his scar. I think it's been bothering him again."

This time there was a long silence, and when she looked over her shoulder the red-headed dwarf was looking at the floor, a furrowed brow present.

"I would, but I have some trading to do later with the Men at the base of the mountains." He said instead, sounding as though he were genuinely sorry he would miss it. "Next time, Bell."

The name, which several of the dwarves at the tavern had come to call her, fell easily from his lips, causing an involuntary shiver to run down her spine.

"Ah." She cleared her throat. "Alright then. You stay safe, and try to be home before tomorrow."

"I will." Now there was a dry smirk on his features. Much better from the frown he had been wearing a moment before.

"Good."

When she looked again, he had gone.

"Honestly, Bilba, you must stop with all of this nonsense." She muttered. "Even if they are all ruggedly handsome in ways that the lads in the Shire can only hope to achieve."

-;-

The wandering wizard cloaked in grey was making little progress in journeying to the south.

Rumors of the prince and his guardsman were few and far between at best, and those regarding the lost king were many. In fact, he was just about fed up with this whole business altogether when he finally managed to catch a lead.

Far south, in Dunland, they said. Two dwarves had passed through, one with dark hair and piercing gaze, the other battle-hardened and strong.

It had to be them, though they were moving much quicker than he had anticipated, considering the last they had been were Eryn Vorn.

No matter, he thought. His plans were quickly beginning to come together despite the hiccup he was currently facing, and as he travelled past the familiar rolling hills of the Shire, his mind came up with another thought as his lips quirked upwards and his mood greatly improved.