Author's Note: Here is chapter six and the chapter we've all been waiting for, though I suppose the chapter everyone is really waiting for is Thorin finding out about Frodo, but that still won't be happening for a little while longer yet.
Anyway, this chapter is again from Bofur's POV. I suppose I could have done it from one of the other dwarves povs, but I couldn't be bothered and I like writing for Bofur, he makes me smile.
Anyway, please enjoy.

Chapter Six

An Unexpected Discovery

It took them three days of hard ridding for them to reach Hobbiton by mid-evening.

They left their ponies with a stable master on the outskirts of Hobbiton, paying him enough to keep their ponies for a week.

The stable master took their money with a quiet and unsure air about him but he was a reasonably cheerful fellow so none of them held it against him. He was also happy enough to direct them to Bag End.

"Are you Master Baggins Dwarves?" He asked as they were leaving the stables, his curiosity overriding his shyness.

"Ah… Master Baggins?" Bofur can't help but question. It wasn't the first time he had heard Bilbo or should he say Billanna – how could she never have told them her real name? He understood at the beginning of their quest together but by the end? – being called 'Master Baggins'. She had been addressed by this title for much of their journey, when she wasn't being called 'Bilbo' or her less than endearing titles 'the burglar' or 'the hobbit'.

Master Baggins, he is a more than a little ashamed to admit that for some of his fellow dwarves the title had been used, at first, as a form of insult towards her, as they had all presumed before meeting her that they were going to have a male hobbit burglar and instead got a hobbit lass who was the mistress of her Hobbit-hole and had been for quite some time after her father fallen ill and was quite set in her ways, but after a time, it had become a form of endearment, much like her other titles which changed from 'the burglar' and 'the hobbit' to 'their burglar' and 'their hobbit'.

The stable master blushed and muttered under his breath that he had meant Mistress Baggins.

"It's alright," Bofur said quickly, "We knew who you meant and yes, we are. You know of us?"

"From Master Baggin's, I mean, Mistress Baggin's stories. She's always telling them, but," the stable master went red once more, "I never thought that they were anything more than that, I must admit. It's a pleasure to meet you all, even if I must say that some of things you did on those adventures of yours were truly quite mad."

"And don't we know it," Kili replied with a wide grin, "cheers my good fellow." And with that the young prince was all but running out of the stables.

"I feel almost bad for unleashing him upon poor Bilbo without so much as a warning." Ori said, as he carefully stretched his stiff writing arm – its old wound was twinging from all the hard ridding he had been doing over the past few days – as the three dwarves followed after their prince.

"Yes, well, she wouldn't have had to have worried about needing to be pre-warned about him if she hadn't let us think she was dead for almost four years." Bofur replied rolling his stiff shoulders, trying to contain the bubble of excitement that was brewing within his belly.

"Like I said, I almost feel bad for her." Ori said with a small grin and Bifur let out a grunting chuckle.

It was reasonably dark when they finally arrived at Bagshot Row and could clearly see, despite the darkness, Bag End at the top of the hill with its huge tree growing from the top of it. They could all see a hearty glow coming from several of the windows and it made their hope grow all the more stronger.

"Alright Lads, we've come this far," Bofur said after they had stood at the bottom of Bagshot Row for well over five minutes.

"What if – what if she doesn't want to see us?" Ori asked softly.

"That's the risk we must take, but we will at least know that she is alive and happy, if nothing else." Bofur replied cheerfully even though his stomach was doing somersault. This had, of course, since finding out she was alive, been his fear as well.

They walked quickly, but with forced casually so as to not draw too much attention to themselves, up the lane, up to the Hobbit-hole at the top of the hill, the Hobbit-hole with its bright green round door and round brass knob.

Bofur went first to the front door, followed closely by the others but it took several more moments for him to actually build up the courage to knock.

His heart almost stopped beating for a moment when he heard a familiar voice snapping from somewhere within the Hobbit-hole

"Lobelia, for the last time, I am not marrying your son! I don't care if I'm a disgrace to the family and that people are talking. They can talk all they like for all I care but I will not… No, I refuse to marry…" the round green door swung open revealing to them a very annoyed looking hobbit lass with thick golden brown curls, annoyed but sensible brown eyes, wearing a dress of soft blue.

"Him…" She trailed off as she saw them, her brown eyes widening, first with relief and something Bofur was sure might be delight before those emotions dissolved into something close to absolute horror that was near broke Bofur's heart to see.

She then let out a small scream and the next thing Bofur knew was that he was being smack, very hard, over the head by something long and solid – he heard several yelps and grunts and figured he wasn't the only one to be hit with whatever it was she was hitting them with – before the round green door was being slammed in their face.

He winced as it slammed against his foot which he had stuck in the doorframe without even thinking the moment Bilbo had let out that heartbreaking scream.

"Bofur," He heard her cry from the other side of the door, "get your great, big foot out of the way!"

"No," he replied simply and with a look to his fellow dwarves, the four of them started pushing back against the door.

Unsurprisingly, it fell open without much trouble and Bilbo was hopping awkwardly backwards down her hall, trying to regain her balance via the use of a wicked looking umbrella.

"DIDN'T YOUR MOTHERS EVER TELL THAT IT'S RUDE TO ENTER A HOME UNINVITED!?" Bilbo was all but screaming at them once she had gotten her balance back and was scowling at them with such anger that Bofur almost felt inclined to leave her Hobbit-hole.

Bifur who was not understanding a thing of what was going on, only seeing that their Burglar was indeed very much alive but very, very upset over something – not realising that he himself was a part of the something that she was upset over – moved forward and before anyone, including Bilbo herself, could stop him, had his arms around her and hugging her close.

Bilbo struggled for only a moment before simply giving into Bifur's embrace, even returning it a little, though she still looked quite upset and distressed by what was a occurring in her front hallway.

"What-What are you all doing here?" She squeaked out once Bifur has released her from his embrace, her eyes darting nervously out her front door as if expecting nine more Dwarves to come stomping into her front hall.

She probably was, Bofur guessed. It wasn't the first time she had multiple groups on dwarves appearing on her front doorstep on one night.

"It's just us." Ori reassures her gently. He has always been good at reassuring and Bofur can see the hobbit lass's shoulders beginning to relax despite her still troubled expression.

She swallows thickly before turning her troubled brown eyes back on to them. Bofur can see, with the light from the hall lamps, a nasty ragged scar cutting its way from her hairline down the right side of her face. She hadn't had that when she had left them.

Forced to leave, he thinks bitterly.

He wants to ask her about it – he wants to ask her a great many things – but knows that now really isn't the time, not when she was still looking so upset and close to beating them out of her home with that nasty looking umbrella that she was still holding.

"What are you four doing here?" She repeats again, her word spoken in a slow, cold tone that Bofur is sure she learnt from her time spent with them and when Thorin was in a particularly bad mood.

"Visiting?" Ori offers with a weak smile. The red-haired lad actually looks quite frighten of the cold lass standing before them, wicked umbrella in hand.

"We thought you were DEAD!" Kili exclaimed cutting his way straight to the chase, his face twisted in anger and pain and grief as he takes a step towards her. Bofur admired her for not taking a step back, for Kili truly looked quite frightening as he advanced on her.

"We thought you were killed in the battle! We mourned for you, are still mourning for you and all this time you were here, safe and sound with not even a word sent back to us to tell us any different!"

"Of course I didn't!" Bilbo cried back, looking as angry and hurt as Kili looked. "How dare you! How dare you make this my fault when it was you lot who kicked me out! I didn't think you wanted to know I was live! I thought you would be happy to think I was killed by some Orc or Warg during the battle! Your Kingly Uncle said as much, so don't you dare make this all my fault!"

"We weren't!" Kili snapped back, his dark eyes fighting back tears, "we weren't! We looked for you, once Gandalf came to us telling us you were missing, we looked for you! We found your coat, shredded and bloody, and thought you were…" he swallowed thickly, "and thought you were…"

"Dead." Bofur finishes for him with a sad little smile, watching as their hobbit shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. He could see that she was torn. Torn between her justified fury over their actions towards her after everything she had done for them and the simple desire to simply forgive and forget, as was generally the way of hobbits.

She was saved from her indecision by the most unlikely of distractions. A distraction that Bofur would never have thought of in his wildest dreams in the far and few between moments when he allowed himself to think that their Burglar might just, just be still alive and had returned to her homeland.

"Mama?"

Bilbo's whole body went completely stiff as her eyes widen in horror at the little voice grumbling behind her.

She closed her eyes, swallowed before looking behind her.

"Go back to bed, darling. Mama will be there in a moment." She said in such a soft, soothing, motherly voice that it was hard to belief she had been screaming at them only moments before.

However the little lad, at least Bofur thought the child was a lad – he couldn't see the child as Bilbo was blocking the little one from view with her body – the child was still at the young age where children, boys and girls, more or less sounded the same, seemed to have other ideas.

"Oooo are tey?" the little one asked and suddenly a pair of brilliant sapphire blue orbs were peering at them from around Bilbo's skirt.

"Friends, sweetheart, go back to bed." Bilbo said, her voice close to begging, her face twisted in an expression that clearly read that she wished to be anywhere other than her nice and cosy Hobbit-hole.

"Gandy?" The little lad asked excitedly and tried to push his way around Bilbo, only stopping when Bilbo placed a gentle hand upon his dark, curly head.

"No, not Gandy." Bilbo muttered, not taking her eyes off them, her eyes caution and filled with worry.

"warves." Bilbo sighed at the excited squeal from the child, who struggled even harder to get a better look at them.

"Yes, dwarves. Now if you're very good and go back to bed right now, I'll introduce you in the morning… maybe." Bofur heard her mutter under her breath and it was here that he remembered he could, in fact, speak. Or at least splutter.

"Lass? You-you have a child."

"Yes," Bilbo replied her back stiff once more, "what of it?"

"We didn't know you had a child." Ori gasped looking delighted.

"That's because," Bofur could see she was fighting back a smile even though she still looked nervous and scared, "I didn't have one when I left with you lot almost five years ago."

She was fidgeting nervously, her eyes still darting to her front door, her hand running through the little lad's thick black curls.

Bofur looked at the lad harder, took in his raven curls and brilliant sapphire eyes, so different from his mother's soft golden brown locks and earthy brown eyes. But oh, they were so like a certain Dwarf King who had banished the little lad's mother just over four years ago.

Bofur closed his eyes and groaned, pressing a hand to his brow. Any fool could put two and two together and do the maths.

Damn Thorin! Damn him to deepest pits in Erebor, and further!

He opened his eyes and looked back at the lad, who was watching him with child-like curiosity.

He smiled at him and the lad smiled shyly back before giggling and burying his face into his mother's skirt.

Yes, the lad was most definitely Thorin's child. Anyone who knew Thorin as well as Bofur and his companions did would and could easily see the similarities between them, similarities that only a father and his child could share.

He looked away from the shy child and up into Bilbo's brown eyes, which had grown a little wider and she clutched her child a little closer to her.

"I'm sorry, Lass. So very sorry."

From behind him, Bifur grunted out his agreement while the two younger dwarves simply looked confused and craned their heads to try and catch a glimpse of the boy child; neither had yet made the connection.

"S'not your fault." She replies softly, looking away from them and down at her child, smiling slightly as she stroked his curls.

"What's going on?" Kili asked slowly and carefully, his brown eyes narrowed with suspicion.

Bofur glanced back at Bilbo, wondering if she would try and lie to the young prince about her child as he had not yet made the connection, unlike Ori who let out a small understanding gasp only moments before.

Bilbo sighed heavily before coaxing her child to stand in front of her, his small fist pressed against his mouth as he surveyed them solemnly as they gaped back at him. Bofur who had already made the connections that this was Thorin's child was still thrown by the similarities between them as he stared fully at the child, now no longer hiding behind his mother's skirt and in fully visible for all to see.

"I'm gonna kill him." Were the first words out of Kili's mouth once he was over his stupor. "That Bastard! That complete and utter bastard! I'm gonna…"

"Kili," Bilbo exclaimed as she clapped her hands over her child's young ears, "please…"

The young Dwarf fell silent but he still looked pained.

"Did you… Did he know… when he… did he know?" Kili stuttered, struggling to speak full sentences as he continued to gape at his little cousin.

Bilbo shook her head.

"No. And neither did I, so you can stop right there with trying to blame my exile on this." She growled, hugging her child close to her.

"I wasn't going to." Kili spluttered. "He would never have exiled you if he had known about the little one."

"Oh, well that's reassuring." Bilbo snapped angrily, "would he have kept me until I gave birth to my son and then exiled me? Lovely, always knew that he was a charming fellow…"

"Mama." Bilbo stopped short mid-sentenced and looked down at her child who was looking up at her with a puzzled expression.

"That wasn't what I meant," Kili mumbled look quite deflated and miserable now.

"What his name?" Ori blurted out, trying to break the tension in the hall that was heavy enough to be cut with a knife.

"Ah," Bilbo looked away from her son and looked at them with a slightly pink cheeks and looking a tad embarrassed, before she looked back at her son.

"Sweetheart, why don't you introduce yourself." She encouraged as she ran her fingers once more through his curls.

The little lad hesitated for a moment, looking shyly up at the dwarves.

"Frodo Baggins," he said slowly and carefully, taking great care with his words, "at yor service."

"Pleasure to meet you, Frodo Baggins." Bofur replied with a one of the widest grins he has been able to make since before the Battle of Five Armies as he bowed to the little lad, "Bofur at yours."

"And Ori."

Bifur grunted and bowed.

Kili hesitated for a moment before moving to kneel in front of the little boy, who shifted slightly backwards into his mother's legs.

"Kili son of Dis, nephew of the King under the Mountain, son of the line of Durin, at yours." The young prince said softly to the little lad.

The lad chewed over this for a moment, before smiling.

"E'llo."

"Hello." Kili replied with a small grin. His hands twitched to lift his little cousin into his arms but he wasn't sure how Bilbo would feel about this or about him or about any of them at the moment, but he did reach out and gently flick the little boy's nose causing him to giggle.

Bilbo heaved a small sigh before giving them a tired smile.

"I suppose you're all hungry and would like something to eat?"

The four dwarves started to protest but their growling bellies made their protests weak and caused their burglar to giggle.

"Alright go to the kitchen, you know where it is, while I'll go and settle this one back down." Bilbo giggled as she leant the wicked umbrella up against one of the walls in the hall and lifted her son up into her arms.

"ut Mama, me not tired." Frodo grumbled as he rubbed his eyes sleepily. "I wanna tay ith u and the warves. Peeses?"

"Not tonight, sweetheart. But you'll see them in the morning." Bilbo said as she smiled fondly at her baby, "Say goodnight to the dwarves."

"Nigh nigh." The little boy mumbled, his eyes already drooping close with sleepiness.

"Good night." The dwarves replied as they watched Bilbo walk up the hall while they made their way to the familiar kitchen even though they had only been in it once before.

"I'm still going to kill him." Kili said as they settled themselves down at the table.

"Join the line." Bofur replied and the other two dwarves nodded.

Author's Note: So not quite the tear jerker that I was asked to write from a couple of readers but I figured the tears would come later, right at the moment Bilbo would simply be too shocked to start crying and then too angry. Next chapter we're back reading her POV, which is basically this chapter from her POV with a bit more to it.
Thanks for reading.