A/N: I own nothing! No money made here.
Chapter 8
It was nearly two weeks later as far as I could tell no one in Hobbiton discovered my grievous error in Bree. I was safe. Coming back home from a late afternoon stroll to the market I found myself locked out of Bags End.
Knocking, Emel called out, "Bilbo? Why is the door locked?"
Moments later her brother opened the door looking a little frazzled. "Are you ok? What's wrong? Had something happened?" Emel asked nervously thinking he had found her out somehow. Never before had Emel kept a secret from Bilbo and it was eating her up inside, but she would rather die than ever tell him.
"Oh, Emel! I bed your pardon. I forgot you were gone out when I locked the door."
Walking together into the kitchen, Bilbo made them some cups of tea to go with the scones he had recently taken out of the oven. When he was settled across for her, he continued.
"The strangest thing happened while you were gone. An older man approached me who wore a long gray robe and pointy hat and he walked with a tall wooden staff. He asked me to go on an adventure of all thing! Of course, I told him no. Dreadfully uncomfortable thing they are."
"Then he introduces himself finally and said he was Gandalf the Gray and that he knew mother. Oddly enough he also knew about you and mentioned I should send you to the Took's Smial for the night for some reason. 'out of the way' or something of the sort. Either way, he was clearly mad, so I bid him a good morning and locked the door."
"Send me away? Whatever for? I don't like the sound of that at all. If he shows up again, I'll pretend to be your house cat and keep an eye out. See what this Wizard is up to." Said, Emel.
Smiling, Bilbo replied, "Oh yes, Buttons! You haven't turned into buttons in nearly a decade! (It's what he called her Animagus for much to displeasure.) Careful you aren't seen by the neighbors. We don't want any rumors going about after all. Either way, I highly doubt he'll be coming back around. I made myself clear to the man before he left."
Being as I was not a Hobbit and didn't need to eat nearly as often as Bilbo did. I at dinner at 6 with him so at supper time around 9 pm, Bilbo was in the kitchen cooking up some vegetables and fish for himself while I was in the study reading one of my magical text on runes.
I had been worrying all day over what Bilbo had said about the wizard's visit so when the doorbell rang I nearly jumped out of my skin. Quick as you can I stored my book back into my black leather bag and turned it my Animagus form.
Back when Bilbo and I used to go and "adventure" together in the nearby forest, my clouded leopard alter ego had been a tiny kitten. Now it seems 'Buttons' has grown up just like my regular two-legged self had. Once I had adjusted to the change, I saw watched a tall dwarf march further into the small growling at Bilbo, asking where the food was and then disappearing into the kitchen.
I stepped out into the hall myself on all fours and Bilbo was slightly startled at the sight of me. Whispering he said, "My, you've grown, haven't you? Still as beautiful as ever though, and just as soft," He added while he stroked her head.
"It's best you stay like this until I get rid of him. Most likely safer for you that way."
It wasn't long until the Smial was totally overrun with a dozen dwarves eating them out of house and home and Gandalf himself. She watched her brother run around in a panic as their home was invaded and Emel found it quite entertaining. The group of them were a little short on manners she would admit but so far as she could tell they meant her brother no harm.
This was the first time she had ever set eye on the wizard Gandalf though and she wasn't sure how she felt about it. She was used to being the only magic user around so it was strange to see a fellow caster after all these years. 'Buttons' had kept herself to the shadowed corners and out of sight thus far when there was an unnecessarily strong knocking on the front door.
Suddenly, the rambunctious and noisy Dwarves became silent. "He's here," Said Gandalf ominously and went to answer the door. Everyone else followed behind grouping in together in the front hall to greet whoever it was.
Buttons crept in behind the crowd to try and get a better view. Gandalf had opened the door and was talking to whoever was at the front door. Eventually, Bilbo pushed the Dwarves out of the way and reached the front door himself. Emel followed in behind him and hid among there legs. Everyone was so distracted by this new addition that they didn't even notice the oversized cat at there feet.
"So, this is the Hobbit?" Said the stranger.
Doing circles around her brother he ordered, "Tell me Mr. Baggins have you done much fighting? Axes or sword? What is your weapon of choice?"
Stuttering Bilbo tried to answer, "Ugh, W-well… I do have some skill at conkers If you must know but I fail to see why that's relevant."
"Hmm, I figured as much, he looks more like a grocer than a burglar." He said sarcastically and everyone except Bilbo laughed thinking it to be a funny comment. Emel personally found it infuriating so she jumped out and set herself between them growling at the disrespectful cad.
Surprised, a few of the Dwarves withdrew weapons from there hiding places and brandished them.
Without having moved a muscle the stranger growled down at Emel, "What is this beast doing here?"
"Err… This is ugh… Button. Yes, Buttons my house cat." Answered Bilbo.
Then the white-haired Dwarf with the forked beard who had introduced himself as Balin told Bilbo, "I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this laddie but that is no mere house cat. It's a wild beastie of some kind."
Wringing his hand for a moment Bilbo had to think fast. "Well yes. Buttons turned out to be a wild cat of some kind. We found her in the nearby forest when she was a kitten and saved her. She's been with me ever since. Not to worry though, she completely tame."
Patting her on the head Bilbo shushed her and she stopped growling, but she didn't leave his side.
Mollified, the group of dwarves followed their leader into the dining room they had rearranged for there purposes and served the King some stew and ale.
Buttons park herself in the corner of the dining room and watched as they talked about there quest to reclaim the lonely mountain. She discovered the rude one was called Thorin and she vaguely remembered having met him and his nephews at the Prancing Pony along with the tattoo's fellow.
When she overheard Bifur, the fellow with an axe in his head speak Khuzdul, she realized the world "bunnanunê" form her mystery lover's note must be dwarfish. It sounded very similar to the language Bifur was speaking after all.
Moaning, which came out more like a drawn-out "mew" sound, Emel prayed that it hadn't been Thorin she spent the night with. She would never live it down.
Eventually, Bilbo was given a contract and then proceeded to faint in the hallway just outside of the dining room when Bofur mentioned a 'furnace with wings'. Buttons padded over to her brother strewn on the floor and proceeded to lick his face in order to try and wake him up.
Bofur gently pushes her out of the way, "Here Buttons, mover off now. Your masters will be fine. I'll put him in the living room so he can settle his nerves."
(A/N: A lot of this next scene is quoted right out of the movie btw)
Gandalf had tried to persuade Bilbo to go along on this mad scheme while the two of them had a moment alone in the family room.
Buttons was curled up on the throw rug at Bilbo's feet in front of the hearth languishing in the warm.
"I can't just go running off into the blue. I'm a Baggins of Bag End." Argued Bilbo.
"You are also a Took. Did you know that your great, great, great, great, Uncle Bellora Took was so large he could ride a real horse? In the Battle of Green Fields, he charged the goblin ranks and he swung his club so hard it knocked the goblins head clean off and sailed into a rabbit hole. Thus, the battle was won, and golf was invented at the same time." Reminded Gandalf.
Skeptically Bilbo said, "I do believe you made that up."
"well… all good stories deserve some embellishments. You'll have a tale or two of your own when you come back."
Sighing Bilbo asked, "Can you promise that I will come back?"
"No, and if you do, you'll not be the same," Gandalf said honestly. Emel did not like the sound of that at all.
"That's what I thought. Sorry Gandalf but I can't sign this. What about my sister? If I were to go, she would have no one left."
"Hmm, yes, well I have never met your sister myself, but your mother wrote to me mentioning she adopted a little girl not long before she passed away. I would have invited her to join us as well, but Dwarves are particular when it comes to the fairer sex. They are very protective of women since darrowdams are so few in number and they would never agree to bring your sister along on a possibly dangerous quest. They also have a strong aversion to elves as it so happens."
"I see…" was all Bilbo could say in reply to that.
With that Bilbo stood up and left the room. Coming back, he had his arm full of pillows and blankets which Bilbo put in the corner for dwarves to use later and bit Gandalf a good night.
Once Bilbo was gone the dwarves came into the family room and settled into various places, pulling out their pipes for an after-dinner smoke. Surprisingly, Thorin settles in beside me near the fire and began to absentmindedly pet me on the back. It looked like Fili and Kili wanted to touch my furry coat as well but refrained in order to keep from disturbing their uncle.
I felt another set of eyes on me and looking over at the Ri brothers I saw the youngest one, Ori scratching away with a piece of charcoal in a book he never seemed to be parted from. He looked back up at me periodically so I figure he must be drawing my picture or something like that and went back to languishing in front of the fire.
Soon, all the dwarves broke out into a sober song;
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.
The dwarves of yore made mighty spells,
While hammers fell like ringing bells
In places deep, where dark things sleep,
In hollow halls beneath the fells.
For ancient king and elvish lord
There many a gleaming golden hoard
They shaped and wrought, and light they caught
To hide in gems on hilt of sword.
On silver necklaces they strung
The flowering stars, on crowns they hung
The dragon-fire, in twisted wire
They meshed the light of moon and sun.
Far over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old…
I never heard the end of it because I fell into a true sleep where I laid listening to their deep voices fill our home with there song.