By the Will of a Wizard

by RogueoftheNorth

Gandalf enlists the aid of two modern-day girls familiar with the story of the Hobbit hoping they will change the fate of the line of Durin. Alison, the eldest, hopes they will too, and in the meantime, she'd like to have some "fun" with Thorin's handsome heir without falling in love. Fili, however, has other ideas: he'd like to keep her. Rated M for lemons and language.

4. Making Plans

A/N: Well, this turned out to be more like six weeks instead of a month for an update, but still way better than last time ;). And this chapter is twice as long as the previous ones, so it's like two chapters in one, which will hopefully make up for it! I had a specific place I wanted to stop it, and by the time I realized how long it had gotten, it was too late, so here you go :).

Thanks so much to all the new favorites and follows, I'm so glad you all are enjoying this random drabble of mine!

And extra special thanks to those who took the time to review the last chapter: milkybar, Moira Starsong, Puffgirl1952 the 2nd, and amrawo. You guys all totally made my day and I was very happy to hear how much you've enjoyed the story so far! To amrawo, as I couldn't respond to you directly, I'm so glad you love this story and Fili's POV, there's a bit more of his POV to start with and then we go back to Alison's POV, so I hope you enjoy the update!

Also, I've said this before, but just warning you all again: if you don't like swearing, or mature/suggestive themes, you probably shouldn't read this. There is plenty of both in this chapter once we're back at Alison's POV.

PLEASE REVIEW EVERYONE - IT WILL ENCOURAGE ME TO UPDATE FASTER!

Disclaimer: And of course, I don't own the Hobbit movies or books, or anything you recognize from them, just my own characters and the rest of this story.

Chapter 4: Making Plans

Fili had developed a plan. The key to a good strategy always began with research; he simply needed to know more about Alison before he revealed that she was his One and asked if she would like to begin a courtship. He knew that she was half-human, and that humans did not have Ones in the way that dwarves did. But she was also half-dwarf, so perhaps that meant she would be different? Either way, it was not impossible that she might eventually have feelings for him. But first, he needed to know more about how she might react to a proper courtship.

He'd come to know her well enough to know she wouldn't openly offer such information about herself and her feelings or lack thereof; therefore, his plan was to ask her sister, Lily. It was possible she wouldn't tell him anything either, but perhaps if he assured her he had Alison's best interests at heart, she might be willing to answer some of his questions. Which was why he was now approaching her to talk, having seen that she was alone at this moment.

They'd stopped for the night to camp; it was only this morning that Fili had spoken to Gloin and had his revelation about his feelings for Alison, but having had all day to think about it, he'd decided on his course of action by the time they'd stopped for the night. And Alison was currently spending time with the ponies, brushing them down; she adored the ponies and the feeling was clearly mutual. This left Lily alone, however, while she sat on a log sewing shut a hole in Bombur's cloak.

"Miss Lily." He sat down next to her, though he kept a respectful distance between them. "Might I ask you a question?"

She glanced up at him, brief surprise showing in her brown eyes before she turned her gaze back down to the cloak, nodding. "Sure, ask away. And it's just Lily."

Fili grinned. Though the sisters were different in many small ways he'd come to notice over the last two weeks, in the matter of formality they were exactly the same. "Lily, then. I know that you and your sister are unwed, but is Alison promised to anyone in your homeland?"

This time, Lily nearly dropped the cloak as her gaze flew up to his, shock all over her face. "Why do you ask?"

Fili frowned. Why would Lily react in such a fashion to his simple question? Did this mean that Alison was promised to another man? No, surely she would not flirt with him the way she did if she was – would she? "Well, I wish to be certain she is not promised to another before I ask if I may court her," he replied slowly, praying to Mahal that she wasn't.

"Court her - ? Oh God!" This time Lily did drop the cloak on the ground. "Shit! Shit, I knew this was a bad idea!"

"You knew what was a bad idea?" Fili repeated, proud of himself for keeping an even tone when he felt like his world might crumble around him. What would he do if his One was promised to another – and was the sort of woman who wouldn't remain faithful when she was? "Is she promised to another man?"

Lily gave her head a firm shake, and Fili found he could suddenly breathe easier. "No, no she's not, it's just . . ." She glanced around, perhaps making sure that Alison wasn't nearby, before she picked up the cloak again with a heavy sigh. "She's going to kill me for this," she muttered, more to herself than to him, Fili thought. "She was . . . betrothed to another man a few years ago. They were very much in love, but he was a soldier, and before they could get married . . ."

"He died?" Fili supplied softly, and Lily nodded. His One had loved another, then. He wasn't quite sure how to feel. Should he be jealous of this unknown man, or worried that Alison would never love another? Above all, it pained him to know that she had been through such a thing. No wonder she'd cried so. "She did mention that she'd lost someone who meant a lot to her, and she couldn't do anything to save him," he said at last, understanding her words much better now.

Lily looked up at him again, her eyes wide. "She did? She hasn't mentioned him to anyone, not even me, since it happened." She gave him a considering glance before giving a sudden, decisive nod. "I'm going to give you some advice, even if it means she'll be pissed at me when she finds out. It's for her own good."

"Please do," Fili requested, relieved. Perhaps he could still get the information he needed to develop his strategy, for he was not about to give up on his One so easily. He simply couldn't.

"Ali was . . . devastated when Chris died. Utterly shattered," Lily said softly, her eyes bright with unshed tears. "She wasn't herself for nearly a year after. I thought I'd lost the Ali I knew. But finally, she began to come around, act like herself again, for the most part. Except when it came to her relationships with men. She didn't shun them, but she didn't let any of them close emotionally, either. In the last two years since she became more herself again, she's only had . . . how can I put this . . . brief physical relationships with men. And if any of them tried to get serious, she'd end it very quickly, and never speak to them again. She's never come right out and said it, of course, but I know she's terrified to fall in love again and get her heart broken again."

Mahal. It was worse than Fili had thought. His heart ached to know what Alison had been through, and the pain she was obviously still in, and yet he was terrified that he'd never get the chance to be with her the way that he really wanted. For it was obvious now what she'd intended their relationship to be. "That was what she meant to do with me," he said softly. "Only enjoy a brief dalliance, and leave once the quest was over, or if I asked her to stay."

Lily nodded, looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, but yes. We talked about it before we left Bilbo's, and I told her it was a bad idea to get involved with you, in case one of you got your feelings hurt. She was sure she could keep herself from getting hurt, and she was sure you'd never be serious about her either, since you're a prince and she's just a . . . half-breed dwarf."

"That does not matter to me," Fili protested. "Even if she wasn't my One, I would not care about something like that!"

"I told her you might not think of it that way," Lily agreed, but then she suddenly gave him a sharp glance. "Your 'One'? What does that mean?"

Fili blinked at her, unsure of exactly how to explain. He'd known they knew very little of their dwarven heritage, but he hadn't realized just how little they knew until now. "Dwarves each have a One, granted to them by Mahal," he explained. "They are our other half, our chosen mate. When we meet them, it is instant. We may not realize it right away, but there will never be another for us, for the rest of our lives. Some dwarves never meet their One, and so they simply continue to dally with whomever they wish, and perhaps marry someone who is not their One. But if they do meet their One, and their One does not accept them, they will never be with another."

Lily stared at him, her hand to her mouth, looking horrified. "And you're sure Ali is your One?" she managed at last.

Fili nodded firmly, though he was starting to feel a little heart-sick at his chances, given the look on Lily's face. "I am positive. Gloin has married his One, so I asked him how he knew his wife was his One, and everything he told me about his feelings is exactly how I feel about Alison. I realize humans do not have Ones, however, and so I am unsure how it works for the two of you, but I thought perhaps . . . she might still come to have feelings for me eventually, and accept my courtship."

Lily sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I think you're right," she said at last. "I know Ali thinks she never wants to fall in love again, and that she'll be happy like that, but I don't believe it. And I want her to be happy. I think you might have a chance at changing her mind, but you'll have to be careful."

"What do you suggest I do?" Fili demanded. If Lily thought he had a chance at winning Alison over, he would do anything to get that chance. He did not wish to be without his One the rest of his life - indeed, he wasn't certain he could handle it.

"Don't tell her she's your One, for starters," Lily advised, "or let her find out anything about dwarves having Ones. She'll run far and fast. She might even insist we leave the quest, that's how scared she'll be if she knows. So my advice would be to keep doing what you have been. Flirt with her, joke with her, keep it all light and fun and like you're only interested in a physical relationship, and maybe being friends. I'm hoping that she'll be distracted enough by the quest that she won't realize she's starting to have feelings for you until it's too late."

Fili nodded slowly. "I can do that." He hadn't entered into this with the idea that he would be courting Alison, after all. He'd simply been attracted to her and had wished to act on that attraction, as he had done with other women before. All he would have to do is act as though nothing had changed, that he hadn't spoken with Gloin and realized the truth. Still, would this plan even work? "What makes you think I can change her mind?" he asked, curious, and in need of an extra dose of hope.

Lily shrugged. "Well, for one thing, you're not the usual type of man she's attracted to." When he raised his eyebrows in question, she explained, "Usually, she prefers men with dark hair and no beards – or not much of a beard, anyway."

Fili blinked, surprised once more. "But that sounds like – "

"Kili?" Lily finished for him, grinning. "Exactly. I was surprised too; I expected her to want to . . . dally with Kili, but it was you she wanted from the moment she saw the two of you. And she really, honestly likes you. I haven't seen her enjoy herself with a man this much since – well, since Chris. And I think you'd be good for her. She can be awfully reckless and impulsive sometimes."

Fili smiled, feeling greatly encouraged at Lily's words – and a little amused at the last statement. "That also sounds like Kili," he pointed out.

Lily grinned again, nodding in agreement. "Which is why I know you have a lot of experience dealing with reckless and impulsive. Anyway, if you want a chance with her, that's what you need to do. Don't change anything for now, and I'll let you know when you're getting close and can maybe change tactics a little."

"Thank you," he told her sincerely. "I greatly appreciate your advice – and the chance you are giving me."

"You're welcome. Like I said, I just want her to be happy, and I think you can do that." Lily suddenly looked very somber. "But I would like you to promise me that you'll try not to break her heart the way Chris did."

Fili understood exactly what she wasn't saying: Try not to die. It was a dangerous quest they were on, after all, and if he did succeed in getting Alison to love him, only to leave her the way her first betrothed had done, it would be the height of cruelty. He did not wish to condemn his One to such a fate, so he nodded soberly, hand over his heart. "I promise I will do my very best not to." When she nodded in return, eyes bright once more, he added, "I should go now." He did not want Alison to find out what they were discussing, after all.

With that, he turned to leave, heading back over to where Kili was setting up their bedrolls, his heart feeling much lighter than it had earlier. He always felt better when he had a plan, and he now had a definitive strategy to win over his One, and if Mahal continued to favour him, he would be able to keep her with him always. He could not, he thought as he glanced back to see Alison approaching her sister, wish for anything more.

---

They were setting up camp again for the night, but this time, it was finally a place that looked familiar to Alison. They were setting up in a clearing a few dozen feet away from the edge of a cliff, another cliff barely visible across the gorge in the growing darkness. Fili and Kili were setting up their bedrolls against a rock wall. She exchanged a glance with Lily, nodding. Finally, they were getting to a part of the story they knew.

As had become their usual habit when setting up camp for the night, they first laid out their own bedrolls, then moved to help with whatever they could around camp. Lily most often helped Bombur prepare the evening meal, being the better cook of the two of them, while Alison would help brush down the ponies and clean their hooves, before the two would take their lessons with Fili and Kili while supper continued to cook. Lily had decided she would much rather not fight in close combat, but she appeared to be doing decently well with learning archery, so Kili had focused on teaching her that, while Alison, who had turned out to be terrible at archery (according to Nori, who'd nearly gotten skewered), continued learning the art of swordfighting with Fili.

Not that she minded, of course. Fili was not only a good and patient teacher, but he often would "adjust" her stance, even if it was only a tiny bit. She knew he did it just to have an excuse to put his hands on her, and since she really quite enjoyed the feel of his large, strong hands on her, she didn't protest. In fact, sometimes she took up her stance the wrong way on purpose. Well, she tormented him on purpose a lot, but she was also tormenting herself, because God, did she ever want him.

She was not, however, totally without inhibitions (at least when she wasn't drinking vodka), or completely lacking in sense. She'd wanted to get to know him a little better before jumping his bones, and now that she had, the only thing holding her back was the fact that they were travelling through the wilds with the other dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf. Sure, they could sneak off somewhere into the woods for privacy, but she had enough sense to know that could be really dangerous, especially if she was thoroughly distracting Fili the way she planned to. The only time she'd lost her good sense was when she'd given Fili a little show when she was bathing in the river. The look he'd given upon seeing her naked had been so full of heated lust that it had sparked fires all through her own body, and if he'd jumped her right then and there, she would have happily forgotten about sense and safety.

However, Fili had proven himself to be a perfect gentleman, and he'd turned his back on her again until she was finished and dressed. Which, while it had been disappointing at the time, was ultimately for the best. She had a plan now, anyway. She was going to wait until Rivendell, when she was fairly sure the elves would offer her and Lily rooms of their own, and then she would have her way with him, since it would be both private and safe.

Although, she mused, she might have to find the opportunity to at least make out with him once before then. It might be a while yet before they reached Rivendell, even if they were finally at a point she recognized. Besides, Fili had said she could use him any way she wanted, after he'd caught her crying about her family and comforted her.

She frowned at the memory. She hadn't wanted anyone to witness her crying, much less comfort her, and yet Fili had done both. And he'd done a rather spectacular job of comforting her, at that. He'd simply held her, and hadn't asked any annoying questions, either during or after. She hadn't felt that comforted in someone's embrace since – No. That was ridiculous. She was being silly. Friends could comfort each other, right? And she genuinely liked Fili, besides finding him incredibly hot. They could be friends. Friends could comfort each other, and could have side benefits too, right? Besides, she was a grown woman. If she decided she wasn't going to have feelings for Fili beyond friendship and lust, then she wouldn't. It was that simple.

Anyway, she had more important things to think about, she reminded herself as she finished up with the last pony, affectionately rubbing Bungo's nose. He bumped her chest with his nose, whickering softly, and she rubbed him again for good measure, smiling when she saw Bilbo stealthily (or what he thought was stealthily) feeding Myrtle an apple on the other end of the ponies' clearing. Things like the quest, and keeping Fili, Kili and Thorin alive, were what she should be thinking about. Developing a plan with Lily to make sure they changed the final outcome of the story was what was really important, she told herself firmly.

As she headed back over to the camp, Bilbo catching up to her, an eerie screeching noise sounded in the distance, causing Bilbo to anxiously look around. Alison noticed that Kili, relaxing on his bedroll with a pipe next to Fili, had looked up at the noise also, and she sighed, knowing what was coming next. She exchanged a glance with Lily, who had finished helping Bombur prepare the stew, and Lily nodded. The two of them moved over to sit themselves on either side of the brothers as Bilbo asked anxiously, "What was that?"

"Orcs," Kili replied in a deadpan tone, though Alison noticed he sent a reassuring smile to Lily as she sat down to his right.

Bilbo scrambled after Alison and Lily, moving himself closer to the brothers and the safety of the fire, repeating nervously, "Orcs?" Thorin, who had been dozing against a boulder, sat upright with a jerk at the word.

Alison sat herself to Fili's left, making sure she brushed up against him as she did so, and Fili grinned down at her in that cocky and super-sexy way of his before he turned back to Bilbo and said seriously, "Throat-cutters. There'll be dozens of them out there. The lone-lands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the wee small hours when everyone's asleep," Kili added, still in that deadpan tone. "Quick and quiet, no screams. Just lots of blood."

Bilbo squeaked at this, turning away to look out over the cliffs anxiously, and the brothers started snickering. Their snickering was short-lived, however, when Alison and Lily simultaneously whacked them in the shoulders. Kili let out an "Ow!" while Fili turned to Alison with surprise, but before he could say anything, Thorin stalked over, growling, "You think that's funny? You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

Both brothers looked down at this, clearly embarrassed with guilty looks on their faces, as Kili muttered, "We didn't mean anything by it."

"No, you didn't," Thorin snapped. "You know nothing of the world." He stormed away at this, while Kili hung his head even further.

"What was that for?" Fili asked in a low voice, rubbing his shoulder, though he sounded subdued now, making Alison feel a little guilty herself.

"Because you were being mean to Bilbo," she told him. Fili shook his head, opening his mouth to protest, but she cut across him. "You might not have meant to be mean, and were just trying to be funny, but it was mean. He's scared enough; he doesn't need you two piling on." She could hear Lily scolding Kili in a similar fashion as Balin approached from across the campsite, and Fili's brow furrowed as he considered her words.

"Aye, you're right, lass," he admitted. "We meant it as a prank, but I did not think of how scared Bilbo must be already. Will you forgive me?"

"You should be worried about Bilbo forgiving you," she pointed out, nodding at the hobbit who now stood several feet away, twisting his hands nervously. But since Fili was looking at her with such a pleading expression in his amazing blue eyes, she sighed and gave in. "But yes, I forgive you too, as long as you promise not to be mean to him again."

"I promise," Fili vowed, looking very serious as he put a hand to his heart, but Alison's attention was diverted as Balin finally reached them.

"Don't mind him, laddie," Balin said to Kili, who looked totally crushed now that both Thorin and Lily had scolded him. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs." And as everyone's attention now turned to him, the older dwarf began the tale of the battle of Moria, and of Thorin earning his title of Oakenshield while fighting against Azog the Defiler. Alison had heard the tale before, of course, but it still sent chills up her spine as Balin recounted how Thror had been cut down and Thrain had disappeared, mad with grief, leaving Thorin alone to rally the dwarves, which he had managed by cutting off Azog's arm. "And I thought to myself then, 'There is one who I could follow'," Balin finished up. "There is one who I could call King." All of the awed attention of his audience was now focused on Thorin, who finally turned back from the cliff he'd been looking out over, making his way back to the campfire.

"And the pale Orc?" Bilbo asked, having crept back closer to the others during Balin's tale. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came," Thorin said darkly, his attention clearly caught at the question. "That filth died of his wounds long ago."

Alison noticed Gandalf and Balin exchanging a look at this, but it was Lily who spoke up. "No, he didn't. Azog is still alive."

Every head snapped to her at this, where she still sat next to Kili, the looks on everyone's faces ranging from astonishment to suspicion to fury, in Thorin's case. "He is not," Thorin growled. "I cut off his arm myself. He cannot still live."

"He is alive," Lily insisted stubbornly. "I've seen it. A huge, pale, scarred orc whose left arm ends in some kind of metal claw, and he rides on a white warg. I've seen him confronting you, with fire all around."

Gandalf was frowning now, Alison noted, studying Lily, while Thorin just looked increasingly furious. "You are wrong," he snapped. "We are supposed to believe you are some sort of seer, but you are yet to give us an actual vision of the future, except for this one, which is impossible. Azog is dead, and you are wrong!"

Alison opened her mouth to defend Lily, but Fili interrupted before she could. "That's not exactly true, Uncle."

"What?!" Thorin turned his furious gaze from Lily to his nephew.

"About the vision," Fili explained firmly, not shrinking from his uncle's fury. "You said she'd never given us a vision of the future before, but that's not true. Kili and I didn't tell you this yet, but she saw a vision of Bilbo joining us. She told us well before he caught up to us, and she described the details exactly. If she was right about that, she could very well be right about Azog." He nodded at Lily, who smiled at him gratefully, and Bilbo looked surprised at this information, glancing at Lily as well.

Alison slipped her hand into Fili's, giving it a thankful squeeze, and he smiled down at her as Thorin scowled furiously. "Well, she is wrong about this!" He whirled away, stalking off into the trees, while Gandalf shouted after him, "You should not be so foolish as to ignore the advice of your seer, Thorin!"

Thorin didn't even pause, however, and merely kept going deeper into the trees. Soon, the other dwarves resumed their normal activity, and Bilbo, after one more glance at Lily, this one sympathetic, began helping Bombur distribute the stew.

"That went well," Alison joked to Lily, who smiled faintly.

"We're sorry for Uncle," Kili said, still sounding a little subdued.

"He can be stubborn," Fili added.

"That's fine," Lily said softly. "I don't imagine it was something he wanted to hear."

"But it's true, right?" Kili demanded. "You saw Azog the Defiler confronting Uncle?"

Lily nodded slowly. "I did."

"Do you know when it will happen?" Fili asked urgently. "Or if Uncle survives the encounter?"

Lily cast a quick glance to Alison, who gave a tiny one-shouldered shrug. The decision of exactly how much to reveal to the dwarves was a tough one. The confrontation Lily was talking about wouldn't be the one that killed Thorin, but Azog would be the one ultimately responsible for Thorin's death. As for when the first fight would happen, they had no idea what the passage of time between now and then would be, as the books and movies hadn't exactly given precise dates.

Finally Lily said, "I'm not sure exactly when. It could be a month from now or two months from now, I don't know. I think it's soon, and I think it will happen during this quest. As for whether he survives . . . I haven't seen that far yet. I don't always get all the information at once."

Fili nodded slowly, looking worried, as did Kili. Alison couldn't stop herself from squeezing Fili's hand in comfort, as a friend, of course. He gave her a grateful smile before turning to Lily. "You'll tell us if you find out more?"

Lily nodded, though Alison could see she felt guilty about not telling them everything. "Of course."

"Maybe you shouldn't bother telling Thorin your visions at all, Lil," Alison suggested dryly. "Maybe you should just tell Fili and Kili, since they're actually willing to listen."

"That might not be a bad idea," Kili said thoughtfully, but Fili shook his head. "No, you should tell Uncle what you see. He'll be dismissive at first, but once he sees one of your visions come to pass, he'll believe you. He might be stubborn, but he will admit it once he sees he's been wrong."

"Okay," Lily agreed. "I'll tell him if I have more visions, and hope that he stops being stubborn about them." She smiled wryly, and the brothers laughed, while Alison smiled. She knew that Fili was right; once Thorin had been proven wrong, he would admit it, as he would do in the future about Bilbo. They would just have to hope, she thought as Bilbo and Bofur brought them all bowls of stew, bringing their conversation to a halt, that what they could reveal would change the ultimate outcome.

---

"This fucking sucks," Alison grumbled, burrowing further into Fili's spare cloak – and Fili – as the rain continued to pound down around them. She was used to the cold, but only cold when it was combined with snow. It was rare that it rained at home in the fashion it was now, and so she wasn't used to being sopping wet while it was also cold out. Fili's cloak was keeping her drier than she would otherwise have been, and his body heat was keeping her relatively warm, but she was still far colder and wetter than she would like to be at this moment.

"I'm afraid I don't understand your precise meaning," Fili murmured in her ear, "but you do not sound happy."

Ooh, now there was a way to warm up, she thought as a tingle went down her spine from the rumble of his voice and his warm breath on her ear. Too bad they were surrounded by the others, or she could think of even more pleasant ways to get herself warm again. "I'm not," she admitted with a sigh, trying to remind herself not to use curse words and slang from Earth around the dwarves, knowing it would only confuse them. "I'm cold and wet and miserable."

Fili took one of his hands off the reins to wrap an arm around her waist and pull her even more snugly against him, wrapping a corner of the cloak he was currently wearing around her as well. "Is that better?"

Her back was now firmly pressed to the solid heat of his hard chest, and she could feel, as she often did, his arousal against her ass. Both sensations sent tingles through her body and tendrils of fire through her veins, and she wriggled a little, feeling his soft groan rumble through her body. "Much better," she purred.

"Mahal, Ali," he growled against her ear, "when are you going to stop torturing me?"

Her reply was interrupted by the sound of Dori calling loudly from a few ponies ahead, "Here, Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?"

"It is raining, Master Dwarf, and it will continue to rain until the rain is done," Gandalf sniped at him, sounding pissed off. "If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another Wizard."

Alison smiled as Bilbo asked if there were other Wizards. This conversation meant that the trolls would appear very soon, which meant they would arrive at Rivendell not long after, so she could stop torturing both of them. She leaned her head back and to the side so that she could look up at Fili as she told him softly, "Very soon. As soon as we get some privacy."

"It will not be soon enough," he muttered, "but I thank Mahal all the same." And then, after a quick glance around them, he did something that she had never thought he would do in public, especially before they'd even kissed. He slipped the hand that he had resting on her waist beneath the cloak and up, cupping her breast and kneading it gently through the cloth of her wet T-shirt.

"Fili," she gasped as white-hot lust shot straight to her core from the touch. She couldn't stop herself from jerking slightly, or arching a little against the warmth of his hand.

He smirked at her, though he did not stop what he was doing. "Equal torture in the meantime seems only fair, don't you think?"

"I suppose you're right," she allowed a touch breathlessly, before she gave an extra wriggle of her ass. He groaned again, his hand squeezing her just a bit tighter, before they both heard the sound of hooves squelching through the mud drawing up alongside them. Instantly Fili dropped his hand back down to her waist, and she straightened up, just as Kili and Lily on his pony came up abreast of Bungo.

"Gandalf's talking about the other Wizards," Kili said, sounding excited.

Lily cast Alison a significant look, knowing what it meant as well as Alison had. Lily, too, was wrapped up in Kili's extra cloak, though she wasn't pressed quite so closely to him. Alison gave a minute nod to Lily in turn, indicating that she'd noticed the conversation, even as she heard Gandalf respond to Bilbo in answer to whom the fifth Wizard was (now that she was actually paying attention again), "Well, that would be Radagast the Brown."

"Is he a great Wizard?" Bilbo asked. "Or is he more like you?"

Alison couldn't hold in her snicker at that, and Lily grinned as Gandalf looked back at Bilbo over his shoulder, bushy grey eyebrows raised. "I think he's a very great Wizard, in his own way. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the east. And a good thing too. For always evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

"Is he talking about Azog?" Kili looked amongst their little group with concern, squinting through the rain.

"Azog and other things, I would imagine," Lily replied softly, looking worried, and Alison suddenly recalled that this was when Sauron began to stir again. She shivered at the thought, even though she knew he wouldn't make a true appearance for quite some time.

"Are you still cold?" Fili tried to put more of his own cloak around her again, sounding concerned.

"No, not really. I'm just . . . worried, I guess," she admitted, looking at Lily again, who gave a tiny nod of understanding.

"Don't be," Fili told her, squeezing her a bit tighter. "It will be fine, I promise."

"Of course it will," Kili added, sounding brashly confident in a way that only he could.

If only the two of you knew. But Alison made herself smile and nod, nonetheless, and vowed to herself that it would be fine. That was what she and Lily were here for, after all.

---

It was the following night – which had followed a fortunately clear and rain-free day – that Alison saw the ruined, burnt-out shell of a small farmhouse as they drew to a stop for the night, Thorin shouting out as he dismounted, "We camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

Alison shot a sharp glance to Lily as Fili swung down off Bungo, and Lily nodded in answer as Alison moved to get off the pony as well. She let Fili help her down, not because she really needed the help anymore, but because they both enjoyed it. As soon as she and Lily were down on the ground, however, she drew her off to the side to have a private word while Thorin and Gandalf began to argue.

"Should I tell him?" Lily whispered. They had been debating this last night. There were some things they didn't want to change entirely, like Bilbo getting his sword Sting, which would happen in the troll hoard, or most importantly, Bilbo getting the Ring from Gollum. If that didn't happen, who knew what it would screw up? However, they did want Lily to appear useful to Thorin so he would listen later, when they did want to change things.

"I think you should," Alison murmured after another moment of thinking. "After he's done arguing with Gandalf. He'll still be pissed at Gandalf, plus he's still kinda pissed about your Azog vision, and I don't think he'll listen to you. But, once the trolls do show up, you can be all, 'I told you so' and he might actually start believing you."

"Okay," Lily said with a nod. "If you think that will work."

Alison had no sooner nodded than Gandalf came storming past them and the others, some of whom were still getting off their ponies and unloading their supplies before turning the ponies over to Fili and Kili. Gandalf went straight for his horse, snatching the reins out of Dori's hands.

"Everything all right?" Bilbo called as the Wizard swung up on his horse, and when he didn't answer immediately, Bilbo continued, "Gandalf, where are you going?"

"To seek the company of the only one around here who's got any sense," Gandalf snapped back.

Bilbo frowned. "And who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had enough of dwarves for one day," Gandalf retorted before he whirled his horse around and rode back the way they'd come.

"Come on, Bombur, we're hungry," Thorin said coolly.

Lily looked at Alison, who nodded, and Lily hurried over to Thorin, Alison sticking close behind for moral support. "Excuse me, Thorin, but I don't think staying here is a good idea."

Thorin glared at her. "And I suppose the Wizard put this idea into your head?"

Lily shook her head. "No, it's just, I saw a vision of three trolls burning down a farmhouse in an area that looked just like this, and then . . . eating the family that lived in it."

Alison glanced around quickly as Lily spoke to see if the others were paying attention, but they were all too busy getting camp set up and weren't close enough to hear Lily's words. Thorin, however, snorted in disbelief. "Trolls do not venture so far south. Do not be ridiculous, girl. First Azog, and now trolls? Neither is possible, and we are staying here!" With that, he stormed away in the direction of the fire Oin and Gloin were setting up.

"See?" Alison muttered. "What did I tell you?"

Lily sighed. "The stubbornness of dwarves, right? Now what?"

"For now, go help Bombur with the stew like usual," Alison told her. She grinned. "I'm going to go see Fili about getting a dagger for Bilbo. After that, we'll figure the rest out."

"You seem awfully excited about going to get a dagger," Lily observed dryly. "Do I even want to know how you plan to get it?"

"Probably not," Alison replied cheerfully. She didn't plan on asking Fili straight out for a dagger, but rather, intended to create a very enjoyable distraction while she found out where he kept them under his coat.

Lily grinned and shook her head. "Go on, then, have your fun."

"Oh, I definitely will." Alison skipped off to where Fili and Kili were tying the ponies to trees in a grassy clearing a good distance away from where the fire and main camp had been set up. Though the sun had already slipped past the horizon, the moon and stars were out, casting plenty of light for her to see by.

She sidled up to Kili where he was securing Daisy to a tree, several feet away from Fili, and gave him a disarming smile. "Say, Kili, do you mind if I relieve you from your post?"

Kili smirked. "And why would you do that? For the benefit of the ponies, or my brother?"

She let her smile turn sly. "What if I said it was for both?"

"Then I would say my brother is most fortunate." Kili sobered a little, glancing back over his shoulder. "I cannot directly defy Uncle, though. The best I can do is go collect some firewood or something and come back in a little while to help Fili for the rest of the night, or Uncle would be upset with me."

Alison smiled reassuringly at him, patting him on the shoulder. "That's fine, Kili, thank you."

He grinned at her, looking relieved. "Then I will be back in a little while. Have fun." He winked at her before trotting off in the direction of the camp.

Fili watched him go before turning to look at her, obviously intrigued. She smiled innocently at him before resuming the task she'd taken from Kili, unloading the saddles from the remaining ponies and tying them to trees, giving them a quick rub-down as well. Fili did the same with his half of the ponies, though he kept looking at her. Finally, when the task was done, she headed to a small, grassy hill off to the side of the clearing that looked out over the ponies, sitting down and patting the grass next to her.

Fili sat down, smiling at her. "And to what do I owe the unexpected pleasure of your company instead of my brother's?"

"Maybe I just wanted to spend time with the ponies," she teased him.

"Then you did not wish to be alone with me?" he asked with mock hurt, putting a hand to his chest dramatically. "I am heartbroken!"

She laughed, shoving lightly at his shoulder. "I'm sure. Or maybe, I was thinking that I hadn't asked for my favour yet."

"Oh?" Now he looked really interested, she noted with amusement. "Did you decide what you wished to ask for, then?"

"Hmm, I don't know." She tapped a finger against her chin as if she was thinking about it. Truthfully, she hadn't thought of what she wanted to ask for yet, as there were so many intriguing possibilities. But she didn't think what she was about to say would really use up her favour, anyway. "It's so hard to decide, and I don't want to waste it, but I did realize you haven't kissed me yet."

"Lass," he growled as he gripped her shoulders, spinning her to face him, his eyes blazing blue, "if you want a kiss, you have only to ask. You do not need to use your favour for that."

"That's good to know." She lifted his hands gently from her shoulders before she straddled his lap, looping her arms around his neck, her face only inches from his. His hands went to her waist, gripping tightly, as she drawled, "And if I said, 'Please, Fili, won't you kiss me?' You would say – "

"Aye, lass," he breathed in the instant before his mouth claimed hers.

He wasn't gentle, but then, neither was she. The desire that had been building up the last two and a half weeks exploded between them the instant he swept his tongue into her mouth, and she kissed him back fiercely, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck, one hand fisted into his golden hair as she pressed her body flush against the heat and strength of his, rocking slightly on his lap.

He moaned into her mouth when she did that, one of his hands sweeping up to cup the back of her head and change the angle of his kiss as he went deeper, the other gripping her ass as he pressed her hips down against his once more, causing her to moan in turn. God, she'd known she wanted him, she'd known she'd enjoy kissing him, but she hadn't expected it to be this fucking amazing. She was already throbbing for him, glorying in the feel of his arousal pressing against her core as she rocked on his lap again, and shit, did she ever want to strip him naked right here and now, starting with that coat of his.

It was the thought of his coat that penetrated her passion-fogged brain enough to remind her of her secondary purpose in initiating this, besides the fact that she'd just really, really wanted to make out with him. Find a dagger, she ordered herself, though she never stopped kissing him as she drifted one hand from his neck, slipping it beneath the collar of his heavy fur coat, sliding it over his shoulder and down his chest, taking the opportunity to feel every rock-hard muscle as she did so. Another groan rumbled through him as her hand moved down, and he finally broke his mouth away from hers, panting for air before he tipped her head to the side and pressed his lips to her neck.

It was her turn to moan softly again, her hand briefly halting in its mission as he nibbled on her neck, mumbling, "Ali, amrâlimê, you taste so good. And you're so soft," squeezing her ass for emphasis on the last, making her gasp this time at the lust that shot through her.

"Fili," she managed to get out as she moved her hand again, finding a dagger and sliding it, sheath and all, out of its hiding place, even as she tilted her head to give him better access as he moved down to her collarbone, the cool beads on his moustache a fascinating contrast to the golden hair tickling her skin, "as much as I want you, and God, do I, we need to stop now."

Fili groaned in disappointment this time, his mouth finally stopping its torment of her skin, though he merely rested his forehead against her neck for a moment, and didn't bother moving otherwise. "Aye, lass, I know."

Alison didn't bother to move yet, either, as she added, "Kili will be back soon." And the trolls would be here soon, too, she reminded herself, if they hadn't already stolen a pony while the two of them had been distracted.

Fili sighed heavily. "I know. And someone could come with supper at any moment." He finally lifted his head from her neck, leaning back a little, although he didn't move her off his lap just yet, either. His eyes were still that blazing blue as he met her gaze. "Mahal, Ali, that was . . . amazing. I need to get you properly alone very, very soon."

"Agreed," she said fervently. She was very glad that they would be at Rivendell soon, because she was about ready to explode. Shit, she'd been very close to getting off just from that make-out session with him, which meant she was definitely very horny. And obviously, so was he, she thought wryly as she carefully lifted herself off his lap, unable to stop herself from casting an admiring glance down at the proof. She brought her gaze back up to his as she sat down next to him again, knowing that her staring wouldn't help his situation any, as she added, "We'll have to find a safe place soon."

He nodded, his gaze roving over her as if he was trying to memorize the look of her, before it stopped dead at the dagger she held in one hand now, his brows lifting. "Is that one of my daggers?"

"It is," she admitted, wondering if he'd be pissed at her for taking it.

"I hope you didn't do all this just to get one of my daggers," he said finally, but his eyes were twinkling, causing her to smile.

Cocky bastard. He had to know perfectly well from her reaction that she'd wanted the kiss just as badly as he had, she thought with a smile, but nonetheless, she shook her head. "Of course not. I just thought, while I was at it, I might as well find out where you keep all your daggers and borrow one in case I need it."

He grinned, shaking his head. "Again, Ali, you have only to ask if you want something. Whether it is a dagger or a kiss, I am more than happy to oblige you."

She smiled, holding out her other hand. "In that case, can I have another one?"

His grin turned wicked, a glint of mischief showing in his eyes. "A dagger, or a kiss?"

She laughed, slapping at his knee before holding her hand out again. "A dagger, of course. I don't think another kiss would be a good idea right now."

"Why not?" Kili popped up on the other side of Fili, seemingly out of nowhere, and Ali jumped, startled.

"God, Kili!" she exclaimed as he stared at them both with a shit-eating grin on his face. "Could you make some noise next time you do that?!"

Fili simply sighed at his brother, rolling his eyes before he produced another dagger and handed it to Alison, while Kili's grin widened. "But if I did, I wouldn't hear such interesting conversation! Now why do you not think it a good idea to kiss Fili again?"

Alison laughed, getting to her feet as she tucked the two daggers through the belt loops of her jeans. "Because we very obviously can't get any privacy around here. Now I'm going to go see if the stew is ready." She backed away from the two of them as Kili tossed himself down on the grass next to Fili. She smiled at Fili, giving him a little wave as she went. "Thank you, Fili."

His eyes were warm as he smiled back. "You're most welcome, lass."

Kili, of course, just had to chime in. "What exactly are you thanking him for?"

Before Alison could answer, Fili tackled his brother, and they rolled around on the grass, playfully punching at each other. She grinned, shaking her head, and made her way back to camp, leaving them to it.

She just had time to hand over one dagger to Lily for safekeeping and wolf down a bowl of stew before she overheard Bilbo say to Bofur as he stood stirring the pot, "He's been gone a long time."

Bofur looked at Bilbo, clearly confused. "Who?"

"Gandalf," Bilbo said impatiently.

Bofur shrugged, clearly not concerned. "He's a Wizard. He does as he chooses." He ladled some stew into two bowls, handing them over to Bilbo. "Here, do us a favour. Take this to the lads."

Alison turned to Lily and hissed, "Stay here. I'm going to go with Bilbo and make sure he gets a dagger before he goes to let the ponies loose."

"And then what?" Lily whispered back. "We probably shouldn't interfere too much, because it'll be dangerous, and if we do, Bilbo won't get to start proving himself."

Alison nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. Hmm, let's see. How about this; I'll come back with the brothers to warn everyone, and we'll stay here while they go to help Bilbo, since they'll likely insist on it anyway."

"You want to stay here?" Lily asked doubtfully, causing Alison to grin. Really, Lily did know her better than anyone.

"Just until Bilbo has a chance to start distracting the trolls. Then, we'll pretend we got tired of waiting or worried and we'll sneak in to start cutting the dwarves loose while Bilbo distracts them. That'll make us look useful too. Sound like a plan?" She was already getting to her feet as she whispered this, and Lily sighed, nodding and waving her hand, obviously knowing that Alison's mind was already made up.

Alison grinned, hurrying after Bilbo and catching up to him when he was halfway to the ponies. "Hey, Bilbo, mind if I help you?" She held out a hand, and Bilbo willingly put one of the wooden bowls into it.

"If you would like to, certainly." He grinned at her, that cheeky Bilbo grin that he had so far only directed at her or Lily, obviously not comfortable enough with the dwarves to do so just yet. "Not that I really need much help carrying two bowls, though." He gave her a pointed look as if to say he knew exactly why she was coming along, and it wasn't to help him. She shrugged and smiled, letting him think exactly what he liked.

It was only a moment later that they reached the hill where Alison had left Fili and Kili, and as she'd expected, neither paid attention as she and Bilbo approached, nor reached to take the bowls they offered.

"What's the matter?" Bilbo asked, looking between the two brothers and the still-unclaimed bowls of stew.

Still without looking at them, Kili replied, "We're supposed to be looking after the ponies."

"Only we've encountered a slight problem." Fili finally looked at Alison a little sheepishly as he added, "It probably happened not long after you left us."

"We had sixteen ponies," Kili explained, still staring at the ponies.

"Now there's fourteen," Fili added with a sigh.

"Are you sure?" Alison asked, injecting as much surprise into her voice as she could, though of course she knew they were.

"Perhaps if we count again," Bilbo offered.

They did, but of course the outcome was the same; Kili shook his head at the end. "Daisy and Bungo are missing."

"Poor ponies," Alison murmured softly – and sincerely, since she knew they had to be terrified, being carted away by trolls.

"That's not good," Bilbo added with a nervous laugh. "That is not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"Uh, no," Fili said hastily. "Let's not worry him."

"As our official burglar, we thought you might like to look into it," Kili said hopefully, both of them looking as if they'd rather walk over hot coals than tell Thorin they hadn't been paying attention.

"Well, uh – " Bilbo glanced around for inspiration, then pointed with his empty hand to a tree that looked like it had been snapped in half. Alison was a little relieved to note it was a tree that had been perfectly normal when she left. She held out her empty hand, and Bilbo put the other bowl in it as he scrambled over to the tree, pointing at it and another one a little farther along, "Look, something big uprooted these trees."

"That was our thinking," Fili said with a nod.

"It's something very big and possibly quite dangerous," Bilbo went on, glancing around with worry.

"Um, would this be a good time to point out that Lily mentioned to your Uncle she'd had a vision about trolls?" Alison offered meekly, deciding she might as well speak up. Three heads whipped around to stare at her, and she went on hastily, "Just that she'd seen them burn down that farmhouse. She didn't know if they were still here or not, but she thought it might be a good idea to move on anyway. But your Uncle –" she shrugged.

"Didn't believe her?" Kili finished wryly, and Alison nodded.

"Trolls, though?" Fili frowned. "Surely not, they don't come this far south."

"That's what your Uncle said, but, well –" she gestured at the destroyed trees with one of the bowls and shrugged.

Fili and Kili turned to look at the trees again, and then suddenly, Fili was hurrying forward, everyone following him as he went deeper into the trees beyond the clearing where the ponies stood. "Hey," he whispered as he crouched down and pointed ahead through the tangle of trees, "there's a light." He jerked his head at them, hissing, "Over here. Stay down."

Alison set the bowls down on the log she remembered Bilbo using before she hurried after the others, crouching down next to Fili, who pulled her in close to his side as they all moved forward, staying low to the ground until they hid behind a tree, staring at the glow of firelight in the distance. At this point, even Alison could hear the grunting and booming laughter in the distance, and she shivered, finally realizing that the trolls were really there and this was all, in fact, real.

"What is it?" Bilbo whispered anxiously.

"It is trolls," Kili hissed in disbelief, and they all three looked at Alison again.

"Well, Lily's not usually wrong," she offered lamely, smiling weakly up at Fili. He was frowning, that calculating look in his eyes again, but Kili jerked his head at him at that moment and the two hurried forward.

Alison went after them, not about to be left behind when she knew what was coming, and Bilbo moved to follow, then looked at her empty hands. She pointed back to the log, a little exasperated, and Bilbo scrambled back, grabbing the bowls before following after them.

Fili and Kili had crouched behind another tree up ahead just as she and Bilbo reached them, and Alison felt the ground rumbling under her feet at that precise moment. Fili grabbed her arm, jerking her against his chest as he pressed himself to the tree, and Bilbo just managed to squeeze himself in next to Kili as a troll went lumbering by, a pony under each arm.

Alison stared at the troll in horror as it went by. It was fucking huge. It had to be at least three stories high, if not bigger, and it was carrying the ponies like they weighed no more than Chihuahuas would to her. It was one thing to see that on a movie screen, but another thing entirely to see it in real life, and know it could really stomp on you or eat you. "Oh my God," she hissed under her breath, trying not to panic. She didn't normally think of herself as a coward, but that was an actual fucking monster right there.

Fili wrapped his arm more tightly around her, squeezing her gently as he murmured, "Don't worry, you'll be fine. We'll protect you and your sister."

"He's got Myrtle and Minty," Bilbo hissed before Alison could reply, although she did feel strangely comforted by Fili's embrace and words. "I think they're gonna eat them. We have to do something!"

Alison could feel Fili's head nodding above her as Kili also enthusiastically nodded at Bilbo, saying, "Yes, you should." He stood up and moved to take his bowl from Bilbo, who was staring at him bug-eyed. "Mountain trolls are slow and stupid, and you're so small, they'll never see you." Bilbo was shaking his head and trying to make words, but Kili went on mercilessly, "It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you."

Fili gently set Alison off to the side, though he took one of her hands in his and tugged her along behind him as he moved to grab the other bowl from Bilbo, adding, "If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl and once like a brown owl."

"Wait!" Alison exclaimed as Fili went to tug her away and Kili went to push Bilbo. All three froze, looking to her again. "Maybe I should go with Bilbo?" she offered, mostly to test the waters. She wasn't so sure she was actually brave enough to sneak in there with just Bilbo, but she was curious to see how the brothers would react to the idea, and she thought it might make Bilbo feel better.

Fili whirled to look at her, his eyes lighting with fury. "Absolutely not!" he snarled, his hand tightening on hers almost hard enough to bruise.

"Uh, that is," Kili jumped in before Alison could answer, because now she was starting to feel like she might go with Bilbo just to spite Fili, "the trolls won't notice Bilbo, but they will notice you, so it's not a good idea. They're supposed to be . . . partial to the flesh of women."

"What?!" Alison hissed in disgust. She'd never heard that before, but then she supposed they hadn't had a woman with them in the story. "Ew! Well, in that case," she took the remaining dagger out of her belt loop and held it out to Bilbo, "you should take this. You might need it."

"A-all right." Bilbo looked thoroughly confused by the turn of events, but he took the dagger before Kili pushed him towards the light, and Fili, who had not yet let go of her hand, turned in the opposite direction and began pulling her back to camp.

"Fili!" she hissed at him as he steam-rolled along in the direction of the camp, still holding tightly to her right hand. He'd apparently forgotten entirely about the bowl of food he held in his other hand, though Kili was eating his as he trotted along beside them.

"What?" he growled, sounding – and looking – rather Thorin-like as a muscle ticked in his jaw. He didn't even look in her direction.

"You can let go of me now," she pointed out. "I am heading back to camp with you."

"Yes, you are!" He didn't bother to let go of her hand or slow down in the slightest, however, as she hurried along trying to keep up to him. He glanced quickly at her, his eyes blazing in an entirely different fashion now, before looking ahead again. "What were you thinking, offering to sneak in there with Bilbo?! Do you know how dangerous that would have been?!"

"It's dangerous for Bilbo too," she muttered rebelliously, torn between being annoyed with Fili over his high-handed maleness and feeling guilty for making him so angry when she'd had every intention of going back to camp in the first place. He shot her another freezing glare, and she added hastily, "But I didn't know about trolls liking to eat women especially, or I wouldn't have offered. Ugh." She shuddered at the thought.

His face softened at that, and his iron grip on her hand relaxed, though he still didn't let her go completely. "Good. Just . . . don't offer to throw yourself into danger like that again, okay? I haven't given you nearly enough lessons for that yet, and the quest will be dangerous enough as it is without you offering to put yourself in danger."

Well, now she felt just plain guilty, Alison thought with a sigh. He sounded really worried about her now, and that completely melted away her annoyance with him. "Okay, I won't offer to throw myself into danger again," she promised him. She'd just plain do it, without offering, that's all. It wouldn't be a lie.

"Thank you," Fili murmured, smiling over at her, his anger apparently gone as well, and she nodded, trying to prevent the sudden blush that she felt. Friends could be worried about each other's safety, couldn't they? This was fine.

By this point, they'd reached the campsite, though Kili had gotten there ahead of them, having trotted on faster once he'd eaten his food, and was already shouting about trolls taking the ponies and Bilbo sneaking in to try to free the ponies.

The dwarves were shooting to their feet, rounding up their weapons as Thorin stared at Kili for a long moment. "Trolls?" he repeated, shooting a glance at Lily, who shrugged in an 'I-told-you-so-didn't-I?' manner.

"Trolls, Uncle," Fili confirmed. He'd dropped Alison's hand once they got to camp, and moved over to Thorin, continuing, "Kili and I saw them. There are three of them, and they were carrying the ponies away to eat."

"Then we will eliminate them before they can do so," Thorin declared. He glared pointedly at Lily and Alison, who had just reached Lily's side. "You two will remain here. The rest of you, with me. Kili, lead us to the trolls."

"Of course, Uncle." Kili turned and ran back in the direction they'd come, Thorin and the other dwarves streaming after him. Fili hesitated, glancing back at Alison. "You will stay here, right?"

"Of course we will," Alison said. For now. "I don't really want to get eaten."

Fili frowned, looking at her in the same doubtful manner Lily had earlier. "You're really just going to stay without arguing?"

Alison bit firmly on the inside of her cheek to keep from grinning. It appeared Fili already knew her well enough to be suspicious of how easily she'd agreed to Thorin's decree. "Yes, I am," she repeated, managing to keep her tone even. "We'll wait here for you, so you'd better hurry before your Uncle notices you're missing."

Fili glanced behind him, clearly seeing how far away the others were, and looked back, nodding. "All right, as long as you promise to stay here. We'll be back." With that, he turned and raced after the others.

Once he was out of earshot, Lily sighed, shaking her head. "You don't feel bad for lying?"

"It's not a lie," Alison defended herself, though she couldn't help grinning. "We are staying here for now. It's just that later, once they fail to come back, we'll get worried and have to go looking to see what happened." She fluttered her lashes innocently at Lily, in much the same fashion she planned to use on Fili later.

Lily laughed, though she shook her head again. "Poor Fili. He knows you well enough to be suspicious that you agreed so easily, but he doesn't know you planned to stay here all along only to follow them later. So is the plan still to go cut them out while Bilbo distracts the trolls?" She lifted the dagger Alison had given her earlier, waving it.

"Actually, I'm going to change the plan a little. Apparently, the trolls really like 'the flesh of women'," she shuddered again, "so you're going to cut them out while I distract the trolls more, just in case. I'll climb up a tree and throw rocks at them. Hopefully, between that and Bilbo, they'll never notice you."

Lily frowned at her. "That doesn't sound like a good idea. What if they notice you?"

"They won't. I'll find a really good tree to hide in," Alison said, with a confidence she didn't exactly feel.

Lily's frown deepened. "I still don't like it. Why can't we wait here? This time around, they'll be fine without us."

"Yes, probably, but we need to look a little useful. And besides, what if it doesn't go the way it's supposed to? I gave Bilbo that dagger he's not supposed to have, what if it butterfly effects things and messes everything up?" Alison hadn't really thought about it before, but what if their being here really started to change things? She didn't think that giving Bilbo the dagger would change much; he would have been able to cut out the ponies without trying to take that weapon from the troll, but the trolls would've noticed him as soon as the ponies started to escape, and likely caught him in roughly the same fashion, and Bilbo probably would drop the dagger and Kili would jump out as before. But what if that didn't happen, and she'd messed something up? She couldn't bear if it she got any of the dwarves – or Bilbo – killed when they weren't supposed to be, or before they were supposed to be.

Lily sighed. "I really don't think that one little dagger will change anything, but if you're really worried, maybe we should go hide and see what's happening. Somewhere downwind or something, after the fight's done, anyway, and then we'll move in to help when the time is right."

Alison hugged her fiercely. "Thank you, Lil."

Lily pushed her off, laughing. "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome."

They waited what they thought was an appropriate amount of time for the fight to finish and the dwarves to be tied up before they made their way out of the camp and towards the trolls' camp. Alison led Lily to the same spot she'd hidden with the others before, and then they crept carefully through the trees until they were close enough to see everything.

Fortunately, they seemed to have timed everything appropriately well, for they got within earshot soon enough to see Bilbo hopping forward in his sack, saying, "I meant with the uh, seasoning."

"What about the seasoning?" one of the trolls demanded.

Alison was vastly relieved, as she studied the clearing, to see that everything appeared to be going exactly as it was supposed to be. Half the dwarves were tied up in sacks with Bilbo, piled over by a rock, while the other half were turning on the spit in their underwear above the fire. All of them seemed to be completely fine, and Bilbo was distracting the trolls as planned until the sun came up and they would turn to stone, as he continued, "Well, have you smelt them? You're gonna need something stronger than sage before you plate this lot up."

While the dwarves started shouting at Bilbo, Alison gestured to the dagger Lily had tucked through her own belt loop. "Take that, keep to the trees and make your way over to the dwarves, start cutting them loose. I'll get myself some rocks and climb up a tree."

Lily nodded doubtfully, but she began creeping through the trees as Alison hastily stuffed her jeans pockets with small rocks, picked out a large, bushy tree, and scaled its branches until she'd reached a decent height. By this time, one of the trolls was talking about grabbing its filleting knife, after Bilbo's ill-conceived advice about skinning dwarves to cook them properly, so Alison flung a rock as hard as she could. The first one missed, and so did the second one.

By this point, she'd spotted Lily crouching by the sacks, cutting the rope on Thorin's, and so she gritted her teeth and carefully aimed the third one, finally succeeding in pinging it off a troll's chest just before they were going to grab Bombur. "Hey!" the troll protested as she pinged a second one off it. "Tom, quit throwing rocks at me!"

"I ain't throwing rocks!" 'Tom' protested. Alison bounced one off him for good measure. "It must be William!"

"It ain't me," the other troll protested. Alison threw two more, so caught up that she didn't notice the wind had shifted. She glanced down at the sacks again, pleased that Thorin was free and had apparently taken the dagger and made Lily hide again, working to cut Kili free next.

"I smell something sweet!" a voice suddenly boomed much too close by, and Alison whirled toward the noise, only to see a troll standing directly in front of her tree.

Oh shit! Fuck fuck fuck! Why did I stop watching them?! She moved to scramble down the tree, but she wasn't fast enough. A massive hand shot out and plucked her right out of the tree, and she couldn't stop herself from shrieking in terror as the troll pulled her triumphantly out.

"What have ya got there, William?" one of the other trolls boomed as the one holding her swung back to the others, grinning widely as it held her tightly in its hand while she struggled.

"Some woman-flesh for dessert," William answered, leering at her.

"Oh, fuck you." She spat in his face, entirely unsure of where her bravado came from, but instantly regretting it as the troll squeezed her hard and she couldn't keep from screaming in pain.

"Ali!" She heard two simultaneous, terrified shouts of her name, one that she was sure was Lily, out from her hiding spot, and the other that she knew had to be Fili. And all she could think, as the troll lifted her higher above its mouth, was that she was going to die, and they would eat Lily right after, and then who would save Fili, Kili and Thorin?

I fucked this up big time. She squeezed her eyes shut as the troll's mouth came closer, and prayed to whatever god was listening that it would be quick.