Bilbo's dream.

Bilbo dreamt, he knew he was dreaming but it was hard to proceed. After initial darkness everything was white. It was like Deer knew he was coming to get Fili and Kili, not to hunt it down, or to be hunted in less optimistic option. Bilbo wasn't optimistic of his odds. But he had to come in, for Thorin.

As soon as he thought about him there he was standing tall and proud, beautiful and… smiling. That smile made Bilbo stop. It wasn't like anything Bilbo saw on real life Thorin. Smile was soft, gentle, inviting. Thorin himself was different, his hair was groomed and shiny, his skin freshly bathed, and he wore only white clean garment that looked thin.

Bilbo froze, he didn't dare to go pass that dream-like Thorin. He couldn't predict what he'll do. What if he tries to grab hold of him, how will Bilbo fight him? It wasn't the matter of his strength, even though Thorin was considerably stronger, but matter of… He just looked like he could hug Bilbo. How could Bilbo ever fight that? Bilbo turned trying to avoid him but everywhere he turned there he was, standing, waiting. It was frightening and maddening. Mad part was that he wanted to go forward and receive that hug. Frightening was that he would probably get it. How would he ever get out of it, was a problem to be solved. Time was racing, in dreams everything moved faster and he could feel he's running out of time.

That made him finally move forward and as expected Thorin extended his hand to touch him but Bilbo stopped before he could reach him.

"What's wrong?" said dream Thorin. "How do I look like to you?"

"Lovely" said Bilbo heavily.

"Then what's wrong?" said dream Thorin gently. "Aren't I beautiful enough?"

"More beautiful than anything" said Bilbo desperately knowing he'll lose but then Thorin's hand grabbed him hard causing him pain.

How could pain and touch feel so real, like it wasn't a dream at all? Was he wrong? Was he awake?

"None of it is real" said Thorin with spike in his voice, but his face was still smiling.

"Are you mad at me?" he said sadly thinking how convenient it was that even a dream Thorin would be mad at him.

"No" said smiling Thorin gentler but Bilbo could clearly hear the strain in his voice, it didn't match his face, this was a dream, what it was about dreams he said recently. "Wander off into illusion."

"Book, give me a book to read" and out of nowhere there was a book full of letters but none of them he could read.

"Right" he said and started to walk. If this was a dream he was the dreamer, he'll get through. Fili, Kili, he concentrated himself but dream Thorin kept walking beside him smiling all the time. He still held Bilbo's hand, Bilbo stopped trying to wiggle out of the touch, the pain of it kept him awake. He wonder how the Deer could make such a mistake, pain was the great tool of sharpening the mind of the dreamer.

He was walking but no one appeared. Finally he stopped and shouted.

"Fili! Kili!" and suddenly from the white endless plain there was a forest and among enchanted trees there were elves, or more precisely elfish women, and among them there was Kili laughing.

"Kili!" he shouted again not willing to dwell further. There was a clear line where that forest started and Bilbo wasn't willing to cross over. He wasn't sure he would be able to tell whether the dream was real or not if it wasn't his to control. "Come over here at once, hurry, Thorin is waiting for you!"

Kili jumped up and raced towards him but he stopped just before the border looking back at elves.

"But he'll be more pleased with me if I catch the White Deer for him, he hates it. I was just telling these elves of my hunt, they are willing to help" he smiled widely.

"No, no, no" Bilbo got all flustered. "He won't be pleased at all. This is a dream Kili, think about it what would all these elves do here, they have better things to do than to help out some random dwarf!"

Kili looked back.

"You don't know that" he said reluctantly. "Uncle, this isn't a dream, is it?"

"That's not really Thorin, he's just a part of the dream" said Bilbo uncomfortably hiding his hand behind his hand. "Probably Fili's dream."

"It figures" Kili laughed. "Fili dreams he's king under the mountain, it's suiting he'll dream Uncle smiling and away from the mountain. I would be disappointed if he would dreamt of him sad, or dead, it wouldn't be very nice."

"Good, then you know where Fili is, we need to get out of here" Bilbo nodded satisfied with his assumption.

"Can't you see the mountain there?" Kili pointed right and suddently Bilbo could see the lonely mountain big and scary. "I should have known it was a dream when I saw it but it was such a nice thought to find mountain empty of Smaug and full of gold. Fili just ventured in all mesmerised but I stayed focused on the hunt. I must catch that damned deer."

"No" Bilbo shook his head. "We must go, how we'll get Fili out? I'm not sure going in is a great idea."

"Well that's easy" Kili laughed and just turned towards the mountain. "Fili" he shouted "get out Smaug is coming!"

In few seconds Fili was running towards them while Kili laughed.

"He has nightmares of him sometimes" he said with glee.

"Where?" Fili's swords were in his hands ready for fight.

"Here" said Bilbo instead of explaining and took them to thinner layers of the dream.

They were soon at the veil.

"Just jump through" he said to them "and you'll find what you're looking for."

Without further questions they jumped through. Bilbo was about to follow but pain reminded him of Thorin. He looked back at Thorin, he was still there smiling.

"Stay" he said quietly and approached Bilbo taking his face with his big hands. Bilbo trembled looking to his steel blue eyes piercing right through him. "Stay with me I need you" he said gently and leaned in and Bilbo started to breathe heavily. "Come" he said harsher "to feel real."

"But this doesn't feel real" he murmured to himself and forced himself to jump away. He did that with ease, real Thorin was too strong to be freed from so easily. He looked at smiling face without regret, he didn't love a picture of Thorin, the one that looks perfect, he loved tortured dwarf he was. With that he jumped through the veil just to see Thorin's face again, and to his despair he was smiling again.

"Oh no, I'm still dreaming" he closed his eyes crossing through that veil was but it was best to find it as soon as possible.

He looked around avoiding Thorin's gaze as he tried to convince Bilbo in his own reality. His voice was more real and raw than previous one, but smile was bright, he shouldn't look at it too closely.

But this Thorin was sneakier than one before. He put his hair in front of Bilbo's face and he knew he was stuck looking at it mesmerised. Thorin insisted in convincing Bilbo this wasn't a dream offering him unreadable inscription.

"But you can read the letters, they don't sway and disappear" Thorin's voice got impatient and Bilbo looked at the letters more closely.

"True…" he said and then suddenly realized position he was in. His hand was in Thorin's, he was on the verge of diving into his hair to inhale that scent of his. He quickly regained himself pulling his hand out and retreating to a safe distance. While at it Thorin thanked him for Kili's and Fili's rescue and that gave him a chance to move away.

He sat beside Fili and Kili who were sick and moaning. They were reassuringly real. So was Thorin as he got up and gave them piece of his mind. Hearing his harsh and unforgiving tone gave Bilbo appreciated dose of reality. This was real Thorin, one out of reach and in control.

Soon Gandalf showed up with dazed Dwalin and Bifur.

"They wandered off to the forest, but are still awake. Ah Bilbo my boy, what did I tell you Thorin, he was up for the task" Gandalf put his heavy hand on Bilbo's shoulder and he felt small. He didn't feel like he achieved anything. Now he knew he wouldn't know how to get out if Thorin didn't held his hand tightly. His palm still ached from his grip. Bilbo wondered was Thorin aware he was bringing Bilbo pain, did he knew enough of the dream world to make it an anchor for Bilbo to return to, or was it just a product of his own anxiety. Whatever it was pain was helping Bilbo to hold on to reality even awake. Thorin was strong, resilient dwarf who didn't need him at all.