It really was a nice dream :)

After giving Fili and Kili piece of his anger they went back. It was safer to travel at night than to sleep this near to Deer's sanctuary.

As they walked Thorin fell behind to be able to watch after his dwarves and his Hobbit. He felt safer that way. Gandalf led the way as torches lit the night. It was luck Orcs still haven't cross their path. One danger at time was how Thorin liked troubles. He didn't even consider a life without trouble, life was difficult and messy and that's the way things are.

As they reached the forest Kili slowed down to walk beside him. Thorin kept silent, he wasn't willing to disclose his anger, or relief in front of him. Emotions were stronger at night when shadows would hide his face.

"Well" started Kili hesitantly. "We don't have a head of a White Deer to show you."

Thorin just threw a glance at him feeling a bit proud, after all they did have a purpose in their hunt, not a desire to get lost in dreams.

"That beast is hard to kill anyway" said Thorin stiffly.

"Maybe its best that way, they say it's a bad luck to kill it" said Kili.

"They only say that to justify themselves from all the dead when they don't venture after it. You did the brave thing, stupid, but brave" Thorin had to give him something, if they only got after safe prey they would never got this far on their quest.

"Well I must say that I persisted on my trail" he said proudly "Fili sadly got distracted" he threw a bait at Thorin and he had to smile a bit, Kili couldn't see it in the dark anyway. "But we can't blame him" Kili continued even when Thorin didn't encouraged him. "There was a Lonely Moutain there, and no Smaug in sight. Imagine" Kili laughed "even in a dream he had you there, but sadly I think you weren't the ruler."

"What was I?" he had to ask already a bit irritated. It was understandable that Fili would dream of being the King under the Moutain, but it wasn't comfortable being there, watching it.

"I don't know, but you looked happy, maybe he imagined you on a permanent vacation, all dressed in white" Kili chuckled as Thorin growled under breath. "I know, it was so unlike you, but that's what dreams are like."

There was a silence afterwards and Thorin knew Kili is rethinking his words, they didn't make Thorin laugh like they were meant to, but Thorin wasn't in the mood for laughing.

When they reached the camp no one felt like sleeping so they sat beside the fire everyone were laughing at Fili's descriptions of the tame forest full of elves Kili was dreaming about. Kili laughed too. Thorin still wasn't in the mood for laughing. When all simmered down and dwarves dispersed to go to sleep Fili approached Thorin.

"I'm sorry for going after the Deer, I know it was stupid but he was so close, it looked like we can hit it. It always moved just enough to lure us further" Fili said seriously and Thorin nodded satisfied.

"It's a mark of a true leader to be able to recognize your mistakes" he said proudly. "You will be a good ruler."

Fili bowed his head in acceptance.

"What was the Moutain like?" Thorin had to ask.

"He told you, did he?" Fili looked repentant.

"Well you did tell his dream out loud to all, although I don't understand what would his heart desire in such a place, but maybe you two keep your secrets where it counts" Thorin said mildly.

Fili smiled all happy.

"It was wonderful, all filled with gold, but even in the dream I was sad that you weren't with me to celebrate it" he bowed his head.

Thorin frowned, why would he lie about that?

"Wasn't there someone in white?" he tried to get that out of him, maybe it was a ghost of him, it would explain the white outfit.

"Oh there was someone; I didn't have a time to look at him, we were running out. But that one was with Bilbo" he said smiling.

Thorin frowned.

"Are you sure? There wasn't someone else there?"

"Of course I'm sure, they held hands. That's why I didn't looked at his face it distracted me. I mean it doesn't have to mean anything I just found it strange, Bilbo usually keeps his hands to himself" he stopped, frowned and looked awkward. "I think I'll go to sleep now."

Thorin nodded and frowned deeply. He didn't think, he just sat there.

He didn't wanted to think about it.

It was Master Baggins private affair, what he dreams about. Besides maybe there were two persons in white in the dream. Ghost Thorin and someone Master Baggins held hands with.

But as master Baggins wake up and saw Thorin smiling he thought he was still dreaming. What did he say?

"Oh no, you're smiling, I'm still dreaming."

Kili said: you were happy.

While master Baggins thought he was still dreaming he didn't find it strange that Thorin held his hand.

Maybe that was it, maybe Hobbit did dream of Thorin holding his hand because in reality he did held his hand to help him back. It could be it, but there were things master Baggins was saying before he woke up.

Lovely and more beautiful than anything.

Thorin frowned. No, that couldn't be about him. There are no two statements that are further from him than those ones.

He wasn't lovely, nor beautiful in any way. He was battered, stern and hostile, he couldn't be seen as lovely. Besides it would be degrading to address him like that.

And it was said with such conviction. It couldn't be him. In dreams the Deer makes you dream you receive what you desire the most. Fili did dream of the Lonely Moutain. And Kili obviously desired something from the elves, he was always fascinated by strange things. There must have been someone else there, someone master Baggins desires the most. Thorin was there only as a guidance, to help them out.

He nodded satisfied with that answer, but still he felt strange. He felt as swarm of wasp is scratching insides of his chest. He wondered who that lovely and beautiful person could be. When they were in Shire he didn't show any sign that he's leaving someone important behind. What did he explain to Thorin earlier in the woods before Thorin hugged him? That Hobbits shook hands and waved at each other. After that Thorin hugged him because it sounded so sad.

Thorin stopped and thought of his own behaviour. He was a bit protective of hobbit lately. And they were in few situations that required proximity. And there was that time he carried him through the woods when they fled Orcs. Was it possible that it affected little hobbit in some way? After all if he wasn't accustomed in dealings and familiarity of dwarves it could have affect him somehow…

In that moment master Baggins came reluctantly from out of the dark looking angry.

"I couldn't sleep" he said and sat across Thorin avoiding his gaze. "That damn Deer scares me now more than Krill."

"He won't kill you" Thorin said with hoarse voice. "He just lullaby's ones who hunt him. That's why you were able to get out because you went in without desire to kill him."

"We can't blame him then" Bilbo frowned "it only protects itself from us that way."

"How quickly you are to forgive, he lures people to hunt him" Thorin scorned him "you all could have die in there."

"Maybe" Bilbo smiled at the flames not looking up "but it would be a lovely death" Thorin saw his cheeks blush and he felt inside a sudden rush of something. He had an impulse to jump over that fire and do something… anything to get himself rid of this sudden ache in his chest.

Thorin now thought how easily he invited Bilbo to sit by his side, share his warmth. He knew now that it was the matter of the past, such effortless familiarity. Bilbo glanced at him and Thorin could see the shame, shyness and some sort of glee in his eyes and he growled silently.

"But of course reality is better, no matter how painful it is" said Bilbo straightening his face to seriousness. "Pain reminds us of what's important. Thank you for that."

"For what?" Thorin frowned sensing a trap, of course he was related with pain for anyone.

"For squeezing my hand, it still aches, but pain did help me to remember the real you" Bilbo even had the nerve to smile at Thorin like he's allowed to look at him like that, it enraged him.

"And what is the real me?" his voice was menacing now but Bilbo didn't falter, he just kept on talking unaware of any danger.

"A strong, independent leader who needs us to finish this task" Bilbo said firmly and Thorin felt all the harsh words stopping at his throat. He was that, and that was the way to look at him. However he was saddened by that thought, he wasn't sure why.

"And we are going to do that" he said darkly breaking their stare. He looked down at flames thinking of Bilbo confronted with Smaug. The picture haunted him. Bilbo was much too small for the task. But if anyone can do it, Bilbo could, he could succeed. He did prevail in any task they put before him till now.

"In reality, not in a dream" said Bilbo firmly and Thorin lifted his gaze back at him. He looked so determinant. Before they began this journey Thorin would think of his determination as foolishness but now he knew it was something more, it was a real focus, ability to do things properly.

"What it was like" Thorin said quietly abandoning his caution, he just wanted to know "in the dream, to have the thing you desire the most?"

Bilbo looked down suppressing his smile and Thorin thought of him as lovely in that moment.

"It was empty really" he said looking at the memory. "It was a nice dream, but without pain we carry within ourselves it was just a picture, a lovely picture, but nothing you can grab on to and hold, nothing that will bring you pain as you hold it knowing it could never last, knowing life goes on and everything ends."

Thorin felt his eyes filling with tears but he didn't let them roll down, not now. There was too much truth in his words. Thorin has lost enough till now to know the pain of desiring anything. Gandalf was wrong he could go in and got out because desire was a commodity he couldn't afford to himself.

"I realized I prefer the pain" Bilbo concluded and looked at Thorin thinking he's safe from him, thinking Thorin doesn't know who he did dream about. The way Bilbo looked at him gave him proof that Thorin was the one in his dream. Bilbo dreamed about him lovely and beautiful, happy and crown-less, and it was probably a nice picture, but that could never be true. Thorin will get his crown or he'll die. There was no other destiny for him. But until that happens, whatever it came to pass it would be best to mind his own thoughts and avoid calling master Baggins Bilbo, even in his thoughts.

Master Baggins reminded Thorin of what he was, he was their burglar and on the end of this journey he'll enter the mountain to die or succeed, as simple as that. Calling him Bilbo brings confusion and distress, creates false sense they could be friends, that they could be effortless together. But as Master Baggins nicely put it, there was too much pain between them.

"You look cold" Thorin said harshly and threw blanket at him. "Cover yourself the morning is far."

After that they fell into silence in which Thorin plotted their way and tried to find a way through the wilderness for them, but there was too much he couldn't predict. As he draw the map on the ground he grew concerned, but surely Gandalf had a plan. He looked up to ask Master Baggins of his map but Master Baggins was sleeping by the fire all curled up in his blanket.

Thorin sat there staring at his sleeping face that made expressions even as he was dreaming. He looked lovely.

Uh, oh, poor Thorin, how he'll handle this?