Just a warning, Azog isn't in this chapter. This was meant to actually be the beginning part of it but for some reason, it turned out longer. So, yeah, the emotional stuff is in this chapter and the actiony bits are in the next one for an easier, shorter read.

Azog's chapter, "...Into the Fire." will be up as soon as i finish writing it.

My entire body protested the treatment that it was being put under; every bone ached and my legs felt weak even as I kept them going. I couldn't stop even though I desperately wanted to. I needed to catch up with the dwarves and Gandalf and I had to keep going until I did so. Everything hurt though and more than once, I slowed down just so that I could regain my breath.

I wasn't even sure how far I ran down the hillside in the strange wisp of a world that the magic ring caste all around me but when I felt I could finally run no more and my poor abused ribs literally could not take another step, I slowed and stopped and went to a nearby tree.

I gasped and inhaled deep gulps of breath, each intake a fresh stab of pain, sweat pouring down my back and I shook from the effort it took just to keep standing. I coughed when I failed to catch my breath and when I looked around and saw that I was alone, I finally seemed to relax fully and put my sword back in its sheathe.

"Is this the other side of the mountains?"

I looked around and even from the direction I came from, I no longer saw the distant doorway of the goblin hold that I had escaped from. All I saw was bushes and trees and the mountains looming from beyond where I stood. The sky was bright white above me; daytime, and given where we were when we were captured by the goblins... I found myself thinking almost shockingly, how long had I been in the dark?

I pushed off the tree, unwilling to stop for long but the second I did so, I fell to my knees. I was starved, my stomach growling in protest to missed meals. I looked around, trying to gauge how much time had passed while I was underground but with the way the world hazed in a show of air and washed out color, I could barely tell what time of day it was. All I knew was that the sun was out and given all that happened to me recently, I felt that was well enough to be thankful for.

Awkwardly, I rose back up on my feet and used the light to finally get a good look at my injured foot; a cut that still bled but it wasn't so deep that it would need stitches. I ignored it for now and pressed onward, determined to find the dwarves just because I couldn't tolerate being alone anymore.

I couldn't jog or run anymore, my ribs throbbing painfully preventing me from doing anything more than a hobbled walk but I kept on going. I felt miserable and I needed a bath. I yearned for a drink of water to chase the dry, grating feeling in my throat that I couldn't ignore any longer.

A sensation against my shoulder stopped me in my tracks, unwilling to take another step forward until I knew if whatever caused the sensation was a friend or foe. In the state I was in, I could take no chances. I stayed still and listened, trying to will the voices sharper through the haze of the magic world; I felt something that was like a brush against my cheek, a sensation in my mouth, maybe a touch along my side. I couldn't be sure.

If I wanted to know for sure, I would need to approach whatever it was making the sounds.

I was still unwilling to move until I remembered rather dumbly that I still wore a magic ring that made me invisible. Nearly wanting to smack myself for forgetting such an obvious fact, I cautiously slipped forward. Sloped away down a rocky path where the ground dipped low and trees and bushes gave adequate cover to recuperate, I found the dwarves talking with Gandalf. Off to the side, I spotted the small figure of Balin on watch, his ears attentive and his eyes constantly moving the line of the trees for any sign of trouble.

Relief flooded my body and I wanted to collapse again on the ground; I crept by the master watchman himself and came around the side, just happy to see the sight of the dwarves and their messy, mangy hair and burly forms pumped up wide with leather and fur.

How long I had taken for granted the sight of them and how happy I was to see them again!

As I approached them, my hand on the ring around my finger just about to take it off and rejoin them, I stopped when I noticed that they were arguing about something. Their voices were steadily growing louder, frustration and annoyance coming through clearly despite not being able to feel the sensations of it on my skin. They must have felt like I did, mangled and beaten from the lack of sun and meals, though with the addition of a goblin party that they needed to have dealt with.

I wasn't exactly sure what made me keep the ring on but my hand stilled on the golden band as I approached the group until I was standing close to Thorin. He looked utterly spent, tired and exhausted in a way I wasn't familiar with given everything we had been through recently. Even Dwalin who stood next to him looked tired, keeping quiet as Gandalf huffed about this and that.

"After all she is my friend! I feel responsible for her. How could you have lost her?"

They were talking about me? Obviously, they would be talking about me. I was the only one not present and how hadn't Gandalf and the others noticed that fact before? I kept still, my breathing quieting even though the company couldn't see me and yet, recent fear bred in me the worry that even if I made the slightest move, they would be able to find me like Gollum did.

Unconsciously, my fingers twisted the ring around my finger as I listened to their conversation, confusion marring with curiosity over what they would say about me while I was unknowingly present.

"I think I saw her slip away when they first collared us?"

I looked at Nori, whose voice barely brushed against my nose because of the magic ring. I watched the group as they huffed about in exasperation, tired and drained. Now that I looked at each of them closely, I saw that they were messy and worse for the wear but none of them were injured. They all looked exhausted but none of them were in worse shape than I. While that was relieving, the tension within the group kept me from relaxing. Thorin himself stayed quiet, his eyes looking at his nephews before trailing back up towards the mountain.

"See, we didn't lose her!" I looked over to Dori before Gloin grumbled and muttered, "Why couldn't she just stick to us and stay close to her friends?"

I didn't want to feel offended by what he said but given all that happened to me recently, I bristled at the very idea that on top of the insanity that occurred after falling out of the tunnel and being swept up by goblins, I was supposed to have stayed close and followed without any trouble at all! I wanted to shout at Gloin and tell him that I tried to follow them but had been attacked!

Irritation made them tired and exhaustion made them careless and rash; they reminded me of children who threw temper tantrums, wanting to sleep but fighting every step of the way. "Without sense that one, wandering off alone!" Dori tutted, his older brother instincts kicking in even as he fawned over Ori, who brushed off his hands like he was embarrassed and annoyed that Dori couldn't leave him be for just a minute.

My temper flared at Dori's insensitive tone, tears welling up in my eyes because the dwarves had not even an inkling of what I just went through to get back to them!

"If we've got to go back now, then drat her, I say!"

Even as I looked up, a few of the other dwarves followed suit. We all stared at Gloin, surprise and alarm being directed at him by each and every one of us. Careful Balin who would never have dreamt to ever disregard his duty of taking watch seriously, looked back with an eyebrow raised while Kili practically glared daggers at the red haired dwarf. His hand was the only thing that held his brother back, the blonde dwarf red faced and ready to tussle with the shorter dwarf. Even Dori who spoke ill of me moments before looked at the dwarf as if he were strange. Dwalin looked almost as if he wanted to pummel the dwarf for saying such a thing while in the presence of Thorin.

Thorin himself looked to bristle with annoyance and borderline anger, finally taking his eyes off the mountain about to yell something before Gandalf rounded on the red headed dwarf, irritation warring with the need to understand that the dwarves were tired and not in their right minds, "I brought her, and I don't bring things that are of no use! Either you help me go look for her, or I go and leave you here!"

The company was divided about what to do or say given the situation and the gravity of what the wizard said; obviously they were unwilling to let the wizard leave them there by themselves but there was a real danger in going back into the mountain to look for me. My fingers twisted along the ring as I listened, "Why ever did you abandon her?!"

Thorin suddenly rose up from where he had been quietly standing, observing his company. I watched him quick as a snake as he lashed out at Gandalf, his voice an angry brush against my arms, "We did not abandon her! Wise and knowing as you are, you know what goblins would do to her! I kept her from them and if what Nori says is true, she saw her chance and took it!"

I prided myself on being proper and being someone who could take a nasty comment and just quietly let it slid. Yes, what Thorin said was technically in my defense but just as easily as he defended his actions, his tone turned it around and blamed me for yet another inconvenience that his company had to deal with. My hands clenched into fists when I saw that everyone seemed to agree with Thorin.

"If she is worth half as much as you say, then she is smart enough to know to be long gone from here."

Memories of days past came back to me.

The darkness of the mountain kept me from thinking of it because of the danger but now that I was safe again, I could not dismiss it any longer. Thorin's attitude towards me had been foul, steadily growing worse for whatever reason he felt necessary. I remembered how for days I had been trying to keep up, trying not to let his words bother me to the point where I wanted to give up. When I did give up, I corrected the mistake and searched for a way back to them.

I thought back to all the times where Thorin nagged at me and yelled. Times where I felt useless and small. Ashamed of my even being a Hobbit.

"We will not be seeing our Hobbit again."

I could take no more given what I went through to get back to them, to get back to the brothers and our leader. I didn't want to take anymore considering how much I thought of them and how much I felt I had been trying to make Thorin proud with how I handled myself down in the tunnels. I wasn't going to be the proper Hobbit anymore! I ripped off the ring from my finger and registered the collective gasps of shock on the dwarves' faces for half a second before I shoved Thorin with all the strength I could muster.

I didn't care that it wasn't fair and that his back was turned away from me but as I saw him topple down to the ground in a whirl of fabric and garbled surprised noises, I felt a satisfaction rise up in me so powerful that I could hardly stop myself from yelling at that startled face as it whipped back to look at me, "Confusticate you all!"

I shouted it in anger, my face twisted into an ugly expression even as Thorin quickly found his feet again with Dwalin reaching down to help him back up. Everyone else stared back blankly, Gloin even giving me an extra birth of space. Gandalf himself was hardly phased at all by my behavior and happily exclaimed, "Bilbo Baggins! I have never been so glad to see-"

He didn't get to finish as I interrupted him, an angry shout coming from my mouth even as I pushed against Thorin's chest angrily, "You have no idea what I've been through to find you! I was alone! I was scared!" I pushed at him, his balance unable to be swayed even by my strength. Eventually I just balled up my fists and hit uselessly at him, shouting all the while he took in my state, bloodied and beaten and exhausted. When I went to him him again, he grabbed me and held tight. "What happened to you!?"

His voice raced over me, worry and outrage washing over me in fingers down my arms. I wanted to fight my way out of his grip just because I was still upset and I didn't want to comforted by him or any of the dwarves anymore! I wanted to slap them all but my ribs hurt from my exertion and I winced even as I tried to pull away. Thorin's eyes narrowed, his voice softly whispering, "You're hurt?"

I looked at him tiredly, just wanting to collapse and cry but I pushed him away from me, "I tried to get back to you! I fell off the bridge after being attacked by a goblin! I didn't wander off!"

I glared at Dori but I wasn't able to see his reaction due to the brothers crowding around me happily, Fili's hand on my head, brushing back the hair from my face so that he could see me, "How on earth did you get by the goblins?"

"Bilbo, we thought you lost!"

Kili hugged me tightly and finally every bit of tension seemed to melt away for the dwarves; their burglar was back and they wouldn't need to go back into the mountains. Being reunited with them and hearing how happy they were at my arrival seemed to wash away my own frustrations. I laughed tiredly, on the verge of crying. Their voices were familiar pinches on my bottom and it was so relieving just to feel them again. When the frustration left me fully, I realized that I was just so happy to be reunited with the dwarves again.

I missed them so terribly and I hugged Kili to me tightly, seeing his surprised look before he gingerly returned the gesture. Fili's hand on my back was comforting and I turned to look at the rest of the group, telling them in full detail what had happened to me since we were separated. They listened intently to how I wandered in the darkness, how I hurt my foot and though I had to stop for Oin to fuss over the wound, the others ushered him off so that I could finish.

When I told them of the events of Gollum, they listened closely for even they had never heard of such a creature and they were curious to know how I managed to keep him from immediately trying to kill me. I didn't tell them of the ring because overall it didn't seem very important for some reason. The game of riddles came as a shock but Gandalf and Balin seemed pleased by the prospect of me using such a means to negotiate my escape. After I told them of what happened after that, how Gollum had lost and tried to kill me, their faces fell and they grew angry.

I went on to tell them of how I ran away and got stuck while trying to slip away, motioning to my buttons on my vest and then how I fought for my freedom after I saw Gandalf and them pass me by in the tunnel. At the conclusion of my story, all of them went quiet before exploding in a roar of praise, friendly natured pats on my shoulder and even a rough push from Dwalin that made me wince, "Well done, laddie! Showed that bastard!"

I felt welcome and I felt like I made the dwarves proud for the first time. It wasn't like the time with the trolls where Gandalf saved us and I only helped. This was something I did completely on my own. Sure, they were still doubtful of what worth I would be against a dragon but at least they knew that I could at least hold my own against a creature the likes of Gollum. I smiled at them, laughing tiredly, happy to be there with them.

Now we had the rather interesting task ahead of us of what to do from there. Most of us looked to have lost our supplies and we were without food or water. It was not an easy place to just pick up from but Gandalf seemed to have some clue; already he was walking away and pointing into the distance. While some of the dwarves trailed after him, the brothers and Thorin stayed close to me, not wanting to move until I did so. Thorin's eyes found mine before he glanced at the brothers.

"Regardless of all that happened, I want to know. Why did you come back?"

His voice trailed over my neck like an eager touch from a lover and I looked up at him, my eyes bright and my smile easy for the first time in ages. I knew he was asking me about why I felt the need to return to them when the last time we met I was determined to leave his company. In a way, I wanted to tell Thorin some long drawn out speech about why I felt I needed to help him and the other dwarves, but in all honesty, none of it even mattered right then. I said the truth without needing to be proper about it.

"I just couldn't think of anywhere else I wanted to be."

It was the truth and in my entire time away from them, I never once thought of my comfy bed, or my books and I really just couldn't imagine going back to the Shire all the while knowing the dwarves fought for their own home.

Before Thorin could give me a reply to my answer, I heard a sound on the wind and turned my head, curious and wondering. I couldn't place where it came from but a second later, a large howl was in the air.

The rest of the dwarves stopped around us, Gandalf looking back in the beginnings of apprehension. When I looked back at Thorin, his body was tense and his eyes searching the forest line. The sound I felt was familiar but I didn't want it to be. I recognized it but I hadn't felt it since before we were forced to rush into the safety of Rivendell.

"Out of the frying pan..." Thorin looked around for what he knew to be danger but Gandalf was ushering us away, finishing his statement for him, "and into the fire... RUN!"

Thorin grabbed my hand and once again, I had to run.