Bilbo sighed when Balin finally disappeared around the corner. His shoulders drooped and he leaned more heavily on the rock wall. It felt suddenly like he had no more strength left in his body. But, in truth, he hadn't had any strength for some time now. It was only from borrowing Thorin's strength and from sheer determination that he was still standing up to this point. Now that he was alone without anyone watching him, there was just nothing left.

Bilbo laughed at himself. It had barely been months since he had first seen Thorin again and he hadn't even been truly rejected. As a dwarf he had lasted years before finally succumbing. Hobbits were truly a people who felt things deeply. No wonder their lifespans were so much shorter than dwarves. To live a long life of such pain would be miserable, Bilbo was sure. Well, it was no matter anyway, Bilbo was probably going to die today whether by Sickness or through facing a dragon. This pain would finally be over.

"Well Bilbo, old boy," he said to himself after a moment's rest. "No use standing around here. You can't give up just before the end." He inhaled deeply, exhaled slowly, and pushed himself off the wall. "I've faced many a foe without worry, and I think a dragon will be no different," he lied to himself, creeping down the hall.

The treasure room didn't exist anymore. Or at least if it did, it couldn't be distinguished from any other through the massive sea of gold that encompassed it. The wealth had grown over the years with jewels and gold from men, elves, and dwarves and Bilbo couldn't see the end of it. The piles seemed so deep, that he almost feared he would be sucked under and drown if he even stepped foot on it.

He scrunched his nose and sighed again. Of course, he hadn't thought this would be easy, but he had at least hoped that it wouldn't be this difficult. It could take ages for him to find that stupid stone and by then he would surely be eaten alive. Well, he might as well get this over with as not. If he waited too long, the dwarves might storm in after him and that he just couldn't allow.

Slowly, Bilbo set one foot and then the other on top of the gold as though he were on the edge dipping his toes in the water to check its temperature. Luckily, nothing happened except for a little scraping of the gold. It was highly uncomfortable, though, and Bilbo couldn't help but thank Yavanna for the thick soles of hobbits or else it surely would have been much worse.

Bilbo sighed again. This would be like finding a needle in a haystack. At least he knew what he was looking for. He could only imagine how much harder it would be to find that darn stone despite its distinct features if he didn't know what it looked like. Still, Bilbo wasn't looking forward to the task.

"My One it's time to get up." Thorin's voice drifted into Bilbo's ears as he softly shook his shoulder.

"Just five more minutes," Bilbo said, though he knew he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep on this cold hard ground anyway. He had gotten somewhat used to travelling with his injuries so sleep came easier than it had when this began, but only slightly.

"Sorry amrâlimê," Thorin said, "but I have to go to a meeting with my father and grandfather and I'd like you to come with me."

Bilbo shook himself and sat up from his bed roll as a feeling of dread overcame him. It was never a good sign when his husband asked for his presence at meetings. "Why me?" Bilbo asked. "You don't normally need me when you meet with your family."

Thorin rubbed the back of his neck and held out his hand to Bilbo, helping him straight into a hug. Thorin had been doing that a lot since they were reunited. Perhaps it was because he couldn't believe his luck that Bilbo had survived. Honestly, Bilbo could hardly believe it too. "We plan to go see the men in the town nearby," he said. "Perhaps they'd be willing to trade with us."

"I see," Bilbo said. "I seem to recall that they didn't like us very much at the last town we went to."

"I know," Thorin said, running his hands through Bilbo's hair. "That's why I need you there. I don't know if I'll be able to hold back if you aren't there to stop me."

Bilbo smiled and pushed Thorin away from him. "Very well," he said. "If you insist, I will go with you." In truth, though, Bilbo really did not want to go. He would do anything for his husband, but it was more than just the fact he was a dwarf that had people hating him in the last few towns. In a couple of them, some of the children had even called him a monster, which had very nearly sent Thorin over the edge. The men in the meetings tended to sneer at him and if he even tried to say anything they would interrupt and claim that it had nothing to do with him since he wasn't of noble blood. Honestly, Bilbo wasn't even sure that King Thror and Prince Thrain really liked his presence either since he was creating more of a distraction than a help. Still, he would do whatever it took to make his love feel better.

Bilbo had been searching for hours and yet still he had no luck. The worst part was that he was sure that he hadn't yet even made it through half of the treasure. How he was going to find one small stone in these mountains? At this point he was seriously considering just heading back to the dwarves. Perhaps he could take a little bit of the treasure with him. They had enough food provided by Lake Town to last them a couple of days, but it would be good to have a little extra money just in case they ran out. And if he took a little at a time every time that he came to visit, perhaps the dragon wouldn't notice.

He stooped down to scoop up a few gold pieces with every intention of stuffing them into his pockets. The gold swam and moved out of his reach. Then he was suddenly rolling down a mountain of gold. Bilbo didn't even know what was happening, he only felt the pain. Several of the sharper jewels gouged his skin even through his clothes and those that weren't dug into any available surface leaving deep bruises that he was sure to feel later. There was a crack and Bilbo had to bite his tongue so he wouldn't scream as bones broke.

AN: I'm sorry for the short length guys. I'm trying to get back into writing and i thought it better to do a short one rather than none at all.