Control

The group left Thorin's flat quickly. Gandalf and Thorin walked at a quick pace in front with Leah and Bilbo slightly behind. "Gandalf, we must find him and stop him. I cannot just walk away from this knowing he is taking lives," Thorin said.

Leah upped her pace and took Thorin's hand. "Please, don't. This is all my fault, and you're picking up the pieces of my fuck up! If anyone it should be me that goes up against him."

Thorin's eyes widened and he glared at her angrily. "And that is completely out of the question! Not only do we all need you to open the door to send that disgusting creature to hell, I need you. We will all keep you safe."

"We will need you to stand before him at some point," Gandalf told her. "But we will guard you."

"I need to go to my sister...please," Leah begged. By now the group had left the small flat block and were heading down the street together. A few heads turned upon hearing their conversation and also looking at the strange combination of the group. Even in this world they all seemed like a group of misfits. "And shouldn't we wait for Fili and Kili to get here?"

"Maybe Leah is right," Gandalf said, stopping. "Someone must stay behind to wait for your nephews. It should be Bilbo and Leah. We will track down Azog together."

Leah grabbed Thorin's shirt. "I'm not letting you go without me," she demanded, gritting her teeth. "I know I can't fight like you can, but let me go with you. I'm sure Bilbo can stay behind on his own."

Bilbo raised his eyebrow, feeling as though he were already been forced out of the equation.

"We need to keep him away from you until you've got control over this power," Thorin explained. "So for now Gandalf and myself will track him down and you will wait with Bilbo for Fili and Kili. They can then join us when they're ready. I have a phone with me so we can remain in contact. Take the number from it."

In frustration and fear, Leah took Thorin's number from his mobile. She then sighed and shoved her mobile back in her pocket. "I'll only give you one command," Leah began, smiling weakly.

"And what is that?" Thorin asked, reciprocating her smile.

"You come back in one piece and breathing."

"You know that I intend to," Thorin whispered and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Bilbo will keep you safe until I return." He then looked at Bilbo and nodded his head. "Take care of her for me, Burglar."

Leah and Bilbo walked back to the flat block in silence. In her back jeans pocket was a spare key that Thorin had given her. "Do you ever wake up in a morning and think, 'what the hell is going on?'" Leah asked.

Bilbo chuckled. "Every day since the morning Gandalf arrived."

"And why did Thorin call you 'Burglar'. I think that one passed me by," Leah asked in confusion.

"Oh, yes, Gandalf did tell me that you have no memory, or little of it, of what happened. When Gandalf asked me to be a part of the Company, I signed a contract written by Thorin and Balin which stated they were looking for a burglar – someone who could slip unnoticed past Smaug to retrieve the Arkenstone." Bilbo explained during the walk back to Thorin's residence. "Maybe you're better in some ways not having the memories of what happened."

Leah put the key into the door and let them both in, shutting the door behind them and proceeding to respond to Bilbo's recent statement. "Maybe some memories I don't want, but there are a lot that I do. The one memory I wish had never come back was Thorin's death. And also when he was taken by the Dragon Sickness. Those are probably the two worst I could have and they're the ones that I see the clearest in my mind. I look at you and I recognise you, but I don't know where from. It's strange."

"There must be a way to get all of your memories back. You're gradually unlocking them, but there's got to be something that will send them flooding back to you."

"I hope so, Bilbo. I really do," Leah said softly. "I think it's weird how you've all appeared here with names and lives. Thorin actually has a flat with a television, and all the things we use. He even said he instinctively knew how to use it. Sounds like something out of Quantum Leap."

Bilbo looked at Leah in confusion, having never heard of Quantum Leap and decided to skip the discussion at this point. The presence of the Ring in his shirt pocket began to make itself known; he could feel the weight of it. Why had be brought it with him? Something called to him, a voice telling him to keep it close by. Maybe it would come in handy at some point and he could become invisible again.

The room grew quiet and a tension seemed to develop in the air. What on Earth could Bilbo say to her to make her feel better about this situation? He knew that she'd no doubt be worrying about Thorin and carrying the guilt on her shoulders of letting Azog back through.

"So? Um...you and Thorin?" Bilbo asked awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. As the words slipped off his tongue, he felt stupid.

Leah raised her eyebrow and shifted in her seat next to him on the sofa. "I'm guessing it wasn't something you'd have expected?"

"Well, not upon seeing you both when you first met, I suppose. He seems a bit too old and grumpy for you," Bilbo said, gradually smiling. True, Thorin could be moody and distant when he wanted to be. Leah, on the other hand, during her time in Middle-earth had always been quite cheerful and ready to take things as they came to her. She did, however, seem more withdrawn in this world.

Leah sniggered. "Grumpy. I like that. Definitely a word I'd use to describe him when he can't get his own way. As for his age, it shouldn't matter. I've been with a man who was a couple of years younger than me and it worked, just about, for the time we were together. But Thorin has the maturity I need. He grounds me a little, I think."

"I think you're good for each other," Bilbo said. "You work well together. When we were all on the journey together, he seemed to trust your judgement, which is strange as he can be cynical at times. It took quite a while for him to completely trust me."

Leah sighed. "He didn't trust me with Fili."

"Fili?" Bilbo asked, quite shocked by the revelation. "Now that is something I couldn't see. True, you seemed to be good friends, but you always had your eye on Thorin."

"Was I really that obvious?" Leah asked, laughing a little.

"I think you were both more see through than you realised, apart from seeing through each other," Bilbo replied. "Everyone else saw it, except you two."

"That's usually the way romance works, Bilbo. Everyone around you can see it but you."

"I think you did see it actually, but didn't want to admit it," Bilbo continued. "True, Thorin didn't."

"I wish I could remember everything," Leah said, wearily. "It's so frustrating loving a man you know nothing about because you can't remember the build up of your relationship. All I remember is sitting by the fire with him one night, him being ill with the Dragon Sickness and threatening to throw me out, and then him dying." Leah purposefully omitted the last memory of watching him wash at the riverside. "I want to remember everything."

"Maybe not everything. I doubt you want to remember your frustration with Kili being obsessed with Tauriel of the Wood-Elves. You threatened to stuff a sock in his mouth," Bilbo recollected.

"Really?" Leah laughed. "Oh, Bilbo. It seems we had some fun alongside all the bad things. It really sounds like I found where I belonged with all of you, and I was never a fan of camping growing up."

"Don't tell Kili, but we all got annoyed with him," Bilbo said, leaning in towards her, as if there was someone else near by who might overhear. "I think you were the only one who actually said anything. Even Thorin raised a smile at you."

Suddenly there was a loud knock at the door. Leah got up, frowning, and felt herself tense. She walked to the door slowly and looked through the peep hole. Two young men were standing outside, one with almost black hair and the other was dark blonde. "There are two men outside. One's dark haired and one is light haired. Do you want to look and see who it is? Is it Fili and Kili?"

Bilbo got up and looked through the peep hole. "Yes, it is. Let them in."

Leah opened the door to the men. They both smiled at her broadly. "Leah!" the lighter haired one said, who she assumed was Fili. Then he approached her, putting his arms around her. She was quite startled at first and then allowed herself to embrace him in return.

"Where is Thorin?" Kili said, surveying the property.

"He's gone to find Azog," Bilbo said. "I'm guarding Leah until he returns and we can all go home."

"Azog is here?!" Fili cried.

"Oh, God," Leah muttered, closing her eyes. "Tell him, Bilbo."

Bilbo cleared his throat, appearing quite uncomfortable. "Leah is the one who can control the portals that have been opened. But she can't control the ability and is also the one who pulled everyone through, bringing you back. If we want to get back without pushing Leah to control her power, then we need to be gone in the next forty eight hours. But that means leaving Azog to reap destruction wherever he is."

"I'm the one who caused all of this," Leah murmured. "It's because of me that Azog is back and more people have been killed."

Kili remained silent, processing all the information that he'd just been told. While Fili stood before Leah, looking her in the eyes. "You have given us all a second chance, Leah. We were both too young to die and Thorin now has his chance with you. Good things come at a price sometimes, but ultimately the good outweighs the bad."

"I can't see it like that," Leah replied. "Thorin has already died once, and I can't get that image out of my mind. The memory was too strong to erase completely." Tears welled in her eyes. "I don't want to be the reason he dies again."

"Then you've got to learn how to control this, Leah," Kili interjected.

"Your emotions seem to be the way you open the doors," Bilbo said. "Gandalf told me that he took your memories when you were about to go to Thorin's body as he was laid to rest. Before you entered the door, that is the last anyone saw of you; I think as the portal opened, that is when Gandalf took your memories and let you go home. Your strongest memories are around the most emotional times, and that is what is opening the doors."

"We can help you," Fili offered. "But we must go to Thorin first."

Leah looked at Bilbo. "If you're staying with me, will you help me?"

"Of course. That's why I'm here, isn't it?"

xxx

Gandalf and Thorin remained on guard as they made their way to the last Azog sighting. It had been at a church on the outskirts of town. A vicar had been killed whilst preparing for his mid week evening service. Then the trail went cold. Thorin and Gandalf approached the large church, seeing that police cars were still present outside and a white tent for investigations had been set up in the graveyard.

"I feel he wants you to follow him," Gandalf told Thorin. "That is why he's leaving a trail of deaths."

Just then, Thorin's phone began to ring loudly. He answered quickly as not to draw too much attention to him and Gandalf who were presently stood opposite the church. "Leah?" he asked, knowing who it would be.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I am fine. Is Bilbo still with you?"

"Yes. Fili and Kili have arrived and want to know where you are."