two

The entire contents of the massive pantry, bar the desserts that were sitting out on the kitchen bench, was spread out on the dining table, all of it being consumed by a bunch of messy, hungry dwarves. They were going to clean up soon, a sight Bilbo was more than looking forward to.

They would sing, they would dance and they would act more like the dwarves Bilbo remembered than the ones that they were now.

It now made sense that Kili was the one to initiate the singing, considering that he was the only one that remembered what had happened before.

It must have been an old bar song though, because they all seemed to know the words and the tune, changing only the name to his own. This was familiar, this was normal and this reassured him that he could make them open up and turn them into the family he had once.

One day, he reasoned. One day.

Kili, on the other hand, was having the time of his life. This was familiar also to him, but there were gaps here, the discussion in between the singing especially. Suddenly, there was a few sharp knocks on the door, and Kili knew instantly that Thorin had arrived.

The green door swung open, and there, in all his glory, was the dwarf Bilbo had fallen in love with all of those years ago. He wanted to stand there, to gape at him alive and well, but he refrained, as that would be silly. He was a gentle hobbit, not a pining little boy. Scratch that, he was a pining gentle hobbit.

"Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way twice and I would not have found it at all if it wasn't for that mark on that door."

"Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

"Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?"

"Axe or sword, what's your weapon of choice?"

"I'm a burglar Master Oakenshield, not a warrior. Knives are the best for me, knives and my sword, one I that was taken from me by some pesky trolls. I might find it on the journey, or so I hope," he snapped, taking Thorin by surprise.

However, Thorin gathered himself after only a few moments, humming contentedly as he pushed his way into the dining room.

"Yes Gandalf, I do believe that this hobbit might make an adequate burglar, even though he looks like a grocer." The company burst into peals of laughter, making Bilbo push down a smile. He was used to being called a grocer by now, considering that was the most common insult on the road.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumours have begun to spread. The dragon Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people stands unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance this chance to take back Erebor?" The dwarfs cheered, but Balin looked unconvinced.

"You forget, the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain," he sighed.

'That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf pulled from what seemed like nowhere, a key, one Thorin, Bilbo and Kili all instantly recognised.

"How did you come by this?" Thorin whispered hoarsely.

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." Gandalf handed the key over to Thorin, all of the dwarves silent for once.

"If there is a key," Fili elaborated, "There must be a door."

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls," Gandalf remarked, pointing to the map on the table.

"There's another way in." Kili said quietly, definitively even, muttering something underneath his breath afterwards. Bilbo knew that he was muttering something about the previous quest, about everything that had gone wrong when they searched for that god damn door, but that was an issue that they could talk about when they got there.

"If we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map, and I don't have the skill to find it, but there are others in Middle Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage. But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar," Ori exclaimed, looking more excited for this than he should be.

"Yes, an expert I suppose," Bilbo wondered aloud, hoping that he would be up for this task a second time around.

"And are you laddie?" Balin inquired.

"Yes, I do suppose so. I have done an awful lot of thievery in my life, but only for a good cause," Bilbo retorted calmly. He'd have to find that stupid ring though, if he stood any chance against Smaug.

"Give him the contract," Thorin grumbled.

Balin reached into his pocket and pulled out a long sheet of paper that was almost as tall as him.

"It's just the usual; summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." Bilbo glanced over the contract Balin had given him, and he knew it was the same one that he had been given the first time.

Thorin bent over to Gandalf, feelings he had not felt in a long time swirling up inside him. This person, this hobbit, someone he had met only today was making him feel like this, like they had known each other for thousands of years. For some reason, he felt the need to confirm to Gandalf that he could not guarantee anything when it came to the hobbit, although a voice in the deepest part of his heart told him that he would do anything to protect this company's burglar.

"I cannot guarantee his safety."

"Understood."

"Nor will I be responsible for his fate."

"Agreed."

Yes Thorin, a voice from deep down inside of him said, you will be responsible for his fate.

"Terms, cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one fourteenth total profit if any. Seems fair. Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence there of including but not limited to laceration, evisceration... incineration?" Bilbo read aloud, wondering if they knew what was to come.

"Oh, aye. He'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye. Think furnace with wings. Flash of light, searing pain, then poof, you're nothing but a pile of ash," Bofur said creepily, intending to scare Bilbo. He just laughed.

"Yes Master Bofur, I have seen a dragon before," he said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice, which took most of the company by surprise.

"You've seen a dragon Master Baggins?" Ori asked curiously.

"Yes, Master Ori. Stolen from one too. Quite easy, I must admit. We hobbits can pass unseen by many if we so desire, and so it makes us the perfect thieves to steal from a dragon. Plus, your dragon will know what the smell of dwarf, elf and man would be, but it won't be expecting a hobbit."

This took both Gandalf and all of the dwarves by surprise, most of their mouths falling open in awe and surprise at what he was claiming. Luckily for him, however, Gandalf was the first one to gather his wits together, deciding to back up his story.

"Yes, Master Baggins has faced many a dragon in his time," he claimed, which made Bilbo puff out his chest slightly, proud of his kind of non-existent accomplishments, but only in this universe. He had done this, and he could do it again. He'd need to find that ring though, or else he probably didn't stand a chance.

"It appears we have found our burglar then." Balin said proudly, when him and Thorin had a moment alone. "Probably for the best, as the odds are now closer to our favour. But you don't have to do this. You have a choice. You have done honourably by our people. You have built a new life for us in the Blue Mountains. A life of peace and plenty. A life that is worth more than all the gold in Erebor. After all, what are we? Merchants, miners, tinkers and toymakers. Hardly the stuff of legend."

"There are a few warriors amongst us."

"Old warriors."

"I would take each and every one of these dwarves over an army from the Iron Hills. For when I called upon them, they answered. Loyalty, honour, a willing heart. I cannot ask more than that. I never had a choice here, Balin. From my grandfather to my father, this has come to me. They dreamt of the day when the dwarves of Erebor would reclaim their homeland. There no choice Balin. Not for me."

"Then we are with you laddie. We will see it done."

Bilbo was sitting now on the empty dining table, wondering if he was making the right decision to change the future. Yes, he was going to save Thorin Oakenshield, Fili and Kili, but in doing that he is forsaking his own nephew, one that hasn't even been born yet.

If he does this, he will make sure that Frodo never goes on his quest, makes sure that there is no reason for him to ever be in any sort of danger. He wants to make sure that Primula and Drogo never go swimming, never have any reason to be near the river, even if that means forsaking his relationship with Frodo. All he wanted was for Frodo to be happy, whether that means with him or with his parents.

He would find the ring, down in the caves with Gollum, he would use it to save the company, and then he would destroy it, just like Frodo did. He looked down at the piece of parchment in front of him, not knowing what he was going to say, or if it would make any sense, or how to go about telling the rest of Hobbiton that he was going on an adventure, but that wouldn't make him sound crazy.

"Lost for words?" Kili's familiar voice came floating through the room.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the company or something?" Bilbo said, tiredness seeping into his voice.

"Yes, I probably should be."

"Then why aren't you?" Bilbo inquired softly.

"I can't do it. I can't look at them, any of them, without thinking of what happens after. What happens to Fili after."

"Imagine how your mother reacted when she met Thorin in the Halls again."

"God, his braids would have been in mortal peril."

"There are so many different things that could have happened that day. You just can't blame yourself for any of it. On the upside, we do have a chance to fix it now so…"

"We better not stuff it up," Kili laughed bitterly, unshed tears shining in his eyes.

"Now off you go. Go and sing that melancholy song that makes me cry every time I hear it." Bilbo smiled, using his hand to wipe away the tears. God, the pair of them, crying over something that hadn't even happened yet.

"Fine." Kili groaned, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He pushed himself up using the table and walked out of the dining room, preparing himself not to cry over words that meant so much to him, yet not enough to the rest of the company.

Unbeknownst to them, Fili had been standing in the doorway, listening to everything that they had been saying. It didn't make sense, for them to talk about him like that. It was like he had died, like they had all died some time, and that Kili and Bilbo remembered something that no one else in this company did.

That scared him, more than he cared to admit, even to himself. What had happened that his brother couldn't tell him? They had told each other everything, from the moment he was born they were bonded in every way, shape and form, but now, there was something that he had deemed too dangerous to tell his older brother, and instead trusted it to a relative stranger? How could he do that? Why would he do that?

Why?

He snuck away, placing himself in the corner of the room where the Company was gathered, so that no one would notice that he was gone. He would deal with his brother later.

Bilbo could hear them singing now, just faintly, as he moved closer to the door. He couldn't stop himself from crying, as he remembered now those who survived, and those who did not.

Far over the Misty Mountains cold,

The fog had long settled over the battlements of Erebor, the mountain itself looking tired and run down, especially because of lack of use. Bilbo remembered looking up at that mountain, feeling both excited and afraid, the ground seemingly vibrating underneath the ground.

To dungeons deep and caverns old.

The gold, piled high, almost reaching the ceiling. Smaug was there, seemingly dead, except for the vibrations that shook each of the piles every few seconds. It seemed impossible that he would ever find that stupid stone in here, the one that caused all of his problems.

We must away ere break of day

The sun rising over the burnt remains of Dale, people screaming for their loved ones lost, crying for the ones that were saved and the ones that were lost. This was what Bilbo wanted most of all to avoid, and the now burning wreckages were a constant reminder of what his mistakes have done to the people around him, and the people that he loved.

To find our long forgotten gold.

The Arkenstone sat there proudly, shining on top of Erebor's throne. This was what he was here for, searching for. At the time, he wondered if he was making a mistake, because something in his gut was telling him that this wasn't something he should bring back to Thorin.

But he ignored his gut, even though that was what got Thorin killed, because he was more important. Bilbo loved him too much.

The pines were roaring on the height,

The pines were on fire, caused by both the Company and the Orcs. As Azog drew nearer, he knew that he needed to do something. And then somehow, through some miracle, his body seemed to move. He just moved, his only goal to save Thorin Oakenshield's life. And he did.

The winds were moaning in the night

The sounds of orcs and wargs, carried on the wind, making it almost impossible for any member of the company to sleep. Those winds, they carried messages, the sounds of the dead and the alive, haunting Bilbo's every moment.

The fire was red, it flaming spread.

He could see from the top of the mountain Dale, as it was now just a beacon of flames. There were so many people who would have been slaughtered as they sleep, just because Bilbo and the Company couldn't keep the dragon contained.

They should have known that there would be no way to kill it, not without the Black Arrow. They just needed to hope that some miracle would come, one they would later find out was sent in the form of Bard the Bowman.

The trees like torches blazed with light.

And that miracle, the one Bilbo prayed for, it didn't last long. They were all at war again, five different armies not knowing who was the enemy and who was the ally, just slaughtering everyone in their path in the hope that they would get out alive, to make it home to their families. The death count, Bilbo would later find out, would encompass more than sixty percent of all armies.

The pines were roaring on the height

Thorin, however much support he had from the dwarves of the Iron Hills, knew that it wouldn't be enough. Orcs and Goblins and Elves and Men, all fighting each other because he was arrogant, because he succumbed to the gold sickness of his predecessors. He could not do anything about it now, could not call off a war just by saying stop and apologizing. No, the only way that he could bow out of this one was in death, and that wouldn't be enough. Not ever.

On silver necklaces they strung.

Go. That was all he wanted. Thorin was unflinching, however, would not turn away from his nephew as he was slaughtered. He deserved to know that someone cared about him in his final moments, enough to stand by him here. He would run nowhere. Fili deserved that much.

The flowering stars on crowns they hung.

Kili looked at Tauriel, trying to tell her to go, run far away from here so she would be safe. But no sound would come out, as the sword ripped through his core. She would not move, did not flinch as Bolg ripped the sword through her too. She would go easily from this world, now that the one thing keeping her here was gone.

The dragon fire, in twisted wire.

Fili and Kili were unmoving now, had been moved together. Fili protected Thorin, Kili protected Tauriel, and now, their efforts were in vain. They were all dead now, all together in wherever they went when they were gone. And for what? Just to leave the aching survivors behind.

They meshed the light of moon and sun.

Tea is at 4:00. Don't bother knocking. Bilbo wondered if they would come to tea this time around, or if maybe this time, they didn't have to.