"Wake up, Bella!"

"Come on, lass, fight it!"

From where he was perched on his mother's hip, watching the frantic adults try to rouse the now-still, sleeping Hobbit, Kili wondered why they didn't throw cold water on her. Maybe she was fitting, he thought, with her eyes open like that and it would do her no good. Her eyes were scary to look at, he decided, holding tightly onto one of Dis' braids, but if Miss Bella needed him there to help her, he would. Even if it meant looking at those frightening eyes.

Belladonna suddenly groaned and then she moved. No one spoke, simply watching her, the silence in the room overwhelming. There was a small sound like a pop and Oin paled.

Then, without warning, the quilt underneath where the pregnant woman was lying, started turning darker. She relaxed, but began giving sharp, pained little breaths.

Oin cursed. Looking at the others, he grimly told them three words that left them feeling completely petrified. "The bairn's coming."


She stumbled, feeling a dull pain in her stomach. She could also feel something warm trickling down he legs, but when she felt them, there was nothing there. The light, bright and pale like moonlight beckoned her on more forcefully than ever, and so, ignoring the pain, she went on.
She remembered, of course, her pregnancy, but put these new feelings to a trick of nature. After all, how many women in the Shire had thought they were about to give birth when they weren't? She wasn't wet from her waters breaking, so of course the baby couldn't be coming. Still, when she found the light, she decided, she could find help for her child.


"Right," said Oin, squaring his shoulders and staring at Belladonna's bump. "Someone take the lads out, they don't need to see a woman giving birth at their ages."

Frerin headed to Dis, arms open. "You'll be of more help here than I will."

Dis placed Kili into Frerin's arms. "Look after my sons now." she warned.

"Of course," Frerin agreed, hoisting Fili onto his hip and giving his sister a smile. "I wish you all the luck you'll need."

Placing a hand on her brother's shoulder, Dis gave him a nod. "Be off with you, then."

As Frerin left, Dis exchanged a nervous look with Thorin as she approached the still melekinh on the bed. "Oin, what else will you need?"

Oin was staring at Belladonna, seemingly calculating what would need to be done. "I've got everything I'll need on me."

"You look displeased."

Oin shook his head. "Not displeased. Simply praying that she'll somehow be able to push the baby out."

"What if she can't?"

"I'd have to get him out myself." Oin stated bluntly.

"How? By pulling it out?" Dwalin asked.

"No. By making a cut and taking him out of there that way."

Dwalin was appalled. "You can't do that!"

"Well, if I don't, he'll die. That's why I'm hoping she can push her baby out herself."

"What about her?" Thorin asked. "If you were to cut her, would she die?"

"I'm not sure. Chances are she'd feel it, but I'm not sure how much she'll feel it."

"Childbirth is noticeable during the Fading, but most other pain isn't." Dis told him. "Still, would it be more sensible to give her a pain tonic in case you will have to aid the baby out?"

"Aye, it could." Oin agreed. "In my satchel, there's a purple bottle. Get it out, someone, and hand it over to me."


A violently bitter taste surrounded Belladonna's tongue. She cringed and tried to spit it out, but it felt as though there was something covering her lips, preventing her from evicting the evil taste from her mouth. She breathed through her nose as best she could and tried to avoid swallowing it, but soon succumbed to it, the feeling of suffocation too great.

When it was finally over, she straightened up and coughed and gagged, shuddering at the aftertaste of whatever she had been given and peered at the glimmer in the distance. Hoping to get attacked by nothing else, she kept walking.


"Didn't like that," Dwalin observed, his dark eyes focused entirely on the softly whimpering Belladonna. He kept a gentle hold on one of her tiny, delicate hands, watching her face for any changes

"That should do it." Oin informed them. "Now, she'll probably let us know about her contractions by making noises. Not loud ones, but noises all the same. Pay close attention to her."


The dull pains were rapidly turning into sharp ones, tearing through her abdomen and making her grimace and cry out. She held tightly onto her stomach and kept going to the beam that had gone from barely-noticeable to shining fiercely and it appeared less slanted and more straight.

Like a door, she mused. A Dwarven door at that!

As she came closer, she could see the light's colour was changing, from the bright white to a more orange-golden colour, warm and inviting. Encouraged by it, drawn like a moth to flame, she allowed her legs to continue carrying her, not stopping to think where she was going.


"Right, we'd best see how far dilated she is."

Averting their eyes as Oin went to make the check, they heard her breathing slow.

"Is that normal?" Dwalin asked.

"Dilation is completely-"

"I meant her breathing. It's slowing down."

Oin gave a stifled sigh as he stood from his inspection. "I'd say she's around half of the way there," he informed the group. "Now, let's check on her airways."


She felt so.. happy as she got closer to the doorway as she was now calling it. It felt like she was going home after a very long hike or a particularly nerve-wracking adventure. It was as though she would have Bungo there to greet her, as though she would see her family and her friends again. Like she would once again see little rivers and great trees, rolling hills, the lush green of the Shire.
She could feel her lungs taking in less air and thought nothing of it. How could she when everything felt so right as it hadn't in such a long time?

She was aware of a small pressure on her chest, but it was nothing to fear, it was probably the emotion of joy. Joy at the fact she was finally going home...


"She's not responding to compression from anyone." Dis told Oin. "What's happening?"

The medic looked nearly grey at this news. "She's nearly gone."

There was a brief silence, broken only by Belladonna's still-quietening breathing.

"What can we do now?" Thorin asked.

"Only thing we can do is hope the baby's birth helps her. Otherwise..." Oin shook his head.

One pair of brown eyes, one pair of black eyes and two pairs of blue eyes focused themselves onto the unconscious melekinh. Unknowing of the silent pleads sent her direction, Belladonna slept on, nothing but the occasional breath escaping her still body.


She could feel a sort of moving in her belly. Probably the baby moving around again, she decided. He was probably excited to meet his family as she was. It was rather fierce, this movement and she had to stop her walking to pat her stomach every so often. There was now sound coming from the doorway and as she neared it, she saw a figure standing in front of it, soft curls of golden light illuminating the figure. Curly hair, she could see, and she could almost see a smile gracing the features of this new arrival.

"Come on, my love."

She almost stopped walking in surprise. "Bungo?"

"That's right, my blossom. Come on. Come back to me."

"I've missed you, my darling husband. I have missed you so.."

"And I've missed you, my perfect wife. You're so close. Just a bit further."

She could now feel a strange sensation pushing between her legs. A sort of rubbing, a friction that made her stop and look down at her legs again, but there was nothing there.

"Bella?"

"I'm coming." she promised. "Just wait for me."

"As long as it takes, my lovely."

He would always wait for her.


"Is she pushing?" Dis asked.

"Not her, but luckily, the baby's nearly through. The body truly is a remarkable thing." Oin answered from where he was by the mother-to-be's feet.

"She's barely breathing at all." Dwalin said, watching the slow rise and fall of Belladonna's chest.

"Shall I go and find Balin?" Thorin whispered to Dis.

"I think so. No meeting's as important as this one. Father should understand." Dis quietly replied, watching her cousin.

Rushing over to the door, Thorin barely had it opened when he was thrust to one side by the force of it opening, seemingly by itself, until he heard the familiar tone of Balin speaking. Wondering how the Royal Adviser had known, he went back to the bedroom, just in time to hear-

"-If it wasn't for the two lads, I never would've known! How is she?"

"The baby's coming through alright, but-" Dwalin looked up from Belladonna whose hand he still held tightly onto, to his elder brother. "-It seems unlikely she will."

Balin went to Dwalin and placed a gentle hand on his forearm. "There is always hope, nadadel." There was a kind of soft warmth in his voice, one the other three had rarely heard Balin use.

Dwalin looked back down at Belladonna. "Aye. I know."


There was an odd feeling running inside Belladonna's body. Almost as though there was something trying to come out. She prayed that she wasn't becoming ill, that would be awful! All she wanted was to find Bungo, hunt down a bed and cuddle with him, smell his scent of plants, Old Toby, tea and dusty books.
He was still there. Of course he was. In her life, Bungo was consistent, like a twinkling of a bright star in the night sky. He would always be there, waiting to welcome her anywhere.

"I'm still coming!"

"I know, my snowdrop. Take your time, now. You've had a very long journey, don't tire yourself."

She giggled. He always worried so.


"By the Maker! I can see the head!"

"Look, shoulders!"

Oin shooed everyone further away and got closer to where the bairn was making his exit. There was a steady silence as the healer worked, until Belladonna gave a soft breath of, "Bi-ul-bo"

"Bi-lbo?"

"Shush!" Oin snapped, not looking up. "Quiet all of you, except for Miss Bella here."


"Should we name our son that?" Belladonna asked.

"Bilbo? Aye, it seems a good name to me, my beauty."

"I can see you."

"And I can see you. You're very near."

"Good. Oh, I can't wait for us to all be reunited."

Bungo's chuckle was musical. "Neither can I, Bella."


The baby was worryingly quiet for a few seconds after being born. He was covered in blood and a slimy gunk, but Oin held him closely to his tunic and announced him to be healthy-looking and gently rocked the child to get him to awaken.

After a minute, his eyes opened. They were a clear blue which was normal for newborns and Oin took this as a good sign. He blinked, taking in this bright new world he found himself in and began to softly whimper, coaxing a relieved sigh from all present (bar his mother). Oin gently placed the baby onto his mother and watched her sharply as her newly-born son began to cry.


He was holding her hands! After an eternity (or what seemed like one) her Bungo was finally holding her hands! She could feel warm liquid trickling down her face and smiled as she hadn't done in months.

She took a step into the doorway, shivering in delight at the warmth. Half in, she noticed her feet. She was heavily pregnant, she remembered. She shouldn't be able to see her feet.

"Bungo, the baby! What's happening?"

"It's alright, he's been born."

"Where is he?"

"In the land of the living."

"I'm dead?"

Bungo's eyes were woeful. "We all are now. Why did you think you could talk to me?"

"But... Bilbo.."

"He will be loved." Bungo promised, wrapping a loving arm around her. "He will be loved and adored and taken care of."

"I would have loved and taken care of him." Belladonna whispered.

"I know, angel. But he is alive. And, who knows? Maybe we'll find a way to watch over him."

"What if we can't?"

"Then we wait until he joins us."

"I hope he doesn't join us for a very long time." Belladonna admitted.

Bungo pressed a kiss to her lips. "Me, too. Hey, et me take you to your brother now. I'm sure you've missed him."

Brushing away a tear, Belladonna gave him a watery smile. "Like crazy."


*Hides from all of you holding an oakenshield as a defensive measure* I would like a review if you'd be so kind, to tell me my mistakes, what was good, what was crap. The usual, you know.

Hope you all liked it!

Nadadel- 'Brother of all brothers'