The first thing Bilbo was aware of, as always, was Thorin. The dwarf was sprawled out on the floor beside him, his snores sounding softly in the hobbit's ear. Bilbo allowed himself a moment's smile, turning his head to take in the sleeping king. Thorin's head was turned towards Bilbo, and strands of his dark hair were falling over his partly agape mouth. Bilbo stifled a chuckle at the sight and pushed himself up, being as quiet as he could manage.

He gazed around him, running through an automatic checklist in his mind as he counted out each member of the company. Everyone was there; Gandalf was doing his creepy, open eyed sleep by the door, and Dori, Nori, and Ori curled up together, as were Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur, Gloin and Oin, and Balin and Dwalin. Fili lay nearby, and across the room Bilbo could see Kili sitting against the cot pushed against the wall, still on watch, the Phoenix asleep on his shoulder.

Bilbo's eyes then moved to the family asleep not far off, and it took him a moment to realize what his brain had originally failed to comprehend. Amelia- for Bilbo had to remind himself that the Phoenix did not exist yet- had at some point woken. When and for how long Bilbo didn't know, but it was clear that she had, of her own volition, slid to the floor to sit with Kili. A blanket was draped over her shoulders, and Kili's arm was pinned between her back and the bed. The young dwarf didn't seem to mind though, staring blankly into space as he thought. His bow sat forgotten at his side, and Bilbo thanked Eros that nothing had attacked in the night.

He stood and moved forward, and Kili's eyes snapped to meet his. Slowly, with care not to wake Amelia, Kili raised a single finger to his lips, and Bilbo nodded. He tiptoed over, sliding into place on Kili's other side.

"Have you been up all night?" he whispered. Kili nodded, and Bilbo sighed. "You should have woken me," he objected. "You shouldn't have to keep watch all night."

Kili shrugged. "Fili woke at one point, but I told him to go back to bed. I wasn't tired."

Bilbo frowned. He glanced over at Kili, only to see the young dwarf staring forlornly at Amelia. A swirl of emotions was clear on his face, and Bilbo honestly had no idea how to decipher them.

"Do you want to talk?" he asked.

Kili shook his head, but Bilbo knew when the young dwarf meant it, and knew this wasn't one of those times. He sat in silence, waiting.

"I just- I can't believe she doesn't know me," Kili said a minute later. He bit his tongue, cursing his weak will mentally, then decided that he might as well finish. "I mean- I know why she doesn't know anything, but it's just so odd. She always seemed to know everything; nothing ever fazed her. Now…" He trailed off, and Bilbo reached out to squeeze his shoulder comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," he offered. "I really wish there was something I could do."

Kili nodded. "Thank you Uncle."

Bilbo smiled softly at the title. "I'm not your uncle yet," he reminded him. He had the satisfaction of seeing Kili shoot him an amused glance.

"You might as well be," Kili said. "Uncle plans to marry you as soon as Erebor is rebuilt."

"Well, that will be many more years," Bilbo stated. Kili smirked, but said nothing.

Roused by the soft murmur of the voices over her head, Amelia groaned as she shifted position. The pain in her side had dulled somewhat, though it was still sharp enough to make the stiffness in her back menial. She blinked wearily, unsure what her head was resting against. When had she even fallen asleep?

"Good morning Mia."

Amelia jerked upright at the sound of Kili's voice, giving a soft hiss of pain as she did. The dwarf in question twisted toward her, panic in his eyes, but a moment later he forced himself to relax.

"Good morning," she managed. Her cheeks reddened as she realized she had fallen asleep on Kili, and she quickly pulled away from his gaze.

"How do you feel?"

At the gently probing voice Amelia glanced up again, and Bilbo Baggins gave her a softly encouraging smile.

"Fine," she managed. "Thank you."

Bilbo nodded, and Amelia could sense a sadness to his smile. "Of course," he responded.

All at once the rest of the company began to wake, and Amelia tried not to cringe backwards as each of them caught sight of her. She gulped nervously as they began to swarm, each asking if she was alright, and only Bilbo and Kili's hard glares kept them at bay.

"Leave her alone," warned Bilbo. "The poor girl just woke up."

The company drew to a halt. The phrase poor girl reminded them that this was not the Phoenix they knew, and each averted their eyes as they backed away. As they set about their daily chores though Amelia could feel their eyes on her.

"Mia!"

Amelia barely had time to brace herself before Jack barreled into her, and with a grunt she fell to the floor. She ignored the spasms of pain in her chest, wrapping her arms around her brother.

"Are you ok?" he asked. He pushed himself up so that he was balanced on her, and she nodded.

"It would be nice if I could breathe," she gasped. Hurriedly Jack climbed off of her, and Amelia heard several chuckles from around the room.

Her parents were next. They waved away Amelia's questions about her mother's arm, asking about her own health. Amelia did her best to minimize her descriptions of her pain, and after some time her parents' worry diminished some.

They ate together, and Amelia inspected the company out of the corner of her eye as she ate. They sat as far from her as they could, clustered around the fireplace with their heads all but buried in their food. Still, she could feel their eyes on her as they ate.

The only one who hadn't yet approached her was Gandalf. The wizard sat by the door, and as Amelia glanced over their eyes met, hazel on blue. The wizard gave her a short nod, indicating that they would speak later, and Amelia returned to her food.

To her surprise, it was Ori who approached her first. Clad in an oversized sweater that had most likely been knitted for him by Dori, the young scholar clutched a leather bound book in his arms as he approached. Amelia suspected that he was rarely without it.

"Hi," he began. Amelia offered him a soft smile, pausing in her eating.

"Hello," she responded. Both blushed, uncertain in social situations, and beside her Jack chuckled.

"Sit," ordered the eight year old.

Ori sat, fidgeting with his worn shirt sleeves. "I'm Ori," he said at last.

Amelia allowed herself a small smile. "I know," she told him. "I'm Amelia. Mia for short."

Ori nodded. "I know," he responded. The two sat in silence for a moment, until Ori again broke the silence.

"Can you tell me about your world?" he asked. He produced a quill and pot of ink, flipping to a blank page in his book, and Amelia nodded. How was she supposed to refuse Ori, with his sweet face?

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

Ori bit his lip, considering. "That box in your house," he started. "There were dishes in it. What was that?"

Amelia chuckled. "That's a dishwasher," she told him. Quickly she explained the purpose of a dishwasher, and felt slightly bad when she was unable to provide Ori with a detailed itinerary of all its parts. Ori continued to ply her with questions, eagerly writing down everything Amelia said, and she found herself soon relaxing. She forced herself to ignore the company she knew was staring at them, allowing herself to enjoy Ori's presence beside her.

Their question and answer was interrupted a bit over an hour later when Gandalf came up, peering down at them with hooded blue eyes.

"Excuse me," he said. "Might I borrow Miss Blackwood for a moment?"

Ori nodded and stood, and Amelia gestured for Gandalf to sit. Instead the wizard held out a hand, and she allowed him to pull her to her feet. Leading her to the next room, Gandalf composed a bubble around them that would keep others from hearing their conversation, then turned to Amelia. The girl was watching him nervously, wringing the hem of her shirt.

Amelia sighed. She knew that Gandalf would want to discuss who she was, and she was eager to learn more about just who that was exactly. The problem was, she also knew that she would need to ask questions. That had never been her strong suit. She squared her shoulders, telling herself silently that she had to learn to not be afraid to speak. She certainly wasn't going to be able to save whole universes by going into what her parents called her mouse mode.

"I met Mahal," she said. Gandalf nodded slowly, inspecting Amelia.

"And what did you learn?" he asked.

Amelia snorted. "That I've got to travel from universe to universe and fight evil. Very vague by the way." She blinked in surprise, like she had been with Mahal, she was very at ease with Gandalf. The Istari chuckled.

"The bubble I put around us not only keeps us from being overheard, but it loosens tongues," he told her.

Amelia made a face. "That's not fair," she stated.

Gandalf chuckled. "But it is more fun," he objected. They shared a short laugh, and then faded into a terse silence.

"What did Kili tell you last night?" Gandalf asked. When Amelia glanced sharply at him the wizard again chuckled. "I'm not a fool, despite popular belief," he warned her.

Amelia chuckled. "I know." She sighed. "Kili didn't tell me much, just that you guys know me already, and that when we met I called myself the Phoenix." She raised an eyebrow at her odd choice of names and Gandalf nodded, a fond smile coming to his face.

"Yes," he answered. "That was indeed the name you traveled under."

"Any idea why?" she asked.

Gandalf shook his head. "I don't think any of us ever quite understood how your mind works," he told her.

"Why me?" Amelia asked. Her voice was small, and Gandalf sighed at the sorrow prevailing in it.

"Does it matter?" he asked. "You were chosen; you cannot be unchosen. The best thing to do is to put the past behind you and move on."

Amelia disagreed, but chose not to say this. "Where do I start?" she asked. "What's the first place I go to? When? How long?"

Gandalf shrugged. "I do not know," he admitted. "You rarely spoke of your travels."

"Why did you bring me out here?" Amelia asked, gesturing to the hallway they stood in. It seemed the wizard had nothing to offer her.

"To speak with you of course," Gandalf said. "I wanted to see how you were holding up, and I wanted to be able to do so without being harassed by that bunch." He gestured to where the company was most likely trying to eavesdrop with a smile that was rather fond, and Amelia chuckled.

"They're not that bad," she defended them.

Gandalf's eyes twinkled. "I know," he told her.

Amelia glanced towards the other room, then looked back to Gandalf. "We need to leave my family," she told him.

Gandalf nodded, slightly surprised. Though he had come to the same conclusion, he hadn't expected Amelia to do the same at such a young age Most people would cling to their family in such a situation, but Amelia, he could tell, was already pushing them further away. Preparing for when they would be seperated.

"They shouldn't be involved in this," she continued. "By staying with them we're only putting them in danger. I've got a sister who lives in New York, near the Adirondacks. What if we bring my family to her and then sneak off."

Gandalf nodded. "I will present the idea to Thorin," he promised. Amelia nodded, relieved; she had been fearful that Gandalf would insist she broach the subject with the dwarf king herself.

Gandalf sighed. "I don't really think there's much else to say," he stated. He cast a worried glance down at Amelia. "Are you sure you're alright?" he asked.

Amelia shrugged. "It doesn't really matter, does it? Let's go."

Gandalf sighed and followed her, allowing the bubble to fade behind them. He made straight for Thorin, whispering into the dwarf's ear, and Amelia watched Thorin nod. Then the king began to speak with the other dwarves in what she guessed was Khuzdul, and she assumed they were discussing her plan. She was a bit upset by their use of Khuzdul- how was Bilbo to understand them- but the hobbit, to her surprise, seemed to not only understand, but have the ability to speak in the dwarvish tongue.

Soon everyone had agreed that journeying to Mia's sister was their best option, and they set to organizing how they would do so. They would need three cars to fit the entire company, and they had not even one. There were two cars back at Amelia's house, but they dared not return there in case the place was being watched by orcs.

It was decided that they would need to steal some cars, and though Amelia disliked the idea, she resigned herself to it. The dwarves seemed even less pleased by their dishonest means than she was, and were even beginning to suggest that they walk to New York. A quick reminder of Amelia and her mother's injuries shut them up.

It would have to be Amelia and her parents who stole the cars, they realized. They were the only ones who knew how to drive; the task would be impossible for one of the company. Though the dwarves at first objected, they eventually relented, though Thorin insisted that a dwarf accompany Amelia. While her parents likely wouldn't be recognized by any enemies lurking about, Amelia would be spotted on sight. Amelia disliked the idea of having a babysitter, but she agreed readily enough to the terms. She was even less fond of the idea of facing another orc.

In the end, Fili agreed to accompany her. The dwarf's many knives were easily concealed, and as one of the younger members of the company his presence with Amelia would be less conspicuous. In the back of her mind Amelia noted that she would rather have Kili with her; already she felt close with the dark haired dwarf, but she didn't object to Fili's offer. She also didn't fail to notice the thankful look Kili shot is older brother.

Before they could leave though, Fili had to change. In his Middle Earth attire he would stick out like a sore thumb, and he donned a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie that Jack had brought. Amelia's family had taken the time to throw together quick traveling bags for themselves before fleeing their home, and Amelia found herself extremely grateful to have her toothbrush. Soon they set off, and Amelia led Fili through the streets of her neighborhood.

"Can I ask you something?" she said. She gave Fili a quick glance, judging the blond haired dwarf's reaction, but saw no hints that he minded.

"Sure," he answered. "What is it?"

Amelia bit her lip. "Your brother," she started. "He seems so sad, and the way he looks at me… what's going on with him?"

Fili sighed, and was quiet for several minutes. "He lost someone," he answered finally. "I guess you remind him of her."

"Oh." Amelia blinked, surprised. "And did he- did he love her?"

Fili's answer was immediate and without hesitation. "Yes."

Amelia let the topic rest after that, sensing that it was sensitive for even Fili. She led him to an elementary school on the edge of her development, picking the car of one of the teachers and approaching it.

"Everyone's inside the school," she told Fili. "It's less likely that they'll see us than if we were to steal a car from someone's house."

Fili nodded, staring at the car. "Whoa," he breathed.

Amelia chuckled, then inspected the car. On TV shows people who stole cars always had a thin metal rod that they used to unlock the door, but Amelia lacked one of those tools. Even if she'd had access to one, she wouldn't know how to use it.

Fili solved that problem for her by smashing the window with a knife, and Amelia reached inside to unlock the door. Fili climbed into the passenger seat, staring around the interior of the car with wide eyes as Amelia tried to figure out how to hot wire it.

She stole one of Fili's knives, using it to pry open the compartment under the wheel that held a jumble of wires. She carefully cut the rubber coating and began to touch the metal cords together, and eventually the car roared to life. She then turned to inspecting it herself. It was a bit on the small side, and would fit five people besides her.

Her parents were already waiting outside the abandoned house, the company fighting in the yard over who rode where. A sharp whistle from Gandalf had them all quieting, and the wizard proceeded to assign each dwarf seats. Amelia ended up with Gandalf, Ori, Nori, Dwalin, and Kili. Kili and Ori, she suspected, were to make her feel more comfortable. Nori had been assigned to them because Gandalf knew Dori would object to his youngest brother riding without either him or Nori, and everyone knew Dori was more than Amelia could handle at this point. Gandalf, she suspected, was there to make sure no one revealed anything to her that they shouldn't, and Dwalin, being the best warrior in the group, was assigned the task of keeping Amelia safe. He sat just behind Amelia with Gandalf beside him, and Nori and Ori were in the back. Kili, after a quick glare at them, took the last passenger seat besides where Amelia was to sit.

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to," he hissed.

The only response he received was deceptively innocent looks and some small chuckles.

Amelia stared at the car she was assigned. She had watched everyone get in, and had seen Kili's hesitation. Fili's words about how she reminded him of the person he had lost rang in her ears, and she wondered if maybe she should take one of the other cars. She sighed; she knew she couldn't avoid him. She started for the car, but paused as she felt a hand on her arm.

"Amelia," greeted Thorin.

"Hello," Amelia returned. She felt her heart pound; as of yet the dwarf had avoided her. Earlier that day he had been with the company as they'd harassed her, but he'd lingered to the back of the group, silent and scowling. He had been the first to retreat, and had dutifully ignored her all day. As Thorin pulled her ever so slightly away from the others Amelia's heart lurched at the guilt in his blue eyes.

"How are you?" he asked. Amelia blinked; Thorin Oakenshield was not one to go around sharing feelings. She quickly cleared her mind, giving a soft shrug in response that had Thorin sighing.

The king gave a glance to the others, knowing that the longer they stayed where they were, the more likely it was that they would be noticed.

"If you need anything," he told her, "come to me. Alright? We will keep you safe Amelia, I swear."

Amelia nodded. "I know," she told him. "I trust you."

Thorin gulped, blinking back an onrush of emotions at her words. With his actions towards her the last time they had been face to face, he couldn't see how that was possible, and once again had to remind himself that this Amelia hadn't experienced that meeting yet.

He pushed these thoughts from his mind, giving Amelia a nod and soft smile. "Then let us go," he commanded. Amelia followed him to the cars, where the last of the dwarves were settling down. Her eyes were drawn to where her parents and brother were talking to the side, and she was struck, as she often was, by the odd appearances of the family. Her father had the olive complexion of the Balkans, and still had a slight accent from having grown up there. Her mother was half Korean, though she had been raised in America. Amelia and Jack shared none of their parents' attributes, both with pale, European skin. Unlike Amelia, Jack had sandy blond hair, and his eyes were a deep chocolate brown.

Yes, she knew, many people did double takes when the four were seen in public together, not expecting such variance in one family. Amelia had long since gotten used to such looks, and she had taught herself to ignore them. She doubted the differences had gone unnoticed by the company, but they hadn't said anything. She hoped that wouldn't change.

"Are you sure you can drive?" asked Amelia's father. Her mother nodded and rolled her eyes.

"Positive," she told him. "Worst case scenario you just send Jack over to me, and he can take over."

Amelia snickered as her father's eyes bugged out of his head. "No!" he shouted.

Jack grinned. "Yeah!" he agreed. Amelia came up behind him and gave her little brother a gentle head slap, and he sent her a playful scowl.

"Come on Dad," she joked. "We know he can drive."

"Yeah," he snorted. "He drives me up the walls."

Amelia shook her head. "But his specialty is bumper cars," she reminded him.

Now several dwarves were laughing at the expression on her father's face.

"Ok!" shouted Thorin. "Let's go!"

Reluctantly they split up, and Amelia moved to her car, ignoring the hole where the window had once been as she put the car in gear. "Ready?" she asked.

"Ready," said Kili. Amelia glanced behind her, and the other three nodded affirmations. Her mother pulled onto the road with Thorin, Bilbo, Bofur, Bombur, and Bifur, and Amelia followed, her father joining them a moment later. With him, she knew, were Fili, Dori, Balin, Oin, Gloin, and Jack.

As they made their way through the streets Amelia let out a deep breath. She was leaving her home behind. There was no going back now, though she knew in the back of her mind that had never been an option. From here on out, she knew, nothing would ever be the same.