Here you go with next chapter. It feels as if this one took my ages, but in fact I think it's only - how long? - four days?

Anyway. The lyrics in the beginning doesn't have something to do with the chapter. I only feel as if it kind 'a describes Kili and Rosie's relationship. At least a part of it. And if you want to know, then it's "Nothing's Gonna Change My Love For You" - by Westlife.

Please, enjoy.

Chapter 11

"If I had to live my life without you, the days would all be empty. The nights would seem so long. With you I see forever oh so clearly: I might have been in love before, but it never felt this strong. Our dreams are young, and we both know, they'll take us where we want to go. Hold me now, touch me now, I don't want to live without you.

Nothing's gonna change my love for you. You ought to know by now how much I love you! One thing you can be sure of; I'll never ask for more than your love. Nothing's gonna change my love for you. You ought to know by now how much I love you! The world may change my whole life through, but nothing's gonna change my love for you."

I peered around Gandalf, who was peering around the corner of a small corridor. I couldn't stand straight, because the roof was that low, and for once I was happy I was a hobbit – or at least half hobbit.

A few silent words from Gandalf made all light in the cave, went out. The huge fire in the middle also died out, and turned to a tower of glowing blue smoke which rose to the roof, where it spread into a shower of sparks which fell over the goblins. I gasped. It was so beautiful and amazing, and if Gandalf hadn't grabbed my arm, I would've stayed there until some goblin ran into me.

Holding the dagger Kili gave me, I hurried after Gandalf, following one of the walls, all the way around the hall, until we reached the Goblin King I had spotted above all the other goblins.

"What are you going to do?" I hissed, but Gandalf didn't answer, and I frowned. The trouble which had broke out in the hall when the wizard made the lights go out, nearly made my head explode. So many voices shouting and yelling, and in their own, terrible language which I was happy I didn't understand at all.

In front of me, Gandalf unsheathed Glamdring, the sword he had taken from the troll caves, and to my complete shock it was shining. A clear, blue glow lit up something I wouldn't mind staying in the darkness. A huge, ugly goblin which Gandalf stabbed. The eyes of the goblin was fixed on Gandalf, as the wizard pulled the sword out, and the goblin fell to the floor, blood slowly spreading around it.

I swallowed, but quickly tore my eyes off it, just as Gandalf addressed me. "Rosie, you go behind the others and make sure no one follows us." Then he turned to the poor, chained dwarves who I was sure didn't know what to do or think. "Follow me, and come quickly!"

I waited, and nearly didn't know which leg to stand on. I didn't like the idea of having to go like the last, but then I knew someone had to make sure no one followed. Then I ran after the last who were Bilbo. The only thing which lit up in front of us, was Glamdring, and yet I easily ran down the dark corridor.

"Hurry up!" I heard Gandalf shout in front. "The lights will soon be lit!"

"Wait a second!" one of the dwarves shouted, and I recognized Dori's shadow, urging Bilbo to get up on his back. When Bilbo was safe at Dori's back, we continued running. It felt as if I was made for this. I had never felt so free before, and there was something exiting in knowing that I was the only which separated the dwarves and the goblins.

I nearly bumped into Dori and Bilbo, 'cause Gandalf had stopped and lit his wand. He easily cut the chains the dwarves were bound with, and all the time I stood there, just outside the reach of the light, waiting for him to make us continue running so we could get out of the killing darkness.

"Your weapons," the wizard said, handing out the dwarves' and Bilbo's weapons. I didn't bother myself with asking how he had managed to get them all with. "Are everyone here?" he questioned as he reached Orcrist to Thorin. "Let me see... one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and where are Fili and Kili? Oh, there, and there we have Bilbo too. That makes fourteen." He quickly glanced over at me, but didn't mention me. I didn't think much about it, trying to hear if someone followed us. "Good, it could've been worse, but it could've been better too. We don't know where we are, and there is horde of furious goblins behind us. Let's get moving!"

I had only been waiting for those words, as I, along with the dwarves hurried after Gandalf. My intentions was to get over to Fili and Kili, especially Kili, but it always seemed as if there was a dwarf in my way. Therefore I ended up like the last, meaning I had to make sure no one followed us.

As we hurried along, we faintly heard the goblins who were following us, and to my horror they were much quicker than us, and soon they weren't far away. This made the dwarves pick up their pace. Again Bilbo was lifted up on a dwarf-back, and as we ran, he was passed between the dwarves. I didn't really envy him. It couldn't be very comfortable to be passed from one to another, as if he were a simple package.

Quickly I realized it didn't matter how quick we ran. The goblins knew their mountain, and they moved much faster than us. And angry they were too. We ran as fast as we could, but the goblins quickly approached. Soon we couldn't only hear their voices, but also their feet drumming against the floor. I glanced over my shoulder, only to see the light of a torch just around the corner.

"Oh, why did I leave Bag End?" Bilbo exclaimed somewhere in between the dwarves. I spotted him at Bombur's back.

"And why did I encourage this weak and small hobbit to follow us?" poor Bombur exclaimed, while breathing hard.

In front of us, Gandalf had stopped, just as Thorin had. We had rounded a sharp corner, and of course I was the one who nearly was able to hide. "Turn!" Gandalf shouted. "Pull your sword, Thorin!" Suddenly Thorin was beside me. He glanced confused at me in some seconds, but then nudged me in behind himself, while lifting his sword, Orcrist, so it could meet the goblins. I lifted the dagger Kili had given me, and shove Thorin to the side, 'cause I knew that when the goblins rounded the corner, he wouldn't be able to hold them back alone.

He seemed as if he was about to say something, but then the goblins came. Those who were in the first line came with exclaims of shock, and dropped their torches. But that was the last they did, since both Thorin and I threw us at them with each our battle cry, he holding Orcrist, I holding the dagger.

It was the first time I killed someone, and if I had got time to think of it, I'd probably have fell to the floor, crying. However, when the first goblins fell, the others stopped, before turning and running back the way they came. Then Gandalf told us to continue running.

This time Thorin pulled me to the front, together with himself and Gandalf. Gandalf didn't question it, and we continued.

How long had we been running? I didn't know. All I knew was that the dwarves were breathing heavy, and that I could feel a small changing of the air, as if there was an opening somewhere close. "This way," I said, pulling at one of Gandalf's sleeves, making him turn to a long, naked corridor. I hadn't expected to hear the shriek which suddenly rang through the corridor, followed by someone else shouting for help.

"Dori!" another shouted. "They took Dori!" Beside me Thorin turned with a curse, and made his way back to the end. Goblin-cries filled the air, and beside me Gandalf took a better hold of Glamdring, before rushing to the dwarves aid. I was left there, not sure of what to do. At least no until I heard a hissing goblin-voice just behind my ear. With a gasp I spun around, and drove the dagger into the goblin. For a few seconds he only stood there, but then he fell in front of me. I swallowed, and glanced at the dagger which I barely could see in the darkness. Shouts and cries everywhere around me.

Suddenly, not far from me, fire appeared. I gasped and had to turn away and shield my eyes from it. Then it faded away, and all which was left was a burning print in my mind. "Everybody, follow me!" Gandalf shouted, and his voice rang through the rest of the sounds. I spun around, only to find the way blocked by goblins. Without thinking of it, I lifted my dagger and began making my way toward Gandalf's voice. A few scars and dead goblins later, I was beside Gandalf.

We didn't have to run far, before we reached a cave, and in the other end I could see an open door and the daylight falling into the cave. The only problem was that it was guarded by at least fifteen goblins.

I gritted my teeth, before driving the dagger into the closest goblin. He let out an exclaim of shock, before falling to the floor. I pulled the dagger out of his dead body, and then began making my way toward the door. I dodged, was nearly hit by a flying goblin-head, and finally reached the door. "Come on!" I yelled as I stopped beside it, impatiently waiting for the dwarves to get out. I swung my dagger in a deadly bow, and another goblin fell, as the others rushed out through the door.

"Rosie, what-"

"We can talk later," I interrupted Kili who had stopped. "Come on!" He nodded, before rushing out, followed by Fili, Ori, Nori, Dori, and finally Thorin. I waited for some seconds, to see if there were someone else coming, but no one came. At least no one else than Goblins. I rushed out of the cave, covering my head with my arms, as a rain of arrows fell over me. No one reached their goal, and I was very grateful to that.

I on my way down the hill, I slipped and fell. A short, sticking pain shot up through my arm as I tried to get hold of a small bush. It didn't work, and in a very painful way I rolled all the way down to the end of the hill, where the dwarves and Gandalf had gathered.

"Rosie!" someone exclaimed. I opened my eyes which I had kept tightly shut, and then sat up with a groan. Oh God, my back hurt! "Are you hurt?" I blinked a few times, and then focused on the face in front of me. Dark brown eyes, nearly as chocolate, and it felt as if I melted into them. It felt as if I had been holding my breath since Kili left, together with the other dwarves.

"Yes, no, I..." I didn't know what to say. Therefore I cupped his cheeks with my hands, closed my eyes, pulled him closer and kissed him. After a few, endless seconds, I felt him put one arm around my waist, and one hand at my neck. I let my arms slid around his neck, as he returned the kiss.

I knew the dwarves were watching us, smiling, but I couldn't care less. Kili and I were together again. For the moment we were safe, and that moment no one could interrupt before we allowed them to.

We pulled away from each other, and he helped me up. "Are you sure you're fine?" I nodded, smiling.

"Yes... yes, I'm totally fine." Then we turned to face the rest of the company. Nearly all of them were smiling. Fili was grinning, but Dwalin and Baling frowned, while Thorin's look was nearly dangerous. I pressed myself closer to Kili, not liking being in the centre of the attention, and glanced up at him. He wasn't looking at me. I followed his hard glare. Why was he looking at Thorin like that?

"Kili-" Thorin began, but Kili cut him off.

"There's nothing you can do nor say, so just stop trying." Then he pulled me with over to Fili, not letting go of me, as if he was afraid someone would steal me. In a flash of a memory I remembered Galadriel's words. You have to keep her away from Thorin. He will try to separate her and the one she loves. I quickly glanced over at Thorin, just in time to see a flash of anger in his eyes. Then I tried to find Bilbo. After some seconds of searching I hadn't found him yet.

"Where's uncle Bilbo?" I asked in a small whisper, suddenly feeling very small. Silence. No answer. Slowly I realized what had happened. He hadn't made it out. We had lost him. "No," I breathed, letting go of Kili, my eyes wide as I stared up the hill I had rolled down. "No!" I would've ran straight back, if it wasn't for Kili grabbing me. "Let go of me!" I yelled. Somewhere far away some of the other dwarves had began do discuss when we could've lost him.

"You can't go back!" Kili argued.

"Of course I can!" I replied, anger in my voice. "He have taken care of me since I was small, so why can't I go back to try and save him?"

"Because," Kili replied, pulling me back, "the goblins will take you as a prisoner, torture you, leave you in a black hole, and let you die. And you will get no chance to save Bilbo." Slowly his words sank into my mind, and I knew he was right, even if I wouldn't admit it. I stopped resisting, and let him pull me back. His firm grip loosened a bit, but not much. Tears ran down my cheeks. Carefully he turned me around and held me close. His breath felt warm against the top of my head. "Rosie," he whispered, so low that only I heard him. "I love you, and I don't want to lose you, so please. Don't run off."

"I won't," I replied, and my hands clenched. The others were now arguing whether they should go back to find Bilbo, or if they should continue without him.

"He is my friend," Gandalf said, "and in many ways a good hobbit. I feel a responsibility for him. The Gods shall know I'm sad you lost him." Many of the dwarves asked why he – Bilbo – had joined at all, and why the wizard hadn't chosen one with some more sense. If I hadn't felt totally empty, I would've been angry.

"This far he has been to more bother than benefit," Gloin growled. "If we have to return to those abhorrent tunnels and search for him, then blast him. That's my meaning."

"It was me who brought him with, and I'm not taking with someone who're to no use! You can come with me and help me search for him, or I'm going there alone, and you can stay here and decide by yourself how to get out of this shit. If we find Bilbo again, you're going to thank me when this is over and done," Gandalf replied angry, before turning to Dori who was the one who carried Bilbo last. "What were you thinking, Dori, when you lost him?"

"What would you have done if a goblin appeared behind you in the darkness, grabbed your leg and pushed him off your back?" the dwarf questioned, sounding a bit annoyed. "Wouldn't you have lost him?"

"Yes," Gandalf answered, "but why didn't you make him climb up on your back again?"

"But for God's sake!" Dori exclaimed. "Are you asking that? Goblins who fights and bites in the darkness, stumbling around and falling over each other. And you who nearly chopped off my head with Glamdring, and Thorin who fought with Orcrist. And suddenly you let your wand spurt flames so we were blinded, and we could see the goblins fleeing. You shouted that "everyone should follow you", and then we had to do as you said. I thought we did. We had no time to count each other, you know that very well, and at least not after fighting our way through the guards, and out the lower exit. And here we're sitting now, not knowing where that confounded burglar is!"

"And here is the burglar," a voice said. I spun around with a gasp. Bilbo was standing there, and he didn't look hurt at all! He was safe! We were all safe! The tears gathered in my eyes as I pulled away from Kili.

"Uncle Bilbo!" I exclaimed as I rushed over to him, threw my arms around his neck and hugged him. He was frozen in some seconds, then he put his arms around me and held me. For the first time since I left Rivendell, I felt completely safe. Bilbo was there, Kili and Fili were there, together with the rest of the company. My shoulders shook with sobs as I pressed myself closer to Bilbo, not wanting to let go of him.

"Rosie?" Bilbo asked and I slowly let go of him. He was looking at me with a frown. "What are you doing here?"

"Good question," Thorin muttered somewhere behind me, but I didn't turn to look at him. Instead I dried my eyes, before looking at Bilbo again.

"I couldn't stand being without you. All of you, and therefore Gandalf asked me to come with." Bilbo sighed, and then smiled.

"I'm glad you're here," he replied, hugging me once more.

Now the dwarves began questioning how he had escaped the goblins, and then how he had managed to get that close to them, without them noticing. Bilbo only smirked, and replied that "it wasn't really that hard". After they got to hear that, they wanted to hear what he had experienced when we had lost him. He sat down between them, nearly in the same position as he had used back in Hobbiton when he told me stories. He told about this creature which called himself Gollum, and about the game of riddles.

"And when I couldn't find any other riddles, with him sitting beside me," Bilbo told, "and then I asked: "What have I got in my pocket?" He didn't manage to guess, even if he got three chances. Then I said: "And what about your promise? You should show me the way out!" He attacked me in the darkness and tried to kill me, but I ran, tripped and fell, and he rushed past me and couldn't find me. I followed him, 'cause I had heard him talk to himself. He thought I knew where the exit was, and therefore went that way. When he reached it, he sat down and blocked the tunnel so I couldn't pass. So I jumped over him and ran to the door."

"But what about the guards?" I asked with wide eyes. "Weren't they there?"

"Of course they were," he replied with a small, secret smile, and ruffled my hair. "But I sneaked past them. I got stuck in the crack in the door, 'cause it was barely open, and I lost many of the buttons." He glanced down at the ruined jacket. "But I managed to get through anyway, and here I am now." I put my arms around him and pressed myself as close to him as I could, something which made him chuckle. I closed my eyes as he patted my back. There were no words to describe how happy I was for him being there with us, and not inside the mountain with the goblins.

"Yes, wasn't that just what I said," Gandalf commented with a small laughter. "Bilbo Baggins have more in him than you thought, just as Rosie." I let go of Bilbo, and turned to Gandalf with something close to a bright smile. Thorin glared at me, as if he wished me far away, possibly to the other side of Middle Earth.

Then Bilbo began asking, together with the dwarves, how I and Gandalf had suddenly appeared in the cave, and come to their aid. Therefore Gandalf quickly told them what had happened after we left Rivendell. "I have to find a reliable and skilled giant who can block this entrance, otherwise folks can't get over the mountain any longer," the wizard finished. For a while no one said anything, only glanced at each other, unsure if they should comment our story, but it ended with Gandalf saying that we should continue. "When the night comes, they'll send out a dozen of goblins after us, and the shadows are already beginning to get long. They can smell our track many hours after we've passed. We have to get far, far away before the darkness comes. If the sky's clear, there'll be a faint moonlight, and if that's the case, then we're lucky. Not that the goblins needs moonlight, but for us it's goo if there's a bit light so we can see."

Of course, Bilbo began asking a lot of questions. I knew the answers of some of them, but kept them to myself, not sure if they were totally correct. Therefore Gandalf was the one to answer. "You see, the thing is that when one have been in the goblins' tunnels, one lose the track of time. Today it's Thursday, and it was Monday night or Tuesday morning when you were attacked and caught. We've walked many miles in there, reached the heart of the mountain, and now we're at the other side. It have been quite a short cut. But we're not at the place we would've been if we used the normal pass. We're too far north, and in front of us we have a very rough terrain which isn't easy to get through. And we're still high up in the mountain. Let's get moving!"

"I'm just so very hungry," Bilbo sighed. I glanced at him. I was hungry too, but we had no food, since the goblins had taken the bags they eventually had.

"Nothing I can do with that," Gandalf replied, "if you don't want to go back and ask the goblins politely if they can return you the ponies and luggages."

"No thanks!" Bilbo exclaimed.

"Then we'll have to continue, otherwise we'll become supper, and that's worse than if we don't get any for ourselves."

I got to my feet, just as the others. For a few seconds I stood there beside Bilbo, unsure if I should stay by his side, or if I should go together with Fili and Kili. To my happiness, the two mentioned siblings solved the problem. 'Cause as we began walking, Kili appeared beside me. I quickly glanced up at him, and smiled hesitantly, remembering the look in his eyes when he glared at Thorin earlier. Kili returned the smile, and a few seconds later his warm hand took mine, and our fingers laced together.

It felt as if we had been walking for hours. The twisting path disappeared. Shrubs, meadow patches between boulders, gnawed by rabbits, thyme, sage, marjoram, yellow stonecrop we put behind us, and at last we reached the edge of a broad, steep slope, covered with stones that were piled up after a landslide.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked. No one answered me, and I guessed they were just as tired as I was.

While we went down the slope, pebbles loosened under our feet, rolled down and tore with bigger stones which slid, rolled further, pulled with boulders which gave a cloud of dust, and slid down with thunder and roar. Soon it was as if the who slope over and under us were in movement. We slid, and held on to each other. I held on to Kili, who held one arm around me, and tried to keep the balance with the other. We were all confused and terrified in the noisy landslide.

It were the trees at the bottom of the slope, which saved us. We sailed into the pine trees which were the upper outposts of the deep, dark forest in the valley below us. Some of us managed to get hold of the stems and climbed up between the branches, while others hid behind the stems so they wouldn't be hit by a stone. I was one of those in the trees. Kili had managed to get hold of a branch, and had nearly thrown me up, before climbing up himself.

So there we stayed, waiting for the danger to pass, and all the time I was leaning against Kili who held his arms around me. I was just terrified. First goblins, now a landslide. I was already at the edge of breaking down.

"Come on," Kili whispered, before letting go of me to climb down. I followed him, until I again had firm ground under my feet.

"That was quite a trip," Gandalf commented, brushing some dust of the end of one of his long sleeves. "Even the goblins who are hunting us, will get some job to get down this slope, without us hearing."

"Yes, I think so," Bombur replied. "But they can easily throw stones on us." The others were all other than happy, there they stood and massaged their bruised feet and legs.

"Nonsense! We have to turn away from the path at the bottom of this slope, and fast. Don't you see the sun disappearing?"

The sun had long ago disappeared behind the mountains in west. The shadows laid themselves around us, but far away in the forest and between the dark treetops further down, we could see out over the meadows which still were bathed in the evening sun. We continued as fast as we could, down some gentle slopes overgrown with pine forest. Here and there we came through bracken thickets so high they reached over both mine and Bilbo's heads, and other times we crossed nearly soundlessly over a carpet of pine needles, and all the time the forest became more and more gloomy and dense. Not even a small puff of wind in the evening, could get the tree tops to dance.

So, what you think? To me, it feels very chaotic, especialy when they're in the caves, but maybe it's only because it really is chaotic.

Please, leave a review, and I'll update as soon as I can.