A.N. Just a quick disclaimer and response to a review. I do not own any of this except for my ocs.

Happy Christmas all of you, as a treat I am updating all my stories!

Chapter 2

At this point a heavy knock sounded on the door, causing the party to fall silent at the somber mood that seemed to fill the air.

Of course Cora had to ruin it. "I'll get it!" she chirped up, roughly shoving the ladle she had been using on the soup at Lily and skipping to the door, completely ignoring the atmosphere that had settled over the room at the sound of the heavy knock. Lily only snorted in amusement and turned to go back to the food on the stove and tend to its needs, content to leave Bilbo, who looked like he wanted to slam his head through the wall, and her father, who looked far too amused for anybody's good, to deal with Cora and their last guest.

"Hi! Welcome to the Baggin's residence, I'm Cora, now if you don't mind wiping your boots at the door and hanging your hood on the peg with the others," Cora's voice could be heard floating down the hallway. Lily had to go back to the kitchen to stop herself from laughing at the expressions on the faces of those around her. The wizard's expression of shock and confusion was especially amusing.

"Please have a seat, Lily should be out with the soup soon, and whatever business it is you have come to discuss can wait until after we have all been fed." Cora's voice floated into the kitchen where Lily was finishing up with the stew.

"Great timing Cora, get them into a line, it's far too crowded in here to try and serve any other way!" Lily smiled as she stuck her head around the doorframe into the dining room to catch a look at the new guest. She saw a tall-for-a-dwarf male with dark hair and beard and a regal standing that was currently eyeing her father with what appeared to be confusion written across his face. At the sound of her voice though he looked over to her and blinked in shock.

"Well, what are you all waiting for? Weren't you guy's hungry?" Cora piped up, grabbing a random bowl from the table and shoving it none to ceremoniously into the hands of the yet to be named new comer. "Grab a bowl, get in a line and my dear cousin, Lily and myself will serve you the soup." She smiled at the stunned crowd of dwarves, rolling her eyes when they made no move to get up. "Well you certainly are a rude bunch," she huffed crossing her arms over her chest and turning towards the kitchen. "If you don't get food now then I shall eat all of it myself." That seemed to be the key to getting them to move as there was suddenly a great scraping of chairs and the heavy tread of booted feet as the dwarves brought themselves and their bowls to the kitchen to be served.

AVAVAVAVAVAVAVAV

Lily sat to the side of the dining room with Cora at her side, both had a bowl of the stew and were listening to the men in the room talking. There was something about a mountain, a dragon, lost treasure and a quest to go back. Bilbo looked sicker and sicker the more he heard, while the two lasses looked as if they would be following them the first chance they got, not that the men folk were paying much mind to the two girls at the side of the room. The newcomer – Thorin, they had learned his name was – stood up when the wizard held aloft a key, declaring that it had been left in his care and was his now.

"There's a key, there must be a door," one of the others piped up, the girls were not sure who it was, there were a few of them sitting up at the table there.

"No Duh," Lily muttered into her soup, causing Cora to snort into hers and Bilbo and Nordri to direct disappointed looks and a warning 'girls, behave' towards them. This of course brought the attention of the rest of the company to them. Lily could see the question burning in their eyes about them, about her. Without another word she stood up from her spot and brought her bowl into the kitchen to clean up.

"Now is not the time Thorin," she heard her father's voice rumble, obviously in answer to some silent question. Cora silently slipped into the room behind her and shut the door behind her, muffling the conversation that was happening out in the dining area.

"They aren't talkin' bad Lily," Cora said softly as she started on the washing up. "They were just not expecting to see such a lovely young Darrow lass out here, much less learn that the prettiest of them all was practically raised here."

Lily looked up from her own work and over at her dear friend, giving her a soft smile. Cora knew of her insecurities, after all, children could be cruel and Lily had faced much name calling from other fauntlings growing up about her hair, her lovely sideburns, her feet, really they would poke fun at anything. She opened her mouth to reply to Cora when they heard raucous laughter coming from the dining room and a distinctive shout of "Don't do that, you'll blunt them!"

Grinning at each other like the fools they were the girls flung open the door and joined in the merriment at the expense of their cousin.