Hi! New Chapter! Okay, so I modified it a bit from the original scene in the movie. I wanted to establish that Bilbo was really attached to his parents, mostly his mother and that they are still a big part of him.

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- Chapter Three: I'm sorry, I can't sign this -

Bilbo was about to have a fit. There were twelve, no, thirteen dwarves in his smial, and they wanted him as a burglar, to the grey wizard's suggestion. After promptly passing out at the thought of being burned to ash, he had woken up in his chair with a cup of tea. Gandalf was next to him, asking if he felt well.

-'I'm alright, just let me sit quietly for a moment.'

-'You've been sitting quietly for far too long.' The old man replied, Bilbo's mouth dropping open in offence. 'Tell me, when did you're mothers plates and pottery became so important to you?'

-'Ever since it became all I had left of her.' He snapped, and the wizard looked at him sadly.

-'Well, I remember a young hobbit who would stay out late, come home after dark trailing mud, twigs and fireflies. A hobbit who had his mother's spirit and heart, who would've given anything to know what layed beyond the borders of the Shire.'

-'That was before, Gandalf. Before everything changed. I can't accept this offer.'

-'Why ever not? If she were alive, Belladonna would surely encourage you to come.'

-'If she were alive, then I wouldn't..!' Bilbo shouted and stopped himself. 'If she were still here, a lot of things would be different.'

-'I am aware her passing was hard for you, even after all these years. But I still do not understand why you refuse to come.'

-'You mean other than the risk of dying a slow and painful death?'

-'Life is a fragile thing, Bilbo Baggins. Even here, in the Shire, death may strike at any moment. There is another reason. What is it?'

Bilbo sighed and looked back to see if any dwarf was perhaps listening to the conversation. Seeing them occupied, he then turned to Gandalf and whispered in a hushed tone:

-'Gandalf, have you ever heard of the cursed springs?'

-'Of course.'

-'Well, on my coming of age, I went with some of my Took relatives to them and...'

-'You fell in one. The old man quickly understood. Which?'

-'The spring of the lass.'

-'And that is why you do not wish to come?'

-'Yes! Here, I can control the curse, because I can decide whether I get wet or not, and I have a ready supply of hot water if needed be. Out there, I won't have any of these things.'

-'And what does it matter?' The old man asked, and the hobbit looked at him with annoyance.

-'I don't want anyone to know about it! Do you truly think those dwarves would still want me in their group if the knew my gender changed back and forth?'

-'They need a hobbit as their burglar, and women dwarves are just as fierce as the men. They would not mind.'

-'Well, I do! I can't just run off, into the blue! I am a Baggins of Bag End!'

-'You are also a Took.' Gandalf argued, as Bilbo rolled his eyes. 'Did you know that your great-great-uncle, Bullroader Took, was so large he could ride a real horse?'

-'Yes...'

-'Well he could. In the battle of the green fields, he charged the goblin ranks, and swung his club so hard it took the goblin's head clean off it's shoulders. The head flew up a hundred yard and fell down a rabbit hole. And so the battle was won, and the game of golf invented at the same time.'

-'I do believe you made that up.' Bilbo said.

-'Well, all good stories deserve to be embellished. You'll have a tale or two of your own to tell when you come back.'

-'... Can you promise me that I will come back?' He asked, nervously.

-'... No. And if you do, you will not be the same.'

-'That's what I thought. I'm sorry, I can't sign this.' He said, standing up. 'You've got the wrong hobbit.'

With that, Bilbo went to his room and shut himself in. Later, when a melody of deep voices rose inside his smial, he felt his heart being crushed by a painful grip as he thought about is mother and how much she would've loved to go on an adventure herself.

I know Gandalf wasn't very shocked by Bilbo's declaration, but he's like 25 000 000 years old, so there's little that can surprise him. Bilbo's certainly not the first hobbit to fall into the cursed spring. I know the female part of him is pretty down-played, but guy or girl, Bilbo is still Bilbo and his personnality won't change with his gender. He'll just hide himself more around the company.

Reviews make me write faster and more, so post anything you want. An idea for my story, your thoughts, something you might not like or you think I should correct, or even spelling mistakes. (English is my second language and I have problems with spelling.)

Enjoy!