Destruction imminent. T-minus 1 second and counting.

The countdown clock stopped at 1 second and Ori looked up proudly, only to find that the others had their eyes squeezed shut in anticipation of the end. He felt a small amount of Great Goblin's maliciousness swimming through his head and smirked as he whispered, "Boom."

Everyone jumped and Bilbo let out a small squeak of terror before opening his eyes and glaring at Ori. "I don't think that was necessary."

Ori shrugged and tugged his gloves back on. "Great Goblin was feeling spiteful and cocky, but I'd rather embrace the cockiness right now than admit how scared I was."

Dwalin's arms closed around the boy and he placed a soft kiss to Ori's forehead. "Ya did great, lad. Ya saved us."

"I stopped the self-destruct." He deflated and leaned heavily against Dwalin as the reality of the situation came back to him. "We still lost. I mean, who cares if we defeated Great Goblin... Everyone else is still dead..."

"We don't know that for sure, there could still be survivors." Dwalin regarded the boy worriedly. "How is your head? Do ya have much of an emotional hangover from that bastard?"

"I just need to sit quietly for a moment," Ori whispered, staring down at his gloves. "I need him out of my head so we can get out of here and find what's left of the others..."

Blue Team stood huddled together on the dais, where they were stuck until Bilbo or Balin recovered enough to get them down. The adrenalin from the fight began to leave their systems and the possibility that their friends and family were dead began to sink in. A sharp noise distracted them from their morbid thoughts.

"What was that?" Bilbo asked, tilting his head to listen better.

The noise sounded again- metallic and creaking.

"I have no idea," Balin admitted. "An' I'm not too keen on any more surprises."

The third time they heard it, the noise was louder and splintering, like metal being forced to give way.

"Hello?" a familiar voice called into the destroyed warehouse. "Blue Team? Can you hear me?"

"Dís!" Thorin shouted, his whole face lightening at the sound of his sister's voice. "We're up here!"

Blue Team scrambled to peer off the edge of the dais, searching through the wreckage for the source of the voice. Bilbo caught sight of her first, grabbing Thorin's arm and pointing to where Dís was scrambling through a large Bombur-shaped hole smashed in the far wall.

"We're up here!" Thorin yelled again, waving his arms frantically to draw attention to their location.

Dís looked up and raised a hand in acknowledgment. "Is everyone all right?"

"Yes! We're fine. We thought you were dead! Are the others..."

"Beaten to hell, but still kicking," Nori shouted, limping out of the darkness. "It'd take a lot more than an army to stop the Company."

"Nori!" Ori shrieked, leaning far enough over the edge that Dwalin had to catch the back of his hoodie to keep him from toppling over. "You're alive!"

"Can't be rid of me that easily, little brother." Nori replied while the other members of the Company began filtering in behind him.

"The reunions can wait until ya get us down from here," Dwalin rumbled.

Bofur pushed his way to the front of the group and stretched his wings. "I'm on it." Pushing off the ground he pumped his wings to gain altitude and made his way upwards until his feet touched down on the edge of the dais. "Who's first?"

Thorin gestured to the unconscious man in the desk chair. "Take him down first and have someone bind his hands so he can't escape if he wakes up."

"With has hard as Dwalin punched him, I doubt he'll be waking any time soon," Balin said with a slight chuckle. "Especially not after Ori got a hold of him."

"Is that... Is that Great Goblin?" Bofur asked in amazement. At Thorin's nod he took a step closer and prodded the man with his finger. "Not exactly what I thought a criminal mastermind would look like."

"Just get him down so that ya can come back for us. I really ain't that comfortable being so far off the ground," Dwalin grumbled. Ori patted his arm and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Bofur wrinkled his nose at the prone figure, but grabbed Great Goblin up by the back of his jacket and stepped off the edge of the dais, gliding smoothing towards the ground. He deposited the man at Dís' feet, relayed Thorin's orders, then took to the air again. It wasn't long before Blue Team was on the ground and reunited with the rest of the Company. Thorin pulled his nephews into a rough hug, not bothering to hide the tears that ran down his face. Ori tackled his brothers the moment his feet touched down and wouldn't stop fussing over their injuries. Everyone shared tired smiles over the fact that they were alive and Great Goblin was captured.

They had won.

…

Erebor Tower was a wreck and it took the Company the better part of a week to make the main room livable again. The elevator and most of the furniture was broken beyond the chance of repair and had to be replaced, as did the large window that had been shattered during the fight. The computer wall had survived with minimum damage and once Dís got the power grid back online it was back to fully operational in a matter of hours. Sometime during the repairs Gandalf disappeared. His help had been invaluable, but he was not one of the Company and no one was particularly sad to see him go. The physical damage to the building was costly, but even worse was the emotional toll. Someone had managed to attack them in their home- the one place they truly felt safe.

"I'm going to rework the entire security system," Dís said, frowning at the computer screen for a moment before adding another line of code. "Just because Great Goblin is in jail doesn't mean we won't encounter someone like him again. I want to take what we learned and up our protection."

Bifur swiveled in his chair and patted her arm with an agreeable nod. He made a few small gestures with his hands, broken bits of made-up sign language that most of the team had come to more-or-less understand.

"The security upgrade will help, but you're right... We're always strongest when we're together." She smiled softly and turned her own chair to face Bifur. "The Company will always win in the end, because we're the good guys. I have to believe that good will always triumph."

He reached out and brushed a loose strand of dark hair from her face, his eyes crinkling in a smile.

Dís nuzzled against Bifur's hand briefly before pulling back and blushing. "And after we get the new security measures in place, it's back to work on some sort of gadget to help you control your power again. While I was digging around in Great Goblin's computers I had this brainstorm about switching out the power coupling on a modified amperage modulator that just might do the trick..."

…

"Hey, Fee?" Kíli leaned back on the couch and rested his boots on the new coffee table.

"What is it?" Fíli pried his eyes open from where he had been dozing beside his brother.

"Have you noticed that mom and Bifur have been spending a lot of time together?" The younger boy chewed at his lower lip and frowned.

"So? They're friends. No one understands half of what mom says once she goes into techie mode and none of us really understand Bifur at all. I guess they sort of have that in common."

"Yeah, but are you sure they're just friends? I mean, she's blushing over there!"

Fíli opened his eyes in earnest and squinted across the room to where Dís and Bifur sat at the computers. "Kili?" He sat straight up in his seat, all thoughts of sleep gone.

"Right?!" Kíli slunk lower and thumped his forehead against his brother's arm. "She's flirting, Fee. With Bifur!"

"Why would you show me that? Why couldn't you have kept that observation to yourself? Gah!"

"Because... Because I can't un-see it! I mean, it's mom. And Bifur. And they're..." Kíli paled as he trailed off, his dark eyes growing wide. "Do you think they're... ya know..."

"Oh my god, Kíli! No!" Fíli pushed his brother away with a horrified look. "Mom and Bifur don't... they don't do that."

"How do you know?" The younger boy asked desperately.

"Because they can't. Because... I don't know. It's mom and... Because, no!"

Both boys collapsed back onto the couch looking traumatized. Across the room, Dís' laughter only caused them more distress and Fíli buried in face under a pillow and moaned. Kíli muttered something about needing to bleach his brain, before curling himself into fetal position and covering his ears. They were so busy with their agony that neither brother noticed the wink that passed between Dís and Bifur at their expense.

…

"Gimli!" Loni called out happily as she and Gloín entered the White Council's base to pick up their son.

The boy in question was in his early teens and had his father's red curls hidden beneath a checkered newsboy cap. He flushed slightly at Loni's exuberance and shot her an mortified look. "Hey, mom."

"Oh, we've missed you!" Loni raced forward to crowd her son with kisses, but Gloín caught her under one of his arms.

"Don't embarrass the boy." He grinned over at Gimli. "I hope you behaved yourself?"

Gimli rolled his eyes. "It was good. Legolas as a great sound system, we listened to tons of fab indie bands!"

"Which bands?" Gloín politely asked Legolas. The other boy wore his blond hair long and straight, and had a pair of black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose.

Before Legolas could answer, Gimli cut in, "You wouldn't have heard of them, dad. They're all underground stuff, nothing mainstream." The boys shared a knowing smirk.

"Well, you'll have to tell us about them later!" Loni said cheerfully. "Legolas, dear, you'll have to come over soon for dinner. I'm sure Gimli would enjoy seeing you again."

"I'd love to, ma'am," Legolas replied with a nod.

"And please thank you father for us," Gloín said after a moments hesitation. "It was good of him to let Gimli stay with you."

"Yes, sir. I'll tell him." Legolas turned to Gimli and the two boys shared a one-armed hug. "See ya later, man."

"Yeah, see ya." Gimli gave his friend an vague salute.

Once outside, Loni threw an arm around her son. "It'll be so good to have you home! We've missed you!"

"Maybe next time you go saving the world I'll come with you." Gimli looked down to hide his growing smile.

"Why would you come with..." Gloín trailed off, his eyes widening. "Did you develop a power?!"

Gimli shrugged and walked a bit faster, leaving his parents standing on the sidewalk with gobsmacked looks on their faces.

…

Nori leaned against the rail of the balcony and looked up at the night sky. Even with the city glowing beneath them, the stars still shown bright enough to pepper the darkness with tiny pinholes of light. The moon was barely a sliver, but it cast enough of a glow to illuminate the stiff upper feathers of Bofur's wings. It was a beautiful sight and one that caused Nori to speak without thinking. "You look like an angel."

Bofur's head snapped up and he peered over at Nori with suspicion. After a moment it dawned on him that it was an honest compliment and he gave the thief an incandescent smile in return. "An' here I was thinking I'd be the sappy one in this relationship."

"I'm full of surprises, birdbrain," Nori replied with a shrug, his usual sly smile fitting back into place.

"So am I." Bofur stepped forward, catching Nori's face in his hand, and dragging him in for a deep kiss. He wrapped his arms tightly around Nori's waist and broke the kiss. "I want t' show yeh something. You'd best hold on tight."

Nori didn't have time to question before Bofur stretched his wings out and gave a cheeky grin. Tightening his grip on the other man's shoulders, Nori hung on for dear life as Bofur's wings caught an updraft and they were airborne. The city grew smaller as they climbed upwards into the sky, through thin patches of clouds. Around them stars twinkled like diamonds in the darkness. Bofur arched his wings, dropping a bit lower in the air, and Nori clung to him tighter. With a grin, Bofur pulled his wings back tightly and dove in earnest, spiraling them down through the night sky before drawing his wings out to take them upwards again. He smirked at Nori's wide-eyed expression and leveled out their altitude with an easy glide.

"So, how's this for a first date?" Bofur's lilting voice was teasing, but his eyes showed the barest hint of concern.

"A date, huh?" Nori cocked a brow and grinned. "Well, I've never been so thoroughly swept off my feet."

"Good. I wouldn't do this for just anyone, yeh know," Bofur said quietly. They stopped moving upwards and stayed suspended in place by the soft flapping of his wings. Far below the world continued on, but up in the starlight it felt like nothing existed but them.

"And what exactly are you doing?" Nori asked, his voice barely more than a breath.

"I'm giving yeh the sky, thief." Their lips crushed together- searching, needing. Nori wrapped his legs around Bofur's hips, shifting their bodies closer together and dragging a low moan from the other man. Bofur's wings held them steady as they fell back towards earth, lost in the darkness and each other.

…

Balin sat at the table with Oín and Dori, mugs of steaming chamomile tea placed on the scarred tabletop in front of them. The other members of the Company were spread out around the room, chatting and relaxing and enjoying the momentary peace. "We did it. We really did it." He shook his head, looking more than a little disbelieving at his own words.

"That we did," Oín agreed. "Of all the foes we're fought over the years, I think this was the worst."

"That's because our hand has never been forced like that before. They came into our house an' attacked us in the one place we felt safe." Dori drummed his fingers against the tabletop as he looked around the newly renovated room.

Balin nodded and followed his friend's eyes to where the younger members of the Company were sprawled out on the couches, involved in a game of cards. "Not to mention the fact that we were forced to rely on the two untrained members of our team."

"I never wanted Ori to have to use his powers. When we first discovered them, Nori and I swore we'd do everything we could to keep them a secret. We just wanted Ori to lead a normal, happy life."

Oín smiled kindly. "I wouldn't say it's a normal life, but from the looks of things your youngest brother is quite happy."

"I think he is. Though if he never has to use his powers again I'll be much happier myself," Dori admitted with a slight smile. "He did well though. And so did our burglar."

"They both did admirably," Oín agreed. "It seems Bilbo has cemented his place as a member of the Company."

Balin laughed at that, the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I believe he'll be more than a member of the team if he an' Thorin can manage to stop dancing around each other."

The three friends shared a good laugh at their leader's expense. They were smart enough to know that there would always be another fight on the horizon, so they enjoyed the moments of peace and happiness whenever they could. Eventually the laughter died away and they fell into a thoughtful silence. Dori watched his brothers across the room, while Balin's eyes turned heavy and far away.

"They're going to be all right, you know." Oín's voice was soft, pitched in such a way that no one else in the room would hear it. "The world is a lot more prepared for Supers than it was when we were young."

Dori pulled his eyes away from his brothers and sighed. "I know that. And they've all but grown up in the Company. They've got an amazing support system here..."

"But that doesn't mean you'll worry any less," Balin supplied. "Because we've seen how difficult the world can be when you're different. We know what it can cost."

"So, what do we do?" Dori asked. "We keep fighting the good fight, but how do we make sure the younger generation is prepared for all of this?"

"We teach them. We tell them our stories and we help them learn from our mistakes. We make sure they have every bit of knowledge and training we can offer them." Oín ran a finger along a large crack on the surface of the tabletop. "And we hope the world continues to evolve until they're accepted without condition."

Balin toyed with his empty mug and nodded. "An' in the meantime we pray."

…

Dwalin gave the the bookcase one final shove before it shifted into place against the wall. It was the third bookcase he'd moved in the last hour and his shoulders were aching with the effort. The addition of the bookshelves and a small roll-top desk made his moderately sized room feel small, but when Ori carried a box of books in and smiled at him, Dwalin found he didn't rightly care. It seemed a little silly to compress all their belongings into one room, when Ori's old room was right down the hall, but something about seeing their lives meshed together made Dwalin feel warm inside. He was sure Thorin would tease him over the ridiculous smile that seemed to be permanently etched out his face, but fortunately his friend wore a similar look himself. They would still be busy with patrols and keeping the city safe, but life was good.

"What are you thinking about?" Ori asked as Dwalin stood near the bookshelves, obviously lost in thought. "You're a million miles away."

"No I'm not. I'm right here." He smiled and walked to Ori's side, scooping the boy up and depositing him on the bed. "I was just thinkin' about ya. About us."

"About us?" Ori flushed slightly as he pulled Dwalin down with him, the bigger man's body pressing his own into the mattress. "And what exactly were you thinking about us?"

Dwalin kissed him, long and slow, before answering. "I was thinkin' that ya make me happy."

"I should hope so! After all, we just moved in together..." He slid a gloved hand up the back of Dwalin's shirt, enjoying the way the other man quivered at the feel of the knit against his skin. "No more sneaking off when no one is looking, or dealing with those knowing smirks. Not now that we've gone and made it all official that we're together for the long haul."

Dwalin murmured his agreement in between kisses to the soft skin of Ori's neck. "This is our bed... Our life..."

"You big sap!" Ori teased, only to be silenced as Dwalin nipped at the shell of his ear.

"So, I was thinkin'," Dwalin began, his voice low and rumbling. "I was thinkin' that we should make good use of our bed."

Ori arched his hips against Dwalin's and let out a quiet moan. "I like the way you think."

...

Bombur smoothed his hair and looked at his reflection in the mirror with a smug grin. It was shaping up to be a good night.

The entire Company lived through the battle with Smaug and the ensuing fight with Great Goblin and his minions. They came out victorious, which was the way things were supposed to be. The heroes win, the villains loose. And now that things were back to normal, life could go on. For Bombur, life meant a date with the brunette he met online through #Team Bombur. It was difficult to meet people when you could get called away at any moment to fight. The others might joke about the fan club and the constant dates, but Bombur considered it a blessing. He'd never had problems with people accepting him and his powers the way some of the others had.

But things were looking up now. Bofur finally managed to start things up with Nori, and Bifur had developed a close friendship with Dís. His family was happy and that made Bombur happy.

Of course, having a pretty brunette waiting for him at the bar down the street wasn't half bad either. Yes, it was definitely shaping up to be a good night.

…

"So, I thought we'd have another go at an actual date," Thorin said, coming up beside Bilbo and placing a hand on his lower back. "If you'd like to, that is."

Bilbo smiled up at him and leaned back into the touch. "You mean dinner and dessert? The whole nine yards?"

"Anything you want."

"With no emergency calls or villain interruptions?" He smirked.

"I can't promise that. We're Supers. Our lives are never completely our own." Thorin frowned. "I understand if that's more than you want to deal with."

"Well, I can't say it's ideal," Bilbo agreed softly. "But it's the life we've chosen, so we might as well make the best of it. Like you said- we're Supers."

Thorin's face broke into a genuine smile. "You're staying with us then? You're staying... with me?"

"I can't imagine trying to go back to my old life. Not after so much has changed. I do believe my place is with the Company... with you."

Bilbo turned and gazed up into Thorin's eyes, taking the look of heady affection that could someday blossom into actual love. But behind that look there was something darker and hungry and more intense, a look that Bilbo knew was mirrored in his own eyes. "The last time we went out to dinner, the night was supposed to continue on until breakfast..."

"It was," Thorin agreed in a rough whisper.

"Perhaps we should pick up where we left off then. Just in case The Gollum decides to put another warhead in the water supply or Balrog comes back from the dead to take over city hall or something..."

"That, my dear Bilbo, is the best idea I've ever heard."

They retreated to Thorin's bedroom, ignoring the catcalls from the rest of the Company. In the darkness of the room Bilbo took the initiative, ridding them both of their clothes before pushing Thorin back on the mattress and moving over him. Their kisses were biting and insistent, hands mapping over each others bodies and scrambling for purchase against sweat slick skin. They drew out their pleasure long into the night, until the only words they could remember were the others name cried out into the silence.

...

Morning came and found the Company piled around the table for breakfast. Three different brands of cereal in half-empty boxes were poured into bowels with fresh berries and milk. Platters piled high with steaming bacon and sausage were passed around and quickly devoured along with mountains of pancakes and toast. That morning's edition of The Daily Portents lay on the table, acting as a potholder for the hot coffee pot. Beneath the dark rings of coffee stains, the headline read Great Goblin Behind Destruction of S.M.A.U.G.. Supers in the Clear. Spirits were high and the conversation drifted between early morning grumblings and playful banter. Thorin and Bilbo were the last to the table, and met with hoots and hollers and knowing smirks.

"Looks like someone had a good night," Bofur teased with a waggle of his brows.

Thorin managed a good-natured growl. "I doubt you're one to talk. I'm sure you and Nori were up to no good last night."

"I'm not the one coming t' breakfast with love bites on my neck." He smirked. "It appears our little burglar is a wildcat in the sack!"

"Enough!" Thorin stopped the conversation before Bilbo's blush could grow any deeper red. "We're not here to talk about love lives, we're here to have breakfast. But since we're all gathered in one place, there is something I've want to say..."

"Speech! Speech!" Kíli crowed and Fíli joined his brother with the chant.

"I'm not one for speeches," Thorin interrupted, regarding his nephews with a halfhearted glare. "But perhaps you'll settle for a toast instead?"

They raised glasses of orange juice and steaming mugs of coffee and tea. Thorin stood looking around the table each, each and every face looking back at him. Fíli and Kíli nudged each other playfully, only to be silenced by a sharp glare from Dís. Beside her, Bifur made a few rough signs at Bofur, who unthreaded his fingers from Nori's to reply in turn. Bombur stole a sausage from his brother's plate and made a hushing motion at Oín when he looked ready to comment. At the other end of the table Gloín leaned over to steal a kiss from Loni, which elicited an eye roll from Dori who was watching them over the brim of his teacup. Brushing a stray crumb off his sketchbook Ori smiled up at Dwalin as Balin leaned forward, curious to see what Thorin had to say.

"We've walked through dragon fire and come out on the other side stronger, because we know what it feels like to be burned and to survive it." Thorin smiled warmly and raised his own coffee cup in one hand, the other curling around Bilbo's waist. "To loyalty, honor, and willing hearts. To those we've lost and those we've gained. To food and cheer and song. To family, whether by choice or by blood. To the Company."

The replying cheer was resounding, filled with love, camaraderie, and hope for the future. "To the Company!"

...

...

A/N: And we've come to the end of our adventure. The good guys win, the city is safe, and all is well in the world. Thank you guys so so SO much for all your comments and critiques along the way. I've said it before, but I really do have the best readers in the whole world! I wouldn't be half as motivated to create these stories if it weren't for the amazing people who enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them. I don't know what story I'll write next, but I hope to see you all there! Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart!