Bilbo couldn't sleep, despite his exhaustion. He had long grown used to the cold and sleeping without a mat or blankets. He was curled up, wrapped in his filthy cape on a tuff of particularly tough grass in the middle of the swampland. He had almost forgotten what it felt like to be comfortable and content enough to sleep soundly.

Absentmindedly he reached down his shirt and bought the Ring to rest on his palm by his face. Slowly he ran his finger over it again and again, it gave him a sort of calmness that hopefully, would allow him to get to sleep.

"So pretty, so precious..." Gollum muttered to himself, breaking Bilbo out of his reverie and making him sit up in shock.

"What did you say?" He whispered.

"Master should be sleeping..." Gollum hushed, his teeth glinting in the moonlight, "Master needs to keep up his strength."

The creature began to hum a strange, yet eerily familiar tune that Bilbo could not place, but it put him on edge.

He didn't have long to think on it however, as a screech echoed over the bog and a sharp pain suddenly struck him down. Emanating from his shoulder wound, Bilbo found himself temporarily overrun with agony and unable to think or move. His head was filled with visions of their white, haunted faces, just as he'd seen when he'd worn the Ring in their presence. Black Riders.

He had to move.

Biting his lip and bearing the pain from his shoulder he struggled to join Gollum under a dying bush. The rider was atop a strange black, scaly creature. Were he more ignorant Bilbo would have called it a dragon. He decided he didn't particularly want it to get any closer so he could figure out what it actually was.

The Ring began to whisper and hiss loudly in his ears making him feel lightheaded, he lowered his head against the ground with a soft groan trying to make it stop.

"They are calling for it, calling for the precious..." Gollum hissed.

The rider continued to circle above him until finally, it turned and began to fly further to the north, away from him. Bilbo deeply regretted letting Thrain go now, he wished desperately that he'd never left his family behind. Whimpering, Bilbo stayed curled up under the bush for a long time.

-oOo-

"We're lost aren't we?" Kili sighed, looking over the rocks toward the swamp.

"I don't remember a swamp being on the map." Thorin agreed.

Fili tossed his dagger in the air for the third time that morning but it continued to tell him they were going in the right direction.

"I was told this dagger always points north and if that's true it means we have to cross this swamp to get to the Black Gate." He sighed, "Maybe the map was wrong?"

"Let us hope." Thorin replied tersely.

Kili scrunched up his nose at the stink wafting up from the rancid waters, it would take days to cross a bog this size. Suddenly, he spotted something on the horizon, a black speck that was moving across the swamp. He could only just make out a familiar screech echoed across the flat area.

"There!" he pointed, "That's a black rider! It must be after Bilbo and the Ring. That's all the proof we need, Bilbo is out there in the swamp!"

"Kili those riders must be scouring Middle Earth." Thorin argued, "We can't-"

Kili was already making his way down the sheer rock face towards the swamp.

"It's a lead, do you have a better idea?"

Fili and Thorin shared a look. Kili had a point.

They both followed him down into the bog.

-oOo-

Without Thrain for company Bilbo felt himself grow colder. True, he had Gollum and the strange little thing was proving itself somewhat trustworthy but Bilbo didn't think he could ever call him 'friend'. The Ring continued to weigh him down and whisper at him, more than once he'd told it to shut up out loud.

'Maybe this is what it did to Gollum' he thought darkly, 'Maybe I'll start talking to it the way he did soon. I'd give anything to be home in Erebor again, under the black stone...'

Bilbo felt himself halt.

Erebor, it was black wasn't it? He felt panic stricken him when he realized he couldn't quite remember. Was it grey or black? In a flurry he took off his bag and dug through it in a hurry until he found the crystal ball Kili had given him with the model of his home inside.

Grey.

Swallowing nervously he put the treasure back in his bag before Gollum, who was wandering ahead as usual, saw it.

He was forgetting his home, was this the Ring's doing?

If he wore it for much longer was he going to end up all twisted and mad like Gollum was? His natural reaction was to tear the ring from around his neck and throw it as far away from him as he could and yet...he couldn't do it. He felt strangely attached to the Ring, gripping it through his shirt it helped calm his fast breathing. Part of him knew that was not a good thing, but he ignored that part of himself for now.

"Come on master!" Gollum urged, "This ways now!"

Bilbo sighed, up ahead were more rocks. They'd come to the edge of the swamp only a few hours ago and now it seems it was back to climbing and sharp stones. He wasn't sure which he disliked less. He could see a red glow, and smoke on the other side of these rocky hills. Mordor was not far away now...

It took half a day to clamber over the blackened rocks and up their sheer cliffs. Bilbo, as a Dwarf could tell these rocks were not black by natural means, they had been burnish black by fire. He didn't know why but that made him feel even more apprehension.

Finally, he crawled over the top where Gollum was sitting, rocking back and forth.

"The Black Gate..." He whispered, pointing over the ledge.

Bilbo felt his voice stick in his throat.

Mordor.

It was just...there. Right in front of him, the dark, metal gates that marked the entrance into Mordor. On the ground not far from it were orcs, with twisted features and coated in more muck than even he.

"We can't possibly enter here." He whispered, "Even if we could get through the gate there is no way to go unseen."

The war cries of more Orcs made Bilbo flatten himself against the rocks, blending in to the cliffs edge as yet another battalion marched for the gate and through it as it opened. Physically, he was a Hobbit, who were good at going unseen, but even he was not that good.

The sounding of a horn made both he and Gollum block their ears, evidently whatever creature Gollum was had the same sensitive hearing he did. Gods, he was only at the gate and already he could not stand this place.

Even so, he had to try. Bilbo moved to charge down the cliff and into the gate but Gollum held him back.

"No master! Don't take its to him! They catch you if you try!"

Bilbo found himself struck silent by how frightened Gollum looked.

"There is a better way! A secret way!" Gollum continued, gripping at Bilbo's shoulder desperatly.

"Are you telling me there is another path into Mordor." Bilbo whispered, Gollum nodded.

Bilbo glanced back at the gate, now firmly shut.

"Take me there."

Hurray I updated faster!

Sorry last chapter was a bit average, I hope this one makes up for it a bit! :)