F-bomb dropped in this chapter, guys. If you follow my Tumblr then you're probably immune to the word, but just so you know.

The one thing that became more and more apparent over the next few days had been the Dwarves complete and utter appreciation toward Bilbo. They would take him out to the local pub, pat him on the back, make conversation with him about The Shire and such.

I mean, half of the time I'd be left at the house or to wander about the stalls at Laketown's market. I'd managed to buy some leather straps and some white string, remembering what Kili had said about Dwarven courtships involving handmade gifts. Still though, while they went out to drink and spy out the people of Laketown (Oin and Gloin spoke of some guy named Bard), I was left to my own accords.

It's not like I had been jealous or anything, though.

Of course not.

Ha.

Hahahahahaha.

...

It had quite possibly been the most boring week of my entire existence.

I wasn't jealous of Bilbo - I'm not sure I was jealous at all, actually. I'd just been a little fed up with how things were going. The change within the group had been...obvious, to say the least.

I mean...Thorin had been obsessed with getting to the mountain. I'm telling you this now so that you understand the story later on, and so it won't come as too much of a surprise. I can understand why he had wanted to get there so badly, it was his home, his kingdom. But...whenever he mentioned it, there was always the mention of the treasure, the riches that we would find there.

From Bilbo's shifty looks, I think that he was beginning to notice Thorin's greed as well.

It had been one of those nights in which the others would go to the pub and come back roaring drunk. It had also been one of the days in which my monthly visitor had come ah-knocking, so I'd spent most of the night holed up in the kitchen and eating away at whatever I could find in the Dwarves' and Bilbo's absence.

I'd burrowed into my bag and found a notepad and a pen, to which I quickly began to use. It felt...odd, using something that was so...so home. To have something from so far away. A little bit of home. I doodled absentmindedly, sometimes popping a cookie into my mouth. Fifteen minutes later, I found myself eyeing up a rather well done piece of art, containing myself wielding Snowthorn and proclaiming, 'On guard!'

When I say well done, I mean a stick figure with pointy hair and a line acting as my 'weapon'.

I remember that night I'd been having quite a mopey, sad time. I'd missed my mum and the familiarity of my home. I'd missed my friends and the knowledge that I was safe and away from the threat of fire-breathing dragons and hench pale guys.

Fair enough, really.

I must have fallen asleep halfway through reaching for a cookie, because I was woken up sometime later to the bang of the kitchen door and my own startled snort as my head shot up lazily from the surface of the table, creases left against my cheek from the paper.

And then Nori's laughter, the bastard.

My hand had been resting pathetically on the rim of the cookie jar and my face pressed against my notepad. Both had left me with either an aching back or an aching arm, so I don't really recommend this sleeping position for those at home.

'You waiting up for us again?' inquired Nori, tripping into a chair at the table. He stank of ale and tobacco, and his eyes were pretty unfocused. 'You should'a gone to bed, y'know'.

I half shrugged, folding my arms and biting back a yawn. 'It's fine-'

'No,' said Dori, entering the kitchen. 'Nori - bed. Ori's already on his way up, and you gave him so much to drink that he can barely remember his own name. And you - you drank nearly all the ale in Laketown, I'd wager'. The grey haired Dwarf then promptly hefted up his brother by the armpits, whilst Nori just grinned lazily at his brother, his hair slightly mussed.

Gasp.

'Your one's in a right state himself,' said Dori to me, voice strained as he dragged his brother from the kitchen as I rose from the table, still a little bleary eyed. 'As is the other one. Bilbo's contracted a cold and has sent himself straight to bed, and the others are going to come in and raid the kitchen any second now, so I'd make a run for it if I were you, lass'.

'Why is Fon-yer running?' asked Nori, hiccuping out a belch.

Dori shared a meaningful look with me and pulled Nori's arm over his own shoulder, following me out of the kitchen and into the spacious sitting room. The Dwarves were scrapping coats all over the place, as well as mud and boots and swords.

'-If Bilbo hadn't used that ring-'.

'-I was the one who knocked out th'Goblin, Fili-'

'-What're you talkin' about, you drunken lard of-'

It had been the drunkest I'd ever seen them. Seriously. Kili and Fili were leaning heavily against one another, while the others just pushed themselves back into chairs or fought drunkenly to light the fire. The most sober ones seemed to be Dori, Thorin and myself.

Me. Sober.

The apocalypse must be coming. Sam and Dean to the rescue.

...

No?

Okay.

There had been the thudding of footsteps as Dori led Nori upstairs, and then Bombur had pushed past me to find the kitchen, along with a few of the others. 'Jesus,' I'd cackled. 'I don't think I've ever seen you lot this bad'.

'Admittedly,' slurred Fili, standing as straight as he could with Kili's hand pushing down on his shoulder. 'We are all heavily intoxicated this night, fair Millie Fourn-ee-yer'. He looked momentarily confused at his slur, looking sideways to share a look with his equally baffled brother.

'Forn-uh-yer,' said Kili, brow furrowed.

'Fourn-i-er,' replied Fili, balancing uneasily on his feet. 'Fournier!' he cheered, and both he and Kili raised their arms in unison, happy beyond words at being able to pronounce my surname.

'My future husband,' I'd stated blandly.

'My Heirs,' deadpanned Thorin, stepping forward from the doorway, shrugging off his coat and spying out his nephews with a soft, hidden smile. Thorin loved his nephews, that much was obvious. Since many of his family had died, I guess he just wanted to look out for Fili and Kili as much as he could, which is why he hadn't really wanted them continuing to Erebor.

I half snorted at Thorin's remark, approaching the two bumbling brothers with my hands raised. 'You two need to go to bed'.

Fili fell into an armchair, causing Kili to lose his balance and catch my arm for support. 'The room is spinning,' complained Fili, throwing his head back to rest it against the back of the chair. 'Mahal, I 'aven't been this drunk since Gimli's sixtieth. Aye, Kili?'

Kili looked at me with a sideways, sickly look. 'Aye,' he'd huffed, in reply to his brothers drunken slur.

I cocked a brow at him and pushed him into the armchair next to Fili, making sure he didn't land too painfully. 'Even I don't know how you Dwarves can drink so much - and we're leaving in two days. You should be trying to keep fit, not drinki-'

At that point into my speech, the brothers saw it fit to completely ignore me.

'-And Tawlen bet that he could drink all the ale in Ered Luin-' continued Fili, talking of some Dwarf that I didn't know of, slapping the palm of his hand against the chair of the arm in amusement.

I looked at Dwalin, who had appeared from the kitchen with one of my cookies half in his mouth, and glowered. 'Those are my cookies,' I told him, pointing a finger in his general direction. The slightly drunk Dwarf just grinned and bit further into said cookie, leaning against the door frame.

'These are the households cookies,' he shot back, crossing his thick arms once he had finished off the cookie.

I breathed heavily through my nose and addressed Thorin, who was staring up at the stairs with a thoughtful look on his face. 'Thorin. Dori said something about Bilbo being ill?'

Thorin's eyes studied me for a second, and then he'd heaved a sigh. 'Aye. The Hobbit has fallen ill from our time in the water a few days passed. It seems that he is much more prone to getting ill than we Dwarves are'.

I'd pretend like I knew what he was talking about and had nodded gravely, making a mental note to ask Kili about Dwarven immune systems sometime.

'What I would do for another ale right now-'

When he wasn't completely off his face on ale and demanding for more of the substance, that is.

Considering the fact that I was exhausted, menstrual and felt very obligated to make sure that Kili and Fili got to bed alright, I reached for Kili's hand that lay on the arm of the chair and tugged lightly. 'Bed,' I'd instructed, upon him looking up at me with a hazy look. 'Separately, of course,' I added quickly, glancing over my shoulder to Thorin.

He merely shook his head, rolled his eyes and started for kitchen, where most of the other Dwarves were, save for those who had already gone to bed.

Kili heaved a sigh and tightened his hold on my hand, allowing me to pull him to his feet. 'You retiring for the night, brother?' he asked, stumbling and turning to look over to where Fili was, slumped in his armchair with his mouth wide open.

Snoring.

'I'll take that as a solid yes,' I'd piped up, interlocking my fingers with Kili's and snorting at Fili's state. 'How much did you drink?'

'Too much,' said Kili, slumping his back and following me up the stairs. 'Nori kept challenging Fili and I to drinking-' At this point he had hiccuped, and I had hid a smile. '-...Contests, and we jus' couldn't refuse, could we?'

'Course not'.

'Exactly'.

With his left hand caught in my right, we continued up the creaky stairs and away from the loudness of the rest of the Dwarves. Every so often Kili would groan and trip up a step, and I would hide yet another amused smile from him.

'This is why I love you,' said Kili, as I led him up the last step onto our own floor. Only a little surprised, I had turned to him with a bemused smile, his hand slipping from mine. 'You're laughin' instead of bein' disappointed, Millie'. Even in the state that he was in, I couldn't help but feel a little weak at the way his almond eyes looked at me, his hair mussed around his face and the way his eyebrows were drawn together in completely sincerity. 'I don' have to be ashamed or careful aroun' you'.

'Well, duh,' I'd laughed, drawing in to put my hands in his hair and push it back from his face. He was only a little taller than me, my nose reaching just below his. Still, I tilted my head up and, ignoring the smell of smoke and ale, kissed the corner of his mouth clumsily. 'I'm glad you feel that way - I want you to feel that way,' I insisted, trying very to hard to portray Serious Millie.

One, two, three-

'Oh!' I'd exclaimed quietly, breaking off our super romantic stare-off. Although, his had been a little unfocused and bleary. 'I didn't- I, uh, I love you too. Sorry,' I added. 'I didn't say it and I-' I cut myself off, smiling with my eyes closed. Opening them, I'd started over with a simple and clear, 'I love you too, Kili'.

He breathed in with a smile and stalled only momentarily. 'I'm very drunk right now'.

A comforting smile had been sent his way. 'I know'. My head had been full of funny little thoughts and my cheeks a dusted pink, but I had still led him to his room and pushed him onto the bed with as much delicacy as I could be bothered with. This is why I love you. My mind practically sang - heck, my mind opera sang the words. Hear that ladies and gentlemen? A Prince loves me.

Kili rolled underneath the covers, punching at his pillow. With his eyes closed, he had said, 'It's rather good that Thorin has forbid us from sharing a bed. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world, Milady'.

Mouth agape and cheeks flaming - yep, my romantic Prince Charming - I had swatted Kili's arm and barked out a surprised laugh. Apparently not really realizing what he had said, Kili merely rolled onto his side and let out a rather loud snore.

I do know how to pick 'em.

The next day had been centered around acquiring the necessary things for the journey to Erebor itself, as well mentally preparing for what was to come upon reaching our destination. Thorin, Bilbo and a few of the others Dwarves went to talk things over with the Master of Laketown, as well look over the ponies that the Master had offered.

I think that Thorin was suspicious of getting some obese, asthmatic ponies. Admittedly, some of the ones that I had seen had looked a little round and stumpy.

I, on the other hand, had offered to make my way into the market place and grab anything that we would need. You know, more leather straps or cotton, stuff that we would need to repair anything that might get broken or torn. Despite the fact that I had only entered the market to get very few things, I'd left with a pair of gloves, some earrings, leather straps, cotton, a loaf of bread and a dozen carrots.

The people of Laketown, apparently, had not yet ceased their appreciation and excitement for our company. I guess that threatening in killing the dragon that lived on a nearby mountain was a pretty swanky thing to do.

Upon entering the house with my dress skirts swishing around me excitedly, I had huffed with my arms full of the gifts that I hadn't had to pay for, at all. 'Do not,' I had stated, staring over the bread to the Dwarves. 'Ask'.

'We told you to only get the necessaries, lass!' said Balin, laughing heartily and taking the carrots and bread from my arms.

Kili, placing his sword on the side (he had been sharpening it), approached me with a laugh. 'Are these earrings?' He picked up the green little gems and sent me a knowing look, tongue pressed against the side of his cheek. 'Are you planning to dazzle Smaug to death?' he inquired cheekily.

I snatched the earrings form his grasp, thankful that Balin had taken the bread and carrots to the kitchen. The other Dwarves were snorting at the exchange. Honestly, it was impossible for these guys to get more than a slight headache when hungover. It was like they'd become immune to it. 'I'll dazzle you to death in a minute,' I'd grumbled, letting the earrings slip into the contents of my bag. 'I had a present for you, but I shan't give it to you anymore'.

Kili's face had fallen. The Dwarves had cackled.

'Millie-'

'Nope'.

I hopped up the stairs with my head held high after inquiring whether they had heard from Thorin, Bilbo, Fili and the others. Those who remained were Balin, Kili, Bombur, Bofur, Bifur and Ori. The answer had been no, though they still laughed at Kili's crestfallen look.

I'd half hoped that he wouldn't now expect some amazing gift. It was just a crappy little bracelet that I had made for him from the leather straps, string and the various colored cotton from my sewing kit. That was the main reason why I'd gone to the market: I'd used up most of my 'mending' supplies.

The bracelet was a dark brown leather strap. The string that I had used was white, and two ran down each side of the leather, sewn on by blue cotton that zigzagged down the surface of each part of the string, making a particularly trendy pattern, if you ask me. It wasn't a very wide bracelet, maybe an inch or less. Still, I hadn't known what else to make him, so 'manly' jewelry seemed like the best idea to me.

I'd dropped the gloves, cotton and my bag onto the bed. I would be the one to carry the supplies for mending, considering I was the 'go to' girl when it came to that kind of thing. The gloves were something that I would not even have remembered to buy, had the market person not given them to me. And thank God they had.

I was to leave all of my dresses here, and leave in only the breaches, shirt, gloves, boots and coat that had been given to me on the day that we had arrived. The coat, along with the gloves, was freakin' amazing. It resembled the one that Kili had worn, with the rough leather material and the patterns along the edges. Perfect for the cold nights.

Once I had packed away the things into my bag and hung it on the bedpost, there was the sound of the front door opening and more voices joining the low grumble that had already gone on. Deciding that I would have a bath before going to bed rather than at that time, I had stopped fingering my braid (something that I had often done without realizing) and glanced up at the window at the light pink sky.

Hopping down each of the steps, I found myself in an empty sitting room with a still burning fire. This itself had been odd enough, but upon hearing the low voices coming from the kitchen, I had followed said voices and cracked open the door, smiling brightly.

Only to have this smile fall at the startled, rigid looks that I was met with.

'What?' I asked quickly, looking at each of the Dwarves and Bilbo in turn. They were piled into the kitchen, sat around the long table and facing Thorin, who stood at the head of them all. 'Quit looking at me like that, you weirdos. What's wrong?'

'We were just discussing our departure on the morrow, lass,' said Bofur, mouth stretching into a quick smile.

I paused, but the silence was short. 'Alright!' I stated brightly, pushing myself into the kitchen and rubbing my hands together. 'What we got cookin' then, Bombur?'

The large man immediately brightened up and stood, flourishing his hand toward the cooker where a thick, orange, creamy soup was cooking. 'It's carrot soup - I used the carrots that you brought back from the market,' he had explained. The noise of the kitchen steadily grew louder, but I was aware of Kili and Fili's muttering just behind me. 'My wife will often make this recipe'.

That had surprised me. 'I didn't know that you were married, Bombur'. I had known that Gloin had a son and a wife, but it had never crossed my mind that the others may have similar attachments.

Bombur gave a large, cherry cheeked smile. 'Aye. Her name is Ness, and you will not meet a finer cook, I can tell you that'.

I dipped my finger into the large cooking pot, sucking away the taste of the soup. 'Mmmm,' I'd said appreciatively. 'That's hard to believe'. At that, Bombur had stuck his stomach out proudly.

That night, we had eaten the soup and talked over tomorrows plans. Thorin and the others had found sufficient ponies, and apparently Bilbo's cold had been a one day illness. Upon Bofur calling Hobbits 'delicate beings', Mister Baggins had straightened up and dropped his soup spoon into his bowl.

'Hobbits are sturdy and healthy creatures, thank you, Bofur'.

'My apologies, Master Hobbit,' chuckled the Dwarf.

It was half way through the meal that I had grown pretty pissed off at Kili and Fili's blatant awkwardness. Kili had sat beside me, and Fili next to him. Both slurped at their soups noiselessly, ignoring most of the clashing of ales and burps from Ori and Nori, to which Dori would swat at them. The rest seemed to find it highly amusing, even Bilbo cracked a small smile. Thorin merely rolled his eyes.

'What's wrong with you two?' I wasn't stupid. I had known that whatever had been discussed before I had walked into the kitchen...well, it had troubled the brothers enough that they were hardly drinking.

Kili's eyes rolled to meet mine. 'Nothing,' he insisted.

'You're not annoyed about earlier, are you?' I was joking-' He had cut me off quickly, swallowing his dinner and shaking his head.

'What? No. Of course not, Millie'. He smiled at me. 'Nothing is the matter'.

I settled back into my chair, glancing curiously at the still quiet Fili. 'Well, good. I want to give you that present after dinner, anyway,' I had said, almost shyly. Kili's smile had grown, but I could see that there was something missing. Something not quite right with the way that he directed those smiles, those reassuring words.

I had also seen the way that Thorin watched his nephew interact with me, and this only solidified my suspicions. I was confident that they were hiding something from me, but I couldn't think what.

Both Kili and I excused ourselves at the same time, and the moment the kitchen door shut behind us, I was instantly questioning him about the night before. I was, of course, eager to know whether or not he remembered much of our conversation.

He bloody well better had.

Kili had snorted. 'I wasn't that drunk, Millie - okay, yes, I was. Despite that, I do remember talking to you...some of it'. Just as we were about to reach the stairs, he pulled me back lightly. 'And I do still love you, Milady'. He kissed me then so that I stood pressed lightly against the wall. I smiled against the kiss, and the kiss was long, slow and different.

I pulled away and stared at him, hard. 'There is something up,' I declared.

Kili furrowed his brow, momentarily baffled. 'Well, yes. There is the ceiling, then there is the sky, and then beyond that-'

'Wha- no. I mean there is something wrong, Kili. You're acting very strange...sad, almost'.

After a moment, he sighed and pressed his forehead against mine. His breath moved my hair, which tickled my cheek. 'I'm merely worried about the quest, as are most of us. Some show it more than others. Have you-' he swallowed, staring into my eyes. 'Have you packed?'

I brought my hands up to rest on his waist, still not entirely believing. 'Yeah- yes'. Deciding to change the subject, I'd curled my mouth into a smile, cocking a brow. 'Was it really that hard sleeping next to me?'

Kili faltered and closed his eyes. 'Oh, Mahal,' he'd breathed.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't help but continue to tease. 'Was it really so difficult to control yourself around me, Prince-y? Alas, many have fallen to their knees in awe upon seeing the magnificence of Millie Fournier- Kili!'

His hands dig into my sides, fingers tickling any part of me that they could reach. Bent over, I had screeched out hysterical laughter, trying to elbow him away from me. 'I'm sorry!' I'd yelped, eyes watering. Still, he pursed. 'I won't tease you anymore-!'

His hands dropped from my sides and I had straightened up quickly, glaring at his grinning face. 'You chatte,' I declared, glad that he had no idea that I'd just called him, of all things, a cat in French. 'That was just plain cruel'.

'Come on,' laughed Kili. 'I want to see this gift of mine'.

I stood back awkwardly, letting Kili finger the finished bracelet. I'd cut a small slit in one side and attached a button to the other, allowing him to take it on and off whenever he pleased. If he wanted to put it on at all, that is. Oh, Mahal.

Kili looked up with a soft smile, something that I only saw in moments like these. 'Millie,' he had said, very quietly. 'Millie, it's very beautiful. Thank you'.

I shrugged, scuffing my feet against the wooden floor. 'You said that in Dwarven traditions, Dwarves exchange gifts during a courtship, so...' I waved at the object in his hands, making a funny little grunting noise and shrugging once again. 'Er, voilà'.

He did not inquire as to what the word meant, as he did with most things that I popped out with these days.

He didn't say anything, just bowed his head and went about attaching the leather to his wrist. With deft hands, it was done in seconds. 'I should make you something,' he said, brow furrowed. 'I am the man, I should have started the gift exchange-'

'Shut up,' I advised him. 'I started it. Make me something when we've got rid of Smaug and we're lounging around Erebor, waiting for the rest of the Dwarves to come and start the party up'. I caught the falter in his expression, but said nothing. 'Kili?'

'Yes?'

'Do you have any tattoos?'

He looked up, away from the bracelet. 'Why do you ask?'

I tilted my head, pulling off the belt that had Snowthorn attached to it and throwing it onto the bed. 'I noticed that a few of the others had some, I just wondered whether you did or not'. Because that would be superbly, tremendously attractive, kind sir.

'I don't,' he said, pushing away some hair, along with the braid that I had made him. 'Fili does, but that is only because he has seen a few Orc raids, whereas I have not seen so many. Fili is more experienced than I, and therefore it is fitting for him to acquire something that only is meant for Dwarves who have seen battle'. He paused. 'I will have one some day'. There was a quietness in his voice, a sentence that had not been spoken between us.

If I live.

'Do you think we'll come out of this alive, Kili?'

He walked toward me, ceasing the small distance between us. He addressed me with a sincere look on his face, with his hands resting on my shoulders. The bracelet that I had made him hovered by my face. 'You will'.

'...I don't think that I want to come out of this alone'.

He had said nothing, only wrapped his arms around me and brought me closer to him, his body pressed so close to mine that I could not tell where his warmth ended and mine began. And I had not known what would happen, why he was being so sincere, so sure in his promises.

But I would.

Kili had left my room soon after I had told him that I needed a bath. He had continued to hold me for a second, then pressed a kiss to my neck, then my mouth and told me that he loved me, that he was mine and that he would see me tomorrow, that we would be leaving in the late afternoon.

He said that he would wake me up.

I had only thought that he was being so caring, merely because this was our last true resting place. Tomorrow, we would start on the road again, and we may run into Azog along the way, we may run into Orcs and Wargs - but the road only ended with Smaug.

I was scared, and Kili had comforted me.

I slept like a sloth that night (not entirely sure how that works, but let's go with it), with the knowledge that this was my last nights comfortable sleep. In my bath, I had scrubbed and cleaned and lay there until the water started to go lukewarm, pretty positive that within two days I would be filthy and smelling like Dwalin.

My clothes were ready to put on quickly, and my bag hanging exactly where I had left it. Kili had told me that we would leave in the late afternoon, so I'd counted on waking up at around ten o'clock and help the other pack everything up and mentally prepare myself for weeks of no bathing and poor hygiene and smelly men.

The others hadn't counted on the rest of Laketown waking me up at six o'clock in the morning, though.

Moving out of my sleeping position of my arm being thrown off of the bed, I sat up quickly and flattened out my hair, brow furrowed and mouth set into an annoyed pout. The light in the room told me that it was far too early to be awake, and that something had the people of Laketown particularly excited.

I glanced out of my window and saw that the streets were lined with men and women and children, just like it had been on the day of our arrival. For a moment, I had been even more confused. Thorin had told the Master to make sure no one knew when we were leaving, that way there would not be time for a crowd to gather.

And then it had sunk in.

They were planning to leave me behind.

That was what they had been talking about in the kitchen, that was why they had shut up upon me walking in, that was why Kili had been so affectionate, so...sad. He thought that he may not see me again. That, despite the fact they were all so positive of Smaug's defeat, there was doubt beyond the arrogance of Dwarves.

He had been saying goodbye to me.

And I didn't know whether to love him, or to hate him for protecting me. I didn't know whether to be touched or enraged that they all assumed that I was not ready for the journey ahead.

'Well, excuse me,' I'd muttered, throwing the covers off of me. 'But fuck that sideways'.

As quietly as I could, I had changed from my sleeping clothes into the breeches, the shirt, the socks, the gloves, the boots and the coat. I had washed my face, brushed my hair, made my bed and stood in the wooden room, listening to the unearthly quietness of the house. But there was noise, small sounds of footsteps on the ground floor. Are they honestly trying to be quiet with that racket outside?

I had quickly put my belt on over my coat, made sure that Snowthorn was attached and hitched my bag on over my torso I stood there for a moment, swallowing away my anger and trying (through gritted teeth) to reason with myself.

Of course they were protecting me. Of course I would be at danger in battle. But I had proved myself, back when we were attacked by the Pale Orc. Myself and Bilbo had shown that we were able, that we were loyal.

And it was because I was female that they had tried in leaving me behind.

Pah. The weaker sex my arse.

So, with my head held high and my hands clenched with nervousness, I had thrown open my bedroom door and seen that Kili, Fili, Bilbo and Thorin's doors were all open as well. Beds were made, rooms were unoccupied.

Breathe, Millie.

I bounded down the stairs loudly, positive that I heard all conversation cease once I reached the second landing. The scene from Jurassic Park had popped into my head, and I could only imagine myself with a T-Rex roar.

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.

I was halfway down the last flight stairs when I saw the first one of them. Dori, then Nori, then Ori, then the rest of them. All in the sitting room, all preparing themselves for the road ahead in their separate ways. All looking at me with frozen stares.

'Well, hey lads,' I said, stopping on the fourth step up. 'We all ready to go? I sure am! That crowd out there, huh? Very loud - they woke up'. I swallowed, smiling tightly and eyes narrowed. My God, I had probably looked mad. 'Good thing as well, I guess you forgot to wake me up'.

Don't look at him.

'There is no use in playing this game, Millie,' sighed Thorin finally, stepping forward with his hand on his sword hilt. I directed my gaze to him, tilting my head and raising my eyebrows.

'Oh? You mean avoiding outright saying that, you know, you guys were going to leave me here alone?' I stepped down a step, face flushing. 'You mean that tiny, little detail, Thorin?' Admittedly, my voice had gone a little shrill on that last note. 'Were you even going to leave me a letter- anything?'

'Millie-' Kili had started, looking slightly pained.

'Unless you want me to throw this burning sword at your face, I suggest that you shut up'.

He silenced himself, shoulders drooping.

Thorin spoke louder, 'I will not have you disrupting this quest with your temper. You will come, yes. It was not my own idea to leave you sleeping, ignorant of our departure, but it is a deed done with care and love.You would be safe here, the people of Laketown would supply you with what you need. Upon reclaiming Erebor, we will send for you-'

Oh, Thorin. You fool.

'Well, there will be no need for you to send for me, as you put it. I'm coming with you, and I won't have a temper tantrum either. With all due respect, Thorin, I want to come'. I shook my head, furrowing my brow in general confusion at them all. 'I thought you'd all...I dunno, accepted me?'

'Oh lass, we have,' insisted Bofur. 'Anyway, I thought that it was a pointless idea from the beginning'. He cowered slightly under the others accusing stares. 'I did'.

'So did we,' said Nori, referring to himself and his brothers. They nodded with their brother, Ori very eagerly.

'And me,' said Bilbo, slightly uncomfortable from the look that Thorin was sending them. Still, he stood tall and proud, no longer as frightened of Thorin as he once had been.

'And I,' huffed Bombur, crossing his arms. 'You've got as much spirit as anyone else on this quest, lass. No reason why you shouldn't join us'.

Apart from, apparently, the fact that I have boobs.

'Well,' I had said, a little flustered. 'Thank you'. I walked down the last few steps, aware of the eyes on me. Aware that I would have to prove myself more than ever.

'I'm sorry that most of you seem to think of me as such a liability. I'll try harder, I promise'.

They couldn't seem to find a reply to that one.

And, finally, I met Kili's gaze.

Okay, whew. I hate that I had to do that to Millie, but it just seemed like something that the Dwarves would do, despite the fact that it was not done in a negative way, but a way to show that they care about Millie's safety. Obviously, Millie gets that, but she's still pissed.

Kili and Millie will have their talk later, but as you can see she's not all 'o m g kili how could u' with him. Millie is growing up, and she's being fair about the situation.

The next chapter will find us back in the proper story of The Hobbit, so expect more talk of Erebor, Bilbo, Smaug and, maybe, the Ring!

Thank you so much for the reviews and for sticking with this story. I love you all!