Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not my own, yadda yadda yadda. I'm not making any money off of this. (Though I wish I could.)

We all settled down to sleep early that night and I found myself thinking of the tentative peace that Thorin and I had forged. I still had my doubts that he was sincere and I still was angry at him for his words, but I also knew that, pain in the ass or not, when he gave me his word, he meant it.

We traveled for days with little commotion. We would wake early in the morning, eat a light meal of leftovers and start off again. Just before dusk, we would settle down and someone would go off hunting, whether it was Dwalin with his traps, Ori with his slingshot, Kili, or me. Now that I found my niche with my bow, I rather enjoyed hunting and the quiet it brought. I volunteered frequently and Kili accompanied me more often then not. Some nights we turned it into a friendly competition to see who could take down their prey first, or who could make the longest shot. While Kili usually won, I enjoyed the game as a way of building up my skill. I particularly enjoyed it when I managed to beat him, though that was rare.

Thorin had begun to join us more regularly in our dinner-time discussions and banter. While he did not comment often, he would sing along with the others, or tell his parts in whatever story they brought up. Every once and awhile he would offer me a nod if he caught me looking in his direction, and I wonder if my speech to him had sunk in and if he was really trying to stop being the bitter, brooding jack ass that he had been.

The country began to get rougher and I knew once we strayed into mountains that soon we would be in some deep shit. The battle with the stone-giants and the following capture by trolls weighed heavily on my mind. I dared not breath a word of warning or caution, however. I knew now that this quest was turning out a little differently then the movies. I had to be the one to bring Gandalf. I had been the one to give Bilbo the idea about the parasites. And infinitely more worrisome, I had saved Kili from that orc. It was bad enough that things had changed as it was. I would keep my mouth shut, thank you very much, and try not to fuck anything up.

On the sixth day of travel, it started to rain, and it did not stop. We could not even light a fire that night, so we all huddled up as close as we could under a sparse grouping of pines after a very bland meal. In the not too far distance, I could make out the very mountains that I had been dreading.

"Bombur, you great oaf, move your foot out of my spine!" Snapped Gloin.

"That's not my foot!" Bombur snapped right back. Nori let out a snort of a laugh and made some reference to another 'boney' part of his anatomy.

"Oi, its not that either!" Bombur added. "Its my knee. And if you think it feels any better for me to have my knee shoved into your great stabbing spine, then you would be wrong. But someone has taken up any space I could possibly have to move!"

"Any space you have is still twice the space the rest of us have," grumbled Dwalin. I rolled my eyes at their bickering and tugged my cloak closer to me. It was the one Becka had given me. The charcoal grey one I had given to Bilbo, who was shaking so badly his teeth chattered almost comically in his head. He was in the center of the group, next to me. Fili and Kili were in their usual spots to my left and right, with Thorin near to them. He had been talking with them in hushed tones as the rest of us settled down into sleep.

"Why don't all of you just shut your yaps," I muttered finally, tired of their constant arguing. Everyone's mood was foul with this retched rain. I thought for a moment, then sat up and rustled in my pack. I tugged out my tent cover and my 550 cord, stood up, and stepped around my companions. I began to tie the tarp off to the tree and glanced back.

"Oh, don't all rush to help me." I growled moodily. Dwalin was the first to stand and he grabbed the other side. We stretched it taut and angled it down so that water would drift off freely. Then we set about tying branches closer together and piling dead brush on top of that. Within a short time, we at least were somewhat out of the rain. Dwalin and I were soaked through, however, from being out in the down pour.

"Why didn't you do that before?" Bofur asked grumpily. I flipped him off and scowled.

"Oi, Bofur. Don't go pissing her off. She's right scary when angry." Fili called over, smirking at me. It was the first time anyone had alluded to having heard my little rant to Thorin. They all shared chuckle and it surprised me that Thorin himself was leading them in their laughter.

Noticing I was shivering just as hard as Bilbo had been, they gathered me to the center and shifted closer, sharing their body heat. I snuggled up, back to back with Bilbo, and, with the rain no longer falling on us, I finally fell asleep.

The next morning it was still raining as we ventured in to the mountain. The clouds were so dark overhead that you could scarcely tell that it was day. The mood was definitely somber and we all walked with our cloaks tucked tightly against our bodies and our hoods pulled up over our heads.

It wasn't long before the path became so steep at times that we had to help each other up. At a particularly harsh climb, we helped each other up, one by one, and it reminded me of the ravine and my squad. I shuddered in the cold as Dwalin and Thorin, the two tallest in the company, hefted me up. Gloin and Oin grabbed my arms and hauled me up the ledge and easily to my feet. Dwalin was next and, like Alicia, Thorin, the leader of our group, was last.

The telltale rumble in the distance promised a thunder storm and I felt a sudden fear clutch my chest. Anxiety washed over me as we walked and I could practically hear the screams of Andrew, Brown, Downy, and Wallace as we ran for our lives in the hellish storm that would have killed me.

"Talya?" Balin asked, snapping me to my senses. His hand was on my arm, steadying me. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in my appearance. "Are you alright lass?"

"Yeah… Just uh… Bad memories."

"Memories of what?" Bilbo asked quietly and quite miserably from behind me. I hesitated, and then remembered how often they had told of their own pained pasts.

"I was out in the woods with some… colleagues of mine. We got stuck in a vicious storm, a lot like this. We were caught in a ravine when it started to flood. We managed to get up the side in time, but my boot caught in a root and I fell. The split lip you saw me with when we first started traveling was from that.

"A flash flood came down the ravine, carrying trees, rocks, and god knows what else. As the water began to hit the ledge I was on, it ate away at the dirt under it. By the time I got my boot free, it was too late. The flood roared beneath me and something hit the ledge I was on. The next thing I knew, I was in the water.

"My gear…" I took a breath and this time it was Bilbo who steadied me. "My gear was wearing me down, and the water was so cold, coming off of mountain streams that had just begin to thaw. I could hardly breath. A large tree branch slammed into my chest and I managed, barely, to grab onto it. It helped me stay above water, but for long. I was carried down stream for I don't know how long. Finally, in the flash of lightning, I caught sight of a tree tipped over the ravine. I grabbed for it and hung on, realizing too late that it was balanced precariously at the edge. I let go, but not before tipping it over. It crashed behind me and sent up a wall of water, thick with mud and debris.

"I smashed into the side of the ravine, my branch breaking into smaller pieces. I clutched on to it in desperation, but it didn't matter. The last thing I remember was water filling my mouth and my head going under."

Our walk slowed as everyone gathered near me to hear my story. It was the first truly personal thing I had described other then how I was shot. Everything else had been light hearted jokes and stories.

"Gandalf found me and, had he not intervened… I would have died. I owe him my life. So, when he asked me to accompany you guys on this quest, I took it as my honor-bound duty."

There was a beat of silence.

"How did he know to ask you to come, if this was such a chance encounter?" Dwalin asked.

"I didn't understand, myself, until a little later. See, when he found me, all I had was the uniform I had been wearing, my ruck sack I have here on my back now, and that branch. I, too was curious, so I asked him why me. He said to me 'If I had any doubt about your meaning to be here, it was erased when I saw you clutching that branch.'"

"Why was that?" Bilbo urged when I faltered. I looked at Bilbo.

"I said the same thing. Gandalf said simply 'That my dear, is a branch of Oak.'"

There was dead silence from the others. Some stared at me incredulously. Some stared in awe. But it was Thorin who's eyes held the most emotion. Complete shock and amazement were reflected there.

A particularly harsh roll of thunder boomed over head and I began to pick up the pace.

"We need to find shelter of some sort," I called out. Everyone seemed to snap out of their trances and we pressed on. I was just behind Thorin now.

"Why did you not tell me?" Thorin asked, calling out to me.

"Would you have believed me then?" I questioned back. He thought for a moment, then shook his head.

"No," He admitted.

The path narrowed before us and where water had gathered, the stone was slick.

"Hold on!" Thorin called to the rest of us. There was a commotion behind us and I let out an involuntary gasp as Bilbo slipped. Dwalin's hand shot out and he managed to snag the poor startled hobbit before he fell.

"Look for shelter!" Thorin called out again, glancing up at the sky. He frowned slightly, then his eyes widened.

"Watch OUT!" Dwalin yelled. I glanced up and my heart was in my throat. A huge boulder crashed above us and reigned rock down on us. We all ducked as we were pelted with the sharp stones. A small, golf ball sized chunk cracked my cheek and I yelped in pain. Immediately, blood began to trickle out of the cut and I cursed loudly.

"This is no ordinary thunder storm. It is a thunder battle!" called Balin. We all jerked as something impossibly huge loomed in the storm.

"Stone-giants" I gasped. It was something else watching the movies did not prepare you for. The sheer enormity was mind boggling and watching these giants of rock and stone move about, groaning and moaning in the storm, was, for the lack of a better word, scary as fuck. The entire mountain moved beneath us as the creatures lurched and let lose the min-van sized boulders at one another. The ledge we were on jolted.

"Take cover, you'll fall!" Thorin called out as the path beneath us shook once more. A fine tremor shot under us and we all stumbled back as, once more, a huge rock crashed above us.

"Whats happening?" Kili called out. The mountain began to split beneath us and everyone looked on in confusion. A third giant joined the first two, his terrible groan reverberating in my chest. One of the first giants crushed a rock against its face, and it began to fall.

"There's a fucking giant behind us!" I yelled. The stone began to shift and move around us, and I stayed behind with Thorin, Bilbo, and some of the others while Kili and his group lurched on ahead. The falling giant crashed into where the others had jumped through, and a pained gasp tore through Thorin's lips.

"No. NO! Kili!" He called. We all jerked forward and I prayed that they had really survived. We rounded a small corner and Thorin sagged with relief in front of us. I glanced back at Bilbo and urged him closer to the wall as I went to help the others to their feet.

"We're alright. We're alive." Balin said, reassuringly. Thorin went to his nephew and checked them over. It was a tender side of him that I had not seen.

"Wheres Bilbo?" Bofur asked suddenly. We all turned to find that he had, despite the fact that I had him move closer to the wall, slipped and was holding on to the edge by his fingertips.

"Shit!" I snapped, hoping that my change had not just doomed him to his death. I hastily moved closer to him and watched as Ori dove forward suddenly, letting out a loud 'oof' as he hit the ground. He grabbed at Bilbos' hand, but Bilbo slipped further. I watched Thorin grab a hand hold and climb down to help up the hobbit. Thorin began to slip just as Bilbo was hauled to safety and both Dwalin and I dropped down to our stomachs and held out our hands. Thorin grabbed Dwalin's arm and, after hesitating only briefly, grabbed mine as well. We hauled him to his feet.

"I thought we'd lost our burglar!" Dwalin said, brushing his hands off. Thorin turned to glare at poor Bilbo who, if possible, looked even more miserable.

"He's been lost ever since he left home. He should never have come. He has no place amongst us." Thorin snapped and I glared daggers at him. I was hoping that my tirade had wizened him up some, but no such luck. I glared at him and thwacked him hard on the chest as I continued on. He looked at me questioningly but I ignored him.

Using the rock wall as a hand hold, I began to feel along the tiny path. In the darkness, I could hardly see two feet in front of my face. I stepped around a jutting rock and went to lean against the rock wall for balance….

And promptly fell on my face.

"Talya!" A few of the dwarves called after me in dismay, obviously having seen my not so graceful tumble into the cave.

"Are you alright?" Balin called.

"Fine. Fine!" I yelled. I stood up and picked gravel out of my palms. "Found a cave!"

I waved my hand out of mouth of the cave and looked around it, hoping like hell that we were in the right place, but dreading it all the same. Dwalin and Thorin followed first, then the rest of the company filled in.

"It looks safe enough," Dwalin said as he searched through the many nooks and ledges.

"Search the to back," Thorin called. "Mountain caves are seldom unoccupied."

We all spread out in the cave and inspected it thoroughly, except poor Bilbo who huddled in the corner miserably. I gave a cursory glance around the cave, knowing we would find nothing, and settled next to him, sharing what warmth I could.

"Theres nothing here." Dwalin finally said, after having walked around the small cave at least three times.

"Right, then. Lets get a fire going." Gloin said, rubbing his hands together. Just like the rest of us, he was cold, soaked through, and grumpy.

"No. No fires in this place," Thorin said quickly. "Get some sleep while you can. We leave at first light."

"We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us!" Balin argued.

"Plans change. Bofur, take first watch."

Everyone settled down into the cave, trying to find the most comfortable position they could. Once Bilbo had stopped shaking so badly, I stood up.

"Thank you, Talya," He said softly. I smiled sadly at him, knowing exactly how he felt at that moment. I felt a familiar anger rise in my chest.

"You are welcome, Bilbo. Try to get some sleep, yeah?"

I turned and stalked off towards Thorin, who lay on his back with his arms under his head. As I approached, he turned to give me an appraising look.

"What is it, Talya?"

"You are seriously underestimating Bilbo," I snapped. "I thought you had learned to give people a chance."

"I did. You have proven yourself loyal, courageous, and an adept fighter. He has done nothing but complain every step of this trip. I do not want one of my people killed because of him."

"You will regret saying such harsh things to him, just as you did me. You'll see." With those parting words I turned away from him and settled near the wall, hoping like hell that when the floor dropped from under us, I'd at least fall on top of everyone else. Selfish, yeah, but I weighed a hell of a lot less then everyone else, and I so did not want to get crushed by any of them, least of all Bombur.

I did not sleep. My nerves were shot and my heart was in my throat as I waited for the inevitable.

"The waiting is the hardest part," I muttered to myself, sing-song style.

"Oi, did something just die?" Nori asked, who was lying quite near me.

"No, it was just Talya singing. Now shut up and go back to bed." Bofur answered. I popped my head up and threw a pebble at him. It missed him by a mile and he waved his middle finger at me. I sighed, coming to rue the fact that I had taught them how to flip people off.

The storm waged on and slowly but surely, my companions dropped of to sleep. I closed my eyes and listened to the rain outside and tried to keep my breathing even.

I wasn't sure how much time had passed before I heard words being muttered softly. I cracked an eye open to see Bilbo standing at the entrance with Bofur. I strained to listen.

"I'm sorry… I didn't'…"

"No. You're right. We don't belong anywhere." Bofur sighed. "I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do."

My heart sped up in anticipation as a faint blue glow began to emanate from the sword sheath at Bilbos side. Bofur narrowed his eyes as Bilbo pulled Sting from its sheath.

The floor began to rumble then and Thorin jumped to his feet.

"Wake up!" Thorin yelled. "WAKE UP!"

It was too late. I felt the floor give way and suddenly, we were all falling.