….I am so sorry. : ( It's been over a month since I have updated this, so..sorry for that. My muse left me and I didn't want to attempt to update this with a half-hearted chapter; so I waited until I could write this one :D My longest chapter by far…

I hope you like it, someone requested some hurt/comfort, which will be coming up in later chapters….

Please leave a review! I would love to know what you think of this fic! Thanks for sticking with it

Enjoy!

Onwards….

Thorin took a step backwards, his breath failing in his throat. 'No...' he breathed, eyes closing. Kili couldn't be dead…he couldn't be. His brain clouded over, he could feel his vision start to fade…

Fili let out another pitiful moan, drawing up his knees and pulling his brother closer, tucking Kili's head under his chin, smearing his blood on his face. Tears tracked their way down his face, searing lines down dirt and blood covered skin. The heavy feeling in his stomach had gone, replaced by stone cold anger boiling within him, threatening to spill loose. No one hurt his brother and got away with it.

Thorin pushed himself out of his reverie; his nephew needed him, he couldn't afford to fall apart now. His heart hammering like a goblin war drum, his forced himself forwards, reaching his nephew and falling to his knees in front of him. Fili didn't look up, face buried in his brother's hair. It was a pitiful, anguished sight to behold; Kili was laid on the ground at an angle; Fili's back was pressed against the wall, Kili's clearly broken leg was slightly sticking out to the left, the white of his bone glistening gruesomely in the sparse light of the cave. They were both covered from head to toe in blood.

Gandalf, though his heart and soul had been hardened by his long, tough life, was not immune to this suffering, this raw grief. He himself found emotion bubbling within him and he growled in anger as he too walked towards the trio of dwarves on the floor at his feet.

'Is he… I don't want to bel-' Fili let out small shuddering gasps, eyes questioning his uncle to tell him it wasn't true, to perform a miracle . 'He can't be' he said plainly, looking now at Gandalf, who knelt beside him.

'Let me look, lad' Gandalf told him gently, reaching forwards towards his brother. Fili pulled Kili out his reach, almost on impulse.

'Let me see if I can help him' Gandalf beseeched.

Fili flung a frightened look at his uncle, who told him, through his eyes, that no-one would hurt Kili now; the hurting and fighting was over; Gandalf was there to help.

-x-

'Help! Someone help me!'

Bilbo tried to keep very still. Back at home, this temperature would definitely not be the temperature he had a bath in. Far too hot, in his opinion. His sodden clothes pressed tightly in on him, the now bubbling water surrounding him. He could feel his face becoming hotter and hotter, his hair pressed onto his forehead. Bilbo's breath was coming out in short gasps; every time he breathed out, the heat enveloped him again.

'Help! Please!' he called, wincing as the sound of his own voice reverberated off the metal walls of his prison. He could still hear the fires crackling below him. He couldn't, however, hear Thorin. Which either meant he (and perhaps the others) had escaped. Which wasn't good news for him. Or that he had got himself captured. Which, again, wasn't good news for him.

His hissed in pain; he could feel his skin burning now, his hands were red and raw and he tried to keep them above the water. But his legs were getting so tired… his eyes were dropping, the steam from the water not helping anything. If only he could stop paddling, treading water, just for a few minutes… Bilbo panicked as water entered his mouth, the boiling hot mixture searing his throat, making him cough and splutter. He had dozed off, just for a second; and he had nearly gone under. He kicked furiously in the water, white hot pain flashing up his legs as they started to cramp up in the heat and from the constant movement.

As he gazed around his lonely prison, the scent of the stew around him, although it was made mainly of himself, made him think of home. Long winter nights in front of a roaring fire, some kind of broth smoking in a large bowl on his lap; what he would give to be at home right now. Looking out his bedroom window at the long, leafy lanes of the Shire, the autumn leaves falling to the ground to make way for the snow. And here he was, treading water in a cauldron of his own soup.

'Help!' he yelled again, looking up desperately. 'Someone!'

'Do you require some assistance, Mr Baggins?'

Bilbo coughed in shock and looked to his left. Bofur's smiling face looked down at him. Then, one by one, each of the dwarves made themselves known.

'Oh thank heavens…'he moaned, barking out a low laugh.

He was saved.

-x-

Fili watched the Wizard as he looked over his brother; he hadn't made a sound since he was relinquished his hold on Kili; he had merely closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, as if in prayer and carried on. He shot a frightened look at his uncle, Thorin nodding in encouragement, leaning forwards to clasp his eldest nephew's shoulder in support.

'He isn't dead' Gandalf muttered, lowly, almost as to himself.

'What? What did you say?' Fili looked up at the Wizard, a new feeling thundering through his body, setting his nerves alight. Hope.

'He isn't dead. But he is close.' Gandalf looked up to talk to Thorin. 'We must get him out of here; I cannot help him under this mountain.'

Thorin nodded, a stony resolve settling onto his shoulders; it was his duty to his nephew to save him; a second chance.

'He's not dead?' muttered Fili, shaking his head in disbelief, leaning forwards to look intently at his brother. He hadn't changed; there was no difference to his appearance that Fili could see.

'He is breathing' nodded Gandalf, a small smile etching itself on his face. 'I would not tell you a lie, Fili.'

Fili shook his head, mouth opening and closing, no words coming out. Finally, he croaked out; 'But he looks dead.'

'He is gravely injured, yes. We must escape this forsaken place.'

Fili looked at his uncle, whose face was set in determination.

'Then let us escape.'

-x-

'Anytime soon would be nice' Bilbo advised, craning his neck to watch the dwarves, who hadn't moved much, but had had a long conversation.

'Alright, we're just coming. We all had a thought that we'd rather not join you down there in that bath of yours; we're planning this rescue properly.'

Bilbo nodded; his stomach had constricted painfully at the thought of all those dwarves falling on top of him. 'Be quick!' he shouted back.

-x-

'Right. Ready?' Bofur looked at his companions, who all looked determined. With Ori at the front and Bombur at the back, they all arranged themselves in a line, Ori climbing up the side of the cauldron. He let go almost immediately.

'Oh!' shouted, blowing onto and shaking his hands. 'It's hot!'

'Yes!' they heard a shout from inside the cauldron and Bofur rolled his eyes.

'Yes, it's hot. What do you think it's like in there?'

Ori shot him a scandalised look, almost like a small child having a tantrum, before turning around again and beginning to climb the cauldron again. Gritting his teeth, Bofur followed.

-x-

Bilbo looked up as a small face appeared above him. It was Ori.

'Hold on, Bilbo!' cried the young Dwarf, holding out his hands, stretching as far down as he could. 'Lower me down!' he cried, looked back at Bofur, who climbed up farther so Ori was now suspended above Bilbo, Bofur holding onto his ankles and another dwarf holding onto his.

Bilbo, his eyes dropping, his face searing from the heat, reached up as high as he could; he fingers touched Ori's before he fell back into the boiling water.

'Reach!' Ori yelled, faced contorted against the steam.

'I'm…trying…' Bilbo tried again, kicking from the bottom and this time he made it. He held onto Ori's hands as tight as he could.

'Pull!' yelled Ori, and Bombur pulled with all his might, and slowly, the chain of dwarves pulled Bilbo from his soup and onto the cold ground away from the cauldron.

Bilbo pressed himself against the stone, his face meeting the coldness with relief, his clothes sticking to him uncomfortably. 'Thank you…' he muttered, eyes fluttering shut, darkness falling in…..

'Bilbo!'

Thorin's stomach jumped as he saw the Hobbit laid out on the ground, he couldn't be dead, not him, not after Kili was alive….

'I'm 'kay' murmured Bilbo, not looking up.

'Then let us move out' Thorin turned to Fili, who was stood next to him holding Kili and Gandalf, who was stood next to him; he moved to take Kili from Fili, to give his eldest nephew a reprieve. Kili's head lolled from side to side gruesomely.

'Give him a moment!' Bofur barked, looking down at the prone Hobbit.

'Then carry him; we must move from the forsaken place.' Thorin hissed, his anger palpable. Bofur nodded, knowing better than to argue with his leader.

Just then, a shadow overcast them all.

'Where're you all going?' came a booming voice etched with confusion.

Thorin spun around. The trolls were still here. The troll looming above them drooled blood onto the ground, his missing eye leaving a gaping hole in his head.

'Run!' he yelled, turning and limping towards the corner of the cavern, where he thought the exit might be. The other dwarves followed him.

'Come back!' shouted the troll, running after them, arms sweeping wide as he tried to gather them up. Other trolls followed that one, all running together as a mass.

'There!' Gandalf pointed with his staff to a spit of light at the far end of the cavern; it led into a smaller section of cave, almost like a corridor.

'Get in!' growled Thorin, pushing Fili and Bofur, who was carrying an unconscious Bilbo, in first.

'Our dinner's running away!' screamed the nearest troll, swiping out at Bombur, the last dwarf, squeezed himself into the corridor of stone. The troll slammed into the stone wall, unable to get through, hand and arm wedged between the walls. It moved its body backwards, before slamming back into the stone.

'It's going to bring the mountain crashing down upon us!' cried Gandalf, moving backwards, pushing the dwarves forward, looking up fearfully.

And that was when the ceiling collapsed.

….again, don't kill me? ;)

I hope that was worth the wait, and I promise not to leave it so long next time… :D

Please leave me a comment/review, good or bad, I'd love to hear it!

Back soon….

xxx