Bilbo returned home the next morning. He had worried about leaving Fili alone in Hobbiton for such a long time so shortly after his arrival. So he had left Buckland a few days early. Also his cousin had recovered from his sickness and wouldn't die anytime soon.

Bilbo decided to wake Fili for breakfast. But instead of Fili he found a hobbit lass with long brown curls in the bed. A blue dress also lay on the floor next to the door.

Bilbo gasped in shock and ran back into the kitchen. He started to make some bacon and eggs. A few minutes later Fili appeared and yawned. His hair was tousled and he looked like he hadn't slept all night.

"Fili, are you completely mad? Who's the lass in your bed? I thought I could trust you." Bilbo shouted desperately disappointed. Fili looked flabbergasted. Slowly he realised what Bilbo was talking about. He blushed as red as a tomato.

He wanted to start to explain the situation when Poppy appeared in the door. Bilbo's yelling had woken her up. Bilbo looked shocked. He hadn't expected her to spend the night with someone she barely knew.

"Oh Bilbo, you're back safe and sound. That's wonderful!" Poppy smiled at him. But she soon noticed that something was wrong because Bilbo frowned and looked slightly disgusted. "I think I should better leave now. Umm, well Fili, thank you for being there for me last night." Poppy blushed and quickly left Bag End.

Bilbo turned towards Fili again. "What have you been thinking? Poppy isn't a tavern wench. How dare you touch her?" Bilbo was furious.

Fili swallowed and looked at the hobbit "Bilbo, I did no such thing! Last night Poppy came here. There was a thunderstorm and she wanted to stay with you. She looked so scared. I,... I couldn't send her away."

"So you want to tell me that she stayed with a total stranger and even slept in his bed? That doesn't sound like Poppy's behaviour to me at all." Bilbo had calmed down a bit but was still screaming and pointed his wooden spoon towards the young dwarf.

"Well, that's a longer story. Why don't we sit down and I try to explain the whole situation?" Fili was still nervous. He had promised that he wouldn't cause any trouble. Bilbo nodded and sat down with his food. "Good, I'll listen."

Fili took a few deep breaths. "So, well... When I decided to come to the Shire with you, it wasn't just because of Thorin and Kili. I... I had fallen in love before we started our journey. I met Poppy at the Green Dragon. I knew that she was my One the second I laid eyes on her. As you may know, she lives next to the forge, so I met her every day. I invited her to a picnic. We both enjoyed that and I think she also likes me. I even told her about Thorin and Kili." Fili sighed, talking about them always stung in his heart "I wanted to talk to you about her. But then you were gone. She looked so sad when I mentioned her family. Umm, then last night she told me that here family had been killed by the lighting. I tried to comfort her. She cried for hours and then finally fell asleep. I put her in my bed and slept on the fur in front of the fire place. That's everything. I never touched her in any other way, Bilbo." Fili explained with a sad look on his face.

Bilbo watched him closely "Ah Fili, I see! That makes sense. I'm sorry that I implied such dishonourable things. I should have known that you would never do that. But I was so shocked when I found a lass in your bed. Do you love her?" He knew that this was a bit straight forward, but he wanted to know.

Fili blushed again "Yes Bilbo, I do love her. I want to spend the rest of my life with her. Since I first saw her, I have dreamt of marrying her and having a family with her."

Bilbo nodded and asked "Are you sure that this isn't just a simple puppy love? Don't play with her, Fili."

"I would never do that, Bilbo. I want her to be happy." Fili reassured him.

Finally the hobbit started to smile "Good, that's the answer I had hoped for. Poppy deserves happiness. She's such a nice girl. I have been a friend of the family for years. Her family died a few weeks after her becoming of age. Otherwise she would have been forced to stay with her relatives in Dwaling. She has no one here but she wanted to stay. I tried to help her wherever I could but she wanted to earn her own money. So she started to work at the inn. Oh, and I'm quite sure that she likes you, too. She barely talked to strangers about such personal things."

Fili was relieved that Bilbo wasn't angry anymore. He stopped picking in his food and looked up. "Would you help me to win her heart? I have no idea how to court a hobbit lass."

Bilbo smiled kindly "There are no strict courting rules among hobbits. Just spend time with her. Your picnic was a fabulous idea. Every hobbit is passionate about food and especially the girls love flowers." Bilbo patted Fili's shoulder. "But don't forget that you're a dwarf. Maybe you could tell her about some of your courting traditions."

"Yes, I could try to do that. Thank you!" Fili was much more relaxed now.

After their breakfast Fili dressed and rebraided his hair. Bilbo accompanied him to the forge. He wanted to apologise to Poppy about his behaviour earlier. But she wasn't at home. So he went to the Green Dragon Inn. Poppy could understand that her sleeping in Fili's bed had to be really weird for Bilbo. She told him that she liked Fili and that he treated her very well.

The young hobbit girl thought about Fili all day. She could barely concentrate on her work. He was so nice and really seemed to care about her. She went home with a huge smile on her face. She wanted Fili to hold her in his arms again, with him she felt safe. Poppy felt like she had butterflies in her stomach and then she finally realised that she had fallen in love with the young dwarf with the beautiful golden hair and the warm blue eyes.

Thanks again to everyone who read, followed, favoured and especially those who reviewed my story! You make me so happy! I love to read what you think ;)