Okay here is chapter 2! Sorry it took a bit to finish, but a girls gotta work ya know? lol PLEASE REVIEW!

When the rowdy supper had been over, I had hidden myself in the kitchen with a pile of dishes to clean. I felt terribly sorry for Bilbo. The house was a complete mess. No wonder he was overly angry about all the dwarves running about his home.

I had just finished cleaning off a plate when I felt the presence of someone near me. When I turned I saw Bifur, with that quite disturbing looking ax still protruding from his skull, and dropped the plate that was in my hand with a loud gasp. Bifur, apparently being quite fast, bounced the plate off his foot and up into his hand.

Daaaamn...

"Oh...um thank you Bifur. Mr. Baggins would have been awfully sore if I had broken one of his plates." I said with a small smile...though my eyes kept glancing at that ax. How was this guy still alive?

Bifur only gave a small smile and put an arm between me and the sink. Very gently he moved me away from it and said something in that dwarfish language that I knew he could only speak. Taking that as a 'get the hell out of here and let me do this' I bowed my head and ducked out of the kitchen fast.

When I came upon the hall I saw Bilbo talking to Gandalf. He seemed so angry.

"I won't even tell you what they've done in the bathroom. They've all but destroyed the plumbing! I don't understand what they're doing in my house." Bilbo said to Gandalf looking severely miffed.

"Bilbo what ever is the matter?" I walked passed Gandalf, who was a bit annoyed by how complaintive Bilbo was being.

"What's the matter? Have you seen my house!? It's a disaster!" Bilbo had his hands on his hips and was about to pop a vein.

I gave him the best smile I could muster and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He had been my caregiver for the last few days and seeing him this upset was heartbreaking.

"Do not let it worry you so much Bilbo. I will clean up the mess if only you would take away that frown on your face.."

Bilbo looked at me with a small smirk and blushed at the closeness between us. I had been looking at him when I suddenly noticed someone standing in the room to the left of us. It was one of the dwarves.

It looked like one of the young brothers, Fili. He was watching from where he stood against the wall and his eyes were locked with mine. It made a chill run up my spine.

"Excuse me.."

Our gaze was broken when I heard the voice of Ori Come from the other side. I whipped my head around as he asked where to put his plate.

I heard the heavy footsteps from the other side and turned to see Fili coming toward us. His eyes were still on me, but when he stopped in front of us he turned to Ori.

"Here you go, Ori. Give it to me." Fili said, his voice having a hint of playful intent within its alluring tone.

The brothers were indeed very good looking, but the moment I had laid eyes on the blonde haired Fili...I had to back away. His grey blue eyes were more than penetrating. I have had enough of blonde hair, blue eyed men in my life. You could tell he had no problem getting any woman he wanted...he knew he was handsome...just like Oliver.

Fuck that.

My dark thoughts were ended by the whizzing of Bilbos Mothers West Farthing pottery through the air. The distraught look on Bilbo's face made me frown. Had they no respect for other peoples belongings?

I was so busy watching Fili, with a not too friendly look I might add, throw the dishes across the hall and into the hands of Kili, who in turn threw them into the kitchen where Bifur was doing dishes, that I didn't hear Bilbo say those words I knew would turn this all into one crazy musical.

"And could you not do that? You'll blunt them!" Bilbo had yelled to the dwarves sitting at the table.

"Oooh. Did you hear that lads? He says we'll blunt the knives.." Bofur said suspiciously sarcastic.

Oh shit...

And then it started. I was impressed by the coordinated musical know how of the dwarves..but I was unimpressed by the lack of respect they gave Bilbo's home.

"Blunt the knives, bend the forks," Kili started the song.

"Smash the bottles and burn the corks," Fili gave me a playful wink as he bounced a bowl off his elbows and proceeded to chuck it across to his brother.

"Chip the glasses and crack the plates, that's what Bilbo Baggins hates!" This was out of hand.

"Cut the cloth, tread on the fat. Leave the bones on the bedroom mat."

I had to to duck and weave in order to stay out of the way of flying dishes. One had almost caught me on the head, luckily I was able to slide down a wall and safely land on my butt. I let out a sigh and stayed there. There was no way I was going to be knocked out by pottery...that would be the most embarrassing story...ever.

"Pour the milk on the pantry floor, Splash the wine on every door," Holy shit there was so much craziness going on. I should have remembered this was going to happen. Damn you Peter Jackson.

"Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl, Pound them up with a thumping pole," Why me?

"When you're finished, if they are whole, send them down the hall to roll." By now the other dwarves were passing dishes about to the kitchen and not one dwarf wasn't singing. Somehow music was playing and I assumed that it was Bofur, he was the one who was musically inclined.

Slowly I began to stand from where I was. When I glanced down the hall I could see Fili twisting and spinning in place to catch the dishes that were thrown to him. Man he was good at this...in fact they all were. Was this a regular occurrence? Was there like some sort of practice session before they did something insane like this?

I had managed to carefully side step my way down the hall to see what was going on. Gandalf was chuckling in the corner with a pipe in his mouth and Bilbo...poor Bilbo. He was ready to rip his hair out.

"That's what Bilbo Bagins hates!" Bilbo pushed his way through the crowd to see that all of the dishes were clean and stacked on the table.

I came up behind Bilbo with a smirk. "Dwarves...definitely not what I expected."

"And what did you expect lass?" Someone whispered into my ear. I turned to see Fili looking at me with a playful smirk.

"I-..." I was caught in his gaze. His eyes a stormy blue that pulled me into its depth. It was like I was being pulled into his very soul.

Fili gave me a confused look. Obviously confused about the the look I gave him. Like his hair had caught on fire.

I was thankful for the pounding at the door that had every ones attention drawn to it. I was able to step away from the blonde dwarf who had mysteriously entranced me. I had no idea that had happen. Men were the last thing I wanted to get involved with.

Note to self: Stay away from blondie.

"He is here." Gandalf said with a earnestly.

I knew what that meant. I'd be meeting the Thorin Oakenshield...though I didn't know how Gandalf was planning to persuade him about taking me with them.

The company had found themselves in front of the door. Most had congregated to the hall as Gandalf opened the door. The moment I saw him I almost shit bricks. This was all very exciting and confusing at the same time.

"Gandalf.." Thorin said. His voice expelled power and entitlement. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. I would not have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

"Mark? There's no mark on that door. It was painted a week ago." Bilbo looked more than a little annoyed about the accusation of his door having a mark on it. He took pride in his family home.

"There is a mark. I put it there myself." Gandalf replied. He cleared his throat and motioned to Bilbo. "Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company: Th-"

"Thorin Oakenshield..." I had said almost unconsciously. I was so astounded to see the king under the mountain that I had breathlessly called out his name like a git. Those around me looked at me strangely.

Gandalf nodded with a clear of his throat. Bilbo and Thorin were both staring at me. Bilbo was the one to spoke first.

"You know him?" Bilbo asked.

"Huh?.." Oh shit. I didn't think I was that loud. Uh...think quick! "Well...No. I just-"

"Thorin let me introduce you to Bilbo's house guest, Miss Emma Hughes." Gandalf interrupted.

Thorin looked at me wearily before taking a few carefully placed steps my way. He gently took my hand and brought it to his lips...Uh weird.

"Miss Emma. The pleasure is mine." He said it as though he had said it about a million times before. Like it was rehearsed. I suppose that could make sense. He had probably been taught chivalry when he was still a prince under the mountain. Regardless...it sent a shiver up my spine.

Thorin turned quickly to the Gandalf with a smirk. "I don't see why you invited a woman, Wizard."

And there went his brownie points. Jerk.

Gandalf only cleared his throat and looked to the floor. If he had looked up he would have seen a very, very annoyed Emma glaring at him. Do I have to be the only one to defend myself against sexist assholes?

Thorin looked to Bilbo in front of him unimpressed. "So...this is the Hobbit?" He began circling Bilbo like a vulture.

"Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin asked.

"Pardon me?" Poor Bilbo was so confused.

"Ax or sword? What's your weapon of choice?" Thorin continued as he stopped circling and looked down at the hobbit.

"Well I do have some skill in conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant." Oh Bilbo. Don't speak.

"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Wow. Did I say jerk already? Yes? Okay then, douchebag. A huge one. Poor Bilbo didn't deserve to be treated like that.

I don't think I had ever been so mad at someone in my life. Seriously? How could someone be so rude to the person without even knowing him.

The company of dwarves chuckled and slowly began to walk towards the dining area. What happened next was something I was not prepared for. Word vomit. It just came out.

"You should show a little more respect to someone who brought you into their warm home and fed you. Is chivalry lost to those who have little else in this world?" Oh. My. God. Shut up Emma.

I immediately regretted opening my mouth when all the dwarves turned to look at me. Gandalf had a hand on his face and sighed in frustration. Bilbo, one the other hand, was smiling ear to ear.

"It has been some time since someone has spoken to me like that...tell me woman, what has brought you to the home of Mr. Baggins?" Thorin took slow steps towards me with his hands gripping his belt.

I backed up with each step he took, until I found myself bumping into a dwarf. When I looked behind me I saw it was Fili, who was smirking down at me. He motioned with his eyes for me to answer Thorin. I gulped and looked to Thorin. Fuck. He was right in front of me now looking down at me with a galre.

"Answer me, girl." Thorin looked calm, but within his eyes was a storm of anger.

"I found her." Gandalf saved the day! Phew.

Thorin did not turn to the wizard, he only kept his eyes locked on mine. "Found her you say?"

"Yes. I found her just inside the skirts of The Shire. She was covered in blood that was not her own." Whoa...wait. I looked around Thorin to glare at Gandalf just as Thorin spun his head to look at him as well.

"What?" I have no idea what Thorin was thinking at that moment. Probably that I was some crazy psycho who killed someone...Oh. Right. That did happen.

"It is a rather sad story. When I found her I had assumed she was hurt, but when I noticed the blood was not hers, I decided to bring her here, for safe keeping. Bilbo has been taking good care of her..."

Thorin turned back to me. His eyes were full of curiosity and suspicion. "Where did the blood come from?"

"Where do you think it came from?" I asked him with a glare. Nosey and a jerk? Who would have thought?

"A straight answer before I lose my temper..."

I looked to Gandalf who nodded his head. Fine. He wanted an answer, I'd give him one that would give him nightmares for a few days. Served him right.

I took a careful step toward him, making sure to get as close as possible and put my hands on my hips. "A man I trust did the unthinkable and betrayed me. When he was finished with me, he tried to kill me. So I picked up a hammer and bashed his head in." I made sure to say it as quiet as possible, just enough for him to hear...and hopefully quiet enough for the rest not to.

I had not realized how far I had leaned in to him, but when I leaned back...I saw the shocked, pained look Thorin had etched on his face. Yea, that's right. I had been through so much shit and I was tired of pricks getting the better of me.

"How's that for an answer, My lord." I bowed low and then brushed passed him to go sit by the warm fire. In the other room. Away from dwarves.

I sat there quietly in an armchair faced away from the hall. I don't know what had come over me, but I felt completely terrible now. I wanted to curl into a ball and cry. God I was so depressing. Not once in my entire life had I felt so miserable.

There was a clearing of a throat that made me look up with a slight gasp. In my face was now a cup of warm water. I glanced at it confused before I trailed my gaze up the arm that held it out to a face that was now haunting me. Fili. He smiled at me sadly and bent down to a knee beside the chair.

"Dori asked me to bring you some tea, lass. You should drink it." He gently spoke to me. The feeling that over came me was a strange one.

"T-thank you." I carefully took the cup from him, making sure not to touch his hand.

Even after I took the cup he continued to kneel there and watch me. Feeling awkward I raised an eyebrow and sat up straighter.

"Was there something else?" I asked quietly.

"No..well. I suppose...did that really happen to you?" Oh. Maybe I said it louder than I thought. Shit.

I blushed and looked away toward the hearth. "Does it matter?" Even as I stared into the fire and tried to ignore him, all I could hear was his breathing. Even breaths that seemed to comfort me in some strange way.

"It wont make us look at you any different Emma." The way he said my name drew a shiver from my warm body. God make him go away. Far away.

I squeezed my eyes shut as a tear rolled down my cheek. Why was this happening? "Please Fili.."

"Fili! Come join us!" One of the dwarves called from the other room. Fili let out a sigh and stood from his place beside her.

"Will you be alright by yourself Miss Emma?"

"Go Fili. You all have much to discuss before your journey to Erebor."

"How did you kn-" Fili started.

"Fili! Steal yourself away from the beauty and talk!" Once again another dwarf called to him.

With another loud sigh Fili left me to sit there alone. I wouldn't need to join them. I already knew exactly what was going to happen. They would discuss the matter at hand. Gandalf would pull out a key. There would be talk of dragons. Blah blah blah.

I paused from my thoughts to take a sip of my tea. I spit it out almost immediately. Tea? Fili had a funny sense of humor. The cup was full of ale! I should have known...damn dwarves.

I laughed. Not loud or anything, but I did laugh. I don't know why I found it so funny. Perhaps it was how serious he had been when he came in. He must have been bursting with giggles when he saw me take the cup from him. Kudos for holding that in.

I took another sip from the ale and smirked. It was good. Leaning back, I could hear the muffled voices of the dwarves in the other room. It was not difficult to understand what they were talking about. Would Gandalf convince Thorin to take me? I had no idea.

The dwarves had started getting loud when I shook my head of my thoughts. This meeting was probably not going the way they thought. I leaned forward, putting my elbows onto my knees, firmly keeping a hold on my cup. If I was going to prove myself to the dwarves, I would have to do this myself. Gandalf could only do so much and having to vouch for both Bilbo and myself would be a task in itself.

Well that was it. I'd have to do this myself. Slowly and quietly I stood from my chair. I crept my way through the hall and came into the meeting. Gandalf caught my eye and smiled at me. I nodded and leaned myself against the frame of the arched entrance. The dwarves were talking loudly, as though they had been insulted.

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us. To the last dwarf!" Fili was very proud of his heritage and more than certain they were all ready to do this.

"And you forget we have a Wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Wow Kili. Way to assume too much...

Gandalf quickly tried to diffuse the idea. "Oh, well, no. I wouldn't say-"

"Well how many, then?" Dori asked.

"What?" Oh poor Gandalf.

"How many dragons have you killed?" Dori, please shut your mouth.

Gandalf coughed on some smoke. He was trapped now.

"Well go on, give us a number!" Dori was more than annoyed now.

The whole thing created a shouting match that looked like it would end in fists being thrown. I took a step away from the room and glanced to Bilbo who was looking at me as well. We both shrugged. Man these guys got angry fast. He noticed the uneasy look on my face and turned back to the group.

"Excuse me. Please.." Yea, good luck with that Bilbo.

The fighting ceased once Thorin stood up and yelled something in dwarfish. The party quieted and looked to their leader.

"If we have read these signs, do you not think others will have read them too? Rumors have begun to spread. The dragon, Smaug has not been seen for sixty years. Eyes look east to the mountain, assessing, wondering, weighing the risk. Perhaps the vast wealth of our people now lies unprotected. Do we sit back while others claim what is rightfully ours? Or do we seize this chance to take back Erebor?" Thorin riled up the dwarves with excitement.

And queue Balin, the moment buzz killer. "You forget, the Front Gate is sealed. There is now way into the mountain."

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true." Gandalf surreptitiously pulled out a key. I knew exactly what it was for. A small smirk graced my lips as I stood next to Bilbo.

"How came you by this?" Thorin asked more than a little intrigued by the key.

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain. For safekeeping. It is yours now." Gandalf handed the key over to Thorin.

"If there's a key, there must be a door." Fili, Mr. Obvious, said inquisitively.

"These runes speak of a hidden passage to the Lower Halls." Gandalf pointed to the map.

"There's another way in." No really? Kili looked all too excited about this.

"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed." Gandalf sighed seeming almost frustrated. "The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it, but there are others in Middle-earth who can. The task I have in mid will require a great deal of stealth and no small amount of courage." Gandalf looked over to Bilbo and myself. I raised an eyebrow. "But if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done."

"That's why we need a burglar." Ori stated as a matter of fact.

"Hmm. And a good one too. An expert , I'd imagine." I looked sideways at Bilbo. You know for someone who had a good amount of common sense, he sure did miss the bigger picture.

"And are you?" Gloin leaned forward as he asked.

Bilbo confusingly looked to me thinking Gloin was talking to me, but I shook my head and pointed a thumb to Gloin. Then Bilbo looked behind him, but knowing no one was back there he knew it was a question for him.

"Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert. Hey!" Hearing aid Oin. You really need one.

"Me? No. No, no, no. I'm not a burglar. I've never stolen a thing in my life." Bilbo proclaimed proudly.

"Well, I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Balin sighed as he eyed Bilbo.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentle fold who can neither fight nor fend for themselves." Dwalin said. He was right. Bilbo was not fit for that sort of thing, but he would have to go in order for this to play out the right way.

Bilbo seemed to agree with it. He obviously did not want to go on this trip. The table erupted with people who agree and those who thought the little hobbit would be just fine in their company. Gandalf had enough of these dwarves. He had picked Bilbo for a reason.

Gandalf stood and the room swarmed with his dark anger. " Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." He calmed significantly after that. Bilbo had backed up toward me and placed a hand on my arm, almost protectively.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass unseen by most, if they choose. And, while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of a hobbit is all but unknown to him which gives us a distinct advantage." Gandalf sat down slowly to look at Thorin.

"You asked me to find the fourteenth member of this company and I have chosen Mr. Baggins. There's a lot more to him than appearances suggest. And he's got a great deal more to offer than any of you know. Including himself." Gandalf looked to Bilbo at that last part. Thorin seemed to weigh what the wizard had to say, but his answer did not come quick enough.

"Bilbo can do this." I stepped forward, putting a gentle hand on Bilbo to comfort the apprehensive look he had on his face. "I have seen it." Well, I had.

Once again all eyes had been on me. If was unnerving. Gandalf turned to her with a look that clearly said 'Don't say more than you should.'

"You've seen it? What do you mean?" Balin asked curiously.

"I..." Shit think of something fast. Think, think, think. "I'm a seer...?" I said it with a bit of uncertainty, but when I saw the smirk on Gandalf's face I immediately stood a bit straighter.

"A seer?" Thorin asked. His skeptical look made me nervous.

"Yes. I seer. I have seen what Bilbo will do and he will be more than valuable to all of you." I looked sideways at Bilbo who looked like he wanted nothing more than to hide and pretend none of us were here. Here we all were telling him he was going on some journey and he wanted nothing to do with it.

"Oh? Tell me lass, if you're a seer then you must be able to see the future..." Bofur said from his place in the corner beside Thorin.

"Hm. Yes, I suppose you would be correct. It's like you being a toymaker; you must be able to make toys, am I right?" Bofur stared at me for a moment. There could have been several reasons as to how I knew he was a toymaker. Perhaps one of the other dwarves told me. He had no idea. The fact of the matter was that I only knew because of the books and movie, but he did not know that.

"That proves nothing." Bofur finally said, feeling confident in his reply.

"You're right Master Dwarf. It proves very little. I can not prove to you that I am a seer, but if Gandalf trusts me enough, then shouldn't you as well?" How could I convince them I was useful without giving too much away? It was going to be a hard task...I guess I'll just to go with the flow.

"Miss Emma is a very gifted seer. She has proven it on several occasions. Why do you think she is here? She knows far more about this journey than she is letting on and I find that it may be in our great advantage to have her on our side." Gandalf's look of resolve was bearing into Thorin's unconvinced one. "Bilbo and Emma offer so much to our cause. You must trust me on this."

There was only a brief moment before Thorin saw the confidence that Gandalf had in these two individuals. He barely nodded and spoke, giving in to the wizard.

"Very well. We will do it your way."

"No, no." Bilbo was still so adamant about not going on this quest. Stop trying Bilbo, it's pointless.

"Give them the contracts." Thorin looked over to Balin who was in charge of contracts...and probably all the other paperwork.

"We're in. We're off!" Bofur was as excited as everyone around him. They had their burglar and now a gifted seer to guide them safely on their adventure.

Would I guide them away from danger? If I wanted to live, then yes. But if I was already dead...would it matter?

"It's just the usual. Summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, so forth." Balin handed Bilbo his contract before reaching behind himself and pulling out a spare contract. "Lucky I brought an extra lass." Balin winked at me with a small smile and handed me the contract.

I wouldn't need to look at it to know what was on it. I smirked and only glanced at it before motioning for something to write with.

Out of Pocket Expenses: Sorry I'm broke.

Time required: Take it. I apparently have plenty of free time now.

Remuneration: Uh yea, I'll take money if you're giving it.

Funeral Expenses: I'm pretty sure I'm already dead.

Yep. No need to read things over. Almost too quickly I signed the contract and slide it across the table. I got a few nods from some of the dwarves. They were apparently very impressed that a woman agreed to go on a quest where the chances of her dying were were great. I smiled at the group sheepishly and blushed. I hated attention, yet I had so willfully put myself out there.

A sudden wash of dread fell over my body and I had to excuse myself from the room. Behind me I could hear Bilbo reading the context of the contract out loud. I made my way into the guest room and shut the door behind me. Once shut I leaned against the door and let out a loud sigh. My hands flexed against the hard wood. I leaned my head back until it hit the door with a soft thud.

Was this really happening?

Did I really just agree to go on some crazy quest where danger would be around every corner? Let me check. Yep I did.

Slowly I dragged myself over to my bed and plopped onto it stomach first. I was mentally exhausted. So much had happened in the last two hours. I knew what was going on, but I didn't know how it was happening. Ugh, I hate thinking about it. I grabbed my pillow and buried my face into it.

Sleep. That's what I needed.

Just a couple minutes. Twenty or thirty at most. That's all.

THIRD PERSON

He had watched her walk out of the room. She was a most intriguing creature, not to mention a seer...but so full of mystery.

Once Bilbo had fainted, Kili and Fili moved to a different room with a few other to have another ale. It would be the last time in awhile they could do so. They had been chatting with Nori and Bofur. Kili laughing loudly at the story being spun by the eleborate Bofur. He was always good with stories.

Fili had found himself glancing over at the hall every few seconds while trying hard to pretend like he was listening to the story. When Kili laughed, Fili would let out a small chuckle.

Unfortunately they must have caught on because when Fili had his head turned Kili let out a laugh and Fili, as he had done through out the story, let out a chuckle. Then there was silence. His eyebrows knitted together and he turned back to his companions. They were all watching him with a knowing smirk.

"The lass isn't going anywhere, laddie." Bofur said leaning his chin against his knuckles.

"What?" Fili asked. He knew he had been caught, but perhaps playing it off would get him out of any teasing they would be sending his way.

"Don't take us for fools brother." Kili threw an arm around Fili's shoulder and squeezed. "You've hardly kept your eyes off that hallway since she left. Waiting for her to return?"

Fili pushed his younger siblings arm off. "Nonsense. I was merely admiring the hobbits home."

"Don't worry lad. We can all see why you'd fancy her. She is quite easy on the eyes." Nori said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

Fili scoffed and looked away from them. He heard them chuckle, but he cared little for what they thought. As he sipped his ale he took one last glance toward the hall before standing and heading into the kitchen for a small snack.

EMMA POV

I woke up with a start. My heart was racing from the nightmare that had just swamped my dreams. Nothing could have prepared me for the flash of agony that laced my insides. I felt sick. The moment I sat up I felt the nausea wash over my petite form. I scrambled from the bed and found the small basin in the corner where I abruptly threw up my dinner into it.

Sweat fell from my face as I brushed a hand through my hair and sat back against the wall, pushing the now full basin away from me.

The nightmare had obviously consisted of the moment before I had subsequently appeared in Middle Earth. Back in the real world. Where I had lived a quiet careful life...where I had fallen for a psycho who found it in himself to rape and try to murder me because I wouldn't give him my body...where I killed a man and apparently died in a car accident. It was so vivid and terrifying to watch.

Sighing heavily I heaved myself up from the floor and threw on a robe. I tied it neatly before opening the door and heading down the hall to the kitchen.

Water. Lots and lots of water.

I walked barefoot through the hall. Things seemed rather quiet for there being thirteen dwarves in the little hobbit hole. I tip toed down to the kitchen and found a cup on a shelf. On a small side table was water within a pitcher of pottery.

I let the cup touch my lips and felt the cool water run down my throat. It did little to take the taste from my mouth. What I wouldn't give for mouthwash and toothpaste.

"A little ale would help with that, lass." There was a mug put in my face again.

I turned to the blonde dwarf with a sigh. "Is ale your answer for everything?"

Fili smirked and took the water from my hands, replacing it with the mug of ale. "Only when it's my last night drinking it for some time. We wont have this luxury when we're on our way to Erebor."

I guess he was right. I smiled and took a sip of the ale. It helped...only slightly.

"Are you a dwarf?" I almost spit out the ale in surprise.

"Pardon me?" I looked at him as though he asked me how much I weighed.

Fili shifted uncomfortably and scratched the back of his head. "Well some of us were just wondering..you seemed to short to be human and didn't have big feet like a hobbit...so we thought maybe dwarf..."

Hm. That was a good question indeed. When I arrived I had shrunk enough for it to be noticeable. I suppose I could be called that...for now. Just to make them more comfortable.

"Well...I suppose I would be then." I took another drink of the ale. It went down smoother this time.

Fili looked relieved to hear that, but obviously had another question. "I thought all dwarven women had beards. I've never seen one without..."

Oh damn. I forgot about that little part. "As you've noticed, I'm not like normal dwarves.."

Fili looked me up and down before giving me a cheeky grin. "Aye, lass, that is very true."

I froze as his gaze was locked with mine. What was he getting at? The stormy blue eyes held me like a prisoner. The moment caused a sudden gasp from my lips. Luckily he noticed my discomfort and took a careful step away. His grin faded to a small smile.

There was a soft humming coming from the other room. Its warm buzz was welcoming. I glanced toward the sound and set my mug down. Kili came into the kitchen then and put a hand on Fili's shoulder. There was a silent communication and the two left me to head toward the humming, but not before Fili motioned for me to follow with a tip of his head and a smirk.

At first I wanted to go back to my room and hide, but the alluring sound brought me into the room where the warm hearth was aglow and the dwarves were comfortably starting a song that I had heard more than enough times.

I paused next to Fili to watch. Thorin stood sadly against the hearth with a pipe firmly in hand. He was distant, his memories taking hold of his mind.

"Far over the misty mountains cold. To dungeons deep and caverns old.

We must away 'ere break of day to find our long forgotten gold.

The pines were roaring on the height" By now more had joined Thorin's sad song.

"The winds were moaning in the night."

I had closed my eyes and when I did I saw the fire that Thorin would never forget. It ruined his home. I felt the pain inside of him. It was a sad song I knew word for word and soon I was signing it softly. By then I had sat next to Gandalf. His back was to the dwarves while I sat sideways to them.

"The fire was red, it flaming spread.

The trees like torches blazed with light" The company was far too depressed to finish singing much more that night. The song had brought back memories that were painful for all.

I had pulled myself away from the chair next to Gandalf and began to walk towards my room. I walked through the room of dwarves trying to seem as little as possible to not attract attention. Unfortunately that did very little.

"Do you not have any encouraging words, Seer?" Gloin barked from where he sat. They were all obviously worked up from the song and knowing a 'seer' was among them...well it was indeed a good chance to get some hope from me I suppose.

I turned to the dwarf who had so angrily confronted me. Behind me the fire was ablaze with the hate they felt for the dragon that took so much from them.

"What would you have me say Master Dwarf?"

Gloin took a heavy step toward me. "Some form of hope would help, lass."

"You want me to ease your mind? Is that what you want?" I smiled, but I was unsure of what to say to him.

Gloin nodded cautiously. He had more to lose than most. He had a wife and son waiting for him.

I smiled more and step toward him, gently placing a hand on his arm. "I understand why you are so nervous about this quest Gloin. Your wife and son must be worried about you...but I can promise you that you will see them again. And in time, you will see Gimli begin an adventure much greater than your own..." I sighed. Perhaps that was too much...Oh well. Damage done.

I didn't stay to see his reaction. Nor did I want to. If I was to go with them I would need more rest. This quest was going to take everything out of me...and I still had no idea whether I was dead or not!