Despite the many long years that had past since Gandalf had last visited the shire, it was still just as he remembered; blissfully peaceful As he approached his destination he could see there sitting calmly on his front bench Bilbo Baggins. Yes, Gandalf though, this was just the thing to upset the stillness of the Shire.

Bilbo was just starting to let his mind wander, enjoying the late morning sun upon his brow when the smoke ring he had just blown miraculously transformed into a butterfly and hit him square in the face.

Through the smoke just starting to clear from around his face, the Hobbit was just able to make out the vague picture of a pointed grey hat sitting atop of an equally gray, rather haggard-looking, old man. Except this wasn't just any gray old man but the very wizard that Bilbo had been waiting on. The Hobbits' heart jumped.

"Good morning!" Bilbo greeted exuberantly.

"What do you mean?" Gandalf inquired, raising an eyebrow as he looked down at the hobbit, "do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

Bilbo put on a faux thinking face. "All of them at once I suppose" the Hobbit decided, smirking up at his friend.

Gandalf made a disgruntled noise but the twitching at the corners of his mouth gave him away.

"Can I help you?" the Hobbit inquired; feigning innocence.

"That remains to be seen" replied Gandalf in that mysterious, roundabout, way of his. The wizard cleared his throat, "I'm looking for someone to share in an adventure" Gandalf said as he leaned down, gripping tight on his staff.

"Is that so, Master Gandalf?" Bilbo smirked at the look of surprise on the old wizard's face. The Hobbit thought the coming adventure might not be so bad after all.

"yes…so you remember me after all, master Baggins" It wasn't a question.

"But of course! How could I forget someone with such, marvelous fireworks!" The Hobbit replied, his grin widening.

"I would have hoped to be remembered for more than just my fireworks," he replied with a sniff.

"So, what of this adventure you're inquiring about?" Bilbo asked, getting back to the matter at hand.

"Right," Gandalf seemed to gather his thoughts. "Actually' I'm a bit pressed for time at the moment, how about I come 'round tonight for supper and we may discuss it?" Gandalf smiled down at him.

"Excellent! Shall I be expecting just you then?" inquired Bilbo, knowing the answer.

"As a matter of fact, there might be a few others if that's alright"

"of course! The more the merrier!"

As soon as Gandalf had taken his leave Bilbo dashed back into the house to commence preparations for supper. He had made big meals like this before on various occasions, mostly for large holiday gatherings, if there was one thing he had learned it was that it would take a very long time to prepare and he must get started right away. Cooking was also a good distraction, it saved him from thinking of the night ahead. He started with the dishes he knew would take the longest, like the pumpkin pie for example which would need to bake for an hour and then cool for just as long if not longer, followed by the things that had to be cool or at least at room temperature, like the potato salad.

During his cooking Bilbo tried to recall the different kinds of food each of his Dwarfs preferred; he remembered that Balin had favored spicy foods and Nori had liked his food saltier than was probably healthy and that Gloin had a taste for maple. Bilbo made sure to make something for everyone, he was determined to make a good first impression this time around, he knew that he hadn't exactly won any points with the company last time by answering the door in his dressing gown and a fool temper.

Bilbo was just setting the last casserole dish on the dining room table when he heard the first knock of the night. Now Bilbo had known that he was going to experience some sort of emotional shock at seeing his old friends again but truly nothing he had, or could have, done prepared him for the intense surge of emotion he felt at seeing a face he thought he would never again lay his eyes on.

Dwalin stood, imposing as ever, before the dazed Hobbit. Seeming not to notice the shaking in his hosts' knees or the moister gathering in his eyes. Though Dwalin had lived on safe in the halls of Erebor, the shock was still ever-present.

"Dwalin, at your service. would you be Master Baggins?" asked the tattooed Dwarf, pulling Bilbo out of his head.

"Ah! Yes! yes, please come in." if seeing Dwalin was enough to nearly bring him to tears, then he wasn't sure how he was going to make it through the night without having a fit.

"Much obliged master Hobbit" He thanked gruffly as he shoved his way inside and tossed his cloak on top of the flustered halfling.

"I was told there would be food?" It was more of a demand than a real question.

"Ye-yes, just right down the hall and you can put your weapons in that trunk if you'd like," Bilbo answered, pointing to the trunk he had specifically put out for weapons as he hung Dwalins cloak on the rack by the door.

Dwalin tossed his axe into the trunk before hurrying down the hall, Bilbo could hear the noise of a chair scraping against the wood floor in the dining room followed by the sound of dishes and flatware clanking together. The Hobbit smiled to himself even as his eyes welled with more tears yet unshed. As amazing as it was to see his old friend the knowledge of what was to come pained him greatly though he knew now was not the time to wallow in self-pity, after all this wasn't about him and as much as he wanted to be entirely selfish, as was his nature, he knew he couldn't. not this time.

He pulled himself out of his brooding and followed Dwalin into the dining room.

"I hope this will be enough food, I don't know about Dwarfs, but Hobbits eat quite a lot." Bilbo smiled pleasantly.

"Indeed, Master Hobbit, we Dwarfs are too known for our large appetites. This is quite the feast you have prepared, I'm sure the others will greatly appreciate it; it has been a long journey for us all." Dwalin answered as he gratefully started eating, it was clear that he had not had a proper meal in quite a while, the thought saddened the halfling a bit.

"yes, well, we Hobbits are known for hospitality and it's been quite a while since I've had guests, I was more than happy to cook" Bilbo replied, and it was true, he had been more than happy to prepare the feast, after all, he knew it would likely be the last square meal any of them had until they reached Rivendell.

Dwalin seemed to consider him for a moment. "I can't claim to know much about Hobbits but you're certainly not what I expected" choosing to take that as a good thing, Bilbo nodded. Just then there was another knock at the door.

"I'll get it, you keep eating" on his way to the door Bilbo tried to remember who would be arriving next. he shrugged, figuring he would find out in a moment anyway, he opened the round door and his breath caught in his throat. It was Balin.

The Hobbit could plainly remember the terrible grief that had struck him when Frodo had told him of his dear friends' death in the halls of Moria along sweet, innocent, Ori. That was another thing he hoped to prevent this time around. Though he could not at the moment fathom how.

"It looks like it's going to rain later" Balin commented as he looked up at the sky. Bilbo looked up too, it did seem like some clouds were moving in.

"hope it clears up by morning, wet and cold is no way to start an adventure" Bilbo added with a playful smile, though his heart was pounding and the tremble in his voice was ill-concealed

"Indeed! Indeed!" Balin laughed and Bilbo's heart leaped; it was amazing to see his friend so full of life again. He never did laugh the same after his kings' death.

"I'm Balin, at your service." The Dwarf introduced himself with a short bow.

"Bilbo Baggins at yours! Please come in, you can hang your cloak just there and put any weapons or such in that trunk." Bilbo invited, returning the bow.

"My thanks, very comfortable home you've got here master Baggins" Balin complimented as he deposited his weapons in the trunk next to his brothers.

"Balin!" shouted a voice from behind them.

Bilbo turned to see Dwalin who had apparently decided to come and investigate the new arrival, the Hobbit watched with a slight flinch as they headbutted each other in greeting. The Hobbit had never thought about it until now, but this was probably the first time the brothers had seen each other in who knew how long and it only made Bilbo's resolve to save them that much stronger.

"Come, brother," started Dwalin "there is much to talk about and master Hobbit has prepared quite the meal for us."

"Ah, lovely! I had hoped there would be food" replied Balin as he let himself be led down the hall towards the dining room.

Bilbo watched as they departed down the hall with a sad smile. Yes, it was great to see his dear friends again, but it was more painful then he could possibly describe, his heart clenched and ached at the thought of what was to come and not knowing if he was truly going to be able to stop it when the time came. The Hobbit shook his head and tried to collect himself he still had 11 more Dwarfs to greet and he couldn't be a blubbering mess when they came.

Two knocks sounded at the door. Two knocks. That could only mean-

Bilbo opened the door and found he could hardly breathe for the torrent of emotion tightening his throat, his amber eyes widening and welling with sadness, his vision clouding as he watched the brothers.

"Fili- "

"- and Kili-"

"At your service! You must be mister Boggins!" The painfully familiar duo finished together as they bowed in unison. lifting themselves, with big, mischievous, grins on their faces as if nothing could have pleased them more than to be seeing Bilbo standing there trying and failing to keep his emotions off his face.

When the Hobbit had last seen them they were dead. Still and cold as the graves, they laid upon. Their swords placed gently beneath their unmoving hands. The memory was as painful now as it was the day it was made.

"Ye-yes, yes." he finally replied, his voice cracking with intense emotion. He cleared his throat and hurriedly blinked tears from his eyes. there would be a time for tears but it was not now.

"Please come in there's supper just down the hall. You can hang your cloaks there and put your weapons in the trunk with the others." Bilbo went on with faux confidence.

"Oh! Is there food?! I'm famished!" Kili said with exuberance as he carelessly tossed his cloak at the poor Hobbit and half-heartedly tossed his weapons in the general direction of the trunk (which landed a good meter away from its target) in his haste to get to the food.

Some things never change Bilbo thought as he hung up the young prince's cloak.

"Sorry about my brother, he's a bit…" Fili trailed off, seeming to be searching for the right words to describe his brother but coming up empty.

Bilbo let out a slightly forced laugh. "It's okay, he actually reminds me a bit of some of the younger Hobbits that sometimes try to sneak into my garden and steal my vegetables." And It was true, Kili and Fili had always reminded him of Merry and Pippin.

Fili laughed as he hung his cloak and put both his and Kili's weapons properly in the trunk.

"A nice home you have here master Baggins, but I expected as much of course" the blonde commented confidently as he took in the rest of the room.

"HA!" sounded a voice from across the room, they both turned to see Kili leaning comfortably against the doorway to the dining room, baked chicken leg in hand.

"weren't you the who said that you thought Hobbits lived In filthy holes in the ground filled with worms an- "Kili was cut off abruptly by his brother hastily slapping a hand over the brunette's mouth.

"that's quite enough now dear brother," Fili hissed through clenched teeth and a forced smile.

"I'm very sorry master Boggins I- "Fili was the one cut off this time though not by a hand on his mouth but by the loud genuine laughter of Bilbo who was not so much insulted but greatly amused by the antics of the two brothers.

"it's alright, I'm not offended" Bilbo assured them once he had regained his breath, seeing his dwarves so lively and carefree once more was as amusing as it was painful.

The brothers looked at each other, wide-eyed before shrugging unanimously and making their way into the dining room with the others.

Bilbo whipped his eyes, tears of joy and sorrow alike, mixing in his eyes. It was more uplifting then he could ever say to see them so free and innocent, not yet corrupted by the darkness of war and death. Bilbo would love nothing more than to keep that innocence alive, but he knew that there were some things he just wouldn't be able to save. No matter how much he wanted to.

He shook his head with a sad smile before following the brothers into the dining room, being interrupted halfway there by another knock on the door, Bilbo answered the knock and promptly wished he hadn't, for not a second later he was crushed by the weight of eight dwarves piled on top of him. He then heard the familiar laugh of a very meddlesome old codger. At that moment Bilbo very much felt like killing the barmy old wizard. Slowly the weight decreased as the Dwarves got off him.

Five minutes later Bilbo was sat in his chair by the fire, rubbing his tender ribs as Bombur apologized profusely. Sweet, gentle, Bombur, though Bilbo had not been particularly close with him he had admired the Dwarf for his kind disposition and cooking skills though one thing he did not miss was the gingers' coordination or lack thereof.

"it's alright master Dwarf, really I'm fine" Bilbo assured him though he wasn't so sure about that himself. Gandalf chuckled again, and Bilbo glared up at him.

"And where exactly have you been, master Gandalf?" Bilbo huffed accusatively, already quite exasperated with his old friend. The wizard at least had the good grace to look sheepish.

"yes, well, I'm afraid I had some last-minute arrangements to make but I am here now" Someone cleared their throat and Bilbo turned to see Dori staring at him.

"We haven't introduced ourselves; I'm Dori at your service," he introduced himself politely if a bit cooley, "and these are my brothers Ori and Nori" he finished gesturing to both in turn as he spoke.

Bilbo smiled at each of them even as his heart clenched at the sight of their young faces so full of life. Nori, the most honorable and kind thief Bilbo had ever had the pleasure of meeting and Ori, sweet and so very brave and kind. Bilbo would have liked nothing more than to keep him in Bag-End, safe from all evils of the world.

Bilbo felt a warm hand on his shoulder and turned to face the source. "I'm Bofur at your service master Hobbit," Bofur's smile was warm and welcoming and the Hobbit could remember quite clearly how Bofur had been the first one to offer him a hand in friendship the first-time round and Bilbo would make sure to do the same this time.

"you have already met my brother Bomber, and this is our cousin Bifur." Bofur finished gesturing to each in turn. Bilbo looked at Bifur and realized just how very little really he knew about him. During the first-time round, he had never really spent any time with him, mostly because of the language barrier, the Hobbit was determined to fix that this time. He really wanted to know more about all his Dwarves.

A familiar axe shoved its way through the crowded of Dwarves followed by a very familiar redhead.

"And I'm Gloin, at your service. And this is my brother, Oin" he introduced with a bow, gesturing over to his brother who was busy attempting to reshape his ear horn that had gotten crushed when they all fell.

"Bilbo Baggins, it's very nice to meet all of you. There is supper down the hall if you're hungry, the others have already arrived." Bilbo finally replied.

The eight Dwarves smiled joyously and wasted no time in making their way to the dining room with the others. Oin having to be pulled along for he had not heard Bilbo.

"So, tell me Bilbo, what do you think of the company thus far?" asked Gandalf. Bilbo blinked up at him from his chair and thought about that for a moment.

Bilbo remembered his first impression of the Dwarves the last time. He had thought that they were a bunch of mindless brutes who needed to get out of his house and stop eating his food. But over the course of their journey, he had learned more about them and who they really were. He had learned of Dwalin's fierce loyalty and secret kindness that he tried to pretend he didn't have, he learned to appreciate Oin's codling and fussing, he learned to love hearing Gloin talk endlessly about his wife and son, he learned to love and laugh at Fili and Kili's jokes and mischievousness, he learned of Bofur's unwavering love for his brother and cousin, he learned of Bifur's determination to help his king, he learned of Bombur's kindness and cheerful disposition, he learned to value Dori's mother-hen-ing, he learned to marvel at the bravery Ori didn't even know he had, he learned to love Nori's protective nature, he learned to listen to Balin's wise words and above all he had learned to love like had never loved before or ever again because of one very stubborn yet annoyingly charming Dwarven king.

"They are not what I would have expected but I think that makes them special." He said as he looked over at his Dwarves in the dining room "They are all very different, yet they seem to fit together so seamlessly. I think I could really learn to care for them if I decided to go with them" There was silence as Bilbo continued to watch his Dwarves and Gandalf considered the Hobbits word carefully.

There was a loud knock at the door.

"He's here," Gandalf said with an ominous tone.

Bilbo's Heart stopped.