Authoress Note: Welcome to Chapter 5 of Gypsy. Thank you to those who have left reviews. It does mean a lot to me that you guys are enjoying this story. I'm trying my best to keep up on top of this. Hopefully, everything will go out according to plan and hopefully, it won't take too long with all of the updates. I hope that you guys enjoy this next chapter. Without further ado Chapter 5. ENJOY!

Chapter 5

They opened the door and there stood Thorin.

He entered Bag End. "Gandalf. I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way, twice. Wouldn't 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 said with a huff knowing for a fact that there was nothing on his door.

"There is a mark; I put it there myself. Bilbo Baggins, allow me to introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield." Gandalf said as he looked over at Bilbo.

"So, this is the Hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?" Thorin said as he walked forward with a scrutinizing gaze as he looked at Bilbo.

"Pardon me?" Bilbo asked, rather confused.

"Ax or sword? What's your weapon of choice?"

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know, but I fail to see why that's relevant," Bilbo said, taking a breath through his nose and wondering what it was all about.

"Thought as much. He looks more like a grocer than a burglar." Thorin said, looking back at Gandalf before he noticed the young woman standing there. "And who is this?"

Gandalf cleared his throat. "This is Lady Tonya. Your nephews found her wandering alone in the woods."

Thorin turned his attention to his nephews, his brows furrowed and a hard look was upon his face.

"And I insist she come on our quest."

Thorin then turned his attention back to Gandalf. "We only need one. We do not need a distraction."

Tony gripped her hands tightly at her sides as she looked at Thorin with a dangerous glare in her eyes. "Distraction? Is that all you men think? That a woman is a distraction?" Her arms crossed under her ample chest as she looked at Thorin with her green eyes narrowed in anger. She hated it when men thought that women were only meant as a distraction. Granted that she had the body of being a distraction, but almost any woman would be a distraction to men if the men had no idea of how to control themselves.

Thorin squared his shoulders as he moved forward. His blue eyes clashed with her green ones. "Ax or sword?" He demanded as he looked at her, his eyes narrowing some as he looked at the young woman.

Tony took a breath through her nose. "Neither. Bow and arrow." She stated her shoulders squaring up a bit knowing that she had taken archery lessons long ago even though she was probably rather rusty with the whole thing.

"She is still a woman." Thorin pointed out looking at Gandalf huffing in agitation. He couldn't allow a woman to join if she didn't have that much skill. She certainly didn't look like a warrior.

Tony scoffed, crossing her arms. "Does it matter that I'm a woman? I'm capable of taking care of myself." She knew the bruise on her cheek would probably make her seem like a damsel in distress, but she was far from that. "I know how to use a bow and arrows."

"Only one weapon. You have no skill with a sword." He said walking past her made her rather frustrated.

Bilbo blinked a few times as he saw Tony's hands gripping tightly at her sides.

The dwarves followed their leader into the dining room.

Bilbo came up to her rather concerned. "I'm sure he didn't mean that." He said softly, putting a hand on her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze.

Tony let out a frustrated breath. "Oh, the thing is Mr. Baggins, I know he did. Men regardless of it are their man, elf, dwarf, or hobbit. They always see their women as the weaker sex." She shook her head as she slowly went into the room where Thorin was busy eating the food that the dwarves were able to get for him.

"What news from the meeting in Ered Luin? Did they all come?" Balin questioned whether everyone had shown up in Ered Luin.

"Aye. Envoys from all seven kingdoms." Thorin said as he took another bite of bread.

The dwarves murmured their happiness.

"What do the dwarves of the Iron Hills say? Is Dain with us?" Dwalin wondered if Dain, who was Thorin's cousin, would agree to this journey.

"They will not come."

The dwarves then murmured their disappointment.

"They say this quest is ours, and ours alone."

There was even more disappointment in the group.

"You're going on a quest?" Bilbo questioned as he came up behind Tony.

Tony slowly moved to allow Bilbo to come in rather closer to the room.

"Bilbo, my dear fellow, let us have a little more light," Gandalf said, looking at the sandy-haired hobbit.

Bilbo brought a candle to the table, where Gandalf had put a map on it that was in his pocket.

"Far to the East, over ranges and rivers, beyond woodlands and wastelands, lies a single solitary peak."

Bilbo looked at the map, his brows furrowed. "The Lonely Mountain."

"Aye. Oin has read the portents, and the portents say it is time." Gloin said with a nod of his head.

"Ravens have been seen flying back to the mountain as it was foretold: When the birds of yore return to Erebor, the reign of the beast will end," Oin said slapping his hand on the table.

Bilbo looked rather concerned about the mention of a beast. "Uh, What beast?"

"Well, that would be a reference to Smaug the Terrible, the chiefest and greatest calamity of our age. Airborne fire-breather, teeth like razors, claws like meathooks, extremely fond of precious metals-" Bofur said, explaining it to the hobbit.

"Yes, I know what a dragon is," Bilbo said cutting Bofur from explaining any more than what he had.

"I'm not afraid! I'm up for it. I'll give him a taste of the Dwarvish iron right up his jacksie." Ori said, standing up rather proudly.

Several of the dwarves shouted in approval.

"Sit down!" Dori said, forcing his youngest brother to sit down.

"The task would be difficult enough with an army behind us. But we number just thirteen, and not thirteen of the best, nor brightest." Balin said, shaking his head.

"Hey, who are you calling dim?" Nori said, looking at Balin.

"What did he say?" Oin questioned putting his hearing trumpet up to figure out what was said.

"We may be few in number, but we're fighters, all of us, to the last dwarf!" Fili said, pounding the table with his fist.

"And you forget, we have a wizard in our company. Gandalf will have killed hundreds of dragons in his time." Kili said with a cheeky smile.

"Oh, well, now, uh, I-I-I wouldn't say that, I- -" Gandalf said sputtering.

"How many, then?" Dori questioned looking at the sputtering wizard.

"Uh, what?" Gandalf questioned eyeing Dori.

"Well, how many dragons have you killed? Go on, give us a number!"

"Hm." Gandalf, rather embarrassed, started to cough on his pipe smoke.

The dwarves jumped to their feet arguing about the number of dragons that Gandalf had killed.

Thorin jumped up bellowing out, silencing everyone. "Shazara! 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 60 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? Du Bekâr! Du Bekâr!"

The dwarves cheered at what Thorin was telling them.

Tony crossed her arms as she listened around. She knew that this was insane what they were doing, and it was dangerous.

"You forget: the front gate is sealed. There is no way into the mountain." Balin said, looking at his rightful king and shaking his head lightly.

"That, my dear Balin, is not entirely true," Gandalf said twiddling his fingers, producing a dwarven key, ornately wrought.

Thorin looked at it in wonder. "How came you by this?"

"It was given to me by your father, by Thrain, for safekeeping. It is yours now." Gandalf handed the key to Thorin as everyone watched on in wonder.

"If there is a key, there must be a door," Fili said thinking.

Gandalf pointed at the runes on the map with his pipe. "These runes speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

"There's another way in!" Kili said as he put his hand over his brother's shoulders.

"Well, if we can find it, but dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere in this map and I do not have the skill to find it. But others in Middle-earth can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe that it can be done." Gandalf said with a firm nod of his head.

"That's why we need a burglar," Ori said softly.

"Hm, A good one, too. An expert, I'd imagine." Bilbo said thinking.

"And are you?" Gloin questioned as he looked at Bilbo.

"Am I what?"

"He said he's an expert! Hey hey!" Oin said mishearing what Bilbo had said.

Several of the dwarves laughed at what Oin had said.

"M-Me? No, no, no, no, no. I'm not a burglar; I've never stolen a thing in my life."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Mr. Baggins. He's hardly burglar material." Balin said, shaking his head lightly.

Bilbo nodded his head in agreement.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk who can neither fight nor fend for themselves," Dwalin said with a shake of his head.

Bilbo continued to nod his head in agreement.

The dwarves began to argue once again.

Gandalf grew angry, raised to his full height, and cast darkness over the group speaking loudly. "Enough! If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is." Silencing everyone in the group easily. Gandalf went back to his normal self. "Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. They can pass unseen by most if they choose. And while the dragon is accustomed to the smell of dwarf, the scent of hobbit is all but unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage. 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. You must trust me on this."

"Very well. We will do it your way." Thorin said suddenly not caring.

"No, no, no," Bilbo said, shaking his head lightly.

"Give him the contract," Thorin said with a wave of his hand.

"Please."

"Alright, we're off!" Bofur said with a smile.

Balin handed Bilbo a long contract. "It's just the usual summary of out-of-pocket expenses, time required, remuneration, funeral arrangements, and so forth."

"Funeral arrangements?" Bilbo asked with wide eyes. He stepped away to read the contract.

Thorin leaned towards Gandalf whispering to him. "I cannot guarantee his safety. Nor the woman's." He said, jerking his head to Tony.

"Understood," Gandalf said with a slight nod of his head.

"Nor will I be responsible for his or her fate."

"Agreed."

Tony rolled her eyes, shaking her head.

Bilbo began to read the contract out loud. "Terms: Cash on delivery, up to but not exceeding one-fourteenth of total profit, if any. Seems fair. Eh, Present company shall not be liable for injuries inflicted by or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations ... evisceration … incineration?"

"Oh, aye, he'll melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye." Bofur pointed out.

Bilbo looked rather breathless. "Huh."

"You all right, laddie?" Balin asked, rather concerned.

Bilbo bent over, nauseous and pained. "Uh, yeah...Feel a bit faint."

"Think furnace with wings," Bofur said trying to make the hobbit feel better.

"Air, I-I-I need air."

"Flash of light, searing pain, then Poof! you're nothing more than a pile of ash."

Bilbo tried to breathe heavily trying to compose himself as the others watched him. "Hmmm. Nope." Bilbo fell to the floor in a dead faint.

"Ah, very helpful, Bofur."

Tony let out a breath and shook her head walking over to the fallen hobbit, surprising the dwarves as she lifted the sandy-haired hobbit to his feet. She then hoisted the hobbit over her shoulders and carried him into the sitting room. She carefully put the hobbit down on the chair and let out a breath before turning to see everyone staring at her. Her brow quirked as she looked at everyone. "What?"

None said a word as she came back into the room.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

This is the end of Chapter 5. I hope that you guys enjoyed this chapter. I tried my best with trying to write this out. I am still trying to figure out who Tony should be with. Who do you guys think Tony should be with? Please leave a review and let me know what you think. I'll try to update you as soon as I can. Until next time.