The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings belongs to JRR Tolkien and the movies belong to Peter Jackson. I'm just a devoted fan.

I have something to confess to you all. Bilbo and Relly won't happen. Because this is actually a Gollum/Relly fic. Relly dumps Bilbo for our favorite cave dweller and they live happily ever eating fish and cursing Bilbo Baggins for stealing the precious :D

...just kidding! Haha, I'd never do that to you guys. To make up for that cruel joke, I've finally written the feels everyone's been waiting for. The Bilbo/Relly train is chuggin' along and it's full steam ahead the next few chapters~

A Real Master Burglar

We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light.
- Earl Nightingale

The worst sort of alarm to wake up to was the kind that placed you in perilous doom and danger without any time to prepare for said doom and danger. For dear Relly, this was how she woke up. Relly was tuckered out from the mountain escapade and did not want to be disturbed in her few hours of rest. Sadly, her time of rest was coming to an end as she felt a low rumbling shake underneath her blankets. She murmured something incoherently, turning on her side as she licked her chapped lips, squirming around as she rubbed her cold feet against her legs.

I must be dreaming, she hazily thought in her half-awake state of mind. There's no way the ground is shaking.

"Wake up!" Thorin's voice boomed in the cave as Relly stirred, her yawning only to turn into a scream as the ground beneath her turned out to be a trap door, launching Relly and the rest of Thorin and company down the bumpy, rocky and orange-illuminated chute that seemed to have no end. Everyone was tossing about and screaming until they all landed into one big pile, Bombur being the cherry on top as everyone felt the wind knocked out of them. Relly groaned, her leg smushed under Oin and Bifur as she tried to worm her way out of the cluster.

When she finally wriggled herself free, she heard hundreds of voices echoing down the pathway and the thunderous sound of stomping getting closer and closer to where she was. Relly quickly got on her feet, only to discover a horde of nasty, ugly goblins charging at them with torches in hand and malicious smiles on their faces. Relly was caught in a tangled mess of limbs, weapons, yelling and awful smells as Relly tried to reach for her rapier, only for her to be bogged down by three goblins. It dawned on Relly that these goblins weren't fighting them, but capturing them instead.

"Let go of me, ugly!" she hocked up her spit in one goblin's face, trying to distract him so she could make a run for it. It worked, but it was a short-lived victory as the second goblin snarled in her face and gripped her arms behind her back, forcing her to move. The walkways were overrun with these underground dwellers and Relly was too tired to feel any more frightened than she usually would. She had just spent hours trying to walk on a mountain pass with stone giants and thunder battles; she did not want smelly goblins on that list.

"Smells human," the third goblin next to Relly smelled her skin, her skin crawling from the creepy sensation. "Haven't had human in a while!"

"No, I'm a Hobbit," she grunted, hated being shoved around by these beasts. Could every evil creature on this entire earth smell the human in her? It certainly seemed like it. Relly kept her mouth shut, running off multiple curses in her head as she squinted her eyes to find Thorin. He, of course, was at the front of the line.

Maybe they know it's him, Relly concluded, frowning at the idea that these goblins actually knew who they were dealing with, rather than just carting them off to supper. She gulped, the pit in her stomach growing deeper from her realization that this was all just a trap. Relly turned her head behind her to see the rest of the dwarves. She counted every dwarf in the line: Bofur, Bombur, Dwalin, Balin, Ori, Nori, Dori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Kili, Fili. Thorin was at the front of course but Relly felt like she was missing someone...Where's Bilbo? Why did Gandalf have to abandon us now, in all of this?

Relly did not have time to think over his disappearance as she was being forcibly pushed over rickety wooden bridges that were hardly held together by dwindling rope as she felt herself shrink at the vastness of this underground realm, lit up by large torches and makeshift tree houses that hovered above them. Thousands upon thousands of goblins screeched and made noise upon their arrival to the center of the goblin kingdom. Relly's blood was on fire; she desperately wanted to whip out her rapier and drive Toothpick into the fat, greasy bellies of her captors but she would most likely be killed in a matter of seconds. She resigned herself to take no action as the goblins in front of her stopped, having arrived at their destination.

He looks like a wart. Relly wanted to puke. A pus-filled, bulging wart. This "wart" she was referring to was none other than the lumbering, monstrous Goblin King who sat on his too-tiny throne in front of them with a sadistically gleeful smile stretched on his too-fat face. The smell enough was horrible but this Goblin King made her one step closer to throwing herself off the wooden platform to escape the stench. Maybe I should jump, she contemplated.

She was forced to give up her rapier as the goblins snatched it from her, including her little dagger she had been hiding in her trouser pocket. Relly had never seen such a pile of sharp, shiny things and she made a grabby hand at Toothpick just carelessly tossed aside like it were just a stick. Toothpick, my baby! she cried in her head. She wanted to knee every goblin in the groin in revenge but, like her previous half-baked plan, this also was a bad idea.

"Who would be so bold as to enter my kingdom?" the Goblin King eyed every single member of the company with his bulbous eyes. The most disturbing facial feature was that sack of a chin. Relly's throat burned with vomit. "Spies? Thieves? Assassins?" he raised his voice even louder. "I ought to rip your heads off with my own hand!" and he shook his fist threateningly at all of them.

A smaller goblin stepped out of the group. "Dwarves, your malevolence. And a human...ish creature," he gestured to Relly, taking another whiff of her scent, causing more goosebumps to prickle her skin All of the dwarves, save Thorin, looked at her in shock as Relly gave them a weak frown. Thorin knew of her mixed blood, but none of the others did. If they even got out of this pickle alive, she did not look forward to that discussion.

If they got out alive.

Bilbo's eyelids fluttered awake, slowly adjusting to the darkness that enveloped him as he smelled the musty air of the unknown territory. He was at the bottom of the pit no doubt, and frankly he was once again surprised to find himself breathing. He felt dirt caked onto his face, a few cuts stinging his arms and legs and the stench of the goblin who had caused his fall. The sounds of skin scuffling along the rocky ground caused Bilbo to freeze up as he laid still, wondering who or what else was down here in the dark. He only know of the goblin, no other creature. The low hisses of mouth breathing added more tension to the air, his bones feeling so brittle.

"Yess...a treatses for us...gollum, gollum!" The hacking and swallowing of the odd word 'gollum' frightened but intrigued the reluctant adventurer as Bilbo continued to listen to the eerily ecstatic creature hover over his eventual dinner. He heard the dragging of the almost corpse, mutterings of 'goody tasties' and 'for us, preciousss' bouncing off every rock in this cavern. What exactly was this thing?

Bilbo, going against every fiber in him that wasn't of the Tookish behavior, decided to investigate through the peephole of one rock as he saw the creature and the goblin fight, until the skin-drooping creature ended its life with a rock in hand. Bilbo thought he saw something glint on the ground but he knew better than to risk his presence right now.

After the 'gollum' sounding creature left, Bilbo took out his blue-shining sword and waved it around the ground, the color of gold attracting his eye as he bent down and picked it up with his fingers. It was a plain gold band, very similar to the kind a married couple would wear. He banished the thought as he observed the details, or in this case lack thereof, as he felt the smooth gold curve on the pads of his fingers. It struck Bilbo as very peculiar that an ordinary gold band would be found in such a dark and dreary cave. It was almost so fascinating to just keep looking at the ring...to be entranced by its plain but powerful beauty.

Did this ring originally belong to that creature? Was it stolen by him? Who owned this ring beforehand? Does this make me a thief if I just pocket it for later? Bilbo remembered how Relly offered him advice to be a thief. Well, it looks like he was one in the making and without her help thank you very much. He couldn't help but internally smirk to himself, realizing that he had the potential to be a real master burglar.

Breaking off his thoughts of the ring, Relly and his morals concerning stealing, Bilbo heard the loud mutterings of the crazed creature as he, with sword in hand, followed the source of the gurgling voice. In the middle of the stagnated cave water, there was a small island of rock. On top of the tallest rock he saw the dark outline of the gollum creature bent over what he assumed to be the dead goblin and ...singing?

It was singing. A sick and twisted song about stones, bones and guts but it was a song nonetheless. Whatever race this animal may have been once upon a time ago, it had learned the common language because he was singing. Bilbo had never heard of such a thing. Stories were passed around the races capable of intellect, such as Hobbits of course, but how could a deformed little critter stranded at the bottom of the Goblin kingdom imagine such words and songs?

He ducked behind a giant boulder, wishing his sword was not shining so brightly for fear of attracting the gollum creature's attention. He saw what he did to the goblin. Even if Bilbo was taller than the depraved cave dweller, he could not doubt the fact the creature could probably kill him with brute force. Much to his relief, the blue light flickered off as he took in a deep breath, resting his head against the slimy texture of the boulder. Opening his eyes, he turned his head to look over to the island again, only to find nothing. Where did it go?

And then he looked up to find the skulking figure hang over him like a bat. His heart stopped from the sight of the Gollum, as he would now label it from here on after, so close to him. Upon closer look, he found Gollum to have deflated, wide blue eyes that echoed a sad remnant of a time before Bilbo. This creature was far different from an Orc or Goblin.

"It splashes, preciousss. Ahh, that's a meaty mouthful," Gollum opened his jaw and nearly squealed in delight at the sight of Bilbo, or rather how fat he was. "Yum, yum, yum for us, precious!"

Bilbo pressed the tip of his sword right into the indent of Gollum's throat, forcing the self-named sound to be produced. He felt himself gain some courage as he straightened his form and held the hilt of his sword with both hands, believing himself to actually have a fighting chance against this Gollum. "Stay back. I-I'm warning you to stay back. Don't you dare come any closer!"

The creature was retreating with fear in his runny blue eyes. "He's got an elvish blade preciouss...yes, yes, I knows that but those nasty elveses, not tasties at all." It was working so far as Gollum stayed away from Bilbo and continued talking to himself further away. Wait, how did Gollum know about elvish blades?

For every question Bilbo asked, he got twenty more in return. He heard Gollum ask him who he was and took it upon himself to answer. "My name is Bilbo. Bilbo Baggins."

Gollum looked befuddled and less murderous than before. "Ba...Bagginses? What is a Bagginses, precious?"

"I'm a Hobbit," Bilbo found himself short of breath, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he kept a slightly shaky grip on his sword. "A Hobbit from the Shire." The voice inside his head was telling him not to divulge so much information but being a polite gentle-Hobbit, Bilbo was taught to always introduce himself, even to creepy little cave dwellers like Gollum.

The creature nodded, somewhat understanding Bilbo. "Ohh, we like goblinses, batses and fishes but we haven't tried Hobbitses before!" he kept shaking his head up and down, eyeing Bilbo's flesh with a starved look. Bilbo suddenly wished he wasn't so pudgy. "Tasties, tasties, Hobbitses be hasties!" he began to sing off-key, bobbing his head side to side before launching into a crazed, hungry mood. He lunged at Bilbo, wanting a taste of his pudgy body.

"No, no!" If Fili or Kili could see how he was waving his sword about, they'd probably have a fit on how he was handling the weapon. Even Relly would probably chastise him, and she was even less mature than those two. However, Bilbo was trying to make Gollum cower so he could demand to be shown the way out. He wasn't keen on fighting Gollum and was focused on leaving this cave alive.

Little did Bilbo know that a game of riddles would change his life forever.

Her gut was knotted up, a fire building in her throat as Relly fought the urge to vomit. Thorin was about to be decapitated and everyone else likely killed too. She saw the horn held above Thorin's head, so close to his eyes as the dwarves and Relly helplessly stared at what would be the bloody death of Thorin Oakenshield.

When all else looked bleak, a bright light blinded Relly's eyes as a powerful wave of energy could be felt in her bones and she was positive everyone else could feel the familiar presence. Through squinted eyes, she saw structures blown apart, goblins flying off the platforms and the crash of the Goblin King falling onto his side. The despair Relly had felt evaporated into the bare bones of relief.

Gandalf. Relly blinked with a hopeful flame in her eyes, so glad to see Gandalf come at their aide. The goblins screeched in pain from the brilliance of Gandalf the Grey as she felt her arms released, rubbing her wrists to soothe the pain as she lifted her chin to see the wizard revealed with sword and staff in hand.

"Gandalf!" and she plunged herself into the frenzy, trying to make her way towards the pile of weapons that were forcibly taken from them. If she could just reach Toothpick and her dagger, she'd be more than set to slice up some goblin meat. A fat goblin bumped into her, causing her to trip over her feet and land on her knees, gaining a few scrapes on her legs. She then heard her name being yelled out.

"Miss Relly!" Dwalin threw her Toothpick as she sprung up and was happily reunited with her baby as she scrambled to find her dagger. Unfortunately, her dagger would have to be set aside for now as she felt eyes on her back and swiveled around on her bare heel, driving the sharp end of Toothpick into the flabby belly of the goblin that attempted to kill her.

"Take that!" she grinned, her rapier effortlessly gliding out of the skewered stomach as the goblin sputtered for breath and fell on his backside. Not phased by the red stained on Toothpick's blade, Relly focused on what she had learned from Fili and Kili as she fought her way to Gandalf and where the rest of the company was. She paused when the goblin in front of her just got decapitated by Gandalf, which was pretty awesome but also very gross, even by her standards. Relly tucked her illness away on the backburner as she exchanged quick glances with the wizard who invited her on this journey.

"Good to see you, Relly," Gandalf's breath was short, "but follow me! Everyone, follow me!" and soon enough, a train of dwarves started making their own path as Relly contributed to clearing the way so they could get out of this hole.

She skidded on her feet, nearly knocking Balin off the creaky rope bridge, and holding up the line much to Gandalf and Thorin's dismay. "Wait! Where's Bilbo?" she asked loudly, earning some grunts and groans from the company.

"Relly, no!" Ori's pained screech ended any thought of finding Bilbo as she turned her head around and saw the wall of goblin warriors coming closer and closer as she struggled to keep up, Ori reaching out his hand to yank her along. She accepted it, giving him a small, out of breath smile as the two fended against the goblins swinging above their heads. Relly kicked a goblin off the platform, the deformed creature falling to its death as Relly felt a twinge of regret for not going back for her dagger.

The stronger dwarves such as Dwalin, Bifur, Bofur and Gloin managed to grab a long pike of wood and use it to clear a path, which really helped the younger members of the company such as Relly, Fili, Kili and Ori pick off the stragglers. The way Thorin was slicing up goblins and using his sword as if it were an extension of his own arm was truly mesmerizing; he knew how to fight in the field unlike Relly, who had been tutored by his nephews and never been in a battle such as this one.

"Cut the ropes!" Thorin's command boomed as everyone began to slice off ropes to the rickety platform they were on. Relly grimaced as she looked down into the vast expanse of cave, heart dropping all the way to her stomach. If she didn't have a fear of heights before, well, she just developed one now. The enemy's arrows began zooming across, one stray arrow cutting her cheek open as she pressed the palm of her hand against the slightly gushing face wound.

"Augh!" she hissed in pain. Granted, it could have driven into her skull and instantly killed her, but the pain was searing through her face as her left eye twitched from the bleeding. Letting go of her face she sprinted across the bridge that Bofur and Kili just made, barely making it onto the landing as the goblins dropped like flies. Oin noticed her wound, the grandfatherly concern expressed in his eyes. Now wasn't the time for patching up, Relly had to make sure her eye wasn't taken out next.

The line momentarily stopped as Relly figured out that it was the end of the pathway, squinting her eyes to see Gandalf at the front. The goblins were still following her and although no more arrows were slinging in the air, Relly did not want another gash on her face. With the ropes cut once more, they swung in the air like a deadly game of see-saw, Relly's newly formed acrophobia not helping the situation. She was part of the group that jumped off first, feeling slightly more relieved she wasn't in mid air anymore.

But where's Bilbo? Even in the midst of all the fighting, tumbling rocks and killing goblins left and right, Relly desperately wanted to go back to find the Hobbit. The problem was, she had no idea where he was. Was he dead? Alive? Ran off? And even upon the countless goblins chasing after them, which ones knew exactly where they were possibly imprisoning Bilbo?

Sure, he was ill-equipped for the journeying life, and he wasn't on Thorin's most respected list. Bilbo had no idea how to live a life on scraps and rough edges. He wasn't even a real thief and his stubbornness to not sign the contract almost ruined her chances of joining Thorin's quest. At the same time, he could cook. Like that coney stew he made a couple times on their journey. Relly liked his cooking, though she never said it. There were times when he wasn't a complete wet stack of hay. Relly's eyes rolled in the back of her head, her bloodied palms sweaty as she remembered how she never thanked him for stalling the stone trolls long enough for Gandalf to rescue them. Would Bilbo have done something similar to stall Thorin's almost-decapitation?

If she weren't literally running for her life, she would have given the subject more consideration.

Bilbo waved his fingers approximately five inches away from his own face, his eyes wide at the discovery of his new found ability to be cloaked from Gollum's eyes thanks to this plain gold band on his finger. He internally freaked out when he felt his body go fuzzy and the world around him seemed...different.

Hazy. Grey. The tangible world was ephemeral and when he wore this strange, curious ring he felt like he was in control of this wispy new plane of dimension. He knew Gollum was still hot on his trail, labeling him a thief and that he hated him for stealing the precious. Bilbo glanced at his ring finger. He must be wearing the 'precious' that Gollum claimed to love dearly.

Love. It was sickening for Bilbo to try and understand the grimy clockwork that was Gollum's thinking process, but taking into account how long Gollum had been isolated from contact with the outside world, it made sense that the sad little creature developed feelings, developed attachment to something so material. As Bilbo hid in the crevices of the rocks around him, his eyes steadily gazing on the hunched over form of the croaking cave dweller, he felt some pity well up in his heart. He was walking closer with his sword in hand, locking in on the fleshy skin of Gollum's neck. Ready to strike down the very creature who threatened to eat him.

True courage is not knowing when to take a life, but when it spare it, Gandalf had wisely told him when he first obtained his sword. He held his sword with both hands, eyes narrowing at his target...until Gollum turned around with those runny blue eyes of his, sunken into his skull and although Bilbo could not be seen, Gollum was looking directly at him.

Gollum had been something once. He saw the loss in Gollum's eyes, the desolation of being robbed of its only comfort in the cave. This thing tried to eat him, kill him, lose him in the cave and trap him. Gollum let out a small whimper, like a lost starved puppy. And yet, Bilbo could not bring himself to kill Gollum, feeling disappointed and relieved at the same time. Anyone else in his position would have slayed the creature: Thorin, Relly, all the others. Me? Bilbo sucked in his breath quietly as to not stir the senses of Gollum. I am not a fearless warrior, or a heartless person. I am a Baggins of Bag End and I cannot kill something so pitiful.

In one swift Hobbit jump, Bilbo leapt over Gollum, running towards the exit of the cave as he felt the dying evening rays of light hit his face. He heard the fading curses of Gollum as his feet carried him into the wide open of the forest, so exhausted from the events of the past twenty-four hours. Him trying to leave, falling through the trap door, nearly dying, his encounter with Gollum and of course, this ring of gold.

Oh, I'm still invisible, he remembered as he mulled over taking the ring off. However, he did not know if he was still being followed by an enemy. For now, he would remain invisible until he felt safe. He continued running down the hill until a familiar voice made him stop in his tracks. He couldn't believe Gandalf had returned, but when?

"Where's the Hobbit?" Gandalf demanded to know, Bilbo hiding behind a tree as he poked his head out to see Thorin and Co. in the forest clearing. "Where's Bilbo?" he reiterated as to not confuse the company with Relly.

Bilbo saw all the dwarves look at each other and then at the empty space around them, most of them not realizing he was missing until now. He frowned. I guess I haven't made that great of an impression, he glumly thought as Gandalf cursed them for losing their master burglar.

"I think I saw him slip away before the goblins cornered us," Nori, the sole witness to Bilbo's escape, finally answered. Bilbo continued to watch the scene unfold, his eyes focusing on each dwarf and lastly, Relly. She looked visibly upset.

"What happened exactly?" Gandalf interrogated Nori but to no avail, the dwarf unable to answer. Thorin took it upon himself to come up with his own account, Bilbo digging his fingers into the bark of the tree. "Tell me!"

"I know what happened. Master Baggins saw his chance and took it. The other night he was ready to leave us!" his voice struck some pained chords in Bilbo's heart, knowing that every word he said was right.

"I talked with him last night," Bofur admitted, the usually optimistic toymaker sounding a little ashamed. "I tried to tell Bilbo he was part of the company but I suppose his heart wasn't in it," and Bofur looked over to Relly, who had previously been unaware of Bilbo's attempt to leave their group.

Gandalf looked furious to the point he could have had steam blowing out those wrinkled ears of his. Thorin continued on with his rant. "He has thought of nothing but his soft bed and cozy home since he stepped out of his front door. We will not be seeing our Hobbit again."

It was quiet for a few seconds. Although he could not see Gandalf's face due to his back turned, he could sense the wizard being affected by what he just learned. Maybe he was nothing but a burden from the start. His eyes flickered to where Relly was standing, the half-Hobbit woman with her arms folded and a rueful look on her face. She was a much better fit for Thorin's party, not him. Then, something unexpected happened. Bilbo did not expect Relly to cut into the conversation and what she said met him without warning and definitely threw the entire company for a loop.

"If I got lost back there, would you have come back for me?" She didn't sound like her usual self. This was a more adult Relly speaking, a young woman with hurt in her voice as the hazel eyed quarterling stared right at Thorin. Thorin turned around to face his thief, the mountain lord searching himself for an answer.

"For you, yes," he admitted with a fatherly tone in his voice. The feeling changed as Thorin straightened his back and walked a few ways away from Relly, father-daughter moment over. "Bilbo did not get separated from us. Bilbo Baggins was lost the moment he joined us," Thorin stated, no emotion in his voice. Bilbo clenched his teeth, not wanting any more daggers spoken about him. The more he spoke, the more Bilbo actually wanted to reveal himself to the group, just to show up Thorin and break down his walls of disbelief. "He is long gone."

"No, he got lost back there! And he may be a bum, and-and a wet blanket but..." Relly listed his less-than-stellar qualities before switching gears to make her point, "what if he got stuck back there? I didn't sign up for his blood on my hands!"

Bilbo froze up, his eyes shifting from the sky above him, the forest in front of him and lastly his feet below him. Once again, Relly was standing up to Thorin in his name. It was ridiculous, really. Weeks ago they hardly got along. She stole his utensils, clothing, grated on his nerves with her carefree stealing compulsions and her lack of manners. Now she didn't want his blood on her hands, wanted to go back for him.

With a deep breath, Bilbo left the tree he had been hiding behind and walked towards the company with the ring still on, waiting for everyone's backs to be turned or away from him so he could reappear. With a weak smile, he removed the band off his finger, waiting to be noticed. And noticed he was.

"He isn't gone. I'm here."

Everyone gasped or showed some visible and audible reaction to his entrance. Thorin definitely was not expecting Bilbo to be standing right there and Relly looked stunned, probably because she had just looked in that direction seconds ago. Bofur softly chuckled along with Bombur and Gloin as nearly all the dwarves were relieved and curious as to how Bilbo managed to find them relatively unscathed.

"Bilbo Baggins, I've never been so glad to see you in my life," Gandalf smiled widely, all anger forgotten. "We needed another Hobbit to keep in check with this one," he pointed over to Relly, who stuck out her lip at the comment.

Bilbo walked down the hill to get closer to the company, resting his hand on Balin's shoulder as he half-heartedly pretended to look not as tired as he actually felt. Fili and Kili were amazed, asking him every question about how he got past the goblins and what he used to fend for himself. He laughed, then stuck his hands in his vest pockets as he struggled to find a plausible explanation for how he was able to be reunited with the company without revealing his new little secret.

"Ah well, what does it matter? Our Hobbit is back here safe and sound with the rest of us. Let us be grateful we suffered no casualties," Gandalf was his saving grace as the grey wizard eyed Relly's cheek injury. "Oin," he spoke loudly for the dwarf with the ear trumpet to not require its use, "if you have any gauze on you, do try and heal Relly's wound."

At the mention of Relly's name, Bilbo looked to where Relly had her injury. He nearly winced. A hit from an arrow most likely. The cut was about two inches long and trickling blood. Oddly enough, the cut didn't mar Relly's face too much. He snapped out of it, not liking it when he looked at her for too long.

"It matters to me. Why did you come back, Bilbo Baggins?" Thorin was insistent and Bilbo couldn't talk his way out of this one. Thorin Oakenshield wanted an answer and Bilbo would provide him one.

He tilted his head to the side, finally gaining enough courage to talk to Thorin and defend himself without Relly's help. "Look, I know you doubt me. You had no faith in me since the start of this journey," he began. "I don't blame you. I wouldn't put much stock in me either," he shrugged once more, averting his eyes to the ground but forcing himself to look at Thorin directly to make his point. "You're right. I do think about Bag End. I miss my books and my arm chair, and my garden. See that's where I belong."

Everyone was probably wondering where Bilbo was going with this but no one interrupted him as Bilbo gathered up his feelings and put them into words. "That's my home. That's why I came back. Because you don't have one. A home," and he let his eyes fall on every individual dwarf until he saw Relly again, biting the inside of his cheek. Technically she had a home but she abandoned Hobbiton for twenty years. She was just as homeless as the rest of her dwarven friends. "Your home was taken from you, and I will help you take it back if I can."

Thorin bowed his head lightly, his eyes downcast. Bilbo secretly wanted him to feel ashamed of his words and maybe his little speech would eventually work his way into Thorin's favor. With nothing left to say, Bilbo merely shoved his hands back into his vest pockets, basking in the acknowledging look Gandalf was giving him.

He was allowed to mingle with the rest of the company for a few minutes, Bofur giving him a hearty slap on the back and telling him, "I knew you'd come back to us, lad. Relly here was prepared to go after you."

The dragging of Relly into their conversation annoyed the thief as she kept her arms tightly folded across her chest, her rapier strapped to her hip and looking bloodied and battle-worn. "No, I didn't say that."

The bachelor Hobbit almost snorted at her response but sobered when he remembered what Relly meant by his blood on her hands. She didn't know it but Bilbo heard what she said and it sounded like she actually did, kind of, care for him. Perhaps Bofur had been right about Relly growing fond of him, even if her fondness wasn't typically shown in the most orthodox of ways.

He pretended to play dumb. "You wanted to go back for me?" he asked. "For me, the Hobbit who you have to share a portion of the treasure with?"

Bofur seemed to enjoy this too much as he motioned to his brother Bombur and Bifur to watch them interact, slowly wheeling himself out of the conversation to allow Bilbo and Relly to talk. Relly knitted her brows, obviously annoyed that Bilbo had a sharp tongue as she did.

"Only because I—" she shouted back but zipped her lips at the last second, wondering why she cared. "I..." she hesitated, glancing from Bilbo to her hands, displaying signs of nervousness. "I mean, I did sort of save your life," she dug her heel into the dirt, running her hand through that floppy black hair of hers as she added, "and you saved mine."

Bilbo couldn't help but find it cute how moments ago Relly had argued for his sake. With his presence revealed, she acted like nothing happened and now she was hesitating with every sentence she spoke. He shook his head, realizing he had just described her actions as cute. No, not appropriate. It was humorous at best but certainly not "cute" of her to care. Then it hit Bilbo: Relly was thanking him, granted she wasn't outright saying 'Thank you Bilbo, you're so clever and such a humble gentle-Hobbit for saving me from those nasty icky trolls', much to his disappointment. All that time he spent thinking Relly was incapable of appreciating anything, prepared to do whatever she could to meet her selfish ends...

"You're thanking me?" Bilbo repeated quietly, not quite believing it himself.

Relly's face turned tomato red when she heard him, which intrigued Bilbo even more as he studied how bright her cheeks contrasted against her sharp, angular face. His observation of her didn't stop Bilbo from the shade of pink sneaking across his face as he found himself fidgeting with the gold ring in his pocket as a way to distract himself, not sure what to say to the thief who had just thanked him in her own way. It was...well, quite endearing to him. Not very practical but the blush on her face confirmed that she was, in fact, appreciative of his efforts.

"Well, I—" Relly tried to speak but the howl of the Wargs destroyed their little moment.

This is the longest chapter I've written for this story at a whopping 6k+ words. I think it paid off though! I thought about splitting this chapter up but this is such a crucial part of the story so I kept it in one piece. For plot's sake and for brevity, I cut out some parts. I mean, if you wanted every single detail and dialogue, then go read the book or watch the movie again. Anyway, I'm personally pleased with this chapter :)

I'm excited :D I truly hope the romantic development between Bilbo and Relly these past few chapters has been believable. It's subtle, I think. He notices her face more, lol :P Their interactions are my biggest concern and what I work on the most when I write these chapters!