A.N. Woohoo! Feels pretty awesome to get this many chapters out so quickly, but it's only because I didn't need to change these all that much. Lol. I hope you are all enjoying this story so far!
Disclaimer: I own nothing except my original characters and plot points.
Danica had only spent a few minutes outside, seething, before getting over her pity party and heading inside. It infuriated her that she could have the ability to recover the rest of her memories, but everyone was telling her to just stop and be patient. The remaining ache behind her eyes encouraged her to take a break, but she had every intention of trying again. For now, she pushed it all aside, and put her focus on the light conversations with Bilbo and Gandalf. She and Thorin remained silent with each other, and she felt a sense of relief when he joined the other two for a smoke as the sun began to set.
Alone in the house, she picked at some food, then rinsed her hair, setting it so it would dry in curls. She had laid out the white and yellow dress for the party, as well as some of the flowers Thorin had given her. The dress was pretty, and comfortable without the corset, but she knew leaving it off would be inappropriate. As she tried to put it on, she desperately wished for one that could fasten in the front. Trying to tie your own corset was a pain in the ass.
Someone knocked on the door as she was struggling with the final few stays.
"Come in," she panted.
"Would you like some help?" Gandalf chuckled, peeking in.
After a couple more futile tries, she slumped. "Please,"
Still chuckling, Gandalf walked in and finished tying the corset with surprising deftness.
"Thank you," she turned to him, and smiled. "How do you know how to do that?"
"I have lived on this earth a long time," was all he said, and all he needed to say. "On another topic, try not to be too hard on Thorin. He is only thinking of your safety,"
She sighed. "I know. I just feel powerless,"
One side of Gandalf's mouth curled upward. "You, my dear, are anything but powerless,"
It wasn't a complete comfort, but she knew he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. She gave him a smile as he helped to braid some of the flowers in her hair. Spirit lifted a little, she went with Gandalf down to the party, where nearly everyone was already there, starting in on the ale. Despite how large the crowd was, she saw Bilbo by a large tent, and Thorin to the side, holding a tankard. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him cleaned up and smiling. Even with a broken nose, he was the most handsome male there. The red shirt he wore was rolled up at the sleeves, and tucked under a brown vest and pants. She tried to make her way to him, but found her way blocked by curious hobbits whose courage had been fueled by alcohol.
One thing Danica had to admit; hobbits sure knew how to throw a party. The food and drinks were fabulous, and there was plenty to go around. Music was playing for those who wanted to dance to the lively tunes. Bilbo was kept busy by well-wishers, and Frodo was flitting between people; mostly Sam, Merry, and Pippin. Danica found herself spending quite a bit of time with them as well. Merry and Pippin accepted her memory loss without question, unlike most of the others, and had her laughing so hard her sides ached. They also plied her with so much wine that she was warm and fuzzy. She smiled and laughed easier, and found herself dancing with nearly every male hobbit there.
She had just finished one dance with Sam's father, and was stumbling slightly when Thorin caught her around the waist. Turning to face him, she smiled.
"Hello," she swayed, and put a hand against his chest to steady herself.
His lips lifted as well as he chuckled. "Hello. I see the hobbits have been generous with the wine,"
"And the food," she sighed. "There's a ton of it. I don't know if I've ever seen so much in one place," when she looked into his eyes, she could see a similar haze to the one she felt, and giggled. "They've been generous with you too,"
"Yes, but I can hold my liquor," he smirked, and she couldn't really argue. While she felt unsteady on her feet, and found herself slurring some of her words, he was rock solid, and clear-spoken.
"Not fair," she pouted, but they both knew she didn't mean it.
As another dance began behind them, he pulled her with him toward the dancing circle.
"Dance with me,"
It wasn't exactly a request, but she nodded. He adjusted his hold on her, wrapping an arm around her, and taking her hand. They fell into step with the hobbits, who smiled at the couple, but Danica didn't notice. Her eyes were trapped by his. How could eyes the color of an icy lake be so warm, and make you feel so hot? She wasn't sure if the heat creeping up her neck was from the alcohol, exertion, the warmth of his hold, or his gaze. Likely a mix of all of them. Her face nearly exploded in red when he leaned his face closer to hers. Just when she was beginning to feel breathless, the music ended to more applause. They broke apart to join the others, and when Danica turned back to him, they were somewhere else.
It had to be a human dwelling, judging by the size of everything. Music played here as well, and they had danced alongside others. The others in the Company. There were Fili and Kili, bright and full of life. It made her heart ache to see it. Kili had been so young, with so much ahead of him. She looked back, and was looking at Thorin again at the party. Though everything around her was the same, she felt different; heavier.
"Danica? Are you alright?" Thorin asked, voice low in her ears.
She meant to nod, but couldn't. "I don't know," she replied honestly. "I just saw Laketown. The night before Durin's Day. I saw Kili," her eyes welled up with tears, which threatened to spill over.
"Come on," Thorin led her over to a bench and sat her down.
"We were all smiling, and laughing, and…he was just so alive," she sniffed, and worked to regain composure.
"I may not remember that night just yet, but I think of him too," he took her hand, and rubbed it sympathetically. "But now is not the time to mourn. I am sure there will plenty of time for that later,"
Keeping a hold of her hand, he pulled her back up, but didn't take her back to dancing, like she had expected. Instead, he took her away from the party, up onto a bare hill. The air was balmy and pleasant, and the party was beautiful to look at from above. They sat down, side by side, enjoying the peaceful night. Something suddenly occurred to Danica as she was admiring the large tree the party sat under. A light chuckle had Thorin looking at her.
"That tree grew from an acorn Bilbo picked up from Beorn's garden,"
Thorin looked back at the tree for a moment, then gave a bemused smile. "I think I remember him talking about that acorn. Amazing what sixty years can do,"
As Gandalf began lighting his fireworks, they fell silent, watching. Danica found this more of a pleasant distraction than dancing would have been. She was able to slip back into the warm haze of alcohol, letting it make her head light and fuzzy. When the fireworks began to get too bright, she laid back in the grass and stared up at the stars.
Thorin could not remember having ever met someone he felt comfortable sharing such quiet time with. He had always been someone who needed to be alone at times to just enjoy the silence. With Danica, he didn't need to be alone. He glanced down at her as she lay in the grass, her hair spread around her. In the moonlight, it shone more silver than gold. She had done something with it so it curled gently and appealingly around her face, and had braided flowers throughout. The ale was still humming in his veins, making his blood warm.
His eyes lowered to her legs, where her skirt had risen above her knee as she'd bent it. Her skin was pale and creamy, and the longer he watched her, the desire to touch her returned. Every part of her. Without any conscious thought, he reached out and skimmed the back of his hand over her calf. She was so soft, and brought images of the two of them in his bedroom in Erebor. Images that only strengthened the need that had been building within him. When she shifted slightly, he looked back to see her watching him, her lashes lowered to cast her eyes in shadow, making them dark and smoky. Entranced, he leaned back on an elbow, one hand still on her leg. That hand slid above her knee, pushing her skirt and underclothes further up her thigh.
Danica's breath sped up, occasionally catching in her throat. Her lips parted, and the heat that rose in her eyes was an open invitation. Descending the rest of the way, he covered her mouth with his. They sighed together, as if what had truly been missing had been this, and not their memories. Danica rolled into him, wrapping a leg around his waist. He used his free hand to twine into her hair, keeping her head close while minding his nose. Just as he could feel the alcohol in his system, he tasted it on her tongue. It relaxed them both, and lowered their inhibitions.
The feel and taste of her drove all else from his mind. Instinct took over, and it felt so natural, that neither of them questioned it. Even without completely remembering it, their bodies knew that they had done this before, and knew what steps to take. She moaned rough and deep, pulling at his shirt until she found bare flesh. He gave a moan as well, as she ran her hands over his back and chest. Wanting to feel her skin, he pulled the neckline of her shirt down her shoulder, and cursed how slow and difficult corsets were to get off. She smiled against his lips, and turned slightly, so they could both work on untying the blasted thing together. When he growled at his failed attempts, she pulled back a little, and laughed. The more they tried, the harder she laughed.
Finally, as tears were streaming down her cheeks, he had to give up. Mood thoroughly and completely ruined, he leaned back on his elbow again, and watched as she tried to gain composure, which she lost every time she looked at his face.
"I'm…sorry," she managed between gasps.
"Are you quite finished?" he asked, though not without humor.
She took a deep breath, then smiled. "I think so. I'm sorry for laughing. It's just that Gandalf was the one who helped me tie this, and I had an image of him being the only one who could untie it,"
Even he couldn't hold back a smile. "I suppose this would have been easier had one of us been sober,"
"Probably,"
Anything else they might have said fell away as a giant firework in the shape of a dragon swooped down over the valley. Thorin jumped up as the party attendants were all forced to throw themselves to the ground. However, they were all laughing and cheering as it passed, and exploded over the hill.
"Hobbits," Thorin shook his head, then turned to Danica, who had stood as well. "We should return to the party,"
"I agree, but um…I'll need some help making myself decent," she gestured to the mussed state of her hair and clothes.
P.S. Thank you all for reading! Reviews and comments are most welcome!
