I do not own any of the characters or The Hobbit (just the AU storyline and my OC). Those are the work of the esteemed and brilliant John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, and without his genius, this and many other fan fics would not be in existence.

Please review- they keep me encouraged! :D

I'M BACK! :D THANK you all for being so patient with me! I FINALLY got the last of my seeds into the ground yesterday (had a rather long and frustrating battle with ants in the garden that finally ended in me being victorious- stupid little buggers :( so here's a new chapter to celebrate! (Sorry if it isn't the best- I'm a bit rusty after a few months of not being able to write). Still, we do still have a lot of work to do outside unfortunately, and now that our spring break is over, school needs to start back up again. But I shall try to get back into the story as best I can, when I can :)

The wind and rain whipped around them as the company quickly made its way to the makeshift shelter that Dwalin had spotted. Several more branches clattered down around them, and each dwarf, hobbit, and young woman found themselves eyeing the canopy above as they jumped over and hurried around the fallen limbs.

Cirashala's eyes were blurred from the pelting rain striking them from the side, but she was soon able to make out a rather odd rocky outcropping in the distance. The path ahead of them wound up to the right, before turning back around and heading under a narrow stone arch and continuing off to the northeast. The surprisingly frigid rain blew horizontally to the ground, rendering her hood useless, and she shrugged it off completely.

Kili pulled her along with him, his grip on her hand firm but not so tight that it would break her bones again. She stumbled a bit on some loose stones, but he did not slow down as another large branch came crashing down within inches of the path alongside them. Lightning streaked across the sky, almost immediately followed by another deafening crash above them, and it was only the fear of being struck by a falling branch that kept her from shutting her eyes tightly as she trembled in fear. She didn't have long to ponder on it, however, because the next sound she heard caused her eyes to widen considerably in confusion.

I-is that a...TRAIN?

She knew it wasn't possible. There couldn't possibly be a train in Middle-earth, of that she was certain. Yet the distant sound did indeed sound remarkably similar to the rumbling of a train passing by.

This forest just keeps getting more and more strange.

Suddenly she found herself being yanked to the ground. Her eyes looked up in surprise as Kili wrapped his arm around her, but his eyes were trained on the storm in the distance. A rather unpleasant bump hit her from the other side, and she looked over to see Fili nearly plastered to her back, and Ori sitting uncomfortably close behind him. Bofur moved in front of him, and she cried out as he stepped on her leg.

"Sorry Cira!" he shouted as he settled himself in front of Kili. She looked up as the rest of the company huddled underneath the narrow arch, dwarf practically upon dwarf and Bilbo nearly lost between Dwalin and Dori. Bombur came up behind her and Kili, stumbling over Fili and causing him to push against her so hard that if it weren't for Kili's arm around her shoulders, she had no doubt that the air would have been knocked from her lungs. The rest of the company huddled in around them, and it was quickly apparent that the sodden group barely fit under their shelter, if fit it could be called.

We're packed in here like sardines.

Suddenly, a flash of light cracked right above them. There was no delay between the light and the sound as the ground shook around them. Images of the lightning bolt that had struck her husband's grave right before her flashed in her mind, as did the storm and orc attack on the mountain meadow, and she buried her head into Kili's chest in terror, her scream only muffled by the storm and the woolen fabric of his tunic. She didn't even notice the strange look Bofur gave her as she trembled in the young dwarf's arms.

Please let it stop soon, she prayed as the tempest raged on around them.

XXX

Kili could swear his heart stopped as he saw the branch break from the tree and plummet toward the young woman. He'd been watching her for most of the afternoon, trying to figure out how he could be friends with her without revealing his deeper feelings, and was no closer to a solution than he had been before.

Fili had asked him if he couldn't just be friends with her like he had been before he'd realized his love, but the young dwarf hadn't the vaguest idea how he could possibly go back. Things had definitely changed since they fell in Goblin Town, and the young dwarf didn't know what to do. He knew he often wore his emotions on his sleeve, but was determined to learn the stoicness of his race if it meant that their friendship could continue.

But when he saw that branch headed straight for her, there was no hesitation. He raced toward her as fast as he could run, praying that he wouldn't be too late. He vaguely recalled hearing Fili shout as he flew by, but paid no heed as he launched himself toward her, throwing the young woman and himself out of the way of the falling limb.

As her frightened eyes stared up at him from the puddle she'd landed in, he knew. He would find some way to hide his feelings so he could continue his friendship with her, no matter what it took.

XXX

The first thing the young woman realized was that it was strangely quiet. The second was that she was still cold and sodden, with a dead weight on her side and hip and a stiff body that ached from head to toe. She breathed deeply through her nose, before wrinkling it at the musty smell that assaulted her nostrils. Groaning slightly, she shifted her body in a vain attempt to restore feeling into her limbs, only to be stopped by a gentle squeeze to her shoulder.

"Don't move. You'll wake him," Kili whispered above her. She opened her eyes and glanced downward in confusion. Fili snored lightly as his head rested in the curve of her side, his limp arm draped over her hip.

Her gaze moved downward, and the young woman quickly realized the reason for her dead limbs. Bofur was snoring somewhat less lightly than his elder prince, curled up between Kili's legs with his own feet joining Bifur's in cutting circulation off to her pinned legs. She felt them resting against something else, and noticed Bombur's boot just barely visible on the opposite side of Kili. A sudden loud snore sounded, and she felt a deep rumble behind her shoulder. The rest of the company was in a similar state, each dwarf and hobbit having done everything they could the night before to squeeze themselves under the too-narrow arch above them.

It's a wonder we even fit under here at ALL.

She glanced out at the forest beyond their makeshift shelter. It was obviously very early in the morning, as the sun had not yet fully risen. Dense fog cloaked the trees in a blanket of white as they slowly faded in the distance. Puddles rippled from where the forest canopy above dripped into them, the tendrils of water threading through the moss adorning their limbs. Fallen branches littered the path, some quite substantial in size, and she realized just how close all of them had come to being struck as they had raced to find cover.

Memories of being pushed out of the way entered her mind, and she glanced around the group, quickly realizing that she and Kili were the only ones awake. The young woman hadn't even remembered falling asleep, and wondered if she'd missed the watch rotation. She swallowed heavily, knowing that this may be their only chance to talk privately.

"Kili?" she finally whispered, her heart beating hard in her chest as she bit her lip nervously. "Why...why did you push me out of the way?" She felt the young dwarf swallow as well as his own heartbeat quickened.

"I didn't want you to get hurt," he whispered back after a moment. She closed her eyes, before taking a deep breath.

"Kili," she began hesitantly, afraid of what the answer would be. "I-I'm sorry...for whatever I've done to make you angry. I didn't mean to, I-" He squeezed her shoulder again, cutting her off.

"I know," he whispered back. He was quiet for a moment, and she looked at a puddle, swallowing thickly as she thought about how cold he'd been toward her over the past several days.

"A-are we...still friends?" she whispered nervously. The young dwarf tensed, and her heart sank.

I knew it. I've lost his friendship for-

"Yes," he whispered, causing her eyes to widen in surprise. "I've never stopped being your friend, Cira." Her brow furrowed in confusion, as his puzzling behavior no longer made sense.

"Then...why have you been so...distant?" she asked, trying to sort it out. He tensed again, and was silent for several minutes.

"I..." he began, and she could feel his heart beating very quickly now. "I...have something...I...need to sort out, that's all." The young woman heard the slight pain in his voice, though now she was very confused.

"What is it?" she asked, hoping she wasn't prying where she shouldn't be. He hesitated, before replying.

"It's...it's nothing," he answered, and she frowned. "It's just a burden I have to bear, that's all."

Cirashala's eyes widened, and she thought about her own burden- the knowledge of Middle-earth that she could share with no one. Her heart went out to the young dwarf, knowing how hard it is to bear a burden. She thought about what he'd said after he'd rescued her from the orcs who had maimed Mizimel's body.

You don't have to bear this burden alone.

"I can bear it with you," she whispered. "You don't have to bear it alone." Kili tensed for a moment as he swallowed, before gently squeezing her shoulder.

"I must bear it alone," he whispered. The pain in his voice was more audible now, and her heart sank.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and she felt him nod.

"Aye," he whispered. She placed her hand over his heart and glanced up at him, only being able to see the bottom of his chin without craning her neck uncomfortably far.

"If you change your mind, I will be here," she whispered, before settling her head back down on his shoulder. "I'll be happy to bear your burdens with you so you aren't alone." He gently pulled her closer as he leaned into her forehead, and she could feel him tremble a bit.

"Thank you," he whispered into her hair, and she could hear the emotion in his voice. "That...that means a lot." She nodded, before shifting uncomfortably.

"Um, Kili?" she whispered, glancing down at the still sleeping blonde prince, who was now drooling on her tunic. "I...I know you asked me not to wake him, but...I really need to visit the bushes." A very slight but amused snort sounded above her, and the young prince carefully shifted until he was out from under the snoring Bofur. He stood to his feet, before reaching down for her hand.

"Come on," he said quietly, mindful of the sleeping company as he smiled down at her. "I swear I won't look, but I'll go with you just to be safe." She managed to shift herself out from under the sleeping dwarves, before looking up and reaching for his hand. He helped her to her feet, before the pair glanced at the haphazardly piled dwarves before them.

"How on earth did we fit under there?" she asked, and Kili grinned.

"I have no idea," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement as he looked at her, and relief filled her as she saw the lighthearted young prince once again.

As they turned to head toward a bend in the path away from view, the young woman felt her heart lighten for the first time in two weeks. Despite how miserable they had been the night before, with no fire, no supper, their clothing sopping wet and skin clammy, a tempest raging around them, the likelihood of extremely grumpy dwarves once they all woke up, and the knowledge that they'll be stuck in this stuffy, lifeless, potentially spider-infested, rotten forest for weeks, she finally had her best friend back.

The young woman didn't even notice it, but for the first time since she'd lost her family, the faintest hint of a smile shone on her lips.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

A response to guest reviewer Kaia- thanks! I know it was short, but hopefully this made up for it :) I shall do my best ;)

Many thanks to all who review, favorite, and follow- you're awesome! :D :D :D