12: And Where the Road Then Takes Me

Chapter Twelve: The Aftermath.

Bilbo stood in front of the door, shock and terror filling his heart. He distantly felt himself knocking on the hard wood door, waiting with a heavy heart for it to open.

Things had been going so well, that day. It had been perfect, in Bilbo's mind. The time spent with the children, and even Thorin, was wonderful and idyllic. It was a day Bilbo thought he would treasure forever. But now, as he recalled the scent of smoke in the air, the sight of fire teasing his gaze, he could only feel panic and horror and fear, replacing those wonderful feelings from earlier. His arms felt heavy from the weight of his sleeping burden, the child who currently was blissfully unaware of the danger that they all now faced.

A moment that felt like ages passed before the door finally opened, the tired and slightly annoyed face of Glóin gazing back from inside the house, an angry demand on his lips, stopped short at the sight of who was on his doorstep. Bilbo watched in a detached manner as the copper haired man's face shifted into one of confusion, then of a fearful understanding as the man realized that something must be wrong. Opening his door, he quickly ushered the three inside. It was only when he stepped into the warm house that Bilbo noticed that he had been shivering from the bitter cold, and maybe even from the fear.

Inside, Glóin directed them over to the small couch, where Bilbo gently laid Kíli down, watching as the child snuggled into the warmth of the cushions. Fíli moved to sit beside his brother, setting a hand on the sleeping boy's head. Bilbo sat on the other side of the couch, exhaustion filling his bones.

After they had situated themselves, Glóin began asking questions, such as why they were here, what was wrong with the farm, was anyone hurt. Bilbo answered the best he could, explaining how they had spotted the fire on their way back from the Festival, and how Thorin had told Bilbo to take the boys to Glóin while he went to check things out. Glóin took the words in stride, paling at the thought of the farm in flames, but otherwise just nodding and not probing for information he knew that Bilbo did not have.

After the questioning was over with, Glóin set about setting up his guest room for his three unexpected visitors. The room itself was small, but it had a large bed in the center of it, large enough for the two boys. Bilbo would sleep on the couch for the night, something Bilbo assured Glóin he was alright with. After moving Kíli into the guest room and getting Fíli situated, Bilbo retreated to the living room couch, sitting silently as he stared into the dwindling fire. A couple minutes passed before he felt the couch dip. Bilbo looked over and saw Glóin sitting there, a cup of tea in his hands, which he handed over to Bilbo with a small tilt of his head.

"You look like you need something to calm you down," Glóin said in explanation. Bilbo nodded his thanks, taking a deep sip of the burning hot tea, not caring for the pain. He felt he needed it, if only to keep him somewhat grounded.

Silence overtook the two men, neither quite sure what to say. Out of all the men on the farm, Bilbo had spent the least amount of time with Glóin, since Glóin spent most of his days working and rarely was around for breakfast or dinner. Sitting in the man's small but cozy house, Bilbo could see why.

Minutes passed before Glóin stood up, somewhat stiffly, claiming that he was tired and would be going to bed. Bilbo nodded absently in the man's direction.

The whole day had been exhausting to Bilbo, particularly the last few hours, but it still took him an hour to fall asleep. Fire invaded his mind again, the sickening scent of smoke choking him. He woke once in the middle of the night, the house around him still and silent. He stared up at the ceiling for minutes before slipping into a dreamless sleep, much to his relief.

~XoxoxoxoxoxoX~

When morning came, Bilbo felt worn down, tired not only in his mind and body, but in his heart. Had he known that living on the farm would be this hard, would he have ever agreed to come?

As Fíli and Kíli, bleary eyed and downcast, shuffled into the room, Bilbo decided that, yes. Yes, he would have, if only for those two boys, and the rest of the workers of the farm.

Breakfast that morning was subdued and tense. Someone had clearly filled Kíli in on what had happened, as the child was unusually quiet and somber. Even Glóin's son, Gimli, was quiet and restrained, picking up on the tense atmosphere.

"I'm going to go to the farm after breakfast, see what has happened and what needs to be done." Glóin stated gruffly, breaking the silence momentarily.

"And no, you may not join me." Glóin continued, eyes on Fíli, making the boy deflate slightly. The rest of breakfast was eaten in silence.

Breakfast ended and Glóin took one of his horses to ride to the farm, leaving the rest of them tense with anticipation. Bilbo felt anxious, twisting his hands in his lap as he sat, staring at the fire blankly, waiting for Glóin's return.

At some point, Bilbo isn't sure when, Fíli comes over and sits next to him. He hadn't even noticed until the boy clears his throat slightly. Bilbo shifts his gaze to the boy's face, his eyes locking with Fíli's somber ones.

"This isn't the first time something like this has happened." Fíli said, after a few moments had passed in silence. Bilbo tilted his head in question, prompting the boy to continue.

"Ever since I was a baby, before that even, things have been happening to the farm. Bad things. Sometimes it would be bandit attacks, other times it would be an infestation of field mice, or even locust. Our uncle died, in one of the bandit attacks, before I was born. Every time, though, we kept fighting. This... This won't keep us down. No matter what happened." Fíli spoke, his voice soft but determined. Bilbo felt his heart clench as he watched the boy he had grown to love as a nephew speak of such matters with such... Resignation.

"I do not doubt that, my boy. I just wish it wasn't so common place for you. This is not fair." Bilbo said softly, a sigh in his words. Fíli gave him a crocked, humorless smirk.

"Yeah, but didn't you know, Mr. Baggins? Life's not exactly fair. Just gotta deal with the punches, and all that, right? S'all you can do. Make the best of a bad situation, that's what mum used to say."

"Your mother sounds like she was a very wise woman."

The smirk transformed into a soft, sad smile. "She was."

Bilbo smiled sadly back, turning to face the fire once more.

After five minutes had passed, Fíli stood up and wandered off, bidding Bilbo a silent farewell. Bilbo decided soon after to try and be productive, rather than sit around and worrying. Nothing good would come from it and he might as well help Glóin's wife with some house work, to repay her for allowing them to stay in her home.

The housework was a good distraction from his worry, the mindlessness of cleaning banishing the unpleasant thoughts from mind. At one point Glóin's wife, a small redhead named Míli, brought Bilbo over a small plate of a sandwich and some juice. Bilbo thanked her and ate silently, watching little Gimli as he staggered around the house, having finally started walking a few days before.

It was over an hour later before Glóin came back, a distressed though not distraught look on his face, which made Bilbo just a bit hopeful.

Once inside, Glóin began, having refused to say anything without the children present.

"The farm is fine," Glóin said clearly, watching the boys as they let out a breath of relief, "as is everyone who was on it at the time. The fields caught fire, and even with the rain we had recently, the wheat was dry enough to spread the flames. The fire started shortly after sundown, and it wasn't until almost sunup that they were able to stop the flames. The majority of the fields are now dead and useless, the crops ruined. There were a few minor injuries among the men, including damaged lungs from breathing in the smoke. Thorin and Gandalf should be by later today, after lunch, to further explain what will be happening. Any questions?"

Kíli cautiously looked up and asked, "Will we be going home soon? Or is Uncle gonna make us stay here?"

"I do not know, lad. But I think your uncle is considering having you and your brother sent away to a safe house, just until we're sure everything is okay."

"And how long would that be?" Fíli chimed in, a wary look on his face. Kíli just looked downcast, taking Fíli's hand for comfort. Fíli responded by pulling Kíli into a side hug, letting Kíli curl up against his elder brother.

"I don't know. Could be a day, could be a week. All we want is for the two of you to be safe, alright?" Glóin explained softly. Fíli nodded, looking down at Kíli and speaking soft words, most likely of encouragement. Bilbo caught Glóin's eye and gestured to the door, indicating that he wished to speak in private.

Listening to the silent request, Glóin stood and walked with Bilbo into the small guest room that the two boys were staying in. Bilbo took a deep breath and asked the question that had been plaguing his mind all night.

"What is going to happen to the farm now? If the crop is ruined..." Bilbo trailed off, looking at Glóin's downcast face and bit his lip gently, knowing he wasn't going to like the response.

"We're not sure. As I'm sure you could tell by now, we were barely staying afloat as it was. This... This is a bad blow. We might have to sell more of our land, some of the animals too... Thorin is considering asking his cousins in the Iron Hills and the Blue Hills for help, but we're not sure if they'll be willing to help more than they have. Everything's up in the air at the moment, we'll have to see what happens as we go along." Glóin said gruffly. Bilbo nodded absently and left the room soon after, finding the silence oppressive and heavy with unspoken fears.

The rest of the morning passed slowly, the inhabitants of the house anxious at the thought of what would come later that day. Bilbo thought it felt oddly like awaiting a death sentence, for some strange reason. That feeling of foreboding mixed with terror of the unknown.

When at last, they heard the clatter of a small carriage pull up alongside the house, everyone rose, anxious to find out what would happen next.

The knock on the door made Bilbo's heart race and he watched with bated breath as Glóin went and answered it.

Bilbo could feel his heart clench in his chest as he saw Thorin, the exhausted look on his face more pronounced now than it ever was. He could tell that Thorin had not slept at all the night before.

Behind Thorin was Gandalf, whose eyes, normally cheerful and sparkling, were dull and darkened with sadness and something akin to grief. Bilbo felt his heart clench again at the sight. The two men entered the house slowly, Thorin saying nothing while Gandalf gave a polite 'thank you' to Glóin.

"Uncle, what's gonna happen now?" Bilbo heard Kíli ask from behind them, him and Fíli having walked into the room while Glóin was opening the door. Thorin looked at the two boys, his face marred by a deep frown, eyes weary and worn.

"Why don't we go into the living room? It is a better place for this conversation." Thorin said curtly, walking jerkingly towards the living room door. The rest couldn't help but follow, Bilbo hanging back for a second to collect his thoughts. As he passed, Gandalf gave Bilbo a small smile, his eyes still sad and ancient. Taking a deep breath, Bilbo entered the room and stood behind the sofa, staring at Thorin in anticipation.

"As I am sure Glóin has told you, there were no injuries. Everyone who was at the farm at the time is fine. The farm itself, is fine. However, it is not safe." Thorin pauses and looks at his nephews. "You both will be going to stay with an... Acquaintance of mine. You will be safe with him. And as for you..." Thorin turns then to face Bilbo, causing the smaller man's heart to simultaneously stop and race. There is a pause here, longer than the previous one, causing Bilbo to fear what will be said next. "You will be leaving. This is too dangerous for an outsider, and I will not be held responsible for anything that happens to you. You will be giving the next two week's pay and you will leave."

Bilbo stared at Thorin incredulously. "Are you serious? After everything, you're just going to... Kick me out?" He demanded, a hint of anger coloring his voice. Thorin frowned slightly, before nodding curtly once.

"Yes."

That was it. No explanations, no excuses. Just one, simple, curt yes. Bilbo felt his blood boil and he scowled at Thorin, before sitting up straight and pointing a stern finger at the stubborn man.

"If you think that you can get rid of me that easily, then you are sorely mistaken. I signed up for this job, for better or for worse, and I darn well will keep it."

Thorin watched Bilbo as he squared his jaw, his face remaining impassive for a moment longer, before letting out a soft sigh of defeat.

"Gandalf warned me that you would say that. Very well, then I will ask you to stay with my nephews, to watch over them. Can I trust you to do that?"

Bilbo nodded curtly. "Of course."

"Then we must set out immediately. My... acquaintance will be expecting us within the hour. All of your things will be brought to you from the house as soon as we can. Are there any questions?"

The room remained silent as Thorin switched his gaze from each solemn face, nodding when he reached Bilbo.

"Very well. Let us go."

Standing alongside the others, Bilbo looked around the room once and thought of how difficult things were going to be from now on, but he did not regret his decision. He did not quite know why he felt so attached to this family, but he knew that he would do anything to help them keep their home.

A/N: So. It's been a while. Nearly 5 months, I think. Yeah... So, a lot have been going on in my life and it's led me to not have much energy to write. I mean... first, an old family friend died, then my mom fell down and her back started hurting really badly, then my parents started getting into shouting matches because they were both in pain, then I had to deal with AP classes and finishing my Junior year, then I had to deal with getting my wisdom teeth removed (not as bad as I had thought it would be, but still annoying) then I had to get a whole bunch of cavities filled, then I started learning how to drive (NOT FUN DRIVING SUCKS) and then I found out I needed a Root Canal. So... a lot. More things happened, but that's pretty much the highlights. Oh! Not to mention I actually had over 3,000 words written for a chapter, before realizing that chapter SUCKED and I got rid of all of it. Leaving at square one, 2 months into this hiatus. -.- So, I wrote this as quickly as I could, but it's still not the best, not to mention the shortest chapter to date. I don't know... I'm not much of a writer and I'm getting tired of writing this. I do want to finish this story, but... I don't know. I might need to take a longer hiatus, especially since I'm starting my senior year of high school in a month, and I need to prepare for all of that.

Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. I have not read over it, since I have literally no time (I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, which is why I'm posting this on a Saturday at noon) so if you spot any mistakes, feel free to point them out and I'll rewrite it when I get back in a week. So... yeah. See you eventually, I hope.