Title: Heavy With Many Burdens
Author: luvsbitca
Fandom: Hobbit
Type: Slash, mpreg
Rating: Mature
Characters/Pairings: Dwalin/Ori, Bilbo/Thorin
Warnings/Spoilers: For the end of the book with my usual twist.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything except a hardcover copy of the book. Everything I write is for my own enjoyment and is not meant to be infringing anything.
Summary: Bilbo leaves Thorin and the company following Thorin's words before the BoTFA unaware that he is taking more from their relationship than a broken heart. Months later Dwalin finds Bilbo in need of help in the Shire when he is delivering Bilbo's share of the treasure. He remains in the Shire unaware that he is leaving Ori behind in a precarious situation.
Author's Notes: Thank you for sra_danvers for the continued support, this is a somewhat belated Christmas present for her. Thank you to ManhattanMom for the great beta. And thank you to nickygabriel for running the hobbitstory big bang over at LJ for which this was written.
I am having heaps of fun with this so I hope you enjoy. My posting date is May 30 so the last chapter will be posted then. I would love to know what you think.

Heavy With Many Burdens
by Moonbeam

Bilbo curved his hand over the heavy swell of his stomach and attempted to will his children to calm. They had been very active over the last few days, as though they knew that he was stressed. Bilbo looked up at Dwalin again and wished he could go back in time and not have left the house to collect his mail.

"Bilbo," Dwalin said again, eyes focussed on Bilbo's heavy, round stomach.

"Mister Dwalin," Bilbo said, shifting on the bench next to his garden gate, "what are you doing here?"

"I came to check on you."

"All the way from Erebor?"

Dwalin shook his head, eyes stuck on the curve of Bilbo's stomach under his hand. "Balin and I travelled back to the Blue Mountains to accompany Dís and the rest of Durin's Folk to Erebor. I left Balin to check on you."

"As you can see, I am well."

"I can see you are with child."

Bilbo nodded, not saying anything.

"And may I assume my King is to be a father?"

Bilbo wanted to deny it, but he was not the one who had acted badly. "Yes."

"Does Thorin know?"

"Thorin banished me from his kingdom, as you well know, Dwalin."

"He did."

"I left as he bade me to and I have not contacted him since."

"He would want to know about his child."

"He made it clear he never wanted to hear from me again."

Dwalin nodded and pushed open the gate. Bilbo tensed as the dwarf walked towards him but Dwalin just sat down next to him.

"He was angry."

"He was mad with greed," Bilbo said. "The Arkenstone was more important to him that anything else, including me and I do not intend to put my children through that."

"Children? More than one?"

"Violet Gamgee is the most well-known midwife in the Shire and she confirmed my suspicions. Hobbits are pregnant all through the year, from one winter to the following one. I am larger than any hobbit would normally be, even if they were having twins. We think it is because Thorin is a dwarf."

"Dwarves are only with child for three seasons," Dwalin said, staring down at Bilbo's stomach.

"There are no hobbit records of a baby born from different races – all of those are stories that have been passed down through the generations. There is a rumour that one of my Tookish ancestors was the daughter of an elf."

"Dwarves have always preferred to remain beneath our mountains where the gems and metal are. We have long memories and even longer histories of our families. I do not believe that there has ever been another dwarf child born to a parent who was not a dwarf."

Bilbo looked down at his stomach. "One more thing to annoy Thorin."

"I did not say that he would be disappointed by this blessing."

"I am not a dwarf."

"You are Bilbo Baggins of Bag End, songs are sung of you in the halls under Erebor; of your bravery and all that you did for us."

Bilbo glared at Dwalin and struggled to push himself up from the seat beneath him. There was suddenly a large hand on his lower back helping him up. Bilbo took a quick step forward, away from Dwalin's hand and turned around to look at the dwarf.

"You are struggling?" Dwalin asked, voice blank but his face lined with worry.

"My body is not built for the sudden changes that this pregnancy is putting me through," Bilbo said, "I am learning to cope with the changes."

"Do you have assistance?"

"Violet comes to help me and Hamfast has taken a job tending my gardens now that I am no longer able."

Dwalin was silent as he sat watching Bilbo, eyes flickering over the hobbit's body. Bilbo soothed his hand over the swell, where there was movement pressing out against his hand. He realised suddenly that he was being a terrible host.

"Come inside," Bilbo said, turning for the stairs leading up to his doorway. "I will make us some tea and I have a very nice plum cake that I made yesterday."

Dwalin nodded and stood. Bilbo could feel the dwarf at his back as he started to slowly walk up the stairs.

"Sit down, Dwalin, I will bring the tea into the sitting room."

Dwalin did not leave him to it though, following Bilbo through his hobbit-hole to the kitchen.

"Dwalin?" Bilbo asked, turning around.

Dwalin rested his hand on his Bilbo's shoulder and pushed the hobbit into one of the kitchen chairs.

"What are you doing?" Bilbo asked, scandalised – it was not the hobbit way to allow your guest to do anything in your kitchen.

"Even I can see that you are in pain, Bilbo."

"I am not in so much pain I cannot make tea." Bilbo explained. Dwalin glared at him with a heavy dose of reprimand. Bilbo wanted to stand back up and push the dwarf out from in front of his stove but the dwarf would simply push him out of the way again and he was never going to win against a dwarf of Dwalin's size. Bilbo conceded to Dwalin with little grace.

"Enough that I should be making it for you," Dwalin said. "While you tell me what has occurred since I last saw you."

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