(A/N: Hello! Welcome to my new story! I adopted it from ShippingSince1996 (kudos to him/her), who kindly allowed me to since she had lost the motivation to finish it. I have edited it, fixed some mistakes, and combined both chapters of the original story into one. I hope you don't mind. Please enjoy!)

"Balin, may I ask you something?" Bilbo Baggins questioned rather loudly while sitting around the fire.

All the Dwarves had their eyes on him then, but what else was new? Everybody, with the exception of Dwalin, Balin, Gandalf, and Thorin, had had their eyes glued to Bilbo for most of their journey so far. It was getting rather irritating for the Hobbit.

"Ask away, laddie," Balin stated, interrupting Bilbo's aggravating thoughts.

It was rather quiet before he had started the conversation with him, and now everyone was interested.

"What have I done?" he asked with a sarcastic hint in his voice.

Balin just looked at him in confusion.

Just then Ori, who was sitting beside him, slowly turned to him with a blush on his cheeks.

"Bilbo...I, uh...you look very lovely today."

Bilbo looked up at Ori with a muddled expression. Why were these Dwarves acting so strange?

"Well...thank you very much, Ori." What else was he meant to say to that?

"Er...you look nice today too."

He thought that it wouldn't hurt to add a compliment as well.

Ori grinned widely and leaned back in his spot beside Bilbo.

Bilbo felt the heat of someone's glare and turned his head slightly to see a terrifying look on the face of Thorin Oakenshield.

How peculiar.

"You have done nothing, Bilbo," Balin chuckled softly.

"You are not well-versed in the customs of Dwarves, Burglar," Dwalin snarled out with a roll of his eyes.

The customs of Dwarves? What in Middle Earth did that have to do with anything?

"No...as you may have noticed, I am a Hobbit," Bilbo spat back with a smirk lingering on his face.

Dwalin growled at him like he always did. Bilbo was starting to believe that he was just trying to be friendly.

"The way you have been dressing, Bilbo. You have not been wearing your regular clothing," Gandalf finally piped up.

"My regular clothing? I just thought that I should be comfortable while traveling across Middle Earth."

Bilbo shrugged his shoulders, then sputtered a bit as the company stared at him. His attire was not revealing at all, so he didn't very well see a problem. His trousers were at mid-leg length, and he had taken his jacket off, rolled his sleeves up, and unbuttoned his collar. He thought that he was dressed pretty respectably in his mind.

"Walk with me for a bit, my dear friend," Gandalf suggested.

He stood and led Bilbo away from drooling Dwarves, amused Dwarves, and one very furious Dwarf.

He and Gandalf walked for quite a while. The wizard talked about the customs of Dwarves and Bilbo eventually understood that he was dressed inappropriately in their eyes.

They were so lost in their conversation that Bilbo didn't realize they had almost made it back to the camp.

"Gandalf, may I ask you wh—"

"You wish to know why Thorin is angrier with you than he usually is? I'm sorry, but I am afraid that it is he who must tell you."

Gandalf smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Hobbit ears are very receptive, so Bilbo couldn't help but hear him whisper "Jealousy" under his breath as he left him there with his thoughts.

Jealousy...jealousy...jealousy...jealousy...

The word repeated itself over and over in his head. What would Thorin Oakenshield have to be jealous about? Bilbo thought back to earlier when Ori walked up to him and recalled the fire in Thorin's eyes...

No. Absolutely not. A Baggins from Bag End could never be the reason for a king's emotions.

While Bilbo was trapped in a battle with himself, Kíli decided to strut up to him with a smirk. His brother was encouraging him by providing cat-calls and wolf-whistles.

"Master burglar, I don't mean to be so straightforward, but do you wish to join me between my blankets tonight?"

The blasted Dwarf wiggled his eyebrows, his smirk widening as Bilbo floundered like a fish out of water. Most of the other Dwarves either laughed or grunted their disapproval of Bilbo being involved with anyone but themselves.

Once Bilbo caught sight of Thorin glaring at Kíli, trying to restrain himself from murdering his nephew, his Took side decided to make a grand entrance.

He smiled wickedly and unfastened a couple more buttons to reveal more skin.

"Is that a genuine offer, Kíli? I would accept it, but I'm simply afraid that you could not keep up with me," he remarked.

Bilbo winked quickly and walked to his blanket with a satisfied smirk due to Kili's stunned silence.

The young dwarf recovered in no time and was by Bilbo's blanket in an instant.

"I think I could satisfy you well enough and make you quite happy for a night, Master Boggins." The dignified tone was evident in his voice and Bilbo couldn't help but grin like a mad man.

"If you think that you can make me quite happy, then why are you leaving?" Bilbo quirked an eyebrow and smiled innocently.

Kíli applauded him for their battle of wits, and all but one Dwarf admired Bilbo and his sharp tongue.

Thorin Oakenshield was fuming, and before he could snap at his Company, he stormed into the woods.

XXX

The next few days got progressively worse for Kíli, who was constantly being snapped at by Thorin. Even Fíli was catching a bit of their uncle's wrath, simply for encouraging his brother to approach Bilbo. However, the said Dwarf king would never admit that that was the reason.

Once Bilbo knew that Thorin was truly jealous, he decided to have a bit of fun.

XXX

Almost two weeks passed since Kíli had been receiving the king's wrath, and now it was Bilbo's turn.

He was in the middle of bending over to pick up a log that Bofur "accidentally" dropped when Thorin snapped at him.

"Burglar! Be an unpleasant whore on your own time!"

The entire Company fell silent. Bilbo looked very unnerved, and most of the Dwarves-as angry as they were-didn't want to squabble with their own king.

"That was very much uncalled for, Oakenshield," Gandalf stated calmly, although there was disappointment on his aged face.

Thorin chuckled loudly and looked over at Bilbo. "Do you agree, Burglar?"

He was startled by the question, but responded to him anyway.

"Yes, I do agree. I have never sold my body, Thorin, nor do I plan to. I apologize greatly for being so bold as to say that you have obviously forgotten our traditions are different."

The king of Erebor laughed again and turned his nose up at him.

"You may have saved my life, Master Baggins, but you have thrown away my respect. Tell me...how many of this Company have you had sexual encounters with thus far?"

The bewilderment on every face of the assembled group could have made anyone second guess themselves, and Thorin was no exception.

"You think I've slept with everyone? You've gone absolutely mental, Oakenshield. I'm a virgin, for Yavanna's sake!"

Bilbo was so angry at the accusation that he had lost his filter and began spewing obscenities at the Dwarf. The company had been shocked by the use of foul tongue, especially since that foulness was directed towards their king.

Dwalin was the first one to snap out of it. "You think that is any way to speak to a king, Baggins?" he demanded sternly.

In all his big and burly glory, he marched right up to the small being and got in his face, ready to defend his king. Bilbo was not impressed with Dwalin one bit and took a step towards the dwarf, ready to defend himself and his pride.

"That'll be enough, Dwalin," Thorin said calmly, his eyes never leaving the said Hobbit. "Bilbo, I must remind you to hold your tongue before I change my mind."

Bilbo didn't understand how everything got screwed up so quickly.

XXX

Over the next few days, he, the Company, and Gandalf did not speak much. The overbearing silence almost drove them all mad.

"Bilbo, can I tell you a joke?" Kíli whispered to him on the third one. However, in the dead silence, every ear in a mile radius could probably hear him.

Bilbo only nodded and Kili smiled like a madman.

"Why wouldn't the shrimp share his treasure?" he asked quietly in Bilbo's ear, so only he could hear the joke.

"I don't know, Kíli. Why?" He thought over the joke and knew the answer already, but Kili looked so proud of himself that he didn't have the heart to ruin it.

"He was a little shellfish!" He burst out laughing at his own joke.

As it turns out, the laugh was only infectious to Fíli and Bilbo. The trio became a giggling mess, and the rest of the Company looked rather relieved that there was no more deafening silence.

Soon, it was time to set up camp again near the Misty Mountains. They had lost track of the number of times they had.

"Burglar, you take the first watch," Thorin barked.

It was a very unusual order because Bilbo had never taken a night watch before. Instead of arguing, he nodded his head and made sure that Sting was secure at his waist. He felt a bit proud that the Dwarf king trusted him enough to do this.

By the time it was Bofur's turn to take the watch and let Bilbo get some sleep, Bofur was snoring loudly. The rest of the Dwarves and Gandalf were too. Bilbo was incredibly exhausted, but seeing Bofur snug in his blanket prevented him from asking to be released from his watch duty. So, he sat there and continued to watch until the sun came up and the birds were chirping.

Thorin, Nori, Gandalf, and Dwalin were the first to wake and Bilbo was instantly relieved that he didn't have to keep his eyes peeled for disturbances. Thorin and Dwalin were deep in discussion, and the Wizard had gone for some peace of mind.

"Bilbo, have you yet to sleep?" Nori asked as he gathered things that Balin could fix for breakfast. He noticed the bags under his eyes.

The conversation between the other two Dwarves was forgotten and they looked over at the Halfling.

Bilbo looked at Nori with a tired smile. "No, I have not. Bofur was in the Land of Nod and Dwarves are quite stubborn, even in sleep."

Thorin looked very displeased with his answer and took long strides towards Bofur's sleeping form.

"Bofur, you absolute imbecile!" he shouted in the latter's ear.

If everyone wasn't awake, they were now. Thorin yelled and Bofur apologized over and over again while the other Dwarves watched in amusement, oblivious to the Hobbit that was approaching Dwalin.

"Master Dwarf, do you have a minute?"

Dwalin looked down at Bilbo and saw how nervous he was. However, since he didn't back away, it must have been important. He gave him a slight nod.

"I wanted to apologize for making you angry. I should have kept my mouth shut and I did not mean to provoke you."

That was the end of the tension between the two. Dwalin was still hostile, but he was that way with everyone and their mother.

The Company had begun traveling again. Thorin kept Bilbo at his side so that he could keep his eye on him. It seemed the tension between them had lessened quite a bit as well.

They had only traveled a little way from the mountains when Bilbo started to nod off on the back of his horse.

"Halfling, you must ride with me. Glóin, guide his pony," Thorin ordered. He hoisted Bilbo onto his pony. "Master Baggins, will you please button up your shirt?" he added in a low voice.

The sleepy Hobbit began to doze off, but not before replying, "It is quite hot and I will not engulf myself in layers for some silly custom. And I was perfectly fine on my pony, just so you know."

Thorin had a few choice words for Bilbo then, but he was already fast asleep. If some of the members of the Company were a bit jealous, they did not say it.

They trotted their way toward Mirkwood, and hadn't even put a dent in their travels across the field, when Fíli called to his uncle. Thorin turned to see him pointing at an Orc pack on one side of the field. Kíli gestured at a very large bear on the other.

Gandalf told them of a place where they could go as they picked up speed. They-excluding Bilbo, who was very much asleep-agreed to let the Wizard guide them to a house in the middle of the field. What other choice did they have?

As their speed reached its maximum, Bilbo jolted awake and nearly knocked Thorin off.

"Orcs and a bear. Gandalf is leading us to safety. Hold on, Ghivashel." Thorin's voice was full of panic and uncertainty. The poor, tired Hobbit could hear his heart beating in his ears, and he was pretty sure he could hear Thorin's as well.

Luck seemed to be on their side. Instead of charging at them, the bear chased off the large Orc pack. Gandalf led them straight to the large house. They were safe for now.

The Company was limited to quiet whispering and seemed to be having trouble keeping the noise level down. Mostly everyone was chatting, except Thorin, who was staring intensely at Bilbo and listening to Dwalin talk about the trail of Mirkwood. Bilbo felt the king's eyes on him, but shrugged it off.

"Balin, can you spare a moment for another question?" he inquired, walking over to the said Dwarf.

"Of course, dear boy. What is it?" Balin asked, leading him to the far corner of the room. Bilbo was grateful for that.

"I am just curious about something. I heard a word and I'm not sure what it means," he explained.

Balin patiently waited for him to elaborate on that.

"What exactly does Ghivashel mean?" Bilbo glanced towards Thorin and saw him narrowing his eyes at them.

"Where did you...?" Balin looked over his shoulder and chuckled. Then he gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. "Treasure of all treasures."

Bilbo's jaw dropped as he gaped at him with wide eyes. After recovering from his shock, he thanked him before going to a room that was unoccupied. He needed to think.

He stared at the wall for nearly a half an hour when he heard a small cough from the doorway.

"Are you alright, Bilbo?" Thorin queried. He sat down beside him and made himself comfortable.

Bilbo knew that if he spoke now, he wouldn't be able to keep himself from spilling his thoughts, so he remained quiet.

"The silent treatment, eh? Can't say I blame you."

Thorin let out a sigh and moved so that he was facing him. Bilbo kept his eyes down.

"You know, Ghivashel, I don't believe I've properly apologized to you. You saved my life and I called you unacceptable names. I am immensely sorry for my behavior towards you."

His eye contact with the Hobbit didn't waver and Bilbo finally began to crack.

"I know what it means, Thorin," the latter blurted out and instantly cursed his loose lips.

Thorin looked at him with confusion and he let out a sigh.

"Treasure of all treasures. Ghivashel means treasure of all treasures. Also, your apology was accepted before you even made it, silly Dwarf."

(A/N: Please review!)