Alive - Fili Durin

12 || Stone giants

"I tried." Balin knew what she meant.

"Right. Well, that's alright. Thank ye for informing me."

Leo wanted to find Bilbo. Her heart ached at the thought of him being scared and feeling unwanted by Thorin or the company. Despite Bilbo being older, she found that she was always the one to provide the most comfort, the best advice, and the one who could read her brother like no one else - hobbits that knew them always told Bilbo how lucky he was to have her, and he couldn't agree more. She found him almost in the back of the cave, unpacking some of his things.

Leo's POV:

"Hey," I sat next to him.

"Hi,"

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" Bilbo's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Don't be like that, Bilbo. Have you not already figured out what he's like. You shouldn't take it to heart."

"It's has nothing to do with how angry Thorin was it's the fact that he's right, Leo! I am lost. I don't know what I'm doing or why I came. You fit right in. You belong."

"You belong just as much as me. Thorin hates me too! Gandalf wanted both of us because he could see the potential. Bilbo, you can't give up yet. You belong here. With me."

Bilbo stopped his rummaging and looked me in the eye, "With you? You who is looked to for guidance. You who voluntarily got chased by a hoard of orcs to protect us. You who has all of these dwarves wrapped around your finger."

That last one stung a bit.

"Bilbo we would have been eaten by trolls if you hadn't bought us time! If you didn't belong then you wouldn't have been here and we would have died. And what do you mean 'wrapped around my finger'? Bilbo I can't even get Thorin to acknowledge me with so much as a smile. I think the dwarves quite like us both - with the exception of Thorin."

"No, you're wrong. The dwarves don't like us they have to put up with us because we're here. And you think the blonde one likes you? No, he doesn't. Half of his people were killed and more than likely he will die too and he knows that so why not try to get the girl while he's still alive."

And that one stung even more.

Bilbo stood up taller and his furrowed brows relaxed. I could tell he knew he had crossed the line this time. But I can't say that thought hadn't crossed my mind. I know he's angry but that doesn't mean he's wrong. Fili has developed feelings for me awfully fast.

"I shouldn't have said that, I'm sorry." Bilbo hung his head slightly.

"No..." I looked to see Fili and Kili leave the cave. "I would be lying if I said it hadn't crossed my mind."

Bilbo looked like he was going to say something but he stopped himself.

I rose from my place on the dirty ground and brushed off my pants. "Bilbo, please reconsider anything stupid you have planned."

I made my way over to Ori, who sat on the ground by his stuff. He seemed to be struggling with his boot laces that had gotten tangled. "Need help there, Ori?"

He looked up at my slightly embarrassed but nodded. "I don't know what happened! Bloody boots."

Fili and Kili came back into the cave with a small number of logs and sticks. Gloin grabbed the wood they brought in. "Right then, let's get a fire started."

"No. No fires. Not in this place. Get some sleep, we start at first light." Thorin instructed - maybe he had heard about my concerns.

I heard Balin's voice next, "We were to wait in the mountains until Gandalf joined us. That was the plan."

"Plans change. Bofur, take the first watch."

I didn't feel tired just yet so I figured instead of tossing and turning that I'd look take a peek outside of the cave. I leaned against the entrance while watching the stars begin to appear in the sky and smiled at what a beautiful night it was. Wouldn't life be easier to be a star? Or maybe not, seeing as they're only burning gas. I figured that honestly being a star sounds easier than dealing with Bilbo or Thorin when they're grumpy.

"Are you coming to sleep, love?" I felt a warm presence behind me and I smiled. I could hear Bilbo's voice in my head playing over and over: 'half of his people were killed and more than likely he will die too and he knows that so why not try to get the girl why he's still alive.'

Bilbos words fought with Fili's in Rivendell: 'So, if you wonder why I give you flowers, and I compliment you, and I will do everything in my power to protect you - it's because, and do forgive my boldness here but you asked for it, I'm starting to fall in love with you'

I sighed stared at the stars one last time for thought. "Yeah."

We walked back into the cave as I decided to move my stuff closer to Bilbo - just to keep an eye on him.

3rd person POV:

A few hours had passed as the sound of snoring and noses whistling indicated that many of the dwarves and Leo were fast asleep. Bilbo, however, was tiptoeing around Leo as he packed his things. Bilbo tossed his backpack over his shoulder and shivered a bit as a breeze passed through the cave. The cold chill caused the sleeping hobbit at Bilbo's feet to also shiver. Bilbo glanced at her and noticed that she has somehow managed to roll on top of her blanket. He couldn't help but smile at his sister as he thought back to when they were younger; Leo would always end up either rolling on top of her blanket or losing it altogether. Instead of trying to pull it out from under her and risk her waking up, Bilbo yanked at his blanket out of his bag and laid it over her. In response to the blanket, Leo wiggled deep into the cover just above her nose.

Bilbo watched his sister for a moment as his heart ached knowing he was going to leave her without saying goodbye. He knew she would be happier living the adventure she had always wanted, and he knew he couldn't convince her otherwise. Bilbo glanced next to his sister to notice a sleeping dwarf - a blonde dwarf to be exact. Fili had, only within the past hour, moved closer to Leo just in case. Bilbo knew he would not have been able to protect like he wanted to, but he knew she would have someone who would.

With one last glance at Leo, Bilbo quietly shuffled through the sea of dwarves. His eyes were so fixed on the exit that he didn't notice Bofur.

"Where do you think you're going?" Bilbo jumped at the voice and turned to see Bofur leaned against a rock.

"Back to Rivendell."

Bofur quickly stood as concern laced his voice. "No. No. No. You can't turn back, now. You're part of the company. You're one of us. And you can't leave your sister like this."

"I'm not though, am I? Thorin said I should never have come, and he was right." Bofur's face fell in sadness. Unbeknownst to the hobbit and dwarf, Thorin was listening to every word. "I'm not a Took, I'm a Baggins, I don't know what I was thinking. Leo got all the Took between the two of us, that's obvious. I will miss her and I will worry constantly for her but I cannot protect her. She seems like she will be well looked after." Bilbo nudged his walking stick in the direction of Fili, who had laid his hand on Leo's elbow that poked out from under her blanket. "I should've never run out the door."

"You're homesick, I understand."

"No, you don't! You don't understand, none of you do, you're dwarves! You're used to...to this life, to living on the road, never settling in one place, not belonging anywhere!" Realization quickly hit Bilbo when Bofur dropped his head slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't..."

"No, you're right." Bofur looked out at his fellow dwarves. "We don't belong anywhere." Nearby, Thorin sighed as he could feel the pain in Bofur's voice. "I wish you all the luck in the world. I really do. And we will look after little Leo for ye."

With a smile and a pat on Bilbo's shoulder, he turned to head back to his spot; he stopped, however, when he noticed a glow radiating from Bilbo's sword.

"What's that?"

Bilbo slowly lifted the sword from its sheath as the ground suddenly began to rumble and split.

Thorin shot up. "Wake up. Wake up!"

The dwarves and hobbits hadn't had much time to react before the ground opened like a trap door, swallowing them all into the massive hole.