A/N: As promised, here's the next chapter! Sorry it's a day late, it was finished yesterday, but I didn't get the chance to post it.

-IMPORTANT- Some of you might have read the original version of this chapter, but I took it down because of editing. I realized that there were several critical scenes that I hadn't included, that play heavily into the future chapters. Quite honestly, the previous version was also incredibly rushed, so this is the official, better, version and hopefully you guys will take the time to read it again. Thanks, and sorry for any confusion I may have caused! (Edited-3/2/15)

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Chapter 7: Time to Decide

Caution tempered his anger, steps firm without concern for keeping his approach quiet, fingers locked in a death grip around the solid bar, the metal digging into his palms. Thorin fixed his eyes on the swatch of light, his senses convening to that one point, blocking out all else, they held little importance to him now. At this moment, he was guarding his life's work; a justifiable cause, regardless of the outcome, and no one could tell him otherwise.

He had been right to fear that the files had been tampered with. Balin could not have known the seriousness of the situation, he was, after all, only the first to find an anomaly with them and alert him. But Thorin should've moved faster, spent less time visiting with Dis, or arranged an earlier flight home. Anything that would've prevented this. He had spoken to Fili tonight, he could've sent him to have Nori review the files, could've started the process of learning who was behind the infiltration. But he'd been much to slow, and would've been reacting, always two steps behind, instead of getting ahead of the game.

Inwardly sneering at the unreasonable possibilities that ran through his mind, he shut them off, closing them away to not be considered. He knew what he needed to do, and regretting his actions leading up to this event was not an option.

Stilling his breath, lungs stuttering in reminder that the last shallow breath wasn't enough, the drumming of his pulse echoed in his ears, drowning all other sounds. Shoulders settling back as he lifted the crowbar to chest height, a small remnant of reasoning scolded him for not thinking to call someone, to let them know that he was at Oakenshield and that an unknown person had broken into his office. If only to ensure that others knew where he was, knew the circumstances of the situation, could call security should something happen, but it was too late for such measures now. The advantage of secrecy would have to make up for his lapse of judgment.

Steps slowing, hesitating to cross the border into the light, he heard the sounds clearly for the first time. Quiet tones, murmuring in low conversation, brought familiarity, a tickling at the back of his mind as he pinpointed the recognition. Eyes narrowing, dropping the bar to hang loosely at his side, abruptly moving to stand in the doorway, he saw the evidence for himself.

Fili sat on his desk, forearms resting across his thighs as he leaned forward to glance at the computer screen Balin was pointing at, Dwalin stood behind the two, partially turned away as he skim read a folder. Talking quietly, influenced by the empty state of the building, their voices carried softly to the hallway. If the door had been closed, Thorin wouldn't have heard, or realized, who was in there.

The desk lamp, and ceiling lights targeting the desk, had been turned on, highlighting the area around it, leaving the edges of the room in shadow, and eclipsing the space to a small sphere. Rectangular in shape, Thorin's office fit his needs, practical, organized, purposefully and meticulously laid out, every inch put to use yet at the same time, comfortable with an innate air of dignity that allowed it to be used for meetings.

"Balin? Fili?" he queried, gaze glancing bewilderedly between the two before going to the third figure lingering in the back, half hidden behind them. "Dwalin?" He shook his head, nearly hitting the wall with the crowbar as he folded his arms and demanded authoratively, "What are you doing here?"

Startled from their discussion, they stared back at him with undisguised surprise, Fili slipping to the floor with a guilty duck of his head, embarrassed at being caught sitting on Thorin's desk. Dwalin shifted, putting the folder back where it belonged, then moved a few steps forward till he stood just behind Balin, eyes watching Thorin impassively, subtly refusing to take the credit and answer the question. Looking to Fili, half reclined in the desk chair and tilting his head encouragingly, waiting for the younger man to answer, Balin revealed him as the instigator of their midnight assembly.

"Balin and I were looking at the files," Fili said simply, answering for all of them, though the other two didn't seem inclined to share in his claim, directly meeting Thorin's eyes, a small trace of lingering embarrassment visible on his face.

"At midnight?" Thorin asked incredulously, giving Fili an unimpressed look.

"And speculating what information was that Professor Grey gave you," Balin added, taking some of the blame off of Fili's shoulders.

"At this hour?" Thorin repeated drily, raising an eyebrow, gaze unwavering from his nephew's.

Shrugging, unable to give a real answer, a crooked half grin turning up the corner of his mouth, Fili nodded to the makeshift weapon in his uncle's hand. "What about you?" he returned. "Is there a reason you have a crowbar in your hand?"

Holding it out warningly, unrelenting solemnity filling his tone, Thorin scowled at him. "You're lucky I didn't use this on you. Discovering that someone had broken into my office in the middle of the night, and receiving no prior indication as to your intentions, is not something I react lightly to." It was as close to admitting his fright as he would go.

"I'm sorry uncle," Fili apologized contritely. "We didn't expect for you to come here before morning. And meeting here was unintentional. I had questions, and Balin and I wanted to look at the files. Dwalin just accompanied Balin."

Adrenaline ebbing away, greatly relieved that it had been nothing more than an impromptu meeting, Thorin set the crowbar aside and offered a weary smile. Silently, he was thinking, 'Once Kili joins us; my nephews will be the death of me.' Aloud he said, "Well, since you're here, you can help me with the materials." Jerking his head, and stepping away from the door, he added, "Fili, bring the boxes from the elevator. And return the crowbar to its case while you're at it."

Nodding consent, Fili left the room. Taking a seat across the desk from Balin in one of the guest chairs, lips thinning with wry humor, Thorin met Balin's gaze levelly. In retrospect, he could've guessed who was in there, only a few people held private keys to the building, including the three who were currently present. And he certainly could've reacted with less dramatics.

"Is everything all right, Thorin?" Balin asked quietly. Eight years the elder of Dwalin and Thorin, Balin's hair was a premature white, enhancing the air of seniority he usually effaced, though it did nothing to dim the astute brightness that gleamed in his eyes.

Shaking his head despondently, knowing better than to hide anything from his old friend, Thorin offered an honest smile, weary as it was, in reply. "I'll be glad once Nori has looked through the files," he admitted.

Balin nodded in sympathetic agreement, understanding appearing in his eyes.

"How soon will he get the chance?" Dwalin spoke up, moving to lean against the desk as he folded his arms across his chest. Of the same age as Thorin, their appearances differed greatly. Formidable in looks, having kept up a vigorous exercise routine since his youth, gray dusted his receding hairline, kept in a cropped cut, harkening back to his brief sojourn in the military.

The three had worked together for many years. Ironically, they'd grown up in the same town, and attended the same elementary school, but while they'd seen each other periodically while growing up, they hadn't known one another. It wasn't until Thorin and Dwalin ran into each other at university that they developed a friendship. After they graduated, Balin was included to help with the start of Oakenshield.

The friendship had reached a new level when Thorin had taken on the responsibility of Frerin's work.

With the expansion of Oakenshield's interests, Dwalin had taken over the weapons division, managing that side of the business while Thorin handled the research on Dysfunctional Reality. Outwardly, Thorin remained the owner and head of the company, but in truth, a majority of the administrative work had fallen to Balin and Dwalin to take care of.

"I had Fili arrange for him to come in tomorrow," Thorin answered straightforwardly. His gaze was immediately drawn to the door as Fili returned, stepping in backwards as he pulled the boxes after him, stilling further conversation.

"Are there any more downstairs?" he checked, lining the dolly up along the wall, waiting for Thorin's answer to see if he needed to unload it.

"No, it's just those three. They can stay there for now, I'll be looking over them later," Thorin added.

Leaving the loaded dolly beside the wall, Fili claimed the other guest chair next to Thorin's, pushing it back and putting it at an angle; present, but not necessarily taking part in the discussions (unless called upon), preferring to watch and listen.

Sitting forward to steeple his fingers on the desk, the sight of the boxes recalling his mind to the business at hand, Thorin decided to take advantage of the opportunity offered. It would save time, in the long run, to have the discussions now instead of waiting till morning. And he didn't doubt that his companions would be willing, they had come here on their own in the first place after all, and this was only slightly more work than simply looking over files.

"After Nori goes through the files, I'll compare our data with Frerin's papers," Thorin stated, neatly ending the prior strain of conversation while leading into the next one at the same time. "Any information that might've been looked over the first time will be added in, and hopefully it'll answer for the fragments that were missing."

"Is it all in there?" Dwalin asked skeptically, eyeing the scribbles decorating the box sides critically.

"According to Dis, the boxes have not opened, and when I glanced through them they appeared to be unharmed." Casting a glance around to see the other's reactions, Thorin noticed that they all wore similar expressions of misgiving, which was no less than what he had expected from them.

"Are there any other copies of the originals that we could access if these papers are incomplete?" Balin posed tentatively, watching Thorin, sensing that the subject could be a touchy one, especially since the boxes had been in his sister's care. Although Thorin was usually a reasonable person, the indication that Dis or Kili might've inadvertently harmed the documents was a disagreeable notion, no matter how lightly one put it.

Acknowledging Balin's suggestion, but ultimately sidestepping around it, Thorin replied calmly, "These are the only copies. Dis mentioned a possibility I hadn't considered though: Frerin's partner, Greenleaf."

"Thranduil?" Dwalin broke in, incredulity entering his tone. Pressing for clarification, expanding on the first question, he questioned, "Thranduil Greenleaf, you think would've kept it?"

Thorin nodded in answer. "It's a possibility," he replied blandly.

"I doubt it," Dwalin scoffed disbelievingly. "He's a cold one. I saw him last month, at a convention, and he wouldn't give you the time of day if it didn't suite him."

Thorin smirked icily. "That's him."

"I don't remember him being a cold man," Balin interjected suddenly, adjusting his position to participate in the conversation better. "He might be vain as a peacock, not to mention haughty, but certainly a decent enough person."

"That was then," Thorin stated drily.

Shooting Thorin a weary look, Balin chose to drop it.

Shrugging, acknowledging Balin's subtle refusal to continue a discussion on Thranduil's character, Thorin said indifferently, "I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he destroyed his papers from the project, but it's something to look into." Angling a meaningful glance at the white haired man, he continued, "Once Nori gives his report, and we see how things stand, I'll have you contact him, find out if he kept the materials and see about getting some of our people out there to look at them if it turns out he still has it."

Attention diverting back to the original topic, having brought the conversation back around to the point he needed, Thorin proceeded smoothly.

Gesturing to the computer, he asked, "Did you look over everything that you needed to?"

"We're done here," Balin confirmed, with a glance at the screen.

Nodding absently to himself, reaching an agreement, he moved to stand on Balin's right, folding his arms contemplatingly as he studied the screen, reading the words on the page displayed. "Show me where you think the data was incorrectly entered," he instructed.

Scrolling down to the section that he had shown Fili not too long ago, Balin detailed to Thorin the events of what had happened since discovering it, and the progress he had made with it since then, using examples to help visualize his retelling and ensuring that Thorin knew all of the facts.

Tearing his eyes away from the screen, blinking against the imprint of the glare that had been seared into his vision, Thorin subconsciously fortified himself for the hours to come, ignoring the dull ache that throbbed deep in his skull. His body's method of reminding him that he had seen too little sleep.

The time had slipped away without his noticing. After Balin and Dwalin had left, there hadn't been anything to interrupt or distract him from his research. Balin had shown him the three areas where the information had been incomplete, one of those Thorin had dismissed as it was a special exception, but the other two were troubling.

The first one dealt with the conductor and power formula, the information cutting off mid-sentence only to give a garbled equation that was clearly incorrect. It didn't take more than a second to see, and realize, that such an equation would only add up to a mathematical error, though that didn't explain how or when it had gotten there. Thorin certainly didn't remember entering it into the system.

The second one almost appeared to be a typo, a neglectful overlook made in haste, but a closer look and rereading the paragraph proved that Balin was correct. Detailing the phenomena of occurrence fluctuations, it remained inconclusive, the information failing to give record of the seismic-like activity of Middle-Earth's overlapping with reality.

"You were going over the base?" Thorin had asked, his tone making it a statement, referring to the code that made up the back bone of the formula.

Balin had answered affirmative. Pulling up a new window, he had typed in a few swift strokes before explaining aloud what he'd been trying to accomplish. "I was seeing if rewriting the priority in these sections would make a difference. It was my hope that adjusting the point of contact," he continued, gesturing to the occurrence fluctuation chart, "to coincide with an equal conduct power would alter the feedback to a higher level and change the outcome in the later formulas." Indicating the figures he'd written out, Balin finished, "Although, with the information missing, I couldn't test my hypothesis. But I've drawn a rough outline of how it would work."

Leaning closer to see, Thorin had studied the diagram, filled with a pleased amazement at the new perspective Balin had found. Below the first formula (which they dubbed the master formula, as it contained the basic layout of the coding within its parameters), a new formula stretched below it:

DR_M/E=

Conductor&Power[a+b/c (d-e); Reversed=f1; Detailed=g3

Fluctuations[resort to highest standings from the last year: a^b

DR w/ Cndtr&Pow/OccFluct}

(A. a/c_d-e

+(B. a^b \80%

_M/E= ?

But those figures only enhanced the fact that, somehow, important data had gone missing.

Eyes flicking to the on screen clock, he noted that it was nearly four o'clock, far beyond the point of hoping for sleep. He would have to correct the information, but the amount to which he had involved himself in other projects deterred him from that objective; he wouldn't have the capacity for it. Which meant he'd have to find someone to handle it, and he couldn't pass this off to Balin or Dwalin; they were already busy enough as it was.

Settling back in the chair, stretching his legs under the desk to relieve some of the tension in his body that had built from sitting for so long, fingers lightly curled above the keypad, put not typing. Gaze falling on Fili, a wry smile quirked at the corners of his mouth for a moment.

He hadn't realized that when the others had left, Fili had stayed behind; probably with the intention of keeping Thorin company, though sleep had claimed him.

Forehead pressed into the desk's surface, breathing deep, slow breaths, lanky body curled around the armrest of the chair where he had slumped, a few knots spiking the blonde hair; it wasn't the oddest position Thorin had found him in. There had been the rare occurrence when Thorin had allowed Fili to stay up late as a child, only to find the boy passed out in a corner, or curled up face down on the couch, once he had even slept upside-down dangling off the edge of the couch. A heavy, but restless sleeper as a child, prone to dreams that bordered on becoming nightmares, Thorin had learned that as long as long as Fili asleep he was fine.

Studying him for another second or two, coming to a decision on his internal debate, Thorin returned to his work. Creating a new file, and copying all of the documents on Dysfunctional Reality into it, he burned the duplicates onto a thumb drive.

oOo oOo oOo

Downing another large gulp of coffee, needing the caffeine jolt, Fili idly watched a sunbeam creep across his desk. The day had passed in a haze of exhaustion, the act of staying up late, coupled by sleeping in an awkward position, not doing him any favors. Waking to discover that he'd slept well past his usual wake-up time, Fili had found Thorin sitting as he'd been before, still staring at the computer, a scowl of deep concentration on his face, though he now looked haggard and worn, yet alert. Not having seen his uncle since then, he didn't know if Thorin had managed to continue faring at that pace.

Fili couldn't say that he'd succeeded in overcoming his own drowsiness; he'd been pitifully unmotivated the entire day. Ori had already volunteered to handle the work he had been assigned to, mercifully removing the concern of unfulfilled responsibility. Unfortunately, that only made the alluring pull of sleep all the more harder to resist, though Fili adamantly did his best.

Rolling a pen between his fingers, head propped up on a fist, a sudden knock distracted him.

The small space that was assigned to him as his office was the same standard size as the rest of the rooms on this floor, located a couple floors below the floor where Thorin's office was located. A roughly estimated ten square feet, it was private, but hardly able to comfortably accommodate several people at once.

"Do you have a moment?" Thorin asked, coming in and taking the seat across from him without waiting for an answer.

Half shrugging, Fili said simply, "Sure." With a wry grin, he added, "I'm not exactly busy today."

"I expected as much," Thorin replied with some amusement. He held himself rigidly, eyes overly bright from exhaustion, and unconsciously slumping where he sat, a habit he customarily didn't give in to, visible proof of the strain it put on his body to stay awake.

"How's your… project, coming along?" he asked, initiating casual conversation, hesitating fractionally on what to call it. "Anything of interest?"

"Yeah, some," Fili answered honestly. "I haven't checked on it today, and didn't have much time last night after your call, but there's been a few surprising developments. Nori works on making it run better when he can, so it's better than it used to. I believe Ori is planning to look after it tonight though."

Listening attentively, Thorin phrased his next question mildly, though Fili had been expecting him to ask something of that nature. It was rare for Thorin to enjoy small talk, especially when it was clear he had more important things on his mind.

"How much of the conversation did you hear last night?" he asked, tone neutral.

"Most of it," Fili answered slowly, thinking back, trying to recall if he had missed anything.

Thorin nodded, satisfied. Watching Fili with considering eyes, he proceeded to ask, "And how did your conversation with Kili go?"

"Like I told you over the phone," Fili said plainly. He'd been expecting this question, although he thought it would've come earlier. The fact that it'd been delayed didn't make a difference, Thorin had said that they'd discuss it in more detail, and he'd been prepared, needing only for Thorin to broach the subject. "He's aware of it," Fili added with emphasis.

Letting a moment pass, allowing Fili to accept that the topic was inevitable, Thorin stated firmly, "I want to hear the course of your conversation with him. You didn't sound confident about it when I asked you over the phone," he reminded.

Exhaling softly, running a restless hand through his hair until his fingers snagged and he pulled them out with a sharp motion; Fili said resignedly, his voice low, "I brought it up twice. The first time, he misunderstood me because I didn't explain it clearly. The second time we got into an argument," he admitted, gaze darkening.

Body freezing, brows lowering ominously, blue eyes becoming flinty, Thorin demanded, "What?"

"You heard me," Fili returned sullenly.

"I sent you to talk to him, not drive him away," Thorin growled, furious. "I expected more from you!"

Accepting Thorin's words with a closed expression, Fili answered quietly, "I can't explain something that I have no knowledge about."

Temper cooling slightly at the reasonable statement, an unreadable look entered Thorin's eyes. Gaze drifting away from Fili's, staring unfocused at the far wall, which really wasn't all that far, he didn't reply.

Taking it as a good sign, Fili pressed on, confidence returning to his voice. "I managed to explain it to him though, even after ruining it, and Kili knew what I was talking about. He's sensitive to it, like I said."

Rubbing his jaw absently, contemplating his nephew's words, judging how accurate Fili's decision was, Thorin nodded once in swift acceptance. "Good," he murmured. "I'll have to make arrangements to have him introduced, in full, to the theory." Swiftly taking out the thumb drive, he placed it on the desk, inclining his head slightly in invitation for Fili to take it, watching his reaction closely.

Glancing at Thorin in an unspoken question, Fili took it, twisting it slightly, looking for any hint as to what it held. "What's this?" he finally asked, thumbing it partially open as he unconsciously played with it.

"The files on the theory of Dysfunctional Reality," Thorin replied solemnly.

Freezing, a dazed look coming into his eye, Fili blinked in stunned wonder, his voice faintly hoarse as he questioned Thorin's words. "Really?"

"Nori is currently going through the files, I won't hear from him until later this evening though," Thorin started, his tone musing as he confided in Fili. "But I want you to go through Frerin's research, and compare them to the data in our bases. Make sure it's all there, and you have my permission to correct anything that was entered wrong. That's why I gave you that," Thorin finished gravely, pointing to the portable drive in Fili's hand.

Casting a sharp look at his uncle, studying him with a practiced eye, sudden understanding flashed in Fili's eyes, replacing the look of shock. "You've already come to a decision," Fili noted, crossing his arms.

Smiling at his nephew's keen insight, Thorin didn't bother to discredit the statement. "Elrond might have information that can help us," he admitted. "But while I'm gone, I want you to only work on that. Take your time going over it though; I want you to understand it completely, because, as you said, you can't explain something that you don't have any knowledge on."

Standing up, the conversation nearing its end, Thorin added, tossing Fili a small smile, "And go home, you look ready to fall asleep in your seat."

Smiling ruefully in return, Fili queried cautiously, "Are you sure? What about the meeting this evening?"

"You already know the outcome," Thorin pointed out neutrally. "But I'll call you once I hear from Nori, and to fill you in on the meeting. But I don't want to see you here for the rest of the day." He gave Fili a mock scowl, pretending to threaten him.

Laughing quietly, Fili answered sincerely, "All right, thanks."

Truth be told, he hadn't been home in over twelve hours, and was grateful for the permission to leave. After Thorin left though, he lingered, staring at the thumb drive as his hands turned it around and around, the act becoming mesmerizing in its repetitions.

Thorin's plans had already been made, Fili realized with start. Before he had even spoken with him, Thorin had known what he was going to do. Sometime between his visit to Dis, and their conversation mere moments past, Thorin had settled the issue of what action to take on several points, and had only proceeded with caution to ensure that he had covered every detail and hadn't made any miscalculations.

Shaking his head and pocketing the thumb drive, Fili closed those thoughts from his mind. There would be time to ponder things more thoroughly once he'd gotten some sleep.

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A/N: Thanks a million for reading! You guys make my day, and I can't tell you the number of times your reviews have helped me to continue writing this! It was certainly a huge help while writing this chapter! I'll see you guys next month! Until then.