Searing pain ripped through Gwen's body as she struggled to fight against the hand that held her head below the freezing water. Her legs were bound as were her hands but she had broken them free in a frantic attempt to fight back which she now knew was in vain as her arms flailed wildly behind her in attempt to bat away her attacker.

Her eyes were clamped tightly shut as the salty water stung her eyes and she struggled to keep her mouth closed, trying with all her might to hold her breath until she could free herself from the tight grasp on her hair.

Somehow Gwen had known this would happen; that he would grow tired of his torturing her and eventually just kill her. Most days she found that she begged for it, for the day she would be free of his sadistic ways but now that it had finally come to it, she realized that she didn't want to die after all.

Her lungs felt like they would burst against her rib cage and she was beginning to feel light headed, choking on the water as she began to gulp in great amounts of it in attempt to get some air in her lungs but failing miserably.

She felt the hand on her head push her deeper into the icy water, faintly hearing insults being shouted at her as she slowly began to fade from consciousness. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head from beneath her eyelids and she felt herself becoming limp; her flailing hands slowing their movements and slumping to her sides. Before she could slip into a permanent slumber, a bright white flashed from behind her eyelids and forced her eyes open, the light spilling out into the water around her.

When Bilbo looked back on the day he left his hobbit hole for his afternoon walk and stumbled upon Gwen when she was lying unconscious by the river, he had realized how truly blessed he was to have found her.

At first he had thought that it was just another hobbit enjoying the sunset while they happily kicked their feet in the water but after a closer look he realized that it was someone lying unconscious and face down in the grass.

Bilbo had been hesitant to walk over to the body and was surprised to find that it was a woman. Even more surprised to find that it was a human woman. He had quickly dropped his pipe and knelt down next to her, unsure of how to proceed as he took in her soaking wet, and very strange, clothes.

His first thought was to shake her vigorously by her shoulders until she opened her eyes, his second was to run back to his hobbit hole and act as if he didn't see anything but he quickly dismissed that thought as he brushed wet hair out of the girl's face and peered at her soft features.

Something inside of him had melted as he looked down at the peaceful look on her face. He couldn't see much as she was covered in mud but he could tell she was very young and in need of a good meal as she was quite a skinny thing.

He had jumped when she suddenly groaned; face scrunching up in pain as she pushed herself up slightly before coughing up great amounts of water that had Bilbo wondering just how deep in the river she went. The girl stiffened as he hesitantly pulled the hair from her face and patted her back awkwardly.

When the she had finished her retching, she wiped her mouth and turned to look back at him, fatigue and fear clear in her wide eyes. When she spoke her voice was raspy and broken, as if she'd been eating gravel and her teeth were chattering uncontrollably. "W-who are y-you?"

Bilbo felt a pang of sympathy as he watched the girl; she was clearly not from around here, frightened out of her wits and freezing cold if her violent shivering was any indication, which it was. Most likely starving and definitely injured from the way she clutched her chest although he suspected that was due to her almost drowning.

"Bilbo Baggins" A glint of recognition appeared in her eyes before quickly disappearing as she fought to keep them open.

Something inside of him had told him that he needed to take care of her and he didn't realize what he was doing when he pulled one of her arms over his shoulder and wrapped the other around her waist, pulling her up from the cold ground until she began to retch again and they both fell forward with a cry.

When she had once again regained her composure, Bilbo repeated his actions and pulled her to her feet, finding her lighter than he expected when he made her lean her weight on him. Her head was lolling to the side and her eyes barely open as they very slowly made their way to Bag End. A grim determination had spurred Bilbo on as the normal half an hour walk took well over an hour, the girl had flitted in and out of consciousness, falling to the ground multiple times and bringing Bilbo down with her twice.

Bilbo was tiring as they slowly advanced on his home and his legs began to burn, the girl on his shoulder feeling heavier than when they had first started causing his shoulder to ache. As if she had sensed his change in his demeanor, she removed herself from his grip and pushed herself as quickly as her body would allow, tripping a few times in the process but managing nonetheless.

Bilbo felt a sense of admiration as he watched her struggle on without complaint, grateful that she considered his wellbeing despite being so weary but at the same time he wanted to scold her for being so rash and pushing her body too far.

She had managed to drag herself to his door where she collapsed to the ground and immediately drifted into the welcome unconsciousness. It had taken a lot of Bilbo's energy and strength to gently drag her across the floor and hoist her into a bed in one of the guest rooms.

He began to worry though, for her skin was ghostly pale and felt like ice against his hand. He quickly busied himself with lighting a fire and setting up candles around the room before placing a hot water bottle underneath her pillow and tucking the blanket up to her chin.

He had briefly considered changing her into some dry clothes but he decided against it, thinking she would not appreciate being handled by a stranger and a man no less. She had been wearing a large jumper that was completely drenched and he could see her top underneath reached up to her neck so he struggled for a few minutes to pull it off before hanging it up by the fire. He also removed her shoes and a pair of strange glove-like things from her feet which were also placed by the fire.

Using the last of his energy, he had dragged a small arm chair to the side of the bed and immediately fell asleep after making sure she was as comfortable as she could be.

She had not woken for three days and Bilbo was beginning to worry, he had even brought in a doctor to check that she was actually going to wake up and was assured that her body just needed time to recover.

It was then that the girl finally woke with a startled gasp and retched over the side of the bed, a bucket was placed in front of her and a soothing hand rubbed her back until there was nothing left for her to throw up.

When she had realized there was a hand on her back, she begun to panic and jumped back, pushing herself against the head board as much as she could while looked around wild eyed until her eyes landed on the two hobbits stood before her.

Bilbo had been yelped and jumped back in surprise as he stared back at the woman but the doctor seemed calm as ever and even smiled softly at the girl. Both hobbits stood watching her as she relaxed slightly and turned her gaze to Bilbo.

"Y-you saved me?" Her voice was still rough from the retching and was handed a glass of water by the doctor who stood to the side.

"I did" Bilbo said, he was surprised the girl even remembered his face as she had only looked at him once when he found her.

"Thank you" Her voice sounded slightly better after having finished the water and she shuffled in the bed to sit more comfortably.

Bilbo had been about to answer but was cut off by the doctor who suggested he go and make the girl some soup as she must be starving wouldn't be able to stomach solid food for a few days. Bilbo had done just that and the doctor had questioned the girl while they waited for him to return with her food.

"What is your name?" The doctor was a kind old hobbit with white shoulder length hair that framed his face nicely and glasses that balanced off the end of his nose. He had a comforting smile and was loved by all hobbits of the shire as he had been nursing the sick there since he was a boy; his father had done the same before him and his grandfather and so on.

"G-Gwendolyn" She had begun to fidget, her hands darted up to her hair in attempt to tame her curly blonde locks, tugging at her clothes to cover herself with before she realized she was only in her short sleeved shirt and panicked once again, trying to cover herself with the blanket.

The doctor, being a very observant hobbit, had already noticed the many scars that had lined her pale arms; some were barely visible while others were a deep shade of purple or red telling him they were deeper wounds she had quite recently acquired.

He hadn't said anything in case she didn't want them to be seen and he had guessed correctly. He smiled sadly at her, realizing she must have gone through a lot to acquire such a large amount of scars and then realizing that they were placed too close together and in a way that suggested that they were not accidents, most of them anyway.

He had asked where she got them before he could stop himself and he wondered if he had crossed a boundary when the girl flinched at his words. But she had simply said that she'd rather not say so he left it at that.

"How old are you, my dear?" He had moved to sit on the end of the bed, resting his hands on his thighs as he noticed how young she looked.

"Twenty three" It was then that Bilbo returned to the room holding a small wooden tray with a small bowl of vegetable soup on it. She had shied away when the doctor stood to move the pillows behind her to a more comfortable position and Bilbo stood watching confusedly.

The doctor had simply smiled kindly and adjusted the pillows so that she could sit against them more comfortably. Bilbo waited until she had settled to place the tray on her lap and she had simply looked down at the bowl with a confused expression before Bilbo assured her that it was cool enough to eat.

She thanked him quietly before reaching for the spoon, Bilbo had then seen her arms and was about to say something until he caught the doctor's gaze and quietened as he saw him shake his head.

The two hobbits silently watched her eat all of the soup and Bilbo took the bowl back to the kitchen before returning to find the doctor pulling the covers over the girl and telling her to get some rest.

"Is she alright?" Bilbo was rubbing the back of his hand and glancing at the girl with a worried expression.

"She will be fine so long as she eats soup until she feels ready to stomach solid food and when she does, only small amounts at a time. She needs plenty of rest and to be kept warm, her body needs time to recover" His voice had turned serious as he spoke; making sure Bilbo knew exactly what to do.

"Understood" He nodded vigorously and the doctor's expression softened.

"It's a good thing you found her when you did, Bilbo. I doubt she would have survived if you didn't save her." Bilbo had had to swallow a lump in his throat and walked the doctor to the door.

"Thank you very much; I apologize for calling on such short notice-" The doctor cut him off with a small chuckle and squeezed Bilbo's shoulder gently.

"It's quite alright, Bilbo, it's my job to nurse the sick so I am always running from one place to the next" He smiled kindly and turned to open the door, "I have no doubt that you two will be good for each other, if you choose to keep the girl around that is"

Bilbo smiled and dug in his pocket for his purse but was stopped when the doctor placed a hand on his arm, "I won't accept any money for this one but I will be coming back to check up on the girl once a week. Remember what I said; Only soup-"

"Plenty of rest and warmth, gradual amounts of solid food, yes, yes, I know" The doctor chuckled before stepping out of the door and waving goodbye as he left.

As days went by, Bilbo found out more about young Gwen despite her hesitation to share. It had taken telling her everything about him for her to finally open up and even then she was very reserved when talking about herself.

He was very shocked to find out that she was from another world, one where this world was just a story and most of the things in his world didn't exist but he had accepted it after she begun to tell him about things found in her world and how she had recognized his name but she said no more on that matter.

She told him of the place she was from and her hobbies, her interests and her favourite kind of music. He found out that her favourite colour was blue, not a dark blue like his favourite jacket, but a blue as light and welcoming as the sky on a summer's morning.

She told him of her love for drawing and cooking, they had spent many hours doing both together and enjoyed each other's company very much, although they did not speak during these times but they had both been content to work in silence before discussing their favourite things to draw or cook in detail.

She told him of her love for rain and nature, he had agreed with the nature part but had told her that he preferred the sun. She also told him of her love of books and that she loved to write whenever she had the chance. He had smiled at that as he also loved books and was looking to eventually write one himself to which she encouraged him with great enthusiasm.

He had also noticed a great many things about her that she didn't speak of, such as her shyness and how she would easily become nervous; she would avoid strangers keep as much of herself covered as she could which he guessed was due to the scars on her arms. Sometimes she would lock herself in her room for hours and Bilbo had no idea what she would do during that time or why she done it but he didn't ask.

He learned the hard way that if he wanted to know something personal about her then he would have to wait for her to tell him when she was ready. It was when he had asked about her family and she completely shut him out, locking herself in her room for days during which time she would not eat and he could hear quiet sobs and whimpers escaping through the cracks in the door.

Word had eventually got out that Bilbo had taken in a young girl and rumors spread of him taking her as a wife but he assured them that these weren't true, Bilbo saw Gwen as more of a daughter than anything else and she agreed, much to his relief.

It took a lot of convincing and the promise of letting her bake whatever she wanted for a week if she came to the market with him. She had only agreed because of the baking and they spent the day browsing through many stalls and buying various ingredients that she wanted to use as well as clothes for her to wear as her old ones would simply not do.

Although she attracted many curious gazes, it had made her very uncomfortable as she wasn't used to it but Bilbo assured her that they meant no harm. Eventually he could see that it was becoming too much for her and offered to go back saying that they could return another day when she felt ready.

True to his word, the doctor-who Gwen had later found out was called Grigory- had returned once every week to check up on her and was pleased to see she was doing so well. It was on his fourth visit that she had eventually opened up to them and told them of her old life and family, explaining how she had gotten her scars.

Both Bilbo and Grigory were horrified by what she told them and comforted her greatly when she had begun to cry uncontrollably. But Bilbo had scolded her fiercely when she told them about her arms and had said 'should you ever do it again I won't hesitate to bury you up to your neck in troll dung for a week!' which had caused her to laugh loudly and hug him tightly, assuring him she wouldn't.

It had been five months since Bilbo found her and both he and Grigory threw a small celebration feast in her honour which has also resulted in tears although Bilbo was glad to say that they were tears of happiness.

During her new life in the Shire, Bilbo had become her new father and Grigory an uncle, they both cherished her greatly and she them. Gwen had never felt as happy in her life as she did then.

She found that she had great skill in wood carving and would often create small figurines and keepsakes for them which they both loved. Bilbo had suggested that she carve them for a living and they often found hobbits knocking on the door looking to buy them and sometimes even requesting specific things to give to loved ones which she had enthusiastically agreed to, much to Bilbo's amusement.

It was in her sixth month there when they were sitting in the garden-Bilbo sitting on a bench and smoking from a long pipe that reached down to his toes while Gwen sketched him in great detail from her place in the grass-that they had the most unexpected visitor although Gwen had thought he would turn up sooner or later as she knew this story very well.

One of Bilbo's smoke rings had suddenly blown back into his face and he coughed before they both looked up to see a tall elderly man dressed in a pointy hat, dusty grey robes that reached to his toes and was leaning on a wooden staff as tall as himself. He had a long unkempt beard and vibrant blue eyes that held an air of mischief.

Bilbo sat looking up at him confused before he pulled his pipe away from his mouth and said, "Good morning!"

Gwen watched as the wizard looked down at him with narrowed eyes, "What do you mean?" He said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good on this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"

Gwen smiled and cut in before Bilbo could even open his mouth, "What if he was to wish you a good morning? Would you wish him one too, or perhaps you would simply agree as you had wanted it to be good or you didn't in which case you would disagree; or maybe he simply feels good on this morning and wishes to inform you so that you may share his good feelings; or it is, in fact, just a morning to be good on?"

Bilbo looked down at her in surprise, she had never spoken to openly and with such confidence to a stranger before and it stunned him but then he looked closer at the look on her face he guessed that she knew him already but he wondered how as she had never mentioned an elderly fellow with a pointy hat and beard as long as his arm.

He didn't get a chance to ask as the man turned to peer curiously at Gwen with an amused smile on his face, "And who might you be, my dear?" He smiled down at her kindly as she stood and offered her hand.

"Gwen, at your service, master Gandalf" Gandalf's eyebrows shot up in surprise before he took her hand in his, placing a soft kiss on her knuckles causing her to blush.

He let go of her hand as Bilbo suddenly cried in outburst, "Not Gandalf the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks! Old Took used to have them on midsummer's eve!" Gandalf smiled and Bilbo chuckled before he continued in a disbelieving voice. "I had no idea you were still in business"

The wizard's smile faltered and he sounded a little cross as he spoke, "And where else shall I be?"

"Well," Bilbo began to wave his pipe around slightly before clearing his throat awkwardly and Gwen giggled.

"Well I am pleased to find you remember something about me, even if it is just my fireworks…" He sounded a bit dejected towards the end before nodding once.

"Well that's decided," He moved his staff to his left hand and pointed at both Gwen and Bilbo with his right. "It will be very good for you, and most amusing for me!" He smiled mischievously and nodded once again, "I shall inform the others."

Gwen smiled knowingly but then frowned as Bilbo began to protest, "Inform who?" Gandalf took a step away but stopped as Bilbo continued, "W-what? No, no no, wait!" He took hold of Gwen's arm and began to pull her towards the door, "We do not want any adventures here, thank you, not today! I suggest you try over the hill or… across the water" He held his hand out and gestured away from them, "Good morning!"

Gwen looked back and gave Gandalf an excited grin before she was pulled inside and the door slammed shut behind her.