Hello all! I know. You all probably hate me. And damn well you should. I'm so sorry I haven't posted in a while, but three AP classes, a house being built and parents getting divorced can distract you a bit. So can two gun threats to the school in the course of two months. Plus, midterms were this past week and I'm going bald with all the stress. I hope y'all can forgive me and enjoy this chapter!

Also, just for future reference: this story will not be abandoned. I repeat, THIS STORRY SHAN'T BE ABANDONED. While I may be away, dear readers, I am never gone, and I will always return to you all.

I do not own the Hobbit or any of its characters.

~0~

Billa watched as Thorin slowly reached toward the large key in Gandalf's hand and wrapped his calloused fingers around the metal. A reverent silence had befallen the dwarves as they stared with renewed hope at their prince. Billa herself could feel the distant thrum of anticipation in her veins, as if she too were a part of this quest. She let her eyes rake over Thorin's face and saw the emotion behind his eyes; the pain, the longing, and the nearly blinding hope that shone through his usually guarded eyes. It was startling, to say the least, and Billa found her breath caught in her throat because, 'Sweet Eru, this dwarf is gorgeous.'

Fili was the first to break the silence. "If there is a key," he said excitedly, "then there must be a door."

Gandalf took his pipe and gestured towards the map. "There are runes that speak of a hidden passage to the lower halls."

Kili leaned forward, a huge grin lighting up his face. "There's another way in!"

Gandalf nodded once more. "If we can find it. Dwarf doors are invisible when closed. The answer lies hidden somewhere on this map and I do not have the skill to find it." Billa was somewhat surprised that the wizard actually admitted to not being able to do something, but she shook the thought off in order to pay more attention to what he was saying. "But there are others in Middle-Earth who can. The task I have in mind will require a great deal of stealth, and no small amount of courage. But, if we are careful and clever, I believe it can be done."

Ori glanced at Gandalf fleetingly. "That's why we need a burglar," he stated, getting a nod of agreement from the wizard. Billa nodded as well, once more looking down at the map in front of her.

"And a good one too," she said mostly to herself. "An expert, I'd imagine." After a moment of silence she began to feel the weight of multiple stares on her person and she looked up to meet all of their gazes.

"And are you?"

Billa looked to Gloin in confusion. "Am I what?" A sudden cackle from Oin made her startle.

"She says she's an expert! Hey hey!" Oin was looking around proudly and Billa finally realized what they were all insinuating.

"Oh, oh no, I'm not-" Billa stopped short of her sputtering and looked to Thorin, whom was still sitting on her left. "Who told you I was a burglar?" The prince didn't respond, save for the arch of a single eyebrow, and Billa felt rage once more flood her system. Slowly, she felt her spine straighten as she stood to her full height and she turned to face Gandalf fully. Her left hand stayed on the table while her right clenched at her side, and Billa felt her eyes narrow into slits. She didn't speak, and Gandalf began to fidget. As the silence stretched on, Billa could practically taste the tension in the room rise. The dwarves soon began whispering to themselves, their speech muffled by the beards they sported. The wizard, however, opted for speechlessness. 'Coward.' Although, she had to admit, Billa found immense pleasure from being the cause of his nervousness. It was rather empowering, and before she could stop it, a smirk curled her lips upward and she huffed out a breath. Many dwarves jumped, but Billa ignored them.

"You and I have much to discuss, wizard," she hissed. "However, it is a conversation between you and I alone, so I will resist the urge to tear you a new one just yet." With one more glare, Billa turned around to face the rest of the company. Most seemed to be holding in snickers (Bofur, Bifur, and Balin to name but a few), and Billa felt her cheeks heat slightly. But before she could apologize to her guests once more, she heard Gloin speak.

"The lass hardly looks burglar material," he said. Billa immediately set her eyes on the red-haired dwarf, only to have it jump to Dori as he nodded in agreement.

"Aye, the wild is no place for gentlefolk, and especially not for a woman. Her place is at her home, where she should stay."

Billa did not blink, and stared unflinchingly at the eldest of the Ri brothers. Distantly she heard at least two dwarves groan in exasperation, what sounded suspiciously like growls on her left, and voices swiftly coming to her defense, but she did not join in. She simply stood by Thorin's side, attempting to glare a hole into Dori's forehead as he met her eyes. She could feel her lips twitch into the beginnings of a snarl. 'And just who in the name of Yvanna does this dwarf think he is?' The thought of someone making decisions for her –and for nothing other than her gender– made her fists clench at her sides.

Just before she could begin to formulate a proper defense for herself, the room suddenly darkened considerably as Gandalf stood from his seat. "Enough!" he shouted, causing the dwarves to fall silent. Even Billa jumped slightly, knowing that despite her teasing, Gandalf was indeed fairly powerful. "If I say Billa Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar she is!" Slowly, the shadows that seemed to come from the wizard himself retreated, and Gandalf looked around at the wide eyes that met him.

"Hobbits are remarkably light on their feet. In fact, they can pass my most unseen if they so please. And while a dragon is accustomed to the scent of dwarf, the smell of Hobbit will be unknown to him, which gives us a distinct advantage." The wizard now turned to look directly at Thorin, who, Billa was surprised to notice, had been silent throughout the entire ordeal. "You asked me to find a fourteenth member of the company, and I have chosen Miss Baggins. There is more to her than appearances suggest, as you may have already guessed," Billa snorted in response. "And she's got a great deal to offer on this quest. You must trust me on this," he implored, not breaking eye contact with the prince.

Billa found herself holding her breath and she too let her eyes fall on the prince. He had already been appraising her, it seemed, for she met his eyes immediately. He looked at her, then glanced towards Balin and Dwalin, who both nodded their consent. Thorin's sigh was nearly inaudible, and he looked once more to Gandalf.

"Fine," he grumbled, looking faintly displeased. "We'll do it your way." He nodded to Balin. "Give her a contract."

Balin nodded as well and pulled out a long piece of parchment from his inner pocket of his coat, then handed it to Billa. The hobbit felt the momentary need to point out to everyone there that she had not even agreed to be part of their quest, but instead she just sighed. She unfolded the rather long contract and glanced over it briefly as Balin began to speak to her. "It's just the usual summary of out of pocket expenses, time required, enumeration, funeral arrangements-" Billa let her eyes leave the page and to stare at the old dwarf.

"Funeral arrangements," she said dryly.

Balin nodded and smiled at her. "Aye, and any other details you should need."

Billa snorted softly, appreciating his honesty. A clearing of a throat next to her made her meet the leader of the company's own eyes questioningly. "I cannot guarantee your safety, nor will I be held responsible for your fate, Miss Baggins." His ice blue eyes were hard as he spoke to her. "Regardless of your gender, you will be treated as any other member of this company, and you will be expected to pull your own weight amongst us. You will receive no special treatment. And you will be expected to be able to defend yourself should anything happen. We cannot afford to be distracted from battle trying to protect you, do I make myself clear?"

Billa held his gaze and nodded in affirmation. "I understand your terms, Mister Oakenshield, and I should expect nothing less. And I can assure you, I can defend myself perfectly fine should the need arise, so you do not have to worry about saving me." He raised a skeptical brow at that, but did not respond other than to turn away and finish the meal before him. Feeling slightly miffed at his rather abrupt dismissal of her, she turned back to the contract and began reading aloud to herself.

"'Cash on delivery, up to and not exceeding one fourteenth of the total profit, if any.' Seems fair enough I reckon. 'The present company shall not be held liable for injuries inflicted or sustained as a consequence thereof including but not limited to lacerations, evisceration-" Billa stopped and stared at the small, neatly written word staring at her from the page. She suddenly had the absurd urge to laugh, but she quelled the urge and continued. "Incineration."

Bofur, more than likely thinking her pause to be one of fright, decided that now was the time to intervene once more. "Think a furnace with wings," he said, taking out his pipe from a pocket in his jacket. "Flash of light, searing pain, then POOF! You're nothing more than a pile of ash!"

Gandalf huffed from his seat in the corner. "You're very helpful Bofur." Bofur must not have picked up on the sarcasm in the wizard's statement –or perhaps he did and was just choosing instead to ignore it– for the dwarf simply smiled in agreement. Billa chuckled softly under her breath, but it quickly faded as she realized everyone's eyes were on her. She took a look at the contract in her hand, then looked around at the dwarves seated at the table. Many of them nodded encouragingly when her eyes landed on them –the most enthusiastic being from Fili, Kili and Bofur– and she couldn't help but feel drawn to them. To this quest.

Billa had heard stories of Erebor from her uncle Lothran. He used to be a guard in the Iron Hills, and was often sent to the great kingdom with other dignitaries. He would spin tales of a mountain large enough to fit the entire kingdom, with halls of glistening jewels and great stone statues of the kings of old. He also told her stories of its fall, and the battles that followed –battles that he was a part of. The reverence in his voice of the once glorious kingdom, the grief of losing one's home, and the bittersweet remembrance of it all was enough to make Billa dream of the mountains long after her family departed.

Gandalf was right –oh how loathe she was to admit. But it was true, what he said. She could help them. She could help these lost souls find their place once more. That thought alone was what truly struck her, and she found herself opening her mouth to agree to it all, when someone spoke before her.

"What is that?" Billa turned to her left to see Thorin staring at her hair –or, more specifically, the Firebeard Clan bead that shone in the candlelight. Billa glanced down at it as well before meeting the prince's eyes. Where his eyes before had been guarded but not unkind, now they looked hard as the stone from which he came. He was glaring at her harshly, suspicion bright in his gaze. A lesser man would have been intimidated by his icy stare.

And yet all Billa could think was, 'These dwarves must be terribly unobservant, if he is just now noticing this.'

"It is a hair bead, Mister Oakenshield," she said simply.

If it was possible, Thorin's glare intensified. "I can see that," he grumbled. "What I want to know is why a hobbit such as yourself has a dwarven Clan bead woven into your braid."

Once more the party fell silent. Billa sighed internally at the dwarves' dramatics, though she couldn't really fault them. Dwarves were a very private race, so this must have aroused some suspicion amongst them.

"I have a clan bead," Billa said, "Because I am part of the Firebeard Clan." Hearing a choking sound behind her, Billa turned to see Bombur, Bofur and Bifur all staring at her in shock. Before she could question them, however, Thorin spoke.

"I find it hard to believe that the Firebeard's allowed an outsider amongst their ranks." The way he spoke to her, with such derision and slight disgust, made Billa's hackles rise.

"My uncle Lothran himself had me sanctioned, along with his wife. He was a guardsman in the Iron Hills, under the employment of your cousin Dain." At the mention of his cousin, Thorin's brows lifted significantly. It seemed he still did not believe her, however, if his still steady glare was anything to go by. Billa huffed and folded her arms across her chest. "I have the papers if you wish to see for yourself."

Balin nodded to her. "If you wouldn't mind dearie," he said with a thin smile. Billa turned to the old dwarf and smiled wanly. She rose once more, and was halted by Gandalf's voice.

"Now, Thorin, what Billa says here is true. I have met her uncle and-"

"It's alright Gandalf," Billa interrupted softly, catching the wizard's gaze. "If they want the proof, then I shall show it to them. If you will excuse me." Without waiting for a response, Billa turned and headed straight for her room where her sanctification papers were.

~0~

Immediately following the hobbit's retreat, chatter broke out amongst the dwarves at her table, mainly from the company's own Firebeards.

"Do you think she's telling the truth?" Bombur asked, looking at his brother and cousin with wide eyes. Bofur stared at the archway that their host disappeared through and slowly shook his head.

"I don't see a reason for her to lie about something like this. And if she is," he added, finally tearing his eyes away from the wood and towards his family. "Then it would explain how she knew so much about beads and greetings and such." He glanced at his cousin, who was chewing thoughtfully on a flower stem. "What do you think, Bifur?"

Bifur thought for a moment. Bofur and Bombur watched their cousin with rapt attention, waiting for his own input. Their cousin had always been immensely intuitive, and after said intuition had saved both of their lives multiple times, they would first get Bifur's opinion on whatever the matter at hand was that they discussed.

The dwarf in mention shook his head slowly. "There is something…different about her," he grunted in Khuzdul. Bofur scoffed.

"You mean besides the fact that she's a Hobbit that's been adopted into a Dwarven clan?"

Bifur turned a scowl onto his cousin. "Yes, you smarmy git, besides that." Bombur raised his eyebrows in question, imploring Bifur to continue. "She's hiding something. I do not believe it is anything that would endanger us, but the Hobbit definitely has some secrets."

"But can we trust her?" Bofur asked insistently. Bifur sighed softly and nodded.

"Aye, I believe we can." Just as the words left his mouth, and ear shattering squawk rang through the Hobbit hole.

"What in the name of Mahal?" The dwarves stopped and reached for their weapons, eyeing the doorway warily. Balin, meanwhile, glanced at his brother.

"Do you think the 'winged demons' have struck again?" he asked, and Dwalin just snorted, but didn't release the hold he had on his steak knife, just in case.

Thorin gave both dwarves a strange look. "'Winged Demons'?" he asked. Before either could answer, Gandalf started chuckling, bringing everyone's attention to himself.

"Oh, our dear host will not be pleased," he said, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"DAMN IT ALL. EL! GET BACK HERE YOU BLOODY DEMON!"

Everyone winced at the shouts that filled the house, then stared wide eyed at each other. Fili whistled lowly while Kili nodded in agreement.

"The Hobbit's got a set of pipes on her, I'll give her that," the youngest prince said in reverence. A glare from their uncle shut him up, but not before Fili's snickers reached everyone's ears.

"Who is she talking to?" Ori asked his brothers who only shrugged in response. There was another crash, a loud squawk, then the sound of feet stomping on wooden floors.

"El! I will turn you into a down pillow if you don't come back here this instant!" Billa's shout sounded closer than before, and everyone hastily sat as they realized that she was making her way towards them.

Suddenly, a large brown blur flew over their heads. Nori shouted in surprise when the creature flew straight into his towering hair, nearly destroying it in the process, before it managed to flutter its way onto the table. Bofur leaned closer to the table, and noticed the spots adorning the dark brown feathers of the creature's chest and the scrolls clutched in its talons.

"It's a falcon," he murmured. The bird's head suddenly snapped in his direction, focusing non blinking amber eyes onto his own dark brown. As they engaged in their silent stare down, Billa finally reentered the room.

"She prefers to be referred to as a merlin, and her name is El." The merlin's head quickly spun around to face their host, and they all noticed the frosty smile the Hobbit directed at the large bird. "Though I refer to her as either 'The Winged Demon' or 'Bane of my Existence'." El huffed rather dramatically for a bird, as if she understood what Billa had just said. The hobbit simply rolled her eyes and slowly lifted her hand, leaving her open palm up. "Hand them over."

The merlin squawked softly, shifting ever so slightly closer to the irritated Hobbit. She simply narrowed her eyes and thrust her hand in the bird's face. "Now, El!" With an actual, honest to Eru squeak, El hopped towards her and released the papers clutched in her foot. Billa huffed and shooed the merlin away with her reclaimed papers. "Get off my table you beast. I don't have any more food so you'll just have to starve for the night." The hobbit said this all very nonchalantly, as if starving a bird was a normal, everyday occurrence in her house. Which, Bofur thought, he couldn't exactly judge, seeing as how he didn't know what the lass's everyday activities consisted of.

He watched as their host calmly ignored the shifty bird on its perch above the fireplace and unrolled the parchments in hand, walking around to Balin. "Here you are," she announced. "These are the papers Lothran gave me just after the ceremony. I wasn't there for it, but they celebrated nonetheless." The hobbit gave the old dwarf a smirk. "I was assured that it was a wonderfully drunken party." Balin chuckled at her statement and began to scour the pieces of parchment in front of him intently. Thorin was still glaring murderously at her, but she gave no indication that she even noticed.

Bofur found himself grinning as he took in the creature before him. She was small, that much was obvious, but she was fiery. There was absolutely no hesitation in her gaze or tone in what the dwarf was silently dubbing "The Great Dressing Down of Thorin Oakenshield" in the hallway that suggested she would give him any special treatment simply because of who he was. She was also compassionate, however, if the agreement to even let complete and utter strangers, and dwarves at that into her own home, but she wasn't pitying. And that, Bofur decided, was what he really liked. Ever since the fall of Erebor, he and his family had either been looked down on –most of the time quite literally, damn their short stature– with either pity or disgust. The fact that neither had shown in this hobbit's eyes had earned her a place in his good books.

Not only that, but the no-nonsense attitude she had with the wizard amused him to no end. Obviously there was history between the two, and not all of it was good. Bofur decided then and there that he would get the details out of her, but for now he just sat back and waited for her fate to be decided.

Balin, meanwhile, was reviewing the documents in his hand with the greatest of scrutiny. While it wasn't unheard of for a person of another race to be adopted into a dwarven clan, it was extremely rare, as dwarves tended to have trust issues when it came to other races. Balin looked over each paper twice, making sure he did not find any mistakes or signs of forgery, but his eyes found none. He glanced up at his king, shaking his head once, before breaking out into a smile and turning to his companions.

"Bifur, Bombur, Bofur, I do believe you've found yourselves a Clan Member," he said brightly. The elderly dwarf chuckled as his hostess was almost immediately tackled in a bear hug from Bofur, and while the action got a few scowls from the dwarves around him (including his brother – Balin would need to speak to his brother about the meaning of the word "subtlety"), Miss Baggins did not seem to mind one bit. She simply laughed heartily and wiggled her arms around his torso to return the hug.

Bofur pulled away and smiled down at her. "Welcome to the family, Miss Baggins," he said cheekily, causing Billa to roll her eyes good-naturedly.

"Honestly, Mister Bofur," she said, "if we are to be family, then I insist you call me Billa. None of that 'Miss Baggins' nonsense." Bofur's smile stretched into a grin as he nodded his acceptance.

"Aye, lass, but only if you drop the 'Mister'." Billa giggled again and nodded in agreement, and the two finally separated, Bofur returning to his seat and Billa taking the papers back from Balin. The Hobbit nodded before taking her seat once more and reading the rest of the contract in front of her. She heard the fluttering of wings near her, and suddenly she was looking down into the dark brown feathers of El's head. Billa glared at the merlin and flicked her gently in the side.

"Do you mind?" she asked, gesturing for the bird to scoot to the side.

El glanced up, then moved slowly away from the contract. "But I want to see what it says!" she exclaimed, squawking in protest when Billa shoved her closer to Thorin.

"Yvanna, El, will you please just let me finish this? I'll find some extra meat for you." Billa watched as the merlin thought about her offer, before accepting the bribe and turning to lock eyes with the prince behind her. Billa chuckled as the two had a silent staring contest, and finally reaching the end of the parchment, signed her name and handed the contract back to Balin.

"Welcome, Miss Baggins, to the Company of Thorin Oakenshield." Billa smiled at the elderly dwarf and fleetingly met the disapproving gaze of their leader. He had finally broken his gaze with the merlin (who looked far too pleased with herself at having bested the dwarf) and let his eyes tell her exactly how much he did not want her joining them. Billa in kind met the stare with her own unimpressed one, raising an eyebrow in challenge. The prince simply huffed and looked once more to the bird in front of him, so he missed the Hobbit rolling her eyes next to him.

"I definitely have my work cut out for me," she thought, sighing internally. "It's going to be a long journey, Billa."