Thanks to all who had read this fanfic! Really, I feel nostalgic by having to finish it, but everything in life ends xD Anyway, thank you so much, you made me very happy with your comments, private messages that encouraged me to keep writting, I know that had been difficult being patient with me and I just want to say thank you... xD Well, enough of my sentimentality, I leave you with the final chapter, hope you like it. : D

Chapter 15

"There is no story about real love that has a happy ending.

If it is love, it will never end. And if it has an end, it won't be happy."

Bilbo realized Smaug had changed and that made him run faster. He did not understand why the dragon had become so vulnerable in front of them. If all of them wanted to kill him and now he made the things easy for them. The hobbit felt desperate and suddenly the distance that separated him from Smaug looked so far, he could barely breathe, but he did not care, he just wanted to get there on time.

He had to do something. And then he noticed that Legolas raised his bow and he pointed his arrow to Smaug's heart and the dragon did nothing to try to defend himself.

"As you wish, dragon" Legolas said, raising his bow.

Dwarves tensed, waiting for the skin-changer reacts and transform again. They were afraid of him and, in fact, still did not believe in his words. Why a powerful creature would give up so easily? Why would he want death?

But Smaug did not move, he seemed indifferent to everything around him, except for his eyes, they hide all the pain that consumed him...

"Wait, Legolas" said Gandalf, he approached to the dragon who looked impassive. "I want to know... Why?"

Smaug 's face was covered with a shadow of sadness , just as the dwarves thought he could not be more cold and indifferent, the pain on his face made them change his mind.

"I want Bilbo to be free," said Smaug .

The wizard silently looked at the skin-changer, as if he was to look for something else in his eyes. Suddenly Gandalf seemed genuinely surprised.

"We came here to destroy you" started the wizard, "it's true. I just came here for that. Because I was afraid that you decided to join our enemies..."

"And he will do it if we don't stop him! What are you waiting, why don't you kill him at once?" exclaimed the man who was with them.

No one said a word in a while, the man's despair had left them speechless. He seemed anxious for someone to end with the dragon, but he did not dare to approach him.

Gandalf raised one of his white eyebrows at him.

"Do it, if you think it's the right thing to do," said the wizard. Legolas, a little confused, lowered the bow and looked at Gandalf.

The man began to tremble, his eyes widened in fear. He looked toward the dragon, who put his hands behind his back as a sign that he would not offer resistance. The man drew his sword and approached Smaug, but stopped immediately, dropping the sword to the ground. He shook his head.

"You never should suggest things to others that you are not willing to do by yourself," said Gandalf and turned back to the dragon.

"Don't let him... don't let no one hurt Bilbo" Smaug said, and everyone looked at him.

Fili and Kili were simply too stunned to remember that Smaug was really the dragon had caused the destruction they had around. The other dwarves still could not believe what they had heard.

The elf raised the bow again.

But before the wizard could speak, before any of the dwarves could know what exactly was going on, a little creature ran toward them and put his arms around the dragon's waist. Thorin came behind him, but he did not approach, he just watched in silence.

"No, Legolas , please!" exclaimed the little hobbit .

Smaug bowed and took Bilbo's face in his hands. Suddenly, the impassivity the dragon had worked so hard to keep were broken and his eyes showed a deep concern.

"How'd you get out of the mountain, Bilbo?" He asked. "You had to stay there, it was safer. Are you okay? Did someone hurt you?"

Smaug took few steps away from Bilbo, and his eyes began to observe him carefully, looking for any wound.

"I'm fine" the hobbit said, smiling slightly as he realized how much the dragon cared about him. "But that doesn't matter now, I will not let them kill you..."

To the astonishment of the Company, Smaug stroked Bilbo's cheek, tenderly. He smiled, but the smile did not reach his eyes. The skin-changer looked sad.

"Don't worry, Bilbo, I asked them to do. This is what I want."

The hobbit moved away, as if he had been hit. He was surprised and hurt. From his eyes big tears began to flow. And that was something that Smaug could not bear. He went to Bilbo and his hands began to clean the crystal drops that rolled down his cheeks.

"Why did you want to leave me?" Bilbo sobbed.

Smaug placed his forehead on the hobbit's.

"You don't understand, the problem is precisely that I don't want to leave you. So I have to do this" said the dragon as if every word that went out of his mouth hurt him. I thought I might be able to leave you here, for you to be happy with someone else... But I'm selfish, Bilbo, very selfish. I wouldn't bear to stay away from you for long, sooner or later, I would return to this mountain and take you with me, again. The only way you can be free and happy is if I 'm dead."

Smaug approached the hobbit and smiled. By what he said, he seemed to be willing to be destroyed and let Bilbo be happy without him, but his body betrayed him; his hands seemed to refuse to release the hobbit.

"Bilbo... Why did you come? You're making this so hard for me" smiled the dragon, with sadness in his eyes.

The hobbit put his arms around Smaug's neck.

"No, you don't understand, I want to stay with you," Bilbo said.

The dragon looked completely shocked, he looked happy. He moved closer to the hobbit, as if he was desperate to be with him.

"Is it true?"

"Yes ," said Bilbo, "we have to get out of here, far away from here."

"No, he cannot go! How do we know he will not return and take it all again? How do we know that he will not destroy our cities, our villages?" the man started to say. However, his biggest mistake was not to have said that, but take Bilbo by the arm and pulled him away from the dragon.

Suddenly, without anyone noticing Thorin had moved and he approached the man and threatened him with his sword.

"I will cut off your head if you don't release him in this moment" he growled.

But the man did not even have time to start fearing the king under the mountain when Smaug's eyes turned yellow and the rest of his body became the great dragon that had taken hold of Erebor .

"If you hurt him, I'll kill you" the dragon roared and the human was not the only one who winced at his words. All dwarves tensed and prepared to defend themselves.

The man unhanded the hobbit immediately. And Bilbo, a bit dazed, approached the dragon to try to calm him.

"Are you okay?" asked the dragon, bending his neck to approach his head to the hobbit.

Bilbo stroked him, feeling his cold scales under their hand.

"Do not worry," he said. "Just get me out of here"

The hobbit turned to his friends and looking at them trying to tell them how sorry he was to leave them."

"I'm sorry, Gandalf."

But the magician smiled. Legolas put down his bow.

Finally, Bilbo moved close to Thorin.

"You will be a great king ," he said. He knew that even if he wanted he could not say anything more, his heart still felt hurt by being separated from him.

Thorin threw his arms around him and kissed him on the lips. Smaug growled and Bilbo, fearing the reaction of the dragon, moved away from the king of the dwarves.

"I wish you luck, halfling. I hope you'll be happy" said Thorin and then, turning to Smaug, he added. "Make him happy, did you hear me, dragon?"

Smaug growled back and took Bilbo carefully in his claws .

"Farewell Thorin, son of Thrain, son of Thror" the dragon said.

And the king of the dwarves watched them, thinking maybe he was cursed, because that dragon always ended taking something he wanted so much.

"Do it again, do it again!" Frodo exclaimed enthusiastically.

"All right, but you must promise not to tell anyone my secret."

The little hobbit nodded fervently, he was too excited.

"I promise."

Frodo watched intently as he approached the fire and blew softly, but his lips did not release air, but a beautiful fire that reached the wood and lit the fireplace with red, orange and yellow fire, whose colors are harmoniously mixed up to produce heat that spread throughout the room.

Bilbo opened the door and, when he arrived to the living room, he felt happy to see Smaug, sitting on the couch fully clothed, knowing that he disliked that, but the hobbit had told him he had to wear something on when any of his guests was at home.

But the smile faded from his lips when he saw the fire in the fireplace and Frodo sitting on the floo, watching it closely.

"Smaug, I told you not..."

But the dragon was already up off the couch and had taken him in his arms, kissed him before he could finish the sentence. Bilbo flushed.

"I'm glad that after all this time you still shudder when I kiss you" Smaug said, near his neck. "That means you still don't get tired of me."

Bilbo frowned.

"I didn't shudder" he said though he knew that was a lie "I told you not to do that in front of Frodo."

But the little hobbit was too fascinated with the fireplace to pay attention.

Bilbo turned away and sat on the couch. Frodo finally heard him and approached him.

"Tell me a story, please!" he asked him.

The Hobbit smiled, he lifted him and placed him on his lap. Smaug sat next to them, but he did not seem quite satisfied.

"Frodo, I met your friend Sam this morning," said the dragon before Bilbo began to talk, "and he told me he had to show you something important."

"Something important?" the little hobbit seemed to have forgotten about the story.

Smaug nodded.

"Yes, too important. Why don't you go and looking for him?"

Frodo jumped from Bilbo's lap and headed for the door.

"See you tomorrow!" the little hobbit said before leaving.

Bilbo crossed his arms and looked sternly at Smaug.

"You lied" he accused.

The dragon smiled.

"I had no choice. It seemed he did not want to leave soon..."

"I thought you liked him"

Smaug leaned over Bilbo and took him in his arms.

"I like him, but not when he tries to steal your attention. Whe he is around you don't look at me."

The hobbit laughed.

"You don't have to be jealous of Frodo... Also, you have me at nights."

Smaug's eyes darkened immediately. His lips began to caress Bilbo's neck.

"But I would prefer to have you the whole day" he said hoarsely.

Smaug began to unbutton his shirt, but Bilbo stopped him; his expression had become sad.

"What is it?" asked the dragon.

Bilbo let Smaug take him closer, but he did not respond at that moment.

"What will happen to us after death? What if there is nothing after that? What if we can't be together?"

Smaug kissed him on the forehead. He did not like seeing his hobbit sad, but he could not help but feel a certain joy to see him so worried about it, because that meant he needed him. It was not just him who was suffering when he woke in the mornings until he felt Bilbo's body close to his. He did not want to think it was all just a dream.

"I told you, we will meet again in another life" the dragon replied.

"But if I see you and I don't remember you?" asked Bilbo.

Smaug smiled and kissed him on the lips.

"That doesn't matter, Bilbo. Although I don't remember you, I know when I see you I will fall in love with you and I'll try to make you love me again."