A/N: This epilogue is dedicated to all of you- for reading and reviewing and being altogether awesome people.

This wasn't part of the original plan. I wrote this for you. THANK YOU!

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"It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end… because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it's only a passing thing… this shadow. Even darkness must pass." -J.R.R. Tolkien, The Two Towers.

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November, 2024

Eureka, California

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They called it the Before. Before the plague. Before the vaccine. Before the world went to hell in a hand-basket. People sometimes talked about what life was like Before; about who they had been or what they had done. Bilbo Baggins didn't care much about the Before. What mattered most to him was the now. The After.

A lot had happened in the five years After the fall of Valinor, so much so that it was almost difficult for Bilbo to keep it all straight. The first year was spent traveling, going first to Mirkwood and then on to the other Protection Camps, vaccinating survivors as they went. They made stops at Rivendell University and several other areas of interest, but outside of the camps there were precious few people left. In Lake Town they found no survivors.

The absence of life that had blanketed the world with eerie silence gave way almost instantly to the twitter of birds and snuffling of animals. It was as if the creatures themselves had reawakened after a nightmare and crawled restlessly back into the sun. Mahal's Pride gathered people as they went, those who did not wish to stay in the camps, those who had no family left, the children of diaspora. By the time the vaccine ran low they had accumulated nearly 300 people and decided it was time to carve out a home for themselves.

Eureka, California was located on the shores of the Humboldt Bay and boasted forests of redwood trees and abandoned gold mines. Named for the Greek word meaning "I have found it!", Eureka was the perfect place to re-forge the world. There was lumber for building, an ocean ripe for fishing, and the prospect for more trades as their community grew. The climate was mild enough that they could survive without the comforts of Before. In short, it was paradise.

Stormcrow came and went a dozen times over the span of years. Each time he would leave without a word and return without fanfare after months away. Sometimes he would have a small group of survivors with him, brought back from the far reaches of the country. Other times he would return torn and gaunt, as if he had been engaged in a long battle. Mahal began talking of travel not long after they settled in Eureka. At first he had wanted Ori to go with him, to be his Voice, but the boy had put his foot down. He wouldn't leave his family or his new home. Mahal relented and began to take trips outside of Eureka with Stormcrow. What they saw or where they went was almost never discussed, but no one in the camp could argue that things ran smoother when the two were not around. It was obvious that they knew more about the world and its downfall than they had ever let on, but that knowledge was closely guarded, and there was precious little time to consider it when there was so much work to be done.

Bilbo looked back on the years After the re-forging with a fair amount of fondness. Sometimes he thought it strange that he had any fond feelings for a time when the world was barely over its worst, but the fact remained that feelings couldn't be changed and he wasn't quite certain he would alter them even were he able. The company of Mahal's Pride had become a close-knit family, leaders in their new community, and Bilbo was proud of each and every one of them.

Gloin had been reunited with his wife and son in Mirkwood. The constant air of worry that hung over him had faded and he turned out to be a caring, jovial family man. His son, Gimli, never tired of hearing his father's part in saving the world- a story Gloin was always eager to retell. He became a father for the second time mere months after settling in Eureka. Though he never regained mobility in his shattered arm, Gloin proved himself able by using his computer and technology skills to teach the others how to build hand-crank generators using copper and magnets.

Oin carried the heavy weight of guilt for having created the GOBO Virus long after everyone else had moved on. There was no time for grudges or old hurts when there was so much to do and so many things to be thankful for. Oin worked tirelessly with the few other medical professionals from Before to train a new generation of field surgeons, midwives, and medics. He sewed up wounds, made poultices, developed vaccines, and delivered babies. He never forgave himself.

Bombur had met a woman during their internment in Mirkwood and was surprised to find her with child when they returned with the vaccine. They proved to be a good match and set about trying to repopulate the world on their own, with four children in five years. Bombur skillfully managed the stockrooms, though he could often be found sneaking treats to the children who clustered around his legs.

Bofur became a doting uncle to every small child tottering around After the re-forging, creating games with the young ones and watching after them while their parents worked. He gladly helped with repairing homes and felling trees, but refused to set foot inside the mines once they were reopened. Though tattered and torn, his beloved hat never left his head. He never spoke a word of life Before.

Bifur took the loss of his eye in stride, though the lack of depth perception made it too dangerous for him to resume work as a miner. Instead, he worked in the forges, teaching others how to turn the raw materials into useful things like nails and hinges and knives. With the scraps leftover from forging, Bifur created elaborate statues depicting scenes from their quest with startling detail. Even though the scar on his head and garbled speech make him seem frightening at first, it didn't take long for all the children to realize Bifur was nothing more than a giant teddy bear for them to play with.

Dori found life After the re-forging to be very uncivilized. He missed his office, and his freshly pressed suit jackets, and his imported tea leaves. What he missed most of all was knowing his brothers were out of danger. Even though the plague was virtually gone, Nori and Ori had seen and done so much on their quest that neither boy had come out the same. While Nori played up his role as hero, Ori seemed to fight with the demons in his mind. But Dori was proud of them both, more proud then he'd ever let on. And he could do without his office, and his suits, and his tea- just so long as his brothers were safe.

Nori wore his missing fingers like a badge of honor, using his part in the fall of Morgoth to gain renown and favor. There were very few young women who survived the plague, but Nori made sure to flirt with each and every one of them. He was also good about including all the young men in his dice games, though they usually left with fewer sweets and coins than what they started with. Nori was seldom found doing actual work, most of the time finding convenient excuses for turning down a job or simply disappearing into the shadows. What he actually did with the majority of his time was a mystery to everyone.

Ori and Dwalin developed a close friendship that surprised everyone- themselves included. With the world re-forged Mahal spent more and more time away from Eureka and Ori stayed behind. Without his job as Voice, he found himself at loose ends about where he fit in. There was too much knowledge in his head, too many things that couldn't be unseen, and no one seemed to understand what it was like to hold the dark inside. When he was alone at night Ori called on the knowledge of the gods and wrote down all the names of those who died. He wrote until his fingers bled and and his shoulders ached and his vision blurred. It was only Dwalin who could stay his hand. Dwalin, who had seen unspeakable horrors during the wars, knew what it meant to be haunted by your own actions and thoughts. He had been helping teach combat to some of the older teenagers and noticed the bleakness in Ori's eyes. Dwalin went to Ori's room that night to talk and never left. Whether it was friendship or something more even they weren't sure, but some of the ghosts left Ori's eyes and Dwalin laughed a little more often.

Balin took it upon himself to educate the younger members of their community. Many of the children had been without schooling for years and he refused to let the knowledge he'd accumulated during his lifetime fade away. The After was especially hard on Balin, who had lost his faith only to come face-to-face with the gods themselves. Even so, he focused on the small things that brought him a measure of peace- his brother's happiness, the new babies being born into a safer world, his friends prospering in their new lives.

Fíli and Kíli came of age during the re-forging and had grown from frightened young boys into men. It took almost two years before either boy was comfortable enough in their new home to be away from each other for more than a few hours, and even after five years they were still customarily together. Even so, both boys had found their own places in the community and thrived brilliantly. Fíli discovered a knack for teaching and spent most of his days helping instruct the younger children in math and reading- anything that could be useful in their new lives. At night he would oftentimes be found in one of the community areas, reading out loud from The Odyssey or one of the other books they managed to save. Kíli, with his boundless energy, surprised everyone when he declared his intent to learn archery. With an uncharacteristic and intense focus, he practiced long and hard until he became one of the best archers in Eureka. Much of the food that got them through the rough seasons was thanks to his skill with a bow.

Bilbo and Thorin finally had the chance to have a proper go at a relationship. It was tricky at first, trying to figure out how they fit together in a relatively normal situation. In some ways, they had to get to know each other all over again. Thorin learned that Bilbo was a planner- that he could manage and prioritize like no one else. And he found out the hard way not to get in Bilbo's way when he was in the middle of a project, because the smaller man's wrath was devastating. Bilbo discovered that Thorin had a goofy sense of humor and an easy smile. It was startling to see after so many months of stoic fatalism, but it was a welcome sight all the same. They didn't learn these things overnight, or even in the course of a year. In fact, five years After the defeat of Morgoth, they were still learning new things about each other and themselves. Thorin preferred his eggs scrambled. Bilbo didn't know how to swim. Thorin was dreadful at gardening. Bilbo loved being barefoot in the summer. But they were both passionate about each other, their boys, their friends, and their new home. And though it was nothing like a fairy tale, they got their happy ending.

Bilbo Baggins expected to find a lot of things at the end of the world. He expected death and destruction and hopelessness. He never expected Mahal's Pride, thirteen of the best and brightest friends anyone could ever ask for. He never expected a family, but that's exactly what he found. Eureka.

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