YBOMH

Without even a moment's pause Ori, who had been standing in the doorway as soon as he had heard Bilbo's scream, raced off to find his brother. Nori appeared in the doorway a few moments later with his younger brother and didn't even seem surprised by the commotion he saw there.

Thorin noticed the thief in the doorway and gestured for him to join the dwarf king in the corner of the room where Thorin had been conversing in hushed tones with Dwalin.

"I need your help" Thorin told Nori in hushed tones so as not to wake the finally unconscious hobbit. He quickly filled the thief in on what had happened in the market.

Nori remained calm and collected through most of the story but Thorin noticed a hardness growing in his eyes and a small frown that twisted into a full blown snarl as Thorin told him of the hobbit's symptoms. Nori stalked quietly over to the edge of the hobbit's bed in order to not wake him and began making his own analysis of the symptoms. Once done he gestured for Thorin to follow him out of the room.

Thorin looked to Dwalin in a silent plea to stay with Bilbo, to which Dwalin silently agreed with an inclination of his head.

In the hall, Nori gave Thorin a brief summary of what he had found.

"It's not any poison I know, but some of the symptoms are related to Nightmare's burn, a common poison used in assassinations. We need to act fast if we are to save him. Most Assassins who know their trade well will carry the antidote on their persons in case of accidents. We need to find the two who attacked you."

Thorin nodded his head. "How much time do we have?" he asked, not truly desiring the answer but needing to ask all the same.

"No more than a night. The effects of the poison are meant to act fast."

Thorin's breath caught in his chest at the answer. There was a moment of silence before a furious need began to boil within Thorin's gut, driving his heartbeat up and his thoughts into a frenzy. The need to go, to do something and not just let his hobbit die, the need to kill raged through his very being.

"We have no more time to waste."

Nori nodded before slipping out of the room and returning moments later with a small bag Thorin had never seen before, in hand. He gestured for Thorin to proceed him into The Dwarf king's room before closing the door and starting to pull things from the bag.

A neatly folded pile of black cloth came first, then a pair of soft leather boots, followed shortly by several daggers, a small pile of thin, oddly shaped metal pieces on a ring, a coil of rope, a small leather box held closed with a silver buckle and a short hollow tube made of intricately carved steel.

Nori sorted through the clothes before handing a pile to Thorin and keeping a pile for himself. Nori also handed Thorin a small piece of leather "It's for your hair." Thorin frowned and looked back at the thief "Trust me. You won't want your hair in the way if we have to fight in close quarters or get creative with our sneaking." Thorin nodded once in acknowledgement. Nori left him to change.

The pile of black cloth consisted of a black tunic and pants, two black vambraces and what looked to be black leg guards, and a pair of soft black leather boots. Thorin quickly shed his own clothes and replaced them with the things he had been given.

When Nori returned he was also clothed in all black with a leather belt around his waist holding several daggers and a belt going over one shoulder and across his chest which appeared to hold several finger length pointed needles and the thin metal tube. He gave Thorin a once over before nodding his approval and handing the dwarf king black leather scabbard and belt like the one he wore around his own chest.

"I thought you'd want Orcrist. Strap it to your back and keep it tight. We can afford to be slowed down by bulky items."

Thorin took the scabbard and the belt and placed Orcrist inside before strapping the entire thing around himself and pulling it tight.

"Your majesty, it's now time to say your goodbyes." Nori spoke softly "We must go."

Thorin nodded and left the room without another word, silently opening the door and stepping back into Bilbo's room.

Dwalin looked up from his seated position in the only chair in the room which he had dragged to the side of Bilbo's bed not currently occupied by Oin who was bathing the hobbit's forehead with a cool rag. The room itself was hot to the point of being uncomfortable with the fire in the corner of the room blazing.

Thorin did not notice the look of surprise that Dwalin gave at his appearance, too absorbed with the fragile being on the bed. He crossed the room in three strides. Bilbo looked even smaller and frailer than he had when Thorin had left the room less than an hour ago. Thorin's fear solidified into a small writhing thing, slipping and sliding along his insides and pooling low in his gut at the sight.

Leaning down slowly and carefully so as not to wake Bilbo, he bent till his face was right next to the hobbit's ear, with one hand carding gently through his sweat-damp bangs. "Hold on, Bilbo. I'll be back soon. Please stay alive till then, my love. We have so many things to discuss." Bilbo pulled back to look at the hobbit's face reluctantly before leaning down and pressing a kiss on his brow.

Taking a minute to gather his wits and with one last glance Thorin turned and walked from the room, refusing to allow himself to look back as if this was the last time he would see his hobbit. He met Nori in the hall and followed him into the night.

Thorin had never had to sneak about in the ways they did that night. Being a prince never had required much sneaking about after all and the escape from the mountain had required even less silence. To that end Thorin would admit, if pressed, that he was very grudgingly impressed by Nori's skills.

The dwarf seemed to be made of the very shadows they found themselves surrounded by. The normal clomping and stomping that heralded the arrival of a dwarf was not present when Nori moved. He was like liquid, silently flowing through cracks and crannies. He flitted from shadow to shadow on silent feet on their way to the meeting place. Thorin was not nearly as quiet or as quick.

Eventually Thorin was forced to choose between silence and speed, and since time was of the essence he threw away all notions of stealth. The soft boots that Nori had given him helped immensely compared to the normal metal tipped one he usually wore but they were by no means perfect.

The dwarves were headed for the docks where Nori had sent word to be met. When asked, Nori had merely thrown a smirk over his shoulder and stated that "Three days is more than enough time to set up a network." To be honest Thorin was surprised by the thief's quick thinking and was even more grateful for his ability to always get information no matter where he found himself.

The docks were eerily silent, nothing but the sound of gentle waves lapping against the dock posts. As Thorin followed Nori they approached a darkened corner of the wharf, the corner of a small shack taking shape in the darkness as Thorin's eyes adjusted. During their approach the shadows shifted as a tall spindly shadow separated from the shadow of the building.

It was a man, thin and spiderlike, with long legs and thin oily hair that hung limply around his angular face. Thorin would loath to admit he was surprised by then man's sudden appearance and his unease grew as the man turned his head their way and his face split into a wide smile that held too many teeth to look natural. Thorin stiffened and had to mentally stop the shiver that wanted to roll down his spine.

Nori stopped about two feet away from the man and nodded in acknowledgement in his direction. "Webs won't weave themselves."

"A spider must work for his food" Replied the man his grin growing impossibly wider "Welcome my new friends, what may I do for yourselves?"

The man's words seemed to drip from his lips, thick and oily, making Thorin mentally cringe.

"Araneae, what whispers exist of an attack in the market? Two would be assassins, human."

The man paused and crooked his head, one bony hand running through his hair. "There is talk of a hobbit being attacked. One that walks with a Dwarf King." He shifted his gaze to Thorin and bent his body into a crooked bow. "Your majesty"

Thorin inclined his head in a terse nod of acknowledgement.

"Where are these attackers?" prompted Nori, drawing Araneae's attention away from Thorin.

"Now, now little fly. Do you have something to give in return? A Spider must work for his food."

Nori looked to Thorin, as if weighing his options. Seeming to reach a conclusion, Nori turned back to the man.

"How much is this answer worth little fly?" Araneae's eyes seemed to glint in the shadows.

Nori reached under his left vambraces and pulled free a very thin slip of paper, folded twice.

Araneae's eyes shifted and his smile fell at the sight of the paper. "Is that what I think it is?"

"A day's ride east from Laketown there lies a small inn. Knock twice on the door, then open it. Inside you will find an old man sitting in a chair by the fire. Tell him the words on the page and he will give you a choice. Do with it as you will." Said Nori holding the paper out to Araneae, who was staring at the paper greedily. He tried to take the paper but Nori pulled away before he could grab it. "First our answer."

Aracheae blinked as if to clear his thoughts "Top floor of Old May's Inn. Window farthest to the north. Two humans, one male the other female. Be wary of the female. She holds the power of the two."

Nori nodded his thanks and handed the man the slip of paper with a final warning. "Memorize the words then destroy the paper. Elsewise it will destroy you."

Aracheae snatched the paper and it disappeared down his sleeve in one smooth motion. "You better hurry. Poison acts fast in a small body." The smile was back in full force, teeth sharp and long in the dark before the man slipped back into the shadows and vanished.

Thorin looked to Nori. "What did you give him?"

Nori looked at the Dwarf king. "Something's are better unknown, my King. There are places and things in this world not meant to found. Things that will offer you everything and then eat you alive. It's best you forget this ever happened. Now we must finish this in all haste. He did not lie about there being not much time."

Thorin frowned but accepted the answer, messing with dark things never ends well. And they already have more trouble on this quest than they would ever need.

The two set off once more into the darkness of the night. Nori pushing their pace faster than before as he wove his way smoothly from street to street.

They finally stopped at an Inn, a large, bulbous sign hanging from above the door featuring a large breasted woman holding a pie in one hand and a huge stein of ale in the other. The smaller painted sign below proclaiming this to be Old May's Inn. Thorin followed Nori as his crept around the inn until they had a clear view of the uppermost Northern window.

The building next to Inn seemed to have been built entirely too close to the Inn and its roof happened to be just below the window they needed. Nori climbed from window sill to window sill until he pulled himself onto the roof and crept over to the window as Thorin kept watch from the street below. After getting a good look at the layout of the roof and window he gestured to Thorin to follow, which the Dwarf king did at a much slower and less graceful pace.

Thorin's adrenaline was increasing with each passing second as they crouched on the roof and peered carefully through the glass of the window panes. Too much time was passing. They had to get back to Bilbo, Now!

Nori, as if sensing his king's thought's gestured to Thorin to stay before he crawled to the window sill on his stomach until he was peering directly into the room. He was still for several minutes while Thorin mentally weighed the pros and cons of just bursting through the window with sword drawn.

He was interrupted from his thoughts by Nori's return and his gesture to back away to the furthest point on the roof from the window.

"They are both there. The male is sitting in a chair by the fireplace to the left of the window cleaning his blades. The female is to the right inside the window lounging on the bed. They are speaking but it is not in a language I recognize. Our best plan might be to just attack and hope the element of surprise is enough, your majesty."

Thorin slide Orcrist from his back scabbard with a soft shnick. "Then let's not waste any more time."

Nori nodded before pulling out two knives, gripping them tightly. A wicked looking smile stretched across his face. "Let's not wait then, our burglar needs us."

They both crept back to the window and each took position on a side. With a nod of approval from Thorin, Nori reached over and used his blade to flick the latch on the window and without a moment's pause he threw himself through the window, followed immediately by Thorin.

As soon as he was through the window, Nori threw one of his daggers at the man by the fire who deflected with the sword he had been cleaning, but the blade had served its distraction purpose and the next thing the man saw was an angry dwarf flying at him at tackling him out of the chair.

The man landed with a hard thud but quickly rolled out of the path of the following dagger, which embedded itself deep within the wood of the floor. Nori left it and grabbed one of his needles from his chest and flicked it deftly at the man who had rolled to his feet. The needle grazed the man's cheek before embedding in the wood of the window sill. The Man laughed as he absentmindedly whipped at the scratch with the back of his hand, eyes never once leaving Nori's.

Meanwhile Thorin had erupted from the window and thrown himself towards the bed where the female lay. Before he reached his goal, the girl rolled to the other side of the bed and onto the ground, grabbing her sword from where it lay on the floor near the bed.

She growled and unsheathed it, tossing the scabbard behind her where it hit the wall with a clatter.

Thorin found himself taking up a defensive position as she snarled something that sounded like a rather unpleasant curse word as she stalked towards him. She threw herself at him with an over the head strike which Thorin blocked and used her moment against her to throw her off to the side and on to the ground.

He took one step towards her before she was up and attacking again. This time they exchanged several blows before he was able to push her back.

"Give it to me!" Thorin snarled rage and fear flooding his veins and making his vision go red. He slashed at her shoulder which she caught with her own sword and deflected. She smirked at him before spitting several more foreign words at him.

Enraged he charged her, striking again and again at her sudden defense.

Nori and the man were also engaged in a one on one struggle at this point with the man having the obvious size advantage. But many a man had underestimated Nori's speed and agility when faced with his size and the thief was not about to lose with so much at stake. He parried every thrust of the man's sword with his daggers, thrusting the tip of the sword away from his body with each attack.

Seeing his opening he threw one of his daggers wildly at the man's face which the man dodged easily with a loud scoff. But the dagger had done its job to buy Nori a distraction and he rolled away from the man while fishing the thin tube from where it sat against his chest. He loaded the first needle and blew, shooting it straight into the male's left eye.

The man let out a yowl and immediately pulled out the offending object, clutching his eye with one hand as blood pooled from between his fingers. Nori wasted no time in loading a second needle and blowing but this time the man dodged it.

Nori swore under his breath as he fumbled with the next needle but the man had pulled a glass vile filled with blue liquid from his waist pouch which he threw in Nori's direction.

The vile hit the floor and exploded, throwing Nori against the back wall, knocking the wind out of his lungs and the sight out of his eyes. He slide down the wall to the floor and sat there gasping for air with lungs that were refusing to cooperate.

Thorin saw the explosion and Nori hit the wall from his own battle and he lost his advantage with the pause. He shouted Nori's name and was thrown to the ground with the female on top of him minutes later.

She followed him down, throwing all of her weight behind her dagger she'd drawn from her belt thrusting it towards his neck, but Thorin twisted as they fell and her dagger missed and became embedded in the floor. She changed tactics and released the dagger in favor of pressing her forearm tightly to his throat, closing off the air supply.

Laughing she pressed down harder as Thorin tried to throw her off. "How's that lovely hobbit of your's doing, your majesty?" She taunted the choking king, "Is he dead yet?" She reached her free arm behind her back and slid a small vile of light green liquid into view. "Too bad you couldn't save him." She held the vile in front of his eyes as his vision began to darken. She laughed triumphantly as she pressed her entire weight down on Thorin's throat.

Suddenly there was a loud crash to their left and the woman's head jerked up and the pressure on Thorin's throat eased. She shouted something in her language that sounded like a name. Thorin used her distraction to change the score and he used what was left of his strength to knock her arm away and roll her under him.

During the short struggle, the bottle of antidote fell from the woman's hand and hit the ground with a sharp clink. Both Thorin and the female rolled apart, eyes darting to where the vile of antidote lay.

Seeing his chance, Nori slid from where his opponent lay unconscious and snatched up the bottle, throwing it to Thorin in one swift motion as he threw himself at the woman.

"Go!" Nori barked, as he took up Thorin's fight with the female "Save Bilbo!"

Thorin didn't have to be told twice. He caught the bottle in one hand and raced out the door. If what the woman had said was true then they may be already too late.

Bilbo was floating. Rising higher and higher above the flames. Leaving behind the pain and fear. He felt good, light. No longer burning and screaming till his voice felt rubbed raw.

'I could float forever and be happy' he thought fondly. But there was still a small niggling sensation in the back of his consciousness. There was something wrong with this reality. Bilbo was sure he was supposed to be worried about something. Or that something was missing. Or both.

He mentally furrowed his brow as he tried to remember what had been so important. Why had he been on fire? When had the adventure gone so horribly wrong?

It was his next thought that gave him pause. Where is Thorin?

Why isn't he here? Where did he go? Why would he leave? Bilbo became more and more frantic with each passing thought. If someone had asked Bilbo at that moment why Thorin was so important, it is unclear whether he would have had an answer. All he knew was he needed Thorin. Thorin would make everything better.

So Bilbo struggled. He struggled against the fog that was blocking his sight and making his thoughts hazy.

Slowly but surely he began to fall. At first just a gentle descent but then he started gaining speed in his fall until he was plummeting to the Earth at a frightening speed. He was nothing but a brilliant light screaming back towards the ground and slamming forcefully back into his body. Right back into the fire and screams and pain.

Bilbo threw open his eyes and let out a soul-wrenching scream of pure pain.

Thorin had just entered the room and was standing by the hobbit's bedside, making sure he was still truly alive with each rise and fall of his chest. Just as Thorin was about to leave to get Oin, Bilbo's eyes suddenly snapped wide and he let out one of the most horrifying sounds Thorin had ever heard. A scream so awful it was sure to haunt Thorin's nightmare more than Azog ever had.

Thorin flew back to the bed and grasped the Halfling's shoulders to hold him down to the bed and to stop the frenzied tearing of skin the hobbit was trying to inflict upon himself. Each time nails met skin a bloody furrow was left behind as if Bilbo was trying to tear his very flesh apart.

"Bilbo" shouted Thorin over his screams "Be still so we can help you!"

But Bilbo continued to fight and Thorin was forced to release his grip so that he could hand the antidote over to Oin. As soon as it was safely in Oin's grasp, Thorin threw himself on top of Bilbo, Straddling his hips to keep the Hobbit's legs from flailing. He then grabbed Bilbo's hands and forcibly pried them away from where he was trying to peel the very flesh from his chest. Thorin restrained Bilbo by pressing both of his hands against the mattress on either side of his head.

This brought Thorin face to face with his ailing hobbit. Thorin's vision was filled with the bloodshot eyes and frantic expression of his hobbit caught in a terrifying feverish nightmare.

As Thorin held his patient steady, Oin un-corked the bottle and poured the light green liquid down Bilbo's throat with a deftness that spoke of years of training. The liquid found its way down Bilbo's throat, halting the screams and replacing them with a harsh, wet coughing sound as Bilbo swallowed roughly.

There were several heartbeats of absolute stunning silence as both Oin and Thorin waited for any sign of reaction. Thorin's heart shattered the very moment Bilbo's eyes clouded and then fell closed as a huge shuddering gasp left his body.

Thorin stared down at his hobbit, all thoughts of Oin forgotten as he leaned forward, disbelieving. He let go of the hobbits wrist to hover a hand over Bilbo's heart, feeling for movement, over his mouth to feel for breath.

"No" He exhaled, body growing numb as his search became frantic "NO!"

He grabbed Bilbo's shoulders and gave them a rough shake, trying to wake Bilbo up from the sudden sleep he had fallen into. With each harsh jerk of his arms Bilbo's head lulled back and forth on loose muscles and tendons, completely limp.

"Bilbo…" Thorin whispered quietly. He cradled the hobbit to his chest for a moment before gently placing him back on the bed.

He leaned closer to Bilbo's face, bringing his lips right next to one delicate pointed ear.

"Bilbo" he whispered brokenly, "Wake up. Come back to me, my hobbit. I need you here with me." He choked back a harsh sob as he continued his whisperings "Come back love, I need you. Please Bilbo. Please love, come back now. Open your eyes. Please."

Thorin continued to beg, his pleas falling on silent ears.

Suddenly fury boiled through his veins, a white hot rage that erupted from his soul outward at this injustice. He threw himself back and bellowed at the ceiling "Mahal, you cannot have him! He is not yours to take. Bring him back now! Please give him back. I need him. I need you my love"

He turned his attention back to the prone form of his hobbit to continue his frantic whispers into a single ear, which eventually dissolved into a frantic chant of "please" as tears began to fall from his eyes to the pillows below.

He was so occupied with his grief that he failed to notice the quiet intake of breath in the hobbit beneath him. That is until the silence of the room was broken by one quiet, tired sound.

"Tho-rin"

The Dwarf king whipped his head up at the cracked sound of his name. He stared in shock at the beautiful green color of eyes that were open and staring up at him. Truth be told the hobbit was barely awake and still very pale, but the veins were once more beginning to fade back into his skin. His face and eyelids sagged with exhaustion and he was obviously struggling to stay awake, but to Thorin he was the most beautiful sight the king had ever seen.

"Bilbo" Thorin whispered, as if afraid any loud noise would break this vision and he would once again be alone in the room with the corpse of his beloved. Carefully and ever so gently he bent forward and gathered the frail body of his hobbit into his arms and shifted their positions until he was sitting up against the headboard of the bed, cradling Bilbo in his arms.

"Bilbo" Thorin sighed against the hobbit's curls, before pressing a gentle kiss there. Thorin could not believe it. His hobbit was alive, and seemingly ok. "You're alive. Thank Mahal, you're safe."

Bilbo, too exhausted to reply, just reached a hand to weakly grasp at Thorin's tunic. Thorin place his own hand over Bilbo's and gently pulled it away from his tunic and back down into Bilbo's lap, keeping it clasped within his own. "Rest, Bilbo. Heal. I will be here when you wake." Thorin quietly reassure the hobbit.

Needing no further prompting Bilbo's eyes fell shut and his breath deepened almost instantly as he gave in to exhaustion.

Almost immediately, Thorin stiffened and directed his gaze to Oin, who had been previously forgotten. "Oin, send Fili and Kili to help Nori. I left him with the assassins to get to Bilbo in time. I should have sent someone sooner-"

"Now no need to get your loin cloth in a bunch, your Majesty" joked Nori dryly from the doorway "Nice to know I wasn't forgotten."

He was standing in the doorway with Dwalin, looking no worse for wear except for the fact that he was leaning heavily against the other dwarf while trying to pretend he wasn't.

"Are you injured?" Questioned Thorin, all kingly authority now that he was faced with the rest of his company and not just his hobbit.

"Nothing a hot meal and a good night's sleep won't fix. Not to worry. And no need to be worrying about the assassins either. They won't be bothering anyone for a long time, if ever." Nori finished with an evil smirk, no less threatening even though he could barely stand.

Thorin gave a sharp nod and turned his attention to his second in command expecting a more complete explanation.

"I saw you come flying through the inn without Nori and figured he might need help. Found the idiot by heading to the only building on fire in the entire town and interrupted his fight with the girl. She threw a blade that caught him in the leg and he went down. Good thing I was there too, else you wouldn't be talking to the cocky bastard now. Dwalin finished with a nod in Nori's direction.

"I had it under control!" Protested Nori before turning his attention towards the sleeping hobbit. "Is he alive?"

Thorin looked down at his lapful of Hobbit and took a moment to revel in the fact that he was alive. "Aye, He'll live."

"And just who are you to make that assumption, Laddie?" Interrupted Oin impatiently from the opposite side of the bed. "Now if you all are done with yer fussin'. Dwalin, get Nori cleaned up and into a bed. I'll be over in a bit to take a look at that leg. Nori" Oin said addressing the thief "I expect no protests out of ye. Yer dead on yer feet and I'll not have another poisoned patient running around thinkin' he's well."

Both Dwarves nodded, before Nori looped an arm over Dwalin's broad shoulder, and used him as a crutch to hobble out of the room. Surprisingly Dwain said nothing about it, but instead wrapped an arm around the thief's waist to keep him steady and take more of his weight off of his injured leg.

"Now Thorin" Said Oin turning his attention back to the bed "Are ye going to let me look over my patient or am I going to have to remove ye?"

For a moment Thorin's mood turned dark. 'I'd like to see him try' he thought, before mentally chastising himself. Oin was only doing his job. Wearily Thorin nodded his head before gently shifting Bilbo so that it was easier for Oin to look him over.

The healer puttered about for a minute, checking Bilbo's heartbeat, and pupils. Taking note of the deep scratches the Hobbit had inflicted upon himself in his fevered state. Oin cleaned and bandaged the more severe and tried to get some liquid down Bilbo's throat with Thorin's help before finally leaving the two alone with strict orders to rest.

Thorin offered no protests. The adrenaline and fear from the night had left his body, leaving behind bone deep exhaustion in its place.

After moving Bilbo to a more comfortable sleeping position on the bed, and climbing off the bed himself to remove his boots and other items not necessary for sleep, he once more settled down with his arms around Bilbo, drawing the hobbit close to his chest. Pressing one last kiss to the top of Bilbo's curls, Thorin was soon following his hobbit into the depths of sleep.