HELLO BELOVED READERS! First, I must say…. 58 REVIEWS?! OMG! THANK YOUUUUUUUU! XDDDDD

Let me love you all! *Gives reviewers bone crushing hugs*

What a fantastic response! Oh my goodness… I'm absolutely shocked! *Moved to tears* You guys are so amazing… T-T

I really did work hard on that last chapter so all of your encouraging words made it BEYOND worth it! THIS UPDATE IS FOR YOU MY LOVELY REVIEWERS! XD

I will try to PM every one of you and thank you personally! It might take me a while-I am extremely busy most of the time-but I will make sure it happens. ;D

And since I love you all so much, I want to offer you guys my most sincere apologies.
I have had lots of stuff happen in my life recently. Some good, some bad. That plus just how crazy school is has really eaten up my time and made it very hard to be inspired. SO! I won't bother you with the details but I thought you all deserved to know WHY I have taken so long to update!

THIS HAS NOT AND WILL NOT BE ABANDONED! I am having far too much fun to ever even consider it! ;D

Plus! Since it is now almost Christmas break (HALLELUJAH!) I will be able to update more often! In fact, I might even be able to get into the habit of updating every week or so (hopefully). *Collective Gasp* I know! Let's hope for the best, shall we? X3

Okay! Before you read I want to give a big round of applause for TigerOtter who betaed this story for me! She is fantastic! So THANK YOU! She did a great job! :D

One last thing: The cliffy that ended the last chapter? Yeah…Uh…There will be more… Just thought I should let you know! CX

Man, I am so mean…. Poor Bilbo… *Sniffles but then recovers*

On with the chapter! And I hope you like it as much as the first one. :)

Dwarves were not made to fly- of this, Kili was sure.

It was all the young Durin could be sure of while upon the back of a giant, orc-slaying Eagle thousands of feet above ground.

His fists gripped the feathers beneath him even tighter at the thought.

As much as he would have liked to keep his eyes shut and pray until it was over, he knew he couldn't allow himself that kind of weakness.

Kili's gaze darted across the sky, trying his best to locate and assess each member of the company's condition while ignoring the huge part of him that was screaming how wrong this all was.

Although he was dreading it, there were two people whom his eyes first sought out- for besides the traumatized Ori and Dori, who he was pretty sure was still screaming- they were the only ones who were seriously injured.

Thorin and Bilbo.

It was only a second before he saw them- limp and boneless in the eagles grasp. Fili must have found them the same moment he did for his brother cried beside him, "Thorin! Bilbo!"

Kili's heart echoed his sibling's pain and if his mouth would but work, he would have cried out with him.

His Uncle was beaten and hurt and Bilbo… Bilbo was broken.

The little hobbit's body was almost completely hidden by the much large talons that held him, the only visible thing was one fragile looking arm that accidentally fell free. Kili saw that tiny, dirty limb and his eyes began to burn.

After what felt like forever, a huge rock plateau came into sight. Their feathered rescuers started angling themselves towards it as if at some unspoken cue.

The eagle carrying Thorin swooped down to the high peak first and laid the company's leader down with more care than Kili thought possible.

It was Gandalf who touched down second and he was already at the dwarf's side by the time the others began to land behind him. He knew right away that Thorin wasn't in grave danger, only unconscious, so it only was a moment before he barked, "Oin! Come and treat his wounds!"

He didn't wait for the older dwarf to get there nor did he bother to offer an explanation as to how Oin's pack was magically there and intact- his focus rested entirely on the small form that was being delicately placed on the other end of the monolith.

Gandalf was at Bilbo's side in an instant. He cast aside his staff and without a second thought, dedicating both of his hands and all his being to casting spells over the halfling's damaged body.

So focused was Gandalf on saving the life before him he didn't even notice someone come to stand at his side.

When Kili had first stumbled off his rescuer with wobbly legs onto the solid ground, his first instinct was to surround his uncle and leader as the other dwarves had done. But…

Bilbo…

He hadn't been standing there looking conflicted for long before Fili gripped his arm warmly. When he met his gaze, Kili knew his brother had read his mind. Blue eyes met brown as Fili smiled at him encouragingly.

"Go on. Be with our Hobbit for us. I'll stay with Uncle."

They had never needed words to communicate anyway.

So with a small nod of thanks he moved away from the rest of his company and hurried towards his friend.

When he finally reached Bilbo and saw him clearly for the first time, his stomach dropped and his heart gave an awful wrench.

Bilbo's flimsy waist coat was mangled beyond recognition, four jagged tears streaking through it- the once green fabric darker than his red coat with dirt and blood.

Pale and horrified beyond belief, Kili numbly sank to his knees.

He made sure to keep his eyes firmly locked upon the Hobbit's blood splattered face; refusing to let his gaze stray again to the gory mess that was once Bilbo's chest.

He didn't think he'd be able to take seeing the full extent of the damage…

As he sat there, only part of his attention was spared to the muttering Gandalf. The Wizard's hands ghosted over the Halfling's injuries urgently, eyes closed tightly in concentration as he chanted words in a language the young dwarf prince had never heard before.

At that moment, Kili was caught up in his own world, oblivious to everything. If he wasn't so stubborn, he might have even let the tears stinging his eyes fall.

Kili honestly didn't know how the rest of the company felt –save Fili and Bofur–, but he cared about the little Hobbit. Both he and his brother had found a valuable friend in Bilbo after all. He was kind, interesting to no end, and understanding, but above all Bilbo had a fire burning inside of him that Kili wasn't sure even the Burglar himself was aware of.

Without him realizing, the Halfling had wheedled his way into the Dwarf's heart. For the first time, Kili had begun to rely on someone other than Fili.

Since he was born, Kili's family consisted of three people: Fili, his mother, and Thorin. He had steadfastly refused to allow anyone else entry into his universe. So for the life of him, he could not figure out how the Hobbit had managed to not only breach all his barriers, but become an inseparable part of his world in the process.

Could a Hobbit be family to a Dwarf? Kili did not know nor did he care.

His mind was brought back to the present and back to Bilbo's unmoving form. Kili felt so helpless.

Just like when they were attacked, he was useless. Kili was ashamed that it was not he who leapt off the tree to defend his Uncle. He was furious that he had let Bilbo, who had no idea how to fight, throw his life on the line instead of him.

The Hobbit had known he would probably die and he had done it anyway. Amidst Kili's self-hatred, his respect for the Halfling swelled.

He was torn from his thoughts when Gandalf let loose a stream of what he was sure were curses.

The young Dwarf looked up at the Wizard with wide-eyes; worry flooding his entire being. Dread making his heart thud deafeningly in his ears, he slowly let his gaze drift to Bilbo's chest.

The sheer amount of blood that was pooling beneath the small Hobbit made Kili feel sick, and although bile threatened to crawl up his throat, his eyes stayed fixed upon the still form before him.

Through the ripped skin and crimson stains, Kili saw something that made his heart stop.

Bilbo wasn't breathing.

…To be continued…

Heh…Heheh…Ummm… Sorry? *Dodges Pitchforks*

AKKKK! I'm sorry! I already have most of the next chapter written if that helps anything! Please don't hurt meeeeeeeee! T^T

*Ahem* So? What did you think? Please- I MUST know! Was it as good as the last chapter? Better? Worse? Was it worth the wait? Or were you painfully disappointed?

I love you all so much that if a problem is brought to my attention I WILL fix it or address it in the next chapter!

I also want to say that the next chapter will be longer! I just wanted to end this chapter here and unfortunately it came all too soon. :(

Did you like the Kili point of view for this chappie? And me bringing back in Dori and Ori? And here you probably thought I forgot those two. X3 I've just been trying to reveal information as the character I am focusing on at that moment would find it out. ;D

I will bring in the rest of the company next chapter! Also, next chapter Thorin wakes up so THAT will be fun! Feel guilty Dwarven King- feel VERY guilty. CX

And yes, you will get your wish of a grateful/protective company after this! I am a sucker for that kind of thing so there is NO WAY I would miss the opportunity to put it in here!

For all the hurt I dole out, I make sure to smother as much if not MORE comfort on the character after. ;3

FINALLY! Can I just say again how much I love you all?! I hope all you wonderful people haven't given up on me because of the ridiculously long wait and that you shall stick around!

See you next time!

-Automail-gHost :D