reunited

8 YEARS LATER

Bilbo Baggins was sitting on his little desk in his little work room area, a quill in his hand and ink in a small bowl next to him. A red velvet book was staring him in the face, and he tapped his chin with the feather of his quill thoughtfully.

Who would've felt so different after eight years? When he arrived back to the Shire after leaving Erebor all those years ago, he was—unpleasantly—greeted by fellow Hobbits stealing his stuff! The Hobbits were all walking down the little trail with his rugs, his chairs, and lots of other things; it was mainly his mother's glory box and his dining chair and his silver spoons that Lobelia Sackville-Baggins had the nerve to steal that ticked him off the most. He found it almost unbelievable that he had to buy most of his stuff back from his fellow Hobbits.

But now as he thought back on it, it made him laugh a little bit. The thought was all too amusing now, almost, and thinking back on it made him smile. It made him realize how much he had gone through in the last eight years, those thirteen months still weighing heavily in his mind.

It suddenly occurred to him how much he missed his friends back in Erebor, and how long it had been since he last saw the Dwarves. He never really got any visitors (unless it was Sam or Merry or Pippin, or just a Hobbit visiting for tea time), but he did receive a whole lot of letters.

"Ah!" Bilbo chimed to himself when he finally had an idea. He opened up his book, writing thoughtfully. "There and Back Again, a Hobbit's tale by Bilbo Baggins," he mused. "I quite like that name."

He heard the soft pitter patter of feet in the hallway, and he just barely looked behind his shoulder to see his seven-year-old nephew skipping around, grinning when he saw his uncle.

"Hello, Uncle Bilbo!" a young Frodo Baggins chimed, hopping over.

Bilbo smiled. "Hello, dear boy," he greeted, ruffling his mop of curly brown hair and causing the younger one to giggle.

Frodo Baggins was Bilbo's nephew, his parents Drogo Baggins and Primula Brandybuck killed by drowning from a boating accident on the Brandywine River. Seeing as he was an only child and was his blood, Bilbo immediately took custody of the young one.

(okay okay before the hardcore fans come and kill me, i know frodo was adopted in T.A. 2989 when bilbo was 99 and frodo was 21. but its kinda sorta my fanfiction that's almost done so. . . yeah.)

"Whatcha doing?" Frodo asked him, his baby blue eyes wide with wonder.

"I'm writing my book," Bilbo answered, nodding towards the blank page. "Or, at least, I was."

"Ooooooohhhhh," Frodo murmured, humming and smiling. "Can Sam and Merry and Pippin and I go to the forest and play later today?"

Bilbo chuckled. He was so much like him when he was younger, and he found it funny. He was up to Bilbo's elbow, with curious blue eyes and floppy hair. He was a young and curious lad, always talking about Elves and the wonders of the world, he and his three buddies (though Pippin was more familly because he was Frodo's second cousin, and Merry was Pippin's third cousin and he was also Frodo's first cousin one time removed. Sam found the whole thing quite confusing) always pressed Bilbo to tell more stories about his time with the Dwarves. He would tell them, but always leave out the death of Anne.

He felt a painful pang in his chest at the thought of his best friend, and he sighed sadly. He still remembered his last words to her before he departed for the Shire:

"Um..." he started, trying to think. He sighed and slumped his shoulders, shaking his head. "Why? Wh— why would you do this?" he croaked. "You had so much to live for, Anne, and instead you gave up your life to save someone else." Bilbo sniffed and shrugged. "But it's who you are, and I find that amazing.

"You know, I never really got to thank you." A shrug. "For... for believing in me. You were the first one to really show signs of hope in me, and I thank you for that. You were my greatest friend, and although stubborn, you were sweet... when you wanted to be, of course."

He chuckled and lowered his voice. "I know you can still hear me, so I'm going to ask you to please watch over the Dwarves. I don't know if you can reach me back in Bag-end, but if you can, it wouldn't hurt to whisk by and help me out with my garden." He dug out something from his pocket. "See? I picked up an acorn from Beorn's garden, and I'm going to watch it grow." Bilbo sighed and pat her shoulder. "Farewell, Anne Thranduileth, may your memory never fade."

"Uncle, are you okay?" Frodo asked him, seeming very concerned.

Bilbo smiled sadly. "Yes, my lad," he said. "I'm fine."

Frodo frowned. "Are you thinking about your friends who are far away?"

Bilbo pursed his lips and nodded. "Yes, I am."

Frodo hummed. "They seem like nice people," he mused.

"They are," Bilbo agreed, nodding his head. "They are."

Two seconds later, there was two loud knocks at the door. Bilbo frowned before sighing. It was four, which meant it was tea time.

"I got it!" Frodo cried, zipping to the door.

Bilbo laughed to himself and shook his head, thanking Primula for giving birth to the jumble of life that was Frodo Baggins. In a way, Frodo reminded him of Anne because of how much energy he gave off, and the fact that the little one was smart and caring. The thought made him smile softly.

He heard the door open, and then Frodo gasp in wonder. "Whoa!" he mused. "For a Dwarf, you're really tall! And you've got a bunch of tattoos, even on your head!" Another gasp. "And you're all white! Is your beard and hair made of snow?"

Bilbo scrambled out of his seat and rushed to the door, stopping when he was at the family room. His mouth was agape, making little noises as he tried to find his words.

"Bilbo Baggins!" Balin cried. "How long it's been!"

"Balin? Dwalin? Wh— what are you doing here?" he asked in confusion, but there was a huge smile on his face.

"It's four o'clock," Dwalin said. "It's tea time, and you told us we were welcome anytime."

"Ooh, ooh! I remember this bit!" Frodo tapped his head, trying to think. "Oh, yeah! And then you, Bilbo, you said, 'You are welcome anytime,' because they are your friends and you really missed them!" He tilted his head to the side. "You also said for them to not bother knocking."

Dwalin smirked, nodding towards the little one. "He yours?"

"Nephew," he answered before frowning. "Hey, where are the others?"

"Coming," Balin answered. "May we step inside?"

"Of course! Of course!" Bilbo chimed, walking towards the door and ushering them inside and leaving the door open. He knelt next to his nephew. "Listen to me, boy. Go into the pantry, and make sure we have enough food for all. We are going to have a lot of visitors."

Frodo nodded, becoming serious and saluting his uncle. Bilbo smiled and tapped his nose, causing Frodo to giggle again and run off. Bilbo sighed and stood, grunting when he felt a hard hand clap his right shoulder.

"If only our uncle was like you," mused a Dwarf with short brown hair and brown eyes.

"Kili?" Bilbo said, grunting and groaning in annoyance when another hard hand clapped his left shoulder.

"Ah, goals," the blond sighed. "But alas, he's to busy running around the kingdom and pulling his hair out."

"Fili!" Bilbo exclaimed. "Boys!"

"Hello, Mr. Boggins!" Kili greeted.

Bilbo groaned and rolled his eyes. "Baggins, Kili, it's Baggins."

"Same thing," Kili grumbled.

"Your uncle is always quite busy, mind you," Balin scolded, stepping out from the hallway. "He has a whole kingdom to attend to."

"And then there's Fili, who always tries and fails to act like royalty," Kili snickered, laughing out loud when Fili punched his shoulder and dragged him away by the neck.

"Those two haven't changed a bit," Bilbo mused, standing by the door frame as he waited for the rest of his friends.

They all came, but luckilly they didn't topple over each other this time. He silently mumbled all of there names with a smile as they walked past him. "Oin, Gloin. Bifur, Bombur... hello, Bofur. Um... Nori, Dori... yes, it is quite pleasing to see you, too, Ori. Um..." He frowned and turned around. "Where's Thorin? And where's Gandalf?"

On cue, fireworks went off in the town square of Hobbiton, making Bilbo jump while all the other Hobbits who were over there started to cheer. "I thought it was tea time?" he mumbled. "It's still daylight!"

The Dwarves chuckled from inside. "He probably set them off for Rose, seeing as Thorin is probably showing her around the Shire," Kili said before frowning. "I still can't believe she didn't let any one of us tag along."

"Well, Kili, she may like you, but she likes Thorin more," Fili said, snickering when Kili gave him a death look.

"I'm sorry, but who's Rose?" Bilbo asked, truly confused.

"An half-blooded imposter."

"KILI!" everyone yelled, all of them socking him hard on the shoulders.

"Ow! It was a joke!"

"Pretty stupid one," Fili grumbled, shaking his head. "You'll see her soon, Bilbo."

The Hobbit frowned, but he nodded, no less. He was about to reply, but Frodo was coming back. "Uncle Bilbo, I checked the pantry like you asked, and— holy moley on my baloney!

This caused all the Dwarves to laugh and turn around, Frodo staring at them wide-eyed. Nonetheless, he grinned and waved at them all. Bilbo shuffled in between his friends and approached his nephew, kneeling and pointing to the Dwarves. "Can you remember their names?"

Frodo but on a thoughtful face. "Um... Fili and Kili."

The two boys cheered a quick and rather loud, "Oh yeah!" and high fived each other.

"Dwalin and Balin."

Dwalin cracked his knuckles, causing Frodo to flinch. Balin only chuckled and shook his head.

"Oin and Gloin."

Gloin grunted, and Oin clapped his hands.

"Nori, Dori, Ori."

Nori clanked two of Bilbo's cups together, Dori took them away from Nori, and Ori smiled and waved polietly.

"Um... oh! Bifur, Bofur, and then the fat one, Bombur."

Bifur muttered something in Khuzdul, Bofur tipped his funny hat, and Bombur tapped his stomach.

"And then Thorin, the Dwarven King."

"Who's late, per the norm," Kili snickered, causing Fili and Dwaling to snort.

"And then Anne."

That ruined the vibe, for all the Dwarves mumbled to themselves and looked to the ground. Fili and Kili glanced at each other, inhaling shakily and squeezing their eyes shut. Frodo seemed worried by the sudden change of atmosphere. "What's wrong?" he asked, starting to panic. "Did I make everyone sad? I'm sorry! I'm really sorry!"

"It's okay, Frodo," Bilbo said, putting his hand on his shoulder. "It's just... Anne can't join us."

Frodo frowned, lowering his voice. "Where is she?"

Bilbo sighed, trying to figure out a way to put this. "She's with your parents," he explained softly, looking down at the floor.

Frodo looked at his uncle sadly before wrapping his little arms around his neck. Bilbo tried to smile and hugged his nephew back.

"Anne can still join you," Frodo said thoughtfully when he pulled away. "She's right here." Frodo poked Bilbo's heart before scurrying to the Dwarves and making them kneel. He went around and poked everyone's chest before spinning in a circle. "She's everywhere, like my parents!"

There was another knock on the door, and Frodo jumped and down. "That must be my friends!"

"Go get your cloak, then," Bilbo said, and Frodo ran off. He turned back around slowly. "Sorry about that."

The Dwarves smiled. "I quite like him," Ori mused.

"You're doing good, Bilbo," Balin said, clapping Bilbo on the shoulder. "Keep it up."

Fili and Kili looked out the window with huge grins on their faces. "Bilbo, you might want to open up the door."

Bilbo groaned, mumbling to himself when the door kept being tapped on repeatedly. "How many times do I have to tell you, Pippin, to just knock once?" Bilbo swung the door open, paling slightly. "Oh. Oops."

The Dwarf smirked. "I take it you have a lot on your hands?"

Bilbo scratched the back of his neck. "Well, let's just say that Merry and Pippin are the Hobbit versions of Fili and Kili."

"OI!"

Thorin Oakenshield smirked, chuckling slightly. He looked the same as before, but his raven hair had a few more gray streaks than before. He was wearing a blue tunic with a furry black vest with what seemed like a belt buckle with a chain, and black pants with boots. He didn't have his crown on, but one could tell he was royalty just by looking at him. Bilbo definitely could.

"How's Erebor?" Bilbo asked.

"Well," Thorin answered with a nod. "In my absence, Dain is watching the kingdom."

"I'm currently hoping that we aren't at war when we return home," Kili mumbled.

"Dis is with him."

Fili and Kili groaned.

"Did you get lost again?" Bilbo asked him with a frown.

Thorin shrugged with a smirk. "Not exactly."

That's when he heard a powerful neigh behind Thorin, and a Bilbo looked behind him to see a horse in front of his gate. The horse was big and beautiful and all black. He had big blue crystal eyes and his white mane went everywhere when he bobbed his head up and down.

"Meathron was kind enough to guide me over here," Thorin said.

Bilbo blinked. "That's..."

"I know," Thorin said quietly. "When word reached Rivendell, Lord Elrond sent Meathron as a gift. He's stayed in Erebor ever since."

Bilbo was speechless. The horse snorted and bowed his head, which made Bilbo sputter and awkwardly bow back.

"Hey, where's Rose?" Kili asked from inside. "The little rascal who didn't allow me or Fili or any of us to accompany her during her time visiting the Shire with you."

Dwalin punched Kili in the arm. He groaned and glared at him. "My arm is going to be broken if I keep getting punched."

Dwalin socked him again.

"Boys," muttered a quiet voice from behind Thorin.

Thorin looked behind him, and Bilbo noticed a little figure hiding behind his legs and holding onto Thorin tightly. Her face was covered by a brown hood, which Thorin put his hand on top of. The girl looked up at Thorin, who was speaking to her softly. She sighed and took off her hood, revealing copper hair and shining brown eyes. Her face was soft and oval shaped, freckles on her rosy cheeks. She seemed small, probably around the same age as Frodo. She was wearing a purple shirt and blue pants with black leather boots, her brown cloak still around her shoulders.

"Hi," she whispered, waving shyly.

That's when Bilbo noticed that she had Elf ears, but even though she was just a child, she was still short. He gave Thorin a peculiar look.

"Dwelf," he explained. "Part Dwarf, part Elf. Though, her parents died trying to protect her. We found her as a small child on the outskirts of Mirkwood alone, her village covered with ash from an Orc attack. She was the only survivor that we know of. We brought her back to Erebor, and she's stayed with us ever since." Thorin smiled at the little one. "This is Rose, my adopted daughter."

Rose waved shyly, coming out from behind Thorin.

"Hello, Rose, my name is Bilbo Baggins," Bilbo said, holding out his hand.

Rose looked at his hand before shaking it hesitantly, looking up at Thorin. He nodded with a smile. Rose smiled as well and dropped her hands to the side, rocking back and forth on her feet.

"She's a little shy," Thorin said. "It took her a few weeks to really get used to everyone at Erebor when she turned five. She's seven now."

"And a little rascal," Fili teased.

"She has Auntie's powers, seeing as her village was magical," Kili said. "And she sucks at using it."

Rose stuck her tongue out at them both and made a face. Even Thorin glared at his nephews.

"Uncle Bilbo, I'm ready!" Frodo announced from inside, weaving past the Dwarves and standing next to his uncle. He frowned when he saw Thorin and Rose before snapping his fingers. "So you're Thorin!"

Thorin raised his eyebrows. "You've heard of me?" he asked, glancing at Bilbo who was burning red.

"My friends and I like to hear stories from his time with you all," Frodo explained. "You and Anne are mentioned a lot." Frodo's palm flew to cover his mouth. "Oops, I said her name again. I'm sorry, Mr. Thorin."

Thorin only smiled painfully. "It's okay," he said.

Frodo sighed in relief, and he lost his breath when he saw Rose. He cleared his throat and smoothed out his shirt, adjusting the clip of his cloak. "Hello," he greeted.

Rose blinked. "Hi."

"You're really pretty," the Hobbit blurted.

Kili faced his friends. "Quick, Balin, grab the orchestra. Ori, pick the flowers. Fili, invite everyone. We're throwing a wedding tomorrow at noon."

The Dwarves—including Bilbo and Thorin—laughed loudly, Rose shooting them all death looks before focusing on Frodo again. "I'm Rose," she said quietly, holding out her hand.

Frodo shook her hand firmly. "Frodo Baggins." His eyes became wide. "Uncle Bilbo, can Rose come to the forest with me and the others?"

"I don't know," Bilbo said, looking at Thorin. "Thorin?"

"Only if she wants to," Thorin said, looking down at Rose. "Remember what I told you about meeting people outside of Erebor?"

Rose nodded, smiling at Frodo. "Of course I would like to come."

"Great!" He grabbed Rose's hand and took off, the Dwelf shrieking before laughing.

"Come on, Meathron!" Rose laughed, and the horse snorted and rode trotted after them.

"You're going to love my friends, and we're going to have so much fun in the forest! We're going to play tag, hide and seek, and so many other games!"

"Be back by sundown, Frodo Baggins!"

"That goes for you, too, Rose!"

"Okay!" "All right!" both of them answered at the same time.

Their voices became quieter as they ran off, and Bilbo sighed. "Well, we pretty much just missed all of tea time," he grumbled.

Thorin chuckled and went inside, Bilbo closing the door behind him. "So, Master Baggins, what went on when you came back?"

"Well.." Bilbo shrugged. "Besides getting Frodo in my custody, I was proclaimed dead."

The other twelve Dwarves threw their head back and started laughing like crazy maniacs, and Bilbo sighed in defeat. "Yes, yes, I am glad you all find it so amusing, but we can discuss this later." He grinned, shrugging and putting his hands out to the side. "Dinner, anyone?"

"Starving!" Bombur bellowed.

"I'll get the meats," Dwalin said, stomping towards the pantry with a few Dwarves prodding behind him.

"We got the ale!" Fili and Kili chimed.

"I can get the wine," Dori chimed, and Ori followed.

And that's how it all started off, with thirteen Dwarves all bustling over to one Hobbit's home. Yet this time, it was quite pleasant. Everyone seemed to catch up, and Frodo and Rose returned to Bilbo's little Hobbit hole covered in dirt and dragging in weeds, Rose's hair covered with twigs. It made Thorin smile, and he looked in his palm. Anne's chain was there, for he managed to get it from her before she was buried, seeing as she was in his head at the moment and she told him to take it. Even now, he could still hear her voice in his head.

You're doing a good job with Rose, said her voice. Keep it going, Kingy.

That's when Thorin realized that his world wasn't over, and that even though the one he loved was gone, he wasn't alone. He still had his friends, his nephews, and his daughter. They were always going to be there for him, even in death.

And that, dear readers, is why Anne rested so peacefully: it was because Thorin was finally himself again.

She fulfilled her oath.

END