I Have a Crush

Song- "Love At First Sight" by the Brobecks

(Author's Note- This song inspired this book!)

*^*^*^*^*

I woke up slowly to find my head in someone's lap and something covering me. I opened my eyes, wincing and looked up to see Richard looking down at me. If I hadn't been in so much pain, I would have blushed.

Dean and Aidan sat on either side of me and Mr. Ian stood in front of me. My ankle was wrapped in bandages and so was my head. I lifted a hand to it and muttered, "Gosh that hurt."

"Are you alright, Abigail?" Richard asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I've felt worse. Believe me." I muttered, ignoring the confused looks of the others at what I had said, then slowly sat up and he rested a hand on my back to help me.

Dean and Aidan both had sad looks on their faces and I glared at them and turned a bit away from them, ending up facing Richard instead.

He gently rested a hand over my cheek and I winced a little. I knew it was bruised. He looked angry, and for a minute I thought he was angry with me, until he said softly, "They hurt you."

"Yeah. But I'm ok." I said quietly then looked up at him. His blue eyes were wide and trained on me. Not looking me over hungrily as so many others had done, but with genuine worry, kindness, and even a little curiosity.

I stared at him back and all I could think of was a song...Could this be love at first sight...?

I looked away, my cheeks going red. No I was definitely crazy.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Graham asks, coming to stand closer. I shook my head, then winced.

"No. Just head and ankle."

"Did they touch you?" Richard asked with a dark expression and the others all looked angry.

I shook my head with a bit of a straight expression. "No." I said quietly. I wrapped my arms around myself and said, "Can we just go?"

Richard nods and holds out a hand to me and I took it. He wrapped his fingers around my small hand and I stared at our hands as he helped me to my feet, then wrapped an arm around my waist to help me walk. As he helped me up, my shirt was lifted a a bit, revealing a little skin but he moved the shirt back down, hand on the shirt instead of skin.

I took special note of his as I wrapped my arm around him and held onto him and began to hobble back to the van, the others following along. Dean and Aidan sat in the front seats this time and Richard sat next to me.

Graham helped me set my ankle on a backpack with a pillow under it and I smiled and nodded in thanks to him. He just shrugged in reply. Ken smiled softly at me, his white beard, I noticed, had a braid in it, actually.

"Ye, alright, lassie?" He asks and I nodded. I could barely speak let alone register how close I was to Richard. Our shoulders touched, but I didn't necessarily mind it. I folded my hands in my lap as we began to move again and my head hurt still so I just closed my eyes. Sleeping for a bit couldn't hurt, right?

I woke up to see sunlight coming in through the front windows. A coat was draped over me to use as a blanket and my head rested on Richard's shoulder. His arm was wrapped around my shoulders and I blushed. I noticed everyone else was asleep except for Dean and Aidan.

My head spun a bit as I looked up at him. He was sleeping too, head resting on the back of the seat. I realized it was his coat he had draped over me and I smiled a little.

I felt a little dizzy and rested my head back on his shoulder and he said, "How are you feeling?" His arm didn't move from around my shoulders.

"I feel like I just woke up with a hangover." I said with a wince. "But better than yesterday."

He nodded and didn't say anything more, as if satisfied with my answer. As the others woke up, Richard moved his arm from around me. Graham handed me a water bottle and I nodded in thanks to him.

We drove the rest of that day and stopped at a motel. This time, I was in a room with Graham, his brother Ken, and Stephen the cook. I sat on one of the beds flipping through pages in one of the journals I brought and writing some more when Graham appeared, standing above me.

"Are ye comfortable, Abigail?" He asks somewhat awkwardly.

I nodded. "Yeah. Thank you for the extra pillow. It helps." I say with a small smile.

"Why were you with those trolls anyways, lassie?" Ken- the oldest one asked. He reminded me almost of a grandfather with the way he spoke to us and the others. His younger brother seemed to admire him as much as the others did.

I sighed. "Stephen had me bring the soup to the brothers, but when I found them, they were watching the trolls, then they told me to go and investigate, saying I'd have to face more dangerous things. I assumed that they'd follow, but they didn't."

"They came to get us." Graham says.

"Yeah. Then I got my foot stuck in something and it got cut, then the trolls yanked me out and I guess cut it even more and twisted it. Then I fell and hit my head." I finish with a small grumble of irritation.

"The lads feel terrible about what happened, lass." Stephen says. He was sitting on a chair, and I was surprised it's skinny legs held up his bulk. He wasn't fat- more was just a big guy. He was one of the taller ones and was all muscle and pure weight.

I nodded. "And they should." I say bitterly.

"Richard was very concerned. I've never seen him act in such a way." Ken says thoughtfully.

"What's his deal?"

"What?" Ken asks.

"Richard. Why's he always so sour and grouchy? He's either growling or brooding and I don't think he knows how to do anything but that."

Graham and Stephen chuckle and Ken says, "You must forgive him. He's been through more than he'd care to admit to." He sits down on the other bed and I sit up a bit to listen. "About seven years ago, the Defilers came. There was a battle. Many of our friends and family were slaughtered or taken to never be seen again. His brother was one such unlucky fellow to be taken, as were the lads' father. The leader of the Defilers, the Pale Orc, is mentioned in the book. He beheaded Richard's grandfather. By the time Richard escaped them, the psychological toll on his mind was too much. He became closed off. His father didn't fare well and disappeared after going mad. We have dealt much loss and hardship because of the Defilers."

I swallowed hard, immediately feeling sad for him and guilty for judging him. Then, a realization came to me.

"So...if you're all the dwarves from the book I was given, and this leader of the Defilers is an Orc like that creature that tried to kill me at the apartment, then what about the dragon? The dwarves in the book lost their home to a dragon and it starts off with dragons. Why is that?"

Stephen shifted nervously and Ken and Graham looked at one another. "Have ye ever heard of a shapeshifter, lass?" Graham asks.

"Yeah. Of course. They can shapeshift or turn into what they want at will." I say with a nod. "There's this blue lady in some superhero movie I watched that could shapeshift."

"Well...this...man, per say, that is featured in your book goes by the name Benedict, but we know him as a shapeshifter by the name of Smaug." He spoke in a whisper, as if he was afraid this Smaug would hear.

"So...the man in this picture isn't a human at all? Just a dragon who can shapeshift." I clarify.

Graham nods and the room seemed to grow cold. I shivered involuntarily and asked, "Can you tell me anything more about him?"

"No. And you'd do well not to ask such things." Ken said firmly but not unkindly and I frowned at him.

"Alright. Fine. Geez." I say and pull out my phone to text Richard.

Thank you for helping me.

You're welcome. Came his reply

Are you ok?

What do you mean?

I mean are you ok? If you aren't, I want you to know you can talk to me. I won't judge. I won't tell the others either.

There was a long pause, then he sent a paragraph.

I appreciate your concern for me, Abigail. Not too many people seem to care for my wellbeing much. But I would like to caution you against getting close to me. Anyone I get close to tends to get hurt. People I care for get hurt, and I will not have you get hurt just for the sake of wanting to help me feel better.

You care about me?

There was another long pause, then one word popped up on my screen.

Yes.

*^*^*^*^*

Hello ladies and gentleman! I do hope you are enjoying this modern retelling of Tolkien's The Hobbit. I have a lot planned for it, and I can't wait to publish more! Here is a list of the characters again (basically it's the names of the actors).

Abigail Baggs
Bilbo- Benjamin Baggs (Abigail's grandfather)
Gandalf- Mr. Ian
Thorin- Richard
Fili- Dean
Kili- Aidan
Dwalin- Graham
Balin- Ken
Dori- Mark
Ori- Adam
Nori- Jed
Bifur- William
Bofur- James
Bombur- Stephen
Gloin- Peter
Oin- John

Thank you for reading and I'll see you in the next update c:

Love always,

~Cora Knight xoxo