Disclaimer:The Hobbit belongs to J.R.R. Tolkien, WB, MGM. This is a noncommercial derivative work. I only own Adelaide.

The stack of books wobbled precariously in my arms, threatening to spill on the floor. I might have gone a bit overboard.

The elven librarian steadied the pile to keep the precious books from getting damaged. "Do you require some assistance carrying these?"

"No, now that I'm off bed rest I plan to tackle the heavy research I've been forced to put off." I told him.

I intended to savor every moment of my freedom and find myself a way off Middle Earth. After the argument with Thorin I had a lot of time to think about my situation and what would be best for me.

For the time being, I had no plans to abandon the company but if I found a way home before we reached Erebor I had to take it. I felt a pang in my chest at the idea of leaving Bilbo.

Bilbo always found a way to make me smile and I loved him for it. In a million years I never could have dreamed of this opportunity. To spend time with characters from one of my favorite book series and to actually befriend some of them, it was a dream come true for any booklover.

Oblivious to my inner turmoil, the elf studied the scrap of paper I'd given him. "Travel between worlds is an unusual subject. I must warn you, that humans rarely travel to Valinor in anything but spirit."

"I'm not trying to get to Valinor." I said impatient to get to work.

What good would that do me? It's not like Valinor is my home.

"I fear the books I have given you are all the library has on world travel such as you speak of." The librarian pursed his lips in thought. "You might consider visiting Lord Saruman. Wizards have more knowledge of certain spells."

Visit Saruman? Hell no! I thanked the librarian and moved over to the table I'd chosen, placing my books alongside a thick stack of parchment.

The first book I selected had a red dyed leather cover, the gilt lettering cracked with age and barely visible.

A cloud of dust erupted from the tome I opened causing me to sneeze. Scrubbing my fingers on my skirt I carefully placed my hands on the edge of the brittle page. My inner historian screamed at me about the oil on my hands damaging the pages. I wished I had cotton gloves to handle this antique properly.

Smiling to myself, I closed my eyes and inhaled the familiar, comforting scent of old parchment and ink. It felt good to be doing something normal for once. How often had I haunted the college library at odd hours working on my dissertation? Or preparing lectures for my classes? The library was my haven, my hallowed hall of peace and tranquility.

I spent the next several hours combing the pages carefully for any crumb of information that might relate to my problem. The librarian drifted around the main floor, shelving books, or dusting them.

Elves drifted in and out all day, grabbing this book or that book. No one bothered me while I worked.

By the time the sun set, my fingers were cramped from hours of writing. I had fifteen pages of notes front and back and no concrete answers. Most of the information seemed to detail accounts of elves who had vanished for a period of time before returning with tales of strange worlds.

None of the worlds mentioned resembled Earth at any period in its vast history. You would think at least one of the travelers would have fallen into my world. I tapped my pen against the table and sighed. The structure of each account was written in an almost poetic form, making me dubious about the authenticity of the stories. They might just be myths or tales written for entertainment. Yet I hesitated to discount them completely when a grain of truth could be embedded in their words.

Unfortunately, I was only a quarter of the way through the first book. I could not take shortcuts in my note taking without risking loss of crucial information.

I made a notation on a fresh sheet of parchment of where I left off and gathered up my writing things before stopping at the librarian's desk. "Is it alright if I leave the books on the table? I'll be back in the morning."

The elf nodded with a curt smile. "No one will disturb your work."

A loud growl interrupted us. Blushing, I pressed a hand against my stomach. "I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Can you direct me to the kitchen?"

Following the librarian's directions, I only got turned around once and quickly back tracked and found the right hallway. Through the closed door I heard the rattle of dishes and banging of pots and pans and shouting. Elves never shouted. I hugged my notes to my chest wary of taking another step toward the kitchen.

Then a large hand emerged from a crack in the door and tossed something out.

When a potato narrowly missed my nose and smacked into the wall I blinked rapidly.

What the hell?

"Oh, there you go wasting a perfectly good potato, Nori." Bofur stuck his head out into the hall and noticed me. "Why, tis good to see you up and about Miss Adelaide."

"Uh, hello."

Just what were these clowns doing here? Weren't they supposed to be dining with the elven court?

Something heavy crashed in the kitchen and a line of stressed-looking elves streamed from the kitchen. Terrific. I turned to watch them scurry around the corner, no doubt to alert Lord Elrond to the problem.

Bofur took me by the elbow. "Come join us."

"Actually, I just wanted to get a plate and go back to my room." I protested.

"Nonsense. You're part of the company." Bofur beamed and drew me into the chaos unfolding in the kitchen. "Look who I found skulking around in the corridor."

Kili dragged me over to an empty stool sandwiched between him and his brother. "Bout time you emerged."

"You could have visited me." I pointed out, a little miffed that he never made the effort to see me when I was confined to my room.

Fili reached around me and smacked his brother on the head. "This dolt was too busy chasing after elf maids to spend time with his friends."

Kili grinned back, unrepentant.

The elven cooks who hadn't fled watched helplessly as the dwarves rampaged through their well-ordered kitchen.

The sacking of Rome 3.0. I mused; grateful I was not responsible for cleaning up this kitchen at least.

Bombur waddled out of the pantry a stack of giant cheese wheels six deep, a bottle of wine tucked into the waistband of his snug pants. A line of dwarves followed, including Dwalin and Balin who rolled out a keg of ale.

Kili sloppily dumped a bottle of wine into an empty glass and pushed it over to me. "Here you are, Adelaide." He leaned in close, dropping his voice to a whisper. "I must say, you look quite fetching in that dress. Green becomes you."

Aeriel only brought me dresses to wear so its not like I had a choice. Besides, it would be rude to complain and offend the sweet she elf who had looked after me while I was healing.

I rolled my eyes. "Save it. We both know you aren't attracted to me."

Kili clutched his chest in mock offense. "Please, I adore all beautiful women, yourself included."

"Stop flirting you idiot." Fili dropped a basket of rolls onto my plate along with half a wheel of cheese, and a gallon of mashed potatoes.

I'm surprised the delicate porcelain didn't crack under the weight of the food. The dwarves often forgot I didn't have the same appetite as they did.

"What did you do that for, Fili? She'll just waste all that perfectly good food." Bombur complained.

I reached for a clean knife and sliced a reasonable portion of cheese and grabbed two of the rolls, passing the rest on to the chubby dwarf. "Can someone pass me the salad?"

Bofur made a disgusted face but complied with my request.

"You can't live on carbs, cheese, and meat." I said as I scooped the salad onto a small plate and topped it with fresh strawberries. "Greens are good for your body."

"Give me a good plate of sausage and eggs any day." Kili declared chomping down on the end of said purloined sausage, his eyes flickering over an elf maid entering the kitchen to collect a bottle of wine.

He winked and the elf maid scurried away.

Fili laughed. "You are out of luck, brother. These elf maids are not interested in dwarves."

Kili downed his ale and belched. "I am rather charming so tis their loss."

Setting my fork on my plate, I turned to face him. "No woman finds a lack of table manners charming. If you're going to belch the night away at least have the decency to say, 'excuse me'."

An uncomfortable since fell over the table after my outburst. Then Kili burst out laughing. "Tis not like we're belching arias. You say it so bluntly with a straight face." Still chuckling, he slapped me on the back. "You get me every time."

"I live to be the company's jester." I returned drily.

"The only one you live to serve is yourself, lass." Dwalin grumped.

I cast a cold glare in the dwarf's direction. "Shut up. I've had it up to here with your snide comments. If you can't be civil, keep that hole in your head zipped shut."

"She's right, Dwalin." Thorin said entering the kitchen from the back door. "This has gone on long enough."

My jaw nearly dropped clean to the floor. Thorin was defending me? I must be dreaming. It's the only explanation for this bizarre turn of events.

"But Thorin, you know she is only getting in the way. One of us is going to be killed because of her incompetence." Dwalin argued.

"Miss Adelaide is a member of the company." He rested his hands on the back of an empty chair. "We all have our parts to play and we should not respect hers any less."

Under his king's piercing glare, Dwalin subsided. The dwarf attacked his meal with a sudden ferocious vigor, ripping the head off a poor fish with his teeth.

Thorin inclined his head regally in my direction and I'd be lying if I said my heart didn't flutter a little. I pointed to an empty plate. "Join us. There's plenty."

"In a moment. First, I would like a word with you." He beckoned for me to follow him into the pantry.

I gazed around. One row of shelves was empty. The dwarves had made a substantial dent in Rivendell's stores.

For better privacy we went to the back of the pantry. I perched on a barrel that stunk strongly of vinegar, mind churning. "So, what do you want to talk about?"

This time I avoided having expectations. Discussions between the two of us were as volatile as gasoline and a match. All it takes is one spark to set one of us off.

"When I said its enough, I did not only refer to Dwalin and yourself." Thorin seated himself on a wine barrel. "The two of us need to make peace. I would be remiss as a leader if I did not show respect to all of my company."

I scrutinized his words for any trick, finding none. "Why the change of heart? Why wave the white flag now?"

Rubbing a hand over his beard, Thorin smiled faintly. "Balin. He pointed out something I had forgotten."

The dwarf king did not elaborate. I chose not to push the matter and decided to keep an open mind. "Dwalin is not... entirely wrong. I can be selfish and unreasonable sometimes. I say the first thing that comes to mind when I really should keep my mouth shut. I'm an adult. I know how to behave better than this. My grandmother would whip my behind for some of the things I've said."

Thorin appeared interested. "You have never mentioned your grandmother before."

I dropped my gaze and drew up my legs, wrapping my arms around my knees. "Talking about Grandma Rose is painful. She passed away ten years ago, from an illness."

I did not think Thorin would understand what pneumonia was. The moment I lost my grandmother is etched in my brain. Weeks in the hospital, watching her struggle to breath. The weak rattling cough that would jolt me out of the chair beside her bed in the middle of the night.

Doctors and nurses going in and out of her room all the time. Watching helplessly, knowing there was nothing I could do. There's nothing worse than watching someone you love die, knowing how useless you are.

In her last moments, all I could do is hold her hand and tell her how much I loved her. Then...she was gone. I became an orphan at twenty-two years old.

Tears blurred my vision. Ten years and it still felt like it happened yesterday. Grandma Rose used to be the most special person in my life, more mother than grandmother. Sometimes I missed her so much I thought my heart would shatter from the pain.

While in this world, I had boxed away most of my memories of home. Forced myself to not dwell on the past, to put one foot in front of the other in order to return home.

Swiveling around on the barrel, I put my back to Thorin, a faint trembling running through my body. I rubbed my eyes, willing the tears away but they kept flowing free. "I don't know why I'm telling you this. I guess, I just got overwhelmed for a moment."

Thorin broke through my barriers like no one ever has. This is the second time he's made me think of my grandmother. I always prided myself on how well I kept my personal life secret from others. Part of me was embarrassed for breaking down in front of him. I did not want Thorin to see me as weak.

I sniffled into my sleeve, stiffening when a pair of strong arms encircled me from behind in a warm embrace.

"I am sorry for your loss. Time does not erase the pain." Thorin murmured gently, his chest pressed firmly against my back.

"Thank you. I am sorry for your losses too. It cannot be easy to see the things you've seen." I gave his hand a quick squeeze of gratitude for caring enough to hug me when I needed it, then drew away, sliding off the barrel.

Wiping at my cheeks, I smiled up at him. "Let's go back to dinner before Bombur eats everything."

Thorin chuckled appreciatively at my joke and I knew things were alright between us for the moment.

Fili and Kili were scrambling back into their seats when we emerged from the pantry, so I knew they had been eavesdropping.

I frowned at the pair but said nothing. They cared about their uncle and looked up to him. I did not blame them for wanting to check on Thorin. Family came first.

In our absence, Bilbo had joined the table, smooshed between Balin and Dori. The hobbit gave me a brief wave before being drawn into conversation by the old dwarf.

Looking down to find my plate empty, I sighed in exasperation. They really did eat everything.

Kili slid the salad bowl down to me. "There are plenty of greens."

While the company, talked, laughed, and ate more food I reviewed my notes again, jotting down observations in the margins when necessary. Then I noticed something significant regarding the dates of the stories.

A slow grin curled my lips. In the dates, a potential pattern had emerged. Things were looking up.

A/N: Phew, I appear to be on a roll with these updates. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. There's not a lot of action but we have some relationship breakthroughs. As always, vote, comment, and have a great day!