"So it is going to be like this then?" Dwalin asks, driving just a little too fast in his red Audi. Not that you dare to mention it because you suspect he might only drive faster if you did.
You don't meet his eyes. Instead, your eyes are focused on something outside. "If you refuse to tell me what Smaug wants, then I won't tell you whom I texted" you say stubbornly. The trees flash by in a pallet of dark greens and browns.
"I have already told you (y/n), we will t-"
"You will tell me tonight. Yes, I heard you the first time" you finished for him. Neither of you will give in to the other at this point.
For one you don't understand why they haven't told you yet. What is so hard about just telling you what that man wants from them? All you know is that something apparently happened between Thorin's grandfather and Smaug.
From this you were able to figure out that it must be something important he is after. Why would he hunt down three generations if it wasn't?
Dwalin, on the other hand, won't tell you a single thing because he feels like it is not his place to tell you. That is what he says anyway. You don't see how it isn't his place to tell you but that argument has passed already.
This happens when you put two stubborn personalities in one situation like this = emotions are locked away and both pretend like things didn't happen.
Until the bomb explodes.
Then there are too many feelings to deal with. Right now you are feeling blue but you won't show it to him.
You smile sarcastically as you think about this. Because you do know why you are acting this way. You even know why he is acting this way.
But are you going to talk about and meet him half way?
Of course not.
Both of you pretend like the tension isn't there and just pretend like you are two strangers in a car. That you are going to visit the same patient and leaving for the same house after that is just a matter of circumstance.
When the car finally stopped on the parking lot near the hospital, you were keen to get out. Dwalin held the door open for you so you could enter the lobby. He had cooled down a little but you were still very much on fire.
"I will wait here" you said before you reached the elevators.
Dwalin looked at you but you still couldn't see any emotion on his face. "Do you think that is wise?" He stood in front of you with his arms crossed. It was apparent that he didn't deem it wise.
You shrugged, pointing at the police officers that were standing everywhere. "I think I am very well protected down here." You looked him straight in the eyes, challenging him to disagree with you.
"And you want to stay away from me right now, don't you?" he asked. This time you could hear the sadness in his voice.
Your muscles loosened a little, your anger cooling down a little. "That is not what I meant Dwalin..." you spoke softly.
He put a comforting hand on your shoulder. "I understand lass, it is just that... Just stay in their line of sight. Aye?"
"I will" you said, putting your hand on his.
Dwalin softly squeezed your hand before taking the elevator up.
And now you were left on your own. You hadn't brought your book with you because you didn't think you would be waiting outside of Thorin's room. Instead you remembered to listen to "Yellow - Coldplay"
Right now it was the better option...
Thorin would be released today and you didn't want to cause him stress. He would be able to tell something was wrong between Dwalin and you the moment you walked in.
He would know something was wrong by just looking at Dwalin's face too. At least now he wouldn't have to deal with the tension that you would bring along.
At least this was the reason that you kept repeating in your head as you walked towards the cafeteria. It had nothing to do with Katie's text.
Telling you to meet her there at this time.
You didn't have to look around the room to know she wasn't there yet. With a nervous sigh you sat down. Your gut was telling you to run, that this wasn't a good idea. But your brain was telling you that you needed answers.
And your boyfriends had not told you what you needed to know. You doubted that they would ever tell you. Even tonight they would still probably hide some of the facts from you.
This was your only chance of finding out what was really going on.
"I hope I haven't made you wait for too long?"
You jumped up a little when you felt the hand on your shoulder.
"Are you really that afraid of me?" Katie asked with a little pout.
Your eyes hardened. "After you tried to kill me? Yes, I am afraid of you because apparently I don't know you as well as I thought I did" you said.
She was watching your face carefully just like you did with her. Katie had changed. There was something about her that seemed different to you.
To you she had always been a good friend. One that you could call when there was a problem. The friend that hooked up with every man she met.
Not a friend that would one day point a gun at you.
Katie laid a hand on her green pants. "The fact that you are here tells me that you don't feel like you are on the right side."
"I wouldn't call it that" you said without waiting on her to continue.
"Then why are you here?"
A question you had asked yourself a couple of times already. "I am here because I don't know what is going on. Except for the fact that your boss has something against Thorin."
An unsettling feeling creeped up on you.
"And of course it can't mean that Thorin has done something wrong? It must be Smaug who has made a bad decision?" Katie watched as doubt washed over you. "Because the man who have treated you so nicely couldn't possibly have done something wrong?"
You didn't want to break down in front of her. You had to be strong. "Why would the police be on their side if they were the ones who made a mistake?"
A side of her lips went up in a half smile. "They are great at lying. That is how they stole the documents in the first place."
"Here you go, your coffee miss." A nurse had walked up to your table to deliver Katie's coffee.
"Thank you so much" she said, closing her hands around the warm mug.
It felt a little odd that everything around you was just going on like everything was normal while you were sitting here, talking to the person who had tried to kill your boyfriend. With whom you were supposed to be right now.
"What documents?" you asked. Stupid question. Don't let her know how little you actually know about the situation.
Katie took a sip of her coffee before responding. "There was software that Smaug has created. Software that could protect many people all over the world. Twelve years ago he has made this program. Well, only made it on paper, but he would have been able to create it."
Her eyes darkened. "If your boyfriend' father wouldn't have gotten in the way." She took another sip from her coffee.
"He showed it to Thror, thinking that he would help him protect the lives he was trying to safe. And all seemed well at first. Until the next morning when he discovered his documents were missing." Katie put her mug down a little too hard.
"Thror had taken it to the police, saying that it was a dangerous plan. I don't know what he said but he was convincing. Because that day Smaug was arrested for a crime he didn't commit."
You shook your head. "A crime that he hadn't commited yet" you corrected her. "If the documents weren't dangerous then why would the police have arrested him? That makes no sense Katie."
She smiled wryly. "Like I said, Thros was convincing. So is his whole family. He managed to get his son to lie for him. Thrain testified that he was present at the meeting. Smaug remembers it differently."
"And why should I trust Smaug's word over Thorin's family?" you asked.
"Because he is not a danger to you. Smaug just wants to talk to you, help you get away from them. Have they ever told you what Thorin got into in Africa?" Katie leaned back in her chair.
"I thought so. He worked there exploiting woman. We have the pictures, the documents to prove it. It appears he likes to pick up woman from here and bring them to Africa. No one asks questions there. As long as they get the money they are happy."
Your heart beat a little slower. "What?"
Katie leaned forward to place her hands over yours. "I am sorry love. They were only interested in you because they are trying to harm you. This whole hospital situation is just a little obstacle in their plan. The plan will still continue. How else do you think they got that rich?"
You shook your head, not believing a single thing she told you. "That is a lie. They would never do that."
"You know them less than a month" she said symphatically.
"And in that small amount of time I have gotten to know them well enough to know that that is not who they are" you said. You recognized the game she was playing with you. It was just like the last time when you were at her house.
"(Y/N) I -" Katie started.
"This is enough. How dare you come into this hospital? How dare you talk to her?"
You turned around in shock to find Bilbo standing beside you, pointing angrily at Katie.
She got up quickly. "I don't know what you are talking about. I am visiting an old friend, I was just talking to this young woman because she looked upset."
Bilbo snorted. "Oh really? You call people you tried to shoot an old friend? And I think the real reason that she is upset" he continued, looking at you sideways, "is because you have been telling her more lies."
Katie's face hardened.
"Let me tell you this. I don't know what your problem is but you stay away from her" he said, now standing closer to Katie.
"Excuse me? My problem?" Katie asked aggravated.
Bilbo shook his head with a small smile on his lips. "You unbelievable, you know that? Telling those lies to my friend while not knowing that you are being played yourself."
Something changed in Katie's eyes. If only for a split second.
It was enough for Bilbo. "Oh, but you do know that what you told her are lies. That makes everything just more wonderful. Doesn't it?" He now stood very close to her, his face cold. "Let me tell you this. You have ten seconds to remove yourself from this hospital or I will call the police officers over. Do I make myself clear?"
Katie didn't answer. She met your eyes before she walked away. Like you expected, she didn't rush but took her sweet time. Probably trying to see if Bilbo would call the cops.
"And you!"
You looked up at Bilbo when he adressed you. "Me?" you asked surprise.
"Oh don't give me that surprised face. You know very well how dangerous she is. She almost got Thorin killed and here you are sitting, talking with her instead of getting your boyfriend whom took a shot for you?" he nearly yelled.
You looked down at your hands, your cheeks reddened. "I didn't think -"
"And that is the problem" Bilbo said, crossing his arms.
"Bilbo I just... They haven't told me anything so I thought I -"
"So you thought you would risk your own life to hear some lies? That went well, didn't it?"
"What I am trying to say is -"
"That you are scared and you need someone to listen to you" Bilbo said. He knelt down beside you and hugged you tightly. Just in time because for the third time that day you started crying.
"It is all going to be alright" Bilbo said through your hair. "But things are not going to be alright when you treat your life like a video game. Once you are dead in this world you stay dead. Do you understand that?"
He pulled back so he could look into your eyes.
You nodded, you understood.
"How do you think they would feel if Katie would have hurt you here? They have worked so hard to keep you safe. And then, only because Dwalin and I suppose you too, are unable to talk about your emotions they would loose you?"
He offered you a hankey so you could wipe your nose.
"Thank you" you muttered, blowing your nose loudly.
Bilbo sighed, getting up from his kneeling position. "I do understand that you want answers. For the last few weeks I have been trying to get it into their thick skulls that they should tell you what is going on." He accepted the hankey back from you.
"Please don't tell them" you said, following Bilbo upstairs to pick up Thorin and Dwalin.
He pushed a button, leading to the correct floor, before answering you. "I have to (y/n). They have the right to know. Just like you have the right to know what is going on. Keeping secrets from each other is not the way you are going to stay together."
"I don't want another fight" you spoke softly.
"They are not angry at you. Dwalin has never been good at talking. He is worried of losing you, and instead of telling you that he gets irritated" Bilbo explained.
When he saw your look he added; "I know them for a couple of years now. You get to know how they work after some time."
How you wished you already knew. "And Thorin?"
Bilbo let out a small laugh. "No one really knows what is going on in Thorin's mind. I sometimes think that even Dwalin doesn't know half of it. Let alone Thorin himself."
The sound of a bell told you that you had arrived. Down the hall, you saw Thorin sitting in a wheelchair. Dwalin was standing next to him with police surrounding them.
"Is it alright if I tell them myself tonight?" you asked, whispering to Bilbo.
He thought on this for a moment. "I suppose that is a good idea. Did they tell you I am coming with you to the safe house?"
The look he was given was enough of an answer for him. "At least that way I know you won't hide anything from each other."
Thorin's face lit up when he saw you. "There you are!" he said with a bright smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, here we are dear reader. How do you like this story so far?" The man in front of you leans back in his chair.
"You are reading this story like you are in it but lets step out of that position for a moment" he says, his hands lay casually on his desk. A smile appears on his lips as he studies you. "Don't be afraid. There is just something I want to ask you.
Instead of letting our author write this, I want to know what you would do."
A gleam of joy appears in his eyes. It disappears just as quickly at is appeared.
"Look at this" he says. With one quick action he pulls a cloth off something on his desk. There lays some technical device with four buttons.
"As you can see there are four choices here, dear reader."
The only thing you can hear now is a clock ticking somewhere in another room.
You look at the four buttons.
One is yellow.
One is red.
One is blue.
One is green.
"This story wouldn't feel right if there wasn't a nice death, would it?" Smaug looks at you with a wicked expression on his face.
"Someone. Has. To. Die."
Your heart is beating faster now.
"And because you are the reader I will leave it up to you. Normally the author decides but we all know whom she would kill, don't we?" Smaug laughs.
"Not this time. You have to choose."
He gets up from his chair, to walk around the room. He stops when he is standing right behind you. Smaug leans forward so that his chin is laying on your shoulder. "There is just one twist."
You are waiting anxiously for him to tell you what the twist is.
He clicks his tongue. "I won't tell you which colour will kill which person. The only other thing I will tell you, in a random order, is whoms faith you can seal; Thorin - Dwalin - Mine - Or your own."
Smaug turns on his heals, opening the door but before he leaves he adds; "Good luck with your decision. Just a few more chapters and we will know whom you killed today."
The door closes and you are left in the room, trying to figure out which button to press. Trying to decide how this story will end.
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