I Won't Let You Go (Bagginshield)

Never Let Me Go.

I sharpened my sword and headed down the hall to where Gandalf was staying. I was planning to literally end his life this very night. Instead, I bumped into Thorin.

"Bilbo," he said. "I walked away not because I was angry, but because I was trying to come to terms with my own feelings. You see, Master Baggins, I feel the same way about you. I have tried to hide it because I didn't want the others to get any negative ideas. But I..." he reached out and grabbed my shoulders, causing me to tense up. "I need you, Bilbo. And not just on the journey, but...always."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It was too good to be true. My heart was pounding a mile a minute, I was a nervous wreck. And here he was, touching me. Was he...actually leaning towards me? I couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't breathe. And then his lips touched mine, and I just couldn't contain myself any longer.

What happened next shall remain behind closed doors.

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The next morning we were leaving Rivendell, and I was sitting on a pony next to Kili, wincing with each step the pony took. Fili kept shooting me knowing glances, and Kili was getting upset because he thought Fili and I were speaking in some kind of code and keeping things from him. I couldn't stop smiling.

Gandalf stayed behind, which was good, because I'd had enough of his old wrinkled face. I was still pissed at him for giving away my secret. Even though it all worked out, I was still very upset with that wizard for meddling in my affairs.

Thorin was very good at hiding things. In public, he completely ignored me, but in private, let's just say he didn't. I didn't mind that he ignored me in public. I didn't want the others paying attention to our life.

But something struck me. We were almost to Erebor. We were almost to the place of my nightmares. Should I tell Thorin about that time he had saved me, now that things were...well, good between us? I still wasn't sure. What if he didn't remember that day, and I just humiliated myself by bringing it up? Ugh.

As we neared the forest of Mirkwood, I became very uneasy. Something was off. Something was wrong.

Something evil was festering in these woods....