Hiding Myself. A fem!Bilbo Bagginshield fanfic

Chapter 5

Bella Baggins trudged along a dark passageway somewhere in the Misty Mountains. She kept going along the same passage, feeling where a new one opened up by the air.
When she sat down for a second, her whole life changed without her even knowing. She felt along the ground and felt a small band of what was most likely gold and put it in her pocket without thinking about it. She stood up and continued along the passage. She kept going until she suddenly stepped into a pool of water.
She'd journeyed so far into the Misty Mountains that where she was, even goblins barely came that far. Sometimes the goblin king would send for a fish from the lake. Neither goblin nor fish ever returned.
"Ugh! That's quite nasty! "
Out of nowhere a quiet voice began speaking. "What is it, Precious? Is it tassssty? Can we eats it? "
Bella pointed her small sword at the creature when it appeared. It was deathly pale and thin as anything. It was Gollum. He'd lived on the lake for years beyond count, and certainly beyond his own memory.
"What is it, Precious? " it asked. Bella watched, hoping that maybe this thing could help her out. She instantly decided against telling the creature her real name.
"I-I am Bilbo Baggins, a hobbit from the Shire. I have lost the dwarves and Gandalf, and I must find them. " she said.
The creature immediately began hissing something back and forth to itself. "Does it like games? "
"Um.... Yes, I like games. Riddles. " she rambled.
"We knows safe paths, safe paths in the dark for hobbitses! " Gollum hissed. "If Bagginses wins a riddle game, we shows it a way out. If it loses, we eats it whole. "
Bella cringed. She absolutely hated this creature but couldn't bring herself to harm it when it might be her only chance to get back to Thorin and the Company.
If they're even still alive. A low voice whispered in the back of her mind. They could be dead. Thorin could be dead. He might noe even want you back. You're just a burden, just a useless hobbit. Even if he knew the truth he'd never love you. He's just a-
"No. " she whispered back. Turning to Gollum, she nodded. "Fine. A game of riddles, that's it. "
Gollum grinned, a terrifying sight. "What has roots as nobody sees, is taller than trees. Up, up it goes and yet never grows. "
"A mountain. " she answered. The answer came easy as she was in one at the moment. She quickly shot back with a riddle of her own. Gollum growled, firing back with another riddle. When she was pressured for her riddle her finger slipped into her pocket. She fiddled with the golden ring she'd picked up earlier.
"Ask us, precioussss... "
"What have I got in my pocket? " she murmured. Gollum hissed, stamping his feet in a temper tantrum.
"Not fair, that's not fair! Bagginses has to give us three guessesss. "
Bella rolled her eyes. "Fine. But three, and that's it. " she agreed.
"Handses! "
"Wrong. "
Gollum's next guess couldn't be farther from the truth. He quickly grew exasperated, throwing a stray fish bone as far as he could. "String, or nothing! " he shrieked, trying to get in two answers at once. Bella shook her head and smirked in spite of her situation.
"Neither. Show me the way out of this place like you promised you would. "
Gollum narrowed his eyes and looked back towards his small cave on an island. He scampered off into a tiny boat and towards his cave. Bella turned away with a frown. Of course he'd gone back on his promise. The hobbit sighed and began walking. As she walked, she semi-consciously slid the mysterious golden ring onto her finger. She whipped around at a horrible screeching cry from Gollum.
"It's losssst! Our precious is looost! "
Bella nearly fell backwards when Gollum came racing in her direction. She swore under her breath, bracing for an attack. To her surprise, however, he ran right past. With a shock she realised what happened. The ring she'd found was magic, it made her completely invisible to anyone else.
The pint-sized 'burglar' crept behind Gollum down winding passageways through the mountain. She shivered when he would stop and hiss threats and nasty things. Suddenly, he stopped short in the middle of a passage. Behind him Bella could hear goblin voices. Outside! That had to be the way out, Gollum had led her right to it without knowing!
Bella pulled her sword out of its sheath and began a swing at Gollum but stopping short. She couldn't kill him in cold blood, not when he couldn't even defend himself.
Stepping back, she took a running leap towards Gollum. She held her breath and jumped over him. She raced towards the open chamber and towards the door. Unfortunately, the buttons on her shirt caught in the door. A goblin turned around as she struggled to get free and saw a shadow just outside. He gave a yell, the other goblins racing to the door. Bella panicked and, with a final tug, tumbled outside. She stood up and ran, holding her shirt together as her buttons had flown all over the opposite side of the door.
Bella ran down the slope towards a circle of trees. Luckily for her, the goblins never went outside during daylight.
Her heart leapt when she recognised Balin standing at the outside of the circle of trees as a watchman. She crept past him to find the rest of the dwarves standing around.
"Wait... Where's Bilbo? " Bofur suddenly asked, looking concerned. Fili looked around and shrugged. Thorin, however, frowned and glanced back up at the mountains.
"Our burglar is long gone. He saw his chance to leave us and he took it. " the dwarf king growled.
In a fit of probable anger, Bella stepped forward and slipped the magic ring off of her finger. "No, he hasn't. I'm right here. "
Thorin spun towards her, looking mildly surprised. "Why did you come back here? You should've gone home while you had the chance, back to your books and your armchair.
"You're right. I should've hone back to Bag End, my home. But I didn't. See, that's where I belong. But I came back. Because, you don't have one. A home. " she explained. "It was taken from you, and I want to help you get it back. "
As she spoke, Bella looked around at each and every dwarf. Bofur and the boys seemed especially touched. The others smiled, but Thorin only nodded. He quickly gave the order to move on, the Company following. Gandalf smiled at Bella as they walked along.
"That was quite the lucky escape, wasn't it? " he said. His tone gave the impression that he knew Bella was hiding something but wasn't going to ask. The hobbit smiled nervously and toyed with the ring in her pocket. It just might be a stroke of luck that even she couldn't fathom what it meant.