~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     "Uncle!" Fili exclaimed, jumping on Thorin's bed.

     Thorin groaned. "What is it, Fili?"

     "I think Kili's sick." Fili replied, ceasing his jumping and getting on his knees. "He threw up in my bed."

     Thorin pushed himself onto his elbows. "In your bed? What was he doing in your bed?"

     "He wasn't feeling good and he asked if he could sleep with me."

     "You do know that Kili needs to learn to sleep in his own bed?" Thorin pulled the covers back and stood, grabbing his purple night robe.

     "I know." Fili climbed out of his uncle's bed. "But he's my little brother. And I'll always be there whenever he needs me."

     Thorin smiled and made his way to Kili and Fili's room. Fili followed his uncle, speed walking to catch up. They finally got to the room and walked in. Kili was sitting on the floor, teary eyed and pale. Fili ran to his side and hugged him close.

     Thorin changed Fili's sheets while Fili cleaned Kili up.

     "How hot is his forehead?" Thorin asked.

     Fili felt Kili's forehead with his palm.

     "No, kiss him on the forehead. Your palm is already warm, so if you use your palm he may not feel hot."

     Fili nodded and kissed his baby brother on the forehead. "His forehead is pretty hot."

     Little Kili, who was sucking his thumb, moaned. He suddenly turned to his uncle and raised his hands. "Thorin!"

     Fili let Kili go and Thorin picked him up. He kissed Kili on the forehead so he would know for himself how hot he was.

     "Should we get Oin?" Fili worriedly asked.

     "We'll get him in the morning." Thorin answered. "Fili, there's nothing to worry about. Everyone gets sick every now and then."

     Fili nodded and watched as Thorin put Kili in bed. As soon as Thorin had set him down, however, Kili wrapped his little arms around Thorin's neck.

     "Kili, let go. You need to get some sleep."

     "I want you!" Kili said. "I sleep with you!"

     "Kili, you need to sleep in your own bed." Thorin said softly.

     "No! I want you!" Kili cried.

     "Kili-"

     "Thorin, please!" Kili begged, tears rolling down his face.

     Thorin gently grabbed Kili's hands and tried pulling him from his neck, but he wouldn't budge. "Kili, enough of those crocodile tears. Come on, let go."

     Kili slowly let go and sat down on his bed. He looked up at his uncle with his big, pleading, watery brown eyes.

     Thorin sighed. "Alright, you can come with me."

     Kili's face immediately brightened up and he reached his arms up, waiting for Thorin to pick him up. Thorin picked him up.

     "Can I come too?" Fili asked hesitantly.

     "Why do you need to come? Are you feeling ill too?"

     "Well, no... but I want to be with Kili."

     "He'll be down the hall with me. He'll be safe." Thorin assured him.

     "But what if something bad does happen?"

     "Fili, nothing bad is going to happen."

     "But what if it does? I'm going with him." Fili said obstinately.

     Thorin sighed in defeat. "Alright, I'm too tired to argue."

     Fili raised his arms and Thorin got down on a knee so he could pick up his other nephew.

     "You've gotten heavier, you know that?" Thorin said as he walked out of the room, two pairs of arms wrapped around his neck.

     Fili nodded. "That's what Mommy told me yesterday. She says I'm not aloud to grow up."

     "I agree with her."

     "But I wanna grow up! I want a beard like you."

     Thorin smirked as he walked into his room. He set Fili and Kili down on his bed before he himself climbed into it. Fili crawled to his left, and Kili to his right and Thorin pulled the covers over them. Kili curled up into a ball, his face buried into Thorin's chest and Fili slept with his back against his uncle's. Soon the two Dwarflings and their uncle were sound asleep.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

     The next morning Thorin woke with a pounding headache. Kili was no longer in the bed with him, but Fili was still where he had been last night. Fili stretched and groaned, opening his eyes.

     "My head hurts." He said.

     "Yours too?" Thorin asked.

     Fili nodded, but then put a hand on his head. He looked around and a worried expression crossed his face. "Where's Kili?"

     "I'm not sure. He could have climbed out of bed and gone into your mother's room while we were sleeping."

     A knock sounded on the bedroom door. "Thorin, it's Dis. May I come in?"

     "Yeah." Thorin answered, sitting up.

     Fili climbed into Thorin's lap and Dis entered the room, Kili on her hip.

     "Kili's sick. He said he had been since last night so he slept with you. I came to see how you and Fili were feeling."

     "Both Fili and I have a headache."

     "Are we getting sick too?" Fili asked. "Is Kili okay?"

     "Yes, Kili's fine." Dis answered, sitting down on the side of the bed. She kissed Fili's forehead. "Yes, I think you're sick too."

     "Does Oin have anything for headaches?" Thorin asked.

     "He probably does. I can go get him." Dis stood, leaving Kili with Thorin and Fili.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

     Thorin lay in his bed, bored. Oin was able to help with the headache, but not with the vomiting, as that was a natural way to get rid of a virus. Kili and Fili had refused to leave Thorin's side. Dis had taken them to their own room earlier that day, but that didn't keep them away. Thorin didn't mind, however. They weren't feeling well either, so they didn't keep him from getting rest. The whole entire day the three heirs were either sleeping or puking.

     Oh, the joys of being ill. Headache, stomachache, sore throat, drowsiness, puking, being hot yet cold, cough. Then of course there was the whole boredom thing. On the bright side being bored made you even more tired, and sleeping made you heal faster.

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 <3

     "Uncle Thorin, can you read us a story?" Fili asked, holding up a storybook titled 'The History of Erebor'. "I mean, if you feel well enough."

     "Story!" Kili joyfully said.

     Thorin sat up and took the book from Fili. "Alright, but only a few stories."

     Kili and Fili climbed into his lap as Thorin read to them. Dis watched them with a smile as Kili would point to the pictures and Fili would sometimes finish Thorin's sentence.

     "And that's when Smaug the Terrible attacked Erebor." Fili said.

     "Yes. You have this memorized, don't you?" Thorin asked with a smile.

     "Almost." Fili said. He looked up at his uncle. "Are you ever going to take back Erebor?"

     "I hope to someday."

     "Well, when you do, I'm going with you." Fili said.

     "Me too!" Kili exclaimed.

     Dis walked into the room. "Not unless you're under ninety, you're not."

     Kili and Fili frowned.

     "I'm not planning on taking it back until they're adults. I don't want to leave them while they're still so young." Thorin said. "But when they are old enough, I want them to come. I want them to see our home."

     "Tell us about you and Mommy growing up in Erebor!" Kili said.

     So for the next fifteen minutes, Thorin an Dis told the two Dwarfling Princes about them and Erebor. Oin, Balin, Dwalin, Bifur and Bofur happened to walk by the door. They stopped and watched as Kili and Fili listened intently, soaking in every word. Their hearts filled with joy and sadness as they remembered the wonderful Kingdom of Erebor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<3~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~