A/N I Don't own any of the LOTR characters they belong to Tolken, but I do own Cassie.

Chapter 1: Flashbacks of a beautiful past

Cassie Bralada sat in a corner in the remains of her family's hobbit hole, crying. Her dying mother was lying on their burnt couch. Saruman had been defeated and the scouring of the shire was over, but the scouring of her shattered life had just begun. Her father was out there somewhere and for all she knew, he could be dead. As she began to pick up the shattered remains of her family's pictures, her mother made a movement. She ran over to her to see that her mothers eyes where drooping, the next breathe could be her last.

"Mamma, don't die please don't die." She cried. Her mother looked up at the young hobbits tear stained face and was able to muster a smile.

"You fought bravely dear, and always remember I love you, tell Julian I love her too ... take care of my baby and take care of yourself dear... I love you so very much." Her mother finished. Those were her last words. For with that, her mother drew a breathe and died. Cassie cried for hours, not knowing if it was day or night. She cried and cried until her little sister started to stir from her apparent coma. She lifted her head up a little and Cassie ran over and hugged her.

"Julian your okay!" She exclaimed holding her frail sister in her arms. Julian peered her head over Cassie's shoulder and saw her mother.

"Cassie, mommas sleeping right? ... Right?" She asked, her wide brown eyes furrowed with question.

"Momma went to sleep Julian, and she won't be waking up." Cassie croaked, letting her held back tears flow freely now.

They sat for hours just crying to each other. Then around 5 A.M. someone was knocking on the door. Cassie ran and opened it, hoping it was her father, but it was only Samwise Gamgee.

"My my, dear me where is your mother Cassie, Rosie wanted me to check on you." He said trying to smile. Cassie gave him a blank look.

"She's dead." Sam looked very pale.

"Oh my, well girls I need you to pack whatever you have left, your going to come to our hole." He said and went with Julian to help her with her things. Cassie went into her burnt up room and could only find her special box that had letters and notes in it, a plaid jumper, her mothers ring, and her special book. The book where she had written about her life, her thoughts and her feelings, she loved it so much she even used a trick from the old Took on how to fire proof it (it must of worked). The rest of her stuff including all her clothes were all destroyed. As she finished scouring her room Sam came into the room with Julian.

"What did you find of Julian's Mr. Gamgee?" She asked him.

"An old tee shirt and a stuffed rabbit, and please you can call me Sam." They went into the living room and kitchen but found nothing.

"I think we should go back now." Said Sam, "Rosie might think Sharkey's back and has us captive." He said making an ill attempt to joke. Once the door opened Cassie couldn't suppress a gasp. The whole shire looked like a war zone. The market was ashes, The green dragon was severely burnt, and the beautiful grass hills and turrets where brown with singed grass. They walked up the hills and around turns until they reached the notorious Bag end that wasn't burnt very bad, in fact it looked very much minor.

"Sam how come this hole wasn't attacked?" Asked Cassie. Sam smiled

"Well at the beginning of the battle me and my friends met up with Sharkey and gave him a piece of our minds if you know what I mean." He said, opening the door. They were met by Rosie who gave them each a hug and practically picked Sam up.

"Oh my, I've been so worried, where is your mother." Asked Rosie frantically. No one replied but she figured it out by Sam's expression. A horrified expression came over her face but remaining cool, probably as to make the younger hobbits not upset. She ushered them in out of the cold weather and wrapped a blanket around each of them. She laid Julian down on the couch and gave her some herbal stuff. She sat Cassie down at the table and gave her a big bowel of soup and a large chunk of bread with butter on it. Rosie sat down next to her and jumped up almost at once.

"Oh dear I forgot Frodo's dinner." She said hurrying back into the kitchen. Was Frodo their dog or something? Cassie thought to herself as she took a sip of her soup, it warmed her from head to toe. But then a dark figure emerged from a door off to the side. Rosie smiled at it

"Good to see your up Frodo, it's all over outside isn't that great!" She was talking to the figure that Cassie realized was a hobbit, like he was a 10 year old. Frodo nodded his head and sat down at the table. He looked up at Cassie for a second and then quickly looked back down. Cassie also looked down at her stew. She hated this type of confrontation, but this guy looked odd, like he was in a trance or something. They ate their soup in silence until Rosie recognized their awkwardness.

"Frodo this is Cassie Bralada, her house was destroyed and her parents... well ... and she will be staying with us for a while, along with her little sister Julian, oh by the way Cassie this is Frodo." She said to her. Cassie nodded to him and they continued eating. It was funny, it was if they shared the same sense of nothing to live for. Frodo looked up at her again and made a facial gesture that suggested a smile. Cassie gave him the same type of look back, it was weird, she would of normally considered him a freak, but he was acting just as she was, she felt relaxed around him. But as she took a closer look at him, a light bulb flickered in her head. This was Frodo Baggins! The boy she taunted and beat up as a young hobbit. She looked at the much older hobbit. Frodo had been 4 years older than her but about half the size, so she picked on him, really because she liked him. She hadn't seen him in years, but there he was, sitting right in front of her!

That's the first chapter, more Drama where that came from, Romance WITHOUT Mary-sue, I promise. R/R please