Disclaimer: I own none of this. I only trot it out of my brain for your
amusement. All of these characters and allusions to characters belong to
J.R.R. Tolkein's estate.
Author's Note: As you will probably guess, this is an AU where Frodo kept the Ring. In 21st. century Chicago he has finally come to the decision to destroy it once and for all.
"Hostile Takeover"—Chapter One: The Counsel of L.Rond
Sally Gamble loved her job. She had worked at Shire Publishing for the past ten years. For the last five she was the executive assistant to the owner and CEO. She acquired her current employment by peculiar happenstance, a matter of being in the right place at exactly the right time.
She remembered how Mr. Baggins had come to her floor that day. She was a submissions editor then. All of her coworkers chattered with nervous excitement at the news of his tour of inspection, an impossibly rare event for a man world-famous for his reclusiveness. She felt an inexplicable sense of calm as he paused at her desk. His warm youthful eyes gazed at the plants placed around her as he fingered the delicate blossoms of her Christmas cactus. He asked her name and when she told him, he smiled.
"I'm in need of a gardener of your talent Ms. Gamble. Would you like to move upstairs?" he asked with quiet earnest. There was nothing at all indecent about his invitation. Everyone present understood what had happened. He wasn't propositioning her. He was promoting her.
Sally accepted without any hesitation. Although she had never set eyes upon him before she felt instantly that she knew him. He had wise eyes and a gentle manner and without understanding why, she knew that she would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her.
He ended his tour with this brief exchange and returned to the seclusion of his office. A place from which he would never seem to emerge again. The oddness of the event had occurred to Sally only in the far reaches of her mind. She never consciously questioned her appointment or the source of her deep devotion to her employer. She worked tirelessly for him and would not leave her job for any offer of monetary benefit.
Since the day he invited her to work upstairs, Sally had very little contact with Mr. Baggins. He spoke to her daily but only through the intercom. She brought him herbal tea every morning and the back of his chair would be all she would see. He always faced the window that would offer an outstanding cityscape of Chicago, if only he would open the drapes. She could count the number of times she had seen his face on the fingers of one hand.
She did not mind. She never felt more important. She truly belonged here.
This day as she prepared the water for his tea she had the unique task of preparing enough for two. Mr. Baggins had a visitor. As his usual custom with her he dealt with others through telephone and computer. This gentleman however, insisted on a face-to-face meeting.
Her calendar listed him simply as Mr. L. Rond. Sally had no knowledge of his occupation or his affiliation. At his arrival she felt more than a rush of curiosity. Something of his presence signaled a warning in her heart. Her protectiveness over Mr. Baggins rose inexplicably and her unease only grew as he disappeared behind the closed doors of her employer's office.
At least the tea would give her an excuse to intrude on their meeting.
She opened the door quietly and entered without raising suspicion. She carried an ornate wooden tray with two white china cups and a matching pot of near boiling water. She almost did not need to remind herself that she wasn't doing anything wrong.
Mr. Rond sat opposite Mr. Baggins' desk with impeccable posture. He steepled his fingers in front of him and his voice carried a forbidding tone. "It's more than a merger that he's after," he said. He glanced briefly in Sally's direction and weighed the risk of his next statements on an extra pair of ears. "On paper he'll seize your assets, your presses, but you know what he really wants."
Mr. Baggins stood leaning against his desk only a few feet away from Mr. Rond. He too looked to Sally and caught her eye. She swallowed hard and nearly missed the cup with the water she poured. Holding her gaze he answered, "Yes, that's why I must destroy it once and for all."
Sally set the pot down with an unnerving rattle. Her hands began to tremble. What sort of corporate secrets did he make her privy to? Destroy what? What sort of danger was the Shire in?
Mr. Rond regarded her with cold gray eyes. Apparently he did not approve of her untimely presence but he respected his host enough to speak freely. "You finally mean to do it?" he asked darkly. "It won't be like before. There will be no fellowship to protect you this time."
Mr. Baggins sighed heavily and reluctantly pulled his weight away from the edge of his desk. For the first time Sally had ever known him, he seemed truly tired. "Does it matter?" he asked wearily. "This must be done."
He walked around his desk and pulled open the drapes. The afternoon sunlight flooded the room causing the occupants to squint against the sudden brightness. "I have complete mastery over the Ring but it understands nothing of the new power," he explained.
Mr. Baggins surveyed the world beyond his window as Sally stirred the tea trying no to make a sound. "Evil has changed its tactics and found a way to thrive in this world," he continued. "I have not adapted so well. I lead with my heart and not my head and my shortcomings have weakened the Ring's power."
"It will seek a new Master," Mr. Rond said with warning. He focused his attention solely on Mr. Baggins searching for and analyzing any subtle reaction to his assertion. He did not even acknowledge Sally as she placed his tea in front of him.
Sally herself had heard more than enough. The terms and thoughts bandied about in this office spoke of deep and primal threats unknown to her. She could take nothing of what she had witnessed and form any coherent thought let alone any theory of the danger that was present. The tea had been served and she had no more reason to tarry. She simply wanted to return to the innocence of her little desk and leave these grave matters behind. Mr. Baggins would know what to do and when he needed her opinion, he would ask for it.
Mr. Baggins lifted his fingers to the glass of the window in front of him. Such a thin layer separated him from the touch of the city before him. "It already has," he said with finality. "Soon it will forsake me entirely."
As Sally reached for the door handle, Mr. Baggins called out to her. Her hand fell to her side and she found she could not escape. "Sally, when we are finished here, will you escort Mr. Rond to his car."
"Of course, Sir," she replied. Her words came out in a rush of air that she did not realize she had been holding. Finally she allowed herself to leave.
In four swift steps she reached her desk and slid into her chair. Something of the familiar cushions of her seat and the feel of her hands on her keyboard comforted her. A calm steady breath returned to her but she could not dismiss what she had heard from her mind. Something big was about to happen and what role she had to play in it remained a mystery.
Sally startled at the sound of Mr. Baggins' office door opening. Mr. Rond emerged and she rose to meet him. Without a word she walked with him to the elevator. She followed him in and pressed the button for the lower level parking garage.
A long moment passed before Mr. Rond broke the silence. "Mr. Baggins trusts you," he said.
In her heart she already knew that but hearing it from someone else made it more real. "I am honored," she replied.
"You should be," he said looking down at her through narrowed eyes. "It is nearly unprecedented."
Sally watched as the floor indicator lit up lower and lower numbers. Her time with Mr. L. Rond was fleeting. "Is the Shire in danger, Sir?"
He looked straight ahead at the doors in front of him. "It has taken on unnecessary financial burdens," he stated coldly. "Five years is much too long to pay an unproductive workforce."
Sally's defense of her employer rose again. "He was seen as a hero for continuing their salaries," she said, her voice higher than she had hoped. "It wasn't their fault the factory burned to the ground."
"His generosity has brought the Shire to near financial ruin," he said turning to her. "A takeover from another publisher is imminent."
Sally met his dark gray eyes. She remembered the sense of danger. "But you spoke of matters beyond the takeover," she said quietly. A soft electronic voice announced that they had reached the lower level parking garage.
Mr. Rond stepped towards her and to her great surprise he laid his hand on her shoulder. "It is not for me to say but if your employer trusts you to the degree I foresee, you will understand these matters more intimately than you could ever hope to. Stay close to him, Ms. Gamble. He needs someone he trusts." He released her as the elevator door opened to revealed the myriad of cars and concrete walls tinted yellow in the artificial light. "You no longer need to accompany me. I can find my way from here."
Sally managed to strangle out a simple "Good day, Sir," before reverting to her state of stunned silence. She watched Mr. L. Rond's retreating dark form before the closing doors cut him from her sight. She knew he was someone of great significance. She just didn't know how. She simply felt it.
As if her day did not have enough surprises, Sally returned to her desk to find Mr. Baggins sitting there, waiting for her. In the flesh. She nearly stumbled off the elevator towards him. "Mr. Baggins?" she asked breathlessly.
Sally had hoped to bring at least the hint of a smile to his eyes at her comical entrance but his own thoughts were far too grave to notice. "Sally, I have to go away," he said quietly. "I have to leave the Shire."
Her heart sank to form a heavy lump in her stomach. Incredibly she managed to take several steps towards him before she realized she could no longer feel her feet. The thought of Mr. Baggins leaving the Shire was inconceivable. He was the Shire. But somewhere within her a part of her had listened to everything that had been said that day. That part of her knew this was coming. "Can you tell me where you're going?" she asked.
The smile she had hoped for suddenly graced his face. "I'll do more than that," he told her. "If you're willing, I'll take you with me."
TBC
In chapter two: "At the Sign of Gate 12A" a great deal of action takes place and we'll see something you wouldn't have expected in a Chicago airport. You'll love it, just wait and see.
Author's Note: As you will probably guess, this is an AU where Frodo kept the Ring. In 21st. century Chicago he has finally come to the decision to destroy it once and for all.
"Hostile Takeover"—Chapter One: The Counsel of L.Rond
Sally Gamble loved her job. She had worked at Shire Publishing for the past ten years. For the last five she was the executive assistant to the owner and CEO. She acquired her current employment by peculiar happenstance, a matter of being in the right place at exactly the right time.
She remembered how Mr. Baggins had come to her floor that day. She was a submissions editor then. All of her coworkers chattered with nervous excitement at the news of his tour of inspection, an impossibly rare event for a man world-famous for his reclusiveness. She felt an inexplicable sense of calm as he paused at her desk. His warm youthful eyes gazed at the plants placed around her as he fingered the delicate blossoms of her Christmas cactus. He asked her name and when she told him, he smiled.
"I'm in need of a gardener of your talent Ms. Gamble. Would you like to move upstairs?" he asked with quiet earnest. There was nothing at all indecent about his invitation. Everyone present understood what had happened. He wasn't propositioning her. He was promoting her.
Sally accepted without any hesitation. Although she had never set eyes upon him before she felt instantly that she knew him. He had wise eyes and a gentle manner and without understanding why, she knew that she would follow him to the ends of the earth if he asked her.
He ended his tour with this brief exchange and returned to the seclusion of his office. A place from which he would never seem to emerge again. The oddness of the event had occurred to Sally only in the far reaches of her mind. She never consciously questioned her appointment or the source of her deep devotion to her employer. She worked tirelessly for him and would not leave her job for any offer of monetary benefit.
Since the day he invited her to work upstairs, Sally had very little contact with Mr. Baggins. He spoke to her daily but only through the intercom. She brought him herbal tea every morning and the back of his chair would be all she would see. He always faced the window that would offer an outstanding cityscape of Chicago, if only he would open the drapes. She could count the number of times she had seen his face on the fingers of one hand.
She did not mind. She never felt more important. She truly belonged here.
This day as she prepared the water for his tea she had the unique task of preparing enough for two. Mr. Baggins had a visitor. As his usual custom with her he dealt with others through telephone and computer. This gentleman however, insisted on a face-to-face meeting.
Her calendar listed him simply as Mr. L. Rond. Sally had no knowledge of his occupation or his affiliation. At his arrival she felt more than a rush of curiosity. Something of his presence signaled a warning in her heart. Her protectiveness over Mr. Baggins rose inexplicably and her unease only grew as he disappeared behind the closed doors of her employer's office.
At least the tea would give her an excuse to intrude on their meeting.
She opened the door quietly and entered without raising suspicion. She carried an ornate wooden tray with two white china cups and a matching pot of near boiling water. She almost did not need to remind herself that she wasn't doing anything wrong.
Mr. Rond sat opposite Mr. Baggins' desk with impeccable posture. He steepled his fingers in front of him and his voice carried a forbidding tone. "It's more than a merger that he's after," he said. He glanced briefly in Sally's direction and weighed the risk of his next statements on an extra pair of ears. "On paper he'll seize your assets, your presses, but you know what he really wants."
Mr. Baggins stood leaning against his desk only a few feet away from Mr. Rond. He too looked to Sally and caught her eye. She swallowed hard and nearly missed the cup with the water she poured. Holding her gaze he answered, "Yes, that's why I must destroy it once and for all."
Sally set the pot down with an unnerving rattle. Her hands began to tremble. What sort of corporate secrets did he make her privy to? Destroy what? What sort of danger was the Shire in?
Mr. Rond regarded her with cold gray eyes. Apparently he did not approve of her untimely presence but he respected his host enough to speak freely. "You finally mean to do it?" he asked darkly. "It won't be like before. There will be no fellowship to protect you this time."
Mr. Baggins sighed heavily and reluctantly pulled his weight away from the edge of his desk. For the first time Sally had ever known him, he seemed truly tired. "Does it matter?" he asked wearily. "This must be done."
He walked around his desk and pulled open the drapes. The afternoon sunlight flooded the room causing the occupants to squint against the sudden brightness. "I have complete mastery over the Ring but it understands nothing of the new power," he explained.
Mr. Baggins surveyed the world beyond his window as Sally stirred the tea trying no to make a sound. "Evil has changed its tactics and found a way to thrive in this world," he continued. "I have not adapted so well. I lead with my heart and not my head and my shortcomings have weakened the Ring's power."
"It will seek a new Master," Mr. Rond said with warning. He focused his attention solely on Mr. Baggins searching for and analyzing any subtle reaction to his assertion. He did not even acknowledge Sally as she placed his tea in front of him.
Sally herself had heard more than enough. The terms and thoughts bandied about in this office spoke of deep and primal threats unknown to her. She could take nothing of what she had witnessed and form any coherent thought let alone any theory of the danger that was present. The tea had been served and she had no more reason to tarry. She simply wanted to return to the innocence of her little desk and leave these grave matters behind. Mr. Baggins would know what to do and when he needed her opinion, he would ask for it.
Mr. Baggins lifted his fingers to the glass of the window in front of him. Such a thin layer separated him from the touch of the city before him. "It already has," he said with finality. "Soon it will forsake me entirely."
As Sally reached for the door handle, Mr. Baggins called out to her. Her hand fell to her side and she found she could not escape. "Sally, when we are finished here, will you escort Mr. Rond to his car."
"Of course, Sir," she replied. Her words came out in a rush of air that she did not realize she had been holding. Finally she allowed herself to leave.
In four swift steps she reached her desk and slid into her chair. Something of the familiar cushions of her seat and the feel of her hands on her keyboard comforted her. A calm steady breath returned to her but she could not dismiss what she had heard from her mind. Something big was about to happen and what role she had to play in it remained a mystery.
Sally startled at the sound of Mr. Baggins' office door opening. Mr. Rond emerged and she rose to meet him. Without a word she walked with him to the elevator. She followed him in and pressed the button for the lower level parking garage.
A long moment passed before Mr. Rond broke the silence. "Mr. Baggins trusts you," he said.
In her heart she already knew that but hearing it from someone else made it more real. "I am honored," she replied.
"You should be," he said looking down at her through narrowed eyes. "It is nearly unprecedented."
Sally watched as the floor indicator lit up lower and lower numbers. Her time with Mr. L. Rond was fleeting. "Is the Shire in danger, Sir?"
He looked straight ahead at the doors in front of him. "It has taken on unnecessary financial burdens," he stated coldly. "Five years is much too long to pay an unproductive workforce."
Sally's defense of her employer rose again. "He was seen as a hero for continuing their salaries," she said, her voice higher than she had hoped. "It wasn't their fault the factory burned to the ground."
"His generosity has brought the Shire to near financial ruin," he said turning to her. "A takeover from another publisher is imminent."
Sally met his dark gray eyes. She remembered the sense of danger. "But you spoke of matters beyond the takeover," she said quietly. A soft electronic voice announced that they had reached the lower level parking garage.
Mr. Rond stepped towards her and to her great surprise he laid his hand on her shoulder. "It is not for me to say but if your employer trusts you to the degree I foresee, you will understand these matters more intimately than you could ever hope to. Stay close to him, Ms. Gamble. He needs someone he trusts." He released her as the elevator door opened to revealed the myriad of cars and concrete walls tinted yellow in the artificial light. "You no longer need to accompany me. I can find my way from here."
Sally managed to strangle out a simple "Good day, Sir," before reverting to her state of stunned silence. She watched Mr. L. Rond's retreating dark form before the closing doors cut him from her sight. She knew he was someone of great significance. She just didn't know how. She simply felt it.
As if her day did not have enough surprises, Sally returned to her desk to find Mr. Baggins sitting there, waiting for her. In the flesh. She nearly stumbled off the elevator towards him. "Mr. Baggins?" she asked breathlessly.
Sally had hoped to bring at least the hint of a smile to his eyes at her comical entrance but his own thoughts were far too grave to notice. "Sally, I have to go away," he said quietly. "I have to leave the Shire."
Her heart sank to form a heavy lump in her stomach. Incredibly she managed to take several steps towards him before she realized she could no longer feel her feet. The thought of Mr. Baggins leaving the Shire was inconceivable. He was the Shire. But somewhere within her a part of her had listened to everything that had been said that day. That part of her knew this was coming. "Can you tell me where you're going?" she asked.
The smile she had hoped for suddenly graced his face. "I'll do more than that," he told her. "If you're willing, I'll take you with me."
TBC
In chapter two: "At the Sign of Gate 12A" a great deal of action takes place and we'll see something you wouldn't have expected in a Chicago airport. You'll love it, just wait and see.