Disclaimer: I own nothing Tolkien related. All characters, places, and names belong to Mr. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings universe.

Author's Note: This is simply a slight retelling/backstory of one of the most underrated, underwritten romances of all time. I feel like Rosie Cotton deserved better. Each chapter shall be a different time piece of Rosie and Sam's childhood and adulthood. Don't expect too many chapters, but there's still plenty of fluff to spare. Enjoy!

Storytelling and Holding Hands

Bilbo Baggins developed a rather infamous reputation among his peers of being "odd" and "abnormal" for a hobbit. Ever since his mysterious disappearance with the wizard Gandalf and a party of loud dwarves, and his even more mysterious reappearance several months later, when most of Hobbiton presumed him dead, Bilbo Baggins became an enemy of the Sackville-Baggins' and a rather avoided neighbor. Which was a "real shame," older hobbits would sigh and tsk to one another, because Mr. Baggins was once one of the most respectable of neighbors.

But hobbit children didn't care. The little ones adored hearing "Mr. Bilbo's" stories about trolls, goblins, the nasty creature Gollum, and dragons in mountains. Among his favorite audience members were Peregrin Took, Meriadoc Brandybuck, Samwise Gamgee, and Frodo Baggins, Bilbo's nephew and adopted ward. Every other Saturday afternoon, a gathering of a dozen or so hobbit children would flock to Mr. Bilbo's door, at Bag End, knock and eagerly await his kindly old face and jovial voice to greet them and invite them inside. Bilbo loved company, and found himself strangely in favor of a younger crowd than his old tradition of fellow adult hobbits. Certainly, inviting children meant he needed to cut down on the pipe-weed and ale, but no matter. If there's anything Bilbo Baggins loves, it's a willing and eager audience at his beck and call. For these occasions, he prepared snacks for his hungry listeners, and eventually memorized personal favorite dishes among them: Peregrin, or Pippin, as his friends called him, was fond of sponge cake, Meriadoc, or Merry, preferred lemon cake, Sam always politely asked for strawberries and cream, and Frodo, Bilbo's dear nephew, wanted tea and buttered bread. The four hobbit friends were Bilbo's oldest and most eager of story listeners, and spent a good majority of their childhood herding other hobbit children to Bag End, despite some protests of parents not approving of "Odd Bilbo Baggins." But after a pot of tea was brewed and snacks were given out accordingly, even the most reluctant of guests succumbed to the joys of eating and listening to grandiose tales.

There was one hobbit child who secretly wished to join the club, but never felt quite brave enough to join them at the doorstep. That was shy, golden-haired Rosie Cotton. For months, she watched the gaggle of little hobbits file in and out of Bag End, and even sneaked a peek in the window to watch an animated Bilbo Baggins reenact his stories to a mesmerized audience. She dearly wished to join them, but always felt too embarrassed to ask, let alone simply waltz in like the majority of them. One Saturday afternoon, while Frodo and his friends were persuading a small group of younger hobbits to join them, Samwise noticed shy Rosie, hiding (not so subtly) behind a rosebush. Curious, Sam marched over and asked Rosie, rather bluntly, "Hello, do you wish to join us?"

Rosie squeaked in alarm, and dashed away. She could hear Sam's voice calling her back, but she ran on till she reached the security of her own hobbit hole, swearing to herself that she would never do something so foolhardy again.

But the call of storytelling was too great, and the next Saturday afternoon, Rosie was there again, and Sam noticed her as well. But he pretended not to see her as he joined his friends inside Bag End, then deliberately left the door open. For a short time, Rosie stared at the open door, and the door seemed to beckon to her... then Sam's curly-haired head poked out. She ducked down, and almost made a run for it, when Sam's voice called out, "If there is any hobbit out there who wants to hear Mr. Bilbo's stories and join us for snacks and tea, may he or she do so now!" After shooting a dramatic glance from left to right, he finally ducked back inside.

Blushing, Rosie gathered her courage and darted out from her hiding spot and finally approached the doorstep of Bilbo Baggins's hobbit hole. She stepped inside and quietly tiptoed toward the sound of laughter and voices. She found herself surprisingly at ease at blending in with the other hobbit children. Though she almost leaped out of her skin when Mr. Bilbo himself asked her kindly what kind of snack she'd like. Eyes downcast and turning a tinge of pink, she murmured, "Honeycakes, please," received and bobbed a curtsey, and fled into the living room with the other hobbit children. She took her seat well in the back, and quietly began munching on her honeycake, praying she may go the rest of the evening unnoticed.

Unfortunately, Samwise Gamgee was not one to pick up on these kinds of social cues.

"Mr. Bilbo, sir!" He said rather loudly, standing right next to a mortified Rosie Cotton. "We have a new guest and she would like to sit up front with Mr. Frodo and Mr. Merry and Mr. Pippin and me, sir!"

Rosie turned bright pink, as her bewildered young peers turned around to face her. But Sam, young, blunt, oblivious Sam, took Rosie's hand, pulling her gently yet firmly to her feet, and lead her to the front of the group, and faced Mr. Bilbo with squared shoulders and a puffed-out chest - looking quite ridiculous, but endearing, resulting in causing his friends Merry, Pippin, and Frodo to devolve into quiet giggles. Rosie kept her eyes downcast, blushing, and holding Sam's hand tightly, wishing this nightmare would end.

"But of course, my boy, of course!" Bilbo's kind voice broke the ice, and the two young hobbits' shoulders sagged with relief. "Come, my dear girl, and sit by my nephew and this kind boy who thought of you."

Rosie nodded dumbly, and plopped down with Sam, vainly wishing her fellow peers would stop gaping at her. But Sam's hand kept holding hers tightly, and she finally looked up at his face. Roundish, comely, and altogether not too remarkable or attractive, but there was something... warm about his demeanor. He had wide, eager-to-please brown eyes, and his cheeks were heavily freckled. And for all his awkwardness, there was a likeness in his smile and overall aura. Rosie found herself staring openly now, at this Samwise Gamgee's comely yet appealing face, till he turned his head and made eye contact. His face flushed dark red, and he instantly let go of her hand and promptly sat under both of his hands, murmuring an apology, and staring pointedly at Bilbo's feet.

Rosie's heart skipped a beat. For the first time in her life, she wanted a boy to hold her hand. Once more.

AN: First of all, thank you to all my positive reviews so far! I'm working on the second chapter and will try posting it soon!