There was only one way to describe how Tania was feeling for the rest of the day. Humiliated. She was so embarrassed that she refused to come out of her bedroom after dropping the mud soaked food on the kitchen table and having a bath.

That night was rather traumatizing for the entire household.

Belba heard a knock on the door and quickly went to answer it, expecting to see her daughter happy as she usually looked after going to the market. Instead she was confronted with a mud covered Tania who had tear streaks running down her face and her arms wrapped around her middle.

"What happened, dear?" Belba asked, but Tania just sniffed.

"I don't want to talk about it." She muttered and pushed past her mother before walking to the bathroom.

"Sweetheart, are you okay?"

Tania dumped the food on the table and continued walking.

"I. Don't. Want. To. Talk. About. It!"

Posco thought she was sick and Togo just thought she was a sook. Belba eventually figured out what was wrong, but refused to address it, her daughter told her she didn't want to talk about it, so she didn't force her to. She just prayed that she would feel better the next morning.

She didn't.

The brown haired hobbit didn't leave her room until well after second breakfast and refused to eat anything at luncheon. She just sat in the main room in front of the empty fireplace with a sombre look in her eyes and her green scarf around her neck.
Posco, Togo and Belba spoke in hushed tones as they ate their food.

"What's wrong with Tania?" Posco asked and Togo snorted.

"She's just being stupid, you know, Tiny. She has always been odd."

"Really?" Posco asked with wide eyes, "Is it just a girl thing?"

Belba rolled her eyes, "Of course it isn't Posco, don't listen to a word your brother says."

Togo huffed and pulled out his pipe before going to his room to smoke.

"Close your door Togo! We don't want any smoke in here!"

The eldest child made a grumbling noise and slammed his door shut.

Belba smiled at Posco, "You see, dear. Tania is just feeling a little emotional right now. She'll be fine by afternoon tea, I promise."

In the other room, Tania continued to look at the fireplace, thinking over all the different things that could have happened.
She could have taken the long way home and missed the hole entirely.
She could have dodged the hole.
Peregrin could have caught her before she fell.
That last thought made her freckled cheeks turn pink, what if that had happened? A smile slid on her face for a brief second before disappearing again. It didn't though; she fell in a stupid ditch, humiliated herself and lost her cloak! She loved that thing and in her panic she left it there. Nothing seemed to be going well for her. What a bleak life she had.
A sigh escaped her lips and a determined look appeared on her face. It was going to be better from now on; she would stop being so dejected. She would confront Peregrin, tell him her feelings and- actually, no. never mind. That was a stupid idea. Tania groaned and held her head in her hands.
Why was romance so hard?

There was a knock at the door and Tania just rolled on her side to wallow in her self-pity.

"Could you get that, dear?" Her mother called from the kitchen and Tania just 'humphed'. Belba walked past her daughter and rolled her eyes, she was obviously overreacting.

"I can't answer any doors until my reputation has returned to the way it was." Tania moaned from her spot on the floor as her mother went to answer the door. She curled up in a ball and blocked out the sounds of her mother talking to the hobbit outside. Instead Tania thought about her cloak, would she ever get it back?
He musings were interrupted by her mother kicking her.
With a hiss the young hobbit looked up at Belba who smirked, "There's a young lad at the door for you."

"I don't have any time for young lads. I've been humiliated."

"The young lad said his name is Peregrin Took, dear."

Tania sat up.

"And he said he must speak with you."

Tania ran to the door.

Her blue eyes drank in the hobbit before her, that charming smirk was plastered on his face and he had a twig or two stuck in his hair. It was cute.
"Hello!" He chirped and Tania felt her face flush.

"Hi…"

"I was walking back from Farmer Maggot's with Merry- you know Merry right? Meriadoc Brandybuck?"

Tania nodded awkwardly.

"And I remembered something I forgot."

Tania blinked.

"I forgot that you forgot this." He said cheerfully while pulling her cloak from behind his back, Tania's eyes lit up.

"M-My cloak!"

Peregrin looked pleased with himself, "Yep! I picked it up after you ran off!" He suddenly looked confused, "…why did you run off?"

"Oh!" Tania exclaimed, "I, er…I was late…for afternoon tea."

"Ah! That makes sense then, yes."

There was a brief silence in which Tania just stared into Peregrin's twinkling eyes but then he quickly started talking again.

"Your second name was written in the cloak, that's how I found you. But I don't know your first name."

"Tania" The blushing hobbit said quickly and Peregrin smiled.

"I'm Pereg-" he started, but Tania cut him off.

"I know…you're Peregrin."

That heart throb smirk came back, "Pippin, call me Pippin. Like the apples."

"Oh, okay!" Tania exclaimed and the biggest grin possible appeared on her face, "You can call me anything you want…except Tiny."

Pippin cocked his head to the side, "Who calls you Tiny?"

"Togo and Posco. My brothers, you know…because I'm short."

"Aren't we all though?" Pippin asked jokingly and Tania found herself giggling.

"Well. Yes, but they say that I'm more of a Quarterling than a Halfling."

That remark got a laugh out of Pippin and Tania felt her heart stop.

"I should really be going now. Merry's waiting for me." He said quickly and Tania nodded.

"Yeah…"

Pippin passed Tania her cloak with a smile on his face, "Try not to drop it again. I might not remember that you forgot next time."

The blue eyed hobbit clutched it to her chest, "I won't."

"I'll see you later." Pippin said while walking through the garden and out the gate.

Once he was out of sight, Tania screamed with joy and ran around the house, completely forgetting that she had left the door wide open and all the hobbits outside were watching and laughing, even if she did notice.
She was in such a brilliant mood that she wouldn't even care.

How was it? was Pippin's characterization okay? im a tad worried about that...

The next chapter will be up in a week or two!

Review please :)

-Bree