Yeh! Chapter two is done! Sorry it's late. This is set about nine months after the first chapter. I think that's it Happy New Year!

I was dozing in the cart, listening to Gandalf hum something unfamiliar. It was a nice, happy, kind of like the place we were now. The Shire. We hadn't been here long, just the morning, but the place just had this feeling about it; of happiness, sunshine, and comfort. It is probably the most beautiful place I have ever seen.

I came completely awake when I heard someone complain quite loudly "You're late." I glance to my right to find a short man standing there. One of the hobbits Gandalf told me live in the Shire, I guess. He had curly brown hair on his head and feet, which were visible because he wore no shoes.

Gandalf halted the horse. "A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to." They both remain quite serious, until they both simultaneously burst into laughter. I look at them in utter confusion, but was ignored.

"It's wonderful to see you, Gandalf!" the man Frodo, called while jumping from the hill he was on onto the cart. They hugged, still laughing.

"You didn't think I'd miss your Uncle Bilbo's birthday, now, did you?" Gandalf questioned. They both settled into the cart and Gandalf started driving again. "Frodo, I'd like you to meet my friend Lilith. She has been traveling with me lately."

"It's nice to meet you." Frodo said with such honesty it was amazing. Hardly anyone was that sincere; at least that I'd met.

"It's nice to meet you, too."

He and Gandalf started a conversation about the "outside world." I was content to just listen, and watch the scenery. We passed through a town and many people waved. Many more started whispering and pointing. All was explained, well somewhat, when Frodo said "Before you came along we Bagginses were very well thought of. Never had any adventures or did anything unexpected."

Gandalf chuckled slightly. "If you're referring to the incident with the Dragon, I was barely involved. All I did was give your Uncle a little nudge out of the door."

I looked at him disbelievingly. Then my brain pointed something else odd out to me. "Dragon?"

"I'll tell you the story sometime. Or maybe Bilbo can tell can tell it to you himself." Gandalf said, then added thoughtfully. "Though his might be slightly more embellished."

"I think he's going to tell it at the party. He'll say he won't, but he loves telling it." Frodo continues on. "You've been officially labelled a disturber of the peace, you know, for whatever you did to get Bilbo on that trip."

"Oh, really?" Gandalf says, as kids come running, begging for fireworks. I feel a surge of magic before several small fireworks explode, making the children scream with joy. It still amazed me how strong Gandalf's power was, even though I had been traveling with him for nearly a year. I barely had any power compared to him, and yet on earth I was considered more or less powerful. I was glad Gandalf was helping me, and didn't think I was the enemy. He could kill me in seconds….

Frodo stands up. "Gandalf, I'm glad you're back." He jumps off the cart. "Bye Lilith. Nice meeting you."

I waved at the hobbit who quickly disappeared from sight. Gandalf continued driving along the road, which was now lined in quite nice looking hobbit holes. He parked the cart in front of one that had a sign that said no admittance except on party business. I guess this was the home of Bilbo Baggins. Gandalf got out of the cart. "Go down to the party and help set up, Lilith. I'll meet you down there later."

That night I helped Gandalf with the fireworks. They were amazing, like nothing I had never seen before. I took a break to listen to Bilbo tell the story of his adventures. He was telling us about the trolls when suddenly a much larger firework goes off. It rises up, up above the party, where it suddenly explodes into… a dragon. Gandalf had really out done himself. The dragon was so realistic that everyone started running away. I was the only one running towards where it had come from. I reached the tents set up at the edge of the party, and glance back to see the dragon explode to great applause. I walk forward trying to find Gandalf. When I do he is pulling two blackened hobbits forward by the ears. "Ah, Lilith. I have a job for you. These two" – he shoved the hobbits toward me slightly – "set off that firework. I need someone to watch them while they help out in the kitchen."

One of the hobbits said "Kitchen? We're not helping out in the kitchen."

Gandalf laughed. "You are now, Master Took. You didn't think you'd get away with lighting that firework and not get in trouble, did you?"

That is why when the hobbits called out for a speech, I was in the kitchen watching Merry and Pippin – as I'd learned they were called – doing dishes. I peeked out of the tent to watch. "My dear Bagginses, and Boffins, Tooks and Brandybucks...Grubbs, Chubbs, Hornblowers, Bolgers, Bracegirdles, and Proudfoots..." Bilbo began. "Today is my one hundred and eleventh birthday! Yes, and alas...Eleventy- one years is far too short a time to live among such excellent and admirable Hobbits! I don't know half of you half as well as I should like; and I like less than half of you as well as well as you deserve." Up until then Bilbo's speech had reached great applause. That last line though, had stumped the hobbits. They weren't sure if they should be insulted or not. I didn't blame them, I was slightly confused myself.

"I have things to do, and I have put this off for far too long…. I regret to announce, this is the end. I am going now. I bid you all a very fond farewell!" Then Bilbo disappears into thin air.

Marry asks from behind me "What happened?"

"Bilbo disappeared."

It was well past midnight when Gandalf found me. I had been helping the hobbits clean up the party. Most had left by now. I was just putting the last of the fireworks into the cart. "We're leaving."

"Now?"

"Yes. I have things I need answers to." Gandalf answered, hurriedly moving about.

"Is Bilbo alright?" I asked, worried.

"Yes. I will tell you more on the way." Gandalf said. "But for now we most hurry. We have a long way to go, and I would feel better if we didn't take too long."

It was several months later, and we were finally back. Things had gotten even stranger in my life, if that was even possible. I had a feeling it was going to get even weirder though.

Gandalf had been strange ever sense Bilbo's speech at the party. He'd become… withdrawn. Worried. He'd explained a great deal to me; Sauron, the last war, and most importantly the ring. It was all very complex, and I was scared. Not only for myself, but for Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and every single person I'd met here.

Currently Gandalf and I were in Bilbo's – now Frodo's – hobbit hole. Plain and simple, we had broken in. It's not a very hard thing for a wizard to unlock a locked door, you see. It takes magical pressure, but not too much, because you only want to unlock the door, not completely shatter the lock….

Anyway, back to the actual reason for this story. We were in the shadows, waiting. Well, Gandalf was. I was half asleep in a chair by the fire, which I had started, at Gandalf's request. Awake enough that I noticed the door opening and Frodo and enter. He looked around, obviously sensing something off.

"Is it secret? Is it safe?" Gandalf demanded in a whisper, grabbing Frodo.

Frodo caught on, quickly adjusting to the sudden appearance of his friend. He moves into the living room, passing where I was sitting. "Hey, Frodo."

He glances at me surprised, obviously not having seen me before. Then he smiles. "Hello again, Lilith." He moves to a chest and begins digging through it, until he pulls out an envelope. He passes it to Gandalf who quickly throws it into the fire. "What are you doing?" Frodo exclaims in shock. I couldn't quite manage that amount of emotion in my half asleep state, so I settled for sitting up straighter.

The envelope burnt away quickly leaving behind the ring. Gandalf gently pulled it out with a pair of tongs. "Hold out your hand, Frodo. Don't worry, it is quite cool." Frodo had as much trust in Gandalf as I did, because he did with only a slight amount of hesitation. Gandalf dropped the ring into his hand. "What can you see? Can you see anything?"

Frodo peered at the ring, twisting it around to look at it from different angles. "Nothing… there's nothing. Wait…." I lean forward to see the ring glowing, or at least parts of it. It looked like writing. "It's some form of Elvish…. I can't read it."

"There are few who can… the language is that of Mordor, which I will not utter here." Gandalf goes on to explain what it says, what it means, how and why it was created, and how Bilbo found it. I didn't really pay attention, I was tired, and besides, I'd already been told the entire tale. It had been a long time since I'd gotten any good sleep. I think I must have dropped off to sleep, because I hadn't even realized that they'd left the living room for the kitchen until Frodo hurried in saying "We put it away, we keep it hidden! We never speak of it again. No one knows it's here, do they? Do they, Gandalf?"

Gandalf sadly explained to Frodo about Gollum, how he had been captured by those who work for Sauron, and tortured until he revealed what he knew about where the ring was now. Frodo realizes how serious the situation is, to put it mildly. "Take it! Take it!"

"No, Frodo…."

"You must take it." Frodo says desperately to Gandalf, fearing for his friends, his home, and himself.

"You cannot offer me this ring."

"I'm giving it to you!"

"Don't say that." I mutter quietly. "It's a horrible gift. Besides, it's not really yours to give." I didn't know much about the ring, but from what I could understand of it, something that corrupted your soul was not something you wanted. It belonged to one man, was part of one man, and that one man only.

Frodo glanced at me pleadingly. I held his gaze the best I could, but it was hard.

"Please don't tempt anyone with it Frodo, least of all me." Gandalf said gravely, as if the weight of the world rested on his shoulders'. Which I was beginning to think they did. "I dare not take it, not even to keep it safe. Understand, Frodo… I would use this Ring from a desire to do good...but through me, it would wield a power too great and terrible to imagine."

"But it cannot stay in the shire." Frodo said, starting to realise what might just lay a head of him.

"No, no it cannot."

"What must I do?" They left the room at that point and I think I fell back asleep. The next thing I noticed, anyway, was a loud exclamation of pain. I was suddenly wide awake and standing. What I found wasn't very threatening. There was a plump blond hobbit sprawled on the floor with Gandalf looming over him.

"Confound it all! Samwise Gamgee, have you been eavesdropping?" Gandalf nearly shouted, quite angry.

"I ain't been dropping no eaves, sir! Honest. I was just cutting the grass under the window there, if you follow me…" The hobbit trailed off because of the glare Gandalf was giving him.

"It's a little late for trimming the hedges, don't you think?"

"I-I heard raised voices…."

"What did you hear?" Gandalf demanded getting worried. "Speak!"

"Nothing important… that is, I heard a good deal about a ring and a Dark Lord. And something about the end of the world, but…. Please, Mr. Gandalf, sir, don't hurt me! Don't turn me into anything unnatural!" Something about that last line struck me as funny. Gandalf really must have had a bad reputation. Though, I wondered why he thought Gandalf would turn him into something else…. I noticed Frodo smiling slightly.

"No? Perhaps not. I've thought of a better use for you." That sounded ominous, even to me. And I wasn't even the one the remark was aimed at.

You don't realize how wonderful modern technology is until it's gone. Usually that just means that the power went out or you're camping or something, right? You know that sooner or later you're going to be able to experience the wonders of technology and the twenty-first century again. Unfortunately, I wasn't even on the same planet as all those wonders. What I wouldn't give for indoor plumbing and a car….

Frodo, Gandalf, Sam – as I'd learned he was called – and I were walking through a field. Gandalf was leading his horse, and the hobbits and I were all carrying packs. We were leaving the Shire, headed for a place called Bree. Gandalf would be leaving us soon, but we would meet up again at the Prancing Pony. From there we would head to Rivendell, the home of the Elves.

We entered some woods that separated the field we had just left from another. "Be careful, all of you. The Enemy has many spies in his service, many ways of hearing… birds, beasts…." Gandalf pulls Frodo aside for a quick whispered conversation. Then he was gone, racing off on his horse. As he left, I got a feeling, like something was going to go wrong, for both him and us.