"Are you positive you shall go?" asked Merry, looking at Pip with wide eyes.
"Yes," replied Pippin, packing clothes into a bag.
"Then I shall go with you."
"Very well," said Pippin, for he expected Merry would want to go as well.
"As am I," added Sam, who had arrived to see Pippin off.
"And I," interjected Frodo.
"Will all of the Shire accompany me?" asked Pip.
"Nae, just us," said Merry with a grin. "We are already packed - for we decided to go when we heard that you were. You can't expect to leave us here when you go on your adventure!"
"Are you aware of the chance that you may never return?"
"Aye, we are. And we all have agreed. Now, come on and pack all ready!"
Gandalf looked down at the Hobbits, shaking his head.
"All of you?" he asked, eyes widening. The four nodded, and the wizard sighed, but said no more.
"Very well. All of you, take and grip my staff." He handed the staff to Pip, and he, Sam, Frodo, and Merry stood in a circle about it. Gandalf whispered a few words, and they were gone.
Frodo looked around, blinking his big blue eyes. Sam grabbed his arm protectively, and Merry grinned at Pip.
"It's just a car," he whispered to the two, when they jumped back as a large SUV barreled by.
"It seems we have much to learn, Sam," joked Frodo, and Pippin and Merry could only smile at one another.
"You're back!" came the voice behind them, and they turned quickly.
"Tim!" shouted Merry and Pippin, running to the man and jumping upon him.
"Hey, now, don't kill your host, eh?" Tim laughed as the Hobbits knocked him to the ground.
"Sorry, we were just happy to see you," said Merry, and Pip nodded.
"I'm glad you came. It seems you have brought friends." Tim gestured to Frodo and Sam.
"Aye, Frodo, Sam, come over here!" Merry called, and the other two hobbits joined them. "Tim, this is Frodo and Sam. Frodo, Sam, this is Tim. He's Kristin's roommate."
"Roommate?" asked Sam.
"Aye - he lives with her, he's her friend."
"I'm glad you came," repeated Tim, a worried look crossing his eyes. "Kristin has been in a terrible shape since you left. She's asleep upstairs now- she sleeps during the day now."
Pippin looked as though he might burst into tears.
"Come along, then," said Tim, and led the hobbits up the stairs. Immediately, Pip started toward Kristin's room, but Tim grabbed his shoulder.
"I ought to warn you of a few things. She's changed a lot, Pip, for the worse, I'm afraid."
"I care not. She is still Kristin, and I love her dearly." Pippin broke from Tim's hold, and half-ran down the hallway to her room. He opened the door gently.
He saw her, laying there in the bed, curled up. Tim was right - she had changed quite a bit. Pippin neared her slowly, his eyes locked. She was in a very deep sleep, and did not even stir when he sat beside her.
"I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I should never have left you, even if it meant never seeing my friends or family again; never seeing the Shire." He placed his hand on her forehead, brushing her hair from her face. She sighed softly under his touch.
"Pip!" came the whisper from the doorway. He looked up. Tim stood there, watching him.
Pip leaned down and kissed Kristin's cheek. "I love you," he whispered, and then turned, leaving her to sleep.
"She really cuts herself?" asked Merry.
"On purpose?" added Sam, both hobbits sharing confused and bewildered expressions.
"Yes.. A lot of people do it in this world. It's because of something emotional, and they hurt themselves physically. She used to do it all the time, but.. Now, it's worse. I'm afraid she might do something horrible to herself - even more horrible, I mean," explained Tim, his eyes full of worry. Pippin was silent, listening, his head down.
"This is all my fault," he said softly. "But I will make everything better."
A door in the back of the apartment opened. Tim looked up.
"Kristin? That you?" he called, and heard a grumbled response as another door closed.
"Probably the bathroom," Tim observed, and shrugged. "She'll find you soon enough. I'm guessing she'll be out here next." Pippin gulped, and watched the doorway. Eventually, he heard the door open again, and footsteps approach.
Kristin entered the kitchen, and blinked. About the table sat four hobbits, two of which she recognized, and Tim.
"What is going on?" she asked, her eyes wide. "Tim? Why are they here?"
"They.. They came back," said Tim, standing. "And they brought a few friends."
"I noticed. Why?" demanded Kristin, the shock finally setting in, and being replaced with anger.
"I missed you," said Pippin softly, and Kristin averted her eyes from him.
"I missed you too, Kristin!" exclaimed Merry, jumping up and hugging the girl around the legs. She grumbled something, nearly losing her balance as the hobbit gripped onto her. "These are my friends Frodo and Sam. Gandalf sent us here."
"I need a drink," said Kristin softly, and sat down at the only empty chair, beside Pippin.
"No, you don't. You've had enough to drink to last for the rest of your life, and that's only counting yesterday," spoke up Tim, and smirked. "Anyway, the hobbits and I are going to go play poker, I promised I'd teach Frodo and Sam how. You and Pip need to talk anyway." Tim and the others got up, and went to the living room. Kristin and Pippin sat, in a long silence.
"Why did you come back?" asked Kristin finally, but not looking at him.
"I missed you," said Pippin softly, watching her. "Tim sent word that you were in trouble."
"Did he. I ought to.." she trailed off. "Did you think you could just come back, and everything would be okay? That we'd pick up right where we left off? You left me, Pip," she said softly, looking up at him, tears glistening in her brown eyes. "You left me, and I wanted to die."
Pippin looked down, his own eyes brimming with tears. "I know. I thought I had no other choice. But now I realize, that I always have a choice, and this was my own. I don't expect everything to be the same, but I hope you will forgive me, and still love me."
Kristin stood suddenly, shaking her head. "I don't know, Pippin. This is all such a shock. You just pop up here one day, and you can't expect me to - to-" she broke off, shaking her head still. "I need to think, please, just give me time."
Pippin nodded, and watched as she left.
"Time.." he said softly to himself.
"Yes," replied Pippin, packing clothes into a bag.
"Then I shall go with you."
"Very well," said Pippin, for he expected Merry would want to go as well.
"As am I," added Sam, who had arrived to see Pippin off.
"And I," interjected Frodo.
"Will all of the Shire accompany me?" asked Pip.
"Nae, just us," said Merry with a grin. "We are already packed - for we decided to go when we heard that you were. You can't expect to leave us here when you go on your adventure!"
"Are you aware of the chance that you may never return?"
"Aye, we are. And we all have agreed. Now, come on and pack all ready!"
Gandalf looked down at the Hobbits, shaking his head.
"All of you?" he asked, eyes widening. The four nodded, and the wizard sighed, but said no more.
"Very well. All of you, take and grip my staff." He handed the staff to Pip, and he, Sam, Frodo, and Merry stood in a circle about it. Gandalf whispered a few words, and they were gone.
Frodo looked around, blinking his big blue eyes. Sam grabbed his arm protectively, and Merry grinned at Pip.
"It's just a car," he whispered to the two, when they jumped back as a large SUV barreled by.
"It seems we have much to learn, Sam," joked Frodo, and Pippin and Merry could only smile at one another.
"You're back!" came the voice behind them, and they turned quickly.
"Tim!" shouted Merry and Pippin, running to the man and jumping upon him.
"Hey, now, don't kill your host, eh?" Tim laughed as the Hobbits knocked him to the ground.
"Sorry, we were just happy to see you," said Merry, and Pip nodded.
"I'm glad you came. It seems you have brought friends." Tim gestured to Frodo and Sam.
"Aye, Frodo, Sam, come over here!" Merry called, and the other two hobbits joined them. "Tim, this is Frodo and Sam. Frodo, Sam, this is Tim. He's Kristin's roommate."
"Roommate?" asked Sam.
"Aye - he lives with her, he's her friend."
"I'm glad you came," repeated Tim, a worried look crossing his eyes. "Kristin has been in a terrible shape since you left. She's asleep upstairs now- she sleeps during the day now."
Pippin looked as though he might burst into tears.
"Come along, then," said Tim, and led the hobbits up the stairs. Immediately, Pip started toward Kristin's room, but Tim grabbed his shoulder.
"I ought to warn you of a few things. She's changed a lot, Pip, for the worse, I'm afraid."
"I care not. She is still Kristin, and I love her dearly." Pippin broke from Tim's hold, and half-ran down the hallway to her room. He opened the door gently.
He saw her, laying there in the bed, curled up. Tim was right - she had changed quite a bit. Pippin neared her slowly, his eyes locked. She was in a very deep sleep, and did not even stir when he sat beside her.
"I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I should never have left you, even if it meant never seeing my friends or family again; never seeing the Shire." He placed his hand on her forehead, brushing her hair from her face. She sighed softly under his touch.
"Pip!" came the whisper from the doorway. He looked up. Tim stood there, watching him.
Pip leaned down and kissed Kristin's cheek. "I love you," he whispered, and then turned, leaving her to sleep.
"She really cuts herself?" asked Merry.
"On purpose?" added Sam, both hobbits sharing confused and bewildered expressions.
"Yes.. A lot of people do it in this world. It's because of something emotional, and they hurt themselves physically. She used to do it all the time, but.. Now, it's worse. I'm afraid she might do something horrible to herself - even more horrible, I mean," explained Tim, his eyes full of worry. Pippin was silent, listening, his head down.
"This is all my fault," he said softly. "But I will make everything better."
A door in the back of the apartment opened. Tim looked up.
"Kristin? That you?" he called, and heard a grumbled response as another door closed.
"Probably the bathroom," Tim observed, and shrugged. "She'll find you soon enough. I'm guessing she'll be out here next." Pippin gulped, and watched the doorway. Eventually, he heard the door open again, and footsteps approach.
Kristin entered the kitchen, and blinked. About the table sat four hobbits, two of which she recognized, and Tim.
"What is going on?" she asked, her eyes wide. "Tim? Why are they here?"
"They.. They came back," said Tim, standing. "And they brought a few friends."
"I noticed. Why?" demanded Kristin, the shock finally setting in, and being replaced with anger.
"I missed you," said Pippin softly, and Kristin averted her eyes from him.
"I missed you too, Kristin!" exclaimed Merry, jumping up and hugging the girl around the legs. She grumbled something, nearly losing her balance as the hobbit gripped onto her. "These are my friends Frodo and Sam. Gandalf sent us here."
"I need a drink," said Kristin softly, and sat down at the only empty chair, beside Pippin.
"No, you don't. You've had enough to drink to last for the rest of your life, and that's only counting yesterday," spoke up Tim, and smirked. "Anyway, the hobbits and I are going to go play poker, I promised I'd teach Frodo and Sam how. You and Pip need to talk anyway." Tim and the others got up, and went to the living room. Kristin and Pippin sat, in a long silence.
"Why did you come back?" asked Kristin finally, but not looking at him.
"I missed you," said Pippin softly, watching her. "Tim sent word that you were in trouble."
"Did he. I ought to.." she trailed off. "Did you think you could just come back, and everything would be okay? That we'd pick up right where we left off? You left me, Pip," she said softly, looking up at him, tears glistening in her brown eyes. "You left me, and I wanted to die."
Pippin looked down, his own eyes brimming with tears. "I know. I thought I had no other choice. But now I realize, that I always have a choice, and this was my own. I don't expect everything to be the same, but I hope you will forgive me, and still love me."
Kristin stood suddenly, shaking her head. "I don't know, Pippin. This is all such a shock. You just pop up here one day, and you can't expect me to - to-" she broke off, shaking her head still. "I need to think, please, just give me time."
Pippin nodded, and watched as she left.
"Time.." he said softly to himself.