A/n: wooh! I'm spazzing out again. I think… too much chocolate and soda does not do me any good. It makes me all hyper! And now the sugar rush is deflating… aww… and there's no more choco in the house! So anyways, before I totally lose it, here's your next chappie…
Sam"It isn't fair! We didn't even ask for any of this! Why do I have to part with my best friend? WHY? Give me a fucking reason!" I screamed at the rainy heavens.
"Whoever you are calling, he won't answer you." Said a haughty voice.
I turned around to see Haldir the march warden sitting in a tree.
Bloody wonderful.
"What do you want?" I asked him closing my eyes.
"What is it that troubles you so?" he asked climbing down the tree and sitting next to me in the rain.
"Don't you have to be defending the borders right now, o march warden?" I asked silkily.
"N'uma. Keeping you company will do for now."
I rolled my eyes and turned aside.
"Will you not tell me your woes? Perhaps I might be of help."
"Not unless you have enough magical powers to send us both back." I mumbled into the grass.
"Perhaps you would like to explain yourself."
"Not likely." I told him.
I heard him heave a sigh. Gosh, do I really wear people's patience out that quickly? He leaned back heavily on the ground.
Guess I do.
"You come from a distant land I am told. And the only way for you to return is through the Lady's power. But it is not enough and only one of you may return. And now you are confused. You do not know which of you should return. Am I correct?"
"If you knew all along, why did you have to ask?"
He didn't answer me. He just lay there in silence as the ever-pouring rain drenched us even more.
Dear god, I'm gong to catch my death of colds like this. Haldir doesn't have a problem. He's an elf and elves don't get sick do they?
If you said yes, ding ding ding! We have a winner!
But then again, you could put a dozen napoleons in front of me and I still wouldn't care.
My best friend is more important than a bunch of monkeys.
"Every cloud has a silver lining Sam. And every creature has a purpose." Haldir told me.
NOW WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?
TASHAI told Sam she'd just get lost! Now it's raining cats and dogs and she's still nowhere in sight.
"Troubled?" Boromir asked standing next to me.
"A little." I answered.
"Do not be. Lord Aragorn has assured me that this is a safe realm. We will be alright."
I nodded and gave him a small smile. I sat down on an empty seat next to Legolas and stared at the table.
I am so torn right now. On the one hand, I'm in Middle Earth. The world I could only dream of. And I'm here with Sam, my best friend. And on the other hand, there was my family. And my school, my dreams of becoming a model. Could I really trade all that I've believed was real, in exchange for a fantasy world?
And what of Sam? Only one of us can go. And if I do, that means Sam will get left behind. Can I really part with my best friend? Sam's been like a sister to me. Abandoning such a friendship would be unthinkable…
Two very wet heads suddenly popped up into our talan.
"Heya!" Sam greeted cheerfully. She jumped up into the flooring and sat next to me, squeezing herself between Legolas and me.
She started talking in a very hyper voice. "Hey Tasha, I think I saw Napoleon in one of the trees. Do you think she's here? Coz I swear I saw a brown tail swishing in a mallorn tree over at Gala's glade. Maybe she's here. Wouldn't that be great Tash? Don't you think so? Huh? Huh? What do you think?""
Uhmm…
"Haldir?" I asked the march warden who was now in the process of wiping himself with a towel. He turned to me.
"Uma min arwen?" he asked lapsing into elvish. I stared blankly at him.
"Oh, I beg your pardon. What was it?" he said apologetically after seeing my blank face.
"Did Sam eat anything while she was with you?" I asked. Wait… "She was with you right?"
The blonde elf nodded. "She did eat something. A brightly wrapped brown thing. I think she called it a…"
Oh dear god. "A chocolate bar?" I asked.
"Oh, Yes."
"How many did she eat?" I asked fearfully, looking at Sam who had a dazed smile on her face.
"About six I believe."
I rubbed my head wearily. Shit, hyper, scary…
Ok I think it's my turn to go run off… A hyper Samantha is not high on my priority list.
Dear God, she thinks she's the Easter bunny.
HEEELPPP!
….
Ok, after two hours in which Sam drove us crazy, we have finally managed to calm her down.
Yes. It does involve a chair and a good length of rope. How'd you guess?
Yes, yes and a good bit of gagging material as well.
I walked by to the window and sat down. The rain was lessening and a breeze stirred outside.
"Lady Natasha, may I ask you something?" Legolas said walking over to me.
"Sure, shoot." I said trying my best to be cheerful.
"Would it be possible for you to teach me about your friend?" he asked blushing.
"What? What do you mean?"
"Well, In all honesty, I do not understand her. She is strange in my eyes. You come from a distant land do you not? Perhaps that is why I find it difficult to understand your strange ways." He explained.
I nodded in understanding. That's sweet. He wants to get to know her sordid mannerisms. Well… it'll give me something to occupy myself with.
"So you want me to teach you all about Sam?"
He nodded. I smiled at him.
"Meet me by the river after 5 minutes." I said standing up. I climbed down the talan and dropped down onto the soft green grass.
The rain had stopped, leaving the scent of wet grass lingering around.
I sat down on a rock and watched the river Silverlode flow by.
The sound of footsteps told me that Legolas had arrived.
"He-" I began cheerfully, but I was cut short when I saw that it wasn't Legolas who was there, it was Sam.
Uh-oh… I'm getting a horrible sense of foreboding here…
Sam"Hey." I greeted Tasha. Ok, I know I must have been totally hyper but did they really have to tie me to a chair?
I mean, really.
"Hi." She greeted. "What's up?"
Oh shit. I almost forgot what I came here for. I sat down beside her, sweeping my hair from my face.
"We-we have to talk." I told her.
"Oh, about what?"
"About that trip back home." I said quickly, as if it'd be less of a problem if it came out fast.
The smile on Tasha's face had slipped by now and was replaced by a look of extreme confusion.
"But Sam, what about you?" she asked after what seemed like an eternity.
I sighed.
"Look, I know how hard this is. God, I think this is just about the hardest thing I've ever done. But see, I haven't got anything left in that world. Not really… I mean sure there's Daddy but that's it." I said begging the tears not to flow. This is not the time for Tasha to see me crying.
"But you Tash… you've got your family back home. I know you miss them. And besides, college is just around the corner… you have so much to go back to. Cheerleading… that internship Daddy offered you…" I trailed off biting my lip.
"Sam… I can't just leave you… I-I can't"
"No. You can. My mind's made up. You're going to go back." I told her firmly.
"This isn't about your decisions Sam. This isn't one of those redeemable situations we used to find ourselves in! If I go, there's no turning back! We can never see each other again!" she shouted angrily at me.
"Don't you want to see your family again?" I asked.
"I do."
"Then what the fuck is the problem! I'm giving you the chance to do so! Do you have any idea how hard this is for me? I will never see my father again! And you… I'll never see you again either… but it doesn't matter… It doesn't matter if I get hurt. I'll be happy just knowing that one day… you'll become a fabulous model… just like you've always dreamt to be… I want you to have our world." I told her tears now pouring down my cheeks.
So much for begging. The little men in lab coats up in my brain are asking for a raise.
"Sam… I don't know what to say. I don't want to leave you. You're my best friend." Tasha began, not bothering to wipe away her tears.
"But you miss your family. I know. Which is why you have to say you'll go back. Please?"
she smiled and nodded through her tears. She stood up from her seat and engulfed me in a hug.
"You have to promise me two things." I told her.
"What?' she asked pulling back.
"Take care of Daddy ok? The old man needs it. Tell him I just need some time to get to know myself and maybe someday I'll come back." I requested.
"anything else?"
"Yeah." I answered hugging her. "Don't forget your best friend, when you get back." I whispered in her ear.
I felt her arms tighten around me and we sobbed, just holding each other.
TashaWell… it looks like I'm going home. Poor Sam… I can't imagine how hard this decision was for her. She'll never see her dad again, and these last few days will be the last we ever spend together.
I wanna do something for her. Something that I know will make her happy.
What to do… what to do…
"Lady Natasha," came a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Legolas looking expectantly at me.
I'VE GOT IT!
Oh, this is absolutely perfect! My last act in Middle Earth shall be to:
Play MATCHMAKER!
I think my grin is becoming too psychotic because Legolas is staring weirdly at me.
"So, what do you want to know?" I asked him sitting down on the grass.
"Everything. When was she born, where? What are her interests? Has she ever been in love before? Everything."
Hmm…
"Well… her name is Samantha Marie Richards. She's eighteen years old… born in Los Angeles California. She enjoys reading books, art, elements of torture, the dark, cooking, chocolate, writing, history, plants, and handicrafts. She's the best in our year in almost all the subjects except P.E. she's extremely smart. She's got a photographic memory; she's a horrible dancer. A good singer. Lousy at public relations; has a fascination with monkeys; and a great lover of black and anything dark and gothic."
Yup that sums her up in as few words as possible.
Legolas looked at me blankly before bursting into question again.
"What is P.E.?"
"A subject that deals with a person's bodily skills. Archery is classified as a sport in our world. So that can be in the class."
"I see. And what is a photographic memory?"
"Oh. It's a special ability that very few people are born with. It's the ability to memorize, or to remember something just from a short glimpse." He looked confused so I was forced to elaborate.
"I'll give you an example. Let's say you're reading a book, you look through the books but you don't read it. Of course you won't be able to tell me what is in it, as you didn't read it. Am I right?" he nodded.
"A person with a photographic memory can tell you what is in the book, word for word just by a short glimpse."
He let out an "Ahh…" of understanding and proceeded to his next question. "What do you mean she is lousy at err—public relations?"
I let out a laugh at this. "Oh. You see, there was this one time at our school when she was asked to give a speech in one of the programs and… let's just say it wasn't pretty."
"How so?"
Nosy little bugger of an elf.
"Um... well she was so nervous, she fainted and when she woke up, she vomited all over one of the guest's head."
He winced at that. I told you it wouldn't be pretty.
"What are monkeys?"
"Oh. Monkeys are a kind of animal. They're small brown and furry and make screeching noises. Sam likes them. One time, she found a female monkey wandering in the streets of our town, and took it home to take care of it. She's like the Monkey wrangler. She trained it enough to dance around, and it even comes to her when she calls it. Do you remember, in the mines? When she woke up and was screaming something like 'napoleon, come back!' that was the name of the monkey. Napoleon."
He laughed genuinely at that. As if it was absurd to name any feminine being Napoleon.
"You have not answered my other question." He said smiling.
"What question is that?" I asked.
"Has Sam ever been in love before?"
I thought on the question before answering. "Yeah, a few times actually."
I pitied the crestfallen look on his face as he struggled to ask his question. "So there is someone awaiting her… back in your world?"
"No. There used to be. Sam's love life isn't exactly what you'd say smooth. It's quite bumpy actually."
I looked at his face for a reaction, there was none.
"See, she always seems to fall for the wrong guy. Her first boyfriend was in our sophomore year. The guy was a quarterback. A senior. He cheated on her for a cheerleader. The next one turned out to be gay. A man who wants to be a woman. The third turned out to be engaged. And the last one…"
"The last one?" he urged.
"We all thought that this guy was perfect. His name was Arthur Perry. He had the looks of the kindest elf. He was kind, charming, smart and friendly. We all thought that Sam had found the perfect guy who would take care of her. We were all wrong. It turns out that Arthur was a deranged psychopath. He tried to rape Sam on our spring formal." I took a deep breath as all the memories surfaced.
I could hear Sam's screaming when we found her on the ground with Arthur, holding a knife, on top of her.
All the anger, and horror of that night came rushing back.
"And he would have succeeded too if I hadn't looked for her. If I hadn't, Sam wouldn't be here. She'd be dead. That prick would've murdered her on the spot and ran for it."
"Where is he now?" Legolas asked, his face a mask of blankness. I looked at his hands and saw that his hands were clenched so hard that his knuckles had turned white.
"He was sent to an institution. A sort of guarding place where he's locked away. All through out that ordeal, there was one person who knew about Arthur's psychological problems, and she didn't tell us."
"What? Do you mean to say that they actually hoped that it would happen?" Legolas asked incredulously.
I nodded. "Her name is Carmi Ann Morgan. The biggest bitch to ever walk in the halls of our high school. She was Arthur's cousin. And she's Sam's worst enemy."
"Enemy? But why?"
"she used to be our friend. Until she became a lying sack of dragon shit. She was jealous of Sam because she was smart and everything she wasn't. so she hoped to get rid of her that night, with Arthur. Nobody knew he was her cousin. They hardly even seemed to know each other. There was even a verbal war between Carmi and Sam once. Needless to say, Sam won. She may not be good at speeches, but she has some kick-ass comebacks. That twat was never a threat."
Legolas listened carefully and understandingly. he absorbed every detail that I let out. If all audiences could be like Legolas I might do politics instead.
Nah, I can't rely on that.
Dear merciful GOD!
"HALDIR!" I shrieked at the figure lurking behind the trees.
Oh, no… he didn't…
"Amin Hiraetha." Said to Legolas.
"What did he say?" I asked.
"He says that he is sorry. He did not mean to eavesdrop." Legolas translated.
Shit. Sam's gonna kill me.
Pippin"Pippin?" came a voice from behind me. I turned around to see Natasha.
She's one of the girls who dropped down from the sky while we were still at the foot of Caradhras, and a few days from Hollin. She's a bit more friendly and talkative than Sam.
"Yes?" I asked.
"Have you seen Sam?" she asked looking around.
"No. Do you want me to go find her?" I answered.
"Oh, no. It's fine." She said, smiling at me. I shrugged and picked up an apple from the table. I'm going to go find her anyway; I need to exercise my legs.
I climbed down the talan and began my search.
I found her near the river, hidden behind the bushes. Her back was to me and she was sitting on the ground.
"Sam? Are you alright?" I asked, cautiously approaching her. Her black hair glinted in the gleam of the setting sun, and her shoulders heaved slightly.
She shot up, startled and turned towards me.
"Pippin? Is that you? W-what are you doing here?" she asked shakily.
I walked towards her and sat down.
"Is anything wrong?" I asked.
"No." she answered shaking her head. "Everything's fine."
"We hobbits aren't as watchful as you think you know. We can see a lot more than we let on." I told her, splashing my feet in the cold water of the river.
"I didn't mean anything by what I said Pippin. I'm just going through a lot right now." She said apologetically.
Sam's a nice girl. She's a bit on the quiet side though, but she speaks when spoken to.
"Perhaps I can be of help. I may be young but I'm not dim." I said jokingly.
She didn't answer me and I thought that perhaps, I had said something out of turn.
"No offence pippin… but… I don't want to talk about my problem. It still hurts too much." She said sadly.
I stayed silent. She put her arm around me, an unspoken understanding passing between us. She would tell me when she was ready.
"Now, how about dinner?" she asked lightly, standing up.
"Wonderful. I'm starving." I said following her lead.
We went to the dining room, just as the bell sounded, and the feast was served.
SamWell… it's finally come.
The day when Tasha and I have to part forever…
We've spent the last few days talking and bonding. She's taking a lot of my stuff back with her. Some of the poetry, and other stuff…
I've got a letter to my dad that she's going to give.
A few of my shorter skirts are hers now too.
"My ladies, the Lady awaits you." Said a blonde-haired elleth from the door.
Uhm… when did she knock?
Jeez… I must've really tuned out.
I stood up and followed Tasha out of the room.
When we reached the glade, Galadriel stood alone, in her immaculate white dress.
"Mae govannen ladies." She greeted. "We must proceed at once. I trust that you have said all your goodbyes before hand?"
We both nodded.
"Very well. Which one of you is to return?" she asked.
Tasha stepped forward.
"Tash, wait. I have to give you one last thing." I said placing a hand on her shoulder.
"What is it Sam?" she asked turning to me, her eyes already glistening.
I handed her a one of my recorders.
She thanked me and gave me one last parting hug.
I turned around and put a hand across my mouth to muffle my sobs. Tasha and I had had an agreement that, on the day of her departure, I could turn around. As in, I didn't have to see her as she left.
"Goodbye Sam. You'll always be my best friend." She called out just as the white light around her spread throughout the clearing.
My body was racked with sobs as I turned around, expecting to see the spot beside Galadriel empty and bare.
My eyes grew wide as I saw a figure with long brown hair streaked with pink, standing in the spot where my best friend used to be.
I squinted against the still bright light.
Shit.
I recognize that hair.
I recognize that 4 ft. 5 in. body.
I know who that is.
My eyes grew, if possible, even wider as I realized who it was.
Oh shit.
Oh fuck.
Oh, holy hell
HOLY HELL OF HELLS!
I can faint now…
Any day now little white men…
Damn you!
You're angling for a pay raise aren't you?
A/n: wooh… that was weird… dear merciful god on a stick! I reached twelve pages on word! (does a little jig) wooh-hoo! Uh-huh! I'm good! I'm good! It's my birthday! It's my birthday! And my name is Mr.!
I AM NOT GAY!
Ok, that was random. Anyways, please send me reviews!
Or else my ponkeys, and menguins will attack the shitty fucks out of your asses until you cry.
To find out more about the afore mentioned creatures, send me a review. Tank you.
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OOH… PURPLE…
OK… REVIEW RESPONSES:
Aisling Jace: heeerrreee yyyooouuu gooo….
CrecyL hope this is soon enuf!
Aya013: ooh… you're back! I likedy suspense! Don't you?
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Carolsi13: heehehhe…. Yeah… thankies!
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Uhmm… hi?
See ya in the next chappie!
Shadow08 c",)
