AN: so very sorry this took so long, again :( I suppose I will say now that updates will probably be once a month. Thanks for reading, as always :)


Chapter 8-Yuletide

The next afternoon, Lilly was lying on her (and Daisy's as well, since they were sharing) bed, absently sketching a small picture of Frodo. As she did, she naturally thought of him while she drew, wondering how he was faring after last night. He seemed to be slightly better this morning, but he'd looked so tired…

She hoped he was all right today. She'd seen him head to the library after luncheon, and hopefully he'd have a little peace and quiet there. Suddenly Daisy bounded into the room, letting the door shut behind her with a bang. "What are you doing?" she asked brightly.

She shut the book. Her sister would tease her endlessly if she saw that it was Frodo. She could hear Daisy now- "Frodo and Lilly sitting in a tree…" Honestly. There was absolutely nothing romantic between them. At least, she didn't think there was, anyway. "Nothing," she said.

"No, you were drawing something," said Daisy persistently. "What was it?"

"Nothing," she said again. "Nothing important."

Daisy somehow gave up on her questioning. "Well, you have a letter, Lilly. Aunt Eglantine told me to give it to you." She handed her a small envelope.

Lilly took it, and turned it over. She wondered who it could possibly be from since most of the hobbits who would write her were here, at Great Smials. Perhaps it was from her sister, Ruby and her family. They hadn't been able to make it to Great Smials this year (and so neither had Teddy), and so maybe they were sending a holiday greeting. But why would Ruby send it just to her? She carefully opened the envelope, taking out the single sheet of paper that was inside. Daisy tried to peek over her shoulder, but she turned away so she couldn't. "Who's it from?" Daisy asked.

She glanced at the signature on the bottom. "It's from Sam," she said in surprise.

"Sam?" Daisy repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Why would Sam be writing you?"

"I don't know, Daisy," she said. "Just let me read it, please." Daisy closed her mouth at last, and Lilly read through the letter.

Dear Miss Lilly,

I am sure you are surprised to receive this from me. But once I knew you were going to Great Smials, I immediately sat down and wrote this letter. As I suppose you know, Mr. Frodo came there too, though it took some convincing from me, and no mistake, Miss Lilly. He only agreed to go when I told him how sad Merry and Pippin would be if he did not go. He didn't want to, I knew that. But it'd be good for him to be away from his books for a while and talk to other hobbits. Miss Lilly, I wanted him to spend his holidays with his family, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm worried about him.

And that's why I'm writing you. I know that you heard the story of what happened to him because Mr. Frodo told me. I know that you care about him too. So I'm asking you please, Miss Lilly, if you can, look after him while he's there. He's the dearest hobbit, but I think that sometimes he'd lose himself in that head of his if he's not careful. He doesn't know what's good for him, you see. He's not doing as well as he pretends, and I know the signs by heart. There's some things that you can do to help, which I'm passing along to you.

Sometimes he'll have horrible headaches, Miss Lilly. He'll grow very quiet (quieter than usual), and though he'll try and hide it, his hand will go to his head. I've found that it is usually best to give him a cup of herbal tea and send him to bed. He also can't eat as much as a normal hobbit anymore. We had little to no food in Mordor, you see, Miss Lilly, and though I've found my appetite again…he truly hasn't. If he doesn't want any more food…then don't make him eat. It'll only make him sick. I'm sure that his lack of eating will attract attention from the other folks, but if you need to, talk to Merry and Pippin. They'll rally behind you, I know. Of course, if he forgets to eat (which he does on occasion, when he broods too much), make sure he does, even if it's only a little. And then there's his shoulder wound. There's not a lot we can do for this, I'm sorry to say. It bothers him more on rainy days, and he'll grow all cold. So keep him warm. He has the Evenstar from Queen Arwen, which helps in warding off the darkness. You'll see him clutch it on occasion, even when it isn't aching. Mr. Frodo has some nightmares of what happened. If you can, wake him up and maybe see if he'll talk to you about it over tea. He does love his tea.

I suppose that's all for now. I thank you for anything you'll do to help Mr. Frodo.

Yours respectfully,

Sam Gamgee

I'll do what I can, Sam, she thought. But I hope you know how lucky Frodo is to have such a true friend as you. The Evenstar must have been what she'd seen him clutching last night. The now familiar sympathy for him rose up in her. She couldn't imagine what it must be like to deal with the pain and darkness that Frodo experienced on a daily basis.

"What did Sam say?" Daisy asked curiously.

She folded up the letter into thirds, and slid it into her sketchbook. "Nothing, Daisy," she said softly.

Daisy shook her head. "I don't believe you," she said decidedly. "You don't look like it's nothing."

"Daisy….," she began. She wasn't about to tell Daisy what Sam had written to her.

Daisy looked at her steadily, and she was sure she was trying to determine what Lilly was thinking. She tried to keep her face blank. "Did he write you about Frodo or something?"

Lilly flinched. "Why would you say that?"

"I don't know," said Daisy. "Maybe it's because you often have this sad look in your eyes whenever you talk about him."

"Do I really?" she said absently. Oh dear, she needed to do better with that, didn't she?

"Yes," said Daisy. "And I'm sure it has to do with why he was gone so long. And you know what he did and where he went, don't you?"

"Yes," she said. "But I wouldn't break his confidences, Daisy."

Daisy flopped on the bed. "No, of course you wouldn't," she muttered. She buried her face in her pillow and let out a large sigh. Abruptly she looked up at Lilly, a smile on her face again. Her sister seemed to change moods quicker than anyone else she knew. "Anyway, are you going to give Frodo a present for Yule?"

Her sister's shift in the conversation took Lilly off guard, and she sat in the chair across from her. "I don't know," she said slowly. "I haven't brought anything, so I-…" She liked the idea of doing something for him, but she'd only found gifts for close family members.

Daisy nodded. "But you could always draw something for him, you know."

"Draw something?" said Lilly thoughtfully. "Hmmm…." She pulled out her sketchbook, flipping through it. If she did do a picture, what kind would he like? She stood up, reaching for her cloak. None of them seemed right, and she felt like she couldn't do a good one if she stayed inside.

"What are you doing?" said Daisy, curiously looking at her drawings. Luckily enough she shut the book before she saw what Lilly had been sketching before.

"I'm going to draw him a picture like you said," said Lilly. "But I feel like I'll get more inspiration if I go to the stables."

"All right," said Daisy.

"I'll see you later," said Lilly. "Thank you for the suggestion, Daisy."

Daisy gave her a smile, and Lilly smiled back as she left the room. As frustrating as Daisy could be at times, she did truly love her sister.

Before she went to the stable, she stopped by the kitchen to put an apple in her pocket, just in case she grew hungry. Luckily for her, she managed to slip outside without too much trouble (or anybody asking her where she was going). The air outside was cold, and she was more than a little relieved when she reached the warmth of the stable. She heard the characteristic sounds of the ponies as she walked down the aisles. But she heard one in particular whicker at her. She turned around to glance behind her.

It was Strider, Frodo's pony. His head was hanging out of the stall door, and he whickered at her again. She laughed a little, and walked over. "Hello, Strider," she said, rubbing his nose. "And how are you today?" She pulled the apple out of her pocket and held it out to him. He eagerly ate it up. "Do you mind if I come in and sit with you?" she asked him. She could think of nothing better than sitting with Frodo's pony while she tried to draw a picture for Frodo.

He didn't seem to mind, so she let herself in and settled herself in the straw. "I'm going to draw a picture for your master," she said to Strider. "What do you think he'd like?" She fiddled with her pencil. It'd be nice to draw a picture of the Fellowship, but other than the hobbits, she didn't really know what any of them looked like. She supposed there'd be nothing wrong with drawing him with his friends, but somehow she wanted to do something else…draw him with somebody he loved very much. Soon, it came to her just what to draw.

As she worked on her picture, she lost all sense of time. She was in the world of lines and shading, and she wasn't even conscious of anything else. It was not until she heard her name called did she notice that shadows had begun to fall outside the stable. She tried to focus again on her surroundings.

"Lilly?" It was Daisy. "Lilly, I think you should come in now."

One of her lines didn't seem quite right, and she erased it and then redrew it. There. That was much better. "I should?" she said absently. Was it truly dinnertime already?

"Yes, you really ought to," said Daisy, sounding rather urgent. Lilly couldn't say she could understand that. "There's uh….something inside that needs your attention. But did you finish your drawing?"

She studied the picture intently. She noticed all the things that could be better, but she could fix them later. "No," she said. "But I can finish it tomorrow." She wondered briefly what could possibly need her attention inside, though she still stood up, brushing the straw off her skirt. Before she left, she gave one final pat to Strider.

As she walked back to Great Smials with Daisy, her thoughts wandered back to her drawing.

She couldn't help but hope that Frodo would like it.

XxXxXxXx

From Frodo's Journal

Day before 1 Yule

Great Smials

Been here about a day or so. It feels much, much longer, however. The Grubbs and Chubbs are wearing on me quite a lot, though I suppose I haven't had too much interaction with them. But I think they have become worse than in previous years. They have grown so volatile, and you never quite know what might cause them to snap at you. It's exhausting.

I have to confess here that, as much as I've enjoyed seeing Merry, Pippin, and my other friends, I miss home terribly already. I miss Sam. I miss the quiet of Bag End. I even miss Mellon, and her furry presence near my feet. I miss Bilbo terribly too. I remember the last Yule we spent here together. We took so many walks to talk about the annoyances of the Grubbs and Chubbs that I near lost track. Dear Bilbo. I hope you know how much you are missed. Last year, of course, we were in Rivendell…..

There's only a few days after today though before I can return home, thankfully (and I am glad that I only agreed to about five days). Tomorrow night is the grand Yule Ball, which I can't say I'm looking forward to very much. I'm not much in a mood to do much dancing. I can't say I'm in the mood for much else than reading books in the library, but Merry and Pippin informed me at Second Breakfast this morning (second for them anyway. I haven't been too hungry as of late) that I am not allowed to spend all my time buried in a book. I may do that some, but they won't let me spend all my time doing it. "Believe it or not, Frodo," said Merry. "There are hobbits here who missed you terribly and want to talk to you."

I naturally pretended to agree, but I found that difficult to believe. I-….

"Frodo!"

At the sudden noise, Frodo's hand jerked, leaving a large blot all over the crisp white page of his journal. He looked up, wondering who could be disturbing his quiet peace in the library. Merry and Pippin had told him they'd give him some time to himself today. As soon as he realized who had called his name, he tried very hard not to grimace.

It was Dottie Grubb. "Yes?" he said, as politely as he could. He shut his book quickly. He did not want her looking at it. He could only imagine what horrid things she'd say."Can I help you?"

"Yes, I need to talk to you, Baggins," she said crossly. She plopped down into the seat across from him with a thump.

Baggins! He couldn't say he was very fond of being called that. Not in that tone, at any rate. "You may call me Frodo," he said, trying not to feel as stiff as he felt. "Or, Mr. Baggins, if you wish to be more formal."

"I just wanted to tell you, Baggins," she said, seemingly ignoring what he'd just said. "That nobody wants to be disturbed at night by your infernal screaming."

Heat rushed to his face. So Daisy and Lilly weren't the only ones who'd been woken up. Perhaps he should have remembered that Dottie had a room in the same hall as he did. For not the first time, he wished that he wasn't so plagued by nightmares. Or, at least, didn't have them when other hobbits were around. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," said Dottie grumpily. "I heard you screeching last night, and I just wanted to tell you how rude and inconsiderate it was of you to do it."

"I'm terribly sorry," he said quietly. In truth, what else could he say, especially to a hobbit such as Dottie? He was sorry that he'd woken others up.

"Sorry!" she said incredulously, raising an eyebrow. "Sorry won't give me back those precious hours of sleep. And I haven't even mentioned Lilly!"

"Lilly?" he croaked. Why did he have the sense that her mentioning Lilly would be something bad?

"Yes, Lilly," she said impatiently. "Lilly, as an unmarried lass, shouldn't have had to go to your room and wake you up in the dead of night. It's not proper in the least. I saw the two of you go somewhere in your robes!" She sounded completely horrified. "Don't you, as a gentlehobbit, know how it looks?"

He was torn between irritation and embarrassment. Eventually irritation won out. He knew very well what she was implying, and he….well, he rather resented it. "And what is it you want me to say, Miss Grubb?" If she was going to call him Baggins, he would call her Miss Grubb. "We went to have some kind of secret meeting in the stables and professed our love for each other?" He shook his head. "Oh yes, that is it. I am sorry that you were woken up last night, but it won't happen again." He stood up, taking his book with him. He would not engage further in this. "Now, if you'll excuse me…." He began to walk out of the library.

But he could still hear her as he left, even after he shut the door behind him. "You come right back here, Baggins!" she screamed. "I'm not done with you!"

He ignored her, and walked quickly back to his own room, shutting the door firmly behind him. He didn't think he would let anyone else in, ever. Not today at any rate. He sat on his bed, reading one of the books he brought, glad that here no one could bother him. Of course, he had only read about a chapter in his book when there was a knock on the door. "Frodo?"

It was Merry. He sighed, but he still opened the door. "What is it, Merry?" he said warily.

"Nothing urgent," said Merry. "I just heard Dottie telling everyone that you were cross to her. I wondered if you were."

"I suppose I was," he admitted. "But I cannot feel too much regret in my heart." Bilbo would likely tell him that the Grubbs could use a good talking to every once in a while. But Bilbo was much better suited to that than he was.

"Good," said Merry. "I'm glad. The Grubbs have always been too smug for their own good." Merry's face abruptly changed to sobriety. "But you should also know that's she's also telling everyone that you and Lilly had some kind of secret meeting in the stables, and that you're in love with each other."

He flushed angrily and began to pace. He should have known that Dottie wouldn't let it go easily. She would want to spread rumors all around- and surely out of frustration over one disturbed night's sleep. As if he wanted to have another nightmare or something. No, he'd been hoping that it wouldn't happen here, and it wouldn't have if he'd been able to stay at home like he wanted. "That stupid…stupid girl!" he cried. "Doesn't she know sarcasm when she hears it? I'd like to smack some sense into her. By Elbereth, Merry, why can't she learn to mind her own business?"

Merry's eyebrows went up at his show of frustration. Frodo had a temper all right, but it showed itself so rarely that no one ever seemed ready for it. But he was rather aggravated now (and perhaps part of it was due to his own lack of sleep). "Frodo, sit down," he said firmly. When he didn't stop pacing, Merry gently pushed him into the chair and looked at him steadily. "Why don't you calmly tell me what happened last night?"

He sighed deeply, as all the irritation drained out of him as quickly as it had come. He slumped in his chair, suddenly exhausted. "I had a nightmare last night, Merry," he said quietly. "A horrible one. I suppose I must have been screaming, and Lilly came and woke me up. Upon her suggestion, we went to the kitchen and had a cup of tea. She and I talked for a while, and then we went back to our rooms." He looked up at Merry. "That's all, Merry. I swear it."

"I know, Frodo," said Merry kindly. "I believe you." He sat down on the bed across from Frodo. "But you know that Dottie will keep on saying rude things, whether there is any fact to them or not."

"Of course she will," he said. "She's a Grubb. When has a Grubb ever stopped gossiping? They always speak ill of me anyway." They were probably the ones who'd started the rumors that he was "cracked" in the beginning.

"True enough," said Merry. "But what about Lilly?"

He saw Merry's point, that he wasn't the only one being talked about in this case. Lilly was too, and that wasn't particularly fair in the least. She hadn't done anything to deserve it, nothing but trying to be kind and helpful to him. He didn't know what to do.

Another knock came from the door. "Frodo?" It was Lilly's voice this time. "Are you in there?"

He didn't immediately move to open the door, and Merry gave him a rather pointed look. "Frodo, if you're there, please open the door. I need to talk to you," she said.

She sounded so urgent that he stood up, Merry quickly following him. He slowly opened the door, wondering how she'd look. What if she was frustrated too?

But Lilly didn't look mad at all. Her eyes showed that she was upset, but not at all angry. "Frodo, I-…" She noticed that Merry was there as well. "Oh, hello, Merry," she said rather haltingly.

"Hello, Lilly," said Merry. "I'll see you later, Frodo." He gave him another meaningful look before he left. Do something to help her was his clear message.

"See you, Merry," said Lilly. After Merry walked away, Lilly's voice dropped in volume. "Have you heard what Dottie's been saying, Frodo?"

"Yes, unfortunately," he said. "Why don't you come in, Lilly?" She walked into the room and once she had, he looked up and down the hallway. He didn't see anybody, and so he shut the door, only for privacy, though he knew how it would look to hobbits like Dottie. "Have a seat."

She did, sitting on the chair that he'd recently been in himself. "So I suppose you know that she's been telling everyone that we had some kind of secret meeting at the stables," said Lilly. "Whyever would she say that?"

Lilly seemed truly bewildered, so much so that he truly felt sorry for her. She must never had anyone say anything about her or her family. He, and Bilbo too, were likely too used to it. "She fussed at me for waking her up, and apparently she saw us go to the kitchen," he said. "She implied that we were doing something wrong. I grew so frustrated that I told her…." He hesitated. "I said that what did she think we did? We had some kind of secret meeting because we were in love? I was being facetious, but I suppose she decided to tell everyone that we did because she's angry." Lilly sighed, and he realized how it must sound to her. What she must think of him. "I'm so sorry, Lilly. I should have kept my temper."

"It's all right," said Lilly. "You seem to have as much patience with Dottie as I do." He studied her, trying to discern her meaning. "Which is absolutely none, Frodo," she clarified. "I myself have spoken crossly to her."

"She's really one of the stupidest and crudest hobbit lasses I've ever met," he muttered. "I wish she'd go away and leave me alone." He wished he was home too, but he did not speak of that aloud.

Lilly's face showed her clear surprise at his words. "Why, Frodo, I think that's the first time I've ever heard you say something less than polite about anyone."

He usually did try to be polite about his fellow hobbits, but at the moment he had great difficulty in saying anything kind about Dottie. "Well, I might apologize, but I truly can't abide her," he said.

"I cannot either," said Lilly. "But if we do nothing, she'll likely keep spreading her rumors." He sat down on the bed, facing her. "What should we do, Frodo?" she asked softly.

The way she spoke and looked at him showed that she truly trusted him to propose some kind of solution- one that she couldn't find on her own. He was quiet, trying to think of something, but as hard as he tried, there only seemed to be two possibilities (since doing nothing wasn't truly something they could do). "The way I see it," he said at last. "We have two options: we can deny the rumors and try to convince everyone that we are really only friends."

"Yes?" said Lilly with a nod. "Or?"

"Or…." He felt odd even saying it, but he forced the words out. "We admit her rumors, and pretend that we are in love with each other in truth." But really, the thought of the two of them doing such was ridiculous. He was sure that Lilly would choose the former.

But Lilly's eyes brightened. "Ahh," she said. "I see. She probably thinks we will try to say we are friends. It might drive her mad if we do not."

Lilly was right about that, but he honestly hadn't suggested it because he thought it would make Dottie mad. He'd suggested it because it seemed like the only other viable option. "I'm sure she will," he said. "But does that bother you?"

"Well, my Mum would say it should," she said. "But I suppose there are worse things that irritating Dottie Grubb. I don't mind if you don't."

"No," he said slowly. "I don't think I do. I just hope you are all right with the façade."

"Oh yes," she said quickly. "Of course I am."

He was glad for her positive answer, but as they talked over their plans (they both agreed to keep quiet for the rest of the day, and he would escort her to the ball the next day. They would spend most of the time together so that their fellow hobbits would believe the façade), he couldn't sense that but something else might come out of this than just annoying Dottie Grubb. He hoped that they wouldn't regret it later.

XxXxXxXx

Since the next day was the grand ball, Merry and Pippin had somehow let Frodo have most of the day to himself (maybe because they knew he'd have to talk, act sociable, and dance later that night). He told them about his plan with Lilly when they were alone in the library, and Pippin seemed to think it was a "jolly joke." Merry, of course, had looked a bit more wary, but that was how Merry was. He was much more serious than Pippin was, and he was surely that Merry could see how complicated it could be. After their talk, he'd sat in peace in his room reading his book, like he'd wanted to yesterday. It was the nicest afternoon he'd had since he'd come here.

But the sky had eventually darkened, letting him know that it would soon be time for the dance- which meant that he was now staring at his bed, trying to figure out what to wear. He'd already decided on his black pants, but now he could not decide on neither a shirt nor a vest. The shirts were simple enough, all various shades of white. It was the vest that was causing him trouble. He'd brought only three which were nice enough: the blue, the white, and then the brown patterned one. He knew that one would probably be most suitable, yet he also knew that he wouldn't wear it. He'd worn it at Bilbo's party, and the memory of Bilbo's unexpected departure was too strong and close to his heart. He sighed deeply. He wished sometimes that he didn't have such a strong emotional memory for things. It was probably good thing that the people back in Gondor had made him new clothes and thrown out the ones he'd worn on the quest. He'd certainly never want to see them again (who even knew what had happened to his vest and coat? As far as he knew, his coat was still sitting somewhere in Ithilien).

A knock on the door broke into his thoughts. "Frodo?"

It was Merry, and since it was, he didn't bother to get up and answer the door. "You can come in, Merry."

Merry opened the door and poked his head inside the room. "I was just coming to ask if-…." Suddenly Merry's voice trailed off as he studied him. "You're not ready at all, are you?"

"I can't decide what to wear," he said. Oh dear, that sounded so much like what a hobbit tween would say.

Merry must think he'd lost his mind. "I see," said Merry kindly. He gestured toward the brown vest. Naturally. "What about this?"

"No, I don't want to wear that," he muttered.

"Why not?" asked Merry. "It's perfect for a party."

"Exactly," he said. "And I wore it to Bilbo's." Technically, it had been his birthday party as well. But somehow that always went to the back of his mind when he thought of that evening. He wasn't sure why.

Merry nodded slowly. He understood the meaning behind the words that Frodo said into the ones that he didn't speak aloud. Merry always did, sometimes better than anyone. "But that's all the more reason to wear it, Frodo," he said. "And have a good memory with it."

"Do you believe that can happen?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, absolutely," said Merry. He held the vest out to him along with a shirt. "Wear it. Please?"

Merry's pleading face reminded him of the slightly younger cousin he'd known at Brandy Hall, always asking questions and tagging along with him. He'd never been able to say no to him. Aunt Esmeralada had often chided him for that, telling him "for goodness sake, Frodo, you'll spoil the lad if you never say no to him, and then what kind of hobbit will he be?" A perfectly fine one, as it happened. "All right," he said. He took it from Merry, but he didn't immediately put it on.

But Merry knew he would in his own time, and he did start putting on the shirt after a few moments of silence. "You know, I want to ask you something," Merry said. "About Lilly?"

"Yes?"

"What if you fall in love with her for real?"

His hands stilled, and he stopped buttoning. Him in love? The very idea was preposterous. It was laughable, really. "I'm sure that won't happen, Merry," he said."It's terribly unlikely."

"But what if it does?" Merry persisted. "What would you do?"

"I don't know," he said. "I can't imagine me in love with anyone."

"Fair enough," said Merry. He said nothing else, and he finished buttoning his shirt. "But Frodo?"

"Yes, Merry?"

"Don't break her heart."

Merry wanted him to say that he wouldn't. But he knew all too well how easy it was for a heart to be broken, having had his crushed too many times before. Even if you tried hard not to, even when you loved the person dearly-it could still happened anyway. He put on his vest, then turned around. "Merry, I can only promise you that I will do my best not to."

Merry nodded slowly. Somehow he knew that was the best Frodo could do.

XxXxXxXx

A few doors down the hallway in Great Smials, Lilly and Daisy were preparing for the dance themselves. They'd both spent the day quietly, like many of the others had, which had given Lilly a chance to finish her drawing for Frodo. But somehow Lilly hadn't been able to tell Daisy what she and Frodo had decided until a few moments ago. And Daisy seemed, in a word, quite stunned.

"Now, let me see if I'm understanding this correctly," said Daisy in a low voice. "You and Frodo are pretending you're in love now?"

Lilly fiddled with her curls in front of the mirror. They weren't quite sitting as she'd like. "Yes, we are," she said. "It's a lot more fun than trying to convince everyone that we're not."

"Hmm," said Daisy, twisting her own hair around her finger so it would curl properly.

"What?" said Lilly. She'd thought, since Daisy could be quite like Pippin on occasion, that she'd be in favor (especially since she was particularly fond of Dottie herself). "What's Hmmm?"

"I don't know," said Daisy. "I'm just….I'm just not sure it's a good idea."

Lilly turned to face her sister. "Why not?"

"Well….," Daisy seemed to struggle for the right words. "What if you fall in love with him for real?"

Lilly had considered that. If she were honest, it probably would be easy to do if she herself. He was so kind and handsome. She knew that she already cared for him at least as a friend. Yet what if she did fall for him, but he didn't care for her in return? What would she do then? "I suppose I'll decide what to do if it comes." She stepped into her dress- a silky green one that she loved. It made her feel close to her sister, Ruby, as well, because she had worn in the past as well. "Help me, will you, Daisy?"

Daisy obligingly helped her with the dress, fastening the small buttons on the back. "Maybe you will and maybe he will fall for you too," she said. "But I can't help but feel that either way, your heart will break."

Something told her- deep inside her- that Daisy might well be right about that. Although Daisy had a crazy, silly side she also had this strange way of sensing future events. Could her heard indeed end up breaking? She dearly hoped not. She felt Daisy finish the last button, and so she turned around. "Thank you, Daisy," she said, straightening her skirt. "How….how do you think I look?"

Daisy sighed deeply. "Beautiful," she said. "Perfectly lovely. Frodo would have to be blind not to notice."

She opened her mouth to protest, to say that Frodo likely would not notice her appearance no matter what. It wasn't like that between them. But she heard a knock on the door, and they both turned toward it. "Your gentlehobbit awaits," said Daisy, smiling now.

Lilly laughed slightly. "He's not my gentlehobbit," she said. "He's not." But she still opened the door, trying to ignore the small leap her heart made.

Frodo was indeed standing there, like he said he would, wearing the vest she remembered him in at Bilbo's party. His blue eyes widened when he saw her, and she felt rather self-conscious. She couldn't remember him looking at her like this before."Hullo," she said, for a lack of anything better to say.

"Hully, Lilly." He smiled at her. "You look as fair as your name," he said softly.

A hot flush crept up the back of her neck. "Thank you." She glanced back at Daisy, who mouthed something at her. Say what you will, but I have to tell you, that wasn't any acting.

You may think what you like, Daisy, she mouthed back. Frodo held out his hand to her, and she took it. They walked toward the party, but she noticed that he was very quiet. In fact, he hadn't said much at all since he'd given her that nice compliment. "Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yes, I suppose," he said with a sigh. "I just….miss Bilbo. I wore this to his party, you know, and then….."

And then Bilbo disappeared, had left him. It seemed to Lilly that he'd had those he loved leave him much too often, and Lilly suddenly had an idea. "You know, I was going to do this later, but maybe I should give it to you now."

He glanced over at her, clear surprise in his eyes. "You have….something for me?"

"Well, it's nothing big," she said quickly. "But I thought….Anyway, here it is." She pulled out the drawing and held it out to him.

He took it, his eyes staring at it. She couldn't tell what he thought about it, but he finally spoke again. "It's me and Bilbo at Bag End," he said. "We look….so happy."

He said happy like it was foreign to him now. Like he didn't even know what it looked like. She felt so sad that he couldn't feel the joy he'd had here before. "Yes, it is," she said gently. "I hope you like it."

"It's wonderful," he said. "I think I'll put it my study." He looked at her, and if she let herself, she thought she might drown in the blue pools. Be careful, Lilly. "Thank you so much, Lilly. I appreciate you taking the time to make such a lovely gift for me."

"You're welcome," she said. "I'm…I'm glad it's something you like."

His hand squeezed hers gently. "Very much."

They soon reached the party, and were immediately greeted by many hobbits- all of them talking about the two of them. Apparently, Dottie's rumor had spread very quickly. Lilly thought that it might have been very difficult to try and convince everyone that they weren't a couple. Maybe the pretense had been a better idea, though many of her friends and his friends were surprised at what some of them called the "suddenness of their courtship." In response, Frodo had wrapped his arm around her and said something about how love comes when you least expect it. Oh, he was very good at their game and nearly all seemed convinced by both of them. But it wasn't as if it was hard (she thought later) to pretend to be in love with Frodo Baggins of all hobbits. He treated her so attentively and kindly, bringing her punch, and talking with her, and danced with her many times.

But not all was good about the evening. She'd caught several of the hobbit lasses jealously glaring at her. Dottie Grubb gave her an almost hateful stare, and it was not lost on Frodo. He'd given her hand an empathetic squeeze. "She's just angry that we didn't react to her rumors like she wanted," he whispered to her. She knew that was true, but she was torn between feeling upset at the glare and irritation at Dottie.

Yet she was never able to tell which feeling was stronger, because shortly thereafter, Frodo grew very quiet and pale as he sat next to her and his hand rose up to touch his forehead. Lilly recognized the signs of a headache from Sam's letter to her. She gently took his hand. "Do you have a headache?" she asked quietly.

He let out a low groan, his eyes squeezing shut. "Yes…."

She tugged at his hand. "Come on, then," she said.

"But what…about the party?" he said.

"It's all right," she said. "I've had a grand time, but I don't want to stay if you feel awful." She gave him a small smile. "Let's find you a cup of tea and get you to bed." She tugged at hand again, and this time he stood up and followed her as she led him to the door. Luckily enough they were not intercepted by anyone, and she managed to make him a cup of tea without too much trouble.

She could only hope that it would help.

XxXxXxXxX

The headache had come on suddenly, that was certain. It seemed as though one moment he had been watching all the hobbits dance, and the next his head ached terribly. It hadn't taken long for Lilly to notice, and she'd quickly taken him away from the party to the kitchen, making him a cup of tea in no time at all. He slowly drank it, all the while feeling Lilly's concerned eyes on him. She was worried about him; he knew that. But he finished the tea, and the pounding began to ease. He sighed in relief.

"Are you feeling any better?" she asked him softly.

"A little," he answered. "Thank you, Lilly."

She cleaned up all the dishes she'd used, before turning to him again. "Well, let's get you to bed, shall we?" she said, with a faint smile.

The thought of his warm bed was awfully tempting. "Are you sure you don't mind, Lilly?"

"Absolutely not," she said. "There's really only so much dancing you can do. This way I can read some before I sleep."

Lilly was rather kind to say such. He felt that other ladyhobbits would complain about how he'd ruined their evening- as if he wanted to have yet another headache. But Lilly didn't complain at all, but rather made small pleasant remarks as they walked about how much fun she'd had. She was truly a special lass.

Eventually, they reached his room. "Now, you go rest now, all right, Frodo?" asked Lilly. "Don't read too much or whatnot. Make sure you sleep."

He couldn't say that he even wanted to read right now. Not when sleep sounded so much better. "I will, Lilly," he said. "Thank you for everything."

"You're welcome," she said. "Goodnight." She turned to go, but she hesitated, and he wondered why. But she faced him once more, lightly kissing his head, half on his hair and half on his forehead. "Sleep well," she whispered, her cheeks rather pink. She gave one more fleeting smile before she disappeared down the hall. He sighed, then opened his door and prepared for bed in an almost stunned stupor.

Lilly had kissed him. Well, it wasn't a proper kiss, he supposed, but it was still surprising. The Lady Galadriel had kissed his forehead too, but that did not feel at all the same. Lady Galadriel's had been almost like a farewell, a blessing. Lilly's was….caring. Or something like it. And his head still somehow felt hot, which it hadn't at all with Lady Galadriel. Was he growing ill?

Oh, he didn't know. If he thought about it too much, he'd likely have another pounding headache again. Well, it was nice whatever else it was. He crawled underneath the covers, and soon he fell asleep.

He dreamed of dancing with a special ladyhobbit whose beauty, kindness, and gentleness had won her a place in his heart.