A/N: I fear I am suffering from a bit of writers block.

Chapter 26- Regret

Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas rode behind Theoden, Gandalf, and Eomer. They stopped very abruptly and looked around, Orthanc loomed not far ahead. The looked forward and there sat, smoking a pipe and drinking wine, was Merry and Pippin. Merry saw them and leapt to his feet. He bowed low and introduced himself.

" Welcome, my lords!" he made a very descriptive introduction about himself and the sleeping form beside him. He and Gandalf spoke for a few moments.

" And what of your old companions! Legolas and me?" Gimli cried out unable to contain himself for much longer.

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Merry, Pippin, Legolas, Aragorn, and Gimli sat next to the warm hearth and caught up on each others trails. They talked for a long while of how Merry and Pippin came to the Ents and how they seemed so terribly healthy when they had not eaten properly and a great many other things.

A silence soon took them, and they each seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Pippin looked around at all of them, they seemed to be thinking about something dearly cared for and dearly missed.

" What are you all thinking of?" He asked them curiously. " You all seem to be thinking about the same thing." He answered their curious looks. They looked at him strangely. " Oh come on," he told them. " Gimli tell me honestly what you were thinking about two minutes ago, when I asked."

" Truthfully, I was thinking about the lady Galadriel." He answered looking a little flustered when he admitted it.

" Okay! That's it then, what ladies are you three thinking of?" He turned to Aragorn, Merry, and Legolas. " Fine we can narrow it down by you Aragorn, considering that Elf woman is on your mind," Aragorn looked amused as the young Took tried to figure it out.

" Oh, come off it, Pip!" Merry said slightly annoyed. Legolas sat with a small smile, hinting behind his usual expressionless face.

" Yes! I nailed it! Merry won't tell us who he fancies!" Pippin said with glee. He grew glum. " I thought I was your best friend, Merry. And you never told me," he mocked a sniffle. " It shouldn't be too hard to figure out…" Pippin thought hard.

" Pippin," Merry said warningly. " You already told me who you fancy," he said with a devilish grin. Pippin eyes grew wide then he smiled, apparently pleased with himself.

" Oh? Well, at least they don't know Diamond, Merry," Pippin chuckled as Merry grew deathly pale. Gimli, Aragorn, and Legolas sat clearly amused by the two hobbits.

" Oh? Peregrin, it's someone we know?" Aragorn asked, a smile shining on his face.

" Oh, I think so," Pippin said studying Merry's face. Merry began to blush furiously. " My, my, I don't know how I didn't see it before," Pippin muttered. Merry had never shown any interest or respect to a girl before. Then all of a sudden in Rivendell he was polite and kind towards and around Sam. " You like Sam!" Pippin burst out, unable to contain himself. Merry turned a darker shade of red.

Aragorn watched Merry intently, hoping this was not true. He remembered the kiss between Frodo and Sam he had witnessed just after Boromir's death. The poor halfling would be heart broken if they came back or if they didn't…

To his relief Merry denied it completely.

" That is good Meridoc," Aragorn told him when he denied it.

" Oh? Why's that?" Pippin asked him.

" I believe someone else has eyes for Samantha, great big blue ones at that," he answered with a chuckle.

" Oh those poor two hobbits, all alone on those cold nights, with nothing but each other for warmth…" Gimli said with pity. Pippin snorted with laughter. Aragorn and Legolas smiled, knowing what crude thoughts were going through the little hobbits mind. Merry just grew wide eyed and looked at Pippin, shocked.

" 'Poor' isn't the word I would have used Gimli," Pippin giggled.

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Sam came back a while later carrying some Orc gear under her arm. She was very quiet and seemed almost scared. Frodo came over to her and she set the gear down.

He hated himself for scaring her like that. And he admitted to himself, his thoughts weren't entirely pure when he kissed Sam like that either. Of course he stopped himself, it wouldn't do at all for him to defile Sam and her body for his selfish pleasures or worse is if became with child for her and a child to die in this land. He wouldn't risk it.

" Sam, I am truly sorry about before," He told her earnestly. He voice was deep and his face sincere, but she was scared. Not just of him, but for him. If the ring caused him to do that to someone he loved, how could he ever resist it when it grew stronger. She didn't respond to what he said.

" Here, I brought you some Orc gear. It may not be the most fitting thing or the most flattering, but it was all I could get…" Frodo imagined for a moment poor Sam stripping the dead orcs of their clothes and gear.

" Thank you," he tried to sound as thankful and sincerely grateful. She set the clothes down, as she did he took her hands. " Please forgive me, I know you are scared of me, I can see it in your eyes."

" No, I am not scared of you, I am scared for you. I don't want to loose you," Sam told him. He smiled, but could think of no comfort he could give her. His smile faded. He quickly got dressed as Sam looked away.

" Mornië cân ven," he told her quietly. " Darkness calls to us,"

Together they left the tower of Cirith Ungol.

A/N: Sorry about the length. As I stated before, writers block. I'm feeling quite depressed at the moment, a flame actually got to me. I usually try not to let that happen because I get depressed really easily, but it did. Yuck, It put me in a crappy mood. (Wow crappy is in the computer dictionary)) This sucks, for like half of today I seriously considered not going on to finish this story. But I guess I will, for you people who love it.

That Livingston Girl- THANKYOU HUNDRETH REVIEWER! Yay

Kathrene (my Sp. =crap) Lol. No offence but I laughed at the way you worded your last review about Frodo and Sam in Cirith Ungol. I put a little piece in there about Frodo thinking about it as you did.

So to take my mind off that really sucky ((sucky is not in the computer dictionary…)) review You can make me happy with nice kind reviews. I think I am going to put a note about that on my 1st chapter, not to flame me because I am way to sensitive.