Friends

"Is she still following us?" Meriadoc Brandybuck asked he and his two cousins raced through the forest. Pippin the youngest, looked over his shoulder and nodded.

"I don't see her, we must have lost her,"

The three stopped running and presently collapsed on the forest floor.

"Merry, what on earth possessed you to kiss her! She nearly killed you!" Frodo panted. The Brandybuck shrugged.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," He then noticed Frodo's disapproving stare, "Oh, come on, Frodo! She needs to learn that if she doesn't get her act together she'll never have any fun and end up just like you use to be," He leaned forward and ruffled his cousin's damp curls. "Lucky, for you Frodo, I rubbed off on you," Frodo ducked away with a laugh.

"There's a horrible thought,"

The three laid on the laid on the ground for a moment on their backs watching the clouds sail through the breaks in the treetops and the birds twittering around them. Then Pippin turned on his belly; his round face still flushed.

"You don't fancy Padima Baggins do you, Merry ?"

His cousin gave a choked sound and shook his head, "No, of course not! What makes you think that?" But it didn't stop his face from growing redder.

"Then why did you kiss her?" Frodo pressed, his blue eyes twinkling. Merry leaned back on his elbows with a nervous giggle.

"I was just funnin', Frodo! Honestly, you know I'd never hit on her,"

"That exactly what you said about PrimRose BurrFoot and she had to practically beat you of with a stick every time you saw her!" Frodo pointed out and Merry dug into his pockets pretending not to hear.

"Where is that blasted pipe?" Merry hissed when something fell on top of his head. "OW! Blast it wha-" Merry rubbed his head when he saw what had hit him. His pipe! Merry turned his round face toward the sky and saw her lounging the branches of the tree right above them. "Paddy!" Merry shouted. "How long have you-"

"Long enough, Merriadoc," She said and nimbly climb down the tree. "You dropped it on your hurried escape, I'm just returning it to you. I also have something else for you," Merry gave a grin.

"Really, what's that?"

Padima frowned at him, "That if you ever touch me again, I'll give your pipe in the nether throat!"

"Is that so?" Merry bristled, "I was just paying you a compliment, but obviously it was wasted on a silly little girl who only wants to climb trees and crack peoples skulls!"

"Silly girl!" Padima fumed. They were practically nose to nose, throwing every dirty word they could think of at each other.

"Yeah, well I- Pippin! What is it!?" Merry barked at his young cousin who was tugging on his sleeve. The young hobbit gave a squeak and pointed over Padima's shoulder. Merry's jaw dropped and Frodo gave a shout. Padima slowly turned around and gasped.

There in front of her was a drooling orc with a malicious gleam in his eye.

The orc had a huge mace in his hand and lifted it high into the air, casting a shadow over Padima.

"Padima MOVE!!" Merry shouted as the girl froze. The Brandybuck grabbed her arm and jerked her off her sandled toes as the huge spiked weapon came crashing down. Padima lost her balance and fell backwards on Merry and the two looked up in horror. The orc moved forward again its mace looming in the air. Merry sucked in his breath and grabbed Padima around the waist as she buried her face in his neck awaiting death.

Thock!!

"Hey! Hey StoneHead!! Yeah you!!!" Came little Pippin's voice as he use his slingshot to launch rocks at the orc's head. The orc turned a snarl on his pig-like muzzle. He quickly advanced.

"Peregrin!!" Merry yelled as the little hobbit gave a squeak and ran as fast as he could. The orc swung at the hobbitling sending limbs crashing and upturning dirt and debris.

Pippin ran till he thought his lungs would burst when an arm grabbed him and dragged him into a enormous hallow tree.

"Frodo!!" Pippin breathed and hugged his older cousin as the stomping of the orc became slow. It gave a quizzical grunt and then there was the unquestionable thump as the giant creature fell over dead.

Frodo and Pippin peeked out of their hiding place to see a silvery figure bending over the corpse, making to retrive its arrow from the orc's skull.

It was an elf. Frodo knew it! It had heard so many stories from his Uncle. He watched in awe, wondering if they should make their presence known when Pippin sneezed. Frodo blinked and the figure was gone.

Hesitantly the two left the great tree, when they heard Merry and Padima yelling at each other again.

Frodo smiled, feeling wobbly in his knees. Pippin was bent over the orc and reached out to grab the arrow when Paddy came through the brush.

"I can't believe you Meriadoc Brandybuck!" She shouted and Merry shouted back.

"We were about to die, it seemed like a good idea at the time!"

She spied Frodo and Pippin and rushed to them.

"Oh, Peregrin , you brave little soul!" She cried and took the Took in her arms and began smoothering him with kisses till he turned red. Merry came up beside Frodo looking sour.

She then stood and Frodo held up his hands, "No kisses, please,"

"I wasn't going to kiss you!" She snapped and then seemed to soften, " I was going to ask if you were okay?"

"Yeah, I little shaken, but I'm fine, you?"

"A little violated, but I'm fine. Just tell your cousin to keep his hands to himself,"

Frodo shook his head, not even wanting to know what his cousin did. "What killed the thing?" Padima asked turning to the hulking body and gasped.

"Ugly, ain't it?" Pippin said still flushed, but Padima fell to her knees, pulling the guilded arrow from the orc's head.

"No, this arrow! I know this arrow! It belongs to Tarrod!"

"Who?" The three cousins asked and Paddy smiled.

"It means we're being watched by an angel,"

Merry rolled his eyes and Frodo smiled as Pippin looked high into the trees turning every which way trying to catch a glimpse of the 'angel'.

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"Padima," The young halfling turned from her place on the bench in BagEnd's lawn to see Bilbo. "Are you coming in for dinner?"

"In a moment," She said, and fingered the long arrow in her hand. Bilbo sighed and walked to her, sitting beside her on the bench.

"Paddy, Frodo told me about the orc,"

"Oh," She said, and Bilbo pried her hands away from the arrow and held them.

"I know you miss them," He said, capturing her green eyes with his dark ones, "but this is your home. I understand your want to remember them, Paddy, but please make some friends. Run around, scrape your knees, rip your dresses, kiss some lads!" Padima went red and Bilbo ruffled her rich locks, "Just be happy and live,"

"Yes, Uncle Bilbo, I'm sorry, its just I haven't been here very long and I don't know anyone,"

"You've been here for five months, now. Tomorrow, why don't you go out to town with Frodo, he can introduce you to some people,"

Paddy smiled, "I would like that,"

Bilbo rose and Paddy with him, the arrow falling to the ground unnoticed.

As the green door closed a silver figure stole into the lawn and retrieved his arrow and bounded back into the woods.