"Oohhh, it's beautiful!" Rashelle breathed as she twirled in the velvet gown of green with creamy white billowing sleeves. She stepped out from behind the dressing curtain where Meriadoc waited. "What do you think Merry? I know it's far too expensive, but I had to try it on,"

"I wish you had me help you try it on," Merry teased and Rashelle's eyes went wide.

"Merry!" She hissed blushing as he rose and he circled her, checking every stitch and trim with a scrupulous eye.

"Twirl for me, love," He said and she obey spinning slowly allowing the skirt to billow out, revealing her silver toes. Merry scratched his chin thoughtfully and nodded. He called a fitter over. "We'll take this one," Rashelle gasped.

"Merry, we can't its too expensive, its-"

"Its perfect and Frodo told me to get you the perfect gown no matter what the cost,"

" Oh, Merry!!" Rashelle beamed and threw herself into the sandy-haired hobbit's arms.

Rivendell was the reason for this shopping spree. Frodo wanted her to go to Rivendelle and meet his uncle for his 126 *A/N it's something like that right? + birthday. Rashelle couldn't wait. She had heard so many great stories about the last house and Bilbo Baggins.

The dress bought Merry and Rashelle left the tailors and began down the streets of Hobbiton. Vendors and storeowners harped and preached their goods and hobbit women winked and flirted with roguish Brandybuck. Rashelle laughed at him and nudged him in the ribs.

"why don't you ever flirt with me like that?" She pouted and Merry turned on her with a growl. "Merry, don't you dare!" Merry leapt at Rashelle and the silver toed hobbit lass gave a squeal and took off down the rode.

Merry chased her through dirt roads and around elder hobbits that yelled at them to behave like gentle hobbits. The dirt rode and large buildings turned to soft grassy soil and small cottages. Merry finally caught his prey while they crossed a bridge and Rashelle had thought to lean on the rail and catch her breath. Merry snared Rashelle around the waist and crushed her against him, kissing her breathlessly.

"I win. . . again," Merry smiled smugly as Rashelle cuddled against him to regain her strength.

"How did you get such stamina," She frowned ad then saw a lusty gleam in his eye. "Don't answer that,"

"Look, love I need to run into the Green Dragon, do you want to stay here?" He asked forking his thumb at the Inn that lay on the other side of the bridge. Rashelle nodded and Merry kissed her forehead. "I'll be back in a wink,"

When Merry was out of Rashelle's earshot he sighed and shook his head. He wished she could come with him, but the Green Dragon made her uneasy and he didn't blame her. Although Frodo, Sam, he, and Pippin loved Rashelle with all their hearts, many people did not.

First there was Rosie Cotton, Sam's would-be-wife. Nothing could separate her or Sam until Frodo brought the sickly and frightened Rashelle home. Frodo and Sam nursed Rashelle back to health and trust and that was when the Gamgee fell in love with her and broke up with Rosie. Needless to say Sam's Gaffer wasn't thrilled about the relationship his son was in. Other hobbits disapproved of her relationship with the others or frowned upon her past. Unfortunately for Rashelle most of these people gathered at the Dragon.

Merry squinted through the gloom of daylight and heavy smoke to find his cousin, Pippin. He found him sitting at a far-secluded table nursing a drink. Meriadoc joined his cousin.

"Pippin, is something wrong? Usually you're dancing on a table with a throng of plump hobbit girls on your arm," He laughed nudging his cousin. Pippin shook his head and buried himself in his mug.

"It's nothing, you'd probably just laugh,"

"No, I won't. what's up?"

Pippin set down his glass and looked Merry square in the eye, "I want Rashelle to love me like she does you and Frodo," He said. Merry stared at his cousin.

"Is that you or the barley talking, Pip? What are you saying?"

"Well, you probably didn't notice last night or any night because she's always with you two, but she doesn't look at me the same way. She . . . she looks at me like I'm a kid," Merry smiled and Pippin drained his mug.

"Is that it?" He asked as Pippin dried his mouth with his sleeve. Merry shook his head and wrapped his arm around Pippin's shoulders. "Pippin, you dunderhead, she loves you as much as any of us. If it had been me that had stolen that batter yesterday she would have knocked my head clean off my shoulders."

"But she's with you!" Pippin said exhasperately. The last time she was even alone with me was when she was sick last month with that fever and she crept into my bed and stayed with me," Merry laughed and rapt Pippin's skull smartly.

"Of course she did, she trusts you! She knows you won't go anywhere and that you won't push her away. I'm just for sport, she doesn't know if I'll fly away to another flower. Sam is for support, but he is for Frodo, cause she knows if Frodo snapped his fingers and told Sam never to speak to her again, Sam would do so. Frodo is her master, he is pleasure and home, but he also rules her. You, Pippin, your her memory, her childhood friend, her rock, she can always go back and count on you. She loves you in a special way that none of us will know," and for a final note Meriadoc tugged his cousin's ear sharply and hissed, "And for soul's sake if you want her attention so bad, go and get it!" Pippin beamed from ear to ear as Merry gave him a rough shove, "come on, you Took, I promised her we wouldn't be long,"

At that moment a large hobbit stumbled into the inn, panting and huffing.

"There's a Man out there, one of the Big Folk and he's got hold of a Silver toed lass!"

"Rashelle!" Pippin choked and he and Merry darted out of the Inn.